It had been 2 weeks since she’d gotten out of the hospital from having the biopsy, and Dr. Black’s office finally called and said they wanted her to come in for an appointment to go over the results, along with treatment options. 

“Treatment options?” Jenna asked.

“Yes, treatment options,” the receptionist replied.

“So that means it’s…”

“I can’t go over that with you on the phone, but it would need treatment whether it is or not.”

“Ok. I’ll take whenever your soonest appointment is, then,” Jenna sighed.

So after work that Thursday afternoon, JC was set to pick her up from work for her appointment.

“Babe, you ok?” JC asked. 

“Yeah, just Dr. Black’s office. My results are in and they want to go over the results and discuss treatment options.”

“…Treatment?” he asked, swallowing hard. 

“Yeah.  I mean, if it was nothing, they would tell me, right?”

“Maybe you’re fine but they want to remove it anyway, or..”

“Or it’s cancer and I have to have surgery and do chemo and radiation.”

“Babe, try not to jump to the worst case scenario.”

“It’s been 2 weeks, Josh. I’ve thought about every possibility, researched treatment options, all of it.  At least I’ll be ready for whatever news they give me.”

“When is your appointment?”

“Thursday after school. Two more days of waiting.”

“Do you want me to get a bath ready for you and I’ll get dinner figured out?”

“We have leftovers you can heat up, yeah,” Jenna replied. 

JC went into the master bath and started the water.  Jenna now had completely moved in, including all of her bath accessories. He did a little research, and made her what he thought was the perfect bubble bath.

“It smells great in here,” Jenna said.  “Look at you getting all fancy…”

“You had it all anyway, might as well use it.  You want your book?  Are any of those toys you have waterproof?” JC laughed.

“No to the book, and I honestly don’t know, I never use them in the tub.  As it is, I haven’t used them since we got together.  They were to fill the lack of a man in my life.”

“I fill you plenty, that’s for sure,” he smirked.

“You’re not wrong, but I never use them that way.”

“Are you a dirty girl, they go somewhere else?”

“Nothing like that.  Just my clit, I was actually a bit worried I’d never, you know, during the actual act, but you’ve proven me wrong, thankfully.”

“Glad to do my part, I guess.”

“And now I want to say fuck dinner and have sex with you in this tub.”

 “As amazing as that sounds, I’ll get dinner taken care of, and we can do something after.  How about that?”

“Fine.  But I want you to help me undress for the bath.”

“Get me all wound up, huh?  A little secret, you always have me ready to go.  I’m 46, but I feel younger with you.  Maybe because it’s new, I don’t know.  Jen and I hadn’t been this hot and heavy recently.”

“You’d been together for a while, you didn't need it as much.  Not that we NEED it either, but yeah, I don’t know.  I’m not complaining, my boyfriend is sexy as hell and I’m taking full advantage of that fact.”

“My girlfriend is beautiful and sexy, why wouldn’t I want to have you every chance I got?”

“To get dinner taken care of, apparently,” she giggled.

“Hey, we need to eat.”

…

She paced the classroom waiting for the dismissal bell to ring, wringing her hands and staring into space. Kim put a hand on her shoulder, and said,”  Jenna, you are gonna get good results. I just know it. And Josh is going in with you. Things are gonna be ok.”

“I wish my brain would slow down. I feel like I’m gonna throw up. “ Jenna said, as she felt the bile rise up in the back of her throat. “Excuse me,” she said, slapping her hand over her mouth and running past the kids and down the hall to the bathroom, barely making it to the stall before it all came up.  She threw up several times and when she was sure she was done, she flushed the toilet. She walked up to the sink and looked at herself in the mirror. She looked like shit. 

Kim opened the door to the bathroom and came in. “Oh honey, Are you OK?”

“I am now,” Jenna lied, running some water in the sink and rinsing her mouth out. 

“Josh is in the classroom. I told him you were in the bathroom. I didn’t tell him why,” Kim said.

“Thanks. Well, here we go.”  Jenna said, walking with Kim back into the hallway and back down to their classroom.

JC saw her and knew there was something wrong. “Baby, are you ok?” 

“I think so. Come on. Let’s get this over with.” She said, taking his outstretched hand.  They walked hand in hand down the hallway and out to his Jeep. The closer they got to the doctor’s office, the more she felt like she was going to be sick again. He parked the car and she jumped out and made it as far as the nearest bush before she got sick again. 

He helped her up off her knees and said, "What's going on? Is this why you were in the bathroom earlier when I picked you up at the school?" he asked, eyes full of concern.

"I'll be ok. It's just nerves.”  She prayed silently that she was right. When they went into the building she went to the bathroom to clean up the best that she could. 

JC had signed her in and was waiting for her in the waiting room. Jenna sat down beside him, grabbing a magazine on the small table beside the couch.

"Are you sure you're ok?" he asked again.

"Yes. I'm fine."

"Jenna Pollard? " a nurse asked, and they stood and followed the nurse into the office

Dr. Black sat behind his desk. He had a smile on his face.

When the door closed behind the nurse, he said, "Well, it is good to see you two again..."

"The results are in? " Jenna asked, not wanting to beat around the bush.

"Yes. The tumor is benign.  It's a meningioma.  That can be treated with surgery and radiation if need be.  You honestly  could not have a better diagnosis on a brain tumor, Jenna. No cancer. " 

JC sat there, relief filled every fiber of his being. Jenna just sat there, her face turning green again, and she stood.  "Excuse me," she said, running.out of the room and to the nearest bathroom. 

"She's been sick since I picked her up at the school this afternoon," JC said. "I need to go check on her."

Dr. Black grinned and said, "Please do."

He made his way out of the office and to the bathroom the nurses pointed him in the direction of. She was coming out of the bathroom as he was walking down the hallway. She burst into tears and he pulled her into his arms and let her cry, kissing the top of her head.

"It's not cancer," she said after a few minutes. Relief finally filling her tense body.

"I told you it was gonna be good.  But thank God I was right,” he said into her hair.

"We should go back into the office," she said, leading him back down the hall and into Dr Black’s  office. 

"So, treatment options?" Jenna said, sitting back down in the chair across from his desk. 

"Well, we can do surgery to remove  it. Or you can choose to monitor it every three months with MRI and Cat Scans.  If you choose just the surgery, there is always the risk that it will come back. So there will be follow up therapy involved."

"Like Chemo? "

"No. It's not cancerous,  so no chemo . Gamma Knife and radiation." 

Jenna sat there and really thought about it.

"I want to get rid of it. When can I have the surgery? Is it too soon from the biopsy? I just want all this to be over with  so I can get on with my life.," she smiled, looking over at JC. 

"We can schedule it right now if you like."

Dr. Black picked up his phone and spoke to the scheduler. "Thank you Stacy." 

"The earliest I have open for elective surgery is October 6th. Will that work for you? " 

Before JC could say anything, Jenna said, "Yes. That will work for us.  I want this done. " 

"Well, in that case. I will see the morning of the 6th. " 

"That's it? " Jenna said. 

"That's it," Dr. Black smiled  back at her.   "We are gonna get you back to as normal as possible. " 

"Thank you," JC said, shaking his hand as they left the office.  They got back into the Jeep and drove home. By the time they made it back to the hills, Jenna was sound asleep. 

“Baby, we’re home.”  he said, as they pulled into the garage. She was out cold. He parked and got her out of the car and carried her up the stairs to their bedroom. He laid her down on the bed, and covered her up with a throw. Then he went downstairs to the kitchen and got a bottle of water from the fridge. 

His phone began to ring. It was Lance

He slid the icon to the right and answered the call. 

“Hey. How did it go?”

JC broke out in a big grin. “It’s not cancer.”

“Thank GOD! “ he said loud enough that Michael came into the frame.

“No cancer? Is that what I just heard? That’s fucking fabulous!! Where is she?”

“She’s a wreck right now. She was sick when I picked her up from the school for the appointment and she even threw up at the doctor's office twice. She fell asleep on the way home and I put her to bed right after we got home. “

“Is she ok?” Michael asked, concern evident. 

“I think so. She was just worn out from the day. There’s more.”

“What could be more than her not having cancer?” Lance asked.

“She decided she wants to have the tumor removed sooner than later. She is scheduled for surgery on the 6th of October.” 

“As in two weeks from now?”

“Yes.“

“We need to have a party. Getting rid of the tumor party. This weekend,” Michael said. The wheels in his mind are already turning. 

“Kelly is calling me. I’ve got to go,” JC laughed.

“I’m so glad for you, C. Tell Jenna we love her.”

“Will do. Bye,” he said, flipping over to the other line. 

“Where is she?” Kelly  said, with an anxious look on her face.

“She is asleep.”

“What did Dr. Black say?”

“No cancer,"  he said with a broad smile. 

She whooped it up. "Oh my god. That's great. So what is it?"

"He said it was a meningioma. She is set  to have it removed on October  6th."

"In two weeks. "

"Yes. after Pop2000."  

"I'll take off that week then. My vacation is coming up anyway,"  Kelly said, relief in her face was evident.

"What do we tell her parents? Because you know Sarah is going to go into orbit about her having surgery. She is into all that holistic stuff." 

"The truth.  And she can shut up, because this is Jenna's decision. " 

"Yeah. Just gotta prepare for all the backlash." 

"Well, it's gonna come whether we like it or not." 

“True." 

He heard movement on the stairs. He looked up to see a very pale Jenna coming down the stairs. 

"Baby, you should have stayed in bed."

"Hey girl. Wow. you look like shit. What's wrong with her?" 

"I got sick at the school just before my appointment with Dr Black. I thought it was nerves, but it must be something I ate. Because I'm still sick," she said sitting down at the island beside JC. 

"OK. Well, I gotta go for now. Feel better. Love you."

"Love you too," she said, waving.

JC ended the call, and asked, " Did you throw up again? " 

"Just when you think there isn't anything to throw up, you find out you were wrong. Very , very wrong," she said, looking miserable.  JC opened a bottle of water and set it in front of her. 

"You need to drink  that. You are dehydrated," he said. "Do you still  have that nausea med they gave you from the biopsy?" 

"Yes. But it came right back up." 

"I'm taking you to the hospital. “ he said, worried.

"No. I'll see the inside of a hospital soon enough in a few weeks. I'll survive,” she said matter of factly.

“Then let’s go to urgent care. At least they can give you fluids there. “ 

“No. I want to stay home. I’ll be fine, Josh. I just need to rest,” she said, laying her head down on the kitchen counter. 

He picked her up and took her back up the stairs to their bedroom. She had already dressed in her PJS. He laid her down on the bed and put the trash can near her side of the bed, setting up shop in the bedroom for the rest of the night. He brought up some gatorade and water and stocked the mini fridge. 

She had fallen asleep again. And he went into the bathroom to take a shower. He heard her phone ring, and she answered it. He got out of the shower, and stood at the door listening to her conversation.

“Hello mom.”

“Weren’t you gonna call me about the results today?”

“I’m sorry. I forgot. I haven't felt well today.” she said, still half asleep.

“Well, you have a brain tumor. You aren’t supposed to feel great. “

“Mom.”

“Were the results good?”

“Yes, No cancer. It’s a benign meningioma. “

“That's wonderful, sweetheart,” Sarah said, relief in her voice. 

Those were the kindest words that her mother had said to her in months. Too bad it wouldn’t last long. 

“I’m having the tumor removed on October 6th,” Jenna said, and waited for the onslaught.

“Excuse me. What did you say?”

“I’m having a craniotomy done to remove the tumor in 2 weeks.”

“The hell you are. That man of yours put you up to this,” she seethed.

“No, he did not. I want this, mother. I want this thing out of my head. I want to have as normal of a life as I can. Without a tumor. “

“NO. Absolutely not. I forbid it!” her mother screeched on the other end of the phone. 

JC had heard enough by then that he was dressed in his PJs and took the phone from Jenna’s hand.

“Sarah, unless you can act like a rational adult, we will not be communicating anything beyond text messages with you. She does not need this shit right now.” 

“She is not having this surgery. This is all you're doing. “

“NO. This is what she wants. And I intend to see her through it. You can either be her mother and be supportive, or stay away. Either way, that’s your decision. Just like having this surgery is hers,”  he said, and with that hung up before she could rage anymore.

Kim called not long after her mother did. But, Jenna was in no shape to answer the call. JC picked up her phone.

“Hey Kim.”

“ Hey Josh, how is she?”

“She’s wrecked. But, that was from being sick.”

“What were the results?” 

“It’s benign. She does not have cancer.”

“Thank God. I told her everything was gonna be ok.”

“Could you have Grace call me? I don't think Jenna is gonna be able to be there tomorrow and she needs to know that she is having surgery in two weeks to remove the tumor.”

“Sure, I’ll have her call you. Let me give her a call right now.”

“OK. Thanks.”

Jenna’s boss Grace called him and they spoke for about 15 minutes about the surgery and how Jenna was not coming in tomorrow.  Jenna woke up to him ending the conversation.

“Thank you for calling me back so quickly. No, she will be back Monday morning,” he said, and she put her hand on his back. He hung up the call and said, “That was Grace. You don’t have to go in tomorrow. And I told her about the surgery. She is gonna go over the paperwork with you for your time off on Monday.”

“Thank you. For talking to her, and my mother. Thank you for taking care of me,” she said, still sleepy.

“Anything for my girl,” he said, kissing her lightly on her lips.

“Hold me.”

“That can be arranged,” he said, getting in under the covers, feeling like there may be a light at the end of the tunnel after the last two weeks of waiting.  He fell asleep quickly as did she. 

…

She got up and trudged to the bathroom.  There was nothing left to throw up.  She still felt like death, but just needed to pee, thank god, and she had been able to keep down at least water since 2 that morning. 

She came out of the bathroom and watched him sleeping there in their bed. He really was a beautiful man. She still had to pinch herself that he wanted someone like her. She was sure that this was just a dream and she would wake up at some point.

He rolled over and realized that she was not in the bed with him and he rolled back to his back and saw her standing there staring at him. 

“You ok?” he asked, propping himself up against the headboard. 

“Perfect,” she said , walking back over to his side of the bed. “This is perfect. How do I deserve any of it? I still don’t understand.” 

“No. If anyone doesn’t deserve any of this, it’s gonna be me,” he said, as she sat down beside him on the bed. 

“Really, cracking *NSYNC jokes for me first thing in the morning?” she smiled.

“Only for you.  Do you feel any better?”  he asked, running his hand up and down her back.

“I’m still tired. But no more vomiting. I hate throwing up,” she said, turning to him and leaning into his chest. He wrapped his arms around her.  A thought occurred to him. 

“Umm… How long has it been… No. That can’t be. Could it?” he asked himself. His mind started racing. 

“Can’t be what?” she wondered out loud.

“Do you think that you may be…?” he asked her, and she sat up and looked at him like he was nuts.

“Maybe what, Josh? Are you sure you’re alright?” Jenna said, still not registering what he was trying to say. She could see his breathing change. He was starting to panic about something. 

“Josh, what’s wrong?” she said, getting worried about him.  She cupped his now pale face. 

“No. Not wrong. Do you think?” he said absently. 

“Do I think WHAT?  Josh, I don’t understand. What are you talking about?”  Jenna asked, really starting to worry about him. 

“Do you think you might be… pregnant?” he asked quietly. 

“Pregnant?” she echoed, and turned as pale as he was. She honestly had no idea. They had not exactly been careful about that kind of thing. 

“Do you think it’s possible?” he asked her again.

“I don’t know. But, I…” She was stunned by the idea. But she thought about it, and it blew her mind.   

“You what?”  JC wondered.

“Is that why I had the dream about Liam?  That he would come this soon?”

“Does that scare you?”

“A little.  My mom is gonna flip that we’re having a baby, that I was so irresponsible, not even married.  She’ll tell me that without being married, you’ll just leave me to be a single mom.  She’ll insist I move in with them and they’ll raise the baby, that I’m unfit to be a mother…”

“None of that is happening,” JC said, trying to calm her down.  “Maybe the irresponsible part, but that’s my fault, if there’s anyone to blame.  You’ve been on the pill, so we should be fine, though I guess it isn’t completely perfect…”

“You’re really not scared at the idea that I’m, WE’RE, pregnant?” she asked, looking up at him.

“I won’t say I’ve been in this situation a LOT, but it’s the first time that hasn’t scared me and made me want to run, I’ll say that.  Maybe it’s because of the dream, I dunno, but it feels right somehow.  I know it’s late in life, but sometimes the best things are worth waiting for.”

“Hang on,” she smiled, reaching across the bed to get her phone.  JC smiled as he watched her stretch out, her nearly naked form looking so inviting, his morning wood twitched at the possibility of something.

JC looked at her as she sat back up, her phone in hand.  She was scrolling through something, fingers tapping the screen.  “There!” she said, somewhat triumphantly.

“What?” he smiled.

“Just listen.”  She tapped the phone one more time before a song started playing.

It’s been a year, filled with problems

But now you’re here almost as if to solve them

And I can’t live in a world without you now

All my life I’ve been searching for you

How did I survive in this world before you?

'Cause I don't wanna live another day without you now

This is the best thing

The best thing that could be happening

And I think you would agree

The best thing is that it's

Happening to you and me

Jenna paused the song.  “I won’t lie, I had originally thought this was Steve and my song, but now I think it describes us so much better than it ever could with Steve.”

“I don’t know about me solving all your problems,” he laughed, “but I’m willing to try.”

“You made sure I was ok, you’ve taken such good care of me when you didn't have to.  You did your due diligence just calling 911 after seeing me crash.  I don’t think anyone else had the time to stop and do that.  Anything beyond that was more than any normal person would do.”

“Well, I’m not exactly normal, am I?” he laughed again.  “Do you want to go get a test, see what it says?  I mean, you’re throwing up, like, a lot…”

.

“Maybe it was just nerves, or something I ate.”

“You had leftovers for lunch.  If it was something you ate, wouldn’t I be sick, too?”

“Maybe not.  You really think I could be?”

“Not that I’m complaining, but there’s been quite a bump in how much sex I’ve been having lately,” he smiled again.  God, she’d do anything for that smile, his laugh.  “Not that I’d been wanting to have kids, but at least I know I can.”

“Was that ever something you thought couldn’t happen?”

“Not really, because it wasn’t something I wanted.  But now it’s just some fluke.  Maybe I just needed the right woman to come along for it to happen and not scare me.”

“If you’re proposing, I accept.”

“Not proposing, not yet.  But that’s good to know.”

She looked up at him and smiled, “Let’s go get a test.”  The bile ran back up the back of her throat, and she ran back to the bathroom. He got up and followed her, and watched her dry heave into the toilet.  When she was done, she sat with her back on the wall, and he wiped her face down with a cool wet cloth. “If this is it, I’m ready for this part to be over already. “

“You sure you’re up to going out right now? It looks like we need to stay put. Let me get it delivered to the house,” JC said with a grin.