Jude crept into the living room, where John was fast asleep in the couch. The sun was still rising, so its light hadn't yet shined through the room enough to wake John from his slumber. Jude bent down next to the couch, smiling to himself. Gently, he started to shake John.
"John, wake up," he said quietly.
John stirred as Jude kept shaking him. After a few seconds, John woke up. He shook his head before turning to Jude.
"Jude…is everything OK?" he asked, sounding worried.
"Of course everything's OK," Jude said, smiling at John's worrying. "It's your birthday!"
John chuckled. "Geez, I must have been sleeping heavy, because I totally forgot about it," he said as he sat up.
"Happy Birthday," said Jude, pulling out a rectangular shaped present from the floor and handing it to John.
"You didn't have to get me anything."
"I know, but I wanted to."
John smiled again and started to unwrap the gift. Out popped a book, the latest from his favorite author, Jodi Picoult.
"Jude! Thank you!"
"Open it," Jude said excitedly.
John opened the book. Inside the front cover was a signed message.
Happy Birthday, John! I hope you enjoy the book!
John looked up at Jude, at a loss for words.
"How the heck did you manage to get a signed copy?" he asked.
"When we went to Ellen," Jude explained. "I went backstage after the show and grabbed Jodi for a moment. I told her who I was and that your birthday was coming up. I asked if she could sign a copy of her new book for you and send it to me."
John seemed at a loss for words. "You're the best," he said in a teary voice, starting to cry from how happy he felt. "Thank you," he added, pulling Jude into a hug. "I love you."
"I love you," Jude said smiling at John. "Happy Birthday."
"Connor gonna join us for lunch later?"
"Yep. He'll be there."
"Good. That's the main thing I wanted this year: for all of us to be together."
Jude nodded. "It's good that we have all moved on from everything that's happened in the last year," he said. "It'll be nice to finally just be."
John nodded and together, they stood up and walked into the kitchen, where John started to brew some coffee. As if the coffee woke them from their slumber, Stef and Lena came waltzing into the room, rubbing the sleep out of their eyes.
"Happy Birthday, Love," Stef said as she reached John. She kissed him on the head before pouring herself a cup of coffee. "I absolutely love that you made coffee, even on your birthday."
"Hey, I did it mostly for me," John said before giggling while Stef lightly slapped him on the arm.
Lena walked up to them. "Come on, honey, he's allowed to be a little cocky on his birthday, right?" she asked before kissing John on the cheek.
"Absolutely not!" said Stef exasperatedly.
John giggled again. "Hey, maybe I'll lay off on your birthday, Stef. You know, just for you."
"I guess I can live with that," said Stef, grinning.
"So, John, what are we gonna do for your birthday lunch?" Lena asked.
"Let's keep it simple," said John. "This year, all I want is for us to be together as a family. As long as we're all there, I'm good."
"Well, how about a Mongolian grill?" suggested Stef. "They have plenty of food and it tastes delicious.
"That would be great," said John.
"I'll let Connor know," Jude said, pulling out his phone and starting to type a text.
At the restaurant, the family all sat together at a large table. Once their server had taken their drink orders, they walked over to the food line and started preparing their bowls with meats, veggies, noodles and sauces. When they were all in line watching the cooks prepare their lunch, the cooks suddenly stopped. One of them put down his spatulas and spoke.
"It seems like we have a birthday boy here!" he announced, pointing at John, who blushed. "John here is turning 17 today!"
John looked embarrassed as the customers and restaurant staff cheered for him. He looked over at Stef and Lena, who were grinning mischievously at him, a sign that they had planned the whole thing.
"Since we like to have fun during birthdays," the cook announced. "How about we sing for John?"
"You don't have — " John began, before the cook held up a hand.
"No, no!" he said, still joyful. "We don't allow anybody with a birthday to get passed us without having a little fun. Everyone, let's wish John a happy birthday."
"Happy Birthday to you," the whole restaurant sang. "Happy Birthday to you. Happy Birthday, dear John. Happy Birthday to you!"
Everyone cheered, while John laughed, still feeling embarrassed. Once the cheering quieted down, the cooks returned their attention to the food on the stove, while Stef and Lena walked up to John, who was standing with Jude and Connor. His aunts still had the mischievous looks on their faces.
"Surprise!" Stef exclaimed.
"I hate you," John said, grinning despite his embarrassment.
Stef and Lena both giggled. "We got you!" Lena said.
"Yeah, you got me good," John said as he took his plate from the cook who had just finished preparing it. "Thanks," he added quickly to the cook. "It's on for your birthdays!" he said, causing Stef and Lena to laugh again as they took their plates from cooks and followed John back to their table.
Stef unlocked the door, letting everyone back into the house. They had picked up a cake from a grocery store on their way back home and were about to enjoy it before spending the rest of the afternoon together. As everyone piled into the kitchen, Brandon handed Stef the mail he had grabbed on his way in.
"Thanks, Love," Stef said, starting to sort through the mail while Lena and Mariana started to grab plates and forks for everyone. After a few seconds, Stef spoke up.
"John, there's something for you here," she said. "Not sure what it is, but it says it's from the county."
"Wonder what it could be," John said, taking the envelope from her and staring at it. "I haven't gotten any tickets or anything."
"Could be a driver's license renewal," said Lena. "Maybe they need to reissue you one now that you're unrestricted."
"That's done automatically," said Stef. "Go ahead, Love."
John opened the envelope and pulled out an official looking letter. He started to read it. A few seconds later, he opened his mouth in surprise.
"What is it, John?" Connor asked, noticing John's expression.
"It's the man who attacked us last month, Robert Myers," said John.
"What about him?" Jude asked. "He's not getting out, is he?"
"Worse," John said. "He's suing me for assaulting him. I've just been served."
He threw the paper onto the table for them to examine. Stef and Lena quickly shielded the rest of them from seeing it so they could read it first.
Dear Mr. Foster,
You are hereby served notice that Robert D. Myers is suing you for assault in the second degree.
The letter went on, detailing how Myers claimed John attacked him unprovoked and caused significant pain to him. When they finished reading it, Stef and Lena looked up at John, who had tears in his eyes. Without any word, they pulled him into a hug, trying to understand exactly what they were going to have to deal with now.