Time Stands Still || Kate & Leo

Presents and a trip to Sweden

"One danish pastry, madam" Leo declared, handing her a bag.

"And your children" he moved out of the doorway revealing three children, each holding a gift bag.

"Thankyou so much, Leo" Kate whispered, kissing his cheek. She began to unwrap the pastry when Bear decided to pounce on her bed.

"Mummy!!" He squealed. "I missed you"

Kate sat the seven year old on her knee and rocked him to the left and right, peppering his face with kisses

"I missed you so much too, teddy Bear"
She winced.

"Are you okay mum?" Mia asked

Kate nodded, her lips pursed as she tried to suppress a whimper.

"Shes just a little sore from the surgery, that's all. We need to be careful with her."

"Leo, darling I'm not a doll. You dont need to be careful with me"

"That's not what I meant, Kate." Leo soothed "I mean that-"

"Yeah, yeah I get it. I was only joking"

"So, who wants to give mommy her gift first?" Leo asked the three excited kids on the foot of the hospital bed.

"Me!" Mia, Joe and Bear chorused, earning a giggle from Kate.

"You really didnt have to get me anything" The forty five year old replied, setting the pastry onto the bedside table.

"Well we did. Because we love you" Joe argued.

Kate opened her mouth to protest when Mia interrupted

"And I know you say that money doesnt buy happiness or love. Which is true. Its definitely true. But we just wanted to buy you a little something"

Mia extended her arm to hand Kate a bag.

"Thankyou, Mia"
She began to open the bag, her eyes widening in excitement as to what was inside. She took a closer inspection and pulled out the contents. First, a card: sealed off within a red envelope. Using her nails, she ripped open the paper and pulled out a card, handmade by Mia of course. On the front was a drawing of a rose, shaded in with what looked like pencil crayon.
Inside, the twenty year old had put a beautiful message, printed in black ink very neatly in Mia's handwriting.

Kate blushed as she read it, her hand creeping to her lips.

"That's so lovely Mia. Thankyou so much"

She reached into the bag and pulled out the present Mia had bought. It was a light blue dress, very similar to the one she had worn to the Oscars in 2005. Not exactly the same one but it had a very similar style.

"Aww this is amazing, I love it so much. If only I could get up to try it on. Thankyou" she folded it up and placed it beside her.

"You can wear it to dinner when we go on vacation. Sorry, holiday next month"

Kate looked up at Leo "who is going on holiday?"

"We are. Me, you, Mia, Joe and Bear"
He flashed five passports
"We're going to Sweden."

"Sweden? Leo, you know it's cold there, right?"

"Of course, I did my research to a t, as you say. But you've always mentioned about how nice and what's the word..... picturesque Sweden is and I figured, why not? Let's go. So my private plane will pick us up next month and we'll fly out to Stockholm and spend Christmas there."

"Will I be out of here before then?" Kate asked as she was being handed Joe's gift bag.

"Of course you will, Katie. I promise"

"So were going to Sweden?"

Leo hummed "of course."

Kate's eyes began to well with tears as she unwrapped the gift in her hand.

"Oh Leo, thankyou so much. And Joe, thankyou so much for this".
She held up a mug with a photo of all of them together, taken a week prior.

"You're welcome" Leo and Joe chorused.

"Mummy, can you open my gift now?"

"Of course." She sat Bear onto her knee again and began to unwrap a mass of tissue paper.

"A teddy bear from my teddy bear." She sat it on her hand and stroked its tummy."

"It has a red ribbon Mummy!" Bear exclaimed

"I know, baby. Thankyou so much." She wrapped Bear into a tight hug before extending her arm. Leo, Mia and Joe took the hint and ran into her embrace.

"I love you all so much. I hope you all know that"

"We all love you too" Leo addressed. "You are such an amazing mother and fiancée and we are all so grateful that you are in our lives. My dear, you're the jewel in the ethiops ear"

"Really?" Kate snorted
"What?"

"Romeo and Juliet?"

"Yeah! You're the jewel in ethiops ear. You're precious. You're indescribable. And you're as beautiful and radiant as the day I met you."

Kate snorted again, this time laughing at a line he said in an interview ten years ago.

"God, I love you so much, Leo"

"I love you too, Kate"

They leant in and began to kiss, Bear jumping inbetween them before their kiss could escalate.

"No kissing!"

"Sorry Bear, I didnt know you were so offended by this"

Leo grabbed Kate's arms and smashed his face against hers again, this time ignoring Bear's protests.

"Leo stop hogging mummy!"

"I'm not!"

"You are too!"

"I am not!"

"Are too"

"I am not!"

"Both of you stop it!" Kate chortled "there is enough of me to go around for all of you"

"I know, sweetheart I'm sorry. Bear, im sorry for hogging your mommy. I'll never ever kiss her again"

"Oh yes you will!" Kate objected, pressing another kiss onto his forehead.

"Mhm. I love stubborn Kate"

"And we love it when you aren't snogging her face or neck off" Mia expressed, causing Leo and Kate to blush.

"So, the trip to Sweden" Kate diverted
"When are we going?"

"The plane is booked for the twentieth of December. Two pm. We will get to Stockholm at about ten pm"

"Leo, That's late."

"I know, sweetheart. I know but it's the only time my pilot is available"

"Okay that's fair. As long as we dont wind up in a titanic or The mountain between us situation"

"Oh we wont, I promise"