The house was quiet and the foyer dark as Shane entered. That was curious. But then he remembered that he told Simmons he probably would not be back until late - if at all. Shane could hardly expect anyone to be waiting for him under the circumstances.

But someone was there. Shane realized he was not alone and immediately reached for the gun in his shoulder holster.

"Captain Donovan, sir."

Shane let go of his gun, suddenly feeling completely foolish. He found the light switch and flipped it on. He had to blink as the bright light only intensified the pain in his head, but as his eyes adjusted, he located Mike sitting in a chair in the corner of the foyer.

"Sorry about that," Shane said. "I'm not quite accustomed to your being here."

"Yes, sir."

Shane took a good look at the bodyguard. Something seemed odd, but he could not place it for a minute. Then, it hit Shane. "Are you wearing the same clothes you had on for your interview?" Before Mike could even answer, Shane remembered his orders - don't leave until you're relieved personally. "Mike . . . I'm sorry. Everything last night got kind of crazy."

"I understand, sir. In your position, there will be emergencies."

I guess you could call it that. "I'm still sorry. I'm not expecting you to be here 24/7. And I certainly didn't expect it on your first day."

"That's okay, sir."

Shane debated setting some parameters for when Mike could leave if Shane got delayed, but decided against it. In the future, if it looked like he would be away, he would figure something out. Maybe he could have someone on call. "You should go home. Just tell me if there's anything I need to know."

"No, sir. It's been quiet here. Your son pretty much stayed in his room all day."

Something about that did not sound right. Then it dawned on Shane that Andrew was supposed to return to school that morning; in the chaos over Steve's foray into Lawrence's, Shane had forgotten all about it. "What happened with the school?" Shane asked. "Is Andrew sick?"

"No, sir," Mike replied. "He's in the kitchen with Ms. Brady. I . . . I believe there was an issue with Andrew returning. Ms. Brady just told him that he was not going today and she was not sure if he would go tomorrow."

Shane felt a mix of relief and trepidation. On the one hand, Shane was relieved that, if the school was blocking Andrew's return, the boy would not be put in daily danger. Even with Mike watching Andrew, there was always a chance of another attack. The school was just too public.

On the other hand, Mike's news gave Shane a sneaking suspicion about why Kim had called him during the day. As his head pounded, Shane could almost hear the lecture he undoubtedly would soon receive.

"Thanks, Mike." Shane motioned to the door. "Please go home and get some rest."

Mike left and Shane headed for the kitchen. No point in putting off the inevitable. Entering, he saw Andrew sullenly staring down at his plate while Kim maneuvered between two high chairs, feeding both Jeannie and Stephanie.

"Now this is a surprise," Shane said, feigning an upbeat tone. "I didn't realize we had a visitor tonight."

"Daddy!" Andrew seemed to forget he was upset as he jumped out of his seat. Kim's withering glare told him that she was not as easily distracted.

"Hiya, Sport." Shane lifted Andrew into a hug. In a more even tone, he said, "Kim."

"I thought you were working late." She was no longer looking at him, but had returned to feeding the girls. "That's what Simmons said."

It sounded to Shane like she would have preferred he not come home. Puzzled, Shane set Andrew down, motioned for him to return to the table, and then walked over to the drawer that had some aspirin. As Shane pulled out the bottle, he just said, "Things changed."

"Apparently," Kim muttered. "Not enough to keep you from returning phone calls or getting messages."

Shane sighed. "Kim-" He stopped himself when he saw Andrew looking at him. "Maybe we should discuss this later."

She scowled. "Fine." Turning to Andrew, Kim asked, "Are you finished with your supper, sweetie?" When he nodded, she said, "Why don't you go with your father and tell him what you and Mike did all day."

That was uncalled for, Shane thought, but he said nothing to Kim. He reminded himself that he needed to keep his distance from her. As the reminder crossed his mind, he winced; another flash of pain from the headache. He downed two of the aspirin and took a couple of deep breaths.

"Daddy?"

Shane looked down to see that Andrew was standing next to him. He glanced back at Kim who was pointedly ignoring him. Fine, if that's how she wants to handle things. Shane smiled at Andrew. "Okay, Sport, how about we go up to your room and you can tell me about your day."

As Shane followed Andrew out of the kitchen, he could feel Kim watching him. There would be a confrontation later; he knew he could not avoid it. He just hoped the aspirin would kick in first and wondered if it was possible for this day to get any worse.