"Izzy," Clary said. "Do you know where Alec is?"
Izzy looked up from her phone, stroking her nephew's hair. "No, I haven't. Last I saw him he went to Jace's room," she said nodding towards the door that lead to Jace's room, opposite to where Izzy sat.
"Thanks," Clary said, giving a small smile. Izzy's great with Max, Clary thought, smiling internally, she'll be great with Jace's and I's child. She rubbed her flat stomach, excitement, and warmth spreading through her chest quickly, her heart jumping inside her ribcage.
She walked to Jace's room and she saw Alec sitting on a seat, talking on the phone. Clary remained silent, allowing him to finish his conversation. It was almost impossible for her to keep quiet - she needed to rant. She would have preferred Jace, but that wasn't an option currently.
Alec looked up and gave a small smile. He ended the call, raising an eyebrow at her. "Hey," he said. "What's up?"
"My dad is alive." She blurted it out, not being able to hold it in. "And - and my mom is . . ."
Clary saw how Alec tensed at 'my dad is alive.' She didn't know why, but he seemed to care. "What's your father's name?" He asked her, suddenly sitting up and grabbing hold of her by the shoulders. He had a hard gaze as he looked down at her, chilling Clary. She had no idea why Alec wanted to know her father's name.
"Valentine Morgenstern. Why?" Clary asked, sitting on a chair slowly, but with much worry.
"He's alive?" Alec breathed. Relief seemed to wash over him. "It makes so much sense now."
"Your mother," Alec started, but Clary knew it all. She knew what he was going to say. "She - "
"I know." She cut him off. "My mother is hiding my father. And my mother - s-she is the reason for Jace's sexual abuse." It was still a shock to her that her own mother would do that to a child. That her own mother - the person who raised her - had done that.
Alec's eyes widened and his face paled. "Your mother?"
Clary nodded. "Why does it matter?"
"You mother did it. He is alive. And your mother - she was it along. Under our noses."
"What are you talking about?" Clary asked, getting annoyed.
"We knew he was alive - or where ninety-nine percent sure - and we have been looking for him," Alec explained.
"And I didn't know about it?" Clary tried to remain calm but was failing.
"Jace . . . he didn't want you to know . . ." He looked down at the floor, looking ashamed. Clary's annoyance grew to anger. She placed her hand on her still flat stomach, trying to soothe herself.
She gave a tight-lipped smile. "Why? Why would he hide that? Did he not trust me?" Anger turned to hurt.
"Clary, I don't know why he wouldn't tell you. He said he never wanted to,"
And Clary didn't know if it was hormones or not, but tears started to pool in her eyes and dribble down her cheeks, "Why didn't he trust me?" Clary asked. Alec didn't answer, knowing it was rhetorical. "I mean, my marriage is failing," she sobbed, "my husband doesn't trust me," another sob, "he cheats - "
"Jace cheated?" Alec was shocked. Never would he have ever thought that Jace would have been unfaithful!
She nodded, wiping her tears. "And I find out from the other woman that it was my own mother! Why didn't he tell me?" She yelled.
Alec didn't know what to say - couldn't say anything, for that matter - so he got up and sat next to her, on the very edge of the chair, where he was very likely to fall off, and wrapped his arms around, comforting her in the only way he could think of. Of course, there was the issue with Jocelyn working with Valentine, and everything she did, but, Alec decided, he would deal with them after she cries on his shoulder.
"Valentine," Jocelyn whispered over the phone, her voice harsh and not betraying any of the panic and worry that she was feeling on the inside. "Clary knows!"
When she didn't hear anything on his side, her panic increased, wondering if he had been arrested. But she had quickly dismissed it. They still didn't know their location, and besides, they don't work that fast, Jocelyn reasoned.
"Jocelyn," Valentine said slowly. "I know you won't like it, but . . . "
"What?" She snapped, not liking the secrecy in such a dire situation.
"Anyone who knows must be . . . killed. Even Clary . . . " Jocelyn heard him swallow.
"No," Jocelyn screeched. "I will not lose another child!" Tears prickled her eyes and her chest hurt at the thought of her young son being buried in the ground . . . it ripped through her, almost making it impossible for her to conceal her gasp of agony.
"Jocelyn -, " he started, but she stopped him.
"I know, I know. But I can't. We have to convince her," she begged. Rivulets of tears were traveling slowly down her face.
"How do you expect that? The heart wasn't your's, it was anonymous, which means it's healthy," Valentine reminded his wife.
She sighed, knowing he was right. Any thought of Clary joining them had died when Clary found out the truth. Even if Jace died, which was still something Jocelyn was very keen on doing, Clary would never forgive her for two reasons:
1) She killed her husband.
2) She caused her husband to be sexually abused.
"I'm killing Jace. He . . . I have sympathy for him, but he stole my daughter and ruined her, and he survived the abuse!"
"I know you want to kill him, I do, but is it the right thing? Can't we just flee? They'll catch us anyway," Valentine knew this was over. It was over the moment Clary found out. Clary had probably already told one of her detective friends. Valentine knew the best thing to do was to kill Clary, Jace, and Alec - maybe not Alec, if he loved his husband enough.
"I know, it's the best option, but I can't. Knowing he is alive, I can't . . . he broke Clary's heart," Jocelyn had to do it. It wasn't fair that he got away with it all and she would run away.
Clary was sitting in a chair in the Waiting Room, her leg bouncing up and down and she fiddled with her fingers in anticipation. Not knowing drove her crazy! There were so many things that could go wrong, Clary knew, she had seen all those bad outcomes herself.
She also couldn't help but have the desire to do Jace's surgery. She hadn't had done surgery in weeks, and it drove her crazy. Some people got restless and horny for sex, but Clary got horny for surgery. Surgery left her exhausted and 'high' most nights, causing her to refuse sex. And Jace was fine with the fact that she wasn't in the mood some nights (sometimes he wasn't in the mood. Sometimes his past was too much for him to handle and he couldn't handle her touch him). But when she wasn't in the mood for several days, and sometimes weeks, it had caused problems between them. It wasn't that Jace suspected that she cheated, the affair only being accused once throughout their whole marriage, but he got frustrated and insecure with himself.
At the thought of doing surgery, she felt a pang of guilt. She shouldn't want to perform surgery, or even be thinking of it. She should be thinking of her husband, their happy moments, which, now that she thought about it, had become scarce in the past few months. The realization hit her like a train.
It wasn't just the phone number that had made him so adamant on the idea she was having an affair, but the fact that she didn't spend any time with him.
She was so deep into her guilt and revelations that she didn't even notice a doctor - another friend of Clary's - walk up to her, a small smile on their lips. Gulping, Clary looked up at the women, scared to hear the news that it hadn't worked, that he rejected.
"It was long and difficult, but we're closing up now and he seems to be taking in the new heart. But we won't know anything certain until he wakes up," the doctor said.
Clary let out a breath of relief, which she certainly knew she was holding - scared that if she took a breath, Jace would lose his last one. "Oh, thank God!" She got up and hugged her friend. "Thank you, thank you, so much!"
"Of course," she chuckled.
Clary had tears in her eyes. Everything's going to be okay, Clary thought, the warmth that the thought of hope gave her spread through her body. We'll be okay. We can get past this. She had to tell everyone - Tessa, Mayrse, Robert, Alec, Will, Izzy, and Simon.
The first thing Jace felt when he woke up was the feeling of something on his arm, cutting his circulation to his hand short, and two, that he couldn't open his eyes. So you could say he wasn't completely woken up, but the anesthesia was wearing off at least. He could hear the beeping of the machine on his right and the sound of a door - his door - opening.
Then he heard the sound of a yawn, and the thing that was on his arm was gone, and with it, his inability to feel his hands. That's when he realized that the thing that was on his arm, wasn't a thing but a person - his wife, the realization slapped him on the forehead. Wow, Jace thought, anesthesia sure make ya' stupid.
"Good morning, Dr. Fray," the nurse - Jace guessed it was a nurse - said. He could practically hear the bright fake smile in her voice. "Just here to do vitals."
He felt something press down on his middle finger, and then the sound of a pen on a paper. After a pause, the nurse said, "Everything's looking good. I'm sure that you're keeping track of his vitals, just tell us if anything concerns you." She then walked out, he figured, for he had heard the sound of a door opening and closing.
Once the nurse was out, he felt the touch of one of the only people he would ever feel comfortable of being touched by - Clary. She placed her hands on his cheeks, stroking his cheekbones with her thumb. "I love you, Jace," she said as her thumb ran over his lips. Jace felt the warm tickle that ran through him when she touched him. "And when you wake up and better, we will fix this marriage because I love you. I am so, so sorry."
Jace wanted to wake up right then and there so badly for he could tell her that he loved her as well and that it wasn't her fault. He wanted to tell her the truth - that Jocelyn, her mother, was at fault. He had no doubt that Clary would be furious for not telling her, but then she would be revolted with her mother.
She kissed his head. "I don't know why you didn't trust me enough to tell me that my mother did this to you. Why didn't you tell me, Jace? Why didn't you tell me about my father?" Jace could feel the tears that ran down her face for they had landed on his face. He'll admit that he was mildly disgusted.
"Sorry!" She said, realizing that his forehead was wet with her tears. She took the bottom of her long sleeve and wiped his forehead with it. All Jace wanted to do was wake up so he could explain it to her. Explain that - she was right - that he didn't trust that she would stay with him after him revealing the truth about her mother. That he didn't want to ruin anything.
He would have understood. If someone told them that they hated his mother and was the reason for their trauma and that she was an evil bitch (as Jace always thought of Jocelyn as) then he wouldn't want to see them again, to look at them, and sure as hell wouldn't believe them.
After a few minutes of trying to pry his eyes open, he succeeded. At first, it was all a blurry faze, everything blurred together, and his eyes drooped constantly. But once his eyesight cleared, he willed his surprisingly heavy arms. The slight movement had woken Clary up, who had fallen back asleep with her head mattress.
"Jace?" she asked groggily, lifting her head to look at him. He turned to look at her, giving a peaceful grin. "Clary," he croaked out, his voice cracked and unable to make a sound because of the breathing tube down his throat.
"Don't try to talk." She said, pressing a button that signaled for a nurse to come in and take the tube out - he obviously didn't need it. "You have a breathing tube down your throat, but a nurse is going to come in and take it out, seeing as you are able to talk."
He nodded, smiling at her. She reciprocated the smile, guiding his hand to her still flat stomach. Jace was so happy that his Clary was pregnant with Clary. Soon, he thought, I'll meet my child, and Clary and I will be happy.
"Feeling okay? Your chest super sore?" She asked. The worry was apparent in her voice. He shook his head. "Good. Good. It means your body isn't rejecting the new organ. It mean's your going to be okay," she ran her fingers through his hair. "It means we'll be okay."
A nurse came in asking what the matter was. Clary told her that Jace was breathing over the tube and no longer needed the machine. The woman smiled brightly, telling her, "This is great news! A fast recovery."
The nurse came over, and in a few minutes and two cups of water, Jace was talking clearly. "Clary," he said taking her hands and kissing her wrists. "I am so sorry. I didn't trust you, and in the end, it's all my fault."
"Jace," she murmured. "I know everything that my mother did. That my father is alive, and that you were on the case. I know. So, why not tell me?"
"I didn't trust you. I was sure you wouldn't believe, or worse, leave me." He finally admitted, looking down, ashamed with his declaration.
"Jace, you need to have faith in my love for you. I would have believed you," she looked at him in the eyes, but then quickly looked away, not wanting him to see the doubt in her eyes. "At least I'm pretty sure I would have."
"I know. I get it if you didn't believe me. I wouldn't have believed myself," he chuckled.
"I love you," she whispered, kissing him softly on the lips.
"I want you so much," Jace whispered, pulling away slightly to look her in the eyes.
She grinned, raising an eyebrow. "No sex, sorry. Besides, I bet it's too painful to move, let alone have sex," she laughed.
He groaned, throwing his head back. But he knew she was right. His whole body felt weak with a physical exhaustion that he hadn't felt in years. His body, sore to the core.
"I'm going to go tell Alec that you're awake. I'm sure you guys have to talk about regarding your case . . . "
She turned to walk out the door but he called out, "Hey, Clary." She turned to look at him, smiling. "How did you find out that Jocelyn . . . caused it all?"
"I had a little heart-to-heart with Kaelie," was all she said. He had been rendered speechless and shocked. He couldn't believe that Clary had a civil conversation with the woman he had cheated with!
When Clary found Alec, she hugged him tightly, smiling into his chest. "He's awake!" She screamed, which was thankfully muffled by his t-shirt.
"Really? That's fantastic!" Clary looked up at him and she was able to see the smile on his face.
"You better go see him." She patted her stomach. "I'm going to go eat. The cravings are kicking in, sadly." He nodded, smiling again.
They both started walking, both going the opposite direction until Alec paused and turned around. "Have you seen Magnus?"
Clary turned his way, a puzzled expression on her face. "No. Have you tried calling him?"
Alec glared at her, but it was lighthearted. "No!" He put his arms on his hips and mock shock, he said, "I hadn't thought of that!"
She rolled her eyes, grinning. "Fine, that was a stupid suggestion, but he's probably just wandering around, giving life advice, as Magnus tends to do,"
Alec laughed, he couldn't have agreed more! "Your right," he nodded, chuckling. "I'll go see Jace, now."
He turned around to walk towards Jace's room, but stopped again, "Hey, Max is still with Izzy, right?" He looked worried and a little panicked.
"Yes. She's sitting their, letting him sleep. It's adorable," she gushed, her hand coming up to her mouth to cover the smile on her face at how cute it had been.
"Thanks, wouldn't want to have lost him like I had done with Magnus," he said walking to Jace, finally not asking her another question.
"So," Alec asked, pulling up a chair beside Jace's bed. "How are you feeling?"
"Honestly?" Jace asked, looking down shyly. He sighed, wincing slightly at the pain. "I feel like utter shit." He coughed.
Alec gave a sympathetic smile. "Don't worry about me. Clary is always worried, it is not good for the baby," Jace didn't know why, but it felt awkward to mention his baby. He didn't know why, he just didn't want to talk it about it, whatsoever.
"How you dealin' with that? Knowing you're going to be a father? Meeting this child, raising this child?" He rose an eyebrow at the smiling blonde.
"I am so excited that I'm going to be a father, but thinking how . . . a parent could be manipulated into doing what, well, what my father . . . did to me." He closed his eyes as the memories flashed before his eyes. "It's sickening, and I'm scared that - "
"Stop." Alec held up a hand, shaking his head, his eyes closed. "You will never do that. Jocelyn, Valentine, and your father were sick people, and you aren't."
"But - " Jace tried but Alec stopped him, gently placing his hand over his mouth.
"Let's stop talking about this. Let's talk about the fact that we have the case cracked." Jace nodded, smiling. "Let's also talk about the fact that you withheld very important information from the government for years."
Jace's face paled. "You wouldn't - "
"Of course I wouldn't tell anyone. Clary's our witness." Jace breathed a sigh of relief. "So, you are going to tell us where Jocelyn lives, because Valentine and Jocelyn live with her. So, you tell us and I'll get a warrant." Alec pulled out his phone, opening notes, typing in the address.
After getting the warrant, Alec and four others had knocked on the front door of the house. When no one entered, Alec spoke loudly, "I'm Alexander Lightwood, from The NYPD, and we have a warrant giving us permission to search and arrest anyone residing in this residence." When no one answered the second time, he turned the door's knob, hoping it was open - it was.
Alec motioned the rest of them silently. They took out the guns, but they were still locked. They searched the house, but no one was in any of the rooms. But it was obvious someone lived here. More specifically, it was evident that Valentine and Jocelyn lived here; pictures of Valentine and Jocelyn were hung up. Paintings signed by Jocelyn Fray were hung on the walls. Alec found himself smiling - so she was able to love, Alec concluded.
Alec had spotted a door at the end of the dimly-lit hallway. Alec knew they had to be in there. The residence was a mansion, with many rooms and places to hide.
Opening the door, Alec took gentle steps down the stairs. What he found was shocking. It was big. A mini layer, you could say. There was furniture decorating the room. Rugs covering the floor. There were a fireplace and a bar in the corner. Candles everywhere, as well as lamps. It was very cozy, Alec had to admit.
"I knew you would come," came a voice from the corner. He stepped out of the shadow, and only then did all four men realize that that was Valentine Morgenstern. "I knew you would come to arrest me."
"Where is Jocelyn Fray?" He shouted. He smirked, eyes twinkling.
"Where do you think?" He said. "Completing the one thing she always wanted; Jace's death."
Panic flared in his chest, but he quickly let it be overpowered with anger. "Hands in the air or I'll shoot," Alec yelled. The three other men aimed their guns towards him.
"I don't think you'll shoot me, because if you do, you'll be a widow," he chuckled.
"Wha - " Alec still had his gun out but was confused. Then, Alec had snapped his fingers and two men came out. One Alec had recognized immediately as his husband. The second he had no idea who he was. All he knew was that he was holding his arms behind his back, tied, and his other arm had a gun to his head.
Valentine looked at the man, raising an eyebrow. "Any of them shoots and you shoot him, isn't that right?" He asked the man. The man smiled sadistically, nodding his head.
"So, who will it be?" Valentine asked, cocking his head to the side. A smirk played on his lips.
Alec's hands shook as he aimed at Valentine. He glanced at Magnus, who was looking at him with an encouraging smile. Unshed tears in his eyes. He nodded his head once. Alec shook his head, tears forming in his eyes.
"Do it, Alec. It's the right thing to do. I love you. And I love Max - tell him that. Tell him that all the time." A tear slipped down his eye.
"I love you, Magnus," he shook his head. He saw Valentine's smirk fall. Small satisfaction burned in him. He glanced at the man, who faltering, knowing that if Valentine got arrested he would too.
In a second, with no hesitation or room for doubt, Alec aimed the gun and shot. And sadly, two sounds of a pistol sounded.
Jocelyn kept the gun safely hidden in her bag, where no one looked. She went up to the front desk and asked, "I'm visiting Jace Herondale?" She said. Her red hair was let loose in waves. She wore a green blouse and dark blue skinny jeans, along with converse - she was dressed normally; average.
"How are you related?" The receptionist asked, her voice a monotone.
"I'm his mother-in-law. He was shot and had a heart transplant," she gave a convincing sad smile. The receptionist nodded, telling her the room number and floor.
"Thank you," she said warmly.
When she Jace's floor, she smiled and said hello to all the nurses and doctors, all unsuspecting.
She slowly opened the door to Jace's room. He was asleep, Jocelyn saw. Smiling, she went over to kiss his forehead and hug him, like weeks ago, but quickly thought against doing it. If his heart rate picked up greatly, then nurses would run and check on him, and she did not need that.
She had to be quick, in fear of Clary walking in. So she spoke loudly. "Jace."
It had startled him out of sleep, yawning and opening his eyes slowly. His eyes widened and he was now fully awake. He gasped. "What are you doing here?"
"I thought I'd stop by, say hi - kill you."
If he was scared, he didn't show it on his face, but she knew he was. His heart rate had increased on the monitor. "Jocelyn, I have never done anything to you. Why are you doing this?"
She sighed, pulling out her gun. "Jace, I don't hate you. I don't. You just have everything I want, and the only way to get it all is to kill you."
"Jocelyn, please." She shook her head.
"I am sorry, I am. You didn't deserve any of it." She looked down. "I cried the night I manipulated your father into . . . doing what he did, you know."
"If you were sorry, you wouldn't let your grandchild grow up fatherless," he tried to move his hand to the help button, but she caught him.
"I'm going to kill you before you call for help," she decided, aiming the gun at his head. Just at that moment, Clary walking in smiling, looking down at two yogurts.
"They only had strawberry Jell-O and - " She gasped, dropping the yogurts at the sight of her mother aiming a gun at her husband. Startled by her daughter's intrusion, she shot the monitor instead of Jace's head. Jace quickly pressed the help button, but nurses were already running into the room upon hearing the sound of a gun being shot.
A nurse had called security and security guards rushed in, arresting Jocelyn immediately.
Clary had run to Jace, Jace ignoring the sharp pain in his chest as he held a crying Clary.
That was the last chapter of After a Love Story in an O.R. Thank you so much for reading this story and following it. Meant so much to me.
There will be an epilogue to the story.
Thank you and good night!