The next day, Jenna walked out of the room for therapy, going to a special room with equipment for large and fine motor skills, making sure she could walk longer distances while also being able to hold a fork and knife, write her name, things most people took for granted that they did every day that she needed to be able to do before being sent home. 

JC turned on his laptop, his phone buzzing.  It was a text from Eric.  JC let it be, focusing on his work.  He checked emails, doing what he could to listen to clips and things from artists that he’d saved to the cloud while Jenna was in her medical coma after surgery.  His phone buzzed again, reminding him of the unread text.  He ignored it as best he could, his curiosity getting the better of him.

I’m sorry.  JC scoffed, two words after everything that had happened. Eric had been against him being with Jenna, though the reason why was beyond him.  Eric had no control over his personal life, and he'd never interfered like this before.  He didn’t know what to say, still being upset that Eric would make that kind of announcement without confirming first, and spoil the announcement if it had been true.

Some time later, he heard the door open, looking up and hoping to see Jenna.

“They just let anyone in, don’t they?” JC sighed.  “If I wanted to talk, I would’ve replied to your text, Eric.”

“I figured I needed to do this in person.  You’re a hard man to find, JC.  It took me calling Lance to find you.  Your place looks like it hasn’t been lived in for a while…”

“I really need to get my key back from you, change the locks, something…” JC smirked, not looking at Eric.

“About last night, I’m sorry, I had no right.”

“Fucking right you didn’t.  Trying to get me and Jen back together was one thing, but to announce to the whole party that we were engaged?  What the fuck?”

“I heard you talking to Lance…”

“About Jenna, idiot.  I know you think things are moving too fast…”

“It’s been 3 months, JC.  You barely knew her before you and Jen split up.”

“Jen broke things off, you know that, right?  She saw what I didn't yet, and told me to see if something was there.  I didn’t mean to hurt Jen, but what I feel for Jenna is more than I can even put into words.  I want things with her that I've never wanted with anyone else.”

“Marriage?”

“Kids, too.  I’m getting one soon, working on the other.”  he picked up the picture frame, showing Eric an ultrasound.

“JC, how could you be so careless?  She’s pregnant already?”

“I wanted this, Eric.  I know it’s fast, but she had a dream that we had a son, Liam.  it didn’t scare me.  For the first time, the idea of being a dad didn’t scare me.  I felt guilty I never wanted any of this with Jen, or anyone else, but there’s something about Jenna…”

“Josh, who is this?” Jenna asked from the doorway.

“Eric,” he replied dryly. 

“Oh, hi.”  Jenna felt very unsure, feeling the tension in the room. 

“I wish we were meeting under better circumstances,” Eric admitted. 

“Me too. I was already planning a dinner to make to have you over once I can go home.”

“So you’re not mad at me?” Eric looked between the two of them.

“A little.  Even if it had been true, for you to announce it like that… I want to be the one who tells all my friends, not you. If things had gone the way you hoped, you took that moment away from me.  When it does happen, please don’t make the same mistake twice.”

Eric nodded. “I’m sorry.  I promise, I won’t take that away from you.”

“I want to go to New York with you,” Jenna said.

“I’m glad you feel up to that,” JC smiled. “You know I hated the idea of going without you.”

“Jen won’t be going,” Eric assured her. 

“I’m not worried about that. I trust him. I just want to be around him as long as I can. I’m on medical leave until December, so we can do whatever now that I’m almost home.”

“Don’t jinx it, babe,” JC said, afraid something might happen to derail their plans.

“My epilepsy will always be an issue. We can’t let it run our lives. It’s been over a month now since my last one. I’ve been taking my medications regularly, so I should be fine. I don’t have the stress I did anymore, and the tumor was an underlying factor as well. It’s not a hundred percent certain, but pretty close. We can’t live in fear of the what if situations.  If something happens, we deal with it then.”

“Well, I’ll be in touch on some things for you as far as projects.  Congratulations on, Liam, was it?”

JC nodded, a smile on his face as he looked at Jenna.  “William Roy, after our dads.”

“Congratulations, and I hope to see you again soon, Jenna.”

“Yes.  I’ll have Josh set up a time to have you over for dinner once I’m home and settled back into things.”

Eric walked out, closing the door behind him.  Jenna walked over to her bed, sitting on the edge, facing JC in his chair.  “So things are better between you two?”

“I guess.  I’m still upset that he tried to interfere with my personal life.  I know fans loved me and Jen together, yourself included. But if I found someone that made me happier, wanting things I never thought I’d want, then shouldn’t that be what matters?  No one has even seen us together, there were no pictures from San Francisco posted anywhere.”

“Not exactly true, but my account is super locked up.  I made that change once we got together, since our relationship is so new.  Me posting one picture of us is one thing, but if they see lots posted, they might start to catch on.  Not that I mind people knowing about us, but yeah, it’s all so new, everything happened so quickly.  You suddenly having a new girlfriend is one thing, but that I’m pregnant on top of it… I feel afraid that people will think you cheated on Jen with me.  Not entirely false, you were sneaking around, not telling her the truth, but there was nothing romantic between us until after she broke up with you so you could explore your feelings for me.”

“I love our fans, but if they don’t like that we’re together, that’s on them.  I’m not looking to please them with every choice I make, including who I date.  Or in this case, who I want to marry and have a baby with.  Is it still weird that this is happening?  Not a bad weird, just…”

“I get it, Josh.  I still pinch myself sometimes that I’m actually with you. It feels like a dream, especially after the dream I had about Liam.  You seemed so elusive, so the fact that you’re in my life at all, let alone my boyfriend, the father of my baby, my partner…”

“How was therapy?” he asked.  “I never get to see you, wanting to give you that space to do things.”

“I’m good.  I mean, you see what all I can do, the progress I’ve made.  Beyond being able to have shower sex,” she laughed.  “I’d like to show you what I’m able to do.  I arranged for part of it already.  They’re pleased with the progress I’m making.  They say it really helped that I was pretty healthy beforehand, that my muscles aren’t atrophied from lack of use and such because of things.  If I’d been on bedrest or anything before surgery, then it would likely be a harder road to get me to where they’d want me.”

“Ok.  What did you want to show me?”

She held out her hand. “Follow me.” He held her hand, Jenna standing and leading him out the door.  Her room was in the rear of the facility, and she walked with him up to the front, through the doors to the front courtyard.  He remembered her being short of breath just getting in and out of bed a few weeks prior, so the fact that she could walk that far and not be winded was a sign that she was back to her old self.  

 They sat on the bench, looking at the large fountain in the middle of the driveway area. It was all covered, the sun beginning its descent into mid afternoon. They sat in relative silence, JC’s arm around her, Jenna resting her head on his shoulder. 

“This feels nice,” Jenna said quietly. “Pretty soon things will go back to being how they were before.”

“That’s not a bad thing. It’ll take some time to adjust. You’ll be home for a bit before New York, going back to work. It won’t be diving right in. I’ll be doing more at home as far as work, but I’ll be making time for you as well.”

“You’d better.”

“When’s your next appointment?”

“Next week. We’ll have to go to them since they don’t have all the equipment here. Are you excited?”

“Why wouldn’t I be? Every appointment is more proof that this is real.  I know I keep saying it, but I never thought I’d want this, so for this to be happening, that I’m excited about it, it’s otherworldly.  You’re a dream I never knew I wanted, Jenna.  I want to be at as many appointments as I can, if only to assure myself this isn’t a dream, but reality.”

Another hour passed just sitting on the bench, watching and listening to the splash of the fountain, seeing the color of the sky begin to fade into sunset. 

“Let’s go back to the room so I can get changed before the next part of our evening.”

“What’s that? I had a little surprise planned. You’re getting changed, do I need to change?”

“No, you’re fine. I mainly wanna practice as part of my therapy, that I can do it on my own. It’s crazy the things you take for granted until they mess around with your brain a little. I’m grateful for what it’s given me, don’t get me wrong…”

“What is there to be grateful for?” JC wondered. 

“You, Liam. You loved me in spite of all of this, most people would run at the first sign of something like this. Maybe it’s why I’d been single for so long.  But you were quick to be my protector, even as a friend. Then after the dream about Liam, that didn’t scare you away. This had to happen so he’d be here now. If I hadn’t been in the hospital, stopped taking my birth control for a few days, I don’t know when we’d have decided to start trying for him.”

“Yeah, ideally it would have been later, but I’m glad he’s here. Well, in here,” he said, putting a hand on her lower stomach. “Let’s get back to your room so you can change. I definitely wanna watch,” he smiled, his eyes twinkling with mischief. 

They headed to her room, Jenna walking as if she was visiting and not a patient, JC hopeful that she would be going home soon, definitely before the NYC trip. 

JC took a seat in “his” chair, watching Jenna as she pulled off the clothes she had on, feeling himself start to get hard just looking at her in her underwear. Nothing especially sexy except the woman underneath. His eyes landed on her belly button, smiling at knowing his son was on the other side. He was lost in thought as she dressed, focused on his plans for the upcoming trip and what it all meant for the three of them. He smiled wider at that thought, having a family of his own. 

“You ready to go?” Jenna asked, pulling him out of his thoughts.  She put on a sweater and skinny jeans with ankle boots, a simple but well put together outfit.  He nodded, walking out of the room with her. They walked down the hall, Jenna stopping at the dining room for the facility. It was fairly large, easily variables of seating a hundred guests, though cut back on what was available for the evening. 

“What’s going on?” JC asked. 

“I thought it would be nice to have dinner out here. I’m not tied to machines, I’m doing well in therapy to cut my food and feed myself.  I know I’ve been doing it, but they tell me to keep practicing. I figured a change of scenery might be nice.”

“Oh, ok. Yeah.”

“Is that a problem?”

“No, I just… never mind. This is fine.”  He pulled out her chair, not letting her independence peel him from being a gentleman. He could feel his mom and grandma’s anger if he didn’t, even across the country and beyond the grave for his grandmothers. 

“Ms. Pollard, we’re glad you’re able to dine out here tonight. We got your order submissions, and food will be out shortly.”

“You ordered for us? I didn’t realize there were options, you normally get stuff brought in, I never see you order.”

“It’s on an app. While you’re working I place the order. Same with breakfast and lunch. I try to get a variety of things, though I have gotten stuff again that I knew you or I liked.”

Other residents joined their table, mostly older patients recovering from surgery to replace or mend a joint, mostly hips or knees.  Jenna had seen them in the therapy rooms and in her walks around the facility.  JC felt comfortable letting her take the lead, being more of an observer in the moment.  

Bread and butter were on the table, each taking what they wanted as they waited for their food. They asked the other patients about various topics, jobs they’d had, places they’d visited, JC trying not to talk and let them be the more impressive stories.

“So, are you two married?” an older woman at the table asked.  “By the way you look at each other, I’d say it’s still early days.  The only time you look at each other like that is at the beginning, right before your first baby, or when you’re old, realizing how fast life has gone by, treasuring the time you have left.”  She gently took the hand of the man sitting next to her, smiling softly at each other.  “It’s been 58 years now, and some days it still feels like we met only yesterday.”

The man nodded quietly.  “The secret to a good marriage is that the husband lets the wife do her share of the talking. All that nonsense that we should be seen but not heard… Don’t just go with whatever he wants to do, honey.  If you want things, you tell him.  Talk things out if things don’t feel right. He appreciates that I’m vocal, I know what I want and I fight for it.  I’m determined to leave here once I finish my therapy, take a Mediterranean cruise next month.  We’ll see Italy, France, and Spain, eat incredible food, see amazing sights, maybe even get off the boat,” she laughed.  “So, how long has it been?”

“Still early days,” JC answered, “but I think I’ll feel like this the rest of my life.  We found each other at a time that neither of us expected to find love, even fought it for a bit, but once we stopped fighting it, things fell into place, made sense.”

“Isn’t that how life goes?” the woman’s husband replied.  “I thought I was happy, had everything I ever needed, then she walked into the room and changed my life.”  He smiled at his wife, reliving the memory in his mind.

“He saved my life when we first met, literally. I’d gotten into a car accident, and he stopped to make sure I was ok, he wasn’t even part of the accident,"Jenna explained.

“I easily could have sped by, but I couldn’t help it.  Like this was what I was supposed to do, I was in the right place at the right time. I followed the ambulance to the hospital, waiting to make sure she was ok.  Once I saw her, that was it.  My life would never be the same.”

“Bruises and all,” she sighed.  “I just wish I’d looked better, not in a hospital gown with bumps and bruises.”

“That’s life, though,” the woman said.  “You have your ups and downs, but loving each other through it all is what matters.  It seems like you’ve had plenty already and you’re doing just fine.”

Their food arrived, Jenna getting the herb crusted chicken and JC having salmon.  He smiled, knowing that she knew him inside and out.  They continued to talk through dinner and dessert before going back to their rooms.

Jenna walked in, seeing a large, thin box on her tray table.  “Josh, did I ruin your plans for tonight?” she wondered aloud.

“I thought we could do our usual Friday night pizza and Friends, but I’m glad we had dinner in the dining room tonight.  We got to talk to some amazing people about things they’ve done, not focusing on me and my accomplishments for once.  As long as we keep the box closed, it’ll keep for a bit, maybe you’ll get hungry in the middle of the night.”

“You could be onto something. I know one thing I took away from tonight,” she said, a glint in her eye. 

“What’s that?” he asked with a chuckle. 

“To know what you want and go for it. Right now, I want you…”

“Good, cuz I want you too.”