No one moved for a good thirty seconds, neither sure how to continue after Rick's outburst.

Kate, for her part, was barely breathing, her hand frozen on the handle of the door, half way through the movement of opening it. She couldn't move, couldn't process what was happening.

Rick was the first to break.

"Kate, say something, please?" He murmured, brokenly, his heart skipping when she scoffed.

"That's rich." She murmured, shaking her head even as she relaxed out of her position and let her arms hang by her sides. She knew that she was, now, not going anywhere until they'd had this out, not if she wanted any kind of chance of continuing their relationship, at least. She was hurt, and confused, but she didn't want to lose the chance to stay with him."You asking me to say something in response, when you ignored mine for a full day." She continued petulantly.

"I know." He sighed softly, dropping to sit, slumped, on the arm of the couch. "I, I'm sorry."

"If, if you felt like, like you say you do, then why didn't you say something?" Kate asked quietly, shy and hurt, unable to look at him still, though she did turn around to lean against the door, her eyes fixed exclusively to the floor.

"I, I don't know, Kate." He shrugged, defeated. "I guess, I was scared that everything you've just said, would be the case. That you were scared you were gonna lose me, and were in shock, so said it just in case." He shook his head, running his hand through his hair. He was never very good at conversations when they really mattered. Meredith always told him that; he was great at the day to day but when it really counted, he always fell short. "I didn't want to say anything, only to have you take it back and then it be awkward between us."

"And you thought not saying anything would make it less awkward?" She asked, incredulous, shaking her head but finally lifting her eyes to shyly find his.

"I don't know, okay? I just, I didn't, I wanted it to be real. The first time we said that to each other. I wanted it to be real." He shrugged, horrified to find his voice shaking. "You mean so much to me, Kate, and I didn't want that declaration to be anything other than the absolute truth."

Kate watched him for a few careful seconds, before coming back across the room to sit beside him. She gently, uncertainly, took his hand, her chest easing slightly when he tangled their fingers and squeezed her palm.

"I do, though, love you. I," he shrugged, suddenly shy, "I have for a while."

Kate smiled softly. "I've been thinking about it for a little bit, just thought it was too soon. But then I heard that explosion, and saw your bracelet on the floor," Rick shook his head, unable to completely fathom how much that must have scared her, even though this was the first time he'd heard that part of the story, "and my heart just sank and I couldn't breathe." She stuttered, her free hand coming up to her chest as her breathing sped up, the horror and terror she had felt earlier gripping her airways in a vice.

Rick slipped down into the tiny space between his shuddering girlfriend and the arm of the couch, and wrapped his arm around her, cradling her to his chest.

"I'm okay. I'm here, and safe, and whole. I'm here, Kate." He promised surely against her ear. "I'm not in the habit of abandoning you, love."

Kate couldn't help herself, she couldn't stop the screaming, ugly, sobbing as she gripped his shirt, arching against the cracking ache in her chest, even as Rick held her tightly.

He shushed her gently and held her close, cradling her like he once did his inconsolable newborn, feeling just as helpless now as he did then.

"I was so scared." Kate managed, whimpering into his neck, never getting close enough to him.

"I'm sorry, sweetheart. I'm so sorry." Rick soothed quietly, gently stroking the back of her head, cradling the back of her head in his palm. "You shouldn't have had to see that, I'm sorry you were ever in that position, baby. I'm here, though, I'm right here now."

"I just froze. Alexis seemed to handle it so much better than me. And I'm a cop, I should be the person running towards the danger, not freezing in the face of it." Kate shook her head, furious with herself.

"Hey." He stopped her berating herself any further, holding her just a little tighter. "You will hopefully, very rarely, find yourself faced with a danger that involves someone you love, Kate. You can't judge yourself of this one incident. Stop being so hard on yourself."

Kate sniffed. "Can I stay here tonight? I know Alexis is here and I know that's not ideal but, I don't think I can sleep away from you tonight."

"Hey." Rick soothed gently, taking her chin in his hand to make her look at him. It hurt his very soul to see her beautiful eyes drowning in her tears. He gently ran his thumb under her eye, carefully smoothing out those heartbreaking salt water tracks from her cheek. "You can stay here whenever you like. You're hardly a flippant, passing fancy, you're not something I need to shield my daughter from. Besides, she likes you, you make her happy, and it might be good to have you here if her nightmares wake her." He kissed the end of her nose gently, making the very corners of Kate's mouth turn up in semblance of the smile she couldn't quite muster yet. "You're always welcome here, Kate, I promise."

"Thank you." She murmured quietly, leaning their foreheads together gently. "I love you." She sighed against his lips, still shy, tentative, still a little afraid, but knowing it was true despite the dreadful circumstances that had ripped the confession from her chest.

Rick smiled brightly, cupping the back of her neck as he leaned in to kiss her, lips clinging. "I love you too, Kate."