"What? Why would he do that?"
"I don't know. I found a note in his room and his window is open. He must have climbed down the trellis. His note said that he was sorry but he didn't want to live here anymore".
"Oh, Megyn. Where do you think he is?"
She covered the phone with her hand and looked at Jonathan.
"Bryson ran away".
Jonathan sat up quickly.
"Tell her I am going to drive around looking for him, he can't have gotten too far".
"Megyn, Jonathan says he's going to go driving around looking for him".
She kept talking to Megyn, as Jonathan went out the door.
A few minutes later, he came back in.
He came over, got a note pad, and wrote Jennifer a note.
She read it and nodded and puckered her lips for a kiss.
"Megyn, Jonathan just came back in. He found Bryson right outside our gate. He says he wants to talk to him, so what if you come pick him up in about an hour?"
"Oh, thank you. I am so glad he's safe".
"He is. We will see you then".
She hung up the phone, as Jonathan walked back in with Bryson.
They came over and sat down on the couch.
"Now, do you want to tell me why you were outside our gate at this time of night?"
"I heard my mom on the phone after you two left. She was talking to my grandma. She was talking about moving away, back to where my Grandma lives. I don't want to do that at all. So, I figured if I went missing, she wouldn't move, and I could sneak in and out of the house each day without her knowing".
"Champ, of course she would never leave you here and move without you. But you can't live on the streets, and sneak back in and out. That's not a good idea".
"You lived on the streets. You didn't have a mom or a dad".
"I didn't live on the streets, I lived in an orphanage. And it wasn't pleasant, but it did have a roof".
"I don't want to move, Mr. Jonathan. Can I move in here with you? I won't be any trouble, I swear it".
"Well, that's a big decision. We would have to talk to your mom and Dave, and we would all have to come to an agreement. And the thing is, your mom loves you so much, that I know that deep down she couldn't bear to let you live with us and not with her."
"He's right, Bryson. Your mom just called here, she's pretty upset."
"Upset like I'm going to get in trouble?"
"Upset like she's scared to death that you were hurt or taken by someone who wanted to hurt you".
He turned back to Jonathan.
"Can we please just think about it? I love it at my Grandma's, but not to live. Just to visit."
"Like I said, we would have to talk to your mom first, and I think she would miss you too much."
"I have friends here, in school. And I have you guys. And she is friends with you too, and you guys will miss her. Can you just tell her you will miss her?"
"We can tell her, but we can't make her stay if she thinks moving back to Grandma's is the best option".
"You know what? When I have big problems like this, I can't ever solve them on an empty stomach. I have to have something to eat. How about some cookies and milk?"
Bryson nodded.
They all headed into the kitchen.
Jennifer got out the milk, and Jonathan got out the plates.
Jennifer set the coconut milk on the counter, and then the regular milk next to it.
"Coconut milk? Who drinks that junk?"
Jennifer turned and looked at Bryson.
"It's very good, I'll have you know. And good for you".
"Ms. Jennifer, if it's not Chocolate milk, it's not milk".
Jonathan agreed with him and gave him a high-five. Jennifer gave him a look.
He shrugged his shoulders as if to say "What else could I do?"
Jennifer poured herself a glass of coconut milk, while Jonathan poured himself and Bryson some regular milk. Jennifer looked at Jonathan with one of her annoyed looks as she handed him the chocolate syrup.
Jonathan leaned down to Bryson.
"You see how pretty Jennifer is? That's because she drinks coconut milk".
He winked at Jennifer. She blew him a kiss.
They sat at the table eating chocolate chip cookies and drinking milk, till they heard the gate buzzer. Jennifer got up and buzzed Megyn in, and then went and opened the door.
"Now Champ, you need to tell your mom you are sorry for upsetting her. Make sure that comes first".
He nodded.
They went in to the den and sat on the couch. Jennifer and Megyn and Maddie came in and Megyn rushed over to him. She handed Maddie to Jennifer. Maddie was screaming her head off, so Jennifer started walking her around the room.
"Bryson Andrew Carpenter…..I am so thankful you are ok". She hugged him as she cried.
"I'm sorry, Mom. But you said we were moving and I don't want to do that. I told Mr. Jonathan that if they let me live here, I wouldn't be any trouble. They didn't say yes, but they said they had to talk to you. I want to stay here, I don't want to move away".
She sat down on the couch.
"Bryson, you misheard me. I was telling Grandma that we aren't going to move. We are staying here. And even if we were going to move, I wouldn't leave you behind. I couldn't live without you, you are my first baby…you and Maddie are everything to me, I swear it".
"Am I in trouble? I mean, I did come here, instead of just riding around the city".
She sighed.
"No, you aren't. Leaving home wasn't a good choice. But, coming here was a better choice, I will give you that. But if you do this again, you will be grounded for a very long time, and there will be other serious consequences. You could have been kidnapped, hit by a car, all kinds of things. Just because you get mad, that doesn't mean that you can just run off".
"why not? Dave did".
"Well, I know that it seems like that to you, but that's not really what happened. He and I had a fight, and he went on a work trip. He just never came back from it. He didn't go on the trip because he was mad, he would have gone anyways. But regardless of what happened between me and Dave, that doesn't make it ok for you to run off like this. Plus, you interrupted Jonathan and Jennifer's evening. So, you owe them an apology too".
He looked over at them.
"I'm sorry. Thank you for letting me in and thank you for the cookies".
"It's alright. Your mom's right though, it wasn't safe for you to ride your bike here".
"I know".
"I think maybe your bike might need to sit for a few weeks."
"Yes ma'am".
"Alright, now where is your bike?"
"Outside."
"We will put it in the car and I will drive you home, and it is straight to bed for you, mister."
He nodded.
She stood up and took Maddie from Jennifer.
"And then it's bedtime for you, also". She looked back at Jennifer.
"How did you get her to stop crying?"
"I just walked her around the room, I don't know, really".
"I'm so sorry, you guys, but I am so thankful you were here and let him in. And I'm sorry he interrupted your evening".
"It's alright, honest. He's a good kid, he's just scared".
She nodded.
Jonathan and Bryson went outside and loaded his bike into the car, and Jennifer and Megyn put Maddie in the car. She was just about to drift off to sleep.
Bryson rolled his window down. Jonathan leaned against it.
"Megyn, Max and I had season tickets to the Laker's games. And well, he's not here to go with me anymore. So, if it's alright with you, when Bryson is no longer grounded, can he go with me to the games?"
Megyn looked back at Bryson.
She nodded. "I think that can be arranged".
Jonathan and Bryson high-fived.
"Now listen, you better not screw up, because she holds the power of your ticket, just like Ms. Jennifer holds the power of mine. So, you listen to your mom, and I am going to listen to Ms. Jennifer, ok?"
Bryson nodded. Megyn thanked them again, and waved goodbye to them as they drove off.
Jonathan and Jennifer embraced when they came inside.
"You are so good with him".
"He's a good kid. I feel so bad for him. In a way, it was like what I would feel like when my friends at the orphanage got adopted and I didn't. It's a horrible feeling".
"I am so thankful that our daughter is going to have you for a daddy".
She kissed him several times, and then headed to the kitchen and cleaned up the mess from the cookies and milk.
Jonathan was walking through the house, locking all the doors.
She turned out the lights in the kitchen, and came and found him, and they headed upstairs together.
They got ready for bed and climbed into bed together. She leaned back against him, diagonally, and he wrapped both arms around her.
"Darling, how much time can you take off from the office after the baby is born?"
"Probably about a month or so. I might be able to work some half-days".
"Well, I hope that month goes by really slowly".
She turned and kissed him.
"What's the first thing you want to do again after the baby is born?"
"Take a long bubble bath, have a hot tub date, breathe normally".
"All good things".
"I can't wait to see what she looks like."
"well, if she's as beautiful as you, we are going to have to beat the boys off with a stick".
"And if she's as smart as you, she will be very successful".
She rambled on a bit about how she wanted her to be a daddy's girl, and then suddenly, she drifted off to sleep.
He eased out from under her and rolled her to her side, and then reached up and turned out the lights.
He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her on the cheek.
"Goodnight, I love you".
***Middle of the night***
Jennifer woke up around 3 a.m. with the most severe heartburn she had encountered so far. She got up to get some medicine, and then came back to bed. She also had a headache, so she got up again and went to get some Aleve. After about 15 minutes, she was finally able to go back to bed.
They slept till Jonathan's alarm went off at 7. He got in the shower while she went and started the coffee and made him breakfast.
He came downstairs as soon as he was ready.
"Morning, darling".
"Morning".
She kissed him a few times, and then handed him his plate of bacon and eggs.
"Darling, why are your rings on the counter?"
"I can't wear them any longer. My hands are too swollen".
He grabbed her hand and kissed it.
She sat and ate breakfast with him, and then walked him to the door.
"I love you past the moon and back, around the sun, through the moon, and back to Earth."
She giggled.
"I love you all of that, plus a day". She kissed him and then headed upstairs to shower.
It was a struggle, but she managed to shave her legs before she got out.
She got dressed in the only thing that would fit, her maternity wide legged yoga pants, and one of his t-shirts.
The phone rang as she was coming out of the bathroom.
"Hello?"
"Jennifer, hi. It's me. How about some lunch?"
"Sure, if you don't care to be seen with me. I can't fit into anything but lounge clothes".
"Girl, it's fine. I will come by and pick you up, say in a half-hour?"
"Sounds great. See you then".
She finished getting ready and then went downstairs.
Megyn picked her up right on time, and they headed to Espana.
They were shown to a table and had just ordered, when they heard a voice.
"Hi Jennifer, Megyn".
Jennifer turned. The voice belonged to Susan Kendall.
"May I join you?"
"Fine with me".
"Sure, come on".
Megyn moved over and Susan sat next to her.
Jennifer looked at her. "This wasn't planned".
Jennifer nodded.
"How are you?"
"I'm fine."
"You should be due soon, is your pregnancy going ok?"
"For the most part".
Jennifer dug the bottle of Aleve out of her purse and took some.
"Are you alright?"
"I have a headache".
"Jennifer, I'm sorry for what happened. I should have told you the truth. I was trying to keep you from being stressed out".
"Thank you. You also owe my husband an apology".
"I know. I will apologize to him the next time I see him".
Their food arrived then, and Susan ordered her meal.
"So, really, how is your pregnancy?"
"Well, Dr. Perkins had to switch me to another blood pressure med. And last week I had to go in for an IV of electrolytes, but other than that, I'm fine. I just feel like a beached whale. My fingers swelled up last night and I woke up with this horrible case of heartburn. I'm so ready to meet my daughter, take a deep breath, and feel like a normal person again".
"Sweetie, it took me minutes to take a deep breath. But it took me months to feel normal again".
"Jennifer, I know I'm not your doctor anymore, but when do you see Dr. Perkins again?"
"Tomorrow, why?"
"Swollen fingers, headaches, heartburn-those are all signs of preeclampsia. If untreated, it could be hazardous to the baby. Listen, I'm not telling you what to do, you aren't my patient. But if you were, I would tell you that if your headache doesn't go away in the next hour or so, you need to go to Dr. Perkins' office".
"Thank you".
Jennifer turned to Megyn.
"How is Bryson?"
"Better. I think he understands that what he did wasn't the right choice, but that he made a good choice by coming to your house. I promised him that we aren't moving, and I think it's starting to sink in".
Megyn filled Susan in on how Bryson had run away to Jonathan and Jennifer's house.
"There is something he said this morning that I wanted to ask you about. He told me that instead of makeup I should drink coconut milk like Ms. Jennifer".
Jennifer almost spit her drink out.
"Well, when we brought him inside, Jonathan sat him down on the couch and had a chat with him. Afterwards, we went into the kitchen for milk and cookies. I got out the regular milk for them, and the coconut milk for me. Bryson looked at the coconut milk and asked who drank this junk, and I informed him it was good. He said the only milk that counted was chocolate milk, and then he and Jonathan high-fived. So, I gave him a look, and then he told Bryson that the reason I'm so beautiful is because I drink coconut milk".
Megyn was laughing.
"Jonathan could tell Bryson to eat dirt and he would do it. He thinks he walks on water".
"So, do I".
They left then, and Jennifer headed home.
Jonathan was home when she got home, which made her happy.
"Hi darling".
"Hi, where did you run off to?"
"Lunch with Megyn. And Susan saw us, and ended up joining us".
"Oh? So, does that mean she is your doctor again?"
"No, it doesn't. I mean, she apologized, but I still want Dr. Perkins".
He nodded and kissed her.
She walked to the kitchen to get some water, and he noticed that she was holding her back a little funny.
After she came back into the den, he held his hands out to her.
She took them, and came and sat by him.
He started rubbing her back, and pretty soon, she had taken off her shirt and bra, and he had gotten the baby oil.
She settled onto the massage table and he gave her a deep back rub. As soon as he found the two spots in her lower back, she let out a moan.
"Yes, right there". He rubbed those spots for about 20 minutes, and just as she was about to fall asleep, she felt this odd sensation. It seemed to take over her entire body. She couldn't really figure out what it was, just that something was about to happen.
"Jonathan, I-"
And just then, her water broke.
She looked at him.
"We need to go to the hospital, as soon as I change clothes and pack a bag".