Kate let Conner lead her to a chair and suppressed a smile as he pulled the chair out for her just as his father had taught him. She sat in the chair and he took a seat beside her. Kate looked across the room at Tony sitting alone and felt bad for him.
"Conner do you think Tony would like to eat lunch with us?" Kate asked.
"He's kind of mean Kate." Conner objected.
"Maybe, but maybe he just needs someone to be his friend." Kate suggested.
"Do you want to be his friend?" Conner asked.
"I thought maybe both of us could be his friend." Kate asked.
"I'll ask, but he'll probably just call me stupid." Conner sighed as he left his chair to go talk to Tony.
Kate watched the two boys interact and made eye contract with Ms. Andrews, Conner's teacher. She understood what Kate was attempting to do and encouraged Tony to go with Conner, giving Kate a nod and smile.
Kate sat in her chair while the two boys retrieved the lunch trays. She found the small, low to the floor chair only slightly uncomfortable, but giggled at the idea of Jack trying to sit at one of these tables in one of these small chairs. She sat with one boy on each side of her and ate lunch with them, Conner chatting away happily about what he'd done with dad the night before. Tony finally spoke up.
"How come you don't have your own kid?" Tony asked.
"He's in heaven with my mom." Conner answered.
"Shut up dummy!" Tony snapped.
"No name calling boys. Conner's right Tony, my little boy is in heaven." Kate answered.
"Why do you want to be a stepmom?" Tony asked.
"I don't. We won't have steps at our house Tony. I'm just going to be Conner's mom." Kate explained.
"That's dumb. My dad got married and I got a stepmom. That's how it works." Tony told her.
"What about your real mom?" Kate asked.
"She left when I was a baby." Tony said and shrugged.
"You're a little bit older than Conner aren't you?" Kate asked.
"I'm almost seven. I got hurt bad last year and couldn't come to school so I'm held back." Tony told her.
"I'm sorry. Were you in a car accident?" Kate asked.
"No, I fell. Is Conner's dad really a doctor?" Tony asked.
"Yes, he is." Kate said.
"Is he a mean doctor that gives shots with needles this big?" Tony asked holding his hands about a foot apart.
"That's dumb Tony. My daddy is nice." Conner insisted.
Kate stopped Tony before he could reply to Conner with something hateful.
"Conner's dad is very nice Tony and I don't know about the needles. Maybe you would like to come over and play with Conner some time and you can ask him." Kate offered.
"Do you have fun stuff to play with at your house Conner?" Tony asked.
"Yeah and I got neat stuff in my backyard too." Conner said.
"I'll ask if I can come over after school tomorrow. Can I spend the night?" Tony asked.
"I'll have to ask Conner's dad Tony, but since tomorrow is Friday he'll probably say it's okay." Kate said.
"My stomach hurts. I'm going to go ask Ms. Andrews if I can go home now." Tony said and left the table.
Kate watched the boy leave the table and walk over to his teacher. She escorted him out of the cafeteria and Kate looked down at Conner who was looking confused.
"What's wrong honey?" Kate asked.
"I never had somebody spend the night before. I don't think daddy will like it." Conner said.
"Do you not want Tony to come over?" Kate asked.
"I guess. I never had someone come over. Is it fun?" Conner asked.
Kate realized the Conner probably had no idea what it meant to have someone over to play, that his dad probably wasn't home enough of the daylight hours for playmates to be a possibility.
"It is fun and you are getting old enough now to have friends come over to play. I don't think your dad will mind." Kate told him.
"Can we call him and ask him?" Conner asked.
"We probably shouldn't call him sweetie, but he said he would call us sometime today and then you can ask him. Are you ready to go home now?" Kate asked.
"Can we please call daddy Kate and go see him. I want to tell him." Conner begged.
"You want to tell him what honey?" Kate asked.
"That you want to be my mom. Please, just ask him if he's too busy." Conner pleaded with her.
Kate gave in to the child's pleas and called Jack's cell phone hoping she wouldn't catch him in the middle of something important. He answered on the second ring.
"Hey beautiful." He said happily into the phone.
"I guess I didn't catch you at a bad time?" She laughed.
"No, what's up?" He asked.
"I'm sitting here with Conner and he wants to come by and see you. He has something he wants to tell you. Do you have time?" Kate asked.
"It can't wait until tonight?" Jack asked.
"Here, I'll let you ask him that." Kate said and handed the phone to Conner.
"Hi daddy!" Conner said excitedly.
"Hey bud, what's up?" Jack asked.
"I just ate with Kate. Can we come see you please." Conner begged.
Jack couldn't resist the excitement in the child's voice and he wasn't so busy he couldn't take a few minutes to see his son.
"Sure, if you come right now. I'll be in my office." Jack asked.
"Okay daddy. Here's Kate." Conner said and handed her the phone.
"Hey." She said.
"What's he so excited about?" Jack laughed.
"If I told you it wouldn't be a surprise now would it?" Kate teased.
"Come on up. I'm buried in paperwork right now and could use a break." Jack said.
"Okay, see you in about 30." Kate said and clicked the phone off.
Kate drove Conner to the hospital and they walked hand in hand through the front doors. Conner knew which elevator to go to and which button to push.
"Do you come here a lot?" Kate asked.
"No, daddy doesn't like me to come too much, but grandpa brings me sometimes." Conner said.
They stepped off the elevator and into the hallway, Christian spotted them before she spotted him. He approached them quickly keeping them from making much progress.
"Conner, what are you doing here?" Christian asked.
"We came to see daddy." Conner said.
"Does he know you're coming to see him?" Christian asked.
"Yes dad, I'm expecting them." Jack said loudly from a few feet down the hall.
"Daddy!" Conner yelled and ran to him.
Jack scooped him up and hugged him, positioning him on his hip and signaling for him to use his inside voice. The nurses, some of whom had their sights set on the young, single doctor gushed over the cuteness of the scene, but their gushing soon stopped as they watched him walk toward the beautiful brunette, kiss her, put his arm around her and lead her into his office.
Christian knew better than to question the scene and walked away, deciding he'd talk with son later.
Jack sat behind his desk with Conner in his lap.
"So what did you want to tell me?" Jack asked the child.
"Kate is going to be my mom and she's not even going to call it a stepmom!" Conner told him eyes wide with excitement, his face as happy as Jack had seen it in a long time.
"That's great." Jack said chuckling lightly over the child's excitement.
"When are you going to get married to Kate daddy?" Conner asked.
"I'm not sure Conner." Jack said.
"Can you do it tomorrow?" Conner asked making both Kate and Jack laugh.
"No son, I have to work tomorrow, but I'm glad that you are happy because Kate and I want you to be happy." Jack told him.
"Kate said Tony could come over to play tomorrow and spend the night if it's okay with you. Is it okay with you?" Conner asked.
Jack looked at Kate and then back at Conner.
"Tony? He's your friend now?" Jack asked.
"Kate said maybe he needs a friend. Maybe he can come to my birthday party too." Conner said.
"I don't care if he comes over." Jack said.
"Thanks daddy!" Conner said happily and hugged him before scooting out of his lap and moving toward the windows so he could look out.
Jack stood and walked over to Kate. He wrapped his arms around her lower back and pulled her close, kissing her softly and then pulling back.
"You've been busy today." Jack said.
"I hope it was okay to tell him Jack." Kate said.
"Look how happy he is Kate, it was better than okay, it was time I think. You sure you want to bring this Tony kid over to play?" Jack asked.
"I know he's done some mean things, but he's a very sad little boy Jack. He's almost a year older than Conner, but not any bigger physically and he seems so lonely. I get the feeling things aren't that great for him at home." Kate said.
"Conner's teacher hinted that there might be issues with him at home. I guess Tony's lucky Conner's new mommy is on a mission to save the world one child at a time." Jack said sweetly.
"Are you making fun of me Jack?" Kate asked.
"No, I'm in awe of you. Wanna get married tomorrow in-between a disc replacement and a rod insertion?" Jack teased.
"I think I'm busy tomorrow Dr. Shephard, but I'm free tonight." Kate teased back.
"Yeah, but I'm hopeful that I'll be keeping you busy with other things tonight." Jack said and nuzzled her neck making her giggle, neither hearing the knock on the door that preceded Christian entering the room.
"Jack if you're done with family hour I have a consult in my office I'd like you to sit in on." Christian said.
"Yeah, we're done here. Come tell me goodbye Conner." Jack said.
Conner walked over to Jack. He picked him up, hugged him, kissed him on the cheek and set him back down. He walked them to the door, kissed Kate long enough to make his father feel the need to clear his throat and finally pulled away.
"I'll see you guys at home." Jack told them.
He watched them walk to the elevator and reentered his office.
"I'm all yours." Jack said to his father.
"So, have you set a date yet?" Christian asked in his typical condescending tone.
"I don't want to have this conversation with you. Let's just go to work." Jack insisted.
"What do you know about her Jack?" Christian asked.
"I know all that I need to know Dad. I don't want to fight with you today. Let's just do this consult." Jack said.
"Fair enough, but promise me that in a few weeks my best surgeon is going to be completely focused." Christian said.
"The lives of two little girls depend on my being focused. I have no intention of letting them down." Jack said.
"Are you ever going to let me see my grandson again?" Christian asked.
"Depends." Jack said.
"On what?" Christian asked.
"On whether Conner wants to see you and if you're just going to be his grandfather and enjoy him and let me worry about raising him." Jack said.
"You have my word." Christian said in the tone that Jack recognized as his regretful, yet honest tone.
"You miss him don't you?" Jack said.
"He reminds me of you at that age, happy, simpler times. Meet me in my office in 10 minutes." Christian said and left the room.
Jack sighed and skimmed his memories quickly for a time in his childhood that had been happy or simple where his parents were concerned and then quickly let it go, deciding there were children that had it far worse than he did.
He spent the rest of the day and evening and the next day thinking about the new life he was about to start. He knew he and Kate could talk for hours on end, but that his feelings about the baby weren't going to change. He wanted her to have it and he was even getting used to the idea of it, he just hoped Kate could find a way to be okay with it emotionally so he chose to avoid the subject in an attempt to give her time with her thoughts before they tackled the issue together.
He decided his first priority needed to be getting a ring and proposing. He wanted to plan something romantic, take her away for a weekend and do it the old-fashioned man on bended knee way, but he had to get past the twin separation before he allowed himself to be distracted with something that good.
Tony's parents had agreed to let him come home from school with Conner and spend the night. Kate spoke briefly with Tony's stepmother. She had no desire to meet, saying anyone that could afford to send their kid to that school most likely wasn't a mass murderer and sent Tony to school with a backpack packed for an overnight stay. Jack managed to get home from the hospital before 6 PM. He had promised Conner he would cook hot dogs on the grill.
Tony was quiet and played well with Conner. Kate called them in from the backyard to eat. They ran into the kitchen, running into Jack who was carrying a plate of hot dogs to the table and juggled to keep them from falling to the floor, losing a couple of them. Tony immediately backed away and stumbled into the wall.
"Take it easy fellas, slow down." Jack said, his tone calm.
Jack looked at Kate to see if she had noticed it and she returned the look to verify that she had.
"I'm sorry." Tony said softly.
"It's okay. Conner you and Tony go wash your hands." Jack said.
The two boys disappeared into the bathroom off the laundry room.
"Did you see that?" Jack asked.
"Yeah, he's pretty timid for a bully isn't he?" Kate said.
The boys returned and Tony stood behind the bar in the kitchen.
"Tony, are you going to come eat with us?" Kate asked.
"I can eat here. Sometimes I spill stuff." Tony said.
"I spill stuff sometimes too sweetie so come on out to the table and sit beside Conner. If we spill, we'll just clean it up." Kate said.
Tony slowly entered the dining room and took a seat beside Conner. He sat quietly, eating slowly and studying Jack.
"Something on your mind Tony?" Jack finally asked.
"Huh?" Tony asked.
"You're very quiet. Is everything okay?" Jack asked.
"Do you hurt sick people?" Tony asked.
"No, I try to help them." Jack answered.
"Do you have needles this long?" Tony asked holding his hands a foot apart, making Jack smile.
"Are you afraid of doctors Tony?" Jack asked.
"I got hurt bad once." Tony shrugged.
"Were the doctors not nice to you?" Jack asked.
"My dad said doctors are bad. He said you stick big needles in people. He fixed me. It hurt, but I sucked it up and only cried once." Tony said.
"What happened?" Jack asked.
"My bones got broke." Tony answered.
"Which ones?" Jack asked.
"Lots of them." Tony said.
"Do they feel better now?" Jack asked.
"Mostly." Tony shrugged.
"Which ones don't feel better?" Jack asked.
"This one and some of these." Tony said pointing to his upper arm and his ribs.
"How did you manage to break so many bones?" Jack asked.
"I fell." Tony answered.
"You must've fallen far." Jack said.
"I guess." Tony said and shrugged.
"Tony would you like for Jack to check you out?" Kate asked.
"No." Tony said very quickly his voice taking on a hint of fear.
"I promise I left all my really long needles at the hospital." Jack teased trying to get the child to relax.
"No!" Tony demanded.
"Okay, but I have one more question. Do those places hurt Tony or do they just feel funny?" Jack asked.
"They just feel funny. I'm full. Can I go play?" Tony asked.
Kate looked at his plate. He'd eaten half of a hotdog and about two bites of macaroni and cheese.
"You didn't eat very much." Kate said.
"My stomach feels funny. I'm done." Tony told her as if an upset stomach were a normal indication for him to stop eating.
They watched the two boys scurry away from the table and run up the stairs to Conner's bedroom.
"He's being abused isn't he Jack?" Kate asked sadly.
"I don't know Kate, but it sounds like some of his fractures didn't heal properly." Jack said.
"We have to do something Jack." Kate insisted.
"There's really nothing we can do." Jack said.
"So what, we're just supposed to sit back and watch this little boy suffer?" Kate asked as she stood and started clearing plates from the table.
"No Kate, we sit back and observe, let him hang out with Conner if they enjoy each other's company and get a better idea of what's going on with him." Jack offered.
"I swear his stepmother was drunk when I talked to her." Kate continued to stew, stacking the plates with more force than necessary.
Jack grabbed her by the waist and pulled her into his lap, aggravating her and making him chuckle at how worked up she was.
"It's not funny Jack." Kate huffed.
"I'm not laughing about Tony, I'm laughing at how cute you are when you're pissed off. Look, I understand your concern, but confronting them on suspicion is only going to make them angry and possibly disappear and then we'd never know what happened to him. If they don't have a problem with him spending time over here then we'll just let him spend a whole lot of time here, gain his trust, get him to open up." Jack said.
"You don't care if there is an extra little boy around all the time?" Kate asked.
"I don't care if you don't care." He said and nibbled lightly at her neck and slipped his fingers under the hem of her skirt.
"Jack, how does your mind go there so quickly?" Kate giggled.
"My brains went to my lap as soon as you did." He replied and moved his fingers inside her skirt a little more.
"Jack, stop. Let me up so I can clean this mess up." Kate said.
Jack let her slide out of his lap and then stood to help her clear the mess. She disappeared into the kitchen while he grabbed the remaining dishes. He entered the kitchen and stopped to watch. She'd been wearing a short blue jean skirt and had been bending over in front him since he'd come home, teasing and taunting him in the way that only she could. She was currently bent over, strategically placing the dishes into the dishwasher. He watched her until she straightened up and returned to the sink to turn the water off, plunging her hands into the soapy dishwater and retrieving the dish rag. He walked up behind her, set the dishes he was carrying down on the counter and pressed his body into hers, allowing his hands rest on her thighs, his fingers slowly creeping up inside the skirt again.
"Jack, you scared me." She giggled.
"You are driving me crazy with that skirt, but you know that don't you." He whispered into her ear, his voice raw and husky.
"So you like it huh?" Kate teased.
"I like what's underneath it more." He breathed and moved his hands up inside the skirt, gliding his fingers over her center, slipping them inside the elastic of her panties and smiling at how quickly he could make her wet.
"Jack." She moaned in protest.
"That wasn't very convincing." He chuckled and began pulling her panties down her legs while she kept both hands planted firmly in the sinks, completely turned on and unable to move.
He slid the panties down and nudged her ankle, signaling her to step out of them. He shoved the panties into his pants pocket and slowly moved his hands back up her firm calves and creamy thighs, pushing them up the back of the skirt and cupping her but cheeks in his hands still squatting behind her, enjoying the view while the scent of her desire for him made his brain swim and the front of his pants swell.
He stood and lifted her skirt up, bunching it around her waist, bringing his hand around to her front, gliding it through her wet crease and penetrating her easily.
"Jack, stop, we can't, what if the boys come in." Kate panted.
"Then they'll see you doing the dishes with me standing very closely behind." Jack replied, kissing her neck and shoulders and pressing himself into her so she could feel his own need.
She turned around to face him, his eyes were filled with lust and the sight of it made her hotter and moister, she wanted him as bad as he apparently wanted her. She pushed him backwards into the room off of the kitchen that housed the washer and dryer along with a large table used for folding. She shut the door and eagerly closed her mouth over his.
He kissed her back and began stripping her clothes off, first the skirt and then the tight t-shirt she had on. He removed her bra with very little effort and then marveled at her beauty for a moment. Her skin lightly flushed as her body temperature began to rise in anticipation. She smiled a sexy, seductive smile at him and reached for his belt buckle, her fingers deftly unbuckling it, finding the button on his jeans and then slowly gliding his zipper down, careful not to catch what was fighting to get out.
She grabbed the hem of his t-shirt and pulled it up and off of him, his muscular chest already beginning to glisten with a light sweat, his muscles taut, his body worked up and ready to take her right then and there. She loved that she could do this to him. She knew that people that didn't know Jack intimately saw a serious professional, but she knew the fun side of Jack, the side that liked to ride roller coasters and the side that was as easy to visually stimulate as any other man, the sight of her in short skirt and giving him the appropriate view occasionally making it difficult for him to sit still through dinner.
She rubbed her hands over his chest, his skin was almost hot to the touch, his eyes were dark and full of desire and focused completely on her. He pushed her back toward the table, pushing the clean, folded clothes on to the floor and lifting her up onto it, moving forward and gently placing her legs around his waist. He kissed her hard, pushing his tongue into her mouth and then slowly backing off, slowing the kiss down, making it softer, sweeter, hotter and wetter.
He moved his mouth down the center of her chest, kissing and lightly nipping at her flesh, taking a detour to the left to suck on her nipple while his hand lightly fondled the nipple on the right, moans emitting from her mouth as she pushed her bottom forward trying to make contact with him. He continued down, placing his hands atop both thighs at the bend, holding them in the position they were in and scooting her to the edge of the table, his mouth slowly closing over her hot center before she even realized he'd made it below her navel.
She hissed lightly and held to the back of his head while he worked his mouth over her. She could feel the familiar tingling beginning as his movements brought her closer and closer to orgasm and then she was just suddenly there. She let go of his head and threw her own back, her hands clenching the edge of the table as the orgasm rocked her body, trying to not to scream. He moved back up and closed his mouth over hers again, allowing her to moan into his mouth as loudly as she wanted.
He could feel her pushing his jeans down, wanting him and not wanting to wait for him any longer. She took his hardened length into her hands and held him for a moment, gliding her soft fingers over the silky hardness and slowly putting him into position.
He pushed into her slowly, pulling her hips forward until they were locked together as tightly as possible. He held her from behind and she wrapped her legs tightly around his waist, encouraging him to move. He pushed in and out of her steadily, continuing to hold onto her while talking softly into her ear, his sexy, breathy tone making her hotter and wetter, the sudden increased moistness and the warm slippery walls engorging around him making him groan and begin moving faster.
She held onto him tightly, her small arms wrapped tightly around his neck, their bodies so close their chests were slippery with sweat, sliding together in the rhythm they'd created, both close to climax, both panting and both expressing their love to one another as he continued to make love to her. She climaxed, tightening hard around him and forcing him to stop for a moment while she peaked and as she started to come back down he started again, pushing in holding his position and then pulling back before pushing forward again, making sure he used just enough force to make contact with her most sensitive area, wanting to make her come again before she had a chance to finish. He pulled back and pushed back in one more time and she squealed and tightened her legs around him again. He let go with her and held her, his legs a little shaky and leaning hard against the table to stabilize himself, breathing hard, vision blurred and heart racing.
He laughed at how worked up he'd been and she at herself. He finally caught his breath, but continued to hold her close, drawing her into another deep, passionate kiss that took what breath she'd managed to regain back away and then he pulled his mouth away and looked into her eyes.
"You okay?" He asked and smiled at her.
"Yeah, how about you?" She answered.
"I think I'm getting too old for laundry room sex." He laughed.
"Trust me babe, you aren't too old. You were great." She complimented.
"Well, you're pretty inspiring." He returned the compliment.
They stayed together for a few more minutes and then pulled themselves back together, redressing and picking up the strewn folded laundry. They returned to the kitchen to finish loading the dishwasher. With the last dish loaded and the counters wiped cleaned they strolled, arms around each other, into the living room to relax. The doorbell rang and they giggled as they refused to break their bond and decided to answer it together. Jack opened the door and felt Kate tense up immediately. A man wearing dirty blue jeans, a t-shirt and ball cap stood before them.
"Hey Katie, long time no see." The man said.