A couple of hours later, JC pulled the car up to the entrance of the hospital before jumping out to help Beth out of the wheelchair and into the passenger seat. As soon as she settled into the seat, Beth leaned back and closed her eyes. Shutting the car door, JC turned to the nurse who had pushed the wheelchair out to the car.
“She will be alright. All she needs is rest and less stress.”
“And the baby?” JC threaded a hand through his hair, which was now standing on end.
“You will be amazed at what a little sleep can do. All the tests showed that the baby is doing just fine. The medication your wife is on will help keep her blood pressure down. If you have any concerns at all or even just a question, give us a call. That’s what we are here for.” The nurse watched as JC took a deep breath and nodded before he circled the vehicle.
Just before he opened his door, he gave a tight smile and a thank you to the nurse. Under her breath, the nurse sent a prayer heavenward. She had worked around enough people that she recognized the signs of separation between the two. She didn’t know what was going on in their marriage but hoped that they could work it out. It seemed like the husband was going to do whatever it took to get back in his wife’s good graces and she wished them all the luck in the world.
The whole drive home, every time JC looked at Beth, her eyes were closed and her dark lashes stood out against pale cheeks. He was going to be with her every minute until he was assured that she and the baby would be alright.
As he pulled into the driveway again, the same figure was sitting on the porch in the dusk. JC’s hands tightened on the wheel; that was the only external show of emotion he displayed. Everything else he kept bottled up inside, not wanting to cause any more harm to his wife and baby.
JC slid his hand over Beth’s as he opened his door, “I’ll be right back, stay here, I’m just going to open the door and flip a couple of lights on.”
Beth murmured her agreement, still half dozing.
JC stalked toward the front door, not bothering to contain his fury now. In a low rumble, he met the tear filled eyes of his ex-assistant. “How much damage do you plan to cause to my family?” He quickly unlocked the door and turned off the security settings, not even bothering to listen to the pleading coming from the front porch.
“I get it, you’re sorry, I get that! But what do I need to do or say to get you to leave us the hell alone. You wanted to mess with me – fine! Do your worst to me, but the second you decided to go after my wife and child, you made an enemy of the worst kind. Cancelling her health insurance! Who does that? Yeah, I know there were problems between the two of us, but what person empties bank accounts? If you ever, ever show up here again, I will have you locked away for so long you won’t remember what a blade of grass looks like. Pass that on to your cousin as well. Now you need to leave before I get Beth out of the car. I don’t want anything else to happen to either of them. They are my life.” With one final piercing glare, JC headed back to his wife, checking to see that Susie left before lifting Beth into his arms are carrying her up to their bed.
By the time, JC made it back downstairs to lock up for the night, there was no sign of Susie or her car. Perhaps this time, she had gotten the message.
***
JC kept checking the windows and doors over the next few hours, making sure the house was locked up tight against unwanted visitors. In between his pacing, he sat in a chair in the bedroom keeping watch over his wife. She slept hard and didn’t wake up all night. The next morning she woke long enough to use the bathroom before she again fell back to sleep, waving JC off when he offered to fix her something to eat.
JC called the doctor at one point to make sure it was alright for her to sleep so much. The answer he received was to let her sleep, it must be greatly needed.
Finally, almost 36 hours after she had originally fallen asleep, Beth sat up in bed and stretched like a contented cat.
Noticing JC awake lying in bed next to her, she commented, “I feel so much better now.”
He propped himself up on his elbows. “I was concerned about you both.” Sitting up fully, he rubbed a gentle hand over his daughter. “You slept an awfully long time. I called the doctor to see if that was okay.”
She swung her feet to the floor and once standing, headed to the bathroom. “I needed it badly, but I’m starving now.”
“What are you hungry for?” He called out through the open door.
“I know this will sound crazy, but I’m really hungry for pizza and ice cream.”
“Alright, your wish is my command, do you want to come down or would you like to eat in bed?” JC pulled on a t-shirt and scratched his stomach before he headed toward the hallway.
Beth emerged from the bathroom with a toothbrush in her mouth, “I’ll come down, I want to eat in the breakfast nook and enjoy the sunshine.” JC made a quick detour over to her and pressed his lips to her forehead. He felt her tense, but at least she didn’t move away from him.
“Come down when you’re ready,” he whispered, lips still pressed against her skin.
“Okay,” she mumbled around her toothbrush.
With one final look, he headed down to start cooking.
Beth watched him walk out the door and released a shaky breath. He had been so wonderful lately, it almost made her forget about the pain he had caused. She would have to see if this was a permanent change or if he was simply biding his until someone better came along.
***
Over the next few days, Beth became extremely frustrated with JC. He hovered over her until she thought she would go mad. Never letting her lift a finger, JC cooked and cleaned and watched over her every second of the day. If Beth made a move to get a glass of water, JC had it filled and in her hand before she made it to the kitchen.
“JC, I love you, but you are driving me crazy. Go downstairs and work on something, anything and leave me alone for a while. I can’t take this anymore. I’m not going to break!” Beth finally exclaimed in exasperation.
A broad smile overtook his face as he hauled her into his arms. “That’s the first time you’ve said that since I’ve been back. Do you really mean it?”
Beth paused to consider her words a moment. “I never stopped loving you, you are the other half of my heart. I wasn’t sure we could mend the rift between us, but we’ve both changed since this happened. I hope nothing like this ever happens again, but I’m ready to let it go and move forward with you.”
“I don’t deserve you. I never should have let my pride get in the way. I wouldn’t blame you if you never forgave me, but I will gladly accept and spend the rest of my life showing just how important you are to me. I love you so much!”
Their lips met tenderly and passionately, before their daughter made her displeasure at being squeezed between them known. They broke apart laughing.
“I don’t think she appreciates being squeezed like that. You know, we’ve both been stuck in this house for so long, why don’t I take you out for a nice dinner and we can spend some time shopping for a crib and paint?”
“I accept, we do need to get moving on her room, she’ll be here before we know it.”
“I can’t wait to meet her,” JC pressed a kiss on the nape of her neck as he helped her into her coat. Together they walked out the door, finally talking honestly and openly and arguing playfully over what color to paint their baby’s room.
