Chapter 30

"You know, you can go home to the kids while the operation is going on. I will call you as soon as she gets out of the OR," offered Jennifer Horton as she walked into the visitor's room to find her brother in law sitting there, looking like a cat on a hot tin roof.

And there were no surprises there at all.

"I am ok here," Steve told Jennifer. She had known she was going to get that response but she had also known Kayla was going to want her to at least try.

She wondered over to the coffee pot and poured two cups, just as she had done that night. It seemed so long ago that she had been here with Adrienne after the crush.

"Here. It is not all that good, but it's hot," she insisted as she sat down at Steve's side.

He nodded gratefully. She knew he was a man of few words and even fewer when he was worried. Still she did not like to think of him going through this alone.

When he picked up on the fact that she was not going to be leaving any time soon he turned and looked at her.

"So when are you going to be asking that brother of mine to move back in with you?"

She could have laughed. It was truly all or nothing with him.

"Soon, hopefully. He and JJ just need a little more time."

"I hear they are getting on better."

Jen nodded. "Better than they were any way. I think JJ is beginning to see the man Jack really is these days and not who he was before he was born."

"That's good."

"It is... I am sorry, I know this is the last thing you want to talk about. Especially now. It can't be easy for you."

"No, it is not easy but I am the one who brought it up. I wondered what was coming between the two of them." he said, with no insinuation needed.

She had confirmed it.

"But they are getting passed it now." In one way or another, they had all had to find a way past the end of Kayla and Jack's marriage and the brutality which it had invested their family.

Steve hoped with all his heart that this was the last time someone was going to have too.

"That's good."

She nodded. It was. "I do not know if Adrienne is going to see it that was way thought when he does move home."

Then Steve nodded. "That's right, the two of them have got close lately. All three of us have."

"Well, she needs you both with the baby coming. Are you looking forward to being an uncle again?"

Steve smiled genuinely for the first time since Kayla had been taken down for surgery. The look on Jen's face told her all that she needed to know.

"Yes. Yes I am." The truth was he felt as if he was becoming an uncle for the very first time. He had not been around when any of the others had been babies.

He had missed Adrienne's boys being babies, even though he had been in town when Alex had been young… they had not had a lot to do with one another. He could love him now but the fact that the nasty red witch Angelica had given birth to him had coloured Steve's opinion of the boy at the start.

But this time he was going to be there. "Are you?"

"Of course. It is going to be lovely to have a baby in the family again," she said as she drunk her coffee. "Arianna Grace is growing too fast."

"She seems as if she is a cute kid."

"Yes, she is. And Lucas is just crazy about her," she smiled.

When all this was done, she promised herself she was going to sort something out with the two of them, herself and her brother. It struck her that she had been very focused on the Johnson side of the family of late for very obvious reasons, but she had to give a little attention to her own side of the family from time to time too.

They feel in to a silence again and Jen did not break it. But nor did she leave Steve. She would wait with him for as long as it took.

In fact it only took another half an hour for Marcus to come and find them fresh out of Kayla's surgery, but for Steve it had felt a lot longer. The minutes had dragged by, painfully slowly.

"How did it go, homey?"

"It went well. Kayla is going to be ok… her hearing might take a little while to come back, but the ear drum is repaired."

For the first time since he had got up that morning Steve felt as if he was able to breathe. That was the news he had been waiting for.

"Thank you," he said as he embraced his brother.

"Hey, you're welcome," Marcus replied as he felt Steve's relief. He never had to thank him for doing his job.

It had been a long and pressured wait but it was over.

"Can I go and be with her?" Steve asked.

Marcus nodded. There had been no way he was going to give Steve the news before he could go and sit with her. When his best friend wanted to be with the women he loved there was no keeping them apart.

"Let me take you down to recovery."

Steve did just that.

In spite of the fact that he had been told she was going to be ok, Steve found himself oddly nervous before he went in to see Kayla. Still, nothing would have kept him away.

When Steve got into the room he saw that Kayla was still pretty out of it and if he remembered rightly, she was going to be for most of the day. She was laying on the bed, her head resting back on the pillow in a manner he wasn't sure was quite comfortable. She would get a crook in her neck if she wasn't careful, but he thought it a sign of her exhaustion.

The memory of the last time she had had come round at the end of the operation popped into his mind… he smiled at the memory… he had been so glad to just get to hold her. But then his sweetness had got even sweeter…

Ask me again…

Her eyes fluttered opened and shut as he took her hand.

"Hey baby," he murmured as he brushed her hair from her forehead. "I am here. I am right here with you, sweetness."

Weakly, she squeezed his hand with the little energy she had left before she shut her eyes again.

Neither of them let go for a long time.

Steve noted how pale she was and how small she looked in the bed… he did not like that. But just like everything else this was going to pass, he promised himself. And then things were going to get even better for them. Better than ever before.

X x x

"I am so happy school is broken up at last," said Ciara as she and Hope made their way down to the Brady pub.

At long last summer had arrived for the young girl, which meant no school, late nights and plenty of fun in the sun.

As soon as they knew that Kayla was going to be ok then they were all going to be able to relax.

Until then, they were going to spend some time with Bo. Hope had an alternative motive which was indeed to do with her sister in law. Though she knew the family were going to get in contact with her as soon as they knew she was going to be ok, she wanted to know as soon as she could. No doubt the news would get to the pub sharpish when it came.

Bo was thrilled they were there – she could tell as soon as they walked through the door.

He went straight to their daughter and embraced her. No doubt the stress of their mother's worry about her own daughter made him want Ciara close.

"How are you little one?"

"Is there any news yet?" She said as she looked up to him with wide eyes.

"Not yet, but I am sure it is all going to be ok." he said as he wrapped his arms about her.

Hope felt her heart go out to Bo properly for the first time since he had been home.

No matter what else had gone on she knew how much he loved his family. She knew how much being a Brady meant to him – perhaps more than it did to any of Caroline's other children, just by virtue of the fact he was not Shawn's natural son.

She had had to see him struggle to come to terms with the fact he was Victor's…

So she was in no doubt that what was happening to Kayla was upsetting him.

"Why don't I get you a special 'school is out' smoothie?" he suggested as he released his daughter.

"Can mom have one too?"

"Of course she can!"

The three of them sat down together and were soon joined by Caroline.

Ciara's chatter about what she wanted to do with the summer now it was here kept the adults focused.

"Can we go on vacation?"

Hope smiled. "We probably could squeeze in a week away. Where do you want to go, baby?"

"New York!"

"Wow, you did not even have to think about that," her mother smiled.

"Of course not. That is where all the big stars live."

"And that's what you are going to be is it, little one?" Bo grinned. She was already a big star in his eyes.

"It sure is. You should have seen me in this year's Christmas play."

"She was in Cinderella," Caroline informed her son. "One of the not so ugly step sisters."

"I got rave reviews!"

"I am sure you did!" Bo could only imagine. He wished he had been there to see that.

"Will you come see me in the Christmas play this year?" his daughter asked as if she was reading his mind.

"I promise you, little one – wild horses are not going to keep me from being there."

She beamed as he said that and Hope could not help but feel her own heart swell a little.

She was so glad that their daughter had her father back. It was a thought which were slightly bittersweet though. For a reason she could not allow herself to put into words.

Her eyes caught Bo's for just a moment before she broke the contact, unable to let it go on.

That was when his phone rang.

"Brady… oh hi, Marcus." Every one about that table sat up. "How's she doing?... oh that's great…. That is the best news. Can we come see her? …. Ok, we'll hold off for a while then…. no don't worry, I'll ring Kim. Thank you, thank you so much! … Ok man, see you soon. Bye."

Bo looked as if he was ten years young when he got off the phone.

"She is good, the operation went well… Ma, Kayla is going to be fine,"

Caroline sighed with relief as she covered her hands with her face. As soon as her eyes became a little shiny though, her son was out of his chair and had soon embraced her.

"Oh, I am so glad. I am so glad," Caroline murmured as she held her son. It seemed as if everything was going to be ok in the end. And that was not a feeling she had had in a while.

After the two of them let go of one another, Bo turned to Hope. She looked as relieved as he felt and they laughed gently before they did what felt right.

Hope wrapped her arms about him. She knew she should not in front of their daughter really – she did not want Ciara to get the wrong idea about them and their future but Kayla was going to be ok and he was just so – there.

There with her. Which was all she had ever really wanted him to be.

The hug lasted for longer than a friendly one should have and it was not till she got home that Hope realised she had barely thought of Aiden at all that day.

X x x

"How is she doing?" asked Joey very softly as he approached his mothers bed. He and Stephanie had got a call from their uncle Marcus to say their mother was out of surgery and she was soon going to be out of recovery, going back on a normal ward.

That was when they had left the house.

Their dad had gone in earlier so that he could be in recovery when his mother came to. He hadn't wanted her to be alone.

Stephanie sighed softly as her eyes found her mother.

She looked as if she was exhausted and she did not blame her. It had no doubt all been exhausting for her…. It had been for them, and they were not the ones who had undergone an operation.

It did not escape her that Kayla and Steve were holding hands. In fact she was holding on to his like a life line. And that made her strangely happy. It did seem as if he was making good on all of his promises to be there for them.

Her papa was looking at her mother with a look of such adoration in his eyes.

"The operation went well," Steve said reassuringly not quite taking his eyes off the patient.

"Good," said Joey as the two sibling's moved to their mother's side.

He picked up her free hand in his own tenderly.

Kayla opened her eyes and smiled softly at the three faces around her. They were all there and that was just where they were going to stay.

They were her family.

She loved them more than anyone.

And soon enough, she was going to be able to tell them that.

X x x

"I heard Kayla's surgery was a success," said Justin as he walked in to the apartment.

Adrienne shut the door behind him.

"Yes it was," she said with no small degree of relief. For Kayla and for her brother who she knew would have been beside himself if there had been any other outcome.

"I am glad."

You didn't know someone for as long as they had all known one another without caring.

"We all are," she said with a nod as she looked at him. "But I do not think you came here to talk to me about Kayla."

"No – no, I did not." he said as he sat down. "Adrienne, I know you must hate me right now."

"No. I don't," she shook her head. "I do not think hating is a good use of my time or my strength right now."

He could only nod in agreement. She was right there. She had bigger fish to fry. Bigger battles to win.

"I – I have no right to your forgiveness, all the same."

She nodded. That was true she guessed.

"But – but I have thought about nothing else but this baby…. and I want to – I want to be its dad. I want to be a daddy again."

Adrienne smiled gently. That was nice to hear.

"Well – if it is your baby –"

"Adrienne, you're not listening to me. It doesn't matter whether this child has my DNA or not. I want to be its father – the same way you are the twins and Alex's mother."

She had not carried those boys but it made no difference to their family unit. She was the mother of all his sons and he wanted to be the father of this baby…

Adrienne looked up and he was shocked to see there were tears in her eyes.

"Oh Adrienne –"

"No… I am happy you feel that way."

She knew she was not going to be in this on her own. Her family had made that clear but hearing him say those things too…

It was different.

She crossed the room to her bag.

"I had a sonogram yesterday."

"You did?" he asked. "Well, I wished you – I wish I could have been there with you." he was not going to attach any blame to her right then.

That was not the way to achieve his goal and he knew he had to tread carefully.

"Next time…"" she promised as she rummage through her bag. "Here… here is the picture."

She said as she passed the little white envelope over to him.

He flipped it open and was amazed by what he saw.

He remembered when Gabi had been pregnant with their grandchild he had seen a picture of Arianna. He had been surprised then by how clear it had seemed to be but if anything this was even more so. He could see the baby. He could see their little fingers and toes developing, their little nose.

"Perfect."

Adrienne nodded. She hesitated for just a moment.

"She is."

Justin nodded as he looked at the scan and then what she had said begun to sink in.

"She? It's a girl?"

"They confirmed it yesterday. Can you believe it? After all this time… we're finally getting a girl."

'We'… it felt so natural…

It had been a long road for the two of them to become parents. And then it had been a long road for them to raise their four boys.

But this… this was a gift.

He laughed with happiness before the urge to hold her became too strong.

"Our girl," he laughed as he threw his arms about her. For a moment he held off on squeezing too tight till he felt her lean in to his arms. He had been so afraid that they were never going to get to this point again. That he was never ever going to be able to hold her in his arms again. But not only did he get to hold her but he got to hold their little girl at the same time.

And that was a kind of wonderful that Justin Kiriakis knew he could not put into words.

"I know I have hurt you in the past... But from now on I am going to do everything that I can to show you just how much I love you. And the little one. And Alex and the twins and Sonny."

No one mattered to him the way that the six of them mattered to him. And if he was finally able to prove that? Then all the better.

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