Marriage is Murder

Kate frowned. "Remus never smoked. His cologne has been around us for a long time, Jack. I've never known of it to bother you before. Maybe you're catching a cold or something. If that's the case, you need to go home and take care of it."

Brian didn't speak. He knew, too, that if indeed Jack was getting a cold, that was a whole new threat that had the possibility of killing Khaat right now.

Kate sat near Khaat and didn't say much. She just wanted to be near her daughter for awhile. She saw Brian perch himself on the wide, stone windowsill. He gave himself a half turn to lean against the wall, and he closed his eyes. He wasn't more than a step away from her. He seemed to slip off into a light doze almost immediately.

Kate knew the signs of deep fatigue in him. He'd been up all night. He'd done delicate surgery on his own wife for hours. He'd taken time to give statements to the press. He'd met with Lee. He was feeling the weight of the hospital and the Ministry on his shoulders, and he hadn't been expecting it. She knew he would muster up the strength and the courage. But for tonight, he needed a bit of sleep.

Kate felt for Brian. She still was the only mother figure he had ever really known since his own mother died. She knew that, in most ways, he had few memories left of his biological parents--a few, but not many. Most of his childhood that he remembered started at the accident that had been the only survivor of, the one that had killed his parents.

She saw him in an exhausted half doze, perched on the windowsill. She got up and went over to him.

"Brian," she called softly, laying her hand on his. "You're not going to be any farther away if you rest a bit. We aren't going to let her stop breathing while you sleep. We promise. We'll call you if we need you."

"You better make sure, Kate," he said tiredly.

"I swear," she said. "She'll still be here." She led him off the windowsill to the sofa. It didn't take him more than a moment to fall asleep, but this time he'd fallen into a deep sleep. She noticed that the scent of the cologne faded away as well.

"Looks like it should be a quiet night," Kate said. "I think I really should have gone and gotten that stack of magazines."

The night had come and gone very quietly. Before daylight, Marcus had gotten up, feeling more like himself, had taken about 30 minutes downstairs in the hospital gym to stretch out his sore muscles and had showered and dressed for the day, looking like nothing had ever happened--at least that's how he looked on the outside.

Kate was drinking tea from a paper cup and had found a deck of playing cards in the staff break room and had taken to playing solitaire just to keep her hands busy. She hadn't been unsociable. She just had needed to keep her hands busy.

Brian had slept during the night, but Kate had seen him get restless twice, and believed he was having some powerful nightmares. She had gotten up and had soothed him, and he had settled again. He seemed to be in a much lighter sleep now.

Outside Khaat's room, Marcus intercepted a breakfast delivery from Sparks, a surprise from Lizzie, and sent a note to Angus to keep him from sending breakfast as well. He brought the delivery into Khaat's room. He looked at Khaat. It didn't look like she had even moved.

"She's alright?" Marcus asked. "She's barely moved since we brought her in."

"Its not all that unusual," Kate said. "I've seen that before in people who are that weak. Did Lizzie send coffee and tea?"

"Um...nope," he said, looking in the bags. "Don't see any."

"That wont' be good," Kate said with a smile. "This crew runs on tea and coffee."

"He slept, but he was definitely having some pretty serious nightmares. I'll wake him. He needs food, but let's get some coffee in here first," Kate said very softly. "Marcus, please ask Hannah to send us some tea and some French Roast?"

"Yes, Ma'am," he said. He turned to leave.

"Marcus," she called him back in a rather maternal tone.

"My name is Kate. Please use it," she said.

"Yes, Ma'am," he said, turning and leaving. Kate shook her head, suppressing a laugh.

"Does he ever call anyone by their first name?"

"Me," Khaat said in a whisper. Her mother went over to her and kissed her forehead.

"Hello," she said. "How are you feeling?"

"Hurts like a sonofab..." she said.

"Yes. I'm quite sure it does. Your father made sure you had pain potion. We can get you a dose."

"Daddy?" the news that her father had been here got her attention. "Daddy's here?"

"Khaat," her mother said, knowing how hard his curse had been on her, "your father loves you more than he loves anything else in this world. He was here with you in surgery. He had to leave right after. You know he can't stay. But of course he was here."

"I wish I understood it," she said.

"I think we understand more than we did. He gave us some answers yesterday," Kate said.

"Where's Brian?" she asked.

"He's here," she said. "He's sleeping. You need him?"

"I..just wondered," she said. Kate knew Khaat was feeling insecure and had every right to. "Is there coffee?"

"Yes," Kate smiled. "I sent Marcus to get some."

Marcus was out in the hallway and had found Hannah who left quickly to send coffee and tea to them. He turned to go back to Khaat's room and saw Edward coming towards them with...wait...Kate? But this was a different Kate than the one he'd just left.

"Don't stand here and make a spectacle of us," Edward said in a low voice to Marcus. "He has every right. Keep moving." Marcus motioned to them and went into the room, with Edward and "Kate" following.

"Oh, lord," Kate said, frowning. "Well, what we've learned from this is that I need to lose ten pounds immediately, and that I look a hell of a lot older than I thought I did."

"You," Edward kissed her cheek, "are always lovely. He just doesn't do you justice."

"And you, Edward Donohue, are a big bullshitter," Kate laughed. Her double took Marcus's wand from his hand and poked the sleeping Brian with it.

Brian jumped as if someone had taken a cattle prod to him. He sat bolt upright, his heart pounding. He immediately looked at the bed to make sure Khaat was still there. Then he looked up and saw Kate and...well, Kate.

"Oh," he sighed, relieved. "Its only you." Robert rolled his eyes at Brian.