16th of December 2013.
11:15pm.

Kate paced the length of the parlour,her eyes darting to the wall clock constantly. Kelsia had gone to bed early,after warming and eating the leftovers of their oats.  Amy hadn't bothered to show up at all,which was just fine with Kate. Given the way she acted around Kelsia, Kate was not sure if she liked the girl.

Her gaze returned to the clock for the fiftieth time that night. He should be back by now. After all,he left since morning and he even asked her to wait so they could discuss more.

Kate rubbed her hand up and down her right arm in attempt to keep warm. The heater in the house kept most of the cold at bay,but wearing a thin white shirt with no sweater was not going to keep her warm either. Yearning for warm covers,Kate decided to go upstairs to sleep and hoped she would catch him in the morning before he left for work.

Just as she got to the landing of the stairs,the sound of a car pulling up in the driveway reached her ears. Kate hurried to the window and pulled the curtain aside to peer out into the snow covered driveway.

A silver coloured Audi sat in the driveway- where snow hasn't covered yet- and Kate could make out his silhouette in the car as he bent to pick something from the backseat. Kate let the curtain drop. She went to stand in the middle of the room.

The key turning in the lock alerted her to his presence. Her pulse quickened the same time he pushed the door open. Kate shivered at the sudden blast of cold that swept into the room,before he stepped in and closed the door.

His scent hit her and her lower region tightened in answer. Appalled at her sudden behavior towards him,Kate shut her eyes and mentally slapped herself.

"Are you in pain?"

Her eyes flew open. He standing fee feet away from her with concern in his eyes. Kate saw how weary he looked and she instantly felt pity for him. Just how much rest does he have each day?

"Are you in pain?" Fredo asked again,not quite sure she heard him the first time.

"No."

Fredo set down his briefcase on the coffee table with a sigh. He sank onto the nearest chair,which happened to be a two-seater sofa. He shut his eyes as the day activities began playing in his mind.  After the test had been done,it turned out that neither of Matthew's parent bone marrow matched their sons.

It was hard comforting Judith and convincing her to go home and see if she could get anyone who was willing to donate. A quick search in the National Marrow Registry aka NMR, showed that there was no donor,at least none that matched Matthew's own, available.

The thought of Matthew dying had been eating away at him ever since that morning. 

"Here,take this."

Fredo cracked one eye open to see Kate thrusting a glass tumbler, filled with water,at him.

He accepted it. "Thanks." He drank half of the cup before putting the cup on the coffee table. "What is it?" He asked when Kate continued to stare at him.

"I want to talk to you about something, that is,if you're not too tired."

Even though he wanted nothing more than to fall in his bed at the moment,Fredo sat up straight. "I'm all ears."

Kate licked her lips nervously. Even though she had practised what she wanted to say to him in her head all afternoon, she suddenly couldn't remember what she wanted to say anymore. Not when he was looking so damned handsome in his suit.

Kate remembered the brief glimpse of his chest this morning,when he had rushed into his office to rescue her from the throes of her nightmare. It was well defined,smooth and hairless. She imagined if it would feel as smooth as it looked. Would he allow her to run her tongue around his...

"Perhaps you could share the thought that is responsible for that blush with me?" Fredo's amused voice cut through her fantasy,dumping a cold water on her thought.

Steeling herself against her stupid fantasy,she leveled her gaze with his. "This is about Kelsia." Kate saw him stiffen at the mention of his daughter's name and anger began to flare in her.

"What about her?" He asked stiffly.

"I know that this is only my second day here and I shouldn't involve myself in your matters,but have you ever stopped to think for once that she might need you?"

Fredo frowned. "Kelsia doesn't need me. She is smart and Amy is there to take care of her."

Kate's nose flared in anger. "Amy is there to take care of her? What happens when the said Amy goes to college?"

He shrugged. "I'll get her a nanny."

"A nanny?" Kate scoffed. "Did it ever occur to you that what Kelsia needs is not a nanny,but your time and attention?"

Fredo surged to his feet in anger. His blue eyes went from tired to frost in seconds.

"Don't tell me what I should and should not do with my daughter,Dr Flynn." He added the last two words with a bite. "I only asked you to stay here until your shoulder is healed,not to play peacemaker."

Kate glared back at him in equal anger. "Me staying was your own decision not mine."

"Ah! Now I'm beginning to question if I was in my right mind when I said so."

"If you want me to leave just say so. But note this, while I'm here,I won't let you ignore your own daughter because of the fact that she looks like her mother. I didn't know that a child looking like either of her parent is a crime."

"Enough!" He roared; eyes blazing with fury.

Kate flinched,but held her ground still.

"I am only allowing you to stay here until your shoulder is healed and it would be nice if you did the both of us a favour by refraining from mentioning anything that has to do with Kelsia or her mother until you leave. " Taking a deep breath, he retrieved his briefcase from the floor. "Good night."

Kate didn't reply as she watch him go. It was not until he was out of sight,did she dare move. She plop down on the chair he vacated earlier and exhaled heavily.

For a moment there, she thought that he was really going to throw her out. His eyes sparked earlier,showing how pissed off he was when she mentioned Kelsia's mother, which had her wondering exactly what the woman did to him to make him so cold towards his own flesh and blood.

Whatever it is, Kate vowed, I would find out.

~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~

17th of December 2013.
08:06am.

"Are you okay,Fredo?" Mary lifted her head from the file she was perusing to stare at him in concern.

Fredo met her gaze. "Yes. Why do you ask?"

"You have been muttering ever since you came into the lab this morning. Your tie isn't properly knotted, even though we both know that you don't wear suit on Saturdays." Mary eyed the dark pinstripe waistcoat under his lab coat. "And finally, your coat inside out. A clear sign that something is wrong."

Fredo glanced at his coat,and true to Mary's words, it was inside out. He shrugged the coat of with a curse,righted it before putting it back on. He grimaced at the sight of his navy blue waist coat and mis-knotted tie.

A quick survey of himself showed that he was clearly not himself. Who the hell pairs white sneakers with pinstripes suit?

Fredo Oliveira. That's who.

"So?" Mary inquired.

Fredo met her inquiry gaze with a frown. "So what?"

She rolled her eyes. "Please,Fredo. From the short time I've known you,I have never seen you so angry or disoriented like you look now. Which means, something or someone got under your skin."

Fredo mentally cursed the only blonde haired green eyed female he had in his life and... Woah,woah, hold on a minute. Since when did Kate become a part of his life?

Since the day you saw those beautiful green eyes,of course. A tiny voice whispered at the back of his mind.

He shook his head in attempt to dissolve the thoughts that were beginning to form in the back of his mind.

"Fredo," Mary's voice shook him out of his thoughts. "You know you can tell me anything,right?"

"Right."

"Good. "She nodded with satisfaction. "Now that we have that out of the way, can we please concentrate on saving Junior Matthew Keegan's life?"

"Yeah sure."

Even as they returned to what they were doing, his mind kept wandering to a certain person with green eyes.

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QOTD: Did Kate make a right decision by confronting Fredo?   Was Fredo right to behave the way he did?