Chapter 2

Stephanie was on the way back to Salem, Joey had cried himself to sleep in the arms of his uncle Justin and only Jennifer Horton and Adrienne Kiriakis had stayed at the hospital once night had fallen. Kayla had come back from the surgery at four that afternoon but… but who knew what that night would bring…

Critical. That was the word every one kept using. Critical.

Hope had had to get back to Ciara. Caroline had been so distraught Roman had taken her home, fearing for his mother's health. The last thing Kayla needed was for her own mom to become sick now.

And so it had been left to the two of them to stay. They had not had to be asked.

Abigail and JJ and Sonny had all offered to come… But at the end of the day, it was better this way. They were her best friends and they could handle this…

A punctured lung, cracked ribs, bleeding on the brain…

It did not sound good.

"She has always been a fighter. She is going to be ok," said Jennifer. She kept saying it as if it was a mantra. As if she said it enough times then it just had to be the truth.

That had never been Adrienne's way.

She liked facts, knowing things for sure. And right then nothing was for sure.

X x x

The journey home was so slow it was painful. The forty eight hour delay to even start out from where they were staying in the woods helped nothing.

"Why is it when you are in the ISA 'quickly' seems to be defined as a week?" Steve growled.

Two days had passed since that phone call. The one which said Kayla could very well… Bo did not like to think about it.

Steve simply couldn't. He just couldn't contemplate that possibility. All he could do was pace there small living room as if he was a caged lion. He did not sleep, nor did he eat, all he did was hold on to the past and his memories and pray to gods he had never believed in, that he had done something good once upon a time…

That he would get to hold his sweetness in his arms once more…

"Well, actually, I do have a bit of good news on that at last," Shane said as he came in to the living room.

He had had to pull a lot of strings and pull in a lot of favours… but for the people he had practically grown up with he would do it.

They were his family.

And if there was a way to get them home then he would have found it. Luckily for them, there was and he had.

"In five hours you take off. In another eight you are going to be back on American soil. In Chicago."

From Chicago it was still going to take two hours to get to Salem. With traffic it could well be more. They had lost forty eight hours already.

Who knew if Kayla could hang off for roughly (with no further delays) another twenty, Steve wondered... still, it was the best offer they had had thus far.

He reminded himself to focus on the important things… she had come through the last forty eight. Of that he was sure. For one thing, they had not got another phone call and he was sure that they would have heard if the worst had happened.

Asides that… and more importantly, he would feel it. He was sure there was something in his heart or his soul or whatever you wanted to call it that linked him to her, which bound them together.

And if she had died… he'd know it first.

"She has the guts for this Steve… we are going to get there in time."

"Let's get going," he replied to Bo. He had no time for empty comfort. But once he was moving back towards his home and his kids and his sweetness….

Things would be easier.

The two of them picked up there bags and had been about to step out of the door when Steve felt a pair of arms about him.

His brother.

"Kayla is one of the strongest women I have ever met. She can do this."

Jacks words were the first which didn't grate on Steve. Maybe because it was him who said them.

"Thank you."

"Give Jen a hug from me."

Steve nodded, but knew when he got back to Salem there was only going to be one women he truly wanted in his arms.

It had always been the way.

"Something for the road." Shane passed Bo.

Bo looked down on the phone he had been passed. This was not a work one…

"There are a few numbers in there you might want to ring – you and Steve…"

"Thank you, brother."

Shane nodded. It was nothing at all…

X x x

"Do you want me to drive you home before I go to my meeting? You look like a change of clothes and a bath would do you the world of good."

Adrienne understood in her heart that Justin was just trying to be kind but leaving then… it wasn't an option.

Forty eight hours had passed since the accident.

The police report had come back and said that while there had been no alcohol in Kayla's blood stream, she had been speeding when she had come off of the road. Honestly, Adrienne just had no idea what had happened. Kayla was a careful driver, she always had been.

None of it made any sense…

"I am going to stay till Caroline and Roman get here. I do not want her to be alone when she wakes up."

"Jen is in there."

It made no different to Adrienne though. And she knew she was not going to be going when the others turned up. She had to be there, didn't she? For Kay… and for Steve too.

It was all such a mess…

But she was.

"Is she going to be – "

Adrienne shrugged. She had no idea what they were all going to be facing when she woke up.

"How was Joey last night?" Adrienne asked.

"Pretty inconsolable."

Ok… well that settled it. At some point that day she was going to have to go be with her nephew. She had to step up for him, that was what Kayla would want.

"Is he at school?"

"No, I did not have the heart to wake him in time to send him in," Justin admitted. He had decided to let the boy find what little rest he could while he could. "But Maggie said she is going to watch him today."

Adrienne nodded as she turned back to the window of the hospital room.

Something just out of sight had made her turn and when she looked in she realised why.

Instead of just sitting by the bed, Jen was now on her feet hovering just over it, holding on to Kayla's hand.

"Oh my god…"

Without a word to her husband, Adrienne turned to the door and ran in.

"Is she ok?" she asked as she rushed to Jen's side, but the blonde shot her a look as to silence her.

Then Jennifer turned back to their sister in law.

"Kayla, can you hear me?"

They were past the 'are you oks'. They were somewhere much worst.

Adrienne felt the dread spread through her heart.

She remembered that look on Kayla's face. The bewildered doe in the headlights look.

"Adrienne, she needs a note pad." Jen said to her. If Kimberly was here then they could have managed without but neither of them knew how to sign. "It is all ok, dolly. Ok, we are right here with you, we're going nowhere," she soothed her sister in law, hoping she would get the gist of what was she was saying… somehow.

Adrienne did as she was told, paying no heed to Justin's questions as she ran in and out of the room.

He was asking her if it was all ok, if Kayla was ok… but she wasn't.

And that was only made more apparent as she went back in to the room. When it had been just her and Jen, it seemed as if Kayla was able to hold it together to a degree but as Adrienne came into view she looked as if she was stricken.

As if she had been the reminder of some terrible grief.

And then her face crumpled and the patient begun to sob, inconsolably. As if there was a pain in her which not medicine could ease…

Please review.

I swear things will get less angsty guys!