Pops was smiling, content to sit quietly by his grandson’s hospital bed watching him sleep. Kai wasn’t at rest however, but kept tossing and turning, moaning from time to time. Just as Pops raised his coffee cup to his lips, Kai screamed. Despite his shock, Pops managed not to drop the cup, but put it noisily down beside him as he reached out to try and wake Kai.

“What happened?” Dr. Daly shouted as she ran in from her office.

“He was tossing and turning in his sleep, then he just cried out,” Pops replied, clearly shaken as he watched Kai thrashing around on the bed.

Dr. Daly managed to dodge the arm that flailed out towards her head and grabbed Kai by the shoulders, shaking him and saying his name over and over, telling him everything was okay.

Eventually, Kai relaxed in her arms and she laid him back down on the bed. His eyes fluttered open and he looked around, distress plain on his face.

“It was just a dream, Kai. You’re safe, and Pops is here.”

Kai looked around the room, slowly realising where he was and forcing himself to relax.

“Do you want to talk about it, son?” Pops asked.

Kai just shook his head, trying to stop the tears from escaping.

“I can get you something to help you get back to sleep,” Dr. Daly offered.

“NO!” Kai shouted. “Sorry, Doc, but I think I’d rather stay awake for a bit.”

“Very well. If you change your mind Pops can come and get me.”

Pops took his hand and squeezed it. “Are you really okay, Kai?”

He shook his head and let the tears fall. “It was all so real, Pops, like it was happening to me all over again.”

“You know nothing can hurt you here, don’t you.”

Kai nodded and forced a smile. “I’m good Pops. Now, any chance of you finding me a coffee?”

“Mum, why can’t I go and sit with Kai?”

“He’s not feeling too good right now, Alice.”

“I’ve heard him shout out at night, but he stopped a few nights ago.”

“He’s been having bad dreams, baby.”

“How many days is it now, mate?” Nate asked.

Kai didn’t reply. He was worn to the bone and fighting a losing battle to stay awake. He’d never been a fan of coffee, but he’d drunk so much of it in the past week the very thought of it made him want to chunder…but it kept him awake, and the nightmares at bay.

He was becoming more short tempered by the second, and had even snapped at George and Alice that very morning. He hated himself when he saw the hurt in Lissy’s eyes. He’d tried to apologise, but George just took Lissy back to her room without a word.

“You need help, Kai.”

“Rack off, Nate.”

“I’m going back to the office. Call me when you come to your senses.”

Kai was lost. His family and his best friend were giving up on him. They didn’t understand. How could he talk to a stranger about what he’d been through? He could barely bring himself to think about it, let alone talk about it. He was so tired…maybe just five minutes…

His screams could be heard right down the corridor. Gina was reading a book to Alice and almost dropped it in fright.

“Mum, that’s Kai. Take me down there…please!”

“I don’t think you need to see him right now, baby.”

“PLEASE!!”

Gina sighed and helped Alice out of bed and into her chair. She pushed her towards Kai’s room, which was now full of nurses trying to calm him down. Dr. Daly looked round and saw them coming.

“I don’t think he’s up to a visit right now.”

“Please, he’s my friend and I need to know he’s okay.”

The staff moved back to allow the chair to be wheeled in and Gina looked over at Kai. His face was pale, apart from the black shadows under his eyes. He was gasping for breath as though he’d just run the race of his life. He looked over at Alice and tried to smile.

“Hey, Lissy,” he whispered.

“Are you okay, Kai?”

“I am now I’ve seen you, Little One,” he replied, holding his hand out.

Gina helped her daughter out of the chair, and she walked across to Kai’s bed. “Can I sit with you?”

“I can’t think of anything I’d like more,” he said.

One of the nurses picked her up and placed her on the edge of the bed. She gave Kai a big hug. “I’ve missed you, Kai.”

“I’ve missed you, too,” he said, looking over at Gina.

“Okay, you can stay for a while, but try not to tire him out too much,” Dr. Daly said. She cleared out all the nurses and left Kai alone with his two visitors.

“I’ve been like a bear with a sore head, haven’t I.”

“Mum said it’s because you’re tired. Why don’t you go to sleep, Kai?”

“Because I have bad dreams when I sleep, Lissy. I thought if I tried to stay awake everything would be okay.”

“You’re so silly. Even I know that you can’t go without sleep. When I get bad dreams mum makes sure I have my teddy to cuddle up safe with. Do you have a teddy, Kai?”

Kai smiled and looked over at Gina. “I don’t, Little One. Maybe if I did it would do the trick.”

“I can lend you mine. Mum will go and get him for you.”

Gina smiled and got up. Kai held out his hand to her and she squeezed it quickly. “I’ll be right back,” she said.

“Can I cuddle up with you please, Kai?”

“Of course you can, baby girl.”

Alice snuggled up to Kai, resting her head against his shoulder as he wrapped his arms around her to keep her safe. By the time Gina got back, he was fast asleep and Alice was smiling up at him.

Gina sat down and rested her hand on Alice’s leg. “Looks like he didn’t need Teddy after all.”

Alice smiled at her mum as she patted Kai’s chest gently.

Dr. Daly popped her head round the door and Gina held her finger up to her lips, “Shssh!” She pointed to the bed and got up and walked out into the corridor.

“How long has he been asleep?”
 

“About three hours so far. Alice decided he needed to borrow her Teddy to help him sleep. When I got back he was dead to the world.”

“Well, what a shame we didn’t think of it earlier.”

“I know. I’ve been keeping her away from him as he was getting so short tempered, and all he needed was a cuddle from her.”

“It’s a good start, but of course we can’t let her sleep on his bed every night. Let’s see how long it is before he wakes up and take it from there.”

Kai slept through the day, so deeply that Alice was able to get off the bed to eat some lunch and go to the bathroom. She snuggled back with him, though, and it wasn’t until early the following morning that he stirred.

“Good morning, Kai.”

“Hi, George. What time is it?”

“5:30am. You’ve been asleep for about 18 hours.”

He looked down at Alice, sleeping soundly by his side. “She’s a miracle worker.”

“Kai, you need to get help, talk to someone. We both want you to get well, and I think that won’t happen without counselling.”

He nodded slowly, and sighed. This was going to be hard.

Two weeks of counselling and he was feeling better. He was managing to sleep for a few hours each night. He wasn’t too sure if it was the professional help or Alice’s teddy, but he was beginning to feel normal again. So much so that he’d started his physical therapy once again, and wasn’t worried if it left him so worn out that all he could do was sleep after it.

Gina and Alice started visiting him every day again, although he noticed that Alice was getting paler and seemed to be losing a bit of weight. He didn’t mention it while she was in the room, though. He was getting closer to Gina. He never thought he would be close to a woman again in his life, but he was beginning to think that he wanted to have her and Alice around all the time. He needed to talk with Annie.

Later that evening was family time. His grandparents, sister and Nate were all around his bed sharing the takeout they’d sneaked in. They were laughing and joking and all happy to see that the emotional wounds were beginning to heal as well as the physical. He told them how he was feeling about Gina and Alice, which made them all smile. They loved them, too. It was getting late when the duty nurse finally told them she was going to have to chuck them out. They took turns kissing him goodnight, but Pops and Annie both hung back as Nate and Nan left the room.

“Kai, if you feel as deeply for them as you say you do, you have to tell Gina what happened to you. There should be no secrets in a relationship.”

“I know, Pops,” Kai sighed. “That’s going to be difficult, but I’ll do it as soon as I get her alone, I promise.”

He waved them both goodnight, reached out for Teddy, and lay on his side waiting for sleep to take him.

Kai was woken up by a light tapping on the glass partition wall to his room. He turned his hear towards the glass and saw Alice waving at him from her chair. He beckoned the nurse to bring her in, and she got up on the bed to give him a hug.

“Where you off to so early, Lissy, and where’s your mum?”

“Morning, Kai,” she smiled. “I’m off to have some blood tests. Mum can’t stand the needles, so she’s going to come and visit with you, if that’s okay.”

“Of course it is, Luv. Be careful not to drink anything too soon after your tests…we don’t want you springing a leak, now do we.”

“Ha, ha,” she replied, hugging him again before letting the nurse help her off the bed and back into her chair. “Look after mum for me,” she said as she was pushed out the door.

Kai settled back on his pillows and frowned. Alice wasn’t looking very bright. He would ask Gina about her, but first he needed to open up to her a bit.

Gina came in about ten minutes later. She’d slipped down to the café on the corner and picked up two fresh muffins and hot chocolate. Kai smiled when he sniffed the bag. They sat and ate their breakfast, smiling at each other in between bites. When they had finished, Kai took Gina’s hand and looked into her eyes.

“George, I need to talk to you.”

“This sounds serious. Should I be worried?”

“I hope not. I know we haven’t known each other very long, but I’ve grown very close to you…”

“I like you too, Kai…a lot.”

Kai took a deep breath and continued. “If we’re going to get to know each other better, and I hope you want that as much as I do, then there’s something I need to talk to you about. I believe there should be no secrets in a relationship.”

“You’ve already told me about your wife, Kai. Is there something else you feel I need to know?”

“Um…yes. I think it’s very important, and you may not want to carry on seeing me after you hear it, but like I said, you need to know.”

Gina frowned a little, but never let go of his hand. She sat quietly while Kai told her all about his last undercover job…and just what had happened to him; all of it. He never took his eyes off her as he told his story, until he got to the difficult part about the sexual assault. He just looked at their entwined fingers when he told her the details. When he looked up, he saw a look of horror on her face and tears streaming down her cheeks. She let go of his hand and covered her face. She got up and backed away from him, running from the room as fast as she could.

“GEORGE!” he called to her retreating back.

She didn’t stop, almost bowling Nate and Annie over in her haste to get outside. “Gina, what’s wrong?” Annie called after her, then turned to Nate. “Oh Lord, I hope it’s not Alicia.”

Nate frowned, realising the direction she had come from. He quickened his pace. “She’s just come from Kai’s room,” he said over his shoulder.

A nurse was in the room by the time they got there, and she’d put a call out for Dr. Daly. “What happened?” Nate asked.

“I don’t know, Superintendent. I came in with his meds and he was almost hysterical. He was hanging off the side of the bed and I only just stopped him from falling out.”

“Shit!” Nate exclaimed just as Dr. Daly and Dr. Lo came rushing through the door.

“Kai, it’s Robbie. Can you hear me?”

Kai was shaking from the sobs he wasn’t even trying to keep back. He was on his back staring at the ceiling, but seeing nothing.

“Anyone know what happened?” Dr. Daly asked.

“No, Bea, we just got here,” Nate replied. “We passed Gina on the way in, though. She was rushing out in tears.”

“Bum! I think I know what happened,” Annie said. Kai is really fond of Gina, and he’s a very honest bloke. He spoke to Pops and me last night and we all agreed that if he wants to take their friendship further he should tell her what happened to him. It looks like she didn’t take it well.”

“Annie, do you know where she might go?”

“Yes, I think I do. I’ll see if I can find her.”

“We’ll take care of Kai. I think it might be best if we sedate him for the time being. He’s very distressed and it’s the only way we can calm him down.”

“Thanks, Bea. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

Annie walked out into the morning sunshine and stood for a moment looking around. She walked towards the café and popped her head in the door. The waiter recognised her and waved her in. “Are you looking for your mate?” he asked.

Annie nodded in reply, looking around and not seeing Gina. “She was in here a while back, in a bit of a state she was, too. I gave her a free coffee and she shot out the door again.”

“You didn’t see which way she went did you?”

“I certainly did, Luv. You two are regulars now and I always watch out for my regulars. She went across towards the park. It’s not all that big, so if she’s still there you should spot her right away.”

“Thanks, you’ve been a great help.”

He smiled and handed her a coffee to go. “I hope she’s okay.”

The park was beautiful, flowering shrubs were tastefully planted and there was even a small pond with a water feature. She saw Gina sitting on a bench the other side of the pond, and walked towards her, hoping that she wouldn’t run off.

“Mind if I join you?” she asked. Gina jumped. She had been in a world of her own and hadn’t heard Annie approaching.

“Oh, Annie,” she sniffed. “I don’t think you want to sit by me. I’m a horrible woman.”

“You’re not,” Gina. “You’re the kindest person I’ve met.”

“You don’t know what I did to Kai. I ran out on him when he needed me.”

“I know.”

“He told you?”

“He didn’t have to. I know what he wanted to tell you this morning. I guess it was too much information for you to handle.”

Gina burst into tears again. “He thinks I can’t stand him now that I know,” she sobbed.

“That’s not true, is it?” Annie asked.

“Oh no, Annie. It was a shock to hear what he’d been through. I was disgusted…not by him, but by the fact that a human being would defile another in such an animalistic way. I was sad for Kai, and I have to admit I got a bit angry.”

“Why?”

“If I’d known earlier I might have been able to help him more, especially when the nightmares started.”

Annie put down her coffee and hugged her friend. “You need to talk to him, tell him how you feel. You know how much he respects honesty.”

“I doubt very much that he’ll want to see me again, let alone allow me to talk to him.”

“He will, but not today. Dr. Bea was sedating him when I left to find you. I think he’ll be sleeping for the rest of the day.”

“Maybe I can come and sit with him later this evening, after Alicia goes to sleep.”

“That might work,” Annie smiled.

Kai had slept the entire day and the sedative began to wear off early the next day. He opened his eyes and looked around the darkened room. He noticed someone asleep in the recliner chair and thought it must be Annie. He closed his eyes and went back to sleep. It was 8:00am when he awoke again, and was surprised to see Gina looking at him.

“Kai…I need to speak to you, if you’ll let me. I’m so sorry to have caused you pain yesterday. I was shocked, upset and angry when you told me what you’d been through. I just didn’t know what I could say to make it better. I just had…had to get away to think. I know it looked like I couldn’t get away from you fast enough…”

Kai just lay there staring at her, not making it easy for her to continue.

“If there’s any chance that you can forgive…”

“Don’t.”

Gina shivered at the single word he’d spoken to her. Don’t…don’t what? Did he want her to stop talking…stop looking at him…stop being in his life? She was so confused. She looked at him one more time but he turned his face away.

“Okay, Kai. I understand how you feel. I’ll just…” she couldn’t finish her sentence as her throat seemed to close up as she tried not to cry. She turned and walked slowly to the door.

“George…”

She stopped in her tracks but didn’t turn to face him.

“George…don’t…don’t go!”

On hearing that she forced herself to turn. Kai was crying, too, and his arms were outstretched toward her. She rushed back to his bed and was cocooned in his warm embrace. When Dr. Daly came by a bit later in the morning she looked in and smiled. Gina was lying beside Kai. They were fast asleep wrapped in each others arms.

“Thank goodness,” she sighed, closing the door quietly as she left them alone.