September
"I don't want to go to school," Cassidy whined.
"Yes well, I don't want to go to work. Sometimes we gotta do things we don't want to do."
"Maybe we can both stay home."
She snuggled up to him on the couch. Before the girls came to him, he didn't consider himself a snuggler. Now, he enjoyed it, especially if it included Beth.
"Do I look okay, Uncle Jack?" Mollie asked, turning in front of him.
"Of course. You're beautiful."
"Okay."
"Cass, its time to go get ready."
"You're gonna walk me to my class right?"
"Yep."
"In your uniform?" she asked, scrunched her nose.
"Well, yes. What's wrong with my uniform?"
"I don't know. I just wish you wore regular clothes sometimes."
"I do. At home."
"Okay." She shrugged and walked off.
"Molls, why doesn't she like my uniform?"
"Maybe because you don't seem fun when you're in it. Unless you're by Miss Elizabeth. She makes you smile a lot."
He smiled and kissed the top of her head. He did smile a lot because Beth made him happy. And so did the girls. And playing basketball with the guys twice a week.
"Can we get a puppy? Like PB and Jay?" Mollie asked.
"Pleeeeease?!" Cassidy yelled from the bathroom.
"Maybe. Now go get your new backpacks and your shoes on. I need to go get dressed."
Jack compromised and left his uniform shirt and bulletproof vest hanging in the car. He just wore a black tee with his pants and sidearm.
"How's this, Cass? Not too embarrassing?"
"Its good but do you have to wear your gun?"
"I guess not." He got out and opened the safe in the trunk, placing his gun inside. "Anything else?"
"Nope!"
Jack stopped by Treasures with three drinks. His black coffee, Julie's peppermint tea and Elizabeth's way too sugary cappuccino.
"Apparently I embarrass her in my uniform."
Julie and Elizabeth giggled. "Poor, babe," Elizabeth said, kissing his cheek.
"I don't embarrass you, do I?"
"Nope. Quite the opposite," she said, blushing deep.
"Oh yeah?"
She nodded and sipped her coffee.
"Want me to leave you two alone?" Julie teased.
"Sure," they said at the same time.
"Okaaaay...I'll just be in the kids section, cleaning.
"Thanks, Julie," Elizabeth said, keeping her eyes on Jack.
He smirked and stepped forward, placing his hands on her hips. "Finally."
"I kinda like this look too," she said, slipping her fingers up and over his forearms to his biceps.
"Good to know."
"Jack….I think I love you."
He pressed his warm lips to hers, loving her back without words. He was great at that.
She pulled back and bit her lip. "You don't have to say it back….I just wanted you to know."
It wasn't that he didn't feel it. He did and he knew the feeling from a long time before. But somehow, this felt like more, deeper. It felt dangerous to speak the words out loud. The last time he had…
"Jack, I'm not Faith. Please remember that."
"I know."
"Do you? I can see that look...like you're scared and don't quite trust me."
"I'm sorry. I should get to work."
"Jack, you promised. That night on the beach. You said you would tell me what is scaring you and not run."
"I'm not running. I promise."
"So when I call you later…"
"I'll answer or call you back."
She nodded and turned. He touched her back and leaned down to kiss her. "I'll see you later."
"Okay."
Once again though, when she called, he didn't answer. A few hours after the girls were in bed, she tried one last time before letting herself get angry.
"Beth…"
"Jack, where are you? Its been three hours since I called."
"Beth, I'm in the ER."
"What? Why? Are you hurt? Where are the girls? If it's one of them and you didn't call me…."
"Whoa, Beth, please. One question at a time. I was shot."
"What?!"
"I'm okay. It was just a graze and I should be going home soon. The girls are with Abigail and Frank."
Her eyes filled and spilled over. He heard her sniffle. "Beth, I would have called you but I didn't have my phone until Lee brought it to me."
"Alright," she whispered. "I'm coming up there."
"You don't have to."
"I'm doing it, Jack. Didn't you hear me earlier? I said I love you. I do. A whole lot. I want to be with you."
"Okay."
Jack laid back on the gurney. He felt bad that she was upset. He had planned on answering the phone as soon as she called...but then things went south.
He dozed off from his pain meds. The next thing he knew he opened his eyes and Beth was laying next to him, asleep with her head on his chest and arm around his waist.
He felt comfortable and warm and...he loved her. He knew it. As soon as she woke up, he would tell her.
"Jack?"
"Hey." He turned his head and kissed her forehead. "I need you to know something."
"What?"
"I love you too, Beth. And I'm really sorry I upset you again."
She leaned up on her elbow. "Its ok. I'm just glad you're safe. Are you in pain?"
"No. They gave me some nice pain meds."
"Can you tell me what happened?"
"Its an open case. I can't right now."
She laid back down. "You don't mind if we snuggle a bit longer, do you?"
"Not in the least. Beth…"
"Hmm?"
"Can I ask you...would you want to wait until we're married to be together?"
She leaned back on her elbow. "Yes. How do you feel about it?"
"I've...I mean…"
"You can tell me or ask me anything. I'm not judging you."
"Faith and I...we didn't wait and with you...I just don't want to make a mistake and...I want it to be special...our wedding night."
"I guess its good we have two built in chaperones then."
"Three."
"Huh?"
"Your sister." Elizabeth laughed.
"So true."
Jack went home shortly after and Beth headed to Frank and Abigail's to pick up the girls.
"Is Uncle Jack okay?" Mollie asked, a worried tone in her voice as Elizabeth helped her zip her jacket.
"He is. He has a big scratch on his arm but the docs gave him some medicine and in a few days, he'll be just fine."
"Promise?"
"I do."
As they drove the short distance from the Hogan's to Jack's house, Elizabeth's phone rang. She pushed the Bluetooth button.
"Hi, Mom!"
"Actually, sweetie. Its me."
"Hi, Dad. Why are you calling on Mom's phone?"
"It was the one I grabbed when…." his voice trailed.
"Dad? What's going on?"
"Sweetie, where are you?"
"Just driving."
"Will you find a place to pull over, please?"
His voice was shaky and quiet. "Dad, you're scaring me."
She put the car in park and forced herself to pull it together. The girls had their big, gorgeous eyes on her. They'd already had a hard afternoon. She didn't want to make it worse. "I'm parked, Dad."
"Sweetie, your Mom had a stroke."
"What?" she asked, her voice cracking.
"I got home from work and she was in the kitchen on the floor. I called an ambulance and….sweetie, I think you and your sisters need to come."
Her tears started in earnest. "Daddy, please tell me she's going to be alright."
"Beth, I need you and your sisters to come. Will you?"
"Of course I will. We will. We will leave as soon as possible. Tell her to hang on and that we love her. Okay?"
"Yeah. I'll tell her."
"I love you, Daddy."
"I love you too, pumpkin."
She took a moment to compose herself and drove the half mile left to Jack's house. The girls got out and ran in the house. She would've left but they left their backpacks in the back seat.
She grabbed them and walked them up the sidewalk, wiping her cheeks. Jack was standing in the doorway.
"Beth? What happened? The girls told me your Dad called."
The next morning, early, the Thatcher sisters loaded Beth's car on the ferry and began their nearly four hour journey to University of Bangor Medical Center.
It was a quiet trip, none of the girls feeling equipped to handle seeing their mother in a hospital bed or worse, not surviving. Vi was seven months pregnant and needing to stop for the bathroom multiple times. Julie was five months along and nauseated. Elizabeth wasn't pregnant and felt lost and a bit jealous.
Now was absolutely not the time to be jealous of their situations. Their mother was ill and lying in a hospital room. She was the most important thing right now.
"Beth?"
"Yes, Julie," she said in an irritated voice.
"Why are you mad at me? I just need to use the bathroom. Vi has used it three times already."
"Oh, Julie, grow up!"
"I am grown up!" she shouted back. "I'm twenty six years old and I'm pregnant, with your niece might I add."
Beth looked at Julie and back to the road. Then she pulled into a gas station lot and parked. "My niece?"
"Yes."
"Its a girl? Why didn't you tell me?" Elizabeth wiped her tears and placed her hands on Julie's tummy. "A girl."
"I wanted to surprise you."
"I'm so sorry I yelled. I love you so much, Julie."
"I love you too. And at the risk of sounding like a child, I'm scared. I don't want to lose Mom."
Vi reached up from the back seat and took both their hands. "No matter what happens, we have each other and we have Dad. He is going to need us."
All three girls had a good cry and then Vi groaned. "I need to pee again. This kid is doing a jig on my bladder today."
All three girls laughed and then headed inside to get coffee and use the restroom.
"Lets go see Mom," Elizabeth said once they were back in the car.
Hope Island, Jack's house
"Girls, eat a little faster. Please. You can't be late for school."
"Is Miss Elizabeth's Mommy going to die?"
"I don't know, Mollie Bear."
"I miss her. When is she coming home?" Cassidy asked.
"I don't know."
"Why not? You're an adult. You're supposed to know stuff."
He smiled at her. "You two are asking some hard questions this morning."
Mollie pushed her cereal bowl away. "I don't want any more."
"Alright. Put your bowl in the sink and go brush your teeth, please."
"Do we have to see that lady later?" Mollie wondered.
"Yes. I think its a good idea." He had found a children's grief group through their pediatrician and their first appointment was today after school. There would be a few other kids from the island there too.
"Why?"
"Because you and Cass have been through a lot lately. Sometimes it helps to talk about it with people who have been through the same thing. And there will be other kids there too, remember?"
"Other kids like us?"
"Yep."
"I guess that might be okay."
Jack kissed her forehead. "Thank you for being brave, honey. Now go brush your teeth. And you too, Cass. We leave in ten minutes."
Jack was going to be off work for the week due to his injury so after the kids were in school, he headed to the grocery store and then back to Elizabeth's to pick up the dogs. They were going to stay with him and the girls until she was back.
PB let out a woof in greeting when Jack walked in her door. "Hi, bud. Lets go to my house." Both dogs followed him around as he gathered their dog food and beds, making multiple trips to the car because he could only use one arm.
He found a note on her fridge.
"Jack,
Thank you so much for watching the dogs. I'm not sure how long I'll be away but I'll call you and let you know how things are going.
Give the girls hugs for me.
I love you,
Beth"