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"Can we stop?" I asked, my hand on Drake's arm. I pointed to the block where it happened.
Drake leaned forward and asked the driver to stop ahead for a moment. Once we were parked, I got out and walked over to the place where I had been hit. From what I had heard, I just stepped off the curb and Lisa accelerated, striking me before I got more than a few feet in the crosswalk. I was thrown several feet and landed on the pavement a few feet away from where I stood.
I had no memory of the events surrounding that day. The last memory I had was calling Drake in the morning before I went out for a walk. The next memory I had was waking up in the ICU, and Drake telling me what happened. The rest was a big blank.
"This is where it happened," I said to Drake when he joined me, Sophie in his arms. "I don't remember anything."
"That's good," Drake said, turning around in a circle with Sophie held up high. She laughed and waved her arms around. He stood still and kissed her cheek. "You don't want to remember that. It happened and changed many things but we're here now, alive. With our beautiful daughter. I'd like to forget that day. It was the worst day of my life," he said and met my eyes. He rubbed my cheek with the backs of his fingers, his gaze moving over my face. "I almost lost you. I almost lost both of you." He leaned down and kissed me and then he kissed Sophie.
"We're glad you didn't." I smiled at him. "Don't worry. This is just a bad story told to me since I remember nothing."
Drake exhaled heavily and I knew that the accident and everything that happened afterward had been very hard on him, even if the horror of it seemed lost to me, other than my injuries and the fact I couldn't have any more babies. That was upsetting to me but truthfully, I felt blessed that I did have Sophie and she survived the attack. If we got shared custody of Liam, we would have the kind of family that would make Drake very happy and me as well.
How could I be anything less than thankful?
I was thankful. I knew how lucky I was, and any lingering PTSD was of the unconscious variety. I no longer walked around feeling like something bad was going to happen, so I was glad that was dealt with soon after we realized I was suffering from PTSD.
"We should get going," Drake said and gestured with his head back to the car where the driver was patiently waiting.
"We should. I just felt a need to stop and remember how lucky I am."
Drake kissed me again and then we went back to the car. After I closed the door and fastened my seatbelt, I sighed as we drove off. It felt so strange that such a momentous event in my life was a total blank to me, but as Drake said, it was for the best.
I turned away, seeing a small jeweler on the street and that was more my memory of this part of the city rather than the accident.
We stopped at the same small grocer where I always used to shop, to pick up some supplies we'd need for the night and the next morning – tea and coffee, cream, bread, cereal, and food for breakfast and lunch. I'd do a more thorough shopping trip once we were settled.
We arrived at the building on 8th Avenue, and after the driver helped us with our bags, we climbed the stairs to our apartment. I felt butterflies in my stomach at the prospect of staying there for a month. I loved that apartment. There were so many good memories there when Drake and I were first together and he introduced me to real pleasure, D/s and a bit of kink.
I felt like my life really began in that apartment – my life as a woman who was coming into her own. Discovering what she needed and wanted. Drake was the one who helped me become that woman.
"Here we are," he said and smiled while he turned the key in the lock. "Our old home."
"Home sweet home," I said to Sophie in her car seat. "You won't remember this place because you were too young, but I'm filled with memories – so many memories."
We went inside and I stood in the entry, taking in the apartment. It was exactly as we left it, of course. It smelled a little dusty, but it was otherwise welcoming. Every renovation we had made was to our tastes and it felt like us.
I got a bit teary because I hated that we no longer felt at home in Manhattan because of the trial and scandal associated with Drake's past.
"What's this?" Drake said and put Sophie's car seat down. He pulled me into his arms and wiped the tear off my cheek. "What are the tears for? This is a place of happiness for us."
"I know," I said and laid my head against his shoulder, squeezing him more tightly. "I was the happiest I'd ever been here. I'm just so sad that we can't live in Manhattan because of Lisa. I hate her." I looked up into Drake's eyes. "I hate her guts."
"I hate her too, but there's no reason we can't come back in time. I'll be able to have a private practice again. I'm sure once this all blows over, we'll come back for part of every year.
"But my dad is going to stay in San Francisco."
"We can come for a few months every year if we want. We're free, Kate. We can do whatever we want. And maybe if we had a better situation for Ethan, he'd feel okay about coming here for spring, summer and fall. Maybe something that is more wheelchair accessible. I'll talk to him about it. They could sell their apartment on Park Avenue and find one that
is more accessible with a nice big patio so he could sit outside in the good weather. Maybe even Brooklyn..."
"Brooklyn?" I said with a laugh. "Sacrilege! My father would never live in Brooklyn." I grinned up at Drake, seeing the gleam in his eye, knowing full well that my father would never leave Manhattan except for a place like San Francisco.
"He might not live in Brooklyn, but maybe a nice townhome somewhere in the upper east side in a building with a huge patio and easier access than a penthouse in an apartment block. Somewhere close to a park where he could go and sit when the weather was good. I'm sure he just wants to be able to get outside more than he was when he was up in the penthouse."
I nodded, and let go of Drake, wanting to get unpacked as soon as possible so we could settle in for the evening.
Afterwards, I went to the drawer in the kitchen where I kept all our takeout menus and found my favorite – an organic restaurant that only sourced organic and humane produce and meat.
