CHAPTER 31

I love my reviewers! You guys are awesome as always. 33

___________________________________________________

"Can you grab those two bags for me on top?" Jackie asked. Mark maneuvered his way out into the aisle and slung the two carryon bags over his shoulder. "You okay?"

He looked at Jackie, pressing himself against the seats in order to let another couple pass by. She did look pale and just the way she was sitting in her seat didn't sit very well with him. Either she was sick, or she was nervous. How someone that could dance on a stage in front of thousands of people for a living could get nervous easily was beyond him, but this was her family—a family she hadn't had contact with since almost three years before.

"Yeah. I'm okay, I just have a killer headache," she said, standing up slowly and breaking his train of thought. "Did we pack any Tylenol with us?"

Mark nodded and let her walk into the aisle. "It's in the suitcase though."

She shrugged and they exited the plane, heading down the corridor hall that connected to the gate. "Okay."

"Welcome to Sydney!" a flight attendant greeted them, and Mark politely nodded at her. Jackie slipped her arm through his and rested her head against his shoulder as they walked through the airport.

"Tired yet?" she yawned. "I am."

"So am I."

"The trick is not to sleep until it's the right time to. Like…it's 9 AM now. So technically we're not supposed to go to sleep until 9 or 10 PM."

"Screw that, I'm in favor for a nap," he laughed, kissing her quickly as he settled his arm around her hip.

"Mmm sounds good."

"So where are we supposed to meet Shawn?" he asked. They headed towards the baggage claim. Mark took a seat on the railing and pulled Jackie onto his lap.

"Somewhere around here. He'll probably find us before we find him."

"JACKIE FERRELL!"

"WOO JACKIE'S IN THE HOUSE!"

Jackie and Mark looked over in the direction of the voices, both too exhausted to stand up again. Finally Jackie stood up and waved before running and jumping into the arms of a man Mark assumed to be Shawn. He was close to Roger's height and build and very tan. His bleach blonde hair was unruly under the black sunglasses that were resting on the top of his head.

"Hey!" Jackie greeted as Shawn swung her around before setting her back on her feet a few times.

"We're not late are we? I told Shawn to leave earlier, but there was so much bloody traffic on the expressway," a female added.

"Nah, not at all. We just got off the plane," Jackie responded, giving the woman a hug. "Guys, this is my boyfriend Mark. Mark this is Shawn and his girlfriend Jillian." Jillian was close to Jackie's height, and her dark brown hair was highlighted with alternating colors of a natural red and blonde. She too was tan and had the same build that Shawn did in a feminine way.

"Hey," Shawn greeted, shaking Mark's hand.

"Hey," Mark responded, shaking Shawn's hand and then Jillian's. "Nice to meet you." Jackie smiled and rested her head against Mark's shoulder again as his hand found her waist.

"Damn Jac, you sound so American now. We're going to have to beat the Australian into you again," Shawn joked.

"How was the flight?" Jillian asked, as Mark and Shawn collected the two suitcases from the revolving baggage claim.

"Long," Jackie answered. "Really long."

_________________________________________________________________

Twenty minutes later, they were speeding down the highway in Jillian's black Jetta, Shawn driving, Jillian in the passenger's seat and Mark and Jackie in the back.

"So Jac, you wanna go surfing tomorrow morning with me and Jill?" he asked, turning off of the expressway and into the suburbs.

Jackie glanced at Mark and he shrugged. "Yeah sure. What time?"

"8 okay?"

"Sure. I'll be there."

"What about you Mark?" Jillian asked, turning around and glancing at both of them. "You game for surfing?"

Mark laughed. "I can't say I've ever tried before."

Shawn grinned. "Hey, that's okay, we're good teachers. Where'd you grow up?"

"Scarsdale New York. Upstate."

"Never been there. Is it nice?"

Jackie smiled and squeezed Mark's hand. "It's really nice. Especially in the winter."

"So am I taking you to your dad's or to your mom's?" Shawn asked, pointing to the signs that read either downtown Sydney or Melbourne.

"Dad's. I'm staying with him and Karen for a few days," she added, as Shawn turned onto the ramp.

"Nice," Jillian added.

Fifteen minutes later, Shawn had pulled into the concrete driveway of a large, looming two-story house, which was easily the size of Mark's and Roger's house put together. As he and Shawn unloaded the luggage, he caught a peak of the back of the house and saw that it extended out even farther, and that there was even private beach access at the very bottom. The waves were crashing heavily on the sand, and Mark realized for the first time in over three years how good it felt to be away from everyone and enjoying a vacation that didn't consist of the Jersey shore and partying constantly.

"So we'll see you both later?" Jillian asked, giving Jackie a kiss on the cheek.

"Yeah. You have my cell and my parent's line, so give me a call tomorrow or something," she answered, tucking her hand away in Mark's.

"Bye Jac. Nice to meet you Mark," Shawn added, climbing into the car. He waved before speeding away and down the road.

Jackie and Mark hauled the suitcases up the walkway, resting them on the porch. A note was attached to the door and Jackie tore it off:

Jacqueline,

Welcome home honey. I'll be at the office until 6 tonight. I have a few meetings scattered here and there throughout the day, but I'll try to be home as soon as I can. Karen is in court until 3, so expect her home around 4. Kate has morning classes at the university today, but afterwards she's going out with a few of her friends and she won't be back until dinnertime. You and Mark are more than welcome to make yourselves at home. You know where the key is.

Love,

Dad

"Home alone?" Mark grinned, as Jackie pulled the key out from underneath the flowerpot. She stuck it in the lock and pushed the front door open and Mark's jaw dropped.

"Close your mouth, Cohen," Jackie teased, setting the suitcases inside. "I know it's a lot."

"A lot? It's gorgeous," he added.

Jackie's home was huge, to say the least. The rooms were spaced out and airy, most with floor to ceiling windows. "Yeah. Down here is the living room, two bathrooms, the dining room and the kitchen. Then there's the bar in the back. Downstairs is the basement. Upstairs are the bedrooms and my dad and Karen's offices. The patio, hot tub, and grill are outside, and obviously the beach too."

"Wow."

"I never really liked it here."

Mark gaped at her. "Why not?"

"Because it's an unnecessary amount of space for three people. I like the loft so much better."

"Why?"

"Because there's you, obviously—"

Mark grinned. "I'm the bonus package, huh?"

"Yup." She kissed him, laughing. "But it's just that everyone is really tight knit. I mean there's you and Roger—the best friends. Then there's Mimi, and Maureen, Collins, Lisa, and Matt. It's like an extended family. My family was always never home, so my sister and I always had to entertain ourselves. Back in the city it's like nonstop entertainment because something's always going on."

"You got that right," he said, as they dragged the two suitcases up the stairs.

_____________________________________________________________________

Jackie entered the kitchen, checking the digital display on the microwave. 2 PM. Mark was sound asleep upstairs, and had been ever since his head had hit the pillow four hours before. As she passed the windows leading towards the bathroom, she spotted a few beachgoers tanning and surfing in the late afternoon sun.

She pulled the medicine cabinet in the bathroom opened and scanned the shelves for Tylenol, dumping two pills into her hand. Her headache had returned, worse than she had experienced on the plane. After downing them with a glass of water, she took a seat out on the porch, curling up in the chair. The next thing she new, she felt Mark's hand on her shoulder.

"Hey," he greeted, kissing her briefly. "Sleep well?"

"Yeah. Did you?"

"Sure did. It's really beautiful here. I kind of wish I brought my camera with me," he laughed.

"You mean you didn't bring it? For once?"

"Nope. Definitely left it at home on purpose."

"Why?"

"Because I wanted to spend the time with you and not my camera," he mocked her.

"Oh, very funny."

"Can I take a shower or something? I don't know which bathroom to use."

Jackie stood up and stretched. "No Mark, I forbid you to take a shower you loser."

Mark laughed and wrapped his arms around her, kissing her neck. "Okay. Then I'll just have to smell for two weeks."

"Ha ha. Then you'll find yourself on a place back to the States alone. Use the bathroom next to our room. Towels are on the middle shelf."

"Thanks," he said, disappearing inside. Jackie had just made her way into the kitchen again when she grabbed her head, a wave of nausea over coming her. Okay, so maybe she shouldn't have taken the Tylenol on an empty stomach. She barely made it into the bathroom before puking into the toilet, and once she started, it seemed her body didn't want to stop. After twenty minutes, the nausea had subsided enough to let her run some water from the sink and wash her face, as well as brush her teeth.

"Good fucking god, like being on a plane for twenty odd hours isn't enough punishment," she complained aloud, flushing the toilet and drying her face on a towel.

"Talking to yourself?" Mark asked, drying his head with a towel. Jackie jumped and shrugged. "Sorry, didn't mean to scare you. Are you okay? You look a little pale."

"I'm fine. Just had to take a few Tylenol for my headache, that's all," she lied, slipping past him and into the kitchen.

"If you're sure." He stared at her curiously.

"I am," she said in a final tone.

"Okay."

________________________________________________________________________

"Jacqueline! Are you home?"

Jackie lifted her head off of Mark's chest. They were laying together on the couch in the living room, watching MTV on satellite to pass the time.

"Your dad?" Mark questioned. Jackie nodded and stood up, walking into the hallway. Mark followed and found a man in his late forties loosening his tie.

"Hi Daddy," Jackie said, giving her father a kiss on the cheek.

"Hi sweetheart. How was the flight in?"

"Long," Jackie laughed.

"I can imagine. And this must be Mark," he greeted, sticking his hand out.

"Nice to meet you finally sir," Mark replied, shaking his hand.

Jacob laughed. "There's no need to call me sir. It makes me feel old."

Just then, the front door opened and a petite girl with strawberry blonde hair slipped through.

"Jackie?" she squealed, running over to Jackie and giving her a hug. "When'd you get here?"

"About 10 AM this morning."

"Who's this?" the girl asked, smiling at Mark.

"My boyfriend Mark. Mark, this is my father Jacob, and my little sister Kate."

"Nice to meet you," Kate greeted, her arm linked through Jackie's. "Where's Karen Dad?"

"At her office. Actually girls, I just found out that I have to be in Perth on business for the next week, and Karen's coming with me. I won't be back until next Monday."

"Oh," Jackie said, catching Kate's glance in her own. Kate gave her the thumbs up and smiled.

"Karen will be coming with me, so unfortunately you won't see her until Monday Jac. Sorry, I know this is last minute," he said, grabbing some files off the dining room table. "I just came home because I wanted to see you and needed to get a few portfolios."

"Okay." Jackie rested her head against Mark's shoulder.

"Well, the company car's waiting outside to take me to the airport, so I'll see you girls Monday," he added, kissing both Jackie and Kate on the cheek. "Nice to meet you again Mark."

"You too," Mark answered, linking his hand through Jackie's.

"Good thing they're gone for the week," Kate chimed in, hopping up on the kitchen counter. "I don't think I could take much more of them being around."

"I agree with that," Mark said, pulling Jackie down on a chair with him. "I could never wait for my parents to leave. You're lucky—they're gone for a week."

Kate nodded. "So what do you do for a living Mark?"

Mark shrugged. "I'm a struggling filmmaker I guess, except now I work at the same production company Jac does."

"Cool."

"What about you?"

"I surf. A lot. Probably more than I actually work at my job," Kate laughed. "I'm going to university to eventually get my degree in early childhood education."

"Sounds fun."

"Mark doesn't know how to raise himself, let alone kids," Jackie teased.

"Hey shut up!"

"I'm kidding."

"Yeah sure."

"I do to know how to take care of kids. My sisters have kids."

Jackie rolled her eyes. "Roger doesn't count."

________________________________________________________________________

Roger slipped into the loft quietly, taking off his jacket. He heard the AC running, which meant that sometime in the two weeks he was gone, Mimi had the new air and heating system installed. He didn't blame her for having it running already—it had just rained and it was humid out. He turned on the lights to find her propped up on the couch, fast asleep, the TV running in the background. Her glasses had slipped down her nose, and a few curls had fallen into her face. God, how he had missed her when he was in LA. Two weeks had definitely been too long of a time.

He brushed the curls off her face, planting a kiss on her forehead in the process. She stirred and opened her eyes.

"Hey," she whispered groggily, sliding over to give him some room to sit down on the couch. "When'd you get in?"

"Midnight. It's a little after 2 right now."

"Take your pills?" she asked, sliding up into a sitting position.

"Yeah, I did. I missed you."

She smiled and kissed him as he rubbed her back slowly. "I missed you too. How was it?"

"It was okay. I'll tell you about it tomorrow," he said, helping her stand up. "You look different."

She smirked at him, wrapping her arm around his waist. "Could it possibly be the fact that I've gained another five pounds since you left? Or could it be the fact that my huge stomach just popped out even more then I thought possible?"

Roger laughed and stripped off his shirt and pants as Mimi climbed into their bed, placing a pillow behind her head and another behind her back.

"Well whatever it is," he said, sliding in next to her and turning off the light. "You're still beautiful."

"Thank you baby," she said, resting her head on his chest as he placed his hands around her hips.

They had just about fallen asleep when Mimi shot up in bed, her hands on her stomach. Roger panicked and sat up right beside her, one hand behind her back.

"What? What's wrong?" he said.

Mimi laughed at the fearful expression on his face. "Nothing. The baby just kicked. Give me your hand." She took his hand and placed it on the side of her stomach. "Now wait."

Roger did so, and a few seconds later he felt a sharp jab where she had placed his hand. "Wow—that's just, wow, Mimi."

Mimi nodded. "She hasn't done that at all in the time you were gone. I think she was waiting for her Daddy to come home." She propped herself back against his chest, his hand still placed on her stomach.

"I love you."

"I love you too. I was thinking about some things before," she added, pushing the blankets off of her. "Sorry, I'm hot," she groaned.

He grinned. "Nah, it's okay. I understand. What were you thinking about?"

"The wedding, and baby names."

"Okay. Well what about the wedding?"

"I don't want a big wedding anymore. I don't care what kind of wedding I have, as long as I'm married to you by the time it's over."

"Neither do I baby," he answered, pulling her closer to him. "What about our families?"

"I don't know. I don't want anything big. I was kind of thinking that it would feel right just to have the people that have been there for us throughout the years—Mark, Maureen, Collins, Dan, Joanne, Jackie, Lisa, -- even Matt. But on the other hand, it would feel wrong not to have our families there."

"I know what you mean."

"So…"

"Whatever makes you happy Meems."

By this time, she had started to cry. "I just want to be married to you Roger and I don't want to have to go crazy over figuring out who I want and don't want here," she blubbered, burying her face in his chest. "This is so incredibly stressful."

Roger laughed and hugged her tight. "Shh, it's okay baby. What if we just have your mom and Carl, and my mom, Lindsey, and Marissa there? Is that okay?"

Mimi nodded and wiped her eyes. "Yeah. I guess that's okay. I just don't want to disappoint you."

Roger shook his head. "You could never do that. Now what were you saying about baby names?"

"Oh. Well I'm really attached to Jaylynn. I think it's beautiful."

"So do I," Roger answered, kissing her on the shoulder.

"So what about Jaylynn Angela? For Angel? Jaylynn Angela Davis," she announced. She sat up briefly to adjust the pillow behind her back.

Roger nodded. "I like that."

"Good. Because if you said you didn't, our daughter would still be named that whether you liked it or not," she laughed.

"Good night Mimi," he said, pulling the blanket back over her.

"Night. Jesus Roger, I said I was hot!" she grumped, pulling the sheets back down.

"It's cold in here. You have the AC on 50 fucking degrees."

"You're cold, I'm pregnant. Now leave the fucking sheets off of me."

"Oooh testy."

"Ass."

"I love you."

"Uh huh."

"Mimi?"

"What? I love you too."

"Good."

"Now shut the hell up and go to sleep."

"Night baby."

"I said shut up Roger!"

_________________________________________________________________________

"Hey Jac? Are you almost done in there? Shawn wants us to meet him out on the beach in twenty minutes," Mark said, resting his head against the closed bathroom door.

Jac smiled a little as she splashed her face with water. Ever since Shawn and Jillian had taught Mark the basic fundamentals of surfing, he'd been psyched to go back. If she weren't feeling so crummy right now, she'd be more enthusiastic about spending a good five hours on a surfboard. The only thing she was focused on right now was getting her stomach to stop doing back flips.

"Yeah, I'll be right out," she said, turning off the faucets. "What's the date today Mark?"

"Uh, the 15th. Why?"

"I always lose track of what day it is when I'm on vacation so I just wanted to know," she said, making up a quick lie.

"Oh. Yeah, so do I."

Jackie opened the bathroom door, adjusting the straps on her bikini top. "Okay, so let's go then," she said, plastering a smile on her face.

As the walked down the dunes, Jackie spotted Jillian, Kate and Shawn, each sitting on their own surfboard.

"Hey," Jackie greeted.

Shawn stood up and stretched. "Hey Jac, Mark. You guys ready? The waves look pretty rough today."

Jackie nodded, giving Mark a quick kiss. "Why don't you guys go ahead and paddle out. I have to talk to Jillian and my sister for a minute."

"You sure?" Mark asked, already halfway to the water.

"Go ahead. We'll be there in a little bit."

"So what's up?" Jillian asked as they headed back up to the house.

Jackie laughed and sighed. "I've been throwing up for the eight days we've been here so far."

Kate held the glass door open for them, each girl wandering into the living room and taking a seat on the couch. "Whoa Jac, that's unnatural. Are you sure it's not a really crappy case of the flu?"

Jillian looked at her. "For eight days Kate? Come on. When Jac?"

Jackie groaned and rested her head against the coffee table. "In the mornings. Sometimes at night. Why do you think I ran in the house so fast that one day when we were surfing?"

Kate's face fell. "Oh yeah. Right. You were gone for about half an hour."

"Exactly."

Jillian bit her lip. "So are you trying to say what I think you're trying to say?"

"Oh my god," Kate said.

"Congratulations, you've all just won yourself a memorable trip down pregnancy lane," Jackie said sarcastically, holding her head.

"How late are you?" Kate asked.

"Ten days, and I'm always pretty regular."

"You have to find out," Jillian added, pulling Jackie to her feet. "We're going to the pharmacy right now."

"What are we supposed to tell the guys?"

"Kate, go swim out and tell them that we're running out to get some food for lunch. Bull shit your way through it if you have to, and if they offer to come with us tell them flat out no," Jillian said, grabbing her keys off of the counter.

"Just don't mention any of this to Mark. Please don't," Jackie warned her.

"I won't, I swear." Kate took off the back down, running down the sand dunes.

______________________________________________________________________

"How many more minutes?" Jackie asked, pulling herself onto the kitchen counter.

Jillian looked at her watch. "Two more."

"Why does this seem like the longest seven minutes of my life?"

"Because it's a life altering decision, basically. Kind of like walking the green mile," Kate chimed in.

Jackie and Jillian shot her a look. "Gee thanks," Jackie added sarcastically.

"Sorry. I didn't mean it was a bad thing—having a baby, you know?"

"But you don't understand—ah forget it."

"No, tell us," Jillian said.

Jackie sighed. "It's just that my show's opening two weeks from now and I've finally gotten what I've wanted so long—the lead in a major ballet production. I can't dance when I'm pregnant—I probably won't be able to dance until I get my body back after I have the baby, and that could be up to a year, if not longer. What's left for me then? I just got my life back on track with everything."

The timer on Jillian's watch went off just as Jackie finished speaking. She smiled sympathetically as she looked towards the bathroom.

"Do you want to look at the sticks, or should I?" she asked. Jackie slid off on the counter and headed towards the bathroom.

"I'll do it. Just give me a minute, okay?" she said, closing the door behind her.

Jackie made her way over to the sink and glanced at the three sticks. A plus sign. Two lines. Two dots.

"Fucking shit," she said, laughing and crying at the same time.

She opened the door and walked back down the hall, bringing the tests with her.

"What does it say?" Kate asked, glancing at the sticks Jackie had just handed Jillian.

"It says I'm pregnant. Three times over." Jackie resumed her seat on the counter.

"Oh."

Jillian handed the sticks back to Jackie. "So is this a good thing, or a bad thing?"

"I don't know."

"Well I'm saying congratulations anyway…so congratulations!" Jillian said, giving Jackie a hug.

"I've gotta make a phone call. Trash the sticks, okay Jill?"

"Yep. Sure thing. We'll meet you back outside. And we won't tell him."

Jackie waved them away with her hand and ran back upstairs, pulling her cell phone out of her bag, and collapsing on her bed. She dialed the loft number and waited as it rang.

Mimi picked up the phone right away. "Hello?"

"Hey Meems, it's uh, Jac."

"Hey Jac, how's Sydney?"

"Oh, it's great. I didn't wake you up, did I?

"Nah, I couldn't sleep anyway. Jay's up in my ribs tonight."

Jackie cradled the phone against the pillow. "I just really need to spill this to someone, and I hate doing this over the phone, but considering I'm not gonna be home for another four days—"

"Just spill it, chica."

"Okay. Well, I just found out that I'm—pregnant?"

"What? You're what?"

"Pregnant."

________________________________________________________________________

"Who was on the phone?" Roger asked, yawning and coming out of his bedroom. "Come to bed."

Mimi stood up and walked over to him. "It was Jackie."

"Why was she calling this late?"

Mimi sighed. "She's pregnant Rog."

Roger blinked at Mimi for a second before responding. "She's what?"

"Pregnant. With a baby."

"A mini Mark?"

Mimi nodded. "Yeah."

"Jesus. You both are pregnant. Together. You both are gonna have whacked out hormones. Together. I'm going to be a father and an uncle. Together."

Mimi grabbed his arm and laughed. "Stop that."

"Does Mark know?"

"Nope. Not yet. I don't think she's going to tell him until she gets back to the city."

"This is in-fucking-credible. First Lisa, then you, then his sister Cindy, and now Jackie. Screw the year of the rabbit, it's the year of the sperm."

"Okay, enough. Let's go to bed."

"She's really pregnant?"

"Yes."

"Are you sure?"

"Roger!"

"Okay okay."

"Night."

"I can't believe she's pregnant."

"ROGER!"

"OW! Don't hit me with the pillow!"

_______________________________________________________________________