Chapter 14
Bosco followed Dr. Samuels and Dr. Moore into Jennifer's room. They'd talked outside for a few minutes about how things were going to be discussed and brought up to Jennifer and had all agreed to let Dr. Samuels start the conversation after a brief examination. Now, Bosco followed the doctors into the room and hung back so as not to upset Jennifer for now.
"Well, Jennifer. How are you feeling tonight? A little stronger?" Samuels asked her with a cheery voice.
"Better, just tired," Jennifer replied, eyeing Dr. Moore and Bosco suspiciously. She looked like she wanted to say something to Bosco, but she hesitated and Bosco's hopes dropped again. He'd hoped that she'd finally remembered him and this conversation would all be unnecessary.
"That's to be expected, but you already know that," Dr. Samuels replied. "I'd like to just do a quick check on you again and then we'll stop bothering you for the night after we all have a talk. You remember Dr. Moore," Samuels said, indicating the doctor standing alongside him and Jennifer nodded. "And, Maurice Boscorelli," he continued, stepping aside so that Jennifer could again see him standing in the corner of the room.
Jennifer's gaze lingered on Bosco almost as if she were willing herself to remember him. "I'm sorry," was all she said to him, tears of frustration filling her eyes, but not quite spilling over.
"Jen," Bosco said softly, as if to tell her it was okay. "We'll figure it out. I promise," he said to her, and she noticed his eyes get glassy as well.
Dr. Samuels pulled the curtain around Jennifer's bed to give her some privacy while he did his examination, but more to give her a chance to regain her composure.
Bosco turned away and took in a deep breath, urging himself to be strong for her.
Bosco returned home after saying goodnight to a tense Jennifer. She'd taken the news that she was going home in the morning well, but knew that having to cope with a "stranger" in her house was going to be difficult.
Bosco had just said goodnight to Kathy, the kids were asleep, and he was left to wander around the quiet house. He lingered at the fireplace, taking his time looking at all the pictures of their life together that lined the mantle. He thought back to the first night he'd ever been here and the pictures that were here before these - those of her first husband and their happy times together. Some of the pictures remained, mostly for the sake of Jordan to remember her father.
He paused longer than usual at the last picture - one of the four of them on their last vacation. They'd taken a trip to the beach down in Wildwood. This picture was taken by a woman who was walking by. He laughed when he remembered Jason's reaction as he held him over the water and let the waves splash his feet. He'd screeched with delight.
He continued his walk around the house, checking windows and doors along the way in preparation of turning in for the night. He opened the refrigerator in the dark kitchen - the light from the open door splaying across the room and onto the opposite wall. He picked up the carton of orange juice and lifted it to his lips to take a drink, stopping just before he touched it to his mouth. He heard Jennifer's voice yelling at him that he wasn't a bachelor anymore and he had to have manners. He still felt the poke in his ribs that she'd given him back then and remembered dropping the carton at the tickle. He looked at the floor and imagined them both cleaning up the mess again - laughing the whole time. Without taking his drink, he put the carton of juice back in the refrigerator and shut the door. He walked out of the kitchen and headed up to bed - thoughts of what tomorrow's homecoming would bring.
"So, Mommy will be home when I get home from school, right?" Jordan asked Bosco for the umpteenth time.
"Yes, Bug. Mommy will be here when you get home. But, remember, she still needs to rest and take it easy - she may even be napping when you get home," he reminded her as he put breakfast on the table. He watched as she tried to contain her excitement, and pitied the teacher that had to put up with her at school today.
"Mama," Jason said between mouthfuls of the cheerios Bosco has put on his high chair tray.
"Yes, Mama," Bosco repeated to him, handing him his sippy cup of juice. They'd told Jennifer about him last night and she was mortified that she wouldn't remember her own child. They'd calmed her down eventually, but Bosco knew that she was still quite upset. He silently hoped that being home, with her kids around her, would jog something loose.
"Daddy!" Jordan said urgently, drawing Bosco from his thoughts. He looked over at her and, from the look on her face, knew he must have been lost in thought and not heard her.
"Yeah, Jord?" he asked, putting the milk, juice and butter back into the refrigerator.
"My bus will be here in a minute and I can't find my shoes," she told him impatiently.
"Well, let's see where you left them. If I had to guess, I'd say they're right here in the back hall where you left them when Aunt Kathy brought you home last night," he said, re-emerging from the hall with her shoes in his hand.
She rolled her eyes at his sarcasm and sat down to put them on. He tugged on her pigtail on his way by to get Jason from his chair and finish getting him ready.
Jordan must have sensed his mood, because as he was picking Jason up, he suddenly felt her arms wrap around his legs as she hugged him.
"Hey, what's that for?" he asked, reaching down with one hand to return the hug.
"That's a just because hug," she told him.
"Just because what?" he asked.
"Just because you look sad today," she said, releasing her grip and gathering up her book bag and lunchbox. "Don't worry, Daddy. It'll be okay," she said, sounding much older than her years.
"I know it will, Jord. But, thanks," he said, following her out the door and down the driveway just in time to catch the bus.
TBC...
Bosco followed Dr. Samuels and Dr. Moore into Jennifer's room. They'd talked outside for a few minutes about how things were going to be discussed and brought up to Jennifer and had all agreed to let Dr. Samuels start the conversation after a brief examination. Now, Bosco followed the doctors into the room and hung back so as not to upset Jennifer for now.
"Well, Jennifer. How are you feeling tonight? A little stronger?" Samuels asked her with a cheery voice.
"Better, just tired," Jennifer replied, eyeing Dr. Moore and Bosco suspiciously. She looked like she wanted to say something to Bosco, but she hesitated and Bosco's hopes dropped again. He'd hoped that she'd finally remembered him and this conversation would all be unnecessary.
"That's to be expected, but you already know that," Dr. Samuels replied. "I'd like to just do a quick check on you again and then we'll stop bothering you for the night after we all have a talk. You remember Dr. Moore," Samuels said, indicating the doctor standing alongside him and Jennifer nodded. "And, Maurice Boscorelli," he continued, stepping aside so that Jennifer could again see him standing in the corner of the room.
Jennifer's gaze lingered on Bosco almost as if she were willing herself to remember him. "I'm sorry," was all she said to him, tears of frustration filling her eyes, but not quite spilling over.
"Jen," Bosco said softly, as if to tell her it was okay. "We'll figure it out. I promise," he said to her, and she noticed his eyes get glassy as well.
Dr. Samuels pulled the curtain around Jennifer's bed to give her some privacy while he did his examination, but more to give her a chance to regain her composure.
Bosco turned away and took in a deep breath, urging himself to be strong for her.
Bosco returned home after saying goodnight to a tense Jennifer. She'd taken the news that she was going home in the morning well, but knew that having to cope with a "stranger" in her house was going to be difficult.
Bosco had just said goodnight to Kathy, the kids were asleep, and he was left to wander around the quiet house. He lingered at the fireplace, taking his time looking at all the pictures of their life together that lined the mantle. He thought back to the first night he'd ever been here and the pictures that were here before these - those of her first husband and their happy times together. Some of the pictures remained, mostly for the sake of Jordan to remember her father.
He paused longer than usual at the last picture - one of the four of them on their last vacation. They'd taken a trip to the beach down in Wildwood. This picture was taken by a woman who was walking by. He laughed when he remembered Jason's reaction as he held him over the water and let the waves splash his feet. He'd screeched with delight.
He continued his walk around the house, checking windows and doors along the way in preparation of turning in for the night. He opened the refrigerator in the dark kitchen - the light from the open door splaying across the room and onto the opposite wall. He picked up the carton of orange juice and lifted it to his lips to take a drink, stopping just before he touched it to his mouth. He heard Jennifer's voice yelling at him that he wasn't a bachelor anymore and he had to have manners. He still felt the poke in his ribs that she'd given him back then and remembered dropping the carton at the tickle. He looked at the floor and imagined them both cleaning up the mess again - laughing the whole time. Without taking his drink, he put the carton of juice back in the refrigerator and shut the door. He walked out of the kitchen and headed up to bed - thoughts of what tomorrow's homecoming would bring.
"So, Mommy will be home when I get home from school, right?" Jordan asked Bosco for the umpteenth time.
"Yes, Bug. Mommy will be here when you get home. But, remember, she still needs to rest and take it easy - she may even be napping when you get home," he reminded her as he put breakfast on the table. He watched as she tried to contain her excitement, and pitied the teacher that had to put up with her at school today.
"Mama," Jason said between mouthfuls of the cheerios Bosco has put on his high chair tray.
"Yes, Mama," Bosco repeated to him, handing him his sippy cup of juice. They'd told Jennifer about him last night and she was mortified that she wouldn't remember her own child. They'd calmed her down eventually, but Bosco knew that she was still quite upset. He silently hoped that being home, with her kids around her, would jog something loose.
"Daddy!" Jordan said urgently, drawing Bosco from his thoughts. He looked over at her and, from the look on her face, knew he must have been lost in thought and not heard her.
"Yeah, Jord?" he asked, putting the milk, juice and butter back into the refrigerator.
"My bus will be here in a minute and I can't find my shoes," she told him impatiently.
"Well, let's see where you left them. If I had to guess, I'd say they're right here in the back hall where you left them when Aunt Kathy brought you home last night," he said, re-emerging from the hall with her shoes in his hand.
She rolled her eyes at his sarcasm and sat down to put them on. He tugged on her pigtail on his way by to get Jason from his chair and finish getting him ready.
Jordan must have sensed his mood, because as he was picking Jason up, he suddenly felt her arms wrap around his legs as she hugged him.
"Hey, what's that for?" he asked, reaching down with one hand to return the hug.
"That's a just because hug," she told him.
"Just because what?" he asked.
"Just because you look sad today," she said, releasing her grip and gathering up her book bag and lunchbox. "Don't worry, Daddy. It'll be okay," she said, sounding much older than her years.
"I know it will, Jord. But, thanks," he said, following her out the door and down the driveway just in time to catch the bus.
TBC...
