"It's ok. I can deal with the pain." Jenna said as bravely as possible. Inside she was really hurting, but she didn't want anything else to jeopardize the pregnancy. She felt like she had fought too hard to keep the baby, so she could deal with a little pain as long as it meant protecting the little one growing inside her.
"Ok, well the doctor will be in shortly to see how you're doing." The nurse told her as she left the room, leaving Nicholas and Jenna alone again.
Nicholas pulled his chair closer to Jenna's bed. He grabbed her hand and brought it to his face, nuzzling it against his cheek. "Don't ever make me go through that again. Don't ever make me face the possibility of my life without you." He said softly. "You don't know how scared I was."
"I was pretty scared too. If there was anything I could have done to change what happened, I would have." Jenna told him, though she knew that he had already known that.
"Speaking of not wanting to live my life without you, now that the pain pills are out of your system, I'm asking again…Will you marry me?" Nicholas asked as he looked into her bruised eyes.
"Hell no!" Jenna joked. Nicholas looked shocked at first, then saw the laughter in her eyes. "Of course I will marry you. I couldn't imagine anyone else I would rather spend the rest of my life with."
Nicholas smiled and got out of his chair. He leaned over the bed and placed a soft kiss on Jenna's lips. "I love you so much."
"And I love you." Jenna told him as tears filled her eyes. "So, what did you do, go to the jewelry store after you heard I was in the hospital or something?" Jenna asked looking at the ring.
"Um, actually I've had the ring for a few days. I was just waiting for the right time to ask you, but now I know that there is never 'one perfect moment'. As long as it's special between me and you, then it will be perfect. And I knew that I couldn't wait any longer to ask you. I needed you to know how I felt about you, that I wanted to share the rest of my life with you, and I wanted to know that you felt the same way. I want us to be together for the rest of our lives, and I want our life together to start now. I don't want to wait anymore." Nicholas told her.
"So you had the ring already then?" Jenna asked in an 'Ah, how cute' kind of way. "It's perfect Nicholas! I couldn't have picked out a better one myself." She told him.
In that moment, the door to Jenna's hospital room flew open, and in rushed Kyle. "Jenna, I just heard about your accident. It was on the news last night, and I came over as fast as I could! Are you ok? I was so worried." Kyle rambled on quickly as he rushed to Jenna's bedside. He looked at Nicholas and said, "I'm here to take care of her. You can leave now."
"Hold up!" Jenna yelled, then grimaced in pain when she tried to sit up. "First of all, you heard about my accident last night and were so worried about me that you couldn't come to see me until this morning?" Jenna looked at him in confusion, wondering just how stupid this man could be. Mostly she wondered why she ever married him, and how she could have stayed with him for so long.
Kyle looked back to Jenna after glaring at Nicholas while Jenna was speaking to him. "Well darling, I had some things to take care of. You look like shit by the way, and you sure are packing on the pounds."
Nicholas started to get out of his chair to take care of the ever-insulting ex-husband, but Jenna shook her head at him, letting him know that she could handle Kyle.
"You know what, you really didn't need to take time out of your busy schedule to check on me. My fiancé here is taking very good care of me. And for your information you stupid fuck, I am not 'packing on the pounds', I'm pregnant. Now, thank you for your misguided concern, but I think you are doing more harm than good by being here, so get the fuck out of my room before I call security." Jenna said fiercely.
At that, Nicholas stood up and walked over to where Kyle stood. He was a full three inches taller than Kyle, with broader shoulders and a thicker frame. Kyle was mostly skin and bones and couldn't even compare to Nicholas's form. "She asked you to leave nicely. I won't be so nice, as you've seen before."
Kyle nodded his head. "See what I get to trying to care?" He asked as he moved to the door. He had remembered his tangles with Nicholas and didn't care for anymore at this point. "Fine, I'll leave, but don't expect for me to come back."
"Well that's something to look forward to." Jenna said with a smirk.
Nicholas folded his arms across his chest, making his biceps look bigger, and puffing his chest out as he watched Kyle leave the room. After the door had shut from Kyle's departure, Nicholas walked back around Jenna's bed and sat back in the chair.
Just when he got comfortable, Nicholas heard the door open again. "Don't you get it? She doesn't want you here. Get the fuck out!" Nicholas growled as he stood from his chair and turned around towards the door. His jaw practically dropped to the floor to see his mother standing there holding a vase of flowers in one hand and a bunch of balloons in the other.
Diane Tiller stood in shock, just inside Jenna's hospital room after her son had yelled at her. The door to the room was on a self-closing hinge, and came swinging back to hit Diane's backside, sending her stumbling forward towards her son's waiting arms. A few of the balloons were caught in the closing door and half were still outside, half inside, causing her to jerk back towards the door as she held their strings tightly. In the end, Diane had fallen on her ass, barely saving the vase of flowers from crashing to the floor, and sacrificing the balloons to the ceiling in order to keep the vase from falling and shattering.
Nicholas and Jenna both watched the scene unfold in front of them, as if it was in slow motion. Seeing his mother's face, he couldn't help but let out a quick laugh. "Mom, I'm sorry." He said between bursts of laughter. "I thought you were Jenna's ex-husband coming back in." Nicholas hurried over to his mother to help her off the floor. He took the flowers and put them on the windowsill with the others as his mother dusted herself off. He then went back to rescue the balloons from the ceiling as Diane sat in the chair.
"Thanks for coming Diane. Wow, quite the acrobatics. For a minute there, I thought for sure you would need to share the hospital room with me." Jenna teased.
"It seems as though your spirits are up. How are you feeling?" Diane asked.
"Not too bad, all things considered." Jenna told her. "I just can't wait to get home. I think we'll be a lot more comfortable there." She said as she laid her hand on her stomach, rubbing it softly.
"So tell me," Diane said, shifting in her seat so that she could look at both Nicholas and Jenna, "What caused the accident? Did the light reflect off that rock on your finger and blind you?" She asked curiously, acknowledging the engagement ring on Jenna's finger.
"Huh?" Jenna was confused until she remembered the ring on her left hand. She looked over to Nicholas for a little help.
"Oh! Um, actually, I asked Jenna to marry me last night when she woke up, then again this morning to make sure that she wasn't saying yes just because she was under the influence of the painkillers." Nicholas teased as he looked lovingly at his new fiancée.
"Well, good for the both of you. I'm happy that you're going to make it official." Diane said, then gave her son a hug and kissed Jenna's forehead. "And, I'm glad you're ok too. I don't think my son would have survived if you hadn't."
When the doctor entered the room a short time later, Diane said her goodbyes to her son and Jenna, letting them know that she would take care of the kids for as long as they needed her to.
The doctor went over Jenna's chart and gave her a quick examination. By the looks of it, Jenna was improving rapidly, and she would be able to go home in the next few days. Though she wanted to go home sooner, Jenna was happy that the doctor was so encouraging. He even commented on the baby's strong heartbeat as being such a positive sign.
After the doctor left, Nicholas was able to convince Jenna to take a nap. As soon as he was sure that she was asleep, he jotted down a quick note for her and left the room. He had hoped that he would be back before she woke up, but just in case he wasn't he didn't want her to
wonder where he was.
Nicholas went down to find his Xterra just where Nathan had left it. He hopped in and headed home for a quick shower and a change of clothes. After leaving home, Nicholas went to Jenna's favorite restaurant and picked up some lunch for the two of them. He knew that Jenna was going to protest about how bad the hospital food was, and he hoped that by bringing in some food from the outside, it would make her stay a little more bearable.
When he walked back into the hospital room, Jenna was still sleeping. He set the bag of Styrofoam food containers on the bedside table, and began opening the boxes up. The aroma from the delectable eats wafted through the air, beckoning Jenna to open her eyes.
Jenna woke from her food-filled dream, only to find that the food she was dreaming about was actually laid out in front of her. She looked over to Nicholas who had a smile spread across his face. "Feel any better?" He asked her.
"Yeah, I'm glad you talked me into that nap, but I'm even happier that you brought me lunch. I was so dreading the hospital food." Jenna told him as she looked at the food spread before her. As if on cue, her stomach grumbled. "I didn't realize how hungry I was until I saw all this food." She said with a laugh.
"Hey, stick with me and I'll take good care of you baby." He said as he leaned over and kissed Jenna softly. Before straightening back up, he leaned over Jenna's stomach and said, "And you too baby." And touched his lips to her bulging belly. "Now, let's eat!"
*****
Nicholas stayed in the hospital all day with Jenna. They played cards, watched some trashy daytime soap operas, and attempted the crossword puzzle in the newspaper. Even though Jenna wasn't able to leave the room, having Nicholas there made her feel less trapped. She didn't feel like a prisoner, and there weren't any boring moments.
Just before dinner, Vanessa poked her head in the room. "I hear my best friend doubled as a crash test dummy."
"Shut the hell up and get your ass in here Nessa!" Jenna called out.
"Hey, looking pretty good there Jens." Vanessa said as she leaned over and lightly hugged her friend. "So, anything new?" She asked, wondering if Nicholas had proposed yet, but not wanting to ruin the surprise like she almost had the night before.
"Well, Michelle has amnesia, Tony is starting to have feelings for Michelle which has Danny worried, and Dinah is going to come back to Springfield, even though she is wanted for murder." Jenna sprouted off.
"Let me guess, you let her watch Guiding Light?" Vanessa asked Nicholas, rolling her eyes.
"How did you know?" Nicholas laughed.
"One of her guilty pleasures. She watches it whenever she gets a chance." Vanessa explained.
"But I'm guessing that you want to know if anything is new in the real world, and I'm sure that you want to get a better look at my rock?" Jenna asked, then held out her left hand.
Vanessa squealed, then carefully grabbed Jenna's hand. "He showed me last night, but it was pretty dark. It's so beautiful Jenna! I'm so excited for you two!"
"Me too!" Jenna smiled.
"Do you two want me to leave?" Nicholas asked, afraid he was interrupting some girly-bonding time.
"Not a chance honey. You need to get used to this!" Jenna told him.
"Oh, boy, what have I gotten myself into?" Nicholas said with a laugh as he shook his head at the two girls and their 'girl talk'. But deep down, he knew that he wouldn't have it any other way. His life was headed in the right direction, and he couldn't be happier.
Chapter 30 Home Sweet Home
Jenna laid in her hospital bed for nearly a week, pleading with her doctors to release her. As each day passed, not only did Jenna get stronger, but the baby growing inside of her did too. On the day that both of her doctors agreed that it was okay for her to go home, both Jenna and Nicholas were elated.
"Don't get too excited Jenna. You are going to have some stipulations on your discharge. First of all, you are on strict bed rest. Hire a housekeeper, a babysitter, and a chef if you have to, but under no circumstances are you to lift a finger until I say so. The life and health of your baby depend on it." Jenna's OBGYN instructed. "Second, I want to see you in my office at least once a week until further notice. And third, if you feel anything out of the ordinary, if something doesn't feel right to you, you call me…day or night, got it?" The doctor smiled at her and squeezed Jenna's hand in both reassurance and understanding.
"Don't worry doctor, I'll be keeping my eye on her, so she will follow your orders to a 'T'." Nicholas agreed with the doctor, sending a silent warning to Jenna. "I'll be taking care of things around the house too."
"In other words, we'll be eating take out on paper plates all the time." Jenna teased.
"Ha-ha, funny lady. Let's get you sprung out of here." Nicholas said, happy to be taking his fiancée back to their house. He couldn't wait to reunite the kids with Jenna again, they hadn't seen her since before the accident. Both Nicholas and Jenna worried that it would be too scary for them to have to visit her in the hospital.
While Jenna signed her release papers with the doctor, Nicholas went down to the parking lot to drive his SUV up to the doors. On his way down, he made a few phone calls, hoping that his plans weren't too last minute.
After loading all the flowers and balloons into the Xterra, Nicholas made one final trip into the hospital, for the most important thing…Jenna. He wheeled her down the corridor, and as they got closer and closer to the doors, Nicholas could see her shoulders tense up. He stopped her wheelchair at the passenger door to the vehicle, and crouched down next to her. Nicholas looked into her eyes and saw the fear.
"It's a pretty scary thing to get back into a vehicle after what happened, huh?" He understood.
"I know I'm being foolish, but I can't help it. What if it happens again Nicholas? What if I'm not so lucky next time? I am never, ever going to be able to control what the other drivers do, that's how I got into this mess." Jenna worried, letting her emotions get the best of her.
"Baby, I don't have all the answers, and I can't promise you that nothing like this will ever happen again. The only thing I can promise is that I will do everything in my power to stop it from ever happening again. Every day we are going to face risks in our lives, no matter what we do. But we can't constantly live our lives in fear of what might happen, because that's not living at all. And yes, you were very lucky this time…we were very lucky. Obviously someone is watching over us, and it's not in their plan to take us from each other right now." Nicholas said, finishing with a small smile
"I know you're right, but please don't get upset with me if I get nervous while you're driving. I think it's just going to take me a little while to get comfortable in a vehicle again." Jenna said, feeling a little more comfortable with getting back in the car. After all, Nicholas made an excellent point, if it was her time to go, then she wouldn't have made it through the accident. "Ok, I'm ready." She said with a slow smile.
Nicholas opened the passenger door and lifted Jenna from the wheelchair to the passenger seat, laughing at the shouts of protest from Jenna. "Get used to it babe, I'll be carrying you a lot over the next couple of weeks."
"I think I can manage to get from the wheelchair to the seat on my own." Jenna argued and rolled her eyes. "Besides, you won't be able to carry me much longer. I'm getting pretty big now." She said as she looked down at her bulging belly.
"And I'm loving every minute of the growth." Nicholas told her, his whole face glowed as he ran his hand over her pregnant belly.
Jenna rolled her eyes again. "Yeah, keep telling yourself that, especially when I'm just about ready to pop. We'll see how much you love it then!" Jenna strapped the seatbelt around her body and closed the door, leaving Nicholas to return the wheelchair to the hospital lobby.
Nicholas returned to the vehicle and hopped into his seat behind the wheel, clicking his seatbelt in place before turning the key to start the ignition. As the engine roared to life, Nicholas looked over at Jenna. "You ready?" He asked.
"As r
eady as I'll ever be." She said and took a deep breath. "Just go easy on me."
Nicholas knew this was the perfect time to try to lighten Jenna's mood, and she left herself wide open for it. "Isn't that what you said the first time we made love? You didn't think you could handle a stallion like me." Nicholas knew that was stretching the truth, they both knew how nervous he was their first time, though he quickly lost his inhibitions once things got heated up between them.
Nicholas pulled onto the street, and slowly drove away from the hospital. He decided to take a different route home, since the usual short cut led right past the scene of Jenna's accident.
Jenna nearly choked on her laughter. "Yeah, because you were such a smooth operator, huh?"
"Hey, I didn't hear any complaining…I seem to recall screams of pleasure though." Nicholas reminded her. "I think I had you begging for more too." He made a few turns, driving them further from the hospital and closer to their destination. "Oh Nicholas! Give it to me! Oh, harder! Oh yes, that's it right there! Oh yeah! Give it to me!" He teased in a high-pitched voice, sending them both into fits of laughter.
"Ah, but the begging went both ways, didn't it 'Oh Wild One'." Jenna laughed. "I remember a night not too long ago where you could barely wait to get out of the bar before having your way with me."
Nicholas nodded. "I think the feeling was mutual that night. I don't think either one of us could think of anything other than being together that night." Nicholas recalled. "But just think of all the fun we had making that baby, whether we were aware of what was happening in your body at the time or not." He said as he pulled into the driveway and turned the engine off.
"We're here already?" Jenna asked, looking around, completely unaware of the fact that they had driven all the way home. There was no doubt in Jenna's mind that Nicholas was the perfect man for her, and it was amazingly clear how much he cared for her.
Nicholas slid out of the vehicle and ran around the front to get to the passenger side. He opened the door and began to gather Jenna in his arms.
Mending the Soul Page 24