After a few grueling days of physical therapy and speech therapist, Jennifer was allowed to return to Willow Pond on the condition that she return every few days to check her progress and that she would rest as much as possible and work on recovering her memory, she had basic cognitive function but no memory past the age of 17, she didn't even know that they lived in California or that she had traveled all over the world. And she had yet to be told of her father's passing , the doctors agreed that it was too soon and she had yet to be introduced to her kids, who although were excited for her arrival were also nervous because they'd become so depended on their daddy, that the idea of this stranger reappearing in their lives scared them..
But they did as their father told them to, put on their best clothes and wait for him to come home with her but not to immediately crowd her, to treat her as a new acquaintance which Aurora thought was stupid since she had given birth to them but what Daddy said, goes so she agreed and didn't even flinch when Emma attempted to take a hair brush through her long red hair, this usually ended in a broken hairbrush and the slamming of a bedroom.
The five of them gathered in front of the house with Mrs. Gish wearing the name tags that their father had also requested to which both Bailey and Aurora gave frustrated sighs at him. Jack and Chase had worked hard that morning on a sign for Jennifer, "WELCOME HOME, MOMMY!" in different colors.
When Jonathan and Jennifer pulled into the driveway and spotted the kids, Jennifer's stomach became knots, she was supposed to act like this was wonderful, returning to a place she couldn't remember, to people she wasn't sure she loved, Jonathan stopped the car just before the bridge because he could feel her anxiety
"Wow, the whole neighborhood came out," Jennifer commented
"Well those are the neighbors that live in our house," Jonathan smiled
"You have ..five kids right?" She struggled to remember what he'd told her earlier, he'd given her a photo album to go through but it was useless and she didn't want to study it like a text book
"We have five, Emma, Bailey, Jack, Aurora and Chase" Jonathan squeezed her hand
"Aurora…" She whispered, she remembered that name from somewhere in her soul but just couldn't place it
"I told them not to crowd you when you came home but I have feeling that's going to go out the window, just relax, you'll learn to love them all over again"
"And if I don't?" she asked not realize how deep her question cut
For once in his life, Jonathan didn't have an answer to that
The boys were jumping up and down excitedly waiting for their mother to emerge from the car while the girls hung back, they weren't sure what kind of reception they'd get from her based on the conversation they had with their father the previous night where he had warned them she would act a little funny but because the boys had been so excited about the idea of their mother waking up and finally coming home, he didn't want to deter from that with insecurities.
He continued up the driveway and stopped right before the carport, she took a deep breath and wondered if this was a mistake, if she should have asked him to her to the airport and home to briarwood where she could be taken care of by her Pa, where was he? He hadn't come to the hospital and she was sure if he knew she was awake, he'd have come immediately, He must have been in London doing some museum work and wasn't able to get away, and the first moment he could he would come to her.
She got out of the car slowly taking notice of the grounds, the beautiful flowers in the front yard , the large water fall in the further point of the yard cascading into the pond , below a tennis court next to basketball courts and a large pool. She couldn't help but notice all the toys in the yard, go carts bikes rollerblades baby doll carriages, it definitely looked kid oriented and overwhelming, could she ever really fit in their world? Could she really be a mother to five kids?
She took a deep breath and started to walk toward the kids, Jack couldn't take it anymore and broke free from his sisters and brother
"Mommy!" he cried running toward her and wrapped his around his arms around her waist "I missed you so much!"
"Uh hello," She wasn't sure if he was Chase or Jack and she didn't want to hurt his feelings by asking
"Hey Jackie, can you help Daddy by getting Mommy's suitcase out of the car," Jonathan said seeing her discomfort and knowing Jack was easily distracted
"Okay," he shrugged his shoulders and ran to the car
"Thank you," She whispered
"It's not him you have to worry about," He took her hand lead her across the yard to where 3 grim faced little girls stood and one excited boy was bouncing a ball…
"Well, guys, what we waiting for, let's get inside and get Mommy comfortable," he broke the silence after several minutes
The girls nodded while Chase took Jennifer's hand from his Daddy's and led her inside, She walked inside hoping to find something familiar but nothing, she felt so cold and alone.
"Here, Mommy sit down," Chase lead her to the couch and when she sat down, he hugged her neck tightly "I missed so much,"
"Thank you," She couldn't believe how the boys were so welcoming as if it were the most natural thing in the world
"Mommy, did you miss us," He asked his brown eyes searching for validation
She couldn't answer him because she wasn't sure, how could she miss someone she didn't know?
Jonathan saw the pain in her eyes and knew that her internal conflict was becoming worse and worse, he cleared his throat and told Chase that it was time to give his Mommy the tour of the house
"Come on Mommy!" He hopped off the couch and extended his hand to her
"Can we do the tour later, I'm kind of tired," She said and when his little face dropped, she felt like a horrible person
He walked into the kitchen silently, Bailey going after him, throwing her mother a look because she had hurt Bailey's baby brother, it didn't matter if she had been unconscious for five years or five minutes, she could have at least acted like she cared about them.
"Girls, how about we give your mom her present,"
"Why?" Aurora blurted out "She doesn't care about us,"
"Aurora Jennifer ," Jonathan warned her
Instead Aurora stomped up the stairs and into the room she shared with Chase
"Well, two out of five isn't bad, "He commented rolling his eyes
"I'm really tired," She said again
"Well then, I shall show to your throne room," he extended his arm to her , she took his arm and he took her up the stairs, they were nearly past their old bedroom at the top of the stairs when she stopped in front of the door
"What room is this?"
"Mine I mean our room," He watched her face, in hopes of recognition would come over her
"If this is our room, why are we going down the hall?," she asked
"I wasn't sure if you'd be comfortable in our bed with me,"
"The doctor said we'd have to stick to a routine and if we shared a bed routinely then that's what we should do,"
"Alright, " He opened the door and showed her around the bedroom, large queen sized bed in the center, chair in the corner, dresser directly in front of the bed on the opposite wall. He'd kept their room exactly as how she had left it. Her makeup mirror on the night table, paperbacks on the bottom shelf and her reading glasses propped up on the last book she'd been reading before the accident. He took her through the bedroom and into the closet, where he'd kept some of her favorite dresses and pajamas but had gotten rid a lot of her clothes, most of them were out of date and he knew that when she was recovered she would want to update her wardrobe.
Jonathan took her to the bathroom part of the bedroom, where the shower was, showed her where everything was and left her to take a shower so he could talk to the kids.
Jack was waiting for him out in the hallway with Jennifer's suitcase, he wasn't sure if he should go in but since Daddy was coming out, he figured he would just hand over the suitcase and go play.
"Thanks Buddy, where are your brother and Sisters?" Jonathan bent down to his level
"Emmy's room," he said nodding his head
"Come on," He walked to Emma's room to find the girls talking angrily "What's the meeting about, Ladies?"
"Nothing," they said in unison
"Come on, your mom has finally come home, why aren't you more excited?"
"Because she doesn't want to be here," Bailey pointed out, "She doesn't want to remember us,"
"It's only been one day, you have to give her more time and while that happens, we need to be supportive and help out Mommy okay," Jonathan said "Come on guys, we've been waiting for this for a really long time .."
"We'll be supportive, Daddy" Emma nodded and her sisters agreed
"That's my girls," He kissed their heads, wished them a good night and left
"We'll be supportive Daddy," Bailey mocked Emma, "God, your such a suck up"
Emma stuck out her tongue while Aurora threw a pillow at her
After checking on the boys, making sure Chase wasn't upset anymore, he told them he loved them and said It was late, they were exhausted and needed rest.
Tomorrow would be a beginning for all of them
Jonathan walked back into their bedroom to find Jennifer absently brushing her hair in her white night gown, the one she'd bought in France, he remembered the feeling of lace in his hands and how her skin felt against his, her smile and the way she leaned into him to kiss his neck, her hair falling in front of his face.
He took a deep breath and acknowledged his presence ," Hi Darling, have a good shower?"
"Fine, I guess,"
"Are you alright?"
"Why do you love me so much," She asked quietly
"Because your beautiful and smart, you're an amazing person and you make me a better person," he walked across the bathroom and kissed her head
"But how could you keep loving me for all those years? Didn't you feel like you were missing out on a wife that could give you anything more than I could have"
"No because I knew you'd come back to me and that we would have what we lost, we'd pick up from where we started," He answered her
"But didn't you want a mother for your kids?" She asked putting the brush down
"Our kids have a mother, they always have, You are their mother," He picked her up from the bench and kissed her lips
"Don't you find it odd to be kissing a total stranger who just happen to be wife,," She laughed, which was music to his ears
"You've never been a stranger," He kissed her harder
"Take me to bed," She said urgently in between kisses
"Are you sure,"
"Please,"
He picked her up and took her into their bed, to that familiar spot that she fit in perfectly and kissed her again …
"This is so strange," She laughed
"No this is feels perfect," He kissed her lips again," We've always fit together perfectly,"
"Oh Jonathan," She whispered, surprising herself and him
"You remembered my name?" He asked her
"I don't know where that came from, But please don't stop," She felt so good and his lips felt amazing on her skin, she knew he was intimidated and afraid he'd hurt her, but she had never felt such desire before and she never wanted him to stop..
The next morning, she woke up feeling like someone was watching her and when she opened her eyes, he was watching her , she immediately realized how nervous she was and excited to be with him, He made her feel like a Queen, something he must have done before this whole thing started
"Good Morning," She smiled
"Morning, did you sleep well,"
"Yes, very well," She reached over to kiss him again, she wanted him to make love to her again but he turned his body away
"I want to make love to you but I have a feeling we're about to be interrupted so you might want to put your gown on,"
She nodded, disappointed
She'd just slipped it over her head when she heard voices in the hallway and little footsteps bounding down the hall..
"Daddy!" two identical voices called
"Jack and Chase," Jonathan chuckled as he got off the bed and opened the door where the boys come bounding in and leaped onto their Mommy and Daddy's bed
"Mommy! Mommy!" They jumped up and down
"Hi Guys!" She had so much time to make up for and she wanted them to love her,especially since she felt terrible about hurting Chase yesterday
"Can we go to the zoo today? Please?" Chase begged
"You have to go to school," Jonathan reminded him which both boys groaned
"But Daddy!"
"Go get dressed,"
"I'll take the kids to school," Jennifer said suddenly
"Are you sure," Jonathan said over the squeals of glee
" Sure, The only problem is, I don't know where the school is," She blushed
"We'll go together, Mrs. Gish can get the girls to school and we'll take the boys, " Jonathan smiled, his identical to the boys, All three of them had the same dimples and a head full of dark hair, she could see a little bit of herself in them, especially in Chance's freckles and the shape of Jack's ears. Maybe this mothering thing wouldn't be so bad..
The girls however were a different story, they were a much tougher audience and she could understand their resistance to her, she'd lost her mother at a young age as well but she wasn't given an opportunity to redo things with her mother that the girls would be able to do with her now.
"Alright, Guys, go get dressed." She smiled and when Chase kissed her forehead, telling her how excited he was to show her off to his friends, she nearly cried.
The boys hopped off the bed and bounded into the hallway, Jonathan crawled back into their bed and kissed her.
"Hmm.. Don't start something you know we both can't finish," She smiled wiping his chin
"I know but I'm just so happy to have you home," he kissed her again
"DADDY!" Aurora yelled " I need you!"
"Duty calls," He smiled and rolled off the bed
Jennifer smiled and got herself dressed, she wasn't sure what she should wear so she put on a pair of Jeans and a tank top, it was already warm outside and she knew at some point she'd be running around with the boys
She was headed toward down the stairs toward the kitchen when she suddenly felt her chest close as she approached the landing, she wasn't sure why but it was like something was pushing down on her. Her breathing grew heavier and couldn't call for help.
"Mommy?" Bailey came out from her room and saw the fear across her mother's face ," Are you alright?" She ran down the stairs to Jennifer
Her eyes spoke volumes, that she needed Jonathan and she was afraid that her body was shutting down again
"DADDY!" Bailey screamed, Jonathan came running out of their bedroom and saw Jennifer on the stairs straining to breath
"Jennifer!" He called to her, "Look at me Baby, I need you to take a deep breath, you're having some sort of panic attack and I don't want to have to call an ambulance.." He took a deep breath in to show her and blew it out, he wanted to laugh it was like learning Lamaze all over again but she was sill breathing hard "Come on, One two three …Deep Breath in and Out .."
"Daddy?" Bailey looked on in fear
"It's okay, Kiddo, can you go down and get the pill bottle on the counter," He asked knowing that she was too young to be a witness to her mother's illness
"Sure, Daddy" Bailey climbed over Jennifer and went down to the kitchen
"Alright Let's get you off the floor, I think that might help your breathing," He helped her up, her breathing becoming less raspy
Bailey came back from the kitchen with a bottle of pills and a water bottle
"Thanks Baby, go eat Breakfast, I've got this," Jonathan took the pills from her, who stepped back into the kitchen without taking her eyes off her mother, would she ever get well? Or would this continue on?
Jennifer finally calmed down and took the tranquillers from Jonathan, putting them on the table, "I don't want to take those,"
"They might help,"
She shook her head and took one final deep breath, "I'm okay, I don't know what came over me though,"
Just then the front door burst open and a beautiful woman with long black hair wearing a black maxi dress and sleek heels came in
"Darling, are you ready?"
"Oh my god, Phoebe," Jonathan paled at the sight of his VP
"Who's Phoebe?" Jennifer said accusingly
"Who the Hell are you?" Phoebe shot back
"I'm his wife, and you are?" Jennifer stood up, "You know what, I don't even care.." She stomped up the stairs and into their bedroom
She felt so stupid, she'd actually believed his crap about loving her and he had a girlfriend the whole time. Her fury built up and she grabbed her travel bag, throwing in some clothes and the paperback off the table, she grabbed what looked like her purse, checking to make sure she had cash, she realized that she didn't have a current license or a valid credit card.
She took a deep breath and spotted Jonathan's car keys on the bedside table, grabbing them, she ran down the backstairs just as Jonathan was coming up the front stairs calling for her
Instead she stormed through the kitchen and into the garage where Bailey ran after her
"Mommy, where are you going?" She called
"Mom's going on a road trip for a bit, "Jennifer threw her bag in the backseat
"Can I come?" She asked
Jennifer was tempted to say no but she realized that this might be her chance to reconnect with Bailey so she quickly nodded and Bailey ran to the passenger's side and got in, they would have to stop for clothes for her later.
"Where are we going?" Bailey asked buckling her seatbelt
"To Maryland," Jennifer said backing out of the driveway just as Jonathan ran to the front of the house, not understanding the situation, Bailey waved goodbye to him
Behind him, Phoebe watched him and spoke angrily
"Tell me what that was about,"
"We really need to talk," He said quietly taking her back into the house