Chapter 3

Stephanie Johnson sat in the family room. Coming back to Salem under circumstances such as these had never been high on her 'to do list', but if her mama needed her to be there then there was no way she was going to abandon her.

Not only that but as long as Kayla was in the hospital, then she had thought her baby brother was going to need her. Coming back had been a no brainer.

She had been right. Joey had looked terrified when she had met him the night before at the Kiriakis mansion where she was going to be staying. Though as soon as she had got in, Joey had pushed for the two of them to go and stay at the apartment which he shared with their mother, Steph thought staying with their Uncle Justin and Aunt Adrienne made more sense.

"Any word from papa? I mean, does he even know what's going on?" was one the first things she had asked of her aunt.

She had had her own issues with her dad after he had ran off to go and work for the ISA again, but she was not going to deny the truth about him. If he knew what was going on, then he was going to fight tooth and nail to get back to them. That was the papa she knew and loved. He wouldn't stay out in the field. Not if he knew. She was sure of that.

"Honey, I have no way of contacting him. I know if he finds out then he is going to get back though… in a heartbeat…" her aunt echoed her belief.

"Maybe Uncle Shane will know something?" Steph prompted. She knew the two of them were working together. "Maybe Aunt Kimberly knows how to contact them…"

"Then I am telling you, he will get here. He is not going to be far off." Adrienne was sure of that too.

That day at the hospital had been gruelling… The next day promised to be the same as they were going to go to the hospital to get a formal update on Kayla's condition. But one thing had become apparent to Adrienne that day… And she did not need to be told by Daniel Jonas to understand at least part of what was wrong with Kayla.

X x x

Face time was a wonderful thing. Being able to contact your loved ones when you were miles and miles away. Technology. All of it was wonderful.

Roman Brady had not always realised that. If he was left to his own devices then he did not think he would know much more than send a text and make a call on his cell. But he was the Chief of the Police Department and as such he had had to move with modernity. He was no damn good to the people of Salem if he did not do that.

Not for the first time, he thanked god he had been pushed. He was grateful he had, as Ciara would say, 'got with the times.'

Because there as he sat in the hospital with his niece waiting to be called into the doctors office for his sisters condition to be explained to him, he could see the face of his brother.

He nudged Stephanie, knowing she was going to want to be in on this.

"Bo," he said as he accepted the call.

X x x

Once they had got through check in, Steve and Bo had found a quiet area of the airport to make the call.

The journey home was taking far too long for either of their likings but at least they could comfort themselves that they were on the move now and were going to be back in Salem in eight hours.

It was still too long, but at least before they got on the plane they could get a proper update.

"How you doing?" he asked Roman as he sat by Steve, the two of them side by side.

"I – I am doing ok." He said with a heavy sigh. "She is out of immediate danger."

For the first time in days, Steve felt as if the vice on his heart loosened.

"Oh god," he sighed.

And that was when the face on the screen change.

"Papa?"

"Stephanie, how you doing?" Steve asked as he saw Stephanie, swallowing down at tears that threatened. He had to stay strong for her...

Ever since she had got back all she had wanted was the knowledge he was making the same trip. And as soon as she found out that he was – she felt her own eyes wet with tears.

She had done enough crying since she had found out about her mother's car accident but apparently she was not yet quiet done.

"I am ok," she said weakly. "It is so good to hear your voice."

"It is better to hear yours, baby girl, I promise you that… are you with your brother?" Steve asked.

His daughter shook her head. "We thought it was better to send him to school so he could try and keep some sense of normality… and mama isn't as bad as she was. I hope I did the right thing."

He nodded. "Sounds like you've been brave, little sweetness. I am proud of you. I am so, so sorry I haven't been with you guys in all this but Uncle Bo and I are on our way now."

As the door to the family room opened, she sighed. "Good. We need you. Mom… she needs you the most."

"Sweetie, Daniel is ready for us now." Adrienne told Steph and Roman from where she stood in the door way.

Already she knew Caroline, Hope and Jen were in his office.

"You two going to stay on the line?" asked Roman.

"You are damn right we are going to." Steve said.

"Oh my god, Stephanie is that…"

"Hey Adrienne baby, how you doing?"

As she looked into the phone, she shook her head. "You're a sight for sore eyes, brother."

If it had been in different circumstances then Steve was sure he could have returned the compliment as he was glad to see his sister. He was always glad too…

But just then, he felt as if the only face he would be truly glad to see was that of his sweetness.

X x x

By the time they were all in the office, it was rather crowded. Steph, Roman and Adrienne were the last to arrive and made no mention of the phone as they went in.

Caroline was on edge enough, as was Hope. Whilst he sort of had no doubt that it was going to come out by the end of the meeting, Roman did not want to distract any of them from the real issue here.

Kayla.

"OK, so let's get straight to it," said the doctor gently. He did not want to keep any of them waiting any longer than they had too. "As you all know, Kayla was in a very serious condition when she arrived two days ago. My immediate concern was the internal damage as well as her brain, which initially had a small bleed on it. However, the operation was a success and the immediate danger has passed. Kayla has also dealt with three broken ribs, one of which punctured her lungs…"

There was a deathly silence in the room and in the small corner of the airport, miles and miles away…

"But she has shown real resilience over the time she has been here. My real concern now is she is showing signs of concussion as well as emotional trauma. Adrienne told me last time she lost her hearing before when she was under a lot of emotional stress."

Stephanie shut her eyes. She wished when she had been back in the family room she had mentioned that.

Her papa should not have had to find out like this.

"Yes, Kayla was in a fire but even before that – things had been hard on her," said Adrienne. She remembered how it had been when she had had to endure her hellish marriage to Jack and the desperation she had seen in her friend to be with Steve.

It had been a lot to endure, for anyone. In the end, it had simply got too much for Kayla to withstand.

There was silence in the room as they considered what they were being told.

"So we're back there?" Caroline asked at last. "She can't hear us?"

"I have tested all her reactions and – I am sorry, Mrs Brady."

X x x

"I need to be there… now." Steve growled as he got up.

If she could not hear then she… she needed him. Someone had to be there to talk to her… she was going to have no one she trusted and be unable to communicate…

He could not bear to think of her in that situation, locked away inside her head as everyone scrambled as to how to deal with the situation.

He knew. He should be there…

And he had been a fool for ever leaving her.

"It won't be long now," Bo murmured before he turned back to the screen and focused.

"The concussion is a mild form, but from what we gather has still upset Kayla considerably. While she hasn't forgotten anything, she appears to be finding it difficult to keep a chronology in her head right now."

Steve wondered how they knew that, but didn't comment. Mild concussion seemed like a little problem compared to his concerns over her hearing.

There was a pause before Jonas went on. "There is only one more thing which I need to establish."

"What's that?" asked Stephanie.

"Your mother is obviously bruised badly from the impact on the crash… however, she is also bruised on the top of her shoulders and upper arms… considerably so… " Dan told them slowly.

"What are you saying?"

"The paramedics who were at the scene can't explain any cause of those bruises."

The insinuation hang in the air.

"You think she sustained them before?" asked Roman his throat dry as his mother held his hand tighter.

"We believe so… we will know more when Kayla is properly alert and can tell us."

"Do you think it is possible someone hurt her?"

Daniel looked about at the people who were in his office and was obviously confused when it was clear the voice did not belong to any of them.

Hope froze… and Roman picked the phone up, turning in to the desk.

An obviously agitated Bo looked out from the screen.

"Are you saying some one hurt my sister?"

"That's a possibility we have to consider."

X x x

Stephanie had felt as if she was going to be sick when she had been sitting in the doctor's office.

The idea that anyone could hurt her mother set some thing off with in her which she did not think she could name. The only thing it could be term as was hatred and rage… or just plain fear.

She had no idea as to who in the world would hurt her mom. Kayla Brady was so good. She always had been. And she was kind. And – there was no reason in the world as to why anyone would hurt her.

And so she had decided to do what her aunt Adrienne had suggested they do when they had got out of the doctor's office.

She was going to choose not to worry about what they weren't sure of. There was no point in doing that. When they had something to worry about, something solid… that was the time to really worry.

But not before.

So she was focusing on one of the very few positives which had come out of that day she thought as she walked into the Kiriakis mansion.

"You want a bit of good news, little brother?" asked Stephanie as she saw Joey appear from the living room.

"Does that even exist anymore?"

He was not so sure.

For as long as Joey could remember, it had just been himself and his mother. Steph had gone off to live her own life and his dad had gone in to the ISA.

And he had hated that. For a while, he had hated him. He did not get why he had gone when he was meant to be so in love with their family life. With his mom…

But he was twelve, and he was young… and as far as he was concerned, somewhere down the line he had begun to consider his dad a hero. He had sacrificed so much. That was what he told himself. That he sacrificed his time and his love and everything which was precious to him to ensure what was most precious to him was kept safe.

And that the bad guys never got to them.

That was the way it had to be. If he was not going to hate their dad, then he had to consider him a hero.

And so her next words turned everything which he had been through over the last few days around.

"Papa's coming home."

X x x

Bo and Steve did not speak till they were on the plane. They were both too tightly coiled.

They would find out what had really gone on when they got back to Salem… they would have too. For nothing else could be worse than what they were imagining.

"Bo… if someone has so much as laid a finger on her, I swear to god…" Steve trailed off. Bo found himself strangely grateful to be spared the darkest of his friends thoughts.

"I know, man. I know," Bo responded. He felt much the same as they took off. Landing could not come soon enough.

X x x

Kayla didn't understand how it was possible to hear nothing. All she knew was that it was.

She could hear where the beeps of the machines should be around her, even though silence surrounded her. She could hear the audible sounds of nothingness which appeared to come out of her sister in laws mouth as they sat by her bed.

She could hear the silence which came out of Stephanie's mouth as she had greeted her on her return, in tears and panicked as she sat at her bed side. She had heard how none of Joe's mumbled phrases had any volume as he tried to comfort her in spite of being so little… her brave boy.

It was muted and hushed and silent and loud all at once. All of it.

She looked at the pen and paper. She should be able to hear the scratching of the pen on the paper as she wrote what she needed. But she couldn't…

She had never for one minute thought she would be returned to this point in time. But she had been.

And this time it was scary… worse. There was no warm hand to hold, no fingers carding through her hair soothingly, no one pulling her into their arms to simply hold her.

Last time she had been able to feel the vibrations from Steve's chest when she had laid her head on it. Even if she had not been able to hear his voice, she had been able to feel him with her… feel he was on her side, that they were fighting this together.

A tear of sheer misery skidded on to her cheek.

Steve…

When she had woken up from the operation she had been so confused… he had not been there and so she had naturally believed… he was dead. What else would keep him from her? She had been apart from him for sixteen long years… the weight of her grief was just the burden she had had to bear. But then she had seen Joey and of course she had known that his daddy wasn't dead.

They had had their Joey once she had got Steve back. And whilst the weight of her grief had been lessened by that memory her despair had not been…

Because she still wanted him at her side to help her get through this. And she was still on her own.

Part of her, some deep twisted part mocked her… and said that he was dead. He may have found his way home to her once, but he had to have died again otherwise he would be here.

Even if they had divorced…

Her lip wobbled.

It was not just the heart ache over losing Steve.

It was the physical pain she was in and it was the – the…

Kayla couldn't even think about it. Not yet.

The room was dark at last, and she assumed the hall way was still.

There was just nothing, except her and the silence…

And her thoughts. And they scared her.

She wasn't sure if minutes passed or if second did or even hours. There was a clock on her cabinet but even that seemed meaningless.

She just felt painfully disconnected and utterly numb all at once.

How was she meant to… what was she meant to…

All these things were running round and round in her head as she looked towards the moon light that shone in through her window.

If she couldn't be who she was, who was she now? How would she tend her patients, who would look after Joey? Who would be there for her mom when she needed cover at the pub? How was she going to check in with Stephanie when she went back to LA?

The fear seemed overwhelming.

But then not so. Because a hand held hers…

Not Jennifer's hand, not Adrienne's. Not even Stephanie or Joeys.

But as soon as she felt that touch, one word and one word only entered her head. Because she knew that touch…

Courage.

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