Candy walked out of the nursery, Joshua's clothes piled in her arms. She would just pop downstairs and put the clothes in the washer, she decided. Josh was having his afternoon nap and wouldn't wake at least for an hour, so that gave her plenty of time. She hurried to the stairs, hoping she wouldn't run into Olivia, or worse, Matt. Both of them were staying at the Kanes that weekend, ostensibly to discuss the Meyers-Kane business merger, though it seemed to Candy that the discussions so far had centered more around the personal alliance than the business one.
She was hopeful of avoiding both Matt and his fiancée and had been fairly successful so far. Olivia's barbed remarks, her spiteful comments about the night at the club, and the poisonous way she looked at Candy were bad enough, but what Candy found unbearable was the way Olivia clung to Matt and fawned all over him whenever she got the chance. Matt was not encouraging of her as far as Candy had seen, but he did nothing to stop her either, and seeing Olivia in Matt's arms was just too much for her to bear.
Her reasons for wanting to avoid Matt by himself were entirely different. The few times she had been alone with Matt earlier had led to earth-shattering, panty-melting bliss for her, but she could not in all good conscience allow that level of intimacy between them if Matt was determined to commit himself to another woman. Yet, when they were together, she could not seem to stop herself from responding to his every touch, his every look, could not deny herself the pleasure of being close to Matt even if she knew it would result in pain for her afterwards. Besides, after the last time she had been alone with him, she wasn't sure what his feelings towards her would be. The incident at the club had prejudiced him against her, she thought sadly, making him feel she was not suitable to take care of Joshua. The contempt she had seen in his eyes for her was something she would not forget easily, Candy knew.
The safest bet would be to avoid him till she could figure things out, she had finally decided. Candy reached the top of the stairs and took a step down.
Whooosh! Her foot slipped on something and before she knew it, she was tumbling down the stairs.
"Aaaah!"
"Sarah!" Dimly, she heard someone scream out her name. Seconds later, a pair of strong arms caught her, breaking her fall before she hit the bottom.
"I've got you, don't worry."
Matt! Matt had saved her! Candy gave a sigh, closing her eyes as he lifted her up. She leaned against his hard chest, instinctively seeking comfort. She could hear his heart pounding wildly, probably from the shock of seeing her take a headlong plunge. Matt's arms tightened around her momentarily before he carried her to her room and laid her gently down on her bed.
"Sarah, are you okay?" He sat down on the edge of her bed, his eyes wild with anxiety.
"Why is he so worried?" she wondered. In fact, this was the first time she had ever seen any extreme emotion on Matt's face, she realized suddenly, though she had often sensed deeper feelings just below the surface, feelings that he was ruthlessly suppressing. She winced, remembering the last time he had looked at her, contempt and disgust writ large on his face. A sudden, sharp pain in her ankle reminded her of her near escape. Her body was aching all over too, but it was the thought of what could have happened if Matt hadn't caught her that made her tremble.
"I – I'm okay," she faltered at last, realizing that he was waiting for her response. "I – I just slipped – I don't know how…"
"Shh…it's okay, I'm just going to call the doctor now," he said soothingly, stroking her hair. "I'll just take a few minutes." He returned almost immediately. "The doctor is on his way," he told her in a calmer voice, though his eyes still reflected his panic. "When I saw you fall, I thought -" He broke off abruptly, shaking his head. He took her hand in his, holding it in silent comfort till at last her trembling ceased.
Just then, the doctor arrived. He checked Candy thoroughly before giving her a grave smile. "You are very lucky, Ms. Kent," he said.
"Is everything okay, Doctor?" Matt rushed up from where he had been hovering in the background.
"Yes, Mr. Kane, I was just telling Ms. Kent that she's very lucky to get away with a few bruises and a mildly sprained ankle. I'm going to write you some pills for her and advise plenty of rest for the next few days."
When the doctor left, Matt returned to Candy's bedside. "Are you really okay, Sarah?" he asked gently, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "Does it hurt a lot?"
"I – I'm okay, Matt…thanks to YOU," Candy replied, gazing into his beautiful blue eyes. "If you hadn't been there…" She shuddered, tears filling her eyes in spite of herself.
"Hush, now…it's okay, baby…don't cry…please, don't cry…" Matt stroked her hair, trying to calm her.
"Oh, Matt…what if – what if I had been carrying Joshua when it happened? I couldn't bear it if anything happened to him…you were right, you know…I'm not good enough of take care of him…" Candy sat up in agitation, her tears flowing fast now.
"Come here." Matt pulled her into his arms. Candy buried her face in his broad chest, huge sobs wracking her slim frame as he held her tightly to him. "Hush, it's okay, baby, it's okay, everything's okay now," he soothed, over and over again as she clung to him.
"What the hell is happening here?" Olivia's furious voice made Candy jerk in Matt's arms and try to pull away, but he held her tight. "Can someone tell me what is happening??"
Matt turned his head to look at her, though he did not let go of Candy.
"Sarah slipped and fell down the stairs, Olivia," he said. "Luckily I was able to catch her before she fell all the way down, but she's sprained her ankle and she's had a very nasty shock."
"And what does that have to do with her clinging to you like moss on a wall?" demanded Olivia in a shrill voice.
Candy struggled free of Matt's arms, her face still streaked with tears. "I – I -"
"Have a heart, Olivia!" Matt retorted, anger flaring in his brilliant blue eyes. "She's had a fall that could have kill – could have led to serious injuries and is in shock, so I was just comforting her."
"Strange that she should fall only when you were conveniently near by to catch her," Olivia said, still furious. "And that she should seek comfort in the arms of an ENGAGED man."
"Olivia!" Matt thundered, looking furious himself now. "I don't want to hear another word about Sarah, especially now."
"Have you really let yourself be seduced by a two-bit, trashy little servant, Matt?" Olivia asked sneeringly. "I'd have thought you had better standards than that."
"Olivia, shut the fuck up!"
"Is everything okay?" Melinda rushed into the room, followed by Rich. "Anna just told me that Ca-Sarah fell down the stairs! Are you okay, my dear?" She ran to Candy's bed, her face frantic with worry.
"Are you hurt? Have you called the doctor?" Rich asked, his eyes darting between Matt and Olivia.
"The doctor's seen her, Dad – she has a slight sprain and lots of bruises, but she's going to be okay. She's had a very big shock, though." Matt's voice was still rough with anger.
"Oh, Sarah, honey." Melinda pulled her into a tight hug. "Are you sure you're okay?"
"Y-yes, Mrs. Kane, I'm okay now," Candy said in a low voice, Olivia's words still ringing in her ears. After all, wasn't she justified in the way she felt, however cruel her words might have been?
"Don't worry, Melinda, luckily for all of us, dear Sarah fell just when Matt was around, so he was able to rescue her – and comfort her as well." Olivia's voice dripped with malice. She turned on her heel and stalked off, leaving a cloud of expensive perfume in her wake.
"I'd better go and talk to her." Matt sighed, rubbing a hand over his eyes. "Mom, will you stay with Sarah?"
"Of course, honey." Melinda looked worriedly at Candy as Matt went off behind Olivia. "Are you sure you're okay, dear? And how did you fall?"
"I don't know, Aunt Mel – I was taking Josh's clothes for washing and then my foot sort of slipped…but it was an accident, I didn't plan it, I swear!"
"What matters now is that you're safe," Rich said, patting her head affectionately. "And don't let Olivia get in your head, Candy, WE know you would never do something so foolish."
Candy bit her lip and nodded. "Josh will probably wake up soon. I need to -"
"Honey, you need to keep your weight off that foot and rest," Melinda said firmly. "We'll take care of our grandson for the next few days."
Candy was surprised when Matt came to visit her regularly over the next couple of days. She learned from Melinda that while Olivia had left after the weekend, Matt had chosen to stay back and work from there rather than return to his apartment.
"I think he's beginning to feel something, Candy," Melinda said hopefully. "He's never stayed here beyond the weekend till now."
Candy studied Matt covertly when next he came to see her, trying to discern whether Melinda's assumption was true.
"Sarah, how are you feeling now?" Matt settled himself into his usual chair beside her bed, casually placing a big box on the bedside table.
"I'm feeling much better, thank you," Candy replied, her eyes darting to the box.
"For you." Matt gestured for her to take it.
"For you." Matt gestured for her to take it.
"Oh!" Candy stared at the box of chocolates in surprise and pleasure. "They're my favorite – how did you know?"
Matt's brilliant blue eyes clouded momentarily. "Lucky guess - I suppose?" he replied uncertainly.
"Well, thank you. It was very nice of you," Candy said quietly, though her heart was thumping hard. He had brought her a huge bunch of gerberas, her favorite flowers, the previous day. Was it simply a coincidence or did some corner of his brain remember these little details? She couldn't help but hope that was the case and that soon, he would remember everything about her, about them.
"Oh, and Sarah?"
Candy looked at him inquiringly.
"What I said the other day – about you not being good enough to take care of Joshua…I was wrong. I – I was angry that day, but I shouldn't have said that. I'm sorry."
Candy stared at Matt in amazement, relief flooding her heart. He smiled faintly, seeing the hope on her face.
"Actually, you're the best thing that's ever happened to Josh. He's been happier than I've ever seen him before since you came here."
Candy gave him a tentative smile, and just like that, the unpleasantness of the past few weeks was gone.
Josh, of course, was most excited to have his Uncle Matt there unexpectedly, and often dropped in with Matt to visit Candy. It was a sight she would never get enough of, Candy thought, seeing Matt with the beautiful baby they had made together.
A couple of days after her fall, Candy found herself feeling much better. Unfortunately, from her perspective, it also meant that Matt left the Kane mansion and went back to his own apartment. She had gotten so used to him in these few days that the house seemed empty without his presence. As always, Joshua was her source of solace, and spending time with her son made the pain of his father's absence just a little easier to bear.