Steve scrambled up from the floor but, before he could return Shane's punch, Bo's arms wrapped around him.
"Knock it off, Steve." Bo's tone was harsh.
"Let me go, Bo." Steve eyed Shane dangerously. Shane returned the glare. "This is between me and Donovan."
"Right now, this is between me and you," Bo said, pulling Steve towards the door.
Steve struggled against Bo's efforts to move him to the door, but quickly realized the only choice was to go with Bo or fight him. Not willing to take a swing at his buddy, Steve allowed Bo to push him out the door into the foyer.
"What the hell's your problem, man?" Bo yelled as he closed the door behind him.
"My problem?" Steve yelled back. "Donovan's the one who threw the first punch."
"Because you provoked it. And you know it, Steve."
"I don't know anything," Steve replied, stubbornly. "All I know is I came here to pick up my daughter and take her home - and that's damn well what I'm going to do."
Steve pushed by Bo and headed for the door. Before he could open it, Bo spun him around and shoved him back.
"You're not going anywhere until you calm down." Bo maintained his stance between Steve and the door.
"Don't tell me what to do, Bo." Steve's voice was dangerously calm. "Stephanie is my daughter and I'm going to get her out of this place and take her home."
"Stephanie's also my niece. And you are out of control." Bo took a deep breath and kept his eye on Steve. "You could have killed that guy at the Heart tonight if Jimmy and I hadn't dragged you out of there. And you practically begged Shane to hit you with what you said about Kim and Cal. Hell, if he hadn't hit you, I might have."
Steve felt the guilt wash over him as he recalled Kim's face as she stood in the doorway. He knew he had crossed a line he should not have crossed.
"I'm sorry for what I said about Kim," he said softly. "I didn't even know she was there."
"I know you didn't," Bo said quietly. He walked over to Steve and put a hand on his shoulder. "You were too busy going after Shane to notice. That's how out of control you were."
"Just let me get Stephanie and I'll get out of here. You won't have to worry about me anymore."
"I do worry about you, Steve." Bo stepped back towards the door. "Why don't you just go home and leave Stephanie here for the night? You and Kayla can pick her up tomorrow."
Steve's eye narrowed. "Are you trying to keep me from my daughter, Bo?"
"No," Bo said, refusing to meet Steve's eye. "I'm just saying maybe it's better for everyone if you leave her here tonight."
"That's not going to happen, Bo." Steve walked towards the door and stopped just in front of Bo. "I'm not leaving my daughter here."
"Then you have two choices," Bo said, not backing down. "You can stay here and calm down, or I'll take Stephanie home with me." Bo looked Steve in the eye. "Because she's not going anywhere with you until I know that you have that temper of yours under control."
Steve knew Bo was serious, and a voice in his head said Bo was also right. Raising his hands in surrender, Steve backed away from the door and sat in the chair. "All right. I'll calm down."
"Good." Bo kept his eye on Steve. "You stay right there and I'll go get Stephanie and her things. But I swear if you so much as move out of that chair while I'm gone, then Stephanie is going home with me tonight."
Steve nodded. He watched as Bo went back into the other room. He remembered the breathing exercises that Kim had taught him and took several long, deep breaths. All he wanted to do was go home, put Stephanie to bed, and get some sleep. The events of the past two days had caught up with him and Steve was overcome with exhaustion.
After several minutes, he heard the door open and saw Bo come back into the foyer with Stephanie in his arms. Kim trailed behind with Stephanie's diaper bag. There was no sign of Shane.
Steve stood up and walked to Bo. "There's my little Sweetness," he said with a smile. After he took Stephanie from Bo, he took the diaper bag from Kim.
"I'm . . . I'm sorry, Kim." Steve could barely look her in the eyes. "I didn't mean what I said. I hope you know that."
Kim nodded, but did not say anything. Bo stepped next to Kim and put his arm around her. Sighing, Steve carried Stephanie to the door and left the Donovan house. He put Stephanie in her car seat and drove home.
By the time they reached the apartment, Stephanie was sound asleep. Steve carefully carried her into her room and placed her in her crib. He tucked her in and stroked her hair. Stepping away, he sat down in the rocking chair next to the crib.
He ran his hand across his face and leaned back in the chair. His mind whirled with the events of the evening. Had it been only a few hours since he had left the apartment, looking forward to a fun evening with Bo? He looked down at his hand and saw the bruises on his knuckles. He recalled Bo telling him that he could have killed the guy at the Heart that night. But Steve could not remember anything about it. He remembered turning away from the man, and the next thing he remembered was Jimmy and Bo holding him down on the ground outside the Heart as Bo yelled his name.
Steve looked again at his sleeping daughter and thought of how Bo had been afraid to let Stephanie leave with him. Anger and shame rose inside Steve - anger that Bo would ever think that Steve was a danger to Stephanie, and shame that Steve had provided a reason for Bo to worry.
Looking over at the dresser, he saw the pink music box sitting there. Steve reached over and picked it up. He stared at it for a moment, then opened it.
The song was something he did not recognize. Not surprising. Everything about the damn thing was wrong. It did not fit here; it did not fit his family; it did not fit Steve. He snapped it shut, stood up from the chair, and left the room before the walls closed in around him. Steve walked into the living room and checked the locks on the door and the windows, unable to shake the feeling that Stephanie was not safe.
After pacing from room to room and checking on Stephanie multiple times, Steve finally collapsed on the couch. His body begged for sleep, but his mind would not surrender to it. Looking down at his hand, Steve realized he was still holding the music box. As he stared at it, he saw Shane holding Stephanie, saw Stephanie smiling up at Shane, and heard Shane's voice on the tape as Stephanie took her first steps. His fingers tightened around the box again. All Steve wanted to do was hurl the box against the wall to destroy it and everything it represented.
He sat up and started to raise his arm, ready to throw it. But he hesitated. He could not do it.
It won't change anything.
Steve lowered the box and looked at it. He could destroy the music box, he could erase the tape Shane recorded of Stephanie taking her first steps, and he could get rid of every physical reminder of all that he missed out on.
It won't make a difference. It won't matter.
Pulling himself up from the couch, Steve walked quietly back into Stephanie's room and set the music box back on the dresser. He sat back down in the rocking chair and pulled the blanket off the back of the chair. Wrapping the blanket around himself, he watched his daughter sleeping peacefully. He knew he could not erase the nine months he had missed. That part of Stephanie's life had passed. Steve had missed it. Nothing he could do would ever get that back. But he was here now and he would protect her - with his life if necessary.