"Favorite movie of all time," asked Antonio as he and John sat there in the
waiting room with Jessica and Natalie. It was 2 am—Kevin had left to try
and find Kelly, Jessica had ended up falling asleep across the length of
three chairs, using hers and Antonio's jackets for a pillow and blanket
while Natalie was stretched out on the couch listening in, but slowly
falling asleep.
"Hmmm—Dirty Harry with Clint Eastwood," he said as he took a few seconds to think hard.
Antonio laughed, "How did I know that was what you were going to say?"
John had to laugh also, "Guess the character may have rubbed off on me just a bit, huh?"
"Just a little," said Natalie with a yawn, "John—if you want to you can go home—I think I'm just going to fall asleep on the couch here until morning," she said as she stretched her long body past the length of the couch itself.
"What about you and Jessica?" he asked Antonio.
Antonio looked over to Jessica snoozing away and smiled, "I was thinking just now of getting her to wake up and go home for a few more hours to sleep—but I don't want to leave you here alone," he said towards Natalie.
"I'll be fine, really," she said sleepily.
"Hey—why don't you come over to my place and crash for the night? That way we're closer to the hospital in the morning when they call and give us some news," said John as he rubbed his eyes.
"Are you sure about that John?"
He gave a half smile, "Yeah, I'm sure."
----------
"You never told me your favorite movie," said John as they began to walk into the hotel.
"Oh this is an easy one. Wizard of Oz—there used to be this old theater on 9th in AC—every summer they would play two movies all summer long for a dollar. I think I probably kept them running that entire summer"
"Yeah? I remember that theater from when I was younger—I snuck in there a few times actually."
Natalie laughed, "What movie could make you sneak into a theatre?"
"Dirty Harry," he grinned as they opened the door to his bedroom and he realized he hadn't finished putting up Caitlin's stuff.
"These were the important papers you had to look over earlier?"
"Uhm, yeah—I was putting it up when Jessica called to see where you were. Let me clean it up and find you something to wear tonight," he said as he threw everything in the drawer and shoved it quickly back into the dresser.
Natalie watched John going through his drawer and pull out an old t-shirt and some flannel pajama bottoms, "Uhm, thanks," she said as he went into the bathroom to give her privacy, "What am I doing here?" she sighed as she took in the scent of his shirt.
"Did you say something?" he called out from the bathroom.
"No," she said as she crawled in under the covers.
He looked directly in the mirror and sighed—he was trying to decide to tell Natalie he was ready now or wait until morning. He didn't think he would chicken out later, but he wasn't sure—he threw some water on his face and sighed, "It's now or never," before going into the room, "Hey Nat--," but he stopped—she was sound asleep under the covers of his bed, bear-hugging the other pillow. He just smiled and went and sat down in the chair and fell asleep watching her.
---------
The running water woke him up and looked to see Natalie had already gotten up and made the bed. He sighed that he hadn't got to see what she looked like after being asleep the whole night, but maybe if he was lucky he could get to see that soon enough. He waited a few minutes and she came out, "Good morning," he said softly.
"Hi," she said as she ran her fingers through her wet hair again and pulling it back into the hair clip she had.
"Give me a few minutes and I'll go back to the hospital with you."
"No—you've done enough last night John. I'm sure you've got some more important stuff to do today," she said as she glared towards the dresser.
His eyes followed her glare and then he turned back to her, "Did I do something wrong?"
"No—I did. I thought you might have actually been doing work last night when you didn't come back immediately—but instead you were sitting here weeping over your lost Lenore."
"Ok, first let me say this—last night I wasn't weeping over her. I mean I was, but it's not like what you think."
"Oh yeah? Then why don't you tell me John—tell me you weren't sitting here saying how much you missed her, how much you wish she were here and you had your life and two and a half children already living in the white house with the picket fence on the hill. Tell me!"
John couldn't help but smile at her ridiculous notion, "I can happily tell you I wasn't doing or thinking anything of the sort last night."
"Yeah, then what were you doing in here with all her things spread out on the bed?"
"I was telling her goodbye."
Those words knocked Natalie back for a few seconds, but she regained composure and was able to stutter out a response, "Why would you do something like that?"
John walked directly in front of her, nothing separating them but a few centimeters. He took her chin and pushed it up towards his face so he could look straight in her eyes when he said these words the first time, "Because I love you."
"You—you what?"
"I love you," he said as he leaned down for a kiss but was abruptly shoved away, "What is it now?"
"Why are you saying all of this?"
"Because it's true?" he said with a laugh.
"No, it's not true because I know how you were looking the other day—when we were lying on that bed you stopped and looked at me—and I could tell you were thinking of Caitlin, not me."
"The other day I stopped then because I realized I had these feelings I didn't think I deserved to have again, but you know what? I realized I do think I deserve them, and I want them to happen with you Natalie. I want to be able to tell you about my day and hear about yours--."
"We do that already—it's called friends John."
"Will you please let me finish this speech before I don't have the balls to say it?" he said with frustration in his voice.
"Sorry," she said as she looked at her feet for a second and then back up at him.
"It's ok. I wanted to tell you this last night but you had fallen asleep already. This morning when I woke up and you were already awake I was sad because I didn't get to see what you looked like when you wake up in the morning. I was worried about you talking to Dr. Long last night, and it's not because of some supposed white knight complex you say I have—it's because I was worried that if something happened to you I would never be able to do this," he said as he walked towards her and pulled her close covering his mouth with hers. She hesitated for a moment but finally gave in as he walked her backwards towards the bed, slightly nudging her to sit on the bed as his hands found the edge of her shirt and slid underneath to feel her soft skin.
They hadn't got much further than that when her cell phone rang, "Natalie," he whispered as she kissed his neck, "Natalie—do you want to answer that?"
She stopped and mumbled against his skin, "No."
He gave a soft chuckle, "I'm not saying I want this to stop this either—but it might be the hospital," he whispered into her hair.
Natalie sighed, "You really do know how to spoil the moment, don't you? Hello?"
"Hey Natalie," said Kevin on the other end, "The nurse said the doctor is going to come by with some news—I just figured you'd want to be here for it."
"Yes—thanks Kevin. I'll be there in a few minutes," she said hanging up the phone and looking towards John.
"Well?"
Natalie sighed, "The doctor has some news and is going to be there soon." Her eyes filled with tears again.
"Hey, you are going to have your mom around for a very long time."
"How can you be sure? I mean how can we be sure if we don't get it from Dr. Long."
"We're not getting it from that quack, and I just have a hunch about your mom," he said as he gave her a kiss and she smiled at him and kissed him back.
"Hmmm—Dirty Harry with Clint Eastwood," he said as he took a few seconds to think hard.
Antonio laughed, "How did I know that was what you were going to say?"
John had to laugh also, "Guess the character may have rubbed off on me just a bit, huh?"
"Just a little," said Natalie with a yawn, "John—if you want to you can go home—I think I'm just going to fall asleep on the couch here until morning," she said as she stretched her long body past the length of the couch itself.
"What about you and Jessica?" he asked Antonio.
Antonio looked over to Jessica snoozing away and smiled, "I was thinking just now of getting her to wake up and go home for a few more hours to sleep—but I don't want to leave you here alone," he said towards Natalie.
"I'll be fine, really," she said sleepily.
"Hey—why don't you come over to my place and crash for the night? That way we're closer to the hospital in the morning when they call and give us some news," said John as he rubbed his eyes.
"Are you sure about that John?"
He gave a half smile, "Yeah, I'm sure."
----------
"You never told me your favorite movie," said John as they began to walk into the hotel.
"Oh this is an easy one. Wizard of Oz—there used to be this old theater on 9th in AC—every summer they would play two movies all summer long for a dollar. I think I probably kept them running that entire summer"
"Yeah? I remember that theater from when I was younger—I snuck in there a few times actually."
Natalie laughed, "What movie could make you sneak into a theatre?"
"Dirty Harry," he grinned as they opened the door to his bedroom and he realized he hadn't finished putting up Caitlin's stuff.
"These were the important papers you had to look over earlier?"
"Uhm, yeah—I was putting it up when Jessica called to see where you were. Let me clean it up and find you something to wear tonight," he said as he threw everything in the drawer and shoved it quickly back into the dresser.
Natalie watched John going through his drawer and pull out an old t-shirt and some flannel pajama bottoms, "Uhm, thanks," she said as he went into the bathroom to give her privacy, "What am I doing here?" she sighed as she took in the scent of his shirt.
"Did you say something?" he called out from the bathroom.
"No," she said as she crawled in under the covers.
He looked directly in the mirror and sighed—he was trying to decide to tell Natalie he was ready now or wait until morning. He didn't think he would chicken out later, but he wasn't sure—he threw some water on his face and sighed, "It's now or never," before going into the room, "Hey Nat--," but he stopped—she was sound asleep under the covers of his bed, bear-hugging the other pillow. He just smiled and went and sat down in the chair and fell asleep watching her.
---------
The running water woke him up and looked to see Natalie had already gotten up and made the bed. He sighed that he hadn't got to see what she looked like after being asleep the whole night, but maybe if he was lucky he could get to see that soon enough. He waited a few minutes and she came out, "Good morning," he said softly.
"Hi," she said as she ran her fingers through her wet hair again and pulling it back into the hair clip she had.
"Give me a few minutes and I'll go back to the hospital with you."
"No—you've done enough last night John. I'm sure you've got some more important stuff to do today," she said as she glared towards the dresser.
His eyes followed her glare and then he turned back to her, "Did I do something wrong?"
"No—I did. I thought you might have actually been doing work last night when you didn't come back immediately—but instead you were sitting here weeping over your lost Lenore."
"Ok, first let me say this—last night I wasn't weeping over her. I mean I was, but it's not like what you think."
"Oh yeah? Then why don't you tell me John—tell me you weren't sitting here saying how much you missed her, how much you wish she were here and you had your life and two and a half children already living in the white house with the picket fence on the hill. Tell me!"
John couldn't help but smile at her ridiculous notion, "I can happily tell you I wasn't doing or thinking anything of the sort last night."
"Yeah, then what were you doing in here with all her things spread out on the bed?"
"I was telling her goodbye."
Those words knocked Natalie back for a few seconds, but she regained composure and was able to stutter out a response, "Why would you do something like that?"
John walked directly in front of her, nothing separating them but a few centimeters. He took her chin and pushed it up towards his face so he could look straight in her eyes when he said these words the first time, "Because I love you."
"You—you what?"
"I love you," he said as he leaned down for a kiss but was abruptly shoved away, "What is it now?"
"Why are you saying all of this?"
"Because it's true?" he said with a laugh.
"No, it's not true because I know how you were looking the other day—when we were lying on that bed you stopped and looked at me—and I could tell you were thinking of Caitlin, not me."
"The other day I stopped then because I realized I had these feelings I didn't think I deserved to have again, but you know what? I realized I do think I deserve them, and I want them to happen with you Natalie. I want to be able to tell you about my day and hear about yours--."
"We do that already—it's called friends John."
"Will you please let me finish this speech before I don't have the balls to say it?" he said with frustration in his voice.
"Sorry," she said as she looked at her feet for a second and then back up at him.
"It's ok. I wanted to tell you this last night but you had fallen asleep already. This morning when I woke up and you were already awake I was sad because I didn't get to see what you looked like when you wake up in the morning. I was worried about you talking to Dr. Long last night, and it's not because of some supposed white knight complex you say I have—it's because I was worried that if something happened to you I would never be able to do this," he said as he walked towards her and pulled her close covering his mouth with hers. She hesitated for a moment but finally gave in as he walked her backwards towards the bed, slightly nudging her to sit on the bed as his hands found the edge of her shirt and slid underneath to feel her soft skin.
They hadn't got much further than that when her cell phone rang, "Natalie," he whispered as she kissed his neck, "Natalie—do you want to answer that?"
She stopped and mumbled against his skin, "No."
He gave a soft chuckle, "I'm not saying I want this to stop this either—but it might be the hospital," he whispered into her hair.
Natalie sighed, "You really do know how to spoil the moment, don't you? Hello?"
"Hey Natalie," said Kevin on the other end, "The nurse said the doctor is going to come by with some news—I just figured you'd want to be here for it."
"Yes—thanks Kevin. I'll be there in a few minutes," she said hanging up the phone and looking towards John.
"Well?"
Natalie sighed, "The doctor has some news and is going to be there soon." Her eyes filled with tears again.
"Hey, you are going to have your mom around for a very long time."
"How can you be sure? I mean how can we be sure if we don't get it from Dr. Long."
"We're not getting it from that quack, and I just have a hunch about your mom," he said as he gave her a kiss and she smiled at him and kissed him back.