A Perfect Summer

By:  Jamie Sommers


Email:  jamiesommers23@hotmail.com

Rated:  PG 13

Synopsis:  Chapter 6 in the ongoing saga of Landon and Jamie's summer together as husband and wife.

Chapter 6:  Once Upon A Time

He sat there and watched her as she slept peacefully.  It had been five days since they had their friends and family over for lunch.  Five days since Sam left his semi-permanent residency. Five days since Jamie's doctor started her on medications for pain management and to help increase her production of red blood cells.  Five days since she had been able to sleep without pain, without a burning heat radiating through her limbs--a tingling in her legs and feet.  Five days since she had eaten more than just a few bites of her food.  Five days since she had been able to walk on her own.  Five days since she had left their bed and in those five days Landon felt his world slowly begin to crumble. 

The pain medications that the doctor had prescribed to begin with didn't work and only caused Jamie to shake and vomit.  They had tried adjusting the dosages, but it just didn't seem to be the right medication for her.  They had started using Tylenol #3 a few days earlier and it seemed to be working, the only problem was that she slept constantly and when she wasn't sleeping she was nauseous and dizzy. 

Landon preferred the constant sleeping to the not sleeping at all.  He had spent the last week holding her night and day, rocking her when she would wake up trembling in pain, rubbing her sore muscles, giving her sponge baths, spoon feeding her bland soups and clear liquids.  He watched as the pounds melted off of her already thin frame.  Her breathing was getting more and more difficult and her skin more and more pale.  The doctor assured Landon that once they found the correct dosage of the proper medication, she would eventually adjust to the side effects and be able to start doing things on her own again, but until then, Landon had to watch her slowly wither away.  

If it's this bad now, he thought, what the hell will it be like at the end?  How will you deal with this when she gets closer to… Don't think about it Landon, he told himself, just don't think about it.  You'll find a way to make it through.  She need's you to be strong.  He started making a mental list of things to do, things to prepare for.  I'll have to make a record of her medications--keep track of what she's taking, when she taking it, side effects.  What medications don't work for her.  Allergies… the beeping of the alarm brought him out of his stupor.  He jumped up and reset it before it scared Jamie, then he got a fresh glass of water and started preparing her next dosage of medication. 

He counted out the pills:  two for the pain, one to increase red blood cell production, one for nausea, one for the tingling in her extremities, two for the white blood cell production…by the time he finished counting there were 10 pills in all.  The next time the alarm went off she would only have to take 6, but after that she would be back up to 10 again.  No wonder she couldn't stomach any food, he thought.

"Jamie," he whispered as he sat on the bed's edge.  "Jamie, I need you to wake up baby.  It's time to take your meds."  He ran his hand down the side of her arm and gently shook her.  "Baby, it's time to take your pills."

Her eyelids fluttered open.  She tried to get her thoughts about her but they were just too fuzzy.  Landon was saying something to her; he was helping her sit up.  Mmmmm Landon, she thought, I don't want to wake up.  She tried to move her lips, to tell him that she wasn't hungry--she didn't want whatever it was he was giving her--but all she could manage was a faint whisper, "not hungry…so tired."

"I know baby.  I know," he said as he placed a couple of pills on the tip of her tongue and made her sip some water.  "Just swallow these and then you can go back to sleep."  He gave her a few more sips of water then made her eat a few saltines before giving her the remainder of her medication. 

Jamie was gradually becoming aware of her surroundings.  She was chewing on a cracker when she looked at Landon and said, "You look horrible."

"Gee.  Thanks," he chuckled.  "Nice to see you too."  He grabbed her hand and lifted it to his lips placing a soft kiss against her fingers.  "Hi."

"Hi," she smiled.  "What time is it?"

"Around one or so."

She looked at the darkness through the French doors and asked in disbelief, "in the morning?"

"Uh huh."

"Mmmmm.  What're you still doing up?"

"Watching you sleep," he confessed with a crooked grin.

"Sounds exciting." 

"Oh…very.  About a half an hour ago, you rolled over from one side to the other…it had me on the edge of my seat," he laughed quietly.

"Why didn't you come to bed with me?"

"I wasn't tired."

"Hmmm," she gave him a gentle nod and asked, "then why do you look so…"

"Horrible?" he finished for her.

She smiled up at him and said 'yes' with her eyes.

"Well…I guess I haven't really gotten much sleep lately.  It's been kind of hard for me to relax, ya know?"

"So why not lie down with me now?"

He looked at her, unsure of whether or not he should. 

"Come on," she urged.  "I'll help you relax and you'll be asleep before you know it."

He continued to look doubtfully at her as she patted the empty spot on the bed to her right.

She watched him as he finally conceded to come to bed with her.  He removed his clothes and put on his pajama bottoms, then climbed hesitantly into bed next to her.  The moment he got in a comfortable position, she placed herself in the crook of his arm and put her head on his bare chest.  She listened to the rapid beating of his heart, felt the tension in his arms and knew he was worried about falling asleep. 

"Landon.  Relax."

"I'm trying to, but…" He trailed off thinking about her next dosage of medication--it was in less than four hours.

"But what?"

"I'm just worried.  I don't want to miss your next dosage and what if my tossing and turning keeps you awake?  I just," he looked down at her soft features, " You need your rest.  It's been a tough week for you."

"For you too."

"Nah.  It's been all right."

"Landon," she glanced up at him with raised eyebrows, daring him to tell her that nothing that had happened in the past few days fazed him.

"Okay…it's been a little nerve wracking," he confessed, "but I think I've been holding up pretty well.  Don't you?"

"You've been doing a great job…I think," she looked ashamedly down, "I can't really remember much of what's happened."

"Yeah…I suppose that's a side effect from the first prescription.  You didn't handle that one too well, but I think this one should be okay.  At least I hope it's okay.  You seem to be doing all right with it--you're sleeping better anyway.  That first prescription--Perceset--really made you sick.  It took away your pain but replaced it with…" He looked down into her smiling eyes and said, "I'm not really relaxing am I?"

She shook her head against his chest and said, "Nope."

"I'm sorry, baby.  I've had a lot on my mind lately."

"Well why don't you let me help you take your mind off of things for a while."

"Okay," he agreed.  "How're ya gonna do that?"

"Hmmmm," she thought for a minute.  "I know.  I can tell you about us."

"Us?"  He gave her a questionable stare, "What'd ya mean, us?"

"You know…our future."

He looked down at her trying to understand what she was saying.  Was she talking about her funeral again?  How was that supposed to take his mind off of this past week?

"We'll still be living here--I love my house--and we'll have our family and friends over every Sunday after church for lunch.  And somehow…we'll have to get Eric to give us custody of Sam."  She looked up into his confused face and continued, "How many kids do you think we'll have?  I'm thinking two…a boy and a girl, but not till we're done with school.  I think it'll be too hard to manage both college and children, don't you?" 

He was starting to get the hang of this little game now.  "Definitely.  We wouldn't want Tommy and Alicia to feel neglected."

"Tommy and Alicia?"

"Our kids."

"Oh," she smiled at the thought of naming their two unborn children after the characters they portrayed in the school play.

"When do you think we should have them?"

"Probably, after I graduate from medical school."

"With honors."

"But of course."

"Is that before or after I join the peace core for a year?"

"After.  Don't you remember?  We joined the peace core right after high school."

"Oh, that's right.  You were so nervous about getting your malaria shots."

"Hey.  Can ya blame a guy?  Did you see the size of those needles?"  They both laughed at the make believe memory, wishing it were true.

"Do you remember our first Christmas?" She asked.

"How could I forget?" He said softly, "I remember you waking me up on Christmas morning.  You were so excited about the presents under the tree that you couldn't wait till we got home from church to open them up so you woke me up while it was still dark outside."  His hands began stroking her arms, as his lips got lost in her hair.  He kissed her head lightly and whispered, "It was the best Christmas of my life."

"Mine too," she sighed.  "I wish we didn't miss the Fourth of July celebration this last week." She was starting to let reality intrude, "Oh, Landon.  I'd give anything to spend one Christmas with you." She looked up at him and asked, "Did you know that Christmas is my favorite holiday?"

"Yeah," he figured that.  He wasn't quite ready to let reality rear it's ugly head yet, so he continued with the fantasy. "But I know what other holiday you like."

"Oh, yeah?  Which one?" she smiled as she laid her head against his chest again.

"Halloween."  He smiled thinking about the year he was in the 6th grade and Eric had dared him to ring Reverend Sullivan's doorbell.  Jamie had been sitting on the porch and she had asked him if trick or treating was fun.  Landon realized that Jamie had never gone and when she went back into her house he had left his full bag of candy on her porch for her to find in the morning.  He had told Eric that Reverend Sullivan took his bag of candy as punishment for playing a prank on him.  "You love getting dressed up every year and taking the kids trick or treating."

"So what if I do?"

He chuckled at her, "I just think it's…cute."

"Cute?"

"Uh huh.   Especially when you dress up in your butterfly costume.  That's my favorite costume."

"Well it matches my tattoo."  They both laughed softly.  "Landon?"

"Hmmm?"

"Thank you."

"For what?"

"For taking care of me."  She could feel her medications start to affect her.  She was getting light headed and her thoughts were starting to become fuzzy again.  "For loving me."  She said softly as she closed her eyes and let sleep claim her.

Landon lied with her in his arms for a few minutes before reaching for the phone.  "Mom?" he said quietly.  "Sorry for calling so late, but…could you do me a favor?"

Landon was standing at the sink washing the dishes that had built up over the past few days, when he felt two frail arms encircle his waist.  He closed his eyes when he felt her lay her head between his shoulder blades and said her name as if a benediction, "Jamie."

"Good morning.  Where you going to wake me?"

He dried his hands the towel that was slung over his shoulder and turned to hold her in his arms.  "I wasn't sure if I should.  How are you feeling?"

"Pretty good.  I was thinking…I'd like to go to church tomorrow?"

"Are you sure you're up to it?  Your father would understand…"

"I feel up to it.  And I really miss my dad.  I'm not sure if I can get ready on my own though."

"Well, I think I can help you out with that."  Landon leaned in for a good morning kiss when a thought dawned on him, "Hey.  You walked down the stairs by yourself."

"I know," she smiled.  "It didn't hurt to stand up today."

"I think we may have found the right medication.  How's the nausea?"

"Well…I'm hungry, so I guess it's doing all right."

"Here sit down," he pulled out a stool from under the counter.  "I'll make you something to eat." 

Landon watched as Jamie ate and they made plans to go to her father's house.  "If we go today, we can spend the night there and then go to church together in the morning."

"Oh, Landon.  Are you sure you don't mind?"

He could see the excitement in her face.  She needed to get out of this house for a while, she needed a change of pace, and more than that, she needed to feel like she was still alive.  "Yeah.  As long as your dad doesn't mind."

"He won't mind. I know he won't.  I'll call him right now."

They had a great day at Reverend Sullivan's and met up with Landon's mother at church the next morning.  They had turned down several invitations for lunch afterwards opting to go straight home.  Jamie was tired and all this walking was starting to take a toll on her.

Landon pulled the car up to the front of their house and shut off the engine.  Placing his hand on Jamie's arm he said, "Wait there."  He walked around the side of the car and helped her out.  Scooping her up in his arms he carried her to their front door and tried to control his excitement.  His heart was pounding, his palms were sweating--he wanted her to enjoy this, to just forget about everything and enjoy their life together.  He put her down on her feet, turned the key and pushed the door slowly open.

Jamie felt her heart jump the second she looked inside.  There was a fully decorated Christmas tree standing in the corner of their living room with presents underneath it and colorful lights blinking, stockings were hanging above their fireplace. On the walls were giant red hearts with white lace trim, plastic Easter eggs were in a basket in the middle of their coffee table, a giant green shamrock was on one side of the sliding glass door, a decal of an American flag was on the other, a big plastic jack-o-lantern was sitting in another corner of their living room accompanied by a brown bag overflowing with candy.  On the kitchen counter was the top tier of their wedding cake that Landon's mother had put in her freezer the day they got married; next to it was a card that said "happy anniversary." 

He stood in their vestibule waiting--watching her face light up, her eyes gleam.

"Oh, Landon," Jamie's hands came up over he mouth in disbelief as she walked through her festive living room.  "I can't believe…when?"  Tears of joy escaped from the corners of her eyes.

"My mom did it for me while we were at your dad's last night."  He threw his keys onto the little table next to the doorway and walked over to her.  "The other night you said that you wished we could have one Christmas together and I thought, why stop there."  He watched her as she touched the ornaments and said to her back, "Did I over do it?"

"NO!" she turned quickly to face him, "No…it's…perfect."  She walked into his arms clinging to his back she began to let her tears flow, "I never thought that I'd…" she choked.

"Shhhh," he whispered into her ear, "Don't cry baby.  Please don't cry."

She held onto him for what seemed like an eternity then said, "Are those presents real?"

He pulled back and looked into her smiling eyes, "I don't know.  Let's check it out." 

They both got down on their knees and started digging through the boxes that were placed under the tree.  Some of them were wrapped in Christmas paper, some in birthday paper, some in anniversary paper and all of them had either Jamie's or Landon's name on it. 

"So, which do you want to open first?" He asked.

"Hmmmm.  I don't know.  You choose."

" 'kay," he picked up a birthday present and handed it to her and said, "Happy Birthday Jamie!"

They spent hours talking, laughing.  Hiding Easter eggs.  Opening presents from not only Landon's mom but his father and Jamie's father too.  They were all pretty traditional gifts--not that they'd have any reason to use a gravy boat, but the fact that they got one made them both giddy with delight. 

They spread out a blanket in the middle of the living room and had a picnic of cold fried chicken, potato salad and iced tea.

She lifted her glass in a toast.  With a mouthful of food she said, "Happy Fourth of July."

He lifted his as well and said, "Happy Fourth," he hesitated for a moment and said, "I just wish I could've arranged for some fireworks."

"Oh don't worry," she swallowed a sip of her tea, "I've got that covered."

"Oh really?"

"Uh huh, but you've got to wait till nighttime."

They cut their cake and kissed each other over the kitchen counter.

"Happy Anniversary, Jamie."

"Happy Anniversary, Landon."

It was starting to get dark outside and they decided to shut the lights off so they could appreciate all the twinkle lights that were strewed around their living room and across the Christmas tree.  Landon turned up the air conditioner until their living room felt like the North Pole, and then he built a fire in the fireplace. 

Jamie lay flat on her back in front of it--feeling the warmth--Landon laid on his side gazing down at her.  It was getting late--the day was almost over.

Their fingers began to slowly entwine, their eyes were locked in a passionate stare, filled with love and devotion.  Their noses rubbed gently from side to side as they breathed each other in. 

He saw the reflection of the fire flicker in her eyes.  Her skin was glowing, her velvety soft hair shimmering.  His open lips brushed gently against hers as he threaded his fingers through the hair at her temples, cradling her face in his palms.  Their lips continued rubbing timidly back and forth across each other, no heavier than that of a gentle summer breeze--their eyes never closing.  They were so close now that Landon's head blocked the reflection of the fireplace from her upturned face.  He felt her flick her tongue against the corner of his mouth as though she were taking a taste and his breath caught.  Shivers rode outward from every pore of his body.  Behind them the clocked quietly chimed the new hour.

Jamie raised her free hand to brush his cheek with her fingertips, "Happy New Year, Landon," she sighed against his lips.

"Happy New Year, Jamie," he said chokily.  His lips poised, his heart pounding in his ears.

Her fingers curled into the hair at the nape of his neck as she melted into his kiss.  Minutes later she pulled away.  Her words were soft, breathy and made the hair on his arms stand, "Mmmmm…Fireworks."

Coming Soon

Chapter 7:  Walking On Sunshine