Steve sat silently in the rocking chair watching his daughter sleep. Despite the lack of sleep over the last 48 hours, he had awoken early, and his anticipation of what the day would bring had not allowed him to go back to sleep.
Not wanting to wake up Kayla, who had been exhausted the night before, he had crept quietly to his daughter's room. It was one of his favorite pleasures in life, watching his daughter peacefully asleep in her crib, her soft sighs the only sound in the room.
As he looked around the room, he smiled softly to himself. Unless they had another girl, they were definitely going to have to find a bigger apartment. The room was awash in pinks and dolls and everything a little girl would want. Not that it really mattered, but after growing up in an orphanage, Steve wanted his kids to have their own space to call their own.
Through the partially open doorway, Steve heard Kayla stirring in the bedroom. As he got up from the rocking chair he heard another sound, the one that signaled that his unborn child was once again playing havoc with his or her mother's stomach.
Moving carefully to avoid waking Stephanie, Steve walked to the bathroom. As he expected, Kayla was there, crouched over the toilet in the midst of another bout of morning sickness. Silently, he took a washcloth and ran it under the cold water from the sink. Then wringing it out, he placed it on the back of Kayla's neck, holding it there until the spasm subsided.
Kayla sat up and then slumped against the wall of the bathroom. Steve handed her the washcloth, which she used to wipe her face and mouth.
"Better?" he asked, looking at her with concern.
Kayla nodded. "At least until your kid decides to reject another meal."
"My kid?" Steve chuckled as he sat down beside Kayla. "I don't think I can take full credit, Sweetness. I'm pretty sure his mama had something to do with it too."
"His?" Kayla raised her brow. "You think it's a boy?"
Steve shrugged. "I don't know. It just seems to fit for some reason. You know that I don't care either way. Just as long as he - or she - is happy and healthy."
Kayla slowly got up before speaking. "I know. I feel the same way. But I have to agree that calling the baby 'him' does seem to fit."
"Well, I guess we'll find out one way or another in a few months, huh?" Steve said, rising to his feet.
"I just hope he has stopped waking up me like this by then," Kayla replied, as she left the bathroom and returned to the bedroom.
"Me too," Steve said, sincerely. "As excited as I am about this baby, I sure wish you didn't have to go through all this."
Kayla smiled and shook her head. "It's okay. It's really not that bad. And it's definitely all worth it."
"If you say so, baby." Steve was not convinced. He could see that Kayla was still tired. "Maybe you should stay home today. I've got everything covered."
Kayla whirled around and Steve nearly laughed at the determination in her eyes. "There is no way I'm missing anything today," Kayla said. "There is way too much at stake for everybody, and I'm certainly not going to stay home just because of a little morning sickness."
Steve held up his hands in mock surrender. His shoulder ached and he probably should have been wearing a sling on the arm, but he never liked appearing injured. So he covered the pain. "All right, Sweetness. I just want to make sure you're okay. But if you want to be there, I know better than to try and stop you."
Kayla's expression softened. "I appreciate that. But I need to be there today to see it all finally end. Just think, if everything goes right, after today, we can finally start focusing on the future."
Steve smiled and pulled Kayla into his arms. "That's right, baby. And I have a feeling that future is going to be pretty bright."
Kayla smiled and kissed his cheek and nestled into his arms, avoiding the spot where he had been shot. As he held his wife, Steve silently prayed that the day would go as planned. Although he had put on a brave face for his wife, Steve knew that there was real danger for all of them today. If his plan didn't work, there was no doubt that Tarrington would make them all suffer. Shane would go to jail, probably for a lot longer than the two years he had been promised, and Steve, Roman, and John would likely face the wrath of the ISA in whatever legal, or not so legal, manners Tarrington chose.
For just a moment, Steve's determination wavered. Maybe he should call the whole thing off rather than risk all of their lives in that way. The thought of being taken away from Kayla, Stephanie, and the unborn baby that was currently nestling between him and Kayla was horrifying. But no sooner did that thought make it's way to Steve's conscience mind than he banished it. Shane had risked his life to save Steve in that raid, and there was no way Steve was going to let Shane burn for that, especially because Steve himself had provided Tarrington with the ammunition to do it.
No, Steve thought silently, absently kissing the top of Kayla's head. He had told Kayla the night before that none of them had hesitated in choosing to join the plan, and he was going to see it through. This time it would be Tarrington who would find out what it felt like to be manipulated and used as a pawn. Hell, Steve was willing to go through with the plan just for that little bit of satisfaction alone.
With that thought leaving a smile on his face, Steve lifted his head and waited until Kayla met his eyes. "As much as I'd love to stand here like this all day, baby, we need to get moving."
Kayla nodded and moved out of his arms. "I'll go get in the shower." Her smile turned sexy. "Don't suppose you want to join me?"
Steve shook his head with genuine regret. "Not this time, baby. I want to call Mickey and make sure he reached Shane last night. We can't have this party without the guest of honor." Then he let his eye drift down his wife's body. "But I'm definitely taking a rain check."
"I'm going to hold you to that," Kayla replied as she moved toward the bathroom. Steve's eye followed her until he disappeared. Then he sighed and reached for the phone. Time to put the wheels in motion.