Chapter 11

The next month and a half passed by quickly. Chris was working steady at the hospital but did not forget what he needed to do for the wedding. He went in to the tux shop and was fitted for a tux and made the other decisions that needed to be made with Jessie. They chose the cake, the Deejay, the Master of Ceremonies for the reception and he left the rest to Jessie. As long as he remembered to show up, he would finish his end of everything.

Jessie and her mother went to see the wedding planner her mother had brought in to help with decorating. Jessie was beginning to get frustrated again, things were getting so lavish, and she wanted a simple wedding with friends and family, simple decorations that were still tasteful and beautiful. She was beginning to think that eloping might be a good idea. She went to her father's study and locked the door. She had to get her final report on the holocaust finished before Monday. She only had a few more pages to write. She was surprised when her father came into the room.

"Hello dear, hiding from your mother are you?"

"Dad, how did you get in? I locked the door."

"I have my secrets. Finishing up your report?"

"Yeah, I've only got a few pages left to do. Do you want to read it when I'm done?"

"I'd love to. So what do sociology and anthropology have to do with nursing?"

"Absolutely nothing, but these are classes I didn't get a chance to take when I was taking general studies. I just needed a break dad before practicums started."

"I hear you. I'll let you get back to work, don't forget to eat something."

"I promise. I love you dad."

"I love you too sweetheart."

Mr. Burlingame left the study the same way he came in, but we'll never know how, he's not telling. Jessie continued to work on her paper and 3 hours later she was done. She had done the final spell check and proofread it and was printing off her final copy. Tomorrow she would take it to Kinko's to put it together professionally so it was presented well. She unlocked the study and as she came around the corner to go to the kitchen, she saw her big brother Mike standing in the entrance. She ran up to him with her arms wide open.

"Mike, you're here."

"Of course I'm here, you are getting married in two weeks. There's no way I am going to miss that," he said as he hugged her tightly.

Mike was 4 years older than Jessie. He had always taken care of her when they were growing up. At a time when the boys usually left the girls to their own devices of protecting themselves, he had always remained at her side. He let her do the talking but was there to back her up if she needed it.

"Chris will be so happy to see you again. Oh my, you need to get fitted for a tux if you're going to be in the wedding. Thank goodness I'm done my project, now I can stress out about the wedding."

"Little sis, don't worry. I've already got my tux, mom's taken it upstairs. She said something about taking the equipment out of my room first, grumbled about not having any warning."

"She did the same to me, I just hope that they are kidding. My room was the same, I'm sure yours is too. I was going to get something for dinner, you want to join me?"

"I could eat."

They walked arm in arm to the kitchen and proceeded to raid the fridge. While they ate Mike had some questions for Jessie.

"So any news on when I will be an Uncle?"

"Not for a while. I'd like to finish my last year and get settled in somewhere before then."

"Do you two plan to stay in here in DC or are you going to move away?"

"At the moment we have no plans to move, but I guess that could change. Why?"

"I just want to know what your plans are, if you have any that is."

"We don't plan much in our lives, we just fly by the seat of our pants. But don't worry, we always think things through on the big stuff before take off," she laughed.

"Well I'm glad that you 'think things through' first."

Mike took a bite of his sandwich before continuing.

"So mom and dad must be glad that you're back. Even if it is only temporary."

"I think so, though I think dad would like his study back. I've been in there for the last month and a half working on my sociology project."

"Sociology? Did you change majors?"

"No I'm still taking nursing, just taking a semester off."

"What area of nursing would you prefer to work in?"

"I think paediatrics, I loved spending time with the kids during my time at the cancer ward, and at the maternity ward. The kids in the cancer ward were still so full of life and happy, even though they were so sick. I wish adults could be the same way."

"Maybe that's why most kids are able to beat cancer when it hits them, they have a better outlook on things."

"I think you're right."

"Do you think that I could meet someone at your wedding? They say that a wedding is the best place to meet single women."

"Some how I don't think you have a problem meeting women. I'm not the only one who is, what was that word mom used once; promiscuous."

"Hey watch what you say to your big brother, don't forget that I have some very revealing slides of a naked baby named Jessie all ready to embarrass you with if you provoke me."

"Do and I have some pictures of a baby named Mike that are even more embarrassing. You wouldn't want them to end up say on the bulletin board at the office would you?"

"You wouldn't, would you?"

"Why not, if so provoked…"

"Alright, here," he said tossing an envelope from his briefcase at her.

She opened it up to see the aforementioned slides. Likewise she took an envelope out of her binder and tossed it at him. He looked inside and cleared his throat.

"The negatives are upstairs in the attic still, if you want to check," she said smiling.

Once they were done their supper they joined their parents in the living room.