Reflections Chapter 12 -Matters of the Heart-Part 2, a castle fanfic

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Chapter 12- Matters of the Heart- Part 2

The next morning, Johanna stood outside Jeff's office, waiting for him to arrive. She hadn't heard from Jim since the night before when he had called to tell her that Robert had apparently suffered a second heart attack. She had wanted to go and be with him but he had told her to stay put; that it was too late for her to be out alone and that she had to work in the morning. She had reluctantly stayed home, although she did briefly entertain the notion of going anyway. Fear of overstepping her bounds squashed the urge but she called Jeff and sent him instead. She hadn't heard from Jeff yet that morning either...which was why she was staked out in front of his door.

"You're here early this morning, Sassy," Jeff stated as he seemingly appeared out of nowhere.

"I know," she answered; "But you never called me like you said you would so I figured I'd have better luck talking to you here. How's Jim?"

"Tired but okay," Jeff answered while unlocking the door of his office and ushering her inside. "He's still at the hospital."

"How's Robert?"

"He's stable now but of course they're all a little leery of that pronouncement. He was listed as critical until early this morning. The doctor said that he doesn't think this attack was as bad as the first."

"I guess that's good," Johanna stated; but truth be told, it was hard to see anything good about the situation other than the fact that Robert was still breathing.

"They're supposed to know more today," Jeff went on; "And by that I guess they mean test results and things like that. Jim told me to tell you that he'll try to call you before your lunch break is over."

She nodded. "Okay, thanks."

"Not so fast, Sassy," her friend said as he caught her arm as she turned to leave.

"What?" she asked cautiously; seeing mischief in his eyes.

"I've noticed that you and Jim have been pretty...shall we say, close, while this has been going on."

Johanna rolled her eyes. "No closer than usual."

"You sure about that?"

She gave him a pointed look as she put her hand on her hip. "What are you, my mother?"

"No," he laughed. "I just noticed that when I've gotten to talk to him and ask him where he's been hiding when he's not at the hospital, the answer always seems to be your place."

"What of it?"

"Nothing," Jeff said with a shrug. "I just thought..."

"You thought wrong," she interrupted.

"You don't even know what I was thinking."

"I know you, Jeff Campbell; it's never hard to guess where your mind has gone."

Her colleague grinned. "I should be hurt that you maligned my character like that but I'll overlook it since you're worried about your man."

"He's not..."

"Don't bother to deny it," Jeff remarked; holding up a hand to stop her flow of words. "No one believes it anyway; and besides, I know you, Johanna McKenzie; and I've seen the way you look at him."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "I've gotten what I want from you and now I'm leaving."

"And suddenly I'm reminded of Maggie," he quipped. "Speaking of which, you wouldn't know if she's up to having a change of heart yet, would you?"

Johanna smirked. "She's still waiting for you to apologize for being an ass."

He sighed. "She's so sensitive sometimes."

"I can't imagine why."

Jeff smirked. "Oh sure, act like you don't know that it's all a part of the plot to drive men crazy."

"I'm not allowed to confirm nor deny any part of the master plot to drive men crazy," Johanna replied. "I took the oath."

"That figures. Oh, by the way, Jim also told me to tell you that he'll stop by and see you tonight; just in case he doesn't get to tell you himself."

"Okay, see you later."

"See you later, Mrs. Beckett," he teased.

Johanna turned on her heel and glared at him. "Just for that, I'm telling Maggie to move on to the next part of the plot."

"Should I go home and put on some protective gear?"

"What for?" she asked; "From what I hear, you don't have anything worth protecting."

Jeff's jaw dropped and he stammered for a few moments. "Did Maggie say that?"

She shrugged. "Maybe...or maybe it was one of your other conquests."

He thought for a moment. "It was that damn Marcy, wasn't it? Well just let me say that she doesn't have anything worth writing home about either."

"I didn't say it was Marcy. It could've been her...or Maggie...or maybe I just made it up."

Jeff narrowed his gaze at her. "That was cold."

She smirked. "Well what can I say? There is no protective gear for your ego."

"I'll get you for that, Sassy."

"You know where to find me."

"Yeah; wherever your man Jim is."

"I'm not even going to dignify that with a response."

"Because you know it's true."

Johanna rolled her eyes and ignored his laughter as she walked away.

Later that day, Jim scrubbed a hand over his face and then glanced away from the window in the waiting room and looked at his watch. It had been a long night; an even longer day, and now another endless night was upon him. He glanced back out at the darkness. He wanted to get out of there for awhile but he felt conflicted about leaving. It wasn't home that he was longing for though; it was Johanna and the comfort that could be found with her. His gaze traveled back to his watch. It was already eleven, and really he shouldn't keep imposing on her. She had been at work all day and she was probably tired. He had called twice to update her...and because he just needed to hear her voice. He should just stay put; it was too late to drop in on her now. He'd have to wait until tomorrow.

"Go see your girl, Jimmy," Madelyn said as she appeared at his side and wrapped a hand around his arm and squeezed lightly.

"She's...were not together like that," he replied as he glanced at his sister.

"But that doesn't make her any less your girl though, does it?"

"I suppose in some ways it does," he remarked and she knew without a doubt what he meant.

"I figure you could probably change that if you wanted to."

He shot her a sidelong look and Madelyn gave him a knowing smile. "I'm not trying to get into your business," she assured.

"Then what are you trying to say?" he asked; fearing that this was going to be the same thing he got from everybody.

Madelyn chose her words carefully. "It's just that it's easy to see that she's very special to you."

"What makes you say that?" he asked; his curiosity getting the better of him.

"The way you look when you talk about her...and you talk about her a good bit."

"I don't look any certain way when I mention her."

"You do," Madelyn replied. "You light up when you talk about her; like she's the best thing you've ever come across, and maybe she is. Since you gave me her number and always tell me that's where you'll be, I know that you're spending a lot of time with her; and it seems to me that she's taking care of you...and you're letting her."

"She's my friend, she's comforting."

"Obviously, that's why you go to her. That and because she's special to you."

He nodded. "Yeah; I guess she is."

"That's okay, you know," his little sister told him.

He gave her an indulgent smile. "Does that mean you have something else to say?"

"Just that even though I haven't met her, I can tell that she's good for you."

"Why do you say that?"

"Because she makes you happy. She gives you someone to lean on when you need it and she's there for you and I can tell that that means a lot to you. I think you must be very special to her as well; as you should be, seeing as how you're my big brother."

He smiled and wrapped an arm around her, giving her a brief squeeze. "Yeah, well, Jo is good at making people feel special."

"You most of all?" Madelyn asked.

He shrugged. "I don't think too much about it."

"Now why don't I believe that?" she replied with a soft laugh.

He laughed with her. "Alright, maybe I think about it sometimes."

"And?"

"I don't know, Lyn," Jim answered as he looked at her. "It just seems like it's best not to think about it too much when things are fine as they are right now."

She nodded in understanding. "You'll know when the time is right."

He scoffed lightly. "I don't know about that."

Madelyn chuckled. "Well then she'll let you know when the time is right."

"I guess we'll see."

She leaned her head against her brother's shoulder. "Everything is fine here. Dad is stable and has been for a good while now. Mom and I are staying the night. I have Johanna's number in my wallet. Now go on; you've been here since last night. Go see her."

"It's late."

"She won't mind. Chances are she's probably waiting up for you. Go be with her and let her take care of you; you need it."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive. We'll be fine. I'll call if we need you."

With his decision made, he kissed his sister's cheek and gave her a hug. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"I'll be here...praying that someone slips a sleeping pill in Mom's coffee."

Jim laughed. "Maybe you can ask a nurse for help with that."

"Don't tempt me," she replied.

He gave her a smile and said goodnight and then set off for Johanna's.

As the clock ticked closer to 11:30, Johanna began to believe that Jim wouldn't be showing up at her door that night. He had probably gone home to get some sleep; which she was sure he desperately needed and she should probably do the same she thought as she smothered a yawn with her hand. She was reluctant to move however as she felt comfortable enough as she laid on her sofa, an I Love Lucy rerun on her television. Maybe she'd just finish watching this episode, she thought; maybe then she'd force herself to move to her bed. Her eyes began to droop as the episode finished and the next one began but a knock at her door startled her and she was suddenly wide awake once more as she got up to answer it. "Who is it?" she asked.

"It's me," Jim's voice replied from the other side.

Johanna quickly released the locks and allowed him inside. "Sorry to come so late," he murmured as he looked into her eyes and saw traces of sleepiness despite the resurgence of energy that she felt.

"It's okay," she answered; gesturing for him to follow her to the sofa. "I was just watching TV."

And most likely falling asleep while doing it, Jim thought to himself.

"How is your father?" she inquired.

"He's still stable...thank God."

"Have they told you anything new since the last time we talked? You said they were running more tests and that the doctor would be coming back."

He released a weighted sigh as he scrubbed a hand over his face. "The doctor said that he's going to have to have surgery."

"What for?"

"They think that one of the arteries in his heart may be blocked. They need to go in and open it...he said that once they're in there, they might discover that it's more than one artery...and what kind of damage as been done."

Johanna scooted closer to him; taking his hand in hers. "When are they going to do this?"

"In a few days. They want to make sure he's stable enough and run a few more tests...you'd think they would've ran them all by now but I guess they still have a few up their sleeves."

"What have they said about this surgery? Does it have a high success rate? Is the prognosis good?"

"They told us that it's a very common operation," he said before pausing for a moment. "It's successful in most cases; and he doesn't seem to think there will be any problems but...there's a risk with any surgery...especially one that's dealing with the heart."

She nodded. "I'm sure he'll do fine."

"I wish I could be as sure of that as you."

Johanna really wasn't sure of it at all, but she had always been taught that it was better to be optimistic about such things. "You just have to keep thinking positively," she told him softly as she squeezed his hand.

"I thought he was getting better," he murmured. "He seemed like he was getting back to being himself...we thought he'd be going home in a few days and then he has this second heart attack. I...I didn't think he was going to make it this time, Jo."

Johanna shifted and wrapped her arms around him. "I know; that's why I wanted to come be with you last night."

"It wasn't that I didn't want you there," Jim replied as he held her tightly. "I did...I just didn't want you to be out that late at night."

"I know," she whispered. "I thought about coming anyway but I didn't want to upset you more than you already were."

"Thanks for sending Jeff," he stated as he kept her tucked against his side on she pulled out of their embrace.

"No problem. I figured if I couldn't be there, than he could be. Did you eat at all today?"

"Madelyn and I had a sandwich in the cafeteria around dinner time. It wasn't very good."

She gave him a small smile. "Do you want me to make you something?"

"No, sweetheart. I'm not hungry but thanks anyway."

"How is everyone else doing?"

He gave a shrug. 'I guess we're all doing about the same right now. Andrew took Grandma home awhile ago and he's going to stay with her tonight so she isn't by herself."

"That's good," Johanna replied. "I'm glad he got back from Colorado safely."

"I can't believe he drove half the way here before stopping and catching a plane."

"Maybe he didn't realize what he was doing once he started out. I'm sure his mind wasn't where it needed to be."

"I don't doubt that."

"What about William? Is he coming home now?"

Jim scoffed as he shook his head. "I wish he would so I could grab a hold of him and ask him what his damn problem is. He acts like Dad just has a cold and we're all overreacting. He's facing a major surgery...and he's not even going to put in a request to come home for a few days. It's wrong, Jo. It's so damn wrong of him."

"You're right," she stated; "It is wrong of him to not even make the request. I have a cousin who is in the service and when his mother was in a bad accident and they weren't sure how things were going to turn out, the military allowed him to come home for a short while because that was a family emergency just like this is. Like you said, there is a risk with every surgery...and he should be here just in case; because if he isn't and something happens..."

"Then he can walk around for the rest of his life with the knowledge that he hadn't seen his father in over a year and that he didn't come home when the man needed his family the most."

"That would be a heavy cross to bear," Johanna remarked; "And hopefully the chances of it are small but it's still wrong and you have every right to be angry with him for it."

"I am angry with him...but he doesn't care. He never does."

Silence fell between them and she subtly studied his tired features. "Are you sure I can't get you something?"

Jim nodded. "I'm sure. I should go and let you get to bed."

"Does Madelyn know you're here?"

"Yeah; why?"

Johanna was quiet for a moment as she carefully chose her words. "You should just stay here," she said quietly. "It's late and you're tired...and I don't think you should drive when you're tired...and there's no reason for you to go home and be by yourself."

"Why not?" he asked; his curiosity piqued.

"Well...because your mother and Madelyn are together and I assume Michael is with his wife and kids, and Andrew is with your grandmother. So why should you be alone when you can stay here...with me...and I can make you breakfast in the morning."

He gave her a soft smile. "That's a very convincing argument."

"That's why I'm a lawyer," she quipped.

He laughed and then turned serious as his gaze met hers. "Are you sure you don't mind?"

"Of course I don't mind. It isn't like we've haven't done it before," she told him; after all they had stayed together those first two nights when his father had that first heart attack.

"I guess that's true...I just don't want you to think I'm taking advantage of our friendship."

"Why on earth would I think that?" Johanna asked. "You didn't ask; I'm the one who made the offer and it still stands. If it makes you feel better, you can always pretend that I'm afraid there's a monster in the closet and that you're staying to protect me from it."

Jim laughed. "I would've thought you were over your monster phase by now."

"Monsters don't go away when you grow up...they just take different forms and they're just as scary," she told him. "I'm in desperate need of protection from them."

"Well then I better stay here and make sure nothing gets you tonight," he replied with a smile.

"Good," she said as she clicked off the television and then rose from the sofa; holding out a hand for him to take. "Let's go get some sleep."

He slipped his hand into hers and rose, obediently following her to her room as exhaustion washed over him. He had made the right choice, he thought to himself once they were settled in her bed and she had brushed her lips against his cheek as she told him goodnight. She was right; he didn't want to be alone tonight.

It was after three that morning when Johanna sat up and clicked on the light on the nightstand before turning towards Jim as he ran his hands over his face. "It's okay," she murmured.

He shook his head. "No it's not. I think I'm having one," he told her, his hand rubbing against his chest.

"You're fine, Jim," she assured as she closed the small amount of distance between them and laid her own hand against his heart. "You just had a bad dream, that's all."

Jim clutched her hand tightly as it laid against the cotton material of his t-shirt; his chest feeling tight. "I think it's more than that. I think..."

"It's just anxiety," she said; cutting off his words. "You're not having a heart attack."

"How do you know?"

"Do you have any numbness or tingling in your arm, or anywhere for that matter?"

"No."

"Do you have any pains in your chest or back?"

"No."

"Do you feel sick?"

"Well I don't feel good!" he remarked.

"Try to calm down," she said softly as she rubbed her hand against his chest. "You're okay. It's just stress getting to you. You're fine."

"Are you sure?"

"Jim, do you really think I'd sit here and let something happen to you? If I thought for one second that something was wrong, I'd call for help. You know that, right?"

He nodded as he tried to slow down his thoughts. "Yeah; I guess so."

"Don't guess, know it," she remarked. "You know that rule about no shoes in my bed?"

"Yeah."

"I also have a no dying in my bed rule; so if something was wrong; I'd get you help. In fact there's a no dying anywhere in my apartment rule here...that rule goes for your apartment as well, so don't get any ideas."

He gave a small laugh. "You're making rules for my apartment too?"

She nodded. "It seems that way."

He was quiet for a moment; that strange feeling still in his chest. "Are you sure, Jo?"

She dropped her hand from his chest and shifted so that she could dip her head and press an ear against his heart. "Your heartbeat is strong and steady."

"It sounds normal?"

"Yes," she replied as she lifted her head and wrapped her arms around him. "You're fine; I'm here with you. I'm not going to let anything happen to you."

His arm snaked around her waist, tucking her tightly against him. "I could have one though...just like my father."

"Jim, you're not your father."

"But it could happen. He's my father, if it can happen to him, it can happen to me."

Johanna pulled back far enough to see his face. "You're young and healthy, Jim. You're in good shape. You have nothing to worry about."

"None of that matters, Johanna," he protested. "My father isn't ancient; he's hardly ever sick, he's very active."

It was going to be a long night, she mused as she searched for the right words to soothe him. "I know you're scared," she said gently. "I don't blame you, I would be too; but just because it had happened to your dad doesn't mean it's going to happen to you, honey. You're just tired and stressed out from dealing with this and trying to juggle as much work as you can and take care of everyone. You need to try to relax and to rest. Your father will be okay and you're going to be okay too."

He felt like such a child at the moment but he couldn't seem to do anything about it. "You really think so?"

Johanna nodded. "Yes; now take a few deep breaths and try to relax."

Jim did as she asked and he began to feel calmer. "Better?" she asked as she pressed a kiss against his cheek.

"Yeah," he replied; giving her waist a small squeeze. "Why are you so good to me?"

She gave a soft laugh. "I don't know; maybe because you buy lunch a few times a week...or maybe it's something else?"

"Like what?"

"Maybe it's because I just like you so much and want to keep you around."

He smiled as his eyes met hers. "I like you too, Jo," he said quietly. Her lips curved upwards in a shy smile, her eyes darting away for a moment and then back as that pull between them made itself known.

"I'm glad," she whispered.

Unable to resist the urge, he caught her lips in a soft kiss. "See, I told you that you were just fine," she murmured when their kiss ended.

His fingers caressed her face. "Well maybe I better make sure of it," he remarked before kissing her again.

She would've liked to have gone on kissing him all night but she didn't think it was wise to push their limits tonight when his mind had so much turmoil. When their kiss ended, she pulled away.

"Where are you going?" he asked; suddenly feeling lost without her warmth tucked against him.

"Nowhere; I was just getting the remote," she answered as she clicked on the small TV that sat on her dresser. "This is my go to tactic when I can't sleep," she told him. "Lay down."

Jim hesitated at the thought of going back to sleep. "I don't think I want to sleep anymore tonight, Jo."

"You feel that way now because your mind is thinking things it shouldn't be; now lay down," she ordered.

He obeyed and settled back against the pillow. "Now, you let the television distract you and you'll be able to go back sleep," Johanna said as she laid aside the remote and clicked off the light. "I'm going to be right here with you," she assured as she laid down next to him; draping her arm around him as she used his chest as her pillow. "I'll have my ear right against your heart. I'll know if something is wrong, okay?"

"Yeah," he replied; his fingers automatically threading through her dark hair.

"If I fall asleep before you and you need me, just wake me up."

"Okay," he agreed and then realizing that he was playing with her hair, he added, "Is this alright?"

"What?"

"This," he stated; feeling somewhat silly as he gave her hair a gentle tug.

"I like it," she answered sleepily. "It's soothing."

"Just checking."

He knew the moment that she fell asleep, and he continued to run his fingers through her hair. She said she found it soothing, oddly enough, so did he, he thought to himself as sleepiness washed over him. There was still a small amount of fear of going back to sleep but he pushed it away and kept his thoughts focused on Johanna. She had called him 'honey' again. He liked that, he thought, a small smile on his lips as his eye lids grew heavier. There would be no nightmares this time...his dreams would be of the woman nestled in his arms.

"What are you going to do today?" Jim asked the next morning as he ate the breakfast that Johanna had prepared for them.

"Well my brother and his wife are out of town and her parents have the baby but they have things to do today so I have to go pick him up and baby-sit. While he naps, I'll probably do a little cleaning and maybe some paperwork if time allows."

"Why don't they bring the baby to you if they're going out?" Jim questioned.

She shrugged. "I don't know. I guess maybe they aren't coming this way and would rather drag me around the city to get him than the other way around."

"And then take him back, I guess?"

"No; they were gracious enough to say that they would pick him up around five. Of course I've been down that road with them before; five in their language usually means seven."

He gave a soft laugh. "Don't you just love when people have a different definition of time?"

"Yeah," she agreed; "It keeps life exciting."

"I'll take you to go get him."

"You don't have to do that. I'm sure you need to get back to the hospital and check on things."

"I'll be heading back there…but I'm not ready yet."

"Something wrong?" Johanna asked; wondering if he was still feeling the anxiety he had felt the night before.

Jim rubbed his hand against the back of his neck. "I just feel like I need a little time away…and I know now probably isn't the ideal time to take it but…I'm just not ready to go back into that room today."

"You've had a little too much of that room," she said gently.

He nodded. "That's terrible, isn't it?"

"No; I think everyone feels like that when someone they love is in the hospital for longer than a few days."

"It just…it gets to me after awhile; seeing him like that and all of those machines and the beeping of the monitors…not that I want that beeping to stop," he hurriedly added.

"I know what you meant," Johanna stated; rubbing a soothing hand against his wrist. "It's just that while it's a sound you want to hear, it gets grating on the nerves after awhile."

"Yeah; it does. I just need some time…and I think that if I take you to pick up your nephew and then go home and get a shower and change…maybe take a quick look through that stack of mail that's piling up; then maybe that will be enough time for me to be ready to go back."

"There's no shame in that, Jim."

"Feels like it. He's my father…"

"He's the father of four other people too," she reminded him. "They can fill in for you for an hour or two; and I'm sure your mother is there. Take a little time to yourself. I know you want to be there to hear what the doctor has to say but if they're waiting on test results then he probably isn't going to be in until the afternoon. No one will hold it against you if you don't hurry back this very second; and if they do, remind them that it's mainly been you and Madelyn there and that they have no room to talk."

Jim smiled. "I love when you're sassy."

"Feel free to quote me," she laughed.

"I'll keep it in mind in case that situation arises. Will it be too early to pick up the baby when we're finished breakfast?"

"No," Johanna answered. "They probably have him packed and ready. I don't mean that to sound like they don't enjoy being grandparents; they love Greg, but when they have something better to do…"

"I know what you mean," Jim told her. "We'll go take him off their hands as soon as we're done here."

Jim left the car running as Johanna disappeared into the brownstone house she had indicated to collect her nephew. She reappeared several minutes later and he smiled at the sight of her with a bundled up baby on her hip and a diaper bag slung over her shoulder. She walked quickly; no doubt hurrying to get the little boy out of the chilly morning air. She opened the car door and handed the diaper bag in to him, which he put in the backseat as she climbed in and settled the baby on her lap.

The boy looked up at him with big blue eyes as he kept a small hand clutched to his aunt's sleeve. Hair as dark as Johanna's peeked out beneath his dark blue hat and Jim smiled. "He's cute."

"Well of course he is. He's my little man," Johanna replied; sounding every bit the besotted aunt that she was as she pressed a kiss to his head.

Greg smiled and tipped his head back to coo at his aunt before returning his gaze to Jim.

"I guess we know who spoils you," Jim stated as he brushed a finger against the boy's small hand, before putting the car in drive.

"Well someone has to do it," she replied; "And as his aunt; it's my right."

"I'm sure it is," he chuckled as he pulled away from the curb; Gregory letting out a squeal as he did so.

Jim shot a quick glance to Johanna. "He likes car rides," she explained as she hugged the baby to her.

He smiled. "Well then, Greg; I'm glad I can make you happy today."

After walking Johanna to her door, Jim followed her inside and lingered; that feeling of needing momentary distance from the hospital and whatever news awaited, filling his chest.

"How old is he now?" he asked; making small talk as she sat down with the squirming baby.

"Six months," she answered as she worked on freeing the boy from his coat and hat.

"Anything I can do to help you settle in?"

"Yeah; can you make sure the doors to the bathroom and my bedroom are closed? He just started crawling and as you can see, he's anxious to be a man on the go."

Jim made sure the doors in question were closed and then picked up the diaper bag she had set down and searched for bottles while she did a quick scan of the floor to make sure there was nothing that the baby could put in his mouth before she sat him down and allowed him roam as he wished.

"I put the bottles in the fridge," he told her.

"Thanks," Johanna said with a smile as she went to the closet and took out the small box of toys that she kept there for her nephew.

"I see you're all prepared for these visits," Jim commented.

"I try to be," she laughed while watching as Greg crawled towards Jim and then sat down at his feet.

He scooped the baby up and smiled at him, "Something on your mind?" he asked him.

Greg smiled and babbled in his baby language as Jim looked him over. "He has your hair color," he remarked.

"Well Frankie and I have the same hair color," Johanna replied; "So I'm afraid I can't take credit for that."

He held her nephew for a few more minutes; the little boy's gibberish oddly soothing in some way but he knew it was time to drag himself away…no matter how much he might like to stick around and help her baby-sit. "You take care of Aunt Jo," he told him; before handing him to Johanna, and holding her gaze. "I'll see you later."

"I'll be here," she promised.

That evening, Jim felt weary as he made his way back to Johanna's door. His neck ached with tension and he wished, not for the first time, that this was all some bad dream and that he'd wake up soon.

"Have they decided when they're going to do the surgery?" Johanna asked; after inquiring about everyone's well being once she had let him in.

"They're going to do it Wednesday," he answered; "That's the first available spot the surgeon has open."

"How long will it take?"

"The doctor said that it depends on what they find once they get in there. I guess it'll take a few hours. They're going to take him in at ten that morning."

"Have you notified William? Maybe he'll change his mind and see about coming home."

Jim shook his head. "I'll let Mom handle that. I have everything else to do."

"What do you need to do?"

"Well for starters, I have to go get my parents bills and get them paid. My Dad always takes care of that and in my mother's mind, that's a man's job. It doesn't matter that she's capable of writing out a check; I mean she writes them out at the grocery store and at the beauty parlor, but she refuses to write out her own bills. So I'll have to sit down and write out the checks for her to sign and then get them on their way."

"My mother was like that," Johanna replied; "Until several years ago when Dad had to go out of town for a business conference. She threw a holy fit because he'd be gone when the bills were due in and she was yelling about how they'd get paid if he wasn't there to take care of it. He sat her down and made her learn how to do it. She didn't like it but he told her that she had to know what she was doing just in case he wasn't around to do it for her."

"Dad needs to do that with Mom," Jim remarked. "She's perfectly capable of taking care of things but she just doesn't want to. Just like she's insisting that I call the insurance company and ask them if this surgery is covered. The hospital already told her that the majority of the bill would be covered, if not all of it; but she had to go off on a tangent about who's going to pay for any balance left by the insurance. They have money, Jo. Dad has a separate account set up for emergencies like this and she knows it. The bill will be paid regardless and it won't bankrupt them. She doesn't need to worry about it but she wants to make a big deal out of trivial things."

"She sounds a little high strung."

"A little? She's driving me crazy, Jo."

She smiled and patted his knee. "I'll get you a drink. I think you could use one."

"Just bring me the whole bottle."

"Then you'd be drunk."

Jim glanced at her. "I'd love to be drunk right now."

"I don't blame you for feeling that way but it wouldn't solve anything. You'd just have a headache and I'm sure your mother would just make it worse," she said as she headed towards the kitchen.

She returned a few minutes later, carrying a glass of brandy for each of them. "What else is on your to do list?" she asked as she settled back down on the opposite end of the sofa and turned her body towards him; stretching her legs out across his lap.

"Is this your hint for me to rub your feet?" Jim asked as he glanced down at her feet in his lap and then back to her face.

"No; I just figured you wouldn't mind me putting them there for awhile…but if you feel the need to rub them, go ahead. I won't complain."

"I'm sure you wouldn't," he laughed.

"What else do you need to do?" she prodded; wanting to know if it was something she could take on herself to ease some of the burden from his shoulders, because apparently with the exception of Madelyn, his siblings weren't being much help to him.

"I have to go get my grandmother's bills taken care of too," he answered; "But for different reasons. She doesn't have a problem taking care of things herself…she just doesn't think those due dates apply to her. She thinks she can pay when she feels like it because apparently that's how things were done when she was young. She also has a habit of throwing away things she shouldn't; like when the electric company changed the look of their envelopes. She thought it was junk and threw it away. After last year's fiasco, Dad decided it would be best if she just set her bills aside and let him come and take care of them.

"What happened last year?" Johanna asked as his unoccupied hand dropped onto the top of her bare foot and began to rub against her soft skin.

"She called me and told me she needed me to come over right away. I could tell she was in a snit and she wouldn't tell me why; she just demanded that I come over. So I went and when I get there she's waving around the cable bill and yelling that they shut off her service. I asked her if she wanted me to call them; she said no that she was going to call, which she preceded to do. She then starts yelling at the man who took her call; telling him how dare they shut off her cable, she's an old lady and that's all she has and that her shows are going to be on that night. She tells him that if she misses her shows, there's going to be hell to pay."

Johanna laughed. "It sounds like she has a temper."

"Oh she does; but it gets better. She tells the guy that her grandson is a lawyer and that I'm standing there with her and that I'm going to sue them if they don't turn her cable back on right that very moment."

"Now I see why she needed you there," she laughed.

Jim laughed with her. "I was trying to calm her down; asking her to give me the phone so I could find out what was going on. She won't hear of it; instead she tells the guy that she's sending me down there right now to take care of them and then she slams down the phone. So then I have no choice but to go down to the cable company, where I had to convince them that my grandmother isn't crazy and that I'm not going to sue them. They tell me that she hasn't paid the bill in three months."

"Oh no," she exclaimed.

"Oh yes," he replied. "I paid what she owed and gave them extra to go turn it back on that night so she wouldn't miss her shows. When I told her what the problem was, she said, and I quote 'I was going to get around to paying them, they shouldn't get their knickers in a knot'."

Johanna choked on the sip of brandy she had just taken as laughter overwhelmed her. "I see why your Dad decided it would be best to take over," she said once she got herself back under control.

"Yeah; it's best for everyone. She used to just use the 'I'm an old lady' guilt card; now she throws in 'my grandson's a lawyer and will sue anyone I ask him to'. Now I know why she was so glad that I went to law school."

"Just think, if you ever need more business, you can just ask your grandma."

Jim chuckled. "Yeah; I'm sure she has a list waiting."

"It sounds like she'd be a good friend for my grandmother," Johanna remarked. "She thinks she's a privileged old lady too. Just a few months ago, she called and told me that she was sick and needed to go to the doctor. She said that she called Mom but that she was giving piano lessons and that Mom told her to call me and tell me to come get her car and then go pick up Grandma and take her to the doctor. So of course I get a cab, go get my mother's car, drive to Brooklyn and pick up Grandma and take her to the doctor; and I'm assuming that she called ahead and that they're expecting her."

"I have a feeling that they weren't," Jim laughed.

"No they weren't," she answered; "And when the nurse told her that she didn't have an appointment, she went off. She started yelling that there was a time when you didn't need an appointment and that if you were sick, you got treated. The nurse is trying to explain that she should've called ahead and Grandma is yelling that she's an old lady and that she's probably dying while they quibble about having a damn appointment."

Jim laughed. "There's that old lady card."

"She wasn't done yet. She then tells the nurse that she didn't have to make an appointment to get on the boat and come to this country...and that's when I made a mistake."

"What mistake did you make?"

"I said that I was sure her parents probably had to buy tickets for the boat."

"What did she say to that?"

"She looked at me like this," Johanna said, narrowing her eyes in the same fashion as Sophia Calabrese often did; "And she said 'were you there'?"

He laughed. "It just keeps getting better."

"I took that as my cue to shut up. Any time she gets started on a tangent where she has to bring up the boat that brought her to America when she was four, you know that it's going to be a long day. The poor nurse didn't know what to think or do, and so finally she told her to sit down and that she'd squeeze her into the schedule. Two hours later, we finally got to leave...and all she was diagnosed with was a minor cold."

Jim laughed as he continued to rub his fingertips against her foot. "How did we end up in families like these, Jo?"

She shrugged. "I guess we were bad in a previous life."

"I hope it was worth it," he chuckled.

"Me too."

It grew quiet as they finished their drinks and finally Jim caught her eye once more. "Do you have any more stories to share?" he asked.

She caught his silent meaning; he wanted her to keep his mind occupied so that he could relax a little more. "I have plenty of stories. Do you want me to tell you about the summer I spent with my great grandmother when I was 12?"

Jim nodded. "That sounds like a good place to start."

As Robert Beckett remained in stable condition while awaiting his surgery, Jim and Johanna fell back into the routine they had established when the situation had began. Jim juggled work and his family while Johanna was always quietly waiting for him to make his way back to her door. In many ways, Johanna had already been his confidant before Robert's illness but her role in that capacity seemed to expand. He spilled all of his worries and frustrations at her kitchen table while eating the meals she prepared; barely even realizing that he was saying far more than he normally would about how he felt in regards to his family. She seemed to know when to prod and when to let a something pass without remark. Seeing her, even for the briefest of minutes during hectic days, became a priority for him.

If Johanna noticed a shift in how much he seemed to need her during those days, she said nothing about it. She disregarded the knowing looks Sharon was giving her and she ignored Jeff's good natured snickering. Jim was what was important; not their friend's misguided ideas about what was going on between them. She had to be in court the day of Robert's surgery and she had to use a little more effort than usual to keep her mind focused on her job. She wished she could be with Jim; she knew how worried and nervous he was about the procedure, which in turn made her worry about him. He promised to leave a message for her when it was over; and when court was dismissed for the day, she wasted no time in getting back to her office.

"Has Jim called?" Johanna asked Sharon as soon as she stepped inside her office.

"About forty five minutes ago," she replied. "His father made it through the surgery okay and was in recovery. He said he'd be by to see you tonight."

She nodded in response but then seeing the teasing grin on her secretary's lips, she narrowed her eyes and asked, "What?"

"Nothing," Sharon replied. "It just seems like you two are getting pretty cozy lately with all of these night time visits."

Johanna rolled her eyes. "Really? You think romance has been on anyone's mind other than yours and Jeff's while this has been going on?"

"Hey, it could happen. Times of turmoil often bring people together."

"Yeah in Harlequins," Johanna quipped.

"Don't act like you haven't read your share of them."

"I'm not," she laughed. "How were things around here today?"

"Boring," Sharon responded. "Nothing exciting happened in the building and business was slow. I hate slow days when you're in court. I don't have anyone to talk to except George of course," she said; waving a hand in the direction of the plant that sat on top of the filing cabinet near her desk.

"You keep talking to that plant and they'll be carting you off to the looney bin," Johanna teased.

"And you think you're not going?" the secretary asked. "Once I tell them about how you sit in there with your head down on bad days and talk to yourself about your career choice, they'll be putting you in the van with me."

"Well that's probably how it should be. If we have to be declared crazy and taken away, it's only right that we go together. Maybe we can take George with us for in our room."

"I hope so," Sharon replied. "I'd hate to leave him here alone; and besides, I've heard you talking to him too once or twice."

"Guilty as charged," Johanna answered. "Let's get out of here."

Sharon grabbed her purse and pushed away from the desk. "Speaking of George," she said as she walked towards the plant. "I didn't water him this morning, did you."

"Yes, I took care of him first thing."

"Oh, he's got a brown leaf here towards the back; let me get that before we go."

"Are you two talking to that plant again?" Phil asked from the doorway; startling them both.

"So what if we are?" Johanna asked. "He's ours."

"It's nuts," he replied.

"So are you but we don't complain," Sharon retorted.

"Yeah, she's even crazy enough to date you," Johanna added.

Phil smirked. "You two treat that plant like a baby."

"Well we wanted a cat but since we can't have pets in the office, we found George and we love him and he loves us," Sharon remarked as she tossed the brown leaf in the trash can.

"Oh he does?" he asked. "Did he tell you that?"

"Of course he did; look how green he is. Only happy plants get that green," the secretary stated.

"I'm sorry I asked," Phil replied. "Are you ready to go?"

"I'm ready."

"Jo, do you want a ride home?" he offered.

"If you don't mind."

"Not at all; kiss your plant and tuck him in for the night, ladies; and let's go."

"Smack him later," Johanna told Sharon.

"I'll make him pay."

It was after eight when Jim made his way to Johanna's door. He was tired and a day of worrying had wore on him. He was more than ready to relax in Johanna's living room and accept one of her comforting embraces. She gave him a small smile when she opened the door and then ushered him inside.

"How did the surgery go?" Johanna asked.

"The doctor said it was successful and that he should make a full recovery," Jim answered. "It took a little longer than they said it would. I swear, Jo; I was starting to think that something had gone wrong. I couldn't stand it."

She wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug. "I wish I could've been there with you."

While he had been pacing the floors, he had found himself wishing that she was there too, he recalled as he breathed in the soft scent of strawberries and perfume that always clung to her. "You're here now. How did it go in court?"

"It went fine for the most part," she sighed.

"For the most part?"

"Layton was the opposing attorney…you know how he is; he doesn't want anyone but himself getting a word in edge wise and he takes forever when he has someone on the stand. I swear he asks the same questions ten times and they're never worth repeating."

Jim gave a soft laugh. "I know what you mean. I hate how he walks around the courtroom with his hands on his hips like he's trying to be intimidating…he just ends up looking like an idiot."

"I think he's under the delusion that he's a legend in the making or something."

"That'll be the day."

"Did you have dinner?"

"No."

Johanna took his hand. "Then come in to the kitchen, I kept a plate warm for you."

"If you keep feeding me, you'll never get rid of me."

"That's okay," she told him. "I don't want to and besides, I've always had a fondness for cats."

Jim smirked. "I should've known you'd take that statement that way. Did you ever have a cat?"

"No. Colleen and I always wanted a kitten but Dad said no. He doesn't like cats; he says they're sneaky; and he threw in that he had enough mouths to feed. How about you? Any childhood pets?"

"Mom has allergies so we couldn't have any dogs or cats. We had a parakeet for a long time…it somehow learned to cuss."

"Somehow?" Johanna laughed as she put the plate down on the table.

"Michael may or may not have had something to do with that," he answered.

"But you wouldn't know anything about that, right?"

"Right. I know nothing."

"What did your mother think of this cussing parakeet?"

Jim laughed. "She wasn't too happy when it said a certain two word phrase to her."

Her eyes widened and she laughed as the phrase came to mind. "It didn't!"

"It did. Dad laughed for days over that one."

"I would have too."

"She's still trying to figure out who taught it to say that."

"What's she going to do when she finds out? Ground all of you?"

Jim chuckled. "Knowing her, she'd try."

She allowed the conversation to lapse for a few minutes as he ate and then she caught his eye. "Are you okay?" she asked softly.

He released a heavy breath; expelling some of the day's stress with it. "I'm better now," he answered.

"Are you sure?"

He reached for her hand and nodded. "Yeah; it's just good to be here…with you."

Johanna smiled. "I'm here anytime you need me."

"I know…and I hope you know how much that means to me, Jo."

She gave a small nod. "I know."

"I just hope this surgery has taken care of things for Dad," he said after a few moments.

"How much longer will he be in the hospital?"

"A few weeks at least. I guess it depends on how quickly he heals and if everything goes the way it's supposed to."

"I'm sure it will," she assured. "He'll be fine; you'll see."

"I hope you're right."

"Have I been wrong so far?" Johanna asked lightly.

Jim smiled. "No; not that I know of; so do me a favor and don't break your streak, okay?"

"I'll do my best," she told him.

"What's worrying you, Jim?" Johanna asked nearly a week after Robert's surgery as she sat at Jim's kitchen table and looked over some of his notes for an upcoming case.

"Same thing that's been worrying me," he answered; his gaze darting towards her for a moment and then back to the file that he had been studying.

"You said that your Dad was doing better; that he was recovering nicely from the surgery."

"He is."

"Then what's the problem?"

"He was doing better before," Jim answered; his voice trailing off. "And then he had another attack…and with this case in court, I can't be there."

"What about your brothers?"

"Michael has to work too and Andrew has been spending the nights with Dad. He's going to have to get back to work sometime this week too and he's tired…so is Madelyn and I know that Mom needs a break but everyone is still too afraid for him to be alone just yet. We don't want Grandma to be there with him by herself either, if something would happen."

"That's understandable," she replied.

"I know we're all probably being paranoid, but I'm gong to be uneasy about being in court all day."

"This case starts tomorrow?" Johanna asked as she mentally reviewed her schedule.

"Yeah."

"Okay, I'll go stay with him while you're in court," she told him.

Jim glanced at her. "I wasn't hinting at you, Jo."

"I know you weren't. I'll do it to help you out; the last thing you need is to be distracted while in court; and your mother and Madelyn can go home for awhile and take a break."

"What about work?"

"Since the case I was supposed to present in court this week got dropped; my schedule is mainly clear for the next two days. I told Sharon to keep it that way and I'd use the time to catch up on paperwork but I can just as easily do that at home. I have two appointments late in the afternoon but I'll have Sharon reschedule them for the next day."

"You don't have to do that," he murmured; although the idea of knowing that she was with his father made him feel a little better about being away all day.

"It's not a problem," she told him. "Unless you think he'd mind me being there."

Jim shook his head. "I don't think he'd mind at all. In fact I'm sure he'd like it…he likes you."

"I like him too," she smiled. "What about your mother?"

"I'm sure she'd be fine with it."

"Good; then stop worrying," Johanna told him. "Pick me up in the morning and I'll take care of everything while you go do your job."

"Are you sure you want to do that?"

She covered his hand with hers and gave it a light squeeze. "I'm sure. If it was a problem or inconvenient, I wouldn't offer."

He gave her a small smile and returned the squeeze of her hand. "Thank you."

This wasn't going to go over well, Johanna thought the next morning as Elizabeth Beckett looked her up and down; her nose wrinkling with distaste as her cool grey eyes shot daggers.

"I don't like it," Elizabeth said sharply. "I don't like it one bit."

"Why not?" Jim asked. "You said you needed a break.

"When you said you were brining a friend, I assumed you meant Jeff," his mother retorted.

"Well that will teach you not to assume. Dad will be in good hands with Johanna."

Elizabeth's brow rose. "And just what do you know about her abilities?"

"Plenty," Jim stated.

"We don't even know her!"

"I know her," he replied firmly as Johanna shifted on her feet.

"I've been trying to get to know her," Madelyn spoke up; a mischievous gleam in her eyes. "Jimmy's been promising to introduce me to her but he had yet to do it."

"He's been promising me the same thing," Johanna replied as she smiled at the other woman.

"Well then it's a good thing I started all of this trouble," Robert said lightly. "If I hadn't, Jimmy might have never gotten around to making the introductions; and Lizzie, I've met Johanna; she's a lovely girl so stop behaving like a snob."

"She looks like trouble," his wife stated as she glared at Johanna. "Nothing but trouble."

"Mother," Jim began to say; a warning lacing his tone but Johanna laid a hand against his arm.

"It's alright," she told him. "I've been called worse."

"I just bet you have," Elizabeth sniffed. "Just what kind of game are you running missy?"

Johanna eyed her. "I'm not running any kind of a game. I'm just doing a favor for my friend."

"Sure you are," she said snidely; "But don't get any ideas about sinking your hooks into my son because I won't stand for it."

Johanna couldn't help but laugh. "Mrs. Beckett, I can assure you that if I was trying to get my hooks into him that I could find a better way to do it."

The older woman's eyes narrowed. "I see you're one of those flippant girls who like to forget their manners."

"No; that's not the case at all. I always try to mind my manners but I won't stand by and be unfairly maligned. I have no ulterior motives in being here. Jim is my friend and I'll do anything for him that I can and I don't care who likes it or who doesn't."

"Well I never!" Elizabeth exclaimed. "Apparently someone should've had a firmer hand with you when you were a child."

"I had a firm hand," Johanna remarked; "Along with a belt that packed quite a sting, so I can assure you that I was properly disciplined as a child."

Jim was about to jump in and put an end to the standoff as humiliation at his mother's behavior washed over him but his father beat him to it.

"Elizabeth," Robert stated sharply; "You stop this right now. Who Jimmy spends his time with is none of your business and Johanna hasn't given you any reason to treat her the way you're doing."

"Especially when she's doing us a favor," Jim interrupted.

"I didn't ask her for any favors," his mother retorted.

"I apologize for my mother, Johanna," Madelyn chimed in. "We've been trying to get her off of that high horse for years but she seems to be glued in the saddle."

"You watch your mouth, young lady," Elizabeth stated.

Johanna smiled at Madelyn as she ignored Elizabeth. "It's okay; I have a father who I often find myself apologizing for."

"Then we really should smack my brother for not introducing us sooner."

"I don't think that's necessary," Jim remarked with a small grin.

"We'll be the judge of that," his sister remarked before turning her attention back to their mother. "Come on, let's go home and get some things done like we planned on."

"I'm not so sure I want to leave her alone with my husband," Elizabeth replied haughtily.

"For God's sake, Lizzie; get the hell out of here and give me a chance to miss you. She's not going to kill me or run off with me...I already promised Claudia that I would run off with her," Robert said; referring to his favored nurse as she entered the room.

The woman smiled at him but the gesture quickly wilted under Elizabeth's disapproving gaze.

"Let's go, Mother," Madelyn prodded.

"Fine," she stated before saying her goodbyes to her husband and then shifting her gaze towards Johanna. "I will be calling to check in."

"We'll be here," she replied.

The woman then glanced to her son. "If anything happens, Jimmy; it's on your head."

"Whatever you say," he told her; ignoring the remark and the disapproval in her eyes before she marched out the door.

"Don't worry, Jimmy," Madelyn stated in a hushed voice; "I'm going to spike her tea."

He laughed. "Good."

His sister smiled and then glanced to Johanna. "I hope we can talk more at a better time."

"I'd like that," she agreed.

Madelyn said goodbye and then left the room to join her mother and Jim turned towards his colleague, remorse in his eyes. "I'm so sorry, Johanna. I had no idea she would act like that."

"It's okay," she replied; rubbing a soothing hand against his arm before giving in and hugging him instead. "No harm done; but you better get going though or you'll be late for court."

He hugged her tightly for another moment before releasing her and glancing at his watch. She was right, he needed to get going. "Dad; redeem the family name and don't give her any trouble."

"You don't need to worry," Robert stated. "Good luck with your case, son."

He rubbed his hand against Johanna's back. "I'll call later and check on things."

She gave him a nod as she smiled and wished him luck. Once he was gone, she stood by quietly while the nurse completed her work and gave Robert his medication. "I see you have a new visitor today," Claudia remarked.

Robert smiled; his gaze darting towards Johanna. "That's my daughter-in-law."

Her eyes widened and she laughed. "I am not," she told the nurse. "I'm just a friend of his son."

Robert gave the nurse a wink. "But the boy is smitten and we know where that leads."

Claudia smiled. "Yes we do. I'll be back to check on you later."

"Well kiddo, I guess it's just you and me now," Robert said lightly as Johanna had settled into the chair at his bedside.

Johanna smiled; a knowing gleam in her eyes. "Are you relieved?"

"Would you think I was terrible if I said yes?"

"No, not at all. I'm sure you could use a break."

He gave a slight nod. "I love them; I appreciate their concern and that they want to fuss over me...but some of them are starting to drive me crazy."

She laughed softly. "Well maybe that's payback for pulling this stunt."

"Could be," Robert grinned. "I just thought I'd shake things up a little. I didn't know it was going to cause this big of a stir."

"Well now you know, so you better think twice next time. I might've thought twice about coming to visit if I had known that your wife was going to get so upset about it."

He wanted to laugh but knew that doing so would pull at his stitches and cause him a bit of pain so he settled for the softest of chuckles as he smiled widely. "Don't mind Lizzie; her bark is worse than her bite."

"That may be, but I'd rather not push my luck...so you better tell her I was on my best behavior...and you better be on yours because we don't want any trouble with her."

"It's a deal. Jimmy would never forgive me if I allowed Lizzie to run you off somehow."

Johanna gave him a sassy smirk. "I don't run away that easily."

"That's good to know," he answer and then after a moment, he added; "I hear you've been taking care of my boy."

She eyed him. "Who told you that?"

"Maddy; she told me that he's been spending most of his time with you and that you've been taking care of him."

She gave a nonchalant shrug. "I've just been making sure that he eats and that he's okay...and that he has someone to talk to."

Robert eyed her with an assessing gaze. "Why aren't the two of you an item?"

Her cheeks warmed as she shifted in her seat. "We probably shouldn't be discussing this."

"I won't tell if you won't," Jim's father said lightly; a small gleam in his eyes. "Now what's the problem between you and Jimmy that's keeping you from dating?"

She shrugged. "There's no problem."

"I might've believed that if I hadn't seen the way you two look at each other...and that you walked in here holding hands. Clearly there's a problem."

"Maybe he just hasn't asked me," Johanna remarked.

"Mhmm, I see," Robert replied. "I knew he wasn't asking you the right questions. I knew the problem wasn't on your part."

"Why is that?"

"Because you want him to ask."

"I didn't say that," she commented; a bit of forced lightness in her tone.

"Darling, you don't have to," he responded. "Those pretty eyes of yours give you away."

"I think we better change the subject," Johanna stated; feeling the blush spread across her cheeks.

"Don't worry; I'll talk to him about his problem."

"No you won't!" she exclaimed.

Robert gave in to a small chuckle but managed to hide the wince that came with it. "Alright, honey; I'll give him a few more months to figure things out. Now I don't believe you ever got to answer my question about how many siblings you have."

"I have an older brother and a younger sister."

"So you're in the middle; just like Jimmy."

She smirked at him. "You're just determined, aren't you?"

"I've been told that I'm incorrigible."

"Now I know where your son gets it."

"He got his handsomeness from me too," Robert quipped.

Johanna grinned. "I can see that for myself."

His blue eyes danced with amusement. "You see; I knew you were a woman of impeccable taste."

"Maybe I just can't help myself in the face of that Beckett charm," she teased.

"You wouldn't be the first lady to be swayed by it."

Johanna held his gaze; a smirk on her lips. "I don't know which one of you is worse; you or Jim?"

"Probably Jimmy," he answered. "Those young bucks haven't acquired the finesse that we elder members of the pack have."

"I think I'll ask him about that tonight."

"Let me know what he says," his father replied.

She laughed as she shook her head at him. "You have a pretty smile," Robert told her.

"Thank you."

"And just so you know, my son thinks you have the most beautiful eyes."

Johanna gave him an amused smirk. "I know."

The older man's brow rose; a smile curving his lips upward. "So he hasn't kept everything to himself...I'll have to give him a point for that."

"You do that, and I thought we were changing the subject?"

Robert grinned. "I can't help it if you and my son have so much in common that he works himself back into the conversation."

"Uh huh," she replied.

He gave a light short laugh. "Alright; I'll let you off the hook for now so you can get back to telling me all about yourself."

"Fine," she replied; "But if I give you my biography, I want something in return."

"What?"

She grinned. "I wouldn't mind hearing a few stories about Jim as a little boy."

"I'll be happy to oblige," Robert stated. "Will you do something for me?"

"What?" she asked.

His eyes lit up with mischief. "When my wife calls, tell her I'm not here."

Johanna laughed. "I'm afraid I can't do that."

"What if I gave you a few bucks?"

She shook her head. "No way; you'll have to find your entertainment some other way."

He sighed. "Okay; we'll just go back to swapping stories."

"We're probably both safer that way," Johanna remarked.

Robert nodded. "You're probably right."

When the judge called a recess for lunch, Jim headed for the nearest payphone and dialed the number of his father's hospital room. Johanna answered on the second ring, saving him the anxiety of thinking about the myriad of things that might be delaying the answering of the phone.

"How is everything?" he asked her.

"Your Dad is fine," she answered. "He introduced me to the nurse as his daughter-in-law."

Jim smirked. "Normally I'd apologize for that but I'm taking it as a sign that he's on the road to recovery."

"I think he is too. Your mother has called four times and your sister has called once to apologize on behalf of the family."

"And you thought you had family issues," Jim remarked. "Look at what I have."

Johanna laughed softly. "At least I know I'm not alone now."

"Don't forget Andrew," Robert reminded her.

"What about Andrew?" Jim asked; overhearing the comment.

"Madelyn told me that your mother had called and ordered him to come and check on things but we haven't seen him. Robert said that he thinks he's probably hiding somewhere in the city."

"He probably hung up and went back to bed," Jim responded. "He stayed with Dad last night and I know he's probably still tired from all the traveling he had to do to get back here. Mom doesn't take into account that we're all tired too but it doesn't matter. Andrew never was one to do her bidding when it came to petty things like this. I doubt he'll show up."

"Your mother hates me," Johanna said lightly.

"No; she's just being contrary," he remarked; "And I still feel badly about how she acted this morning."

"Don't worry about that. How are things going in court?"

"It seems to be going well but I don't want to get ahead of myself and claim a premature victory."

"Yeah, that's a good way to jinx yourself," Johanna replied. "Do you want to talk to your Dad?"

"Yeah, for a minute but then I have to go. Ignore my mother when she calls and I'll see you in a little while."

"See you later," she replied before handing the phone to Robert.

Later that afternoon as they watched the small television mounted on the wall; Johanna subtly studied Robert, taking note that his eyes were dropping. He was fighting his sleepiness and she hoped he wasn't forcing himself to stay awake on her account. "If you're tired; you should go to sleep," she gently suggested. "The more rest you get, the sooner you'll be feeling better."

Robert's tired blue gaze darted towards her and he favored her with a small smile. "I'm not tired."

She held his gaze. "Your eyes beg to differ. They look like they're getting heavier by the minute."

He chuckled softly. "Can't get nothing past you."

"No you can't," Johanna grinned. "Now if you need to sleep, you go ahead. I hope you don't think you have to stay awake because of me."

"No; it's not that."

"Then what is it?"

Robert glanced around the room as if to ensure that they were alone before asking. "Can you keep a secret?"

Johanna nodded. "You can trust me."

The older man was quiet for a moment; choosing his words with care before he spoke in a low, quiet tone. "I've been afraid to go to sleep," he admitted.

"Why?"

"Because...I was asleep when the first attack began; it woke me up...I thought it was just indigestion until the pain intensified. Now I worry about going to sleep...I worry it might happen again and it won't wake me up...you know what I mean?"

She gave a nod; taking his hand as she read between the lines. "Yes, I understand. I'm sure that's probably a normal reaction to something like this. It's like a survival instinct that tells you if you're alert you'll be able to help yourself."

"That's probably true," Robert remarked; "But it still feels silly. A man my age, afraid to close his eyes."

"It's not," she insisted. "There's no shame in being afraid; especially after what you've gone through. I'm sure you're not the only one in the family who has some fear right now."

"I'm sure they are afraid," he replied; "And I don't blame them...but I should be showing them that there's nothing to fear."

"Do you think they'll hold it against you if they know or realize that you're afraid right now?"

"No; I don't think they'd judge me...but they might look at me differently."

Johanna gave him a soft smile. "I think they're going to be looking at you differently either way at least for awhile. Once you're back to being yourself and doing the things you've always done, they'll go back to seeing you as they always have...but for now, they're looking at you differently and that can't be helped. That's their fear and worry on display but it's not permanent."

"You don't think so?"

She shook her head. "No. They'll treat you with kid gloves for awhile but then one day, you'll be at Jim's door because you had to get away from your wife again."

Robert grinned as he squeezed her hand. "I don't doubt that...but I just can't help feeling foolish over this thing about going to sleep."

"Can you keep a secret?" Johanna asked.

He nodded. "If you can keep mine, I can keep yours."

"Sometimes when I don't feel well, I get uneasy about being home by myself...so I go visit my mother and I pretend to lose track of time so she'll tell me to spend the night instead of going home in the dark," she admitted.

"That's not so bad," Robert responded; giving her hand another squeeze.

"Isn't it? I'm a grown woman, should I still be afraid of being home by myself sometimes? Should I really still need my mother to make me feel secure once in awhile?"

"You're never too old to need your mother, Johanna. Look at me; I'm a lot older than you and seeing my mother walk in here always brings me a sense of comfort. As for being afraid of being by yourself sometimes...that's natural."

"I don't know," she replied; "I have to go sleep with the television on just because it seems too quiet and it unnerves me. If I just have a little bit of noise to focus my thoughts on; then I can go to sleep without any trouble."

Robert thought about that for a moment. "Do you think that would work for me? That maybe if I had something else to focus my thoughts on, that I'd be able to go to sleep without so much trouble?"

"It's worth a try," Johanna answered as she spotted a book laying on the small nightstand. "Is this what you like to read?" she asked as she picked it up.

"Yeah; Michael brought me that. I always enjoy a good western."

"So does my father," she remarked. "How about I read it to you? You can focus on the story and relax. I'm going to be right here with you and I'm not going to let anything happen to you on my watch...so you just behave yourself," she said lightly. "I'd never be able to face Jim again if something went wrong while I was here and I'm sure your wife would hunt me down and skin me alive...and I'm not too keen on that idea."

Robert smiled. "Well I wouldn't want to do anything to come between you and Jimmy, so I promise to toe the line."

"Good," she laughed; "Now do you want me to read to you?"

He nodded. "I think I'd like that."

"Have you started reading it yet?"

"I tried to yesterday but the medicine makes me a little too groggy to focus on the page for long."

"Then we'll start at the beginning," Johanna remarked as she opened the paperback. "Kansas, 1876; The young Marshal squinted against the bright sunlight as he raised his canteen to his lips and took a long sip; clearing his throat of the trail dust that sometimes felt like it could choke a man. He recapped the canteen, and urged his tired horse towards his city; thoughts of a cold beer and a pretty redhead on his mind..."

Johanna read aloud for nearly an hour; until finally she could tell that Robert had finally given in to sleep; his breathing even and steady. She smiled; tugging the blanket a little higher over him to make sure he was warm and then she returned her attention to the book; the plot line having drawn her in and she figured that he wouldn't mind if she read a little more while he rested.

It was nearing five when Jim stepped into Robert's hospital room to collect Johanna and take her home.

"Hello, son," Robert stated as he caught sight of him; pausing his conversation with Johanna.

"How are you feeling?" Jim asked him as he stepped towards the bed and laid a hand on Johanna's shoulder.

"I feel fine," the older man answered; "And I want to thank you for bringing me such enjoyable company."

"Well don't go thinking that I'm going to let you borrow her all the time," his son replied.

Robert's blue eyes twinkled as he looked to Johanna. "See that, he wants you all to himself."

Johanna laughed and glanced up at Jim. "How did things go in court?"

"Things went pretty well. I don't think it'll take long to wrap up."

"That's good," she smiled. "I knew you wouldn't have any problems."

Jim could feel his father's gaze upon them; studying them intently and he figured it was best if they got out of that situation before Robert decided to make some comment that might make them uncomfortable. "Come on, I'll take you home. Mom and Madelyn are on their way…I think I can trust him to be alone for that short amount of time."

"You don't have to drive me," Johanna replied. "Stay here with your Dad, I'll get a cab."

"No you won't," Robert interrupted. "I believe we had this discussion before about how we don't let women roam the city alone in the evening if we can help it. Jimmy, you see this young lady home."

Jim caught her eye and grinned. "You don't want to argue with a sick old man, do you?"

"Who are you calling old, boy!" his father exclaimed.

"Don't get excited," Jim laughed. "I was just checking to see how well your recovery is going…it seems to be right on track."

Uh huh," Robert stated; "You just wait. I'm not too old that I can't take you out to the garage once I get out of here."

"I'll make a note of that appointment in my schedule," his son quipped before turning his attention back to Johanna. "Let's go."

"Goodbye, Robert," she said as she rose from her chair. "I hope to see you again soon and under better conditions."

The older man reached for her hand and brushed a kiss against it, "I hope so too; thank you for keeping me company today."

"You're welcome," she answered; smiling as he gave her a wink before she accepted Jim's hand and allowed him to lead her away.

They were quiet as they walked towards Johanna's door; her hand tucked securely in his until she was forced to pull it away to unlock the door. Jim followed her inside as she flipped on the lights and laid her purse aside. "Thank you for staying with him today," Jim said sincerely as she slipped off her coat.

Johanna smiled. "It was no problem."

He gave her a knowing look. "You rearranged your schedule and took a day off from work."

"So?" she said; cutting off his statement; "That's what you do for someone you care about...I think you would do the same for me if I needed something this important."

Jim nodded. "I would."

"Then you see; it was no big deal."

He gave a soft laugh. "Well I hope he didn't give you too much trouble."

"No more than you do," she teased.

"When have I ever given you trouble?" he asked with mock innocence.

"Oh I can think of a time or two."

"We won't discuss that."

"I didn't think we would," Johanna laughed; "But really, everything was fine. I had a nice time; for being in a hospital that is. He told me a few stories..."

"Stories?" Jim asked; worry suddenly clouding his features. "What kind of stories."

Amusement sparkled in her eyes. "Stories about you, Jimmy."

"Oh God," he muttered. "Which ones did he tell you?"

"Which ones are you most worried about?"

Jim smirked. "Nice try, Sassy."

She giggled. "He told me all about how you wanted to be a cowboy when you were a kid."

He closed his eyes and lowered his head. "Great."

"And then he told me about how you wanted to be a major league baseball player once your cowboy phase waned."

"Even better," he muttered.

"I heard all about your first home run and how proud and excited you were over it."

"I knew I shouldn't have left you alone with him," Jim stated. "He can't be trusted."

"Oh it's not so bad," Johanna giggled. "I liked hearing about that red bike you had to have so badly you could taste it and how once you finally had it, you crashed it into a tree because you were showing off for the little girl next door."

"I'm disowning him," he proclaimed.

"You don't want to do that; then he might really tell stories about you."

"What else did he tell you?" he demanded to know.

"I think I'll keep the rest to myself," she replied.

"That can't be good."

"Oh relax; he told me what a good student you were and how you always liked to work on things with him...and still do when you can. And he told me about how much he enjoys going to the ballgames with you and how very proud of you he is."

"Really?" Jim asked.

She nodded. "You don't ever have to doubt that."

He smiled; he had never really thought about it enough to doubt it but it was nice to hear that his father shared his pride in him with someone else.

"And then he showed me a picture of you from when you were a little boy."

"He didn't."

"He did," Johanna laughed. "He showed me the pictures in his wallet."

"Which one was it?"

"You were five," she answered; "And so very adorable."

Jim scoffed. "That's what every man wants to hear."

She stepped closer to him, reaching out and caressing his face; "It's alright that you were adorable."

"Were?" he asked; "I'm not adorable any more?"

"Better," she told him; her fingertips lazily trailing along his jaw line. "Now you're very handsome."

He turned his head slightly; pressing a kiss against her palm before gently capturing her wrist and tugging her closer. "I don't think this fair, Jo," he murmured; "I haven't gotten to see any pictures of you."

A sassy smile touched her lips "You don't need a picture; I'm right here in front of you."

"You think you're cute, don't you?" he asked with a quiet laugh.

Johanna shrugged. "Do you?"

The spark of temptation flared and it felt too strong to ignore as he dipped his head and captured her lips. She was breathless when they broke apart and he brushed feather light kisses across her cheekbone before bringing his mouth to her ear. "I think you're a lot of things, sweetheart."

Warmth spread through her, coloring her cheeks as he pulled back. "I guess I'm going to have to show you a picture now...aren't I?"

Jim grinned. "It would be the fair thing to do."

She gave a short laugh. "Well I wouldn't want to be unfair and hurt that fragile ego of yours."

"I thought you said that Jeff was the one who was fragile."

"I said he had a fragile spirit; there's a slight difference."

He chuckled lightly. "I think you definitely owe me for insinuating that I'm fragile in any way."

"Fine," she said with a smirk as she reached for her purse and pulled out her wallet. She rifled through it for a moment, pulling a wallet sized photo out of one of the picture slots. "Here; I'm the one on the left," she stated; handing him a picture of her and her siblings.

Jim smiled as he studied the image. "How old were you?"

"I was six," she answered; "Frankie was nine and Colleen was four."

"You're adorable. What happened to those curls?"

Johanna rolled her eyes, a small smile clinging to her lips. "They were gone by the time I was 10; but it still curls a bit at the ends or if it's wet."

He studied the picture for a moment longer and then handed it back. "I think we're even now in the childhood photo department."

"I'm glad I could accommodate you," she quipped.

It grew quiet between them for a few moments until Jim caught her eye and spoke. "Listen," he said quietly; "When things settle down...I'd like to take you to dinner."

She smiled softly; knowing that he thought he had to thank her for being there for him. "You don't have to do that."

"I know I don't have to but I want to. I figure I owe you a meal after all of the ones you've provided for me lately."

"You don't owe me anything. I'd do anything I could for you, Jim."

"I know; that's why you're going to let me take you to dinner."

Johanna smiled. "You turned that right around on me, didn't you?"

He grinned. Yeah, I did and now you can't say no."

"I don't recall saying no in the first place. I just don't want you to feel like you're obligated to me for some reason."

Jim shook his head. "It's not like that at all. I just want to take you somewhere nice for dinner...and then maybe we could go see a movie."

"I'd like that," she said softly.

Jim smiled as he reached for her once again; pulling her into his arms for a hug. "Good," he murmured. "As soon as I know things are settled; we'll go."

She held on to him tightly for a moment before pulling back to look at him. "No need to worry; I'll wait for you."

That statement seemed layered and he couldn't help but read into it a little; finding it oddly comforting somehow. He hooked a finger beneath her chin and caught her lips in a soft kiss. "Goodnight, Jo."

"Goodnight," she whispered as she stepped back from him. "Be careful."

"I will," he promised. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"See you tomorrow," she replied as he opened the door and stepped outside; giving her one last look before her left.

Back at the hospital, Jim settled down in the chair at his father's bedside and met the older man's gaze. "Did you get her home alright?" Robert asked.

His son smiled. "I feel like we've had this conversation before."

"There's no law that says we can't have it again, is there?"

"No; I guess not. I got her home just fine. I walked her to the door and I made sure she was safely inside."

His father grinned. "Did you kiss her goodnight?"

He laughed. "Don't you think that's between her and I?"

"So you did this time," Robert stated lightly; his eyes gleaming. "And don't bother to deny it, I can tell."

"I'm not saying anything about it; but if you want to talk, let's talk about you telling childhood stories without permission."

"She asked me to tell her a story," Robert replied innocently. "How could I look at that sweet face of hers and say no?"

"You probably could've tried a little harder than you did."

"Don't worry; I made you look good in all of them."

"That doesn't comfort me at all, Dad," he replied.

"I assure you that she found my storytelling delightful."

"Oh I'm sure," Jim stated; "And you just had to pull out your wallet and show pictures to go along with the stories; didn't you?"

Robert nodded. "Well I wanted her to know she was right when she said that she bet you were a cute little boy."

Jim shook his head. "I knew I shouldn't have left you alone with her."

His father gave a light chuckle. "Don't be silly; it did me good to have a change of company. She's a smart girl and very interesting."

"I know."

Robert eyed his son seriously. "You better hold on to that girl, Jimmy."

"Dad..."

"No; you listen," the older man stated. "A good woman is hard to find and you've had the good fortune to have one thrown right in front of you when you weren't even looking. Johanna cares a great deal about you."

"I know she does."

"And you can't hide the fact that you care a great deal about her."

"Of course I care about her," Jim stated; "And I'm not saying that I wouldn't like to have more with her...but why rush into something when what we have right now is going so well? I think we should just take our time and see what happens."

"Jimmy, right now you think you have all the time in the world; but one day you'll wake up and realize that you don't. Things can change on a dime and if you don't take the risk when you can, you might lose the chance all together."

"If it was any other woman, I wouldn't have a problem with all that."

"What makes Johanna different?" Robert asked.

"She's the one I wouldn't want to lose," Jim admitted quietly.

"Shouldn't that tell you something?"

"Yeah; it tells me it's time to talk about you now."

"Just when we were having so much fun talking about you?" his father quipped.

Jim smirked. "It's one of those on a dime changes."

"Well I don't know what we want to talk about me for," Robert stated. "I haven't done anything today but lay here and have a nice visit with your future wife."

His son laughed. "Future wife? Really; you're going to go there already?"

Robert nodded. "I'd bet the farm on it."

"You don't have a farm."

The older man shot him a playful glare. "Fine, then I bet the house on it."

"Mom will love that."

"Don't you worry about your mother...she warmed up to Natalie and she'll warm up to Johanna."

"I thought we weren't talking about this anymore?"

"That's what you said; I don't recall agreeing to it."

Jim chuckled. "How about I just go get Mom and send her back in here to abuse you?"

"You'd do that to an old man who had a heart attack and a major surgery?" his father asked; amusement written across his features.

"Yes, I would. Maybe that would teach you to stay out of the hospital...in fact let's make that a new rule. No more health scares, we can't take it."

"I'll do my best," Robert remarked as he turned serious once again. "I know most of this has been shoved onto your shoulders but you've done a good job taking care of things and looking after your mother, grandmother and sister. I know it hasn't been easy, that you have your own responsibilities but you showed what a good son you are...what a good man you are, Jimmy."

He dipped his head; feeling a slight moment of awkwardness before he met his father's gaze once again. "I learned that from my Dad."

Robert smiled. "I know we don't say it a lot, but you know that I love you, right?"

Jim nodded. "I love you too, Dad."

"Good...now we just have to get you to say those three words to Johanna."

Jim laughed and rose from his chair. "That's it; you're going to be punished. I'm getting Mom."

Robert laughed lightly as his son exited the room, the boy was stubborn but he had no doubt that he'd end up where he needed to be.

Two weeks later, Johanna approached her door after a long day in court and found a gift bag hanging from the doorknob. Puzzlement furrowed her brow as she removed it and then unlocked her door. Once inside, she sat down her belongings and opened the gift bag. She continued to be puzzled as she extracted a package of chocolate chip cookies. There was a note stuck to the front of the package and she carefully peeled it away and opened it.

"Every cookie, including the last one, is for you, sweetheart...tell Colleen to get her own..."

She laughed then, recalling that during her rant about her sister, she had told Jim that she had often allowed Colleen to have the last cookie while they were growing up. Her gaze flicked back to the note, reading the remaining words on the page.

"I'll be by to see you tonight. While you eat your cookie, ask yourself if Friday is convenient to go out for that dinner I promised you. –Jim."

A soft smile stole across her lips; Friday was convenient; but even if it hadn't been, she would've found a way to make it so. She went through her usual after work routine and by seven she was settled in front of her TV with a cup of tea and her gift. She had just taken a satisfying bite out of a chocolate chip cookie when a knock sounded at her door. Johanna smiled and hurried towards it; knowing who would be on the other side.

"I see you found your present," Jim stated with a nod at the cookie in her hand as she allowed him inside.

"Yes, I did," she answered. "I do love a man who knows just the right moment to bring cookies. Thank you."

"You're welcome," he said with a chuckle as he followed her to the sofa. "Tough day?"

"You could say that. I had to go before your favorite judge today."

"Harrelson?" he asked.

She nodded and he made a face. "Bastard," he muttered.

"Yeah; that's one of the words I was calling him under my breath," Johanna replied. "Did you get your father settled in okay?"

"Yeah; he's glad to be home. He wants to go back to work but the doctor said not yet. He doesn't want him rushing things."

"How did he take that?"

"Not well," Jim answered. "He wasn't happy about it at all but one icy glare from Mom shut him up."

Johanna swallowed a bite of her cookie and then grinned. "Is she still telling you to stay away from me?"

Jim laughed as he dropped an arm around her shoulders. "Yeah but you can see how well I listen to her."

"Does she have any new names for me?"

"If she does, she's keeping them to herself. She's still referring to you as trouble."

Johanna nodded. "Tell her that I like that name. It sounds dangerous and very appealing to men like her sons."

"I'll mention that the next time she brings you up," he laughed.

"You do that," she replied; picking up the pack of cookies and holding it toward him. "Cookie?"

"I wouldn't want to deprive you like your sister did."

Johanna smirked. "You can earn it."

His brow rose and a sly grin spread across his face as he took a cookie from the pack. "Oh yeah? What do you have in mind, sweetheart?"

"Nothing to warrant that leer on your face," she responded.

"That's a shame."

She gave him a playful look. "And your mother thinks I'm the one whose trouble."

"Alright then, if it isn't anything fun, what is it that I can do for you, Miss McKenzie?"

"Jeff's out to get me."

"What?" he laughed. "Why?"

"I kicked him in the ego a few weeks ago," she answered.

"He didn't tell me anything about that."

"Of course not; you might thwart his retaliation; because he did say he'd get me back...and he's been watching me the last two days...so I know he's planning something."

"And you want me to unplan it?" Jim asked.

"Well you did claim me as your damsel in distress, if you recall."

"That's right, I did," Jim said; giving her shoulder a squeeze. "So don't you worry; I'll take care of it."

Johanna smiled. "I knew you would," she told him before brushing a kiss against his cheek. "Have another cookie."

They watched TV in silence for a few minutes before he gave his attention back to her. "Did you think about Friday?" he asked.

She nodded. "What time?"

"Seven?"

"I'll be ready," Johanna promised.

"I'm looking forward to it," Jim replied.

"Me too," she replied as she remained nestled against his side.

He allowed a comfortable silence to fall between them once more as he reveled in the contentment of the moment. It had been a long month and he was sure that it would've seemed even longer if not for the woman at his side. She had been there for him; looking after him as much as he'd allow; offering soothing words, the sanctuary of her home and the comfort of her embrace when needed...and she never asked anything in return. A surge of affection welled up within him and he turned his head slightly and brushed his lips against her temple. She looked up at him with those pretty eyes and smiled; sending warmth coursing through him as she pressed another feather light kiss to his cheek before laying her head on his shoulder. Maybe one day there would be more, between them; but for now, he was content with the present moment and the thought stayed in mind that one of those 'moments' might one day turn in to that something more.