Kat jerked awake when she felt someone behind her. Panic was instant and she nearly screamed, ready to fight. It didn't help that she had been having a nightmare moments before. When she realized it was Matt she settled but didn't calm down. She still felt the panic laying just below the surface. Her throat hurt from the urge to scream out her growing anxiety. She had to stop this. It was pointless. Why had she not been bothered when the dead had risen to eat the living yet she was now allowing that one looter who was now dead to scar her this way?
She couldn't give in to this. She had to be strong for Grace. She had to be strong for herself. Kat couldn't afford any weakness.

So she focused on pushing the feelings back and away, burying them deep inside. There was no time to deal with this right now, not when there was so much to do.

Grace's fingers instinctively tightened around Matt's in her sleep, a sense of peace and security making her drift deep into a peaceful sleep. Kat pressed a kiss to the baby's forehead and leaned back against Matt's chest. She was a strong woman, not a weak wimpering female that needed to be coddled.
But having Matt there did feel better than she cared to admit...

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kat woke to her natural alarm clock Grace, who wanted food. Slipping out from under Matt's arms Kat tried to stand and immediately winced in pain. A small whimper escaped her as the pain in her throat and stomach hurt like hell. The bastard had kicked her harder than she had thought. Now that the adrenaline had worn off things were going to get ugly for Kat in the pain department.
Grace had spotted Daddy in the bed and had forgotten about food. Instead to crawled over to his, poking his face with her little fingers. She giggled and clapped, giving him a slobbery kiss on his cheek.
"Shh, Gracie. Daddy needs rest and so does Jenna," Kat said, her voice a hoarse whisper. Grace whined in protest and gave Daddy's face one more poke before reaching for Mommy.

Kat left the room. She stared at the stairs leading down and just couldn't do it. Instead she went to one the Science Room. No one seemed to be up yet. Kat dug in a box and found some crackers made for babies. Grace gnawed on them happily while Kat turned on one of the few Bunsen burners that actually still worked, until it ran out of gas. She cooked a little oatmeal on the burner for Grace, then started heating up cans of soup for everyone else. They didn't exactly have 'breakfast' foods at the moment, but food was food so Kat knew no one would complain. Come on, who didn't like Spagettios and Swiss Cake Rolls for breakfast?