September 18th, 2002
Week 26
"Kerry, could I speak with you?" Jing-Mei said to Doctor Waver. She nodded and led her into the lounge.
"May I help you?" Kerry asked.
"I think it's time that I take my maternity leave." Jing-Mei said. "Dr Maxwell said I need to start taking it easy. As you can see, I'm as big as a house and it's killing me for being on my feet for so long." Kerry nodded.
"You stuck it out longer than I could have." She chuckled, "I'll draw up the papers for your maternity leave. When you're ready to return you contact me and we'll discuss things then. I know it'll be hard with three new babies."
"Yeah. I'm a little nervous about that." Jing-Mei chucked, "But thank you. I'll let you know as soon as I'm ready."
"We'll be looking forward to it." Kerry said as Luka walked in.
"Jing-Mei, Mrs. Carter is in the ER." He said.
"What? Why?" She asked starting to panic.
"Old age. She snot doing to well." Jing-Mei followed Luka; "She has a DNR."
"She won't need that. She'll be fine." Jing-Mei said going into the room. The room smelled like death. "Get John down here now." She moved to Millicent's bedside. "Gamma, I'm here." Millicent looked at her.
"Jing-Mei, I'm glad you're here." She smiled weakly.
"Me too. We're going to take you home."
"No." Millicent said, "There's not enough time for that. I'm staying here."
"Don't say that." She whispered.
"I wanted to say goodbye to the babies." Millicent smiled putting her weak hand on her stomach. Jing-Mei's lip trembled. John raced into the room.
"Gamma. What's wrong with her??" He asked. Jing-Mei looked sadly at John. He ran to the bedside. "Gamma, are you okay?"
"I need to say goodbye."
"No you don't." John choked back. "You're going to be fine."
"You knew this time was coming." Millicent smiled weakly, "You should be happy for me. I'm going to see your grandfather and brother."
"Gamma, please…" John whispered holding her hand. Millicent squeezed it as she closed her eyes. Jing-Mei put her hand on John's back. Yes, the time was near and it was tearing Jing-Mei's heart out. They sat there for an hour in silence just holding each other's hands. John felt sick to his stomach. This wasn't happening right now. This couldn't happen right now. The babies were coming in fourteen weeks and she was supposed to be there. She was supposed to be a great-grandmother. Just then, her monitor started to buzz. "Get Kovac. Get a crash cart!"
"John, She's a DNR." Jing-Mei said
"No she's not. I never agreed to that!" He snapped.
"It's not your decision." She said.
"Get a crash cart!!" John cried. His entire body was shaking. Jing-Mei handed him her chart.
"I'm so sorry." Jing-Mei whispered. John threw the chart across the room and ran to her. He shook her.
"Gamma! Don't go!! Please not yet!!" He sobbed. "Gamma don't!!" Jing-Mei stood in the corner watching him. She cried softly. John laid his head on her chest until her body grew cold. "GAMMA!!!!!!!!!!" John felt as if part of him, part of his soul was leaving him.
* * *
"Ashes to Ashes. Dust to dust. Millicent Carter walks through the gates to her heavenly creator. Guide her and her family to the road to acceptance and recovery." The father said. John stared at the coffin as it was lowered into the ground. John's whole body shuddered.
"She's not gone." He whispered. Jack looked at his son.
"She's gone." He said as if John needed the confirmation. Jing-Mei kissed John's hand softly. People started to leave, but John couldn't bear to tear himself away. His grandmother was being buried. Dirt was thrown on the coffin.
"John, come on." Eleanor said taking his arm. John snatched it away.
"I'm not going." He said.
"Don't be silly." She said, "You can't stay here."
"Why don you guys go ahead." Jing-Mei said "I'll take him back to the compound when he's ready." Jack nodded glancing at his ex-wife.
"All right." He said walking away. John shook his head.
"Jack doesn't even seem sad about it." John whispered.
"He's grieving on the inside." She said.
"She was his mother!!" John snapped. His lip trembled. "Why is she gone, Deb?" Jing-Mei rested her head on his shoulder.
"She was old. It was her time." She said softly.
"I w-wanted her to meet the babies." John said.
"She will." Jing-Mei said softly, "She'll be the triplets personal guardian angel. She'll look down at them from Heaven. She'll be here, john. Her memory will live on forever."
"It's not fair." He sobbed hugging his wife tightly; "It's not fucking fair. ITS NOT!!!!" Jing-Mei sighed holding John. He needed to let it out He needed to let the pain in his heart put. Jing-Mei would hold him for eternity if that's what it took and it seemed that that s's what it would take at this point in time. Millicent meant the world to John and this wouldn't heal over night.
October 1st, 2002
Week 28
Things were somber In the Carter home. John barely got out of bed. It was hard for Jing-Mei to care for him while she was suppose to be relaxing, but she was his wife and she would do anything for him. She waddled into the bedroom.
"John." She said softly.
"I'm sleeping." He mumbled.
"You need to get dressed." Jing-Mei said, "The reading of Gamma's will is soon."
"I don't want to go." He said.
"Don't you want to know what she has given you?"
"I don't care." He said. Jing-Mei frowned slightly.
"Well, I'm going and I can't get behind the wheel or drive like this so you better get up so you can drop me off." She said. John groaned.
"Why do you want to go?" He asked.
"Because Gamma took the time to put me in her will so she obviously cared enough to give me whatever she's giving me." She shrugged. John looked at her and sighed. He nodded.
"All right." He got up and put his shoes on.
"Thank you." Jing-Mei said.
* * *
"They're all in the dinning room." Colette one of the maids said.
"Thanks." John led Jing-Mei into the dinning room. Jack, Chase, Chase's nurse, and Gamma's lawyer were there.
"Great. We're all here." Mr. Michael Duffy smiled. "Millicent revised her will the first weak of September."
"As if she knew." Jack said. John rolled his eyes.
"Is this all who's in here will? My sister isn't in it?" John asked. Michael nodded.
"You're the only people in her will." He said, "Shall we get started?"
"Go ahead." Jack said.
"If you are reading this, then that means I have passed. I hope I passed in the manor I wanted to. I know you will be sad, but don't please let it stop your lives. Life is too precious to spend it wallowing in grief." Michael read. "To my son. Jack, You have disappointed me so many times in my life, but you have given me so much joy also. To you, I give you ten percent of my stocks and bonds and your father's riffle collection." Jack sighed.
"Very well." He mumbled.
"And to Chase. Like your Uncle you have disappointed me so many times, but you are certainly paying for your sins now. You are getting better every day and I wish I were there to see you get even better. To you, I am giving you ten percent of my stocks and bonds and your father's journal collection. I hold those very dear to me. Have someone read them to you and take care of them." Michael read. Chase looked at his nurse.
"Can you…read?" He slurred. She nodded.
"I will read them to you as soon as we get them." She smiled.
"And to my unborn great-great children Josslyn, Jonathan the fourth, and Josephine. I wish I were there to see you. I wish I could have been there to hold you, to hear you laugh and cry, but I will be here in heaven doing those things." Michael read. Jing-Mei smiled softly at John; "I will always love you. To them, I leave eighty percent of my stocks and bonds to be given to them when they are eighteen. Most of it I hope to be used for college but let them have some for play to. They deserve to see the world."
"Wow." John whispered. He knew half of what Gamma had in stocks and bonds over the years and that was a lot.
"To my grandson, John. You have been an utter joy. You have made me so proud I ache. Words cannot describe home much I love you. If I could give you the world, you know I would have." Michael read, "And you, Jing-Mei, You too have given me joy. You gave me great-grandchildren. You've given my John happiness. I am so happy and glad to have you as a Carter. To the both of you, John and Jing-Mei, I give to you the entire Carter Compound. Everything on it besides what I gave to the others is yours. The cars, furniture, and hired help is your responsibility."
"Oh my god." Jing-Mei whispered. Jack glared at his son. Michael removed his reading glasses.
"That is all she has in here." Michael said, "I will send over the paper work for the stocks and bonds on the morning."
"Take your time." Jack mumbled.
"As for the compound, I have all the forms right here." Michael slid a folder over to John. "Just fill them out and I'll get them processed."
"Thank you." John smiled softly. The lawyer said some other things but John and Jing-Mei weren't listening. They were still in shock about the triplet's inheritance and theirs. Jing-Mei looked at the lawyer.
"Is this all true?" She asked, "This whole place is ours?" Michael nodded slowly.
"All true." He smiled, "Congratulations."
"Thank you." Jing-Mei said. She looked at John, "Are you happy that you came?"
"Oh yes." He smiled softly, "Her words…were nice."
"They were very nice." Jing-Mei smiled patting his leg. "So, this place is ours…My mother is going to flip." John chuckled slightly.
"You see Jack's face?" He asked. She nodded.
"Yeah. He wasn't pleased." John said leaning back in the chair. "I can feel her all around me in this house. Her smell, her touch, her laughter…"
"Then we'll move in her as soon as you're up to it." Jing-Mei smiled.
"We can sell this place if you want." He said. Jing-Mei shook her head.
"No way. Gamma gave this house to us. She wanted us to have it." Jing-Mei said, "I want to live here. I want to raise our children here." John smiled softly.
"I want that too." He whispered. "That's what I want."
"Then that's what we'll do." Jing-Mei said softly.
