Time for a second chapter today

"Steve, it's Jo Davidson," Steve heard when he had answered his phone.

"Hi," Steve greeted.

"Listen I don't know who thought it was a good idea for Kate to return to work, but it is clearly far too soon,".

"Kate's been cleared for work?" Steve asked a little surprised. He was of the same opinion as Jo. "When did that happen?".

"Today," Jo answered.

"Has someone informed Kate?".

"Kate's here," Jo replied, a little confused. Steve clearly didn't know what was going on.

"Kate's at MIT?!" Steve asked for clarification.

"Yes," Jo answered. "Walked in about 9:00am," she explained. "You didn't know did you?".

"She was eating breakfast when I left. She never mentioned anything about work," Steve replied. "Has something happened?" Steve asked after a pause.

"I think you better come and take her home," Jo informed him.

"I'm on my way," Steve replied worriedly before hanging up wondering what had happened.

Jo was waiting at the entrance of The Hill when Steve pulled up. "Can I have a word?" she said, pulling Steve in to a small ops room and telling him what had happened earlier that day. "I don't know what she would have done to him if we hadn't arrived on the scene when we did," Jo finished her story.

Steve was shocked at Kate's behaviour. It wasn't like her at all.

"I know she's gone through hell recently," Jo said, "but I don't think I can have her back to work until she's seen a psychologist or something," she explained. "It's for her own wellbeing as well as the public,".

Steve nodded in agreement. SARC had given them some people who could help, he just had to get Kate to agree to it. "Where is she?" Steve asked.

"In my office," Jo replied. "I've told her the same thing about getting some help,".

"How did she take it?" Steve asked, hesitantly.

"Err…not great," Jo admitted.

"I better get her out of here quickly then," Steve said before following Jo to her office.

"I'll leave you to it," Jo said before leaving Steve alone.

Taking a deep breath, Steve entered the office. Kate was sat in a chair, arms folded, clearly pissed off. "Shall we go home?" he asked. Kate got off the chair and marched past him without saying a word, heading to the exit with Steve in tow.

"Good luck," Jo said quietly to him.

"As far as I recall it was just me that we discussed returning to work today," he said once they got home. Kate shrugged defiantly in reply. "It didn't go too well, by the sounds of it," Steve said.

"The op was fucked up way before he got run over!" Kate shouted angrily.

"That's not what I'm talking about and you know it! What were you playing at Kate?" Steve retorted just as angrily. "Jo said it looked as if you were going to hit him when he was lying in the road, defenceless! You were lucky she arrived when she did or you could be looking at charges and discharge from the force!".

"I don't know what happened, OK?!" Kate replied, getting upset. "I don't know," she repeated, defeated.

Today hadn't gone as she had planned at all. She had wanted to work to feel normal, but now she felt embarrassed at how she had behaved in front of her colleagues.

"Come'ere mate," Steve said as he took her in another hug, feeling bad for making Kate cry. "Maybe it's a sign you need to get a bit of help from someone a little bit more qualified than me," he suggested quietly.

"Did Jo put you up to this?" Kate asked.

"She cares about you. Like I do," Steve said. "You've said it yourself, mate. You're not yourself at the moment,".

"I'm not crazy, Steve!".

"I know!" Steve replied. "And no one is saying you are. You're just going through a bit of a hard time right now,".

"I'm fine, Steve, really," Kate said. "I just need a bit of time," she continued as she gave Steve a tight squeeze. She wasn't going to talk to anyone as she viewed it as a sign of weakness. And she wasn't weak.

"I don't know, Kate," Steve said unconvinced. She realised she was going to have to do something else to prove to him that she didn't need a shrink.

"And lots of your hugs," she added before she gave Steve a kiss to his neck which was more than a friendly kiss.

"Kate," said Steve, a little worried as he tensed. They hadn't talked about having sex since her rape.

"What?" Kate asked. "Don't you want to?" she flirted as she started to unbutton the buttons on Steve's waistcoat.

"Always," Steve admitted truthfully as he let Kate remove his jacket and waistcoat. "Are you sure?" he asked a little concerned.

"I've missed you," Kate said as she lowered Steve's trouser fly. "I want this Steve," she continued before leading Steve to the bedroom. She was unsure if she was telling the truth or not but if she could do this then surely she would be back to normal?

Soon the two lovers were on the bed engaged in some rather intense foreplay. Steve rolled on top of Kate to reach over for a condom when things changed. Suddenly she was back in the shrubbery, her attacker on top of her, pushing her in to the ground.

"Get off me!" Kate screamed as she punched Steve in the nose, drawing blood.

Steve withdrew in shock as Kate continued to hit him and scream at him until he was cowering in the corner of the room, naked, protecting himself from Kate's blows.

"Oh my god!" Kate suddenly exclaimed as she realised who she was hitting. She recoiled in horror at the realisation she had hurt Steve.

Silence reigned for a little while in the bedroom. Steve dabbing at his nose occasionally. It was still bleeding and he should really put ice on it. Kate was frozen to the spot, watching him assess his injuries.

Steve wasn't mad at Kate. He'd had worse injuries during his time in the force. He was really concerned for her though. If he had to get injured for her to see that things weren't right, then so be it. He just hoped that was the case.

"You need help, Kate," Steve said sadly as he reached for his underwear and put it on before leaving the bedroom.

Kate collapsed on the bed in utter shame. What the hell had happened? She had suddenly flipped when Steve had been on top of her and it brought her rape back. She had hit out at Steve the way she had wanted to hit out at her attacker but couldn't, and in doing so had hurt the one person who had stood by her. The person she loved.

Steve was tending to his nose in the kitchen, a packet of frozen peas doing the job of an ice pack when he sensed he wasn't alone. He looked up to see Kate in floods of tears.

"Help me," she begged.