"Andrew, honey, come on," Kim called out. An instant later, Andrew came racing down the stairs. He was wearing a pressed pair of slacks and a button-down shirt, not exactly his Sunday best, but nice enough for his first day of school.
"Are you excited?" Kim asked.
Andrew nodded, then stopped. He looked down at the floor. "I just wish Daddy was going with us."
"I know, sweetie, and you know Daddy would be with us if he could." Kim wondered again if this was the right decision. Now that Cal was no longer threatening them, it was safe for Andrew to return to school. And Marlena has encouraged Kim to send Andrew to school. She thought it would be good for him to get into a "normal" routine, rather than be isolated at home with his tutor and Simmons, while Kim spent most of her time at the hospital praying for Shane to wake up.
Roman and Mickey had cleared the way with the principal, making sure he understood that Andrew's being in class would not endanger any of the other students. And with no idea of when - if, added that little voice in the back of her head - Shane might wake up, Kim had agreed.
"Come on, let's get you some breakfast." She put a hand on Andrew's shoulder and began steering him to the kitchen, just as the front door opened. Kim jumped in surprise, startled to see Eve in the doorway.
"Evie!" Andrew cried, rushing forward to give his sister a hug.
"Heya, squirt," Eve said, but even as she crouched down, she eyed Kim with an accusatory glare. Obviously, there was about to be a confrontation.
With an inward sigh, Kim told Andrew to go into the kitchen and see what Simmons had prepared. She waited until Andrew disappeared down the hall and then turned back to Eve.
"I'm glad you're home," Kim said.
"Yes. . . ." Eve paused deliberately. "This is my home. But I'm not really sure what you're doing here, Kimberly."
Kim did not need this. "Eve, please. . . . This is not the time to fight. We need to be together, not at each other's throats. That's not what your father would want right now."
"Who knows what my father wants right now?" Even said angrily. "He's in a coma because of your ex-stud. Or should I forget that it was Cal Winters who shot my dad?"
Kim had no idea what to say to that. "Eve . . . . blaming me isn't going to help anything. We both want the same thing right now."
"You don't know what I want," Eve snapped.
"I know you want your father to be okay," Kim replied, trying to remain calm and sympathetic. When Eve came to Salem, Shane had become her world. Kim had seen what Eve went through when they thought Shane had died, and how the blame had fallen on Kim. It was unlikely much had changed. "I want the same thing. So, . . . can we just put aside who's to blame at least until your father wakes up?"
Eve glared at Kim, who knew attempting to make peace was a losing battle.
"Okay, fine. . . ." Kim said, wearily. "I have to take Andrew to school, and then I want to get back to the hospital to see if Marcus has any news."
Eve shook her head. "If there is any news, Marcus will be giving it to me now, not you. I'm his daughter. You're just his ex-wife." Kim did not miss the emphasis Eve placed on the "ex."
Closing her eyes, Kim forced herself to take a deep breath. Finally, she said, "I understand that, but I'm also Andrew's mother and, for that reason alone, you can't shut me out of this." Knowing there was no point in pushing things right now, she said, "We can discuss this further at the hospital. I'm . . . . I'm sure you want to rest up a little after your flight." As she turned and walked down the hallway to the kitchen, she heard Eve mutter something under her breath, but Kim ignored it.
She's just a little girl and she's scared, Kim said to herself. You have to keep the peace. That's what Shane would want.
Reaching the kitchen, Kim saw that Andrew was finishing up a bowl of cereal and Simmons was putting tinfoil on a large container - more food for the hospital staff, Kim suspected.
"Will Miss Eve be staying here?" Simmons asked.
Kim nodded. "As she said, this is her home."
Setting down his spoon, Andrew looked up. "Are you sorry Eve's home?"
"No, of course not," Kim said, trying to make that sound more certain than she felt. "Eve's just upset right now. I think she'll feel better when she's seen your father." At least I hope so.
Kim wondered if she should talk to her sister. Kayla had seemed to have a good relationship with Eve, though sometimes Kim wondered if that was just a way for Eve to take a jab at Kim. Still, she needed someone to help smooth things over. The last thing they needed was World War III in this house.
Suppressing another sigh, Kim smiled at Andrew. "Come on, sweetie. Let's get going. You wouldn't want to be late for your first day of school."
She put a hand on Andrew's shoulder as they walked to the front door. For now, she would focus on her son's first day of school - a bit of normalcy amidst the chaos. Everything else would wait.