Morning everyone!

I wanted to post this yesterday, but didn't have time... So here it is!

Thanks for your reviews! Hope you enjoy this his one.

Happy reading!

Xoxo,

Nina

That short conversation was the biggest contact they have had in a long time and it had an impact on both of them. Is not like Adam had been able to stop thinking about her at all, but after that little interaction, an extra dose of Kim was injected into his system and he couldn't help but feel a little hopeful that things were going to turn around soon or that at least they could become a little closer.

It wasn't ideal. It wasn't what he wanted. All he knew was that he needed to be close to her, and if this was going to be the way, then so be it.

Kim was all kinds of confused. She had no idea why this stranger felt so familiar to her or why she felt like she could open up to him. At the beginning she figured that sometimes it was easier to share some things with outsiders, just because you knew they wouldn't be biased or they wouldn't judge you. But as the time went by and she found herself wondering about him, she really started to have a lot of questions that she needed to answer.

Living with her parents had been exactly what she expected; soothing and chaotic. Kim knew they had her best interest and that they wanted to protect her, but sometimes she just felt smothered. She missed her own place, she missed her neighborhood and she was desperate to create a routine that would hopefully help her remember everything.

Her check up with Dr. Walker was coming up soon and she was definitely going to ask about moving back to her apartment. Was it going to be a challenge? Definitely. Was it going to be frustrating? Of course it was. But deep inside she felt like she needed to do it.

It had been two weeks since Kim had moved to her parent's house. Two weeks without seeing or talking to her and Adam felt like he was going to blow up. He was channeling all his anger and frustration at the gym, he was always one to work out, but now it was as intense as ever. His friends were trying their best to keep him afloat and it was working, at least he was beginning to agree to hang out with them and maybe joining them for a beer every now and then. But without a doubt his strongest lifeline was Gracie.

His niece had the ability of making him smile, even when he felt he was about to crumble down. This new arrangement they had where she would still spend some days with him, was not only necessary for Grace but for him as well.

"Are you excited about your last weeks of school? In no time you'll be a second grader." He small talked with her as they had breakfast at the kitchen table.

It was Saturday morning and they had both just woken up. After some pretty rough weeks he was determined to have some fun with her, they both deserved it.

"Mmm hmm." She nodded as she chewed on her chocolate chip pancakes. "Molly is having a pool party when school ends."

"That sounds like a lot of fun."

"Yes! I can't wait." She took a sip of her chocolate milk and slightly looked up to the ceiling. It was clear to Adam that something was being cooked on that brain of hers. "Do you think Aunt Kim would go? Molly wants to invite her."

"I'm not sure, muffin." He sighed deeply. "You know, she still doesn't remember much."

"I know." She answered and kept on eating. "Don't be sad Uncle Adam. She loves us, there's no way on Earth she won't remember us." Adam couldn't help but smile. He really wished he could be as positive as her. He had his days; sometimes he thought that it was just a matter of time for Kim to come back to them, for him to hold her tight and other days he was afraid that their love wasn't enough to fix this mess, but it was nice to know that Gracie felt confident about that. It helped him lift up his spirits.

"You are right, she loves us." He answered with a smile. "And we love her, don't we?"

"Yes!" She said giggling as Adam reached closer to tickle her. "Have you visited her?"

"Not after she left the hospital." Grace seemed disappointed by the answer provided. "But I talk to her parents and Ms. Brett everyday to check on her." His niece looked at him and rolled her green eyes. "What?" Adam asked her, doing his best to hold back his laughter.

"You need to go see her."

"Sweetheart, we've talked about this. I can't. Imagine how creepy it would be for a stranger to follow you around. I know this is hard to understand, but we need to give Aunt Kim some time." His voice was sweet and calm. Ever since Kim woke up he's been trying to transmit some peace and reassurance to his niece, hoping to help her through this process.

"I know, you told me that like a zillion times." She rolled her eyes again, showing her Ruzek temper and making her uncle chuckle under his breath. "But I think that if she sees you, then she's gonna fall in love with you again."

"Well, that's one heck of a plan right there."

Gracie closed her eyes and smiled, showing Adam how proud she was of her own plan. "See? Easy peasy."

"How didn't I think of that before?"

"Because we make a great team, Uncle Adam!"

"That we do!"

It was the moments like this that kept him positive, that kept him fighting. "Now let's finish breakfast and head out."

"Where are we going?"

"To your favorite place ever!"

"Are we going to the zoo?"

"We are going to the zoo!"

"Thank you, thank you, thank you. You're the best!" She jumped off her chair and climbed on his lap. Today was definitely going to be one of the good days.

On the other side of town, Kim and Sylvie decided to go out for a run. The brunette needed to sweat her frustrations away, but more than anything this was an opportunity for the two of them to hang out and for things to feel normal again.

"So how was your week?" They were both sweaty and hot from running, so they just sat on the grass under the bright sun to stretch and chat for a little.

"Boring and uneventful." Kim said with a soft laugh. She realized that making fun of the whole situation was the best way to cope with everything. "I think I'm ready to move out."

"That's good!" Sylvie said excited.

"Yeah? You think so?"

"Totally. You need to go back to your own space, start to create your new routine. Who knows? Maybe being back in your place will help you remember." Kim smiled faintly. "What does the doctor think about it?"

"Oh, she thinks it's fine. She said that I should take whatever steps I need whenever I'm ready."

"Great! So, it's happening."

"It is." Kim started to play with some strands of grass, avoiding looking at her friend's eyes. "Also Kathleen called me."

"What for?"

"She didn't say much. But we're having a meeting next week. I guess she wants to talk about the next school year." The brunette shrugged, causing Sylvie to raise one eyebrow.

"What's wrong?"

"What if she doesn't want me to stay?"

"Kim, you're nuts. She loves you and you are one hell of a teacher, so don't worry about that."

"Syl, I'm scared."

"Of what?" Sylvie was worried about her friend, she moved closer to Kim and held her hand.

"Of not getting my life back."

"Sweety, you will. That's what you're walking towards."

"What if I don't remember? I mean, it's been a couple of weeks now and nothing." Her eyes were getting watery.

"Kim, you are going to remember."

"I wish you would all stop saying that. You don't know if I'm going to remember or not and it stresses me out to think that you're all trusting me to do something I'm not even sure I'm capable of." Her watery eyes were now full on tears. This was too overwhelming and frustrating for her, and she was truly terrified. Terrified of losing 2 years of her life and terrified of disappointing her friends and family.

"You are right. We don't. I never looked at it that way. I guess it's the way we have to cope with it and to cheer you on. Kim, the truth is we keep telling you that because that's what we want. For you to feel complete again, and not for us, but for you. I can only imagine how hard this can all be." Sylvie squeezed her hand tightly as her friend kept crying.

"What happens if it never comes back?"

"Then you'll find a way to overcome it, like you always do. You've gone through a lot of tough things Kim, and yes you've struggled but you are a fighter and you always came back swinging. This time will be no different and I'm going to be right here for anything you need." Sylvie took a deep breath not sure to say the next part of the sentence. "There are so many people who love you and have your back, you have no idea."

"Thank you."

"You have nothing to thank me for. I love you."

"I love you, too." They both smiled before Kim reached to hug her friend. "So I assume you're gonna help me move back to my place."

"Damn right I will. But most importantly, I will be there to drink the first bottle of wine after the accident."

"I like that idea."

The decision was made. Kim was moving back to her own place and under Dr. Walker's suggestions, Sylvie stopped by her apartment to put away some items that might reveal too much too soon. Kim was still getting used to everything, her stress level was high and was very anxious around the whole situation. She was nowhere ready to face all the memories she had in her house; however, Sylvie decided to leave some small hints here and there. She knew she was going against the doctor's suggestions, but she also knew how much both Kim and Adam were struggling, so she decided to do something about it.

The brunette was set to move back towards the end of the week, she was both excited and scared, but was scared her the most was the meeting she had scheduled with Kathleen.

They had both decided to have the meeting during lunch time in an attempt to keep Kim's students from seeing her.

Neither of them knew if she was prepared for that encounter, but they were also considering the kids' reaction. They missed her like crazy and Kim didn't quite remember them, plus Kathleen had no idea what they could do or say if they saw her. I mean, kids are unpredictable.

She quickly walked out of the school. Her small black leather backpack was hanging from her chest as she put some folders and brochures in it, so concentrated on the task at hand that she wasn't paying attention to the path in front of her.

She took a few more steps until she bumped into something.

Two strong hands held onto her arms, and when she looked up she couldn't help but smile.

"Careful there."

If she was smiling before, hearing his voice made her heart jump. She was ecstatic. She had been thinking about him non stop, and even though she never told anyone she wanted to see him again, she secretly hoped that fate would put him right in front of her. Just like it was doing now.

"Adam, hey!" Kim looked into his eyes and she felt it again. It was as if there was a giant magnet pulling her towards him, and the smile on his own lips made her think that he was feeling something too. When she came to that realization she closed her eyes and nervously looked down. How stupid was it to think that a guy who almost knew you was feeling the same intense atraction that was running through your body right now. Kim made a huge effort to shake that idea away from her head, and instead she thought about something to say. "Nice bumping into you. Literally." They both chuckled, and even though he knew she was safe and she wasn't going to trip and fall, he couldn't break the physical contact, and she didn't seem to mind having him touch her.

"Nice seeing you too. What are you doing here?"

"I work here." She stopped and rolled her eyes. "Well, I worked here before the accident."

"I see. You came to see your kids?" Sylvie had mentioned something to him about the meeting with Mrs. Quinn, but all of them were in the dark in regards to what the meeting was about, so this was the perfect opportunity to get more information.

"Oh, no. I don't think I'm ready for that yet. I mean, don't get me wrong I'd love to. But can you imagine how frustrating it would be for a six year old to come and talk to someone they know and they have a bond with and the person has no clue about them? I know how horrible it is for me, I would never put them through anything like that."

"That is extremely sweet of you." Kim just shrugged and he continued talking. "You teachers are a godsend."

"We are not. We just really love our jobs." She finally hooked the back pack over the shoulder and stood more comfortably in front of him. "How about you? I know these kiddos can get tough, but I'm not sure I would get them arrested." He laughed at her joke and looked down. Now he was the one getting nervous around her.

"Well, lucky for them I'm off duty right now." Kim looked confused, trying to figure out what the hell he was doing. "I came to drop off my niece. I took her out for lunch today."

"And then you say I'm the sweet one." He chuckled lightly and Kim could have sworn she saw a faint blush on his cheeks.

"Well, what can I say? She's a special kid. Brings out the good in everyone."

"I can imagine."

"How's living with your parents?" Her head shot back towards his face and she looked at him with a wide smile on her face.

"You remember."

"Of course I remember." He said, smiling at her reaction. Of course he knew that she was moving back to her place, but he wanted to talk to her, to know how she was feeling.

"It went well, but I think I had enough of that. So by the end of this weekend I'm moving back to my place."

"That's amazing news! Are you excited?"

"Totally."

Adam smiled and looked around nervously. "I don't know if you have anything better to do right now. But I have the rest of the day off and I think this deserves some kind of celebration." Kim's eyes glittered and Adam felt how his soul was slowly slipping back into his body. "Do you, maybe, want to go for a walk or a cup of coffee or something." He scratched the back of his head while he waited for an answer.

"Yeah. I'd love that."

They spent the rest of the afternoon together. It started out with a walk and it ended with coffee. Kim told him all about her meeting with Kathleen, and how her boss was really looking forward to having Kim back on her staff for the following school year in whichever position the brunette felt comfortable with. Kim desperately needed to be in her classroom, that was the one place where she felt she was normal, where she felt confident, and she knew that if things didn't go as planned and she didn't remember anything by the end of the summer, her life line was going to be her job, her class and her kids.

Adam listened to her carefully in complete awe of what he was hearing. That was his Kim, his girl, with the same love and passion as always. She was still right there, and so had to be her love for him.

"So how does it feel?" He finally asked.

"What?"

"Walking back to your life?"

"That's a hard question. I have all kinds of feelings."

"I'm listening." After buying coffee Adam offered to take her to the ultimate destination to drink it and since she still had no car and was going to uber back to her parents, she was quick to accept his offer. He parked his car in front of the lake, they were both lying against the hood of his truck, coffee in hands and watching as the sun shyly began to set.

She looked at him and smiled again. She was worried he would think she was on something due to her constant grinning. "Umm, ok. It feels good, exciting, overwhelming and slow."

"Slow?" He arched up his brows, almost making them touch his hairline.

"Yes, slow. I wish I could close my eyes and when I open them everything could magically come back to me. I'm tired of waiting." She sighed and he did too. He wanted to tell her that he was tired as well, but that he would wait for a thousand years if it was necessary. "I'm also scared."

"What exactly are you scared about?"

"A lot of things."

"Ok. That's valid." He said joking. He wanted more information because he wanted to help her, but he knew that pushing her was a tricky thing to do.

"You are gonna think this is stupid."

"I would never think that."

"Lately I've been having this thought running wild in my head and like, this pressure here in my chest." She lightly tapped over her heart. "I don't know how to explain it, but it's a weird feeling. Like I'm afraid to be hurting someone, or disappointing or whatever."

"Who do you think you're hurting? Your family?"

"No. I guess at some point I am though, but I don't mean them." She nervously tucked a strand of hair behind ear. "It's stupid, I know, and maybe I'm thinking way too much of myself. But what if there's someone out there who thinks I just went dark on them and the truth is I can't remember them." Knowing that Kim was feeling that was like a kick to the nuts for Adam. He desperately wanted to hug her, kiss her and tell her not to worry about that.

"I don't think it's stupid at all. I think it's part of trying to make sense of everything." He took a feel breath and looked at the horizon before looking back at her. "Can I ask why that thought popped in your head?"

"I don't know. I just, I feel like there's something missing, you know?" Adam nodded but didn't say anything because he wanted to let her speak. "At first I thought it was my boyfriend, Andrew." Hearing her refer to Andrew as her boyfriend and not him pulverized his heart. "But then, after processing his passing and everything I spoke with Sylvie and even Andrew's parents I realized it wasn't that, and not matter how hard I try or how much I ask, no one tells me anything." She stopped quickly and looked at Adam almost apologetically. "Don't get me wrong, I'm not blaming them, I know why they do it, I know things are supposed to come to me naturally, but it sucks. And thinking that I might be neglecting someone, it just makes it worse."

"You sure have a lot going on in that head of yours." He said sweetly trying to calm her down. He was shattered after hearing everything she had to say, but there was a little ray of light coming out of all that darkness. She felt him, and he was going to hold on to that. "Kim, whoever is out there waiting for you, if that is the case, I am sure that they would understand. I am sure that they wouldn't want you to worry about them, and to channel all your energy into getting better." He leant closer to her and shyly placed his hand next to hers over the hood of his truck, barely brushing her skin.

"You think?" She asked and he shook his head.

"I know." His deep eyes fell on hers and neither of them had the willpower to look away, until his phone rang. "Ruzek. Yeah. Uh-huh." He looked at his watch before answering again. "I'm fifteen minutes out. Send me the location, I'll be there." He ended the call and put his phone in his back pocket. "Duty calls, sometimes crime doesn't let me take my day off." This time all his attention was on Kim.

"You better get going then."

"I will, but I'm dropping you off first."

"You don't have to. I can take a cab."

"The deal was that I was taking you, and a deal is a deal." He didn't leave her much room to argue, so she just smiled and nodded before climbing in his truck and buckling her seatbelt.

After a few minutes and some directions provided by the brunette, he had his car parked in front of the Burgess house.

"This is me." She took a deep breath. "Thanks for everything. Talking to you today was nice."

"I'm glad." His eyes were sparks right now.

"See you around, Adam." The clicking sound of her seatbelt made him come back down to Earth.

"Hope to run into you again soon."

She smiled and got out of the car. "Be safe."

Those were the last words she said before walking to the doorstep. Hearing those words ignited all kinds of emotions in him.

He was still struggling, but today was a good day.