Chapter 14
"You're gorgeous," Terri assured her as she helped Janet attach her veil.
"Yeah, just like Snow White...except you didn't die," interjected Chrissy.
"You're mixing up your fairly tales, cuz," Cindy whispered, elbowing her cousin in the ribs. The sudden movement caused her to stumble, and she swayed dangerously for a millisecond before regaining her balance.
"Stop, okay?!" Everybody stopped and looked at Janet in surprise. She had been so mild-mannered the whole day; it was shocking to hear her yell or even raise her voice. "Just stop fighting! I'm stressed enough as it is, and you two aren't helping anything."
The cousins looked sheepish. "Sorry, Jan."
"We didn't mean to upset you."
The small room was in a flurry of activity for the next ten minutes, as her sister and friends constantly ran in and out, bringing in things they had somehow forgotten before. Finally, the chaos died down to a small tornado as Jenny, Chrissy, Cindy, and Terri worked to get Janet ready for the biggest time of her life. At long last, they were finished. Jenny was just putting the last touches on her sister's makeup when they were interrupted by a knock at the door. Chrissy was the first to squeal, and it soon spread like wildfire through the room.
"Just someone please answer the door!" As the maid of honor and the bride's sister, Jenny felt as if it was up to her to keep the peace...or, at the very least, keep everything from going crazy.
Roland Wood entered the room then, his eyes roaming over everyone appreciatively before his gaze landed on Janet. "I can't believe my baby's getting married."
Janet smiled softly, trying desperately to mask her tears for what she knew was only the first time of many. "I'm not the baby, Daddy. Jenny is."
"You'll always be my baby, little girl." He took his daughter's hand as she stood, as her dress was shown to its fullest for the first time. Janet's eyes began to mist up as her father took in the sight before him. His baby was standing before him, smiling nervously. Her entire life flashed before him, as he saw her when she was seven years, giggling joyfully as he twirled her around. She had just mastered the art of riding a bike without training wheels, and was extremely thrilled for herself. I'm a big girl now, Daddy. Thanks for teaching me. Now he had to face the fact that he wouldn't be the most important man in her life anymore...Jack would. She wouldn't curl up on his lap and tell him her problems. Of course, she hadn't done that for years, but now Jack would be the one she would curl up to. He remembered how she and Jenny had always watched Friends when they were teenagers, and something Rachel had said came screaming back to him now. 'It's the end of an era!' And it was. "You ready for this, hon?"
Janet nodded, biting her lip to keep the tears from flowing. "Ready."
Her father's hand touched her cheek softly, caressing her skin in an effort to try and stop the inevitable sobs. "You're beautiful." He took her arm as they began to walk out the door, but Chrissy stopped her and pulled her aside. "Janet, I know it's been four years and you probably still hate me - "
"No," she interrupted her friend. "Sweetie, I could never, ever hate you. I was just mad at you for leaving, and I shouldn't have been."
"We'll talk after, okay? Look, you're already crying. Now just go shut up and get married."
She laughed and hugged Chrissy tightly. "I love you."
"Love you, too. Now go!"
At first glance, the aisle seemed so long and scary. But Janet looked down and saw her Jack smiling. He could always calm her down. She willed herself not to look at him, and before she knew it, her dad was kissing her cheek. "I love you, sweet girl." "Now, as a declaration of their love, Jack and Janet will recite their own vows."
"Jack, I...I've never quite met anyone like you. Looking back, I'm know that without a doubt getting attacked was the best thing that ever happened to me, because it taught me how much I love you. And you...you just helped me to get through what I thought were the hardest time of my life, the same way you've helped me with everything. Every time something bad happened to me, you were always there. You always loved me, no matter what. You - " Tears streamed down her face, but she took a deep breath and plunged on. "You've never allowed me to think of myself as anything less than wonderful. You were always telling me that I was so much better than the guys that broke my heart. You know, Jack, I never thought I could love my best friend. But you've always been able to prove me wrong. I can never thank you for what you've given me, but I'm going to try, every day for the rest of my life. I love you. I love you so much it hurts, and I know I'll love you forever." She slid the thin band onto his finger. "With this ring, I thee wed."
Jack smiled, reaching out to take her hand. It was still quivering, so he rubbed circles in her palm ever so slightly. "Janet...there isn't enough time in the world to ever tell you how much you mean to me. I mean it. You...you love me so unconditionally, so completely, no matter what, and I know that I try to love you the same way. Because you're everything to me; you're my best friend. Throughout the years when we were just friends, and these last couple of months when we were dating, you never gave up on us, even when I did something stupid and there was the possibility that there were no us. With that, I learned that we're gonna be okay. No matter what happens, we can handle it, because, no matter what, I'm always going to love you, sweetheart. Always. I'm so glad you're in my life, and I know I'll love you forever." He echoed her words, which made her smile. Placing the gold ring on her finger, he whispered softly and lovingly. "With this ring, I thee wed."
"And now, with the power invested in me by the power of God and the state of California, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride."
The words had barely left Reverend Snow's lips as Janet felt Jack's mouth crush upon hers. His arms wrapped around her waist, holding her tightly. His tongue entered her mouth and then promptly exited again, causing her to moan softly. She pulled back ever so slightly to whisper in his ear. "Later. You can do whatever you want, I promise. Tonight. "
"You better believe it." His voice was low and husky, and it sent chills down her spine. The hours couldn't go by fast enough.
After a week's honeymoon in Niagara Falls, Jack and Janet finally retuned home. Taped to the phone was a note from Terri. Two pages of curvy script, it went on to say that she had moved in with Larry. You two need your space. Besides, it'll be fun...kind of. Larry's actually okay.
"She's living with him?" Janet muttered incredulously.
"Go figure." Jack stood looking over her shoulder until he couldn't take it anymore. She was so beautiful, so perfect in every single way, and he wanted her right now. Ripping the note from her hands, he began kissing her neck. "You're not really reading that, are you?"
"Not a word." Janet responded to his touch eagerly as he pushed her up against the wall. His lips found hers as his hands roamed her body. She was his daily drug that he could never get enough of, ever. Thankfully, she didn't seem to mind his intensity, for she was kissing him with the same desires. Their kisses were wild, forceful, almost to the point of violent. Aside from their honeymoon, it had been almost two months since that night above the bistro. Fifty - nine days, to be exact. Fifty - eight days too many, she thought, as he laid her down on the couch.
"Did you lock the door?"
She nodded quickly, which was good enough for him as he resumed kissing and making love to his new wife.
The sun flooded the bedroom, forcing Janet to wake up and shield her eyes from the blaring gaze. She blinked suddenly. They had been married for a total of nine days, and she still yet hadn't gotten completely used to the idea of waking up in Jack's arms. But there she was, curled up against him like she'd never let go. Her body was pressed up against his, as his arm was sprawled protectively around her waist. She leaned into him and started placing sporadic kisses down his neck. "Hey."
Jack opened his eyes to find his wife smiling down at him. "This is nice."
"You get to wake me up tomorrow."
"Absolutely," he whispered softly as he carefully flipped her onto her back, so he had her underneath him. He laughed, seeing her pouting face as she squirmed. "We really contaminated that couch."
"I won't tell if you won't." He kissed her then, and wrapping her arms around his neck, Janet got up and out from under his grip.
"Cheater." His grumpy smile was quickly replaced with a worried frown when Janet all but flew from the bed and ran to the bathroom. Jack followed her, and when he saw her kneeling in front of the toilet, his mind immediately went to what had happened two months ago. Janet's gagging, however, wiped the thoughts away, and he knelt down at his wife's side. Janet was too bust concentrating on fighting the overwhelming urge to pass out from the nausea to hear her husband enter the tiny room. Jack's breath was in her ear in an instant, telling her that she'd be okay. He smoothed her hair and stroked her back gently, and for all her independence over the years, she couldn't be more grateful to have him with her. Her head was positioned over the bowl once again as she threw up for the fifth time in under three minutes. The immediate desire to puke was soon gone, and Janet leaned weakly into his embrace. "I'm sorry."
"Don't even start with that, sweetie. Are you okay?"
"Does it look like I'm okay?" she snapped. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to get dressed and go to work."
Reluctantly, he followed her into their bedroom. He heard Janet sigh and reach in her closet to pick out an outfit. A small scream emitted from her lips and she had to grab onto the knob to keep from falling. She didn't even protest as he took her in his arms. Starting to sob, she allowed him to hold her close. "I don't have time to be sick now. I really don't." Jack pushed her away so that he could peer into her eyes. "I know, honey. But I'm going to call work and say I'm not going and you aren't either. You're my baby now and I need you to let me take care of you."
"Okay," she whimpered softly. In all actuality, that did sound nice, and she honestly wouldn't be able to handle nine hours at the shop. All she wanted to do was sleep.
Jack pulled the covers securely around her and kissed her lightly on the forehead. "Be right back, love." Janet only nodded. In her pink pajama bottoms covered in small hearts and pink tank top, she hardly appeared as the epitome of independence that he knew and loved. The pajamas, combined with the innocence of her soft snoring and the pale coloration of her skin made her look small, like a tiny little girl. Blowing her one last kiss, he went off to inform both their employers that they wouldn't be in today. And as long as Janet was asleep, and by the looks of her would be for quite a while, Jack decided to work on some upcoming menus for very important people.
Jack was well on his way to being caught up with work for the next two years when the small pitter - patter of feet approached him. Janet wrapped her arms around his neck from behind. "Thanks for letting me sleep."
He pulled her onto his lap. "No problem. We both knew you needed it. Face it, baby, you'd stressed out about every detail of our wedding since the night we got engaged. Now you're just crashing and burning, you know?"
She nodded. "I know, but this really wasn't how I wanted to spend our first day of being truly married."
"How do you feel?"
"Okay. Better than before, though. Are...are you incredibly busy?"
"I've never too busy for you, babe. What's up?"
"Will you watch a movie with me?"
The simplicity and the innocence of the question and the way she asked it made Jack smile. Cupping her face in his hands, he leaned in for a breath- taking, earth-shattering kiss. "Of course I will. What do you want to see?"
"Casablanca," she replied promptly. "I love it. I must have seen it a thousand times, but I always cry."
"Then that's what we'll do." After putting the video in the VCR, Jack got himself situated on the couch. Janet's head was in his lap, and he stroked her hair ever so softly. "I love you."
"I love you, too," Janet whispered. "Thanks for taking care of me."
The movie was well on its way when he felt Janet begin to stir. She wasn't asleep, but it was obvious she wasn't paying attention to the movie, and hadn't been for some while. "You're the one who wanted to watch this," he complained good-naturedly. "Hey, sweetheart, what it is?"
"Just hold me," she requested quietly. "Just hold me and make this go away. Whatever this is, it's back. Some weird flu, huh?"
Jack silently agreed, hoping to God that that's all it was. He interlaced his fingers with hers; turning her hand over in his to idly trace soothing circles in her palm. Soon after, he was rewarded with her slow, rhythmic, labored breathing. He planted a small kiss on the top of her head and covered her with the blanket. Janet had done so much for them, for their wedding over the past seven weeks that she deserved some rest and relaxation. Maybe this was her body's way of telling her that she needed to slow down. Jack was more than happy to take care of her, though. One of her quirks that he loved was her fierce independence and unwillingness to rely on anybody, so he knew how hard it was for her to be taken care of. She must be really worn out. Jack dozed off himself then, with his whole life and everything he'd ever wanted lying in his arms.
For the third time that day, Janet woke up in Jack's embrace. Having her husband's arms around her was a simple act that she'd never get tired of. It was one of their rituals that she'd grown accustomed to over the past two months. Even not necessarily making love, a night had not gone by that they hadn't fallen asleep in each other's arms. A second later, she felt Jack nibbling on her ear. "Now we're even." He smiled. "Feeling better?"
"Kind of...Jack, honey, I'm really sorry. I'm sorry I'm sick and I'm sorry that you have to waste your first day of being married taking care of me."
"Hey, I thought it was your day too." She managed a small smile and glanced at him. "And I've set it before and I'll say it again; you are not a waste of my time. You're not. I love you, Janet, and it's my duty as your husband to make you all better."
Tears were in her eyes as she heard those sweet words from his mouth. She didn't deserve him, not today. "Oh, baby, I'm sorry for being such a cranky person today. It's no excuse, but I'm a real bitch when I'm sick. Forgive me?" Jack didn't say a word and looked the other way. Janet's heart started to pound, thinking he was honestly mad at her, but the smile on his face gave him away. "Please? Please, sweetie, talk to me. I'll do anything."
Jack turned to her. "Exactly what constitutes 'anything'?"
"I thought so," was her reply. "I knew you weren't mad at me."
"I might still be," he said very seriously. "Unless you wanted to, say, kiss me or something."
"But of course," Janet laughed softly, them moved to a sitting position so she was cross-legged in front of him. He placed his hands on her waist lightly as they both leaned forward and their lips brushed together. A light peck became so much more as he pulled her to her knees and close to his body. They kissed over and over again until his lips left hers for good.
"Come on. Let's finish that movie, shall we?"
That next day, Janet woke up early and feeling fine. Simply being coddled by her lover yesterday had obviously done her some good. Her stomach was settled, she didn't feel the need to run to the bathroom, and her energy was fuller than it had been in days. She knew that there was no use in trying to grab extra shut-eye, so she made her way to the bathroom.
The motion on the bed caused Jack to roll over and open one eye groggily. "You okay, baby? What time is it?" "Almost 7:30. I'm okay. Go back to sleep," Janet told him, trying to apply some lip-gloss and fix her hair simultaneously. "Okay...I'll make you something." As she shook her head, he held up his hand. "Breakfast is the most important meal of the day." "That's never been medically proven." Finally satisfied that her hair couldn't get any better, she put on some of her lip-gloss. Jack loved it, and she had to admit that was part of the reason she wore it so often. He said it made her lips soft and kissable. "Nevertheless, you have to eat." Jack came up behind her, kissing her neck before he turned her around and found her lips. "You're wearing that stuff I like again." She giggled softly, whimpering as his mouth covered the spot that made her melt. "And I won't be anymore if we keep doing that." Janet reluctantly pulled out of his arms and tried to leave, only to run back for an intense, yet gentle kiss. "I've really got to go. Bye! I love you." Luckily, an hour had passed and Jack was long gone when Janet walked back into the apartment. She breathed a sigh of relief. She really couldn't face Jack and his questions right now. She had just progressively gotten worse as the minutes passed. The shaking and nausea had come back as soon as Janet made it to the flower shop, so she immediately turned around and headed home. Janet had never bee sick for more than one day at a time, and she had to admit that it was starting to scare her. Suddenly, a song came on the radio that made her gasp aloud.
"But isn't she lovely made from love..." The familiar lyrics of a Stevie Wonder song drifted from the speakers.
"Oh, God..." Janet pulled into an empty parking lot, burying her face in her hands. Everything about the past days came rushing back. The constant throwing up, the nausea, the dizziness, the ever-constant lack of energy and crappy moods. It all made perfect sense now. Janet started to cry softly. "We've only been married a week. We're not ready for this. We're not ready to have a baby."
"You're gorgeous," Terri assured her as she helped Janet attach her veil.
"Yeah, just like Snow White...except you didn't die," interjected Chrissy.
"You're mixing up your fairly tales, cuz," Cindy whispered, elbowing her cousin in the ribs. The sudden movement caused her to stumble, and she swayed dangerously for a millisecond before regaining her balance.
"Stop, okay?!" Everybody stopped and looked at Janet in surprise. She had been so mild-mannered the whole day; it was shocking to hear her yell or even raise her voice. "Just stop fighting! I'm stressed enough as it is, and you two aren't helping anything."
The cousins looked sheepish. "Sorry, Jan."
"We didn't mean to upset you."
The small room was in a flurry of activity for the next ten minutes, as her sister and friends constantly ran in and out, bringing in things they had somehow forgotten before. Finally, the chaos died down to a small tornado as Jenny, Chrissy, Cindy, and Terri worked to get Janet ready for the biggest time of her life. At long last, they were finished. Jenny was just putting the last touches on her sister's makeup when they were interrupted by a knock at the door. Chrissy was the first to squeal, and it soon spread like wildfire through the room.
"Just someone please answer the door!" As the maid of honor and the bride's sister, Jenny felt as if it was up to her to keep the peace...or, at the very least, keep everything from going crazy.
Roland Wood entered the room then, his eyes roaming over everyone appreciatively before his gaze landed on Janet. "I can't believe my baby's getting married."
Janet smiled softly, trying desperately to mask her tears for what she knew was only the first time of many. "I'm not the baby, Daddy. Jenny is."
"You'll always be my baby, little girl." He took his daughter's hand as she stood, as her dress was shown to its fullest for the first time. Janet's eyes began to mist up as her father took in the sight before him. His baby was standing before him, smiling nervously. Her entire life flashed before him, as he saw her when she was seven years, giggling joyfully as he twirled her around. She had just mastered the art of riding a bike without training wheels, and was extremely thrilled for herself. I'm a big girl now, Daddy. Thanks for teaching me. Now he had to face the fact that he wouldn't be the most important man in her life anymore...Jack would. She wouldn't curl up on his lap and tell him her problems. Of course, she hadn't done that for years, but now Jack would be the one she would curl up to. He remembered how she and Jenny had always watched Friends when they were teenagers, and something Rachel had said came screaming back to him now. 'It's the end of an era!' And it was. "You ready for this, hon?"
Janet nodded, biting her lip to keep the tears from flowing. "Ready."
Her father's hand touched her cheek softly, caressing her skin in an effort to try and stop the inevitable sobs. "You're beautiful." He took her arm as they began to walk out the door, but Chrissy stopped her and pulled her aside. "Janet, I know it's been four years and you probably still hate me - "
"No," she interrupted her friend. "Sweetie, I could never, ever hate you. I was just mad at you for leaving, and I shouldn't have been."
"We'll talk after, okay? Look, you're already crying. Now just go shut up and get married."
She laughed and hugged Chrissy tightly. "I love you."
"Love you, too. Now go!"
At first glance, the aisle seemed so long and scary. But Janet looked down and saw her Jack smiling. He could always calm her down. She willed herself not to look at him, and before she knew it, her dad was kissing her cheek. "I love you, sweet girl." "Now, as a declaration of their love, Jack and Janet will recite their own vows."
"Jack, I...I've never quite met anyone like you. Looking back, I'm know that without a doubt getting attacked was the best thing that ever happened to me, because it taught me how much I love you. And you...you just helped me to get through what I thought were the hardest time of my life, the same way you've helped me with everything. Every time something bad happened to me, you were always there. You always loved me, no matter what. You - " Tears streamed down her face, but she took a deep breath and plunged on. "You've never allowed me to think of myself as anything less than wonderful. You were always telling me that I was so much better than the guys that broke my heart. You know, Jack, I never thought I could love my best friend. But you've always been able to prove me wrong. I can never thank you for what you've given me, but I'm going to try, every day for the rest of my life. I love you. I love you so much it hurts, and I know I'll love you forever." She slid the thin band onto his finger. "With this ring, I thee wed."
Jack smiled, reaching out to take her hand. It was still quivering, so he rubbed circles in her palm ever so slightly. "Janet...there isn't enough time in the world to ever tell you how much you mean to me. I mean it. You...you love me so unconditionally, so completely, no matter what, and I know that I try to love you the same way. Because you're everything to me; you're my best friend. Throughout the years when we were just friends, and these last couple of months when we were dating, you never gave up on us, even when I did something stupid and there was the possibility that there were no us. With that, I learned that we're gonna be okay. No matter what happens, we can handle it, because, no matter what, I'm always going to love you, sweetheart. Always. I'm so glad you're in my life, and I know I'll love you forever." He echoed her words, which made her smile. Placing the gold ring on her finger, he whispered softly and lovingly. "With this ring, I thee wed."
"And now, with the power invested in me by the power of God and the state of California, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride."
The words had barely left Reverend Snow's lips as Janet felt Jack's mouth crush upon hers. His arms wrapped around her waist, holding her tightly. His tongue entered her mouth and then promptly exited again, causing her to moan softly. She pulled back ever so slightly to whisper in his ear. "Later. You can do whatever you want, I promise. Tonight. "
"You better believe it." His voice was low and husky, and it sent chills down her spine. The hours couldn't go by fast enough.
After a week's honeymoon in Niagara Falls, Jack and Janet finally retuned home. Taped to the phone was a note from Terri. Two pages of curvy script, it went on to say that she had moved in with Larry. You two need your space. Besides, it'll be fun...kind of. Larry's actually okay.
"She's living with him?" Janet muttered incredulously.
"Go figure." Jack stood looking over her shoulder until he couldn't take it anymore. She was so beautiful, so perfect in every single way, and he wanted her right now. Ripping the note from her hands, he began kissing her neck. "You're not really reading that, are you?"
"Not a word." Janet responded to his touch eagerly as he pushed her up against the wall. His lips found hers as his hands roamed her body. She was his daily drug that he could never get enough of, ever. Thankfully, she didn't seem to mind his intensity, for she was kissing him with the same desires. Their kisses were wild, forceful, almost to the point of violent. Aside from their honeymoon, it had been almost two months since that night above the bistro. Fifty - nine days, to be exact. Fifty - eight days too many, she thought, as he laid her down on the couch.
"Did you lock the door?"
She nodded quickly, which was good enough for him as he resumed kissing and making love to his new wife.
The sun flooded the bedroom, forcing Janet to wake up and shield her eyes from the blaring gaze. She blinked suddenly. They had been married for a total of nine days, and she still yet hadn't gotten completely used to the idea of waking up in Jack's arms. But there she was, curled up against him like she'd never let go. Her body was pressed up against his, as his arm was sprawled protectively around her waist. She leaned into him and started placing sporadic kisses down his neck. "Hey."
Jack opened his eyes to find his wife smiling down at him. "This is nice."
"You get to wake me up tomorrow."
"Absolutely," he whispered softly as he carefully flipped her onto her back, so he had her underneath him. He laughed, seeing her pouting face as she squirmed. "We really contaminated that couch."
"I won't tell if you won't." He kissed her then, and wrapping her arms around his neck, Janet got up and out from under his grip.
"Cheater." His grumpy smile was quickly replaced with a worried frown when Janet all but flew from the bed and ran to the bathroom. Jack followed her, and when he saw her kneeling in front of the toilet, his mind immediately went to what had happened two months ago. Janet's gagging, however, wiped the thoughts away, and he knelt down at his wife's side. Janet was too bust concentrating on fighting the overwhelming urge to pass out from the nausea to hear her husband enter the tiny room. Jack's breath was in her ear in an instant, telling her that she'd be okay. He smoothed her hair and stroked her back gently, and for all her independence over the years, she couldn't be more grateful to have him with her. Her head was positioned over the bowl once again as she threw up for the fifth time in under three minutes. The immediate desire to puke was soon gone, and Janet leaned weakly into his embrace. "I'm sorry."
"Don't even start with that, sweetie. Are you okay?"
"Does it look like I'm okay?" she snapped. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to get dressed and go to work."
Reluctantly, he followed her into their bedroom. He heard Janet sigh and reach in her closet to pick out an outfit. A small scream emitted from her lips and she had to grab onto the knob to keep from falling. She didn't even protest as he took her in his arms. Starting to sob, she allowed him to hold her close. "I don't have time to be sick now. I really don't." Jack pushed her away so that he could peer into her eyes. "I know, honey. But I'm going to call work and say I'm not going and you aren't either. You're my baby now and I need you to let me take care of you."
"Okay," she whimpered softly. In all actuality, that did sound nice, and she honestly wouldn't be able to handle nine hours at the shop. All she wanted to do was sleep.
Jack pulled the covers securely around her and kissed her lightly on the forehead. "Be right back, love." Janet only nodded. In her pink pajama bottoms covered in small hearts and pink tank top, she hardly appeared as the epitome of independence that he knew and loved. The pajamas, combined with the innocence of her soft snoring and the pale coloration of her skin made her look small, like a tiny little girl. Blowing her one last kiss, he went off to inform both their employers that they wouldn't be in today. And as long as Janet was asleep, and by the looks of her would be for quite a while, Jack decided to work on some upcoming menus for very important people.
Jack was well on his way to being caught up with work for the next two years when the small pitter - patter of feet approached him. Janet wrapped her arms around his neck from behind. "Thanks for letting me sleep."
He pulled her onto his lap. "No problem. We both knew you needed it. Face it, baby, you'd stressed out about every detail of our wedding since the night we got engaged. Now you're just crashing and burning, you know?"
She nodded. "I know, but this really wasn't how I wanted to spend our first day of being truly married."
"How do you feel?"
"Okay. Better than before, though. Are...are you incredibly busy?"
"I've never too busy for you, babe. What's up?"
"Will you watch a movie with me?"
The simplicity and the innocence of the question and the way she asked it made Jack smile. Cupping her face in his hands, he leaned in for a breath- taking, earth-shattering kiss. "Of course I will. What do you want to see?"
"Casablanca," she replied promptly. "I love it. I must have seen it a thousand times, but I always cry."
"Then that's what we'll do." After putting the video in the VCR, Jack got himself situated on the couch. Janet's head was in his lap, and he stroked her hair ever so softly. "I love you."
"I love you, too," Janet whispered. "Thanks for taking care of me."
The movie was well on its way when he felt Janet begin to stir. She wasn't asleep, but it was obvious she wasn't paying attention to the movie, and hadn't been for some while. "You're the one who wanted to watch this," he complained good-naturedly. "Hey, sweetheart, what it is?"
"Just hold me," she requested quietly. "Just hold me and make this go away. Whatever this is, it's back. Some weird flu, huh?"
Jack silently agreed, hoping to God that that's all it was. He interlaced his fingers with hers; turning her hand over in his to idly trace soothing circles in her palm. Soon after, he was rewarded with her slow, rhythmic, labored breathing. He planted a small kiss on the top of her head and covered her with the blanket. Janet had done so much for them, for their wedding over the past seven weeks that she deserved some rest and relaxation. Maybe this was her body's way of telling her that she needed to slow down. Jack was more than happy to take care of her, though. One of her quirks that he loved was her fierce independence and unwillingness to rely on anybody, so he knew how hard it was for her to be taken care of. She must be really worn out. Jack dozed off himself then, with his whole life and everything he'd ever wanted lying in his arms.
For the third time that day, Janet woke up in Jack's embrace. Having her husband's arms around her was a simple act that she'd never get tired of. It was one of their rituals that she'd grown accustomed to over the past two months. Even not necessarily making love, a night had not gone by that they hadn't fallen asleep in each other's arms. A second later, she felt Jack nibbling on her ear. "Now we're even." He smiled. "Feeling better?"
"Kind of...Jack, honey, I'm really sorry. I'm sorry I'm sick and I'm sorry that you have to waste your first day of being married taking care of me."
"Hey, I thought it was your day too." She managed a small smile and glanced at him. "And I've set it before and I'll say it again; you are not a waste of my time. You're not. I love you, Janet, and it's my duty as your husband to make you all better."
Tears were in her eyes as she heard those sweet words from his mouth. She didn't deserve him, not today. "Oh, baby, I'm sorry for being such a cranky person today. It's no excuse, but I'm a real bitch when I'm sick. Forgive me?" Jack didn't say a word and looked the other way. Janet's heart started to pound, thinking he was honestly mad at her, but the smile on his face gave him away. "Please? Please, sweetie, talk to me. I'll do anything."
Jack turned to her. "Exactly what constitutes 'anything'?"
"I thought so," was her reply. "I knew you weren't mad at me."
"I might still be," he said very seriously. "Unless you wanted to, say, kiss me or something."
"But of course," Janet laughed softly, them moved to a sitting position so she was cross-legged in front of him. He placed his hands on her waist lightly as they both leaned forward and their lips brushed together. A light peck became so much more as he pulled her to her knees and close to his body. They kissed over and over again until his lips left hers for good.
"Come on. Let's finish that movie, shall we?"
That next day, Janet woke up early and feeling fine. Simply being coddled by her lover yesterday had obviously done her some good. Her stomach was settled, she didn't feel the need to run to the bathroom, and her energy was fuller than it had been in days. She knew that there was no use in trying to grab extra shut-eye, so she made her way to the bathroom.
The motion on the bed caused Jack to roll over and open one eye groggily. "You okay, baby? What time is it?" "Almost 7:30. I'm okay. Go back to sleep," Janet told him, trying to apply some lip-gloss and fix her hair simultaneously. "Okay...I'll make you something." As she shook her head, he held up his hand. "Breakfast is the most important meal of the day." "That's never been medically proven." Finally satisfied that her hair couldn't get any better, she put on some of her lip-gloss. Jack loved it, and she had to admit that was part of the reason she wore it so often. He said it made her lips soft and kissable. "Nevertheless, you have to eat." Jack came up behind her, kissing her neck before he turned her around and found her lips. "You're wearing that stuff I like again." She giggled softly, whimpering as his mouth covered the spot that made her melt. "And I won't be anymore if we keep doing that." Janet reluctantly pulled out of his arms and tried to leave, only to run back for an intense, yet gentle kiss. "I've really got to go. Bye! I love you." Luckily, an hour had passed and Jack was long gone when Janet walked back into the apartment. She breathed a sigh of relief. She really couldn't face Jack and his questions right now. She had just progressively gotten worse as the minutes passed. The shaking and nausea had come back as soon as Janet made it to the flower shop, so she immediately turned around and headed home. Janet had never bee sick for more than one day at a time, and she had to admit that it was starting to scare her. Suddenly, a song came on the radio that made her gasp aloud.
"But isn't she lovely made from love..." The familiar lyrics of a Stevie Wonder song drifted from the speakers.
"Oh, God..." Janet pulled into an empty parking lot, burying her face in her hands. Everything about the past days came rushing back. The constant throwing up, the nausea, the dizziness, the ever-constant lack of energy and crappy moods. It all made perfect sense now. Janet started to cry softly. "We've only been married a week. We're not ready for this. We're not ready to have a baby."