A/N – I can't describe to you all how happy I am about the JoLu scenes! They were better than I could have hoped for! Here's my one shot contribution for the day. This is set sometime into the future! Enjoy! And keep rocking the JoLu LOVE!
Healing Love
"You are late," Lulu called, without turning around when she heard the door to the penthouse open and close. "And you missed your son's bedtime. He wasn't at all pleased by that, of course. It took me twenty minutes longer than usual to-"
Lulu stopped mid sentence as Johnny finally came into her view, his broken appearance literally causing her pain. She was at his side in an instant, helping him sit on the couch.
"What happened?" Lulu wondered, her eyes darting across his features and noting every cut and bruise.
"I didn't like the terms of a business deal," Johnny groaned, wincing as Lulu's hands pressed his sensitive ribs. "Torres thought the best way to make me agree was to beat some sense into me."
"Where were your guards?" Lulu demanded.
"Outside," Johnny answered. "I thought his guys were, too, but apparently not. Someone jumped me from behind and I don't remember much after that."
"You passed out?" Lulu asked.
"Yeah," Johnny nodded. "The guards were there when I woke up and they drove me home."
"Maybe you should have gone to the hospital," Lulu muttered.
"Why?" Johnny questioned. "I have my favorite nurse right here."
"But I don't have any medical degrees," Lulu replied.
"Do you love me?" Johnny wondered.
"Yes," Lulu answered.
"In my experience, love is the best medicine there is," Johnny whispered, his hand grabbing hers.
"You have too much experience with getting hurt," Lulu sighed, squeezing his hand.
"I didn't mean to scare you," Johnny offered. "Or miss Josh's bedtime."
"It's not your fault," Lulu shrugged.
"Was he really upset?" Johnny wondered.
"Not as much as he will be that you can't hold him for the next few days," Lulu said, grimacing as Johnny flinched in pain when she touched another wound.
"Who says I can't hold him?" Johnny asked.
"These," Lulu answered, pressing against his ribs, causing him to groan in pain.
"I can deal with it," Johnny muttered, closing his eyes. "I can't deal with not holding him."
"No closing your eyes," Lulu ordered, placing a hand on his face. "You probably have a concussion, so you need to stay awake for awhile. I'm going to get some ice and a cleaning kit."
Johnny nodded, keeping his eyes open for her benefit. As soon as she was out of the room, he let them close, sighing to himself in relief. The meeting had been a close call with death, the closest he had been since the last time Lulu had fixed him up. After that night, Johnny had ceased all of his questionable dealings and started doing business with people only if he was sure he could trust them.
That night had really started him living again. In a strange way, his connection with Lulu had been reborn and it was stronger than ever. Not long after that, Dante had betrayed Lulu for the last time and she intentionally burned all the bridges connecting the two of them.
Lulu had come to him the night it all went down, begging him for all the answers about what was wrong with her...
Johnny hurried to the door because the persistent knocking wouldn't stop, meaning whoever it was really wanted to see him. He opened the door to find Lulu standing there, her face streaked with dried tears and a look in her eyes that said there might be more to come.
"I just have to ask you something," Lulu said, holding back a sob.
"Okay, come in," Johnny suggested.
"No, no," Lulu replied, shaking her head furiously. "I don't need to come in to ask you something."
"Well, I'm only going to answer if you come in and calm down a little bit before you ask," Johnny replied, stepping back. "After I answer, you're free to go."
"That seems fair," Lulu noted, walking inside.
Johnny watched her, smiling at how beautiful she looked in her dress. He suddenly remembered hearing something about a Sonny Corinthos wedding that was supposed to take place that day and he wondered what had gone horribly wrong for the man this time that had also upset Lulu and led her to his door.
"Do you want some tea or anything?" Johnny wondered.
"Do you have tea?" Lulu countered, her old self shining through.
"No," Johnny answered. "But I'd go get some."
"I just need you to tell me the truth," Lulu sighed.
"About what?" Johnny asked.
"What's wrong with me?" Lulu questioned.
"Excuse me?" Johnny pressed, thinking he'd heard her wrong.
"Everyone lies to me and then leaves," Lulu muttered. "It can't be that everyone is a horrible person. It's me."
Johnny considered Lulu for a minute and couldn't help the laugh that escaped his throat. He tried to cover with a cough, but she saw right through him.
"Why the hell would you laugh at me?" Lulu yelled, standing up and heading for the door.
Johnny was quicker, though it was a little painful, given his stomach wound.
"I don't know why I laughed, Lu," Johnny offered. "I just...it's funny how you can see yourself that way."
"How do you see me?" Lulu wondered.
"You're the most perfect woman I've ever met," Johnny answered. "I guess if there's anything wrong with you, it's that you have this knack for caring about people who don't deserve it. Like me. And, I guess, Dante."
"Don't ever compare yourself to him," Lulu said quickly.
"Okay," Johnny nodded. "But I'm always going to think you're perfect."
Lulu looked at him and started laughing herself. She collapsed against him and he held her tightly as she laughed into his chest for hours.
She spent the night at his place in his guest bedroom and the next morning, they both agreed that their friendship was salvageable and definitely worth saving. And she was still, by far, his best friend in the entire world.
"What did I tell you about closing your eyes?" Lulu asked, coming back into the room. "So help me, Johnny, I will make this healing process as painful as possible if you don't start cooperating."
"Okay, Mom," Johnny muttered sarcastically.
"Maybe I should just go to bed and let you suffer," Lulu said, taking a seat next to him.
"Just take me with you," Johnny requested.
"No way," Lulu scoffed. "You're not bleeding all over my Egyptian cotton sheets."
"You love those sheets more than you love me," Johnny said, wincing in pain as she cleaned one of the cuts on his face.
"The sheets were harder to find," Lulu quipped, kissing the cut when she was finished.
"All better," Johnny smiled, watching her as she reached for the ice pack.
"Hold this against your ribs," Lulu ordered, handing it to him.
"Are you going to kiss them later?" Johnny asked with a smirk.
"Not tonight," Lulu answered, shaking her head as she went back to cleaning his wounds.
"Why not?" Johnny pouted.
"Because you're hurt," Lulu replied.
"I feel fantastic," Johnny said, using his free hand to touch her face. "And you know how sexy I find you wen you're patching me up."
"Is that right?" Lulu wondered, realizing the head injury was starting to make its presence known.
"Mhmm," Johnny nodded, his fingers trailing across her neck.
"Well, if you're a good patient tonight, I might have to buy a nurse's uniform," Lulu whispered, knowing he would never remember the conversation.
"A naughty nurse," Johnny muttered, his eyes closing.
Lulu giggled and finished tending his wounds. She took of the ice pack that had slipped from his hand and set it off to the side. She covered him with a blanket, kissed his forehead and took note of the time, so she would know when to wake him to make sure he was okay.
She headed into the kitchen to make some tea for herself. Her mind drifted back to the last time Johnny had been severely hurt and she had taken care of him. That had been a turning point in her life. Their second try at friendship had evolved into a second try at love. Although it wasn't long before they both realized they had loved each other all along. Their kind of love wasn't the kind to ever go away. It was lasting. Forever.
Lulu poured her tea and returned to the living room, smiling at her husband fondly. Sometimes it was still hard for her to believe they were married and parents to the most beautiful baby boy in the world. They had been dating again for less than six months, when Johnny had turned to her in bed and asked her to marry him...
"Wake up," Johnny said, kissing the back of Lulu's neck.
"Johnny, we've been having sex all day. I want to sleep," Lulu groaned, her hand holding his head in place and contradicting her protests.
"I want to get married," Johnny whispered in her ear.
Lulu froze and rolled over to face him, her eyes widening.
"Are you drunk?" Lulu wondered.
"I'm in love," Johnny corrected. "And I'm asking, so what do you think?"
"Is this because I said no sex before?" Lulu questioned.
"Are you going to tell me no?" Johnny asked.
"Of course I'm saying yes, when you ask, but you're not asking right now," Lulu replied.
"Because I don't have a ring?" Johnny wondered.
"Yes," Lulu nodded, finding that a perfectly good reason.
"Fine," Johnny groaned, getting out of bed.
"What are you doing?" Lulu asked.
"Getting your ring from my jacket in the living room," Johnny called back.
Lulu's mouth dropped open and he returned shortly with a box in his hand. She couldn't believe her eyes as he opened the box and revealed the diamond ring inside. He took a seat on the bed next to her and took her hand in his.
"Lulu Spencer," Johnny started.
"Shut up, of course I'm going to marry you," Lulu said happily, kissing him passionately.
He returned her kiss, but pulled away quickly to slip the ring on her finger.
"It's beautiful," Lulu muttered, smiling brightly.
"Alright, come on," Johnny said, pulling her up.
"What?" Lulu asked.
"I want to get married right now," Johnny answered. "Let's go."
"Okay, now I'm really worried about you," Lulu laughed.
"I can't think of anything I want more in this world than to marry you," Johnny explained. "And I was just laying here thinking, I don't want to waste any more time. I know a guy who does weddings in a hurry."
"You mean like last minute business deal weddings?" Lulu questioned.
"I mean like romantic elopements," Johnny replied, kissing her chastely. "Come on, we can do the big wedding thing later, if you want. But I want to marry you tonight."
"Okay," Lulu smiled. "But this romantic thing doesn't get you out of a romantic honeymoon."
"What man in the history of time has ever tried to get out of the honeymoon?" Johnny asked with a smirk.
Lulu giggled and kissed him again before heading to the closet to get dressed.
A cry rang out through the penthouse and pulled Lulu out of her thoughts. She hurried toward the nursery and pulled Josh from his crib. He quieted some, but he was definitely giving his best "I want daddy" cry. She couldn't help but smile at how much her son loved his father. It was everything she ever wanted, for Johnny to see that a father and son relationship could be healthy and happy.
She remembered the day she found out she was pregnant...
"Lu, come to bed," Johnny called out.
"I will in a minute, I just need to finish my nightly routine," Lulu replied, closing the bathroom door all the way.
She pulled out the pregnancy test she had bought earlier and closed her eyes as she prepared to take it. She didn't know what to hope for as a result. On one hand, she wanted to have children with Johnny more than anything but on the other, they had only been married a couple of months. They hadn't even talked about kids yet. She sighed as she took a peek at the results, her eyes filling with tears. Tears of joy.
"Hey," Johnny said, knocking on the door. "If you're doing that beauty cream stuff, I've told you it's a waste of money. Come to bed, I want to hold you."
Lulu smiled at his words and looked at the positive test in her hand. She couldn't help but be happy and she hoped he would be too.
"Come in here," Lulu replied, opening the door.
"What's wrong?" Johnny asked, reaching for her immediately when he saw the tears in her eyes.
"Nothing," Lulu sniffed. "At least I hope not."
"I'm con-" Johnny started, his words ending abruptly when he saw the pregnancy test. "What, um...what is...is that..?"
Lulu giggled at Johnny's attempt at a question. She nodded her answer and he took a deep breath as he looked at it more closely.
"I, uh...I have no idea how to read it," Johnny admitted, looking back to her.
"It says I'm pregnant," Lulu smiled.
"Wow," Johnny muttered, a smile coming to his face as well. "When did we..."
"I won't know how far along I am until I go to the doctor," Lulu answered. "And with us, there was plenty of opportunities."
Johnny laughed and pulled her into his arms, burying his nose in her hair. She held him tight and finally let the happy tears fall from her eyes.
"I'm scared," Johnny admitted quietly. "I don't know what a dad, a real dad, acts like."
"Well, me neither," Lulu replied. "But I know you and you can do anything."
"What if it's a boy and he turns out like me?" Johnny asked, pulling back to search her eyes.
"Then I will know the two most handsome guys in the whole world," Lulu said simply, pressing her lips to his.
Lulu walked Josh into the living room, hoping he might quiet if he just saw Johnny. But her son would not be satisfied by that and he only cried louder when she tried to sit with him on the couch.
"Shh, buddy," Johnny said, his eyes opening. "You don't have to give Mommy a hard time."
"I'm sorry," Lulu offered.
"Let me have him," Johnny said, pushing the blanket away so he could reach for Josh.
"You're hurt," Lulu replied, noting how Josh quieted slightly just at the sound of Johnny's voice.
"I'm a dad, first," Johnny said seriously. "I promised you when he was born he would always come before work stuff. These injuries are work stuff."
Lulu felt herself give in because of his words. She knew Johnny couldn't handle hearing Josh fuss and that Josh would fuss until Johnny held him. She carefully passed Josh off to Johnny and their son quieted instantly, finally getting what he wanted. Lulu could tell that Johnny was in some pain, but he was smiling anyway.
"Did you miss me, little guy?" Johnny asked, making faces at Josh who was watching his dad intently. "Did you miss your daddy?"
Johnny laid back on the couch and settled Josh on his chest. Lulu cuddled next to her two favorite guys and kissed the side of Johnny's head gently. They laid there quietly until Josh finally closed his eyes and fell asleep again.
"I can't believe he's almost six months old," Johnny sighed.
"Feels like it was only yesterday that I watched you hold him for the first time," Lulu muttered.
Johnny smiled and closed his eyes as he remembered the feeling he had that day...
"I can't believe how small he is," Johnny whispered, holding his newborn son carefully.
"You look so natural with him," Lulu smiled, watching as Johnny memorized every inch of their baby boy.
"It feels right," Johnny replied. "I didn't think it would, but it does."
"What are we going to name him?" Lulu wondered. "Johnny Jr.?"
"Oh, no," Johnny answered, laughing as he took a seat next to Lulu on the bed.
"I want it to be a J," Lulu said, kissing his tiny forehead.
"What about Joshua?" Johnny suggested. "We can call him Josh."
"I love it," Lulu agreed.
"I'm sorry, I'm hogging him," Johnny chuckled. "Would you like to hold Josh?"
"No, I've been carrying him for nine months," Lulu smiled. "I think it's okay for you to bond with him a little longer."
"I'm going to be bonding for years," Johnny promised. "I will never let anything come before you or Josh. You two are the most important parts of my life."
"We're lucky to have you," Lulu muttered, leaning her head against him as they watched their son sleep.
"There's this part of me that doesn't want him to grow up," Johnny said softly. "I want to be able to hold him like this forever."
"Well, he will grow up," Lulu replied. "You have to be ready for that."
"Can we have more?" Johnny wondered.
"You want more kids?" Lulu asked in shock.
"Yeah," Johnny nodded. "Are you okay with that?"
"I could get behind it," Lulu answered. "But I think we should wait a little while."
"Alright," Johnny agreed. "But you're still getting the nurse's costume."
"What?" Lulu asked innocently.
"You thought I wouldn't remember," Johnny laughed. "I wasn't as bad off as I pretended."
"You were using your injuries to manipulate me," Lulu accused.
"Trust me, I am excited about seeing you in that costume, but I did not take this beating just for that," Johnny sighed.
"You're lucky I love you," Lulu said, pressing his ribs gently.
"Mm," Johnny said, holding in his groan so he didn't wake Josh. "I know. Thank you for everything tonight. And for everything every night and day."
"You don't have to thank me," Lulu replied. "You just have to keep being the most amazing husband and father in the world."
"That's a pretty big undertaking," Johnny noted.
"You've always liked a challenge," Lulu smiled, leaning her head on his shoulder and closing her eyes. "And you always get what you want."
"I sure do," Johnny nodded. "I have you and Josh. And as many other little ones as I can talk you into. And that's all I've ever wanted."
He looked to his wife and smiled as he realized she had fallen asleep. He carefully adjusted so he had an arm wrapped around her and he let his own eyes close as he drifted off to sleep as well.