Kim returned to the hospital as soon as she dropped Andrew off at school. She had spent most of the morning repeatedly explaining that he could not visit Shane yet.
"But Eve did," Andrew had protested.
"Yes, but Eve's an adult," Kim had said. Not that she's acting like one these days. Kim had eventually appeased Andrew by promising that he could see Shane as soon as Marcus said it would be possible.
So that was one child down, one to go. There was still Eve to contend with. Despite Marcus' admonition that Kim get some rest the night before, she had spent much of it worrying about the stress and strain the conflict with Eve would put on Shane. He needed peace and quiet during his recovery, and those words just seemed foreign to Eve.
"Kim." Neil Curtis' voice caused her to spin around as she entered the main lobby. "I heard the good news," he said, as he approached her. "I heard Shane's awake."
She nodded. "It's great news."
"So why don't you sound like it's great news?" Neil tone was matched by a sympathetic look. "No, don't tell me. One blond-haired, not-far-removed-from-her-teens, young lady?"
Kim chuckled. "Got it in one. . . ." She grew serious. "Eve heard me tell Shane about Jeannie and it set her off. She's just so insecure, and nothing I can say will get it through her head that Shane's not going to stop loving her just because he has another daughter. And I'm afraid, Neil. I'm afraid that this kind of conflict is going to hurt Shane's recovery. Maybe I should have waited until he was stronger to tell him about Jeannie."
"Nonsense," Neil said. "If anything, this news is going to help Shane. He needs motivation."
"Maybe." Kim sighed. "I'm not sure he really believes it yet. He was pretty confused when I told him."
Neil seemed to think for a minute. "Hey . . . why don't I get Jeannie's file and we can go over to Shane's room together? I can show him the ultrasound and answer any questions."
"Are you sure?" Kim asked. When Neil nodded, she smiled. "I'd appreciate that."
She walked with Neil to his office, waited while he located the file, and then joined him for the elevator ride to the fourth floor. Exiting, they made their way to Shane's room, just in time to hear someone cry out in pain. That was followed quickly by Marcus' voice.
"Short breaths," Marcus said. "I know that hurts."
Kim started to enter the room, but Neil grabbed one of her arms.
"Give them a second," Neil whispered.
From where she stood, she could not see into the room, but she could hear Shane gasping. "Bloody hell . . . that hurts."
"I know," Marcus repeated. "But it's got to be done."
Even though Neil was holding her arm, Kim peeked her head around the doorway so she could see into the room. Shane was sitting up, being held by an orderly on one side and Marcus on the other. Marcus held a pillow in one hand.
Shane was gasping for breath and his face was pale. "No more," he begged.
"Okay, but we're going to have to do this again in a few hours," Marcus said, as he and the orderly helped Shane lie back down. "We need to make sure your lungs are clear. . . . And it looks like you've got a visitor," he added, catching sight of Kim by the door.
"Visitors, actually," Kim said, stepping into the room and pulling Neil in with her. She could not miss the way Shane wiped his brow and forced his breathing under control, as if he felt he could not show any sign of pain in front of her.
Shane smiled weakly. "Neil, it's good to see you." Then he looked at Kim. "I'm glad you came back."
"Of course, I came back," Kim said, as she pulled the chair next to the bed and sat down. She brushed his cheek, noting how clammy his skin felt. "Are you hurting?"
Shane shook his head, but when she looked at him dubiously, he admitted, "A little."
"Coughing is going to hurt, no matter what pain medication you're on." That was Marcus talking. He explained to Kim, "Shane needs to cough every few hours to make sure his lungs stay clear. Between the lung injury, being unconscious for a week, and having taped ribs, he can't take the normal breaths that clear the lungs. So unless he wants pneumonia, he's got to cough."
"Which hurts like the bloody dickens," Shane muttered. Then he sighed slightly before Marcus spoke again. "But, yes, I understand it needs to be done."
"Good." Marcus glanced at Kim and Neil. "I'll leave him to you now."
As Marcus left, Kim gave Shane's hand a squeeze. "I'm glad to see you awake at least. You were pretty out of it last night,"
"I guess so. . . . I'm not completely sure what really happened and what . . . what I just imagined." Shane looked Kim in the eye. He spoke hesitantly, as if his mind was still cloudy. "Eve was here, wasn't she?"
Kim nodded. "Eve's here. She flew home because we were so worried." She did not mention how Eve felt she had to return to make decisions as Shane's next-of-kin, and he did not seem to have any further questions about Eve. Instead, he pursed his lips before he spoke again.
"This may sound crazy," Shane said. "I thought it was just a dream . . . but did you . . . did you say . . . something . . . about Jeannie?"
Kim smiled softly. "It wasn't a dream."
"How?" Shane sounded puzzled. "I mean the doctor said-"
"Dr. Norris lied," Neil said before Kim could respond. "I know it's hard to understand, but from what we've been able to figure out from the investigation the hospital did with Roman, it appears that Dr. Norris and Cal Winters were in the army together."
Kim continued. "Roman found a record of an unsolved murder at the base where they were stationed. Dr. Norris was a suspect, but never charged. Roman thinks Cal had some evidence that he used for blackmail."
"So how do we know what's true now?" Shane asked.
Neil opened the file he held in his hand. "After Kim told me Cal said Jeannie was your daughter, I went back and looked at her medical records. From the ultrasound, it's obvious that she was not conceived until well after you returned to Salem and-"
"-and after I last spent any time with Cal," Kim finished.
Shane fell silent as he took that in. Nobody spoke, but Kim could read the guilt and shame on his face. Out the corner of her eye, she saw Neil shift uncomfortably. Then he made a quick excuse about having to check on some patients and swiftly left the room. Finally, Shane broke the silence.
"All this time. . . ."
"It's not your fault," Kim said, wrapping her free hand around the one already holding Shane's. "We have a daughter - a beautiful little girl. And it doesn't really matter, does it? Do you remember the night Jeannie walked and what you said on that tape?"
Shane nodded slowly. "I . . . I said Jeannie was my daughter."
"You knew, Shane. You already knew - in your heart." Kim kept clutching his hands. "Don't think about the past. Think about the future. Now you're going to get a chance to raise your daughter."
Closing his eyes, Shane sighed. "And what kind of father will that be?" He opened his eyes again and looked at Kim. "Marcus . . . . He said the bullet did a lot of damage. I'm never going to be the same."
"I know what he said," Kim told him. "But he also said, with therapy, you'll be able to do pretty much everything you did before. So you won't run the Boston Marathon. Who cares? You'll still be able to teach your children to ride, take them for walks all over Donovan Manor, and do everything a normal father would do. That's all Andrew and Jeannie will care about."
Shane took what appeared to be a deep breath, but then it caught against the bandages wrapped tightly around his side. Wincing, he gave a short nod. "I . . . I guess. It's just hard to accept. . . ."
Kim could tell what he was thinking. She had predicted this type of reaction the day before when Marcus told her about Shane's prognosis. "Look," she said sharply. "You can't think of it like that. You need to think of how fortunate you are to have the chance to see your children grow up. That's all that matters. You have that chance."
The room fell silent again and she felt Shane's eyes boring into her. "We'll have that chance," he said. "We'll be together."
Kim knew he was not just talking about Jeannie. She felt torn between wanting to reassure Shane and her concerns that he would hurt her again like he had the morning of the kidnapping.
And he doesn't even know what you were going to do with Cal.
She tried to block out the accusatory voice. Right now, Shane needed reassurance. But even as she tried to give it to him, she had to hesitate a little.
"I want us to have that chance," she finally said. "Just like with the children, we'll have a chance."