Jess looked over at Becker worriedly when Lester called them into his office a couple days later.
They entered, Becker closing the door and leaning against the wall, Jess taking a seat across from Lester's desk.
"I do normally try not to get involved in my employee's personal lives, but you two have been acting…distant since your little unexplained expedition to America, and I need to make sure that isn't going to effect your job performance."
Jess tensed slightly, only relaxing when Becker came up behind her and squeezed her shoulders. She felt some of the tension drain from her body under his touch.
"Sir, I should have explained this all to you sooner, when Becker and I went to America it was because my sister-in-law had been killed in a car accident, my brother isn't in a state to care for his daughter, who is partially paralyzed, and she's in my and Becker's care now, but Lester that won't effect my or Becker's ability to do this job." she told him.
"And you didn't feel the need to inform me of this, why?" Lester drawled.
"Honestly sir, we didn't think you'd care." Becker stated bluntly.
"Well I wouldn't but your healthcare forms and such will have to be updated now that you've adopted her and all."
"Not adopted, not legally anyways," Jess explained.
"Well that's…problematic, if she's in your care permanently, legally you need to adopt her, and I can't get her on your health care policy if you don't."
"Right, I just don't want to do anything to upset her right now." Jess said quietly.
"Yes, well just keep it in mind and let me know what you're doing when you decide."
Becker
Becker sat in his office filling out reports, it had been two hours since the meeting with Lester, a meeting which had got him thinking a lot.
Truthfully, since they'd taken Elise in, he'd been doing a lot of thinking. Watching Jess with Elise, having Elise in the house, had made him realize just how much he wanted a family.
He stood up and headed to the guard post, "Johnson, I'm going out for awhile, if anything comes up, call my mobile."
By the time he got to his truck, he was already questioning his decision. Well, not really his decision, more like if it was the right time, he knew he wanted this more than anything.
He pulled up in front of the small strip mall downtown, here goes nothing, he thought wryly, walking towards the building. He entered the end store and was immediately greeted by an overly eager saleslady.
"How can I help you sir?" she asked crossing the small store towards him, a wide smile pasted to her lips, as she glanced him up and down.
He had to stifle the urge to roll his eyes, "I'm looking for an engagement ring," he said.
The woman's smile faltered slightly, "Of course, right this way," she said leading him over to a case, "Any idea what you're looking for, diamond shape? Band color?"
"Not really, something incredibly unique, like Jess." he said, scanning the cases.
The salesladies idea of unique and his, it turned out, differed greatly, she showed him nothing that even remotely fit his idea of unique. She finally produced a large tray of rings from under the counter, instead of just showing them to him one by one. His eye immediately fell on one that was definitely unique and he felt expensive, but it didn't matter it was perfect.
He pulled the platinum band out of the tray, it was inlaid with diamonds and the top opened up in layers like leaves to reveal a single round diamond.
"This one," he said, not even bothering with the price and pulling out a credit card.
He would manage that later, right now the only thing he cared about was making that night perfect. As he left the store he slipped the box in his jacket pocket, where it would stay until that night, when he asked her to spend forever with him.
Jessica Parker made his life worth living.
