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"Good morning, sweetheart," I said and rubbed my hand over her soft fluffy baby hair, which was starting to curl around the nape of her neck. If Liam looked like me, Sophia looked like Kate, with hazel-green eyes and chestnut brown hair.
"Good morning, Dr. Morgan," Kate said teasingly. "I thought you'd be so weak after last night that you'd sleep in."
I laughed. "You think a bit of vanilla sex tired me out? You are sadly mistaken. That was only a warm-up. Tonight, you're in for it."
"Promises, promises," Kate said, smiling down at her phone.
I went over to her and pulled her against me from behind. "I am a man of my word."
"You are," Kate replied and leaned back, her head resting against my shoulder. "I look forward to you keeping your promises. Many times."
Kate finished typing and then put her phone down. "So, what's on the agenda for today?"
I poured a cup of juice and grabbed a croissant then sat beside Sophie at the kitchen island.
"We should go for a nice walk along the beach like you guys do every morning, have a nice lunch on the patio, and then," I said and pulled Kate closer, "I want you to go to the studio and spend a few hours there. Sophie and I will spend our time together, she can have a nap, and when you get back, we can have dinner, and then drop Sophie off at Grandad's and Grandma's place for a sleepover. How does that sound?"
"It sounds totally indulgent."
"Good. We should be indulgent. Both of us have been through a lot in the past year. We deserve it."
Kate kissed me. "If you insist."
"I insist. I want you to feel like all the sacrifices have been worth it."
Kate frowned. "What sacrifices? I have you. I have Sophia. I have my parents. I have my studio. What sacrifice have I made?"
I stroked her cheek. "You know what I mean. You had to take a leave from your Master's degree. You lost a lot."
"I did, but I have so much. How can I feel ungrateful?"
I kissed her again, because she was so accepting of everything. "I won't argue with you. I just want you to be happy and fulfilled."
"I am," she said and leaned her forehead against mine. "You don't have to worry about me anymore. Whatever baby blues I had are all gone now. I couldn’t be happier. Honestly, Drake. I'm over the post-partum depression."
I didn't argue anymore. I'd still watch Kate to make sure she wasn’t hiding her emotions in order to spare me. She did that before we left Manhattan, and I would make sure things didn't spiral down again. It was completely understandable that Kate had PTSD after the attack and almost losing her life and that of Sophia. Luckily, we had recognized it in time and Kate recovered, but I would always be on the lookout for signs that she was becoming depressed.
We took our usual walk along the beach to a spot that was sheltered from the wind, and sat on the sand so Sophie could crawl around and make sandcastles. The weather was unusually warm for that time of year and so we had to watch out for Sophie's fair skin, and made sure she had on her floppy brimmed hat and sunglasses. The beach umbrella provided a lot of shade for us and we spent an enjoyable couple of hours out either walking or sitting on the beach.
By the time we got back, I needed another cup of coffee and so we sat in the living room and watched the news while the coffee brewed.
After lunch, we went to the living room to catch up on news headlines. We sat side by side on the sofa while Sophie played on the floor with her toys.
Kate turned to me once we were settled in. "Do you want to go up to the hospital and see your mom? You should go after lunch and see her in the afternoon before I go to the studio. When you get back, I'll go. Sophie will be napping and you can take it easy and so whatever you'd like."
"I would like to go," I said and kissed her. "Thanks."
"Elaine's excited about having Sophie spend the night, so we can do whatever we want. Do you feel like going out for dinner? Maybe go and see a gallery exhibition? There are a number down by my studio."
"That sounds perfect," I said. "Ask your studio mates where is a good place to eat."
She nodded and took out her cell. "There's a gallery a few blocks away from my studio with a new exhibit this week. There's a wine and cheese at six. We could take it in and then go for dinner."
"Sounds good. I'll go to see my mom for an hour or so. You can go to the studio until five. We can drop Sophie off with Dad and Elaine and then go to the opening."
With that settled, I finished my coffee and left for the hospital, hoping to see my mother improve over the previous day. If she kept improving, she'd be able to go back into her nursing home and then I'd have a better idea of how far her disease had progressed.
I wouldn't give up trying to get her to understand who I was. It would be nice to see recognition in her eyes at least once before she passed but I didn't want to put too much hope into it. Alzheimer's disease was impossible to predict and patients varied. They didn’t all respond to the latest treatments in the same way. In the end, I'd have to be thankful that I found her again and equally as important, I found my other family members as well.
