After leaving the hospital, CJ hailed a taxi that took them back to his place in Back Bay, Boston. When the taxi finally pulled up to the curb outside the red brick townhouse, CJ chuckled lightly as he watched Jen's expression of disbelief. As the duo stepped into his home, Jen's jaw dropped open even more.
Seeing that she was still quite pale, CJ led her into the living room, sitting her on the brown leather sofa before cleaning up his notes that still resided on the coffee table.
"Hey, you ok?" he asked taking Jen's hand as he knelt in front of her.
"Yeah, it's just... Why didn't you tell me you lived in such a beautiful place? This is amazing."
"It's really nothing," CJ mumbled running his hand through his hair. "It was all grandmother's... and I just couldn't bear to part with it." He got up, walking over to turn on the gas fireplace. "Are you warm enough?"
"Yes," she said, although she shivered a moment later.
"Quit lying," he joked, walking back to Jen's side and wrapping an afghan around her.
She nodded, still looking around the room. It was a very spacious living room warmly decorated in browns and reds with an oriental rug in front of the fireplace. The room was well lit, but not too bright. Then, as she scanned the area, she noticed the trophies on the mantle. She gestured to them, "Are all those yours?"
"Um, yeah," CJ replied hesitantly, blushing just a tad.
She chuckled as his embarrassment, "I think it's nice. It's cool that you played sports."
"Jen, how do you feel? Do you want your pills?" He was a little worried since color had not yet returned to her.
"Uh," she looked down at her hands, remembering what he had said about not lying. "I'm afraid they'll make me sleepy." She finally said.
"Jen," he said, pulling her into his lap. "It's going to be fine." He hugged her lightly, trying his best to avoid her shoulder.
She returned his embrace, clinging to him for moment. "I know. I'm just afraid of having nightmares tonight. I'm glad that I'm with you though." She paused, hesitant about voicing her thoughts. "I feel safe with you."
CJ smiled. "I'm glad."
She frowned, remembering that she had barely seen him in two weeks. She found herself blurting her question before she could stop herself. "Why have you been avoiding me?"
CJ sighed leaning back into the couch while wondering where to start. "My relationships with women have never been good ones... and I was scared."
"You could have told me that." She said.
"We were moving so fast," he said. "I knew I had feelings for you, but I had no idea how deep they were. I needed time."
She looked up, trying to catch his eye. "I shouldn't have stayed that last night in the hospital."
"Don't say that," CJ said, looking Jen in the eyes. "I wanted you there. I don't regret it."
"Do you want to have a relationship with me, CJ?"
"Jen, I don't want to hurt you," CJ started. "But, there's so much baggage for me."
"I'm not afraid of your baggage, CJ," Jen said. "Hey, I have some of my own. Remember?"
"I know... it's just..."
"We can do this as slow or as fast as you want, but if you don't want to pursue this relationship, tell me right now."
"I don't know what to do Jen. I like you, but, at the same time, I'm scared. What if this doesn't work? What if I screw this up royally and hurt you?"
"You can't hurt me if you're always honest with me. You won't hurt me as long as you're committed to this." She tried to assure him.
"I don't want to ruin whatever friendship we've established."
"Please don't be afraid to get close to me, CJ. I'd like to have a chance at a relationship with you."
"I know Jen. I'm just..." he trailed off.
"Just what?" She asked softly, trying to get him to open up to her.
"It's the first time that someone has liked me for, well, me."
She squeezed his hand, "I'm glad that you're letting me see the real you."
"Is taking this slow going to be ok with you?" he asked quietly.
"It's fine with me. It's actually something new for me. I think it'll be good for us."
CJ smiled, gripping her hand lightly.
"Do I get to call you my 'boyfriend' now?" she asked, laughing and mocking the nurse from before.
He chuckled. "We'll see."
She smiled at him. Then took a deep breath, "So, about those pills," she motioned toward the bag he had dropped on the counter separating the kitchen from the living room.
"What about them? Do you want one?"
"Yeah. Just one though."
"Okay." He replied, moving Jen from his lap to get up and grab her a glass of water from the kitchen and a pill from the bottle on the counter.
"Here you go," he said, handing it to her after returning to her side.
"Thanks," she said, using the water to help swallow the pill.
"I had Jack send over some of your clothes with David earlier. They should be upstairs in the guest room. Do you want to get cleaned up and get some rest?"
"Yeah, I guess that would be a good idea." She said, stifling a yawn with her hand.
"Come on," he said, pulling her up. "Are you ok?" He asked, noticing her little sway.
"Just a little dizzy." She put a hand to her forehead.
"Can you walk?"
"Yeah, I'm fine now." She smiled, taking a step forward.
"Let me help you." He took her elbow and led her toward the stairs.
"Who am I to refuse such a handsome gentleman?" She laughed, letting him help her.
CJ laughed too. It felt good that they could joke around with each other.
"Which way to the guest room?" She asked as they reached the top of the stairs.
"Turn left," CJ said.
"So," she said, a hint of fear in her voice, "where is your room? Is it close?"
"On the right.. just down the hall, past the sitting area."
"That sounds far," she said softly, looking down at her feet as they slowly made their way down the hall.
"It's not actually that far. My house isn't all that big."
"Yeah." They entered the guest room and she immediately saw her overnight bag sitting on the queen size bed.
"So what do you think?" CJ asked, gesturing to the room. The walls were a simple beige and the furniture was made of a dark wood. There were a few paintings hung on the walls, but nothing that was recognizable. They seemed to be local paintings of various parts of Boston.
"It's nice. Did you grandmother do the decorating?"
"Um, no. I did. This was my old room."
"Wow. I'm impressed, CJ."
"Thanks."
"Could you point me in the direction of the bathroom? I want to brush my teeth and stuff." She shifted nervously from one foot to the other.
"Your bathroom is right there." CJ pointed to the door leading to the bathroom from her bedroom.
"Oh, yeah, well, duh. I should have seen that."
"Jen, you're doing fine," CJ chuckled.
"Yeah, sure," she said, moving toward the bathroom. She saw him turning to leave in her peripheral vision. "Where are you going?"
"To my bedroom. To get cleaned up and go to bed."
"Are you going to come back?" She asked, unsuccessfully attempting to hide the fear in her voice.
"Jen, I'm just down the hall. If you need anything, just yell. You'll be fine in here," he reassured.
"Uh," she murmured, her eyes darting around the room. "You need to come back and check the bandage on my shoulder." She latched onto the excuse and ran with it.
"Jen, your shoulder is fine. But how about this? I'll come back and tuck you in. Okay?"
She nodded, satisfied with his answer. "Okay."
"You'll be fine," he promised, patting her on the back gently and leaving the room.
A few minutes later, he returned, in his silver-framed glasses, wearing a white t-shirt and a pair of navy blue pajama pants, to find her curled up in a ball in the middle of the bed. As soon as she heard him come in, she sat up with a wild look in her eyes. Jen, sitting there in a cute baby blue two piece pajama set, looked stressed and terrified.
"Jen, are you okay?" CJ asked, concerned, as he approached to sit on the edge of the bed.
"I'm scared," she replied, her voice trembling as she bit her lower lip.
"Oh Jen," he said, gently pulling her into his arms. "It's all right."
"No, it's not all right. I can still hear him breathing. I can feel the knife. It's not all right." She choked out between sobs, clutching at his t-shirt.
"Breathe, Jen." He said, gently rubbing slow circles around her back.
"Please stay with me tonight. I don't want to be alone."
"Okay, okay," he said as he scooped her up into his arms, carrying her out of the guest room.
She wiped her face with her hands as they entered his room. She had gained a semblance of control over her emotions on the short walk. He lay her gently on the turned-down bed and she automatically curled up on her uninjured side.
CJ let her be for the moment as he went over to his stereo and turned on some soft classical music hoping to soothe her nerves. He set his glasses on the night stand and got into the bed, pulling the comforter over them and wrapping his arms around her, cocooning her with both himself and the bedspread.
Jen relaxed in his arms, feeling safe and warm. She smiled slightly as she smelled his scent on the bedding. She snuggled back against his chest, releasing a deep breath and allowing her eyes to drift shut.
CJ, feeling her relax, loosened up a bit as well, just enough so that he also fell asleep not long afterward. Just before succumbing, he remembered what day it was and that tomorrow should be a special day. He smiled slightly hoping that tomorrow would be better, for the both of them.
The next morning, CJ awoke gradually to the rays of sunshine that were trying to reach his room through the draperies of the balcony. As he took in Jen's vanilla scent, he pulled her closer into his embrace. He smiled slightly thinking about how nice it was to wake up beside her. Slowly, as he continued to regain his senses, his mind was bombarded with all that had happened yesterday.
Listening carefully, he heard Jen's even breathing, knowing that she was still asleep. Amazingly, she had slept through the entire night without a single nightmare. He smiled, feeling glad that her subconscious knew that she was safe with him.
Jen stirred slightly as she felt CJ's strong arms tense around her. She sighed, snuggling back into him, hoping that he would relax. Then suddenly, she remembered why she was in his bed in the first place, possibly also a reason for his uneasiness. Quickly, she pulled herself out of his embrace, and sat up. She realized that wasn't such a good idea when room spun around her. She placed a hand to her forehead, hoping the spinning would stop.
"Jen, are you ok?" CJ asked, worriedly noting that the sudden movement probably wasn't good for her.
Jen winced as she felt the stiches in her shoulder being pulled by the rough action in which she was partaking.
"Yeah, I'm fine." She said, smiling at him to let him know that she really was okay.
"Then come back down here," he said, holding open the blanket. "It's cold without you."
"What time is it?" She asked, laying down on her back so that she could see him. She closed her eyes, still tired.
CJ propped himself up on one elbow and looked over Jen's shoulder to where the clock resided. "Ten."
Her eyes snapped open in shock as she remembered that it was Friday. "Do you have class?" she asked, panicking. "Did I make you miss it?"
"Don't worry," he chuckled. "I generally don't have class on a Friday."
She released a deep breath. "That's good. I don't want you to miss class over me."
"Jen, even if I did miss class, I'm sure my professor would understand."
She nodded, realizing that he had a point. Closing her eyes again, she leaned her head against his arm and sighed. "I don't want to get out of bed today."
CJ looked down and smiled at her while entwining his hand with hers. "Speaking of classes, don't you have any today?"
She groaned, "Only European Lit. and I'm allowed to miss like three days in there."
"Jen, are you sure you want to miss class?" he inquired since she had been so worried about him missing a class.
"I defintely don't feel like going today. I wouldn't make it there on time anyway. I'd rather take a nice long shower and veg out watching daytime TV."
"Well missy, if that's what you'd like to do, then that's fine. However, I have a couple errands to run today, so I can't spend the day vegging out with you," he said lightly. "But, since it's only ten, how about some breakfast?"
"Breakfast actually sounds really good." She said, remembering that she hadn't eaten anything since lunchtime yesterday.
"Ok then. Get out of bed, so I can start breakfast downstairs." He stood up, grabbing his glasses and putting them on before smiling at her and holding out his hand.
"Do I have to?" She whined, but smiled back up at him as she stood up and grasped his hand, following him out the door.
"You're not expecting breakfast in bed, are you?"
She pouted, sticking out her lower lip. "You wouldn't bring me breakfast in bed?"
"Not today."
"Why not?"
"'Cause I hate cooking alone."
"You're cooking? I was expecting cereal."
"Well of course I'm cooking. Cereal is not a balanced breakfast."
"What are you making?" She asked as they made their way downstairs.
"What would you like? Omelet? Scrambled Eggs?"
"An omelet actually sounds very good," said Jen.
"Vegetarian omelet, okay?"
"Sounds great." She smiled, standing beside him, and waiting to help.
"Okay, then, omelet, toast and OJ."
"What can I do to help?"
"Um.. not much... just the OJ, I guess."
She pulled two glasses out of the cabinet and got the orange juice out of the refrigerator. She poured both glasses full and set them on the bar before turning back to watch him cook. "Can't I do something else to help besides pour the juice?"
"Maybe set out the utensils but that's all."
She sighed, shooting him a dirty look as she turned in a circle. "Uh, where are the utensils?"
"They're in the drawer next to the fridge."
"Okay," she went about her task, setting the bar with utensils and plates out of the glass-doored cabinets to the left of the stove.
"Thanks," he said, from in front of the stove.
"Anything else I can do?"
"Not really...," CJ thought for a minute. "Just talk with me."
"Okay," she said, taking a seat at the bar and watching him flip one of the omelets.
They spent the next several minutes discussing school and favorite foods. CJ placed Jen's plate in front of her with a flourish and she giggled at him. Quickly finishing his omelet, he took a seat beside her.
They had just started to eat when the doorbell rang. CJ hopped off of his bar stool and hurried to the front door. He was surprised to find Jack and David on the other side.
"Hey, guys. Good morning." CJ greeted politely.
"Hey." David said, entering the house as CJ moved back away from the door. "Jack likes your place."
CJ laughed self-consciously, scratching the back of his head. "Yeah, it was my grandmother's."
Jack nodded, grabbing CJ's arm before they left the foyer. "How's she doing?"
"Really well actually. She slept through the night and she hasn't broken down since last night."
"That's good to hear."
CJ nodded, leading him into the kitchen, where David was searching the fridge for something to eat. Jen was still sitting at the bar, eating her omelet.
"Hey, you." Jack said, hugging her and kissing the top of her head. "How are you doing?"
"I'm fine. CJ made me breakfast." She smiled. "He's a really good cook."
CJ blushed, moving back over to the stove. "Anybody else want an omelet?"
"Nah, we're just here to pick up Jen." David said, pouring himself a glass of milk.
"Pick me up?" Jen asked, finishing her breakfast.
"Yeah, we thought we'd come and get you and take you back to the house with us. I didn't pack much in the way of clothes for today and I thought you might want to hang out with me and David today."
Jen looked over at CJ who was nodding along with Jack's reasoning. He noticed her looking at him and smiled. "I'll come by and check on you later. I've got some errands to run anyway, remember?"
"Yeah," she said slowly, frowning at the thought of leaving CJ.
"What's with the sad face? Don't you want to spend time with your best friend?" Jack joked, raising his eyebrows for effect.
"Sure, I do." She said, sliding off of her bar stool. "I'll just go get dressed."
A few minutes later, she softly padded down the stairs and into the kitchen. She threw her overnight bag down at her feet before any of them could do anything about her carrying it. She sighed, feeling comfortable in her favorite gray sweatpants and matching sweatshirt, which bore the Boston Bay College logo.
"Ready to go?" Jack asked, standing up from where he had sat on her bar stool and picking up her bag.
She nodded, walking around the bar to where CJ was doing dishes in the sink. He smiled at her, wiping his hands of the dishtowel hanging off his shoulder and turning to face her. "Leaving me so soon?" He joked, drawing her into a hug.
"I can stay." She said, her eyes lighting up with hope.
"As much as I'd love that," he grinned down at her, "I've got some things to do to get ready for tonight." He leaned forward, whispering in her ear. "I've got a surprise for you later."
"A surprise? Like what?" She bit her lip and bounced on her feet in anticipation.
"If I told you, it wouldn't be a surprise."
"Yeah, okay." She grumbled, embracing him tightly before reluctantly letting go.
"Hey, I'll pick you up later okay?"
She nodded, following Jack and David out to the car. CJ watched them pull away from the curb through the kitchen window. He smiled to himself, quickly finishing the dishes and hurrying upstairs to get ready so that he could finishing planning the evening. He wanted it to be special for Jen and he knew just how do it.
To Be Continued...
Authors' Note: Just a quick thanks for all of you who have read and reviewed. Thank you so very much! We hope that you're enjoying this as much as we are!