Escape to Brian Quinn's

Steven smiled and nodded to her he felt proud she had choisen his frame for abbys frist baby picture and now smiled warmly to her " your welcome Khaat, my mother gave janet a picture frame when john was born , a keep sake she called it , I just carried on the tradition " he said now stood beside her bed " how you feeling?" he asked watching as Kate took abby into the next room to change he. he smiled hearing the sounds from the other room.r

"Better. Thank you. I am so very glad to be out of St. Mungos. And I am glad to be with my friends and my family. I am sorry that Rob made some of the choices that he did, but, you know, he did it himself. I cannot worry about him right now. He clearly has not worried about us. I am going to try hard not to think a lot about him. It seems like you all have things pretty well under control. And I presume Daddy can hold his own managing St. Mungos for awhile longer. So, how are you? I feel so out of touch with everybody."

steven smiled at her "better now" he said glancing at Brian but looking back down at Khaat laid in the bed , he was happy she was getting better but could not get the wolf at his farm from his mind he kept wondering what she was up to . He hoped not Robert and Kates chickens would be safe , he went back over the list of chores till remanining on the farm and knew he had an early morning ahead.

Khaat frowned. Steven was uncharacteristically distant. "Okay," she frowned deeper. "This is not the first day we met or anything. I know you better. What's wrong? You're different. What's happened? You're physically here, but your mind is any place else except here."

"He and I did a bit of practice brawling last night," Brian said, trying to divert her attention and rescue Steven.

Khaat immediately glared hard at Brian, knowing how fierce a brawler he could be. "What did you do, Brian James Quinn? You answer me."

"Me?" He raised his eyebrows innocently at her.

"Liar. You put him through some sort of initiation or something?"

"I did no such thing. If I'd wanted to do that, we'd have gotten that out of the way on his first mission."

Khaat sighed heavily and looked at Steven, glaring hard now at him too. "Don't you let him bully you around, Steven. Stop that."

Steven faced Khaat "no Khaat, it was not Brians fault , it was mine " he said moving to face her "He did what some one should have months ago, he put me on my backside and yes we brawled and he sent me home, but instead i didn't, I don't rember much of what happend next but lets say it lent to me getting massive wake up call making made me rethink how i was acting around you and every body else" he said "Im on light dutys for a couple of weeks to gve my rib time to heal as such im helping at Roberts farm"

"No, you're on bodyguard duty to help Khaat," Brian corrected. "If Robert asked you to help on the farm, that's a separate issue, but he has not pulled you off bodyguard detail for Khaat, and neither have I. I am depending on having you here."

"Look," Khaat glared hard at both of them. "Both of you. I need you both. I expect you both to be part of my life--not just because my father said so, I need you both in my life right now to help me with getting my life rebuilt. I haven't been the mother of a newborn before. I haven't been separated from my husband before. And I need help with putting the pieces of my life back together again. So, you...stop beating up my friends," she looked at Brian.

"And you!" she glared at Steven, "Your primary job right now, regardless of what anyone else says, is to be my friend and Abbey's. You got that??" She was refusing to lose either of them.

Brian smiled, glad to see her getting a bit of spunk back. "Yes, Ma'am," he said, saluting her. "Understood, Ma'am."

Steven loked at Brian then at Khaat " is she always this firey?" he asked and smiled to Khaat " yes Maam " he chuckled to him self , reaising he had been just that , her freind , but he was not about to tell her about the tatoo well not till she was stronger any way , she may have a relaps with all the laughing she woud do. "I was just thinking about the wolf that turned up on my door step and how she was doing , I hope not in your chickens Kate " he said

"I told her very specifically not to eat my chickens," Kate said, in the doorway with Abbey. Abbey was changed into clean onesie and Kate's sweater was now clean as well. "And I promised her that I'd give her a piece of steak if she behaved herself. So, no, I don't think they are in any danger. Khaat, I hate to give her up, but I presume you'd like a chance to hold her yourself today?"

"Yes, I would," Khaat said softly, always glad for a chance to have Abbey in her arms, "Very much." Katherine put Abbey in her arms, and it made Khaat feel complete in a way that nobody else had ever made her feel in her life.

"You are going to be a fine mother," Katherine said gently to Khaat.

"I want to be back on my feet as soon as I can," Khaat said, anxious to be able to take care of Abbey herself.

"That might be awhile," Brian said very gently, trying to brace her that an overnight recovery was not in her future. "But we'll be here. You are not going to be alone. "

Khaat sighed heavily. She had, ultimately, no one to blame for the predicament she and Abbey were in except herself.

he liestned and tuned to see Kate standing holding Abby and he smiled "good thing" he said as she waked past him "well last time I saw her she as suning her self on my porch " he said with a smile as he saw Khaat with abby "hold on" he said ad accioed hi fathers camera steping back he looked at teh screen and took a good picktue of the both of them walking to brain he showed him it "its keeper" he said and moved to show Khaat and kate the photo.

"It certainly is, 'Brian smiled. "I have a muggle camera someplace. I ought to see if I can find it and then we can take pictures for her while we're all here. I bed we can collect a lot of really good pcitures for her. That's an excellent idea, Steven. I really should buy a wizard camera so that the pictures move. Muggle pictures are not quite as much fun."

"You could end up with a lot of pictures for your baby book," Katherine smiled.

Khaat thought for a second. She hadn't bought a baby book.

"Open your bags from us," Katherine whispered to her softly, handing her the bag with the baby print. Khaat opened the bag, and found a gorgeous baby book covered in pink silk brludingocade. Khaat was stunned. It was beautiful. She opened it and found her mother had been keeping it up for her. It was completely up to date, including Abbey's birth photo. "Did you really think your father would forget that?" she asked Khaat softly. "Thank you," Khaat said gently. "Keep looking in the bag, Dear," Katherine said. Khaat pulled at a stuffed pink kitty. "It's a wizard toy for babies, Khaat," Katherine explained. "It will listen for Abbey's sounds and will sing her to sleep if she cries, talk to her when she's awake, and adjust its sounds completely by what Abbey does."

"Hmm," Brian said thoughtfully, "does that mean it's going to sing or talk to us?"

"I have no idea," Katherine laughed, "I didn't ask."

Khaat opened Katherine's second bag and found a lovely white silk gown and a handpainted white silk robe, painted with spring flowers. It was beautiful. And it certainly would be useful while she was recovering. "I thought it was only fair for Mom to get a gift too," Katherine smiled. She kissed Khaat's forehead softly. "Your father actually picked out the robe, " she added. "He thought the colors would look good on you."

"Tell him I said thank you--at least until I see him?" Khaat asked.

"Of course, Dear." She handed Khaat her tea mug.

"Thank you all for everything you're doing. You have no idea how much I appreciate it," Khaat said.