Awake, Fair Prince

Kitty Carmichael lay on the couch of the furnished apartment in Greenwood Park. The apartment belonged to the hospital and was for people who had long term patients in the hospital. Granted, there were rules. For example, Megan would not have been able to stay at this place had she not been married to Adum. But she qualified for the place and Kitty was able to talk them into the two bedroom, so that she could stay with her friend.

Megan hadn't been asking many questions about how all of this had been made possible. Kitty had taken her out shopping, as the only clothes she had were destroyed by her husbands blood. Telling her to just not worry had helped, and worry about Adum had as well.

Their business was now being taken care of by the small temp staff Kitty hired, in order to keep the money coming in. And again, Kitty had not been asked hos they had managed all of this.

But Kitty suspected, once Adum was better, the questions would come.

For now, she lay on the couch reading a slash werewolf novel and finishing her modest delivery breakfast. Neither she nor Megan were much in the kitchen, although Kitty insisted that her skills at microwave reheating should count for something.

Megan had been crying in the shower again. Kitty might have even heard it. She had so rarely showered alone before Adum went into the hospital. It was a thing with her and Adum. Sometimes a sex thing and sometimes just sweet. But she missed him and it felt so cold in this one by herself. Every day she told herself she wouldn't cry, and everyday she cried. It had been eight of those days.She came out from the bathroom dressed in clothes that had replaced her trashed ones and wearing no makeup. She just couldn't be bothered. It was weird for her though since she always wore it. She didn't fuss with her hair either, just scooped it into a wet ponytail. She noticed the book and shrugged. Kitty was always reading it seemed. She smelled the food and considered it and then just sat down on the couch quietly.

Kitty glances up and sees it all . no make up, no attention to her hair. Actually, she thinks Megan looks incredible without make-up and she knows Adum does too. After she sits on the couch, Kitty picks up the plate and brings it over. "One piece of bacon, a forkful of eggs and one piece of toast." she insists. It's been like this for 8 days now, but Kitty found out fast that she didnt mind making her friend take care of herself. "Then we can go to the hospital and see your hunk." she tries to make it sound like an adventure, but she knows Megan is probably worried that Adum hasn't come out of his coma yet.

Megan gives Kitty a weak smile and complies with the eating, mechanically almost. She barely tasted it. Life had lost it's substance while she waited for Adum. After she ate she looked at Kitty with some gratitude. She knew she was no picnic right now to care for. "Thanks."


Kitty smiles as Megan eats. "You're welcome." she takes the plate and moves back towards the dining room to get her own. "I don't want Adum pissed at me when he wakes up because I let you waste away on him." she goes into the kitchen to wash up the few dishes. Technically she knew she didn't have to. There was full on maid service here, to give the families that much more free time. But it gave her something to do, so she did it. Heading back into her bedroom, she grabs a pony tail holder that matches her jeans and sweatshirt and puts her mane in a pony tail. Then she heads back out. Grabbing a small bag, she tosses in a couple of books and looks at Megan. "Ready? It's almost time for them to open the gates." she quips. Most of her jokes are falling flat, but she isn't giving up.

Aine Stone walks into ICU-4 with a smile on her face. "Good morning, Mr Brate." she calls, cheerfully, as if the patient were wide awake and aware. "Let's see how you're doing." she runs through what has become her morning routine, checking bandages and making any notes for the doctor. So far, nothing out of the ordinary. As normal a coma as you could hope for. Moving to the IV, she looks it up and down, making sure it is working flawlessly. When she looked back at him, her basic smile widened.

The patient's eyes were open.

Megan gives a derisive laugh and rolls her eyes "I do love you Kitty. I know you're trying." She follows along, going through the motions of the routine. They arrive at the ICU desk and Megan gets ready to go through the usual greetings and requests, thinking nothing has changed.

Kitty hugs Megan. "I have to help my kindred spirit." she explains, ready to go. They get to the ICU and the place seems more alive. They are greeted by a nurse named Gretchen, who has always been one of the bitchier nurses. Felt like she stood at the door with a stop watch timing Megans visits. "Mrs Brate. Miss Carmichael, please wait in the waiting room." she motions in that direction, as if they couldn't find the place on their own after 8 days of the same thing.

Aine stands beside Adum, assisting Susan as she examines the patient. He had not said a word, but seemed to recognize Susan.

Susan smiles, cheerfully as she examines Adum. He's all in the green. She had been at the desk while Aine examined him and come running when she called for her. Now she looked down at him. "Welcome back." she began. "Can you hear me?"

Adum looks up at the women and frowns. He knows her. He's sure of it. "Yes." he croaks, his voice hurting a little bit. It is hoarse.

Not using his voice for over a week, Susan isnt surprised to hear how rough it is. But his answering her told her two things. He could hear and he could talk. She takes out her penlight. "Follow this." he turns his head left and right. "Now just with your eyes." he does that and her smile twitches, but she maintains her professionalism.

Adum does as the woman tells him. "Where ...." he begins.

Susan smiles at the word. "You're in the hospital, Adum. What do you remember? The last thing?"

Adum looks at her and thinks back. He feels slow, almost half asleep. Thinking back he tries to remember .. anything. "Shower...." he rasps and turns his head towards the door. "With my ... wife?" he begins to look for her.

Susan nods. So he remembers he is married. Good. "She's here." she confirms. "Can you tell me your full name?" he remembered he was married, but if the last thing he remembers is a shower, there was still a gap of several hours in his memory.

Adum hears the question. "I'm ... he considers. "Adum ... Colm ... B ... Brate." it took him a minute to remember it.

Susan smiles and nods. "Right. Great. You mentioned your wife. What's HER name, Adum?"

He looks towards the door again. "Spar ...." he stops mid word. That wasn't right. He looks back at the doctor. "Meg ... Megan ...." he looks relieved. "Megan Brate." it almost didn't come to him. "What happened to me .... Doctor ...." he looks at her closely, trying to remember her name.

Susan notices he almost gets the name wrong. Could be a problem there. And he doesn't seem to be able to come up with her name and they'd know each other twelve years. "Yes. Megan is your wife's name." she considers covering her name on her lab coat, as she asks him. "And you know me. Doctor ...." she urges him to try again.

Adum looks at her and blinks. "Blurry...." he tries to make out the name on the coat and can't. "You're .... Doctor .... Doctor ...." he bites his lip. "Mac. Mac.... Ken ..." he smiles. "McKinney .... um ... S ... it starts with an S .... sparkles? No ... Sparkles ... is ... a ...." he frowns in concentration. "A cat ...." he remembers. "Can I see my wife? Megan? And .. what happened?" he raises his left arm and touches his bandaged head, wincing as the IF digs into him strangely.

Susan begins to look at his eyes with her pen light when he mentions things are blurry. "Aine, get an optometrist up here STAT." she murmurs as she straightens and looks at Adum as he tries to recall her name. "Pretty good." she tells him. "I'm Doctor McKinney. The S is right too, but no ... Sparkles is your cat." she doesn't tell him how many pets he has. "I'm going to go talk to your wife and bring her in here, alright?" she notes Adum raised his left arm to touch his head and makes a note of it. "Don't move." she winks at him and heads for the door.

Adum turns his head and watches her go.

Megan frowns at Nurse Gretchen but complies. She turns around and gives Kitty an irritated look about the woman but then walks to the waiting room looking completely anxious about the activity and energy of the space "Something's up Kitty. I don't know if it's good or bad..."

Kitty goes into the waiting room, after giving Gretchen an appropriate glare. She was scared to give the woman the telling off she deserved, because the nurse could ultimately keep Megan from seeing Adum and that would be just too tragic. Nodding at Megan's words, she looks out of the waiting room door, as if she could see anything, which of course, she can't. She can't even make herself sit.

Susan walks down to the ICU waiting room and sees Megan and Kitty. She moves up to them. "Adum's regained consciousness." she announces, and lets that sink in before she gives them the details.


Megan sees Susan coming and has a look of dread. At her words it shifts to elation and then she bursts into tears, her breathing wracking. It's a mix of fear and relief. She wants him back, lucid, awake, with her in the world. But she knows and she's been warned all week that a head injury can change a person. What if he's awake but a shell of his former self? What if he doesn't know her? She fights to get her breath back to normal and just looks at Susan with all the questions burning in her eyes, unable to verbalize a single one effectively.

Kitty listens and, while she doesn't burst into tears, she realizes they are there, leaking down her face. Her week had been full of her own kinds of fears. Two of her lovers ... two of her best friends ... worked in dangerous jobs. If something happened to them like this .... she didn't know what she would do. Even handling stress differently than Megan, she knew there would be several different things .. not the least of which is not being allowed to see them, because of their legal status. Shoving Gareth and Sam aside, she, too, listens to the doctor.

Motioning to the seats, Susan encourages the women to sit. Joining them, she looks at Megan. "He can hear and he can talk." she explains. "When I asked him his last memory, however, he replied that it was a shower with his wife." she doesn't blush, she's better than that. "Which means his memory wasn't going right up to the shooting. Also, when I asked for his name and your name, he had a bit of a problem recalling them, so there is some memory .... lag. He pulled the names out, but it wasn't easy for him." she grins then, which might surprise them. "He almost used the name Sparkles a couple of times ... that's your cat, isn't it?" she knew they had at least two cats, but that Megan seemed to attract them. Fortunately she seemed particular about which cats she adopted into the Brate household.

Megan laughs through her tears "Yes Sparkles is one of our cats....hopefully the rest aren't a shock later." She wipes at her face, smiling in relief "Can I see him Doctor McKinney?"

Kitty can't help but giggle at the Sparkles reference. It was somehow very sweet. Sniffing, she listens for more.

Susan loves the relief in these cases. "Well, I don't know how bad the memory loss is. The bullet didn't cause as much damage as it could have, but there may be a few things that change." she doesn't want to alarm her. "One thing is, he went to touch his bandages, but used his left hand. Now I know Adum to be right handed, so the IV was put in his LEFT arm. That is most comfortable to put the IV in the off arm." she raises a finger. "Now if he is suddenly left handed, that can effect a few things in his recovery, but ..." she shrugs. "If he continues to do well, we can have him in a regular bed by tomorrow." she stands. "Yes, you may see him. I would like to visit as well, just to observe him, if that's alright."

Megan nods vigorously "Of course it is. Thank you Doctor, thank you so much." Megan looks eager to go to Adum after a look of relief at Kitty too "He's awake..." Quiet tears spill over her smiling face. And from what the Doc said, it sounds like he is Adum, her Adum.

Kitty smiles and feels full of joy. Just seeing Megan after 8 days of .... her worry.

Susan motions for them to follow. When they enter ICU-4, they find one doctor leaving. She pauses long enough to tell Susan that he will be seeing Adum later in the day for an eye exam, but that he thinks it may be a passing thing. Then she walks in, but says nothing, simply going to a place she can watch Adum as he meets with his wife and friend.

Adum turns his head and smiles when he sees Megan. "Hey, you." he is still a little confused. He raises his left hand to her and says, a little guiltily. "I'm in a hospital."

Megan nods with a quiet sob as she walks to Adum, carefully taking his left hand after it drops "Hey you." she gets out in a strained whisper. She hugs his arm to her and kisses his hand like she's been afraid she never would again.

Kitty stands to the side, feeling incredibly happy. She had also been afraid Adum would never wake up ... and then what? Now ... it doesn't matter. He is awake and he recognizes is wife. That's all that matters.

Susan watches as Megan moves to take his left hand. It's the happy endings that make her job so rewarding.

Adum smiles as his hand is kissed. "Wow ..." he looks at her and to her she is incredibly beautiful. "Have I been here long? Did you hit me on the head with a pan or something for being ..." he frowns, as if he can't remember why she might want to hit him. "Annoying?" he settles on, hoping that will come to him like the names. He looks at the other woman for along time. "You're ..." he pauses again. "Cat .... it's Cat, right?" he asks. "You're Megan's ... her friend." he nods, sure he has some of it right, at least.

Megan can't help but laugh "I didn't hit you on the head with a pan Adum "You've been here 8 days....and this is...Kitty. Kitty Carmichael." She's really hoping more starts coming back to him but she's not going to push him. Still hugging his hand she looks over to Susan with the question "Does he know anything?" written all over her face. She's afraid to cause any kind of regress. The brain is a complicated thing. She doesn't need to be a doctor to know that.

Kitty laughs. "She's been tempted, I think." she adds. "But she hasn't yet." she smiles at him. Shrugging she grins. "Close enough." she glances at Susan as well.

Susan grins and chuckles a bit at what Adum is saying, but she looks at Adum, the question Megan is not quite asking in her own mind. "Adum, can you tell us about yourself?" she asks. "It doesn't have to be a long drawn out life story. I just want to know what you remember and what you haven't .... yet." she smiles encouragingly.

Adum arches his brows. "Eight DAYS?" he looks concerned. Then the doctor speaks and he considers. "I ... I was born in Alexandra, British Columbia." he begins. "My parents are divorced ... wait ... they are but .. my mother ... committed suicide." he frowns. "After the divorce, I went back and forth ... for a long time. Weekends with Dad. In Cedar Point." he squeezes Megan's hand. "Thats where I met you." he inhales as if hit by a memory. "And Ryan ... Yak .. no Yamada." he nods, pleased he can remember. "Then there was college. And military. And ... I'm a cop." its almost like he is just realizing this himself. "Cedar Point PD .. at first." he frowns. "I liked that job, but wasn't happy." he looks concerned. More unhappiness. "Then I quit and I came back to Alexandra. I ... wow .. I'm the youngest police chief in Alexandra history." he laughs, amused. "Megan and I just got married." he still looks confused. "I've loved her for ... years and years but we only JUST got married .. like .. last week." he blinks. "And I remember the shower ... and ... and there was cake ... at the shop .... and ..." he begins to frown. "A silent alarm .... the ... the pharmacy .... I ... told the suspects ... to lower their weapons .... but .... after that ... " his eyes grow big. "Someone shot me, didn't they?" he is sure of it, and a little upset.

Megan listens and squeezes his hand back as he talks about Cedar Point and their story and then looks up to Susan and nods at Adum "Yeah, someone shot you, in the head. You were in a comma. I was afraid...." she breaks off as her throat closes and then she swallows hard and squeaks out "But you're OK..." she smiles again as more tears fall.

Kitty listens, still smiling. He seems to have the gist of it, at least. She watches Megan cry and moves to pat her on the back. "We were all afraid."

Susan nods to herself as Adum speaks. She has known him for a dozen years or so and knows there are gaps that should be in his highlights that seem to be missing. But for the most part, he seems to have most of his memories. The bulk of them. And within half an hour, he's remembered up to the shooting. "She's right. You were shot in the head. Had surgery and .. you came out of your coma when we were hoping you would. Within ten days." she lifts a cautionary finger. "You're back .. and now we can see just how fast we can get you out of here."

Adum listens and lays his head back a bit. "What happened to the suspects? Did they get away?" he remembers .. the last thing he remembers .. was preparing to shoot the suspect, because he felt the suspect was going to shoot him.

Megan feels Kitty's comforting pat and eases her stance. She smiles at Susan's words before answering Adum "OK I'm not one of your officers but I have parts of it. The guy who shot you was named Colin Rankin. He's dead. You shot him at about the same time as he fired on you. The other guy ran and stole a speedboat to leave the island. I don't know if they know his name yet. Don't overwhelm yourself with work though Adum...we just you back."

Kitty watches over Megan's shoulder as she fills Adum in, just drinking in the look of a conscious Adum ... even with a feeding tube up his nose, he looks hot.

Susan watches her patient as his wife fills him in. She isn't sure Megan should have delivered that news, but ... water under the bridge.

Adum listens to Megan, and his face seems to drain .. its a professional face. "Colin ... Rankin." he frowns a little. "Oh hell ... that's ... that's ... " he can't come up with the name he wants. "That's Ryan's sisters ex .... his nephews father, right?"" he blows out a breath. "Are they okay? Man..." he tightens his grip on Megan's hand. And in a near whisper. "I killed a man."

A nurse comes in then. "It's been ten minutes."

Susan turns to face the nurse. "They're fine, Gretchen."

Gretchen visibly tenses. "Very well, Doctor." she sniffs and turns to leave, huffily.

Megan nods gravely "I'm sorry. I probably should have waited until you felt better to get into all this." She reaches out and gently slides a hand over one side of his face "Adum, he didn't give you any choice. I think Ryan and Stephanie will be fine once they know you're going to be too." Megan looks back and notices Kitty gazing at Adum as she's about to give Nurse Gretchen another death glare. She blinks at Kitty and then turns back to Adum "No more work talk. Dr. McKinney said you remember Sparkles." She changes the subject with a sweet smile "All our cat babies are being fed and cared for by Gareth. He sends his...love....lust maybe depending on the day, but he does like cats."


Kitty's gaze turns to the nurse, who she beats severely in her mind before the Doctor gives them a reprieve.

Susan shrugs. "It had to come out sooner or later." she looks at Adum. "It's SOP anyway, but now that you're awake, someone from Psychiatry will come visit you ... you know thats the drill in any shooting." she grins as Megan expertly changes the subject. "He remembers I am NOT Sparkles ... that's all I really care about." she teases.

Adum nods, solemnly. "Yea. I know its procedure. THAT much I remember." he sighs and comes back when Megan mentions Sparkles. "Gareth .... he has a crush on me. Has for ... ever." he chuckles to himself. "Wait .. how many cats do we have?" he frowns wondering if he's missed something. 'All' sounds like more than two. He remembers he loves cats, but who was he forgetting.

Megan smiles sheepishly at Adum "Well we have the 5...Sparkles was our first and then came the orange tabby twins, Fred and George. We found Minerva down by the docks...poor old thing. And Voldemort I rescued from that big cat fight behind the clinic...before we realized he started the fight. I do hope Gareth keeps him apart from the others....could be a mess to come home to...."

Kitty watches Adum's face, suppressing her laugh, but unable to keep from grinning.

Susan's shoulders shake as she makes notes in her tablet.

Adum's eyebrows lift at each name. "Five ..." he considers. "You want the whole cast and crew." he sounds amazed. "I married my father." but he smiles. A genuine thing. "How did Sparkles get a non Harry Potter name?" he wonders. But his mood is lifting.

Megan giggles a bit "I thought Sparkles might end up living with Tams but they never bonded. Tams is not such a fan so I have her a regular name. I suppose we could change it but she seems to know it now. And I am holding out for Hermione and Luna next...." she's completely not joking and seems not phased by his reaction. She sees a glass with ice chips on the side table and asks Adum "Babe are you thirsty?" gesturing at the glass.

Kitty finds herself simply watching them, thrilled to see them 'together' again.

Susan simply shakes her head. To her mind, Adum is the Chief of Police ... he won't bust himself for having too many cats.

Adum smiles and laughs a little, which makes him cough. "Ow .... and Tams .. didnt like ... ohh she didn't like how you don't do litter boxes..." he nods to himself. "And I don't often say no to you, do I?" he knows he doesn't. "All these years. It's a miracle we don't have 50 cats." ne nods. "Yes, please."

Megan finds a spoon with the glass and gently offers and ice chip on his mouth when he's ready "Well we just got married. I'm sure you'll find something to say no about one of these days." she teases. She looks at the edge of the bed and the rail and can't figure it out so she just leans on it slightly. She's clean and decently clothed but there are huge dark circles under her eyes and she's paler than normal, even normal with no makeup. Offhandedly she says "You know I haven't changed my name...I wasn't sure I would. But all these people calling me Mrs. Brate had been kind of comforting, kept me connected to you...while you were sleeping." If he's ready for more ice she'll offer a second. With all the tubes, he probably can't just drink from a cup yet.


Kitty keeps her vigil, only backing up a bit to get out of Megan's way.

Susan continues her observations, and grins a bit when Megan says that being called Mrs Brate gives her a bit of comfort.

Adum accepts the ice chips gratefully. They melt and it gives him a feeling of relief. "Oh ... maybe. I can't imagine that day." he admits, but he is also getting hits of bits and pieces ... his life falling back into place one memory at a time. He accepts more ice chips and grins. "So does that mean you'll keep my name?" he asks, trying not to sound too eager. He takes in more chips and then asks the doctor. "How long do I have to have this tube in my nods, Dr McKinney?"

Susan glances up. "We'll try you on soft foods in a few hours and if you do alright with them, we'll try something solid tonight and, if THAT goes well ... I can remove the feeding tube tomorrow." she agrees. "Then we'll get you up and walking .. see if we can get that catheter out."

Megan glances down to the tube coming from under the covers and makes a bit of a face "That one must kinda hurt...." She smiles at Adam after "I suppose if I had your name that's a no brainer later for..." she hesitates "Which one to give to a kid." She looks a little self conscious, only having revealed this desire to Adum very recently and having only joked about it with Kitty. She remembers Kitty's reaction and snickers a bit to herself, offering more ice "Right now we'll just work on reuniting your with steak....oh and chocolate.....good goals."

Kitty giggles. "I'm not sure, but I think you guys should probably delay conception until Adum gets discharged." she grins. Then she looks at Megan. "And stay out of the stock until then." she warns.

Susan arches a brow. "Yes. No sex until after you're out of the hospital." she tisks. "Newlyweds."

Adum sighs. "I don't feel it, unless I think about it too much." he sighs and then smiles back at Megan. "Brate is a good name for a kid, but we'll worry about that until its time." he reaches up and, rather weakly, caresses Megan's face. "No Harry's or Ron's or Hermionie's. MAYBE a Molly, cause I liked that name before Harry Potter came out." he blows out a breath. "I've been asleep for over a weak. Why am I tired?"

Susan grins. "Because you have a lot of healing to do, young man." she nods to Kitty and Megan. "I think half an hour is enough. Back to the regular rules." she motions for them to say their goodbyes and head on out.

Megan gives both Kitty and The Doc a little giggle and then looks longingly at Adum. She doesn't want to leave him but she knows it's for his best health. She leans into the caress and then leans down carefully kisses his lips "We have time for all that...later. Sleep now. I love you." Her eyes are misty again but she's no longer a wreck.

Kitty grins and waves at Adum. "Rest. It's so GOOD to see you awake, Adum." and she heads out.

Susan watches the couple, hope in her heart.

Adum returns the soft kiss. "I love you, Megan. Thanks for not leaving me." and by the time she is out of the room, he is asleep.

Megan exhales loudly as she steps out of the room, deflating a bit "Wow I'm tired too...but happy..."

Kitty smiles. "I know ... probably not on the same level as you, but ..." she shrugs. "What say we celebrate? There's a Sigh across from the emergency room." Megan has mostly gone from the hospital to the apartment, except to buy them both some clothes. "My treat."

Megan nods "Yes please. I could use a coffee....or three." She laughs and smiles, the first genuine and full version of those in 8 days and then hugs Kitty.

Returning the hug, Kitty leads Megan to the elevators. "I'm getting text messages that the mayor is decorating Alexandra for Winter already. The lights are sung up and everything ... because its Adums favorite season." as the elevator descends, she grins. "But I bet here, its still pumpkin coffees."

Megan beams "Thank god for pumpkin lattes. I had to marry a Christmas guy...oh well it's a pretty season. Say hello to Gareth eh."

Kitty laughs. "Done almost every day since we got here." the admits. "I guess when you grow up in Alexandra, Halloween sort of gets bred out of you." she speculates. The move on to the Sigh and Megan orders two of the largest pumpkin lattes they have, complete with whipped cream and two slices of pumpkin bread. "Anything else?" she asks, like a kid in a candy store.

Megan looks delighted at all the pumpkin goodness and beams "You're a goddess!" She gestures to a table and slides into one of the chairs looking more at ease than she has in far too long "So Kitty, you've just taken care of me and I haven't asked any questions because I was such a wreck. But I must owe you a shit ton of cash right now?"

Kitty sits in a chair near her. "You don't owe me anything." she insists, breaking off a piece of her pumpkin bread. "We're friends. And if I can help you, I will. Heather is minding the shop until we get back ... be that a week or a month or sometime next year." she grins. "It's no big deal." she doesn't mention the prices of anything, but a furnished apartment so near the hospital has to cost. It has maid service and everything. Not to mention food and the clothes.

Megan looks a little confused by this but doesn't press the issue too hard "Ok, well I know Adum will still need a lot of care and rehab....I'm glad we can help Heather. The more she's out of her place, the less she's with that jerk guy. So, do you think I should become Megan Brate? " She smiles a bit.

Kitty nods. "Well, the apartment will do for the duration. Maid service. Doesn't it make you drool?" she giggles. It could become quite expensive. "Yea and if she can save up some money, maybe she can leave him for that Tom guy." she grins and looks at her friend. "You should. Take his name. We all know you're no Mrs Cleaver, so if you take his name, maybe it will make up for your lack of housekeeping skills." Adum has those ... hopefully they didn't get knocked out of his head.

Megan pretends to look offended and then laughs "Yeah I know. And I was serious about it being easier for kids...." She looks pensive and then quizzical again "Kitty, I've seen the books. how much are you making at your other jobs to pay for a maid service? Sorry, but I need to know...don't put yourself in debt for me..."

Kitty laughs as her point is accepted. "Yes. You're gonna be a great mom, too." she sighs as Megan goes on. She goes into her bag and pulls out one of her werewolf romances. She sets it in front of Megan and points to the publishing logo; Catherine Publishing. "My father named it after me." she admits. "So I am sole heir little miss princess." she shrugs. "Usually I tell my father to keep my money and he tells me it's always there if I need it. I didn't need it .. the Blue Door and our shop pay my bills. But ... I dipped into my bank account for this luxury vacation." she looks sheepish. "I didn't want to tell you because I wanted you to love me for me, not my money. I'm nowhere near worth what Kagiso is. Don't think I'm a millionaire. I'm not. But I am ... comfortable." sh shrugs and reaches for Megans hand. "You're my best friend. Ever. All this really IS the least I can do for you."

Megan looks more closely at the book and then in amazement at Kitty "Wow....and you know I'd never take advantage of you, or think differently of you Kitty. Are they at least good books?" She smiles at Kitty "You're my best friend too."

Kitty smiles. "I know that NOW." she replies. "But ask Sam ... life in New York City or Seattle ... there's no telling who your friends are." she giggles. "Honestly? The gay male fiction is the best. The hetero stuff ... is kinds meh. And some of the non sexual stuff is pretty good. My father is relatively picky but .. it's basically pulp fiction ... you can't demand too much. No Rowlings or Stephen Kings." she giggles and sips her coffee again. "My father is going to want me to take over the business ... but I don't want to. Being under Daddy's thumb .... he thinks I'm still a virgin, I think." she giggles.

Megan wiggles a brow "Two hot guys getting hotter together? I can see the appeal." she bursts out laughing at the virgin comment "Uh...no, really? Oh god...course I worked in my Dad's bar as soon as I was 18 so he saw me sneak off when I went home with guys."

Kitty nods. "Exactly! But ... hell all sex is hot to me. I have my father libido ... so I think he must be in denial. He adores Sam ... the law student blah blah blah .. who turned his baby girl into an orgasm addict. But he'd probably love Gareth as well. But then he'd be thinking marriage ... my father doesn't have to marry, but I do." she shrugs. "If I had been a boy, he wouldn't mind. That old double standard." she rolls her eyes and drinks deeply from the cooling coffee.

Megan rolls her eyes a bit "Well meaning chauvinism, no offence. My Dad had some too but Tams rebelled and screamed it out of him. Not a pretty transformation though...but good on the other side."

Kitty rolls her eyes. "I know it is ... and probably always will be." she giggles. "Give Adum a son ... he's been through enough already." and she remembers something. "Is it me, of did he seem to be missing a huge part of his life ...."

Megan bites her lip and then whispers "Alison...but I'm not going to tell him if it doesn't come back. Am I a terrible person? It's not like she enriched his life...and she's the reason we took so damned long to get together."

Kitty considers it. "I think that's fine." she agrees. "I heard she was like the super bitch from Hell .... someone should have thrown a parade when she got herself killed." she holds up a hand. "I know I am horrible." she shrugs. "Someone is bound to tell him .. but it doesn't have to be you. Hell the doctor knows and she didn't say anything either."

Megan shrugs "Alison was toxic. She had a kid that she told him was his that wasn't...he wanted to kill himself..literally. He had so much baggage from her when we got together it was insane. He can forget that, we all can. He'll be happier for it."

Kitty raises both brows in shock. "God ... that's MORE than toxic. As much as Chief Adum loves kids?" she shakes her head. "He will be. I hope he never remembers that cunt." she snorts. "And YOU were right there ... like the first thing he remembered." she teases.

Megan smiles "Yes me and one cat..." She laughs "Good thing we didn't have 5 kids at home to forget.....god 5...that's scary to think about eh? Even though I want babies like crazy...5 is bat shit crazy."

Kitty giggles. "The way you two go at it? You'll be that stereotypical Irish couple. No periods since 2016." she smirks. "That big ol house you guys could probably manage ... eight ... four boys and four girls." she looks innocent.

Megan lightly kicks at Kitty's foot "Oh shut up....I'd just have big saggy tits and a zipper on my ladyflower...so not hot!"

Kitty giggles as she is kicked. "You'll still be hot and loved." she guesses. "Probably make Adum go get his nuts drained before you hit double digits in kids." she giggles again, nearly overwhelmed with mirth.

Megan almost spits out her current sip of coffee and then just manages to swallow it and holds up a finger as if defending her next point "K It's NOT going to be like the cats...I swear!"

Kitty laughs aloud. "NO! I didn't mean have all five kids at the same TIME!" she protests. She shakes her head. "Man it's good to hear all this again."

Megan smiles "Yeah.Thank you for seeing me through the worst of that. Like I say, I know he still has a long road but I'm hoping the scariest parts are over. Dr. McKinney seemed positive so that helps a lot. How did we get her as our small town Doc? She's amazing."

Kitty nods. "I'd think so. But who knows how long he'll still be here. Hopefully not too long." she considers. "I'm not sure. I know she's from Chicago. Worked the ER's there, so maybe thats why she can snap to it faster? Alexandra is definitely slower paced. We should ask her."

Megan finishes her coffee and then leans back "I agree. Ok we've had 8 days of all me, and Adum, and trauma. How are you Kitty?"

Kitty shrugs. "I'm alright." she replies. "I'm pretty good at keeping my head when all about me are losing theirs. But I don't ever want to see anyone like THAT again." she shudders. "I know I've been thinking a lot about Sam ... it could be him someday. Or even Gareth in some fire or whatever."

Megan looks sympathetic "I know. That did cross my mind when Josh and Gareth were looking at Adum. I know it seemed like I had tunnel vision."

Kitty nods. "Well, I can't make either of them quit, even if I wanted to. They both love what they do, even if it means the victims are people they know." she pauses a second. "Do you want Adum to quit? Or do you think lightening struck and won't do it again? I mean ... you guys got the sickness part of the vows down."

Megan sighs after finishing her pumpkin bread "In terms of Karma, I hope so. Course I still wouldn't want him to be a different person.. Like with Sam and Gareth, they choose it because they want to help people."

Kitty pops the last of her pumpkin bread in her mouth as Megan speaks. "True. Sam is going to law school ... but hell .. accountants help people." she chuckles to herself. Then she blinks. "Holy hell, I forgot to tell Gareth to tell Sam to tell Lieutenant Greene." she whips out her phone and sends a text message.

Megan sees Kitty and grabs her own "I haven't texted anyone. I need to tell Tams and Ryan, better from me. It dawns on me I should get a charger for Adum's phone for his room. He'll be able to use it soon and he may want to talk to folks himself." Megan taps away as well for a few minutes and smiles at the responses.

Kitty smiles. "I've been keeping Gareth informed and he's been telling Sam whose been telling Greene whose been telling ... the Chief in Cedar Point, I guess. I don't know any of them, so I didn't want to." she reaches into her bag between posts and dangles a charger cord, then winks. "You've been kinda .. out of it the last week or so .. go figger, right?" she looks up. "What are they saying?"

Megan looks up "They're happy...and Ryan's going to try and come visit Adum. Tams is offering to get stuff from our house if I need anything, on her next day off, so I'll think on that." She smiles at the charge cord "How did you think of EVERYTHING?"

Kitty giggles. "I forgot to tell anyone about the biggest thing to happen since all hell broke loose." she reminds her. "And once we got settled in the apartment, I used some of the money Kagiso Jackson gave me when he lent us his car to come here." she shrugs. "Adum is very popular." she thinks a second. "Of course when Gareth started taking care of the cats, he sent the original. So ... I'm definitely not thinking of EVERYTHING."

Megan looks totally confused for a second "Kagiso gave you money and lent you his car? I'm aware we drove here....but I honestly wasn't even thinking about what the vehicle was...original?"

Kitty nods and laughs. "I sent him a text message telling him to come get the keys to your car then get IT and he showed up in HIS car ... said it was stupid to take that extra time and he didnt need his car for a while anyway. Then he helped me get you into the car and pressed some money in my hand. He said he's had friends shot, and one thing you always need is cash. It was about 400 bucks." she snorts. "We're both American, so we use cash a lot still. We've been eating on it." she grins. "He says Adum and his boys are the nicest cops he's ever met."

Megan's eyes go wide at this tale and then she slowly exhales "Wow.....remind me to invite him...and you for that matter over for dinner...like once a week for the next 10 years. When Adum is well again, my cooking would be no gift."

Kitty smiles. "I might take you up on that." she looks at her phone. "Alright, its been about 45 minutes. Time to go back." she hisses slightly. "That Gretchen bitch won't let you visit for more than the allotted ten minutes." she rolls her eyes. "Maybe Dr. McKinney can get him out earlier. But .. if not ... tomorrow you can camp in his room every minute of the visiting hours." she begins to gather her things.

Megan stands up "They might just have to find me a cot if my time is unlimited. I'm ready. Buckle up Gretchen."