PART 7 Joey

I was feeding the baby in the nursery when Jen came in. She hadn't realized anyone was inside and when she saw me she whispered that she was sorry and backed out.

"Jen, you can come in," I called her back.

"But doesn't he need the quiet to eat," she whispered back still standing in the doorway with her hand on the doorknob.

"We're finished anyway," I said covering myself up and standing to put Ryan down in his bassinet.

Jen and I stood over the bassinet watching him for a few moments. I reached over to turn the baby monitor on.

"He's a beautiful baby, Joey," Jen whispered.

I smiled. "Yeah, he's pretty great," I said taking her hand to lead her into the bedroom so we could speak without whispering. "Someday you'll have one of your very own, Ms. Lindley," I told her once we were both sitting Indian style on the bed.

"Me?" She said bugging her eyes at me in disbelief. "A mother? No way. Uh uh."

"Why?"

"I just don't think I'd be very good at it. My own mother wasn't very good at it and I'm thinking those kinds of things are probably hereditary."

I laughed at her. "Oh, c'mon Jen. I think you'd make a great mother. Besides, I think it works the other way around. You'd probably be a great mother because your mother wasn't. You'd make sure your kids got everything you never had."

Her face got serious as she spoke again. "You really think so?"

I nodded.

"Because Tom wants to have kids. I mean, he says he doesn't but he only says that because I keep saying I don't want to have them. But I know that he does and I'm just afraid that."

"Jen," I cut her off, "I really, truly believe that you would make a great mother. And for the record, I don't know if anyone really believes they'd be good at it when the prospect of it becomes real. It's a scary thing. Life altering."

"I'll bet you were a pro, though."

I shook my head with laughter. "Just ask Pacey or Bessie about how much of a basket case I was."

"And now?"

"And now I love it. It is the thing in my life that I am most proud of."

Jen nodded and looked down at the bed.

"Just don't rule it out yet," I said supportively taking her hand.

She looked up and smiled at me. "I've missed you, Joey."

"I've missed you too, Jen. I don't have many good female friends around here."

"Then again, you've never really been one to have female friends," Jen teased.

I glared at her teasingly and she laughed. "Ah, there she is, the Jen Lindley I know and love. Bitchy as ever."

"Nice to know things never change with me, huh?"

"Yes, yes it is."

"Well, then, here's a shocker for you," Jen said.

I lifted one eyebrow in suspense.

"I was wondering if you would be my maid of honor."

I was speechless and shocked. But mostly honored. I felt tears welling up in my eyes and I looked away from her.

"Oh c'mon, tell me you're not crying," she pretended to yell at me. "Because if you're crying, I'll just take back the offer and go out there and ask Andie right now." She pretended to get up.

I started laughing through tears and reached out to grab her in a hug. "You're such a jerk," I told her.

"I should've known better than to ask a hormonal woman who just gave birth to be my maid of honor," she laughed. When I let her go I saw she had been crying too but I decided not to pick on her. I was too happy. "So, I'll take that as a yes?" she asked wiping at the corners of her eyes. "Of course," I said grabbing for the box of tissues on my night stand.

"I'm having Grams and Jack walk me down the aisle," Jen laughed.

"Awww, oh," I said starting to tear up again. "Sorry," I told her when I saw her glaring at me.

"I was thinking about having the wedding at the yacht club but Grams insisted that we do everything at the house which is what I wanted to do all along.."

"You just didn't want to put her out," I finished for her.

She nodded. "But she's really into it. She's got a whole list started of everything we need to do."

"That's good," I said reassuringly. "It gives her something to do."

Jen looked at me seriously again. "How is she doing, Joey? I mean, you spend enough time with her to know if she's okay. Tell me seriously," she said grabbing my hands.

"She's fine. She's healthy and strong and her mind is so sharp. She's just lonely. That's why I try to spend as much time with her as I can..." my voice trailed off and I looked down at the bed.

"Which you won't be able to do as much anymore now that you have a baby to take care of," Jen said anticipating my thoughts. "She understands that, Joey."

"I know," I looked up at her disappointed. "I still feel bad about it."

"Listen, she'll probably be coming over here every other day bringing food for you to serve for dinner, doing your laundry or watching the baby so you can sleep."

"That sounds nice," I said with a lift of my eyebrows.

"Thanks for taking care of her while I'm not around. I really appreciate that," Jen said in a serious tone again.

"I just visit her. It's nothing and I enjoy it just as much as she does."

"Thanks anyway, though."

"Sure," I said shrugging my shoulders.

Jen took a deep breath trying to fight tears away. "It's weird, all of us back in Capeside. It seems like a million years ago you and I hated each other because we both wanted Dawson." I laughed. "I was such a bitch to you."

"No kidding," she teased.

"Now look at us."

"Pathetic," she laughed, "isn't it?"

"Totally," I said rolling my eyes.

"We should probably get back out there to that cheesy reunion of yours," Jen laughed.

"Yeah," I said getting up from the bed. "You never know what Pacey and Dawson have done to your poor Tom."

We linked arms and left the bedroom laughing to join the rest of our friends. There were memories to relive, friendships to revisit, and lots of laughs to come.