Hello guys!

I swear I did not give up the story, just my work that has gone totally insane in the last few weeks and stole all my time to write.

But come on, a new chapter and I will try to leave some more scheduled for the next few days ok?

Steve felt his consciousness returning gradually, first the notion of the surrounding environment begins to sink, then the hospital's very characteristic smells, the memory of the reason being in that particular facility again and then something new, a hand holding his. A soft and delicate hand. A hand he could recognize anywhere in the world.

Catherine's hand.

Steve then forced himself to open his eyes to confirm his theory and what he saw warmed his heart, Cath was lying on the edge of his hospital bed, holding his good hand, careful not to dislodge the IV and the pulse monitor and snoring softly.

Her long dark hair was a lovely mess around her face and over Steve's biceps and he closed his eyes again feeling the scent so characteristic of her shampoo. He will not admit it even under torture, but he kept a bottle of the product that Cath left when she left last time, just to remember her scent whenever the missing was too painful.

After Lynn started to go to his house, he dumped that last memory. The fight over the engagement ring had been enough.

After some time of allowing himself to go back in time, where his life was practically perfect with Cath on it, Steve decided to take inventory of his body and how it felt.

His head was fuzzy because the painkillers, he knew this particular sensation well. His shoulder throbbed softly in the rhythm of his heartbeat where he had been shot. His muscles were sore, what he had learned in the last few months since his radiation poisoning that had to do with the eternal feverish state he had lived since his symptoms had begun.

More aware of everything at the moment, he stirred, trying not to wake Catherine that now, thinking better he did not even understand why she was here with him. Steve remembers very well to have arrived at the hospital with Danny, that at the moment was MIA.

Catherine, always a light sleep woke up with Steve's movement. She rubbed the last vestiges of sleep and looked at Steve, who looked like crap, bloodshot eyes, pale as the sheets that covered him, looking very much like someone really sick, but still the most beautiful sight that her eyes could contemplate on that afternoon.

"Hey sailor. Feeling better? "She asked smiling sweetly at Steve.

"Cath ... what are you doing here?" There was no grudge in his question, just curiosity.

"Danny called me ... I could not stay away from you Steve ... I needed to make sure you were okay."

"I'm fine, Cath." Catherine just laughed. Typical of him.

"Yes you are. I already know everything Steve. Transplant, radiation poisoning. Why didn't you say anything?"

Steve felt his blood boil. Danny had no right to talk about his personal life with Catherine that way. It was not that Steve wanted to hide his condition that was in fact very public, the whole island knew of the case that had gone wrong, the plane Danny landed on the beach and Steve's transplant, the press had reported it exhaustively. He still received sporadic calls inviting for interviews about the procedure.

But Danny did not have that right.

Not with Catherine anyway.

"Don't hate him. He's scared. And he needed someone to share the fear he's feeling about losing his best friend." She said reading his thoughts as usual.

Steve rubbed his cheek with his good hand. He knows that this whole situation is distressing his partner. He sees the eternal worry in Danny's eyes every day.

"How could I say something to you anyway? It's not like I had any idea where you were when I was almost dead on an surgery table."

"I know Steve and I'm sorry I was not here when you needed ..." Steve laughed at Catherine's statement. It was hilarious. There have been countless close calls with death since he was tortured in Afghanistan. She really was out of all that has happened during all these years of abandonment.

"Cath ... talking about it will not solve anything. Long time already. My current situation is this. Maybe knowing all this will make you give up your crazy plan to bring me back to your life. I'm damaged beyond repair. You deserve someone better ... "

"Stop Steve! Don't say nonsense. You are sick. But we'll get over it. I'll be by your side every step of the way. "

"You do not know where you're getting yourself ..."

"Of course I know! And this time you're going to be sick of me, because I'm not leaving. Never."

Steve sighed, passed the hand that was not in the sling down his face, tried to put his feelings back in place, since they had been scattered all around since Catherine returned to the island and looked into the reddish-brown eyes he loved so much, He smiled and could not resist her anymore.

"Okay, but I need to talk to someone first, somebody who's imagining that we can have a relationship, since I figured you'd never go back to the island, I guess you know I'm not the kind of fool that betray." Steve really needed to talk to Alicia, they did not exactly have a relationship, but they were seeing each other in a few moments and it would not be nice on Steve's part to simply show up with Catherine without letting her know beforehand.

"Okay? Like, just okay?" Catherine still did not believe Steve was finally giving a second chance to their relationship.

Steve just smiled. He was still afraid to give himself to Catherine again and be hurt again when she decided to leave.

"I've never been able to say no to you, and as hard as it is to admit that, after all the times you've lied to me, I've never stopped loving you."

Catherine's eyes filled with tears again and she could not stop them from running down her face, a sob escaped her throat and she hugged Steve, crying copiously on his uninjured shoulder, Steve in turn, closed his eyes while stroked her soft hair and gave his heart to this incredible woman once more.

He just expected this time to be right.

Ok guys. They are together again, but we will have some obstacles ahead, things can not be so easy.

I hope the reading has not become boring. I'll try to update as soon as possible okay?

Thank you for all the incredible reviews you have left. I promise, I'll actually thank each other personally. Thanks to the guests, I can not respond through PM, but your encouragement is very, very incredible and makes me want to finish this story and give our favorite couple the chance to be happy together that the series stole from us.