Chapter 10
The Visit
Hailey ran up and embraced Jack in a huge hug.
"Jack, I'm so glad to finally see you again! You won't believe how much I've missed you!"
When she finally let go, he saw that her eyes were filled with tears of joy.
"Jack, I saved up enough money not only to visit you, but to move here so we can be closer together! And then we can get married and start a family like we always said that we would!"
Jack suddenly felt really guilty.
He had to tell her about Elli.
"Hailey I have to tell you--"
"That can wait Jack! Now come on, show me around the farm!"
"Well Ok. . ."
It was a half-hour later when Jack had finished showing Hailey the rest of the farm.
He walked up to his house, and put his hand on the knob, hesitant to go in.
"Come on Jack, I want to go in!"
"Well . . . Ok, if you really want to."
She gave him a puzzled look but then went in and looked around.
"Wow, nice digs Jack!"
"Uh, thanks Hailey."
She then ran over to the door that led to the kitchen.
"Wait, Hailey, No!!" he screamed in desperation.
It was too late.
She had barged through the door, and when Jack finally, slowly came through the door way, she was fuming.
"Who, may I ask is THAT?" she said angrily, pointing to Elli.
"Hailey, I'm sorry, I tried to tell you earlier but you wouldn't listen. . ."
"Well who is it?" she asked again angrily, pointing at Elli.
"Hailey, I'd like you to meet my wife, Elli."
He didn't even see the punch coming.
It was the next day, and Jack's eyes slowly fluttered open.
He was in his bed, and as he looked around he saw Elli, Ann, the potion shop dealer, The pastor, and even Cliff, holding his and Ann's baby, but he didn't see Hailey anywhere.
He quickly sat up, but then had a throbbing ache in his head.
He screamed out in pain.
Elli quickly placed her hand on him.
"Stay down, Jack."
He looked up at everyone.
"What happened? Where's Hailey? Why does my head hurt so much?"
Elli shook her head.
"I would tell you, but I'm so tied of telling the same story over and over again. Ann, would you tell him?"
Ann nodded and then began to speak.
"You see Jack, Hailey got mad at you so she threw a punch at you, and struck you right in the face. You immediately fainted, and have been like that until now. So that's why your head hurts."
"But where's Hailey?"
Ann bit her lip.
"We don't know Jack. She ran off in tears and nobody's seen her since, we've searched the whole village and haven't found her anywhere. And she couldn't have left, because no boats have left since she arrived."
"Well, I think I'll be fine now guys, you can all go back home." he gave a weak smile as they all (except Elli of course) headed out the door.
It was 3 days later and Jack could finally get out of bed.
"Man, I never knew she could punch that hard!" he exclaimed as he stepped out of his house.
Not expecting a reply, he was surprised when he got one.
"Maybe I'm stronger than you thought. . ."
He looked over to see Hailey standing at the side of the house.
"Hailey?!?! Where were you this whole time?" he asked
"In there." she said, gesturing to his barn.
"All that searching and they don't even check my barn. . ." he mumbled to himself.
He then looked up to Hailey.
"Look, I'm sorry Hailey, I really, truly am, but when I moved, I forced myself to push you to the back of my mind, and so then to do that, I made a life here. And like I said in my letter, it can't involve you."
She had tears rolling down her cheeks at this point as she silently cried.
"Don't worry, I understand Jack. I understand perfectly."
And with that she ran off.
Later that day Jack sat on the fencepost at the ranch, watching Ann chase the little demo- err baby around.
When Ann finally came over holding the baby, her forehead drenched in sweat she sat next to him.
"So she just ran off huh?"
"Yup."
"Do you think she's still in the village?"
"Yup."
"When do you think she'll leave?"
"A few more days. She doesn't like giving up easily, but she can't take humiliation either."
Ann nodded, and they sat for a few moments in silence.
"She really loved you didn't she?"
Jack nodded, and as Ann looked over, she saw a single tear streaking down his cheek.
"Sometimes I wonder why I ever left her. . . I mean, city life wasn't that bad. But now that I've committed myself to Elli, I couldn't go back to her."
He shook his head slowly.
The baby started to squirm, and Ann looked over to Jack.
"I have to bring him inside, hold on a sec."
When Ann had gone inside, Jack let a few more tears fall as he said to himself.
"I had it all. . . Why did I leave it?"
~~~
A/N: Not my longest chapter, but better than the two before it. The next chapter is going to be an Epilogue so this is basically the end of the story. Hope you've enjoyed it so far and will enjoy the ending!
The Visit
Hailey ran up and embraced Jack in a huge hug.
"Jack, I'm so glad to finally see you again! You won't believe how much I've missed you!"
When she finally let go, he saw that her eyes were filled with tears of joy.
"Jack, I saved up enough money not only to visit you, but to move here so we can be closer together! And then we can get married and start a family like we always said that we would!"
Jack suddenly felt really guilty.
He had to tell her about Elli.
"Hailey I have to tell you--"
"That can wait Jack! Now come on, show me around the farm!"
"Well Ok. . ."
It was a half-hour later when Jack had finished showing Hailey the rest of the farm.
He walked up to his house, and put his hand on the knob, hesitant to go in.
"Come on Jack, I want to go in!"
"Well . . . Ok, if you really want to."
She gave him a puzzled look but then went in and looked around.
"Wow, nice digs Jack!"
"Uh, thanks Hailey."
She then ran over to the door that led to the kitchen.
"Wait, Hailey, No!!" he screamed in desperation.
It was too late.
She had barged through the door, and when Jack finally, slowly came through the door way, she was fuming.
"Who, may I ask is THAT?" she said angrily, pointing to Elli.
"Hailey, I'm sorry, I tried to tell you earlier but you wouldn't listen. . ."
"Well who is it?" she asked again angrily, pointing at Elli.
"Hailey, I'd like you to meet my wife, Elli."
He didn't even see the punch coming.
It was the next day, and Jack's eyes slowly fluttered open.
He was in his bed, and as he looked around he saw Elli, Ann, the potion shop dealer, The pastor, and even Cliff, holding his and Ann's baby, but he didn't see Hailey anywhere.
He quickly sat up, but then had a throbbing ache in his head.
He screamed out in pain.
Elli quickly placed her hand on him.
"Stay down, Jack."
He looked up at everyone.
"What happened? Where's Hailey? Why does my head hurt so much?"
Elli shook her head.
"I would tell you, but I'm so tied of telling the same story over and over again. Ann, would you tell him?"
Ann nodded and then began to speak.
"You see Jack, Hailey got mad at you so she threw a punch at you, and struck you right in the face. You immediately fainted, and have been like that until now. So that's why your head hurts."
"But where's Hailey?"
Ann bit her lip.
"We don't know Jack. She ran off in tears and nobody's seen her since, we've searched the whole village and haven't found her anywhere. And she couldn't have left, because no boats have left since she arrived."
"Well, I think I'll be fine now guys, you can all go back home." he gave a weak smile as they all (except Elli of course) headed out the door.
It was 3 days later and Jack could finally get out of bed.
"Man, I never knew she could punch that hard!" he exclaimed as he stepped out of his house.
Not expecting a reply, he was surprised when he got one.
"Maybe I'm stronger than you thought. . ."
He looked over to see Hailey standing at the side of the house.
"Hailey?!?! Where were you this whole time?" he asked
"In there." she said, gesturing to his barn.
"All that searching and they don't even check my barn. . ." he mumbled to himself.
He then looked up to Hailey.
"Look, I'm sorry Hailey, I really, truly am, but when I moved, I forced myself to push you to the back of my mind, and so then to do that, I made a life here. And like I said in my letter, it can't involve you."
She had tears rolling down her cheeks at this point as she silently cried.
"Don't worry, I understand Jack. I understand perfectly."
And with that she ran off.
Later that day Jack sat on the fencepost at the ranch, watching Ann chase the little demo- err baby around.
When Ann finally came over holding the baby, her forehead drenched in sweat she sat next to him.
"So she just ran off huh?"
"Yup."
"Do you think she's still in the village?"
"Yup."
"When do you think she'll leave?"
"A few more days. She doesn't like giving up easily, but she can't take humiliation either."
Ann nodded, and they sat for a few moments in silence.
"She really loved you didn't she?"
Jack nodded, and as Ann looked over, she saw a single tear streaking down his cheek.
"Sometimes I wonder why I ever left her. . . I mean, city life wasn't that bad. But now that I've committed myself to Elli, I couldn't go back to her."
He shook his head slowly.
The baby started to squirm, and Ann looked over to Jack.
"I have to bring him inside, hold on a sec."
When Ann had gone inside, Jack let a few more tears fall as he said to himself.
"I had it all. . . Why did I leave it?"
~~~
A/N: Not my longest chapter, but better than the two before it. The next chapter is going to be an Epilogue so this is basically the end of the story. Hope you've enjoyed it so far and will enjoy the ending!