Author's note: See end of story, but no peeking until you read through it okay?
*
Max Connor was dead. The thought ran through Harley's mind as he sat back in the chair beside the hospital bed and watched Keni sleep. Max was dead and now all he had to worry about was the woman who lay sleeping beside him. It had been three weeks that she had lain here, wired to all kinds of machines and little more then a sleeping child.
No one knew what had happened in that cabin except her, and to be honest, no one really cared. Even the FBI had the attitude that the case was closed. He was glad that everyone felt that way, because he sure didn't. He wouldn't feel like it was over until she woke up and told him she loved him. God, he wanted her to wake up in the worse way, he missed her something awful. Nothing else mattered to him but having her back as she had been. Smiling, laughing, loving him.
"I talked to your mom today, her and your dad are doing okay, they'll be back in a week or so, after they take care of the house and do the things they want to do. Janie figures they can move into the old Harrison place around the middle of March, that's when the repairs will be done. And our place is all ready, just waiting for you to come home."
He talked as if she could hear him, which the doctor's said she might. It was hard to tell, because except for her sleeping her body was just going on like it did when she was awake. A guy from the FBI said she was probably suffering from PTSS. Some kind of Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome. He had heard of it, it was what the soldiers suffered when they came home from war.
"I'm hoping you can hear me baby, because if you can I want you to know how bad I want you to wake up and come back to me. I don't care what happened in that cabin, all I care about is having my Keni back. I can't handle much out here without you. I know you said I was strong, but I'm not, I am the weakest man in the world without you baby, you and our Kenley. Janie and mom said that was a funny name for a girl but I think it's beautiful. Kenley, both our names, because she's both of us." Reaching out, he ran his hand over her stomach. "Doctors said the baby is fine, growing just the way she should be. We were all pretty worried when he took you out of the church, but then we found where you were, and I knew you were alive. That was and is all I care about baby. Just the idea that you and the baby are okay."
He felt the tears running down his cheeks and a soft whisper caught his ears. "You always do talk too much Harley, I'd much rather you play Prince Charming and kiss me awake." Keni gave a soft giggle. "Think you can manage that?"
Harley grinned. "That and a whole lot more babe." He almost jumped from the chair to the bed and bent his head to kiss her gently. "How long you been awake?"
"I been drifting in and out for a while. How long has it been since...?" She stopped and swallowed hard. "Since he died?"
"Three weeks, doctors think you went into some kind of shock. You were pretty beat up, and all..." He still felt anger over the bruises and abuse she had suffered at Max's hands. "Its' all over and done with, as far as the FBI and everyone is concerned, the case is closed."
She looked surprised at that. "But it's not, aren't I going to jail or something?"
Harley grinned. "Why baby, why would you ask that?"
A far away look entered her eyes. "I killed him Harley, I shot him and left him for dead in a burning cabin."
Harley felt surprised but relieved too. "No one cares how he died Keni, only that he's dead. I think if people knew that you had been the one to shoot him, you'd probably get a medal." It was true, and he had a good idea that the rest of the world suspected the truth as it was. It had been her 9mm that was found in the remains of the fire, and while it had been in his hand, and the evidence all pointed to suicide, there were probably few who believed it.
Her face took on a relaxed demeanor. "Then it is over..." She began to cry and Harley held her close until long after the tears had stopped. "I was so scared Harley, so damn scared. He kept telling me he was going to kill me, kill our baby. He made me beg for it's life. All I could think was that he had to die, he had to be put down like a rabid dog."
"Hey, it's done and over, we can go home now, you married me before all of it came down remember?" The small wedding in the small church in town had been just what they wanted. He didn't remember a lot of it because all he had seen was his woman in a dress that made her look like an angel.
She nodded. "Hell of a way to start a honeymoon huh?" Looking around the room, she sighed. "How soon can you get me the hell out of here?"
A chuckle from the doorway made them both look up. "Just as soon as your tests come back and we know you and the baby are okay." The Oklahoma City doctor grinned at them. "You've been taking up bed space we can use, but that was one hell of a long nap." He walked over to the bed and held out his hand to both her and Harley. "Glad to see you Keni, and glad to tell you that except for the few bruises and bumps that man gave you, you're fine."
Keni nodded. "So how long before I can go home?"
"Give me a couple hours. Meantime, you must be hungry. Both of you..." He cast a glance in Harley's direction.
Harley saw his wife look at him as well, and saw the worry in her eyes. Running his hand over her face, he shook his head. "Yell at me later babe, right now I am just glad as hell you're awake."
* * *
Keni nodded. She was too, but she didn't like how exhausted Harley looked. He was pale and haggard through the face, and he looked as if he hadn't slept in days. "How long you been here babe?"
The doctor looked at her as he did her blood pressure and pulse. "He hasn't left since they brought you in. From what I hear, he almost knocked out the pilot of the helicopter that flew you in from Tulsa."
Harley frowned. "He said I wasn't allowed. Just showed him I was, that's all, no physical damage."
She shook her head. Well, he was never really going to change, she felt sorry for their daughters when they were old enough to date, he was going to scare hell out of their boyfriends. Once a nurse brought in food for both of them, she listened while he told her about the other people she had worried about. Mainly about the girl from Idaho that she had exchanged for herself.
"She'll be in therapy for a long time. He never laid a hand on her sexually, but he sure scared hell out of her most of the time. Her mom and dad been calling at least once a day to see how you are. She wants to thank you once you get better. Waylon and Noreen, they're talking about getting married this coming summer. The girls, they keep asking for their aunt Keni and asking when you're coming home."
That made her smile. "Did I hear you say that mom and dad are coming to Crossroads to live?"
Harley nodded. "To quote your dad, "with you and Katie here, and all, it made no sense to them to live all the way in Oregon and someone had to keep an eye on you when I was at work." I also got the idea that they want to be around to watch their grandchildren grow up. So they are buying up the old Harrison place and turning it into a farm again."
As she listened to his voice, Keni found she was able to push away the other one. She didn't want to remember the other one. The one who hated her husband beyond words, and hadn't been above using anyone to make him pay for imagined crimes. She hoped in time it would all fade away, but she had her doubts that it would ever really go away. Shivering, she knew that right now, she wanted to go home, she wanted to start her life as Harley's wife, with her own home and a future ahead of them...
Feeling a work roughened hand on her face, she looked into Harley's ice blue eyes. He smiled softly and his thumb traced the line of her lips. "We'll be going home soon hon, you just need to rest and take care of you and our daughter."
* * *
It was still a couple days before the doctors pronounced her fit to go home, and when she left, she was glad to see that it was just her and Harley she had to deal with. Her folks had called, and Waylon and Noreen had brought the girls to the hospital to see her, but most of the folks from Crossroads had simply called or sent flowers. Even the hospital florist had said she had never gotten so many orders from one place in her entire memory. Of all of them, Keni found her favorite to be the single red rose Harley had given her over dinner the first night she had been fully awake.
Like the hospital in Crossroads, there were rules about two people occupying a hospital bed, but no one seemed willing to argue with Harley when he told them that they would have to call the cops to get him away from her now that she was awake. Keni suspected that part of her reason for sleeping so long was simply a need to get ready for being back with him.
She had been visited by the local office of the FBI, but they never asked what happened in the cabin, and as the days had passed, she wasn't sure she could have told them the story anyway. Even her own memories of it were becoming foggier and foggier. Harley asked if she minded and after thinking about it, knew that she was almost glad they had decided to hide away.