"Can I get anyone anything?"
Bo shook his head. "Kimber, we're fine." Even as he finished, he glanced at Roman for confirmation. Roman had arrived a few minutes earlier, telling her only that the ISA officials still had not arrived in Salem. Roman had walked in flexing his right hand, and she had noticed that his knuckles were red. Kim suspected that, outside in her driveway, Jack Devereaux was nursing a very sore jaw.
"Yeah, Sis, we don't need anything," Roman added. "Why don't you sit down?"
They didn't understand. Kim needed to do something. If she didn't keep herself occupied, she would worry. About Shane and what was happening to him at the jail. About Andrew, who had spent most of the afternoon alternating between glaring at her and refusing to look at her. He was now in his room napping.
"Madame, here are the telephone messages." Kim turned and gratefully took a stack of papers from Simmons. "I left the press enquiries, but they are at the bottom."
"Thank you, Simmons," she said. At least this was something she could do.
Bo crossed the room toward her. "Here . . . let me handle those."
"No," Kim said, with a shake of her head. "I've got it." She carried the papers over to Shane's desk, dumped the press messages in one pile on the desk, and began flipping through the other set of messages. It seemed like half the hospital staff had called, not to mention Alice and Julie. Neil's note said he would stop by after work. She grimaced at seeing Victor Kiriakis' name. He had always hated Shane, and she doubted he was doing anything but gloating right now. She balled that one up and tossed it in the trash.
"Looks like just about every news company in the business is calling," Bo muttered as he looked at the set of press messages. "CNN, New York Times, Chicago Tribune, Boston Globe, Reuters . . . sheesh."
All over a silly newspaper article, she thought. Then something else dawned on her. "Eve . . . I need to get word to her. She shouldn't have to read about this in some newspaper."
"Kimber. . . . You know there's no phone at their camp. It'll take days just to get a message through."
Kim knew Bo was right, but if Eve found out the wrong way, it would be horrible. Shane did not need that kind of worry. "I still have to let her know."
"I'll see what I can do," Roman said. "Maybe I can get in touch with some officials with Frankie's organization and see if they have a way of getting a message through."
She nodded. God, she felt numb.
The doorbell rang. Who is it now? she wondered. "I'll get it," she said before anyone else could volunteer.
She was the second one to reach the door. Mike beat her to it. He hesitated as he looked at her.
He's here to protect us. Jericho's still out there. It came as a cruel reminder that, with everything else going on, her son was still in danger. "Go ahead," she said.
Mike cracked the door open then opened it to let in Kim's parents.
"'Bout time you answered," Shawn grumbled as he came through.
Caroline swept by him and enveloped Kim in a hug. "Oh, Kimmie . . . we just heard the news. Mrs. Davis told us when she came in to the market. Why didn't you call us earlier?"
Kim shrugged, unsure how to answer, but Roman responded first. "We're still trying to figure out what's going on, Ma." He led them all back into the library. Mike remained behind, standing guard at the front door.
"I don't get it," Shawn said. "I don't get this at all."
"None of us do, Pop." That came from Bo. "Kim's tried explaining it to me and I still don't know why Shane's in jail."
"And that whole story about Steve and Cincinnati . . . that was all a lie?" Shawn's face was turning red.
"Come on, Shawn," Caroline said. "Like I told you, I'm sure that was for a reason."
"But our own children lied to us." Shawn was pacing. "Kimmie . . . how could you lie about this?"
"Papa. . . ." She tried to figure out how to explain, but the truth was that she really did not want to explain.
Roman came to her defense. "It's what Shane asked us to do."
"'Us'?" Shawn turned on Roman. "So you knew too?" He looked around at everyone in the room. "So you've all known and it's just us who've been the fools."
Bo raised his hands and responded first. "Don't look at me, Pop."
"No," Roman said. "I knew, because Shane told me. Other than that, it was just Kim, Kay and Steve."
"It was for our protection, Papa," Kim added. "The ISA insisted it be secret."
"The ISA . . . ISA . . ." Shawn continued to grumble as he paced. "All they ever done is cause trouble for this family."
Kim closed her eyes. She did not need this. Someone put an arm on her shoulder and she opened her eyes to realize that Caroline was pulling her aside.
"Kimmie . . . what's going on? I mean why's Shane been arrested? All we heard is that it has to do with Steve being rescued."
"I don't know, Mama," Kim said, honestly. "Shane warned me this could happen if the truth got out about Steve. That's why we kept it secret."
"Yeah, until Steve ran his mouth off to Jack," Roman snarled.
"Steve wouldn't do that," Bo said.
Kim turned around wearily. She knew what she believed, but she could not prove it. And Kayla had sworn Steve did not do it.
"Yeah . . . well, that's what Kayla thought too," Roman said. "But you're both wrong. Steve pretty much admitted it to me."
So I was right. This was all Steve. He just needed to get back at Shane, didn't he? The numb feeling started to fade, replaced with a heated anger.
"Come on," Bo said. "You're talking about Steve here. He can be a hot-head, but he'd never do something like this. Not intentionally. He couldn't have known this would happen."
Roman scowled. "That's no excuse. Steve promised Shane he'd keep it secret, and then he went ahead and talked to Jack. That's how he repaid Shane for getting him out of that place."
"Oh, I forgot, you never make a mistake!" Bo's voice rose loudly and he stepped angrily toward Roman. "So none of the rest of us can be forgiven for ours."
"Don't defend him!" Roman yelled back. "This is all because of him!"
"Stop it!" Kim shouted. As angry as she was at Steve - and at Kayla for defending him - she did not want the rest of her family coming to blows over this. "Please . . . none of this is helping."
"No . . . of course not," Caroline said, putting her arm back around Kim and steering her to the couch. Everyone else had fallen silent, and then Caroline tensed. Kim looked up and realized why. Andrew was standing at the door, his eyes wide as he stared at them.
"Andrew, honey. . . ." Caroline rushed toward him, holding her arms out. She gave him a hug, but he did not return it. He kept looking around the room.
"You're fighting because of Daddy," he said.
"Oh no, Andrew." Caroline tried to reassure him. "We're upset at what's happened, but we're not mad at him. It's not your father's fault."
Andrew was unconvinced. "Yes, it is. He lied. He said he wouldn't leave again." He stomped his foot. "I hate him!"
Kim started toward him, but Roman grabbed her arm. "Let me talk to him," he said. She could hear what he was not saying. He needs a man to explain.
Roman reached Andrew and crouched down next to him. "I think we should take a little walk, partner." He lifted Andrew up and then turned. "I . . . uh, think Uncle Bo should come too." He glanced back at Bo, who nodded, and followed them out of the room.
The scene made Kim smile a little. One minute, her brothers were at each other's throats. The next, they were being good uncles. For all their squabbles, her family did stick together.
Except for Kayla and Steve.
With a sigh, Kim tried to set that thought aside and watched her brothers leave. She hoped they could work some magic with Andrew.
"Kimmie." She felt Shawn's hand touch her shoulder and she looked up to see him. He squeezed her shoulder slightly. "This will all work out, I'm telling you."
She gave him a soft smile; he had always been there for her. "I hope you're right, Papa," she said. "I hope you're right."