John was still holding Natalie almost a half hour later when the nurse again cleared her throat to get their attention. John and Natalie broke apart and john got up off the floor. He walked away for a few minutes as the nurse brought the baby back into the room.
John stood by the door as the nurse handed Nat the baby and then she went over to Jessica in the bed and checked her, she spoke to Natalie for a few minutes and John watched, he stood back and opened his eye's wide and he saw her, he saw Natalie the extraordinary person she was. He thought about what she had just told him, he thought about how he thought he knew her and knew her so well yet.. yet there were things, lots of things he didn't seem to know, things no one probably knew. His heart ached for her as she told him the story, the story of being pregnant and getting attached to a child growing inside her and then to only lose it. The loneliness she must have been feeling not to be able to trust anyone with the truth of her pregnancy. Not to feel like she had anyone to turn to, anyone to love her. His heart ached for her today, for having to relive it, for maybe giving it a form of closure, for mourning that baby now, mourning she never gave it then. He looked over at her and he ached not for the brave strong person she was today but for the brave, strong child she had been when she was forced to make adult decisions.
John continued to watch Natalie as the nurse left and she fed her niece. He shook his head not knowing how she did it, how she got out of bed everyday and how she brought such light, such light to such a dark life, her dark life. John continued to watch and knew, knew how she did it, she just did. She was strong and she didn't look back. Amazing he thought to himself as he walked into the room closer to her, she was just telling him about something that was so painful to her and now, now she was taking care of her sisters baby. With all that John knew about her it made him wonder, wonder why, why he someone without as many heartaches in life, someone who hadn't been put thru as much as she in her life, how he could never seem to let things go, let them go so easily, not the way she had. The death of his father and Caitlyn's murder seemed… seemed so insignificant in comparison to what she had overcome in her life, all of it, her awful upbringing with an emotionally and physically abusive mother, finding out she was stolen at birth, a sadistic first husband, a second husband who supposedly died twice and came back, a serial killer attempting to take her life twice, almost being burned at the stake, being taken again by yet another killer, being left in a pit all alone to die, and how could he forget, being taken by yet another mad man and held hostage in a prison. He had watched her endure almost all that and now to find out there was more, she had more that she had endured, the loss of a baby. He shook his head; it was a wonder how she brought so much light into life, so much light into his life.
John watched as she finished feeding the baby and then she got up and went over by Jessica's bed. She and the baby lay down in the bed next to Jessica, Natalie placed her niece on Jess' chest right over her heart and she held her there. She softly spoke a few words to Jess and the baby and she tried to get comfortable to get some sleep.
John could see how exhausted she was, she was having a hard time keeping her eye's open, he watched and she motioned for him to come closer, he did and he brought his ear near her mouth so she could tell him something, so she could whisper it to him without waking the baby.
"Thank you, I need some sleep, go home I'll see you tomorrow" Natalie said and she kissed his cheek softly. The softness of her kiss brought a shiver to his back. He turned his mouth slightly and met hers. He kissed her gently, a gentleness they had never experienced before, almost as if a declaration of new things to come. John went over to the other bed in the room and took the blanket off of it, he went over by Natalie who was almost completely asleep and he covered her with the blanket, leaving her arm out of it to hold the baby on jess' chest. He moved a few feet away to go over to the chair in the room and sleep in it when Antonio walked into the room. He motioned for John to come out in the hall with him and he did.
"How are you? How you holding up?" John asked him as they walked to get a cup of coffee from the coffee machine.
"Been better, I'd be better if she woke up" Antonio said as he reached down for his coffee.
" I'm really sorry Man, sorry about Jess and about the baby" John told Antonio as he too reached down for his coffee.
"Thanks, we'll get thru it, we can get thru anything, anything as long as Tess doesn't emerge again. Why are you here, and so late?" Antonio asked as they walked back by the room. They both looked into the room and saw the girls, all sleeping in one bed.
"Because I belong here, I belong here with her" John said as they both continued to look at the girls.
A few days had gone by and still Jessica hadn't woke yet, everyone was getting nervous that she wouldn't, it was taking it's toll on everyone especially Natalie. Natalie stayed by Jessica's side everyday and every night, she took care of the baby while in the room with Jess so she wouldn't miss any of it. She was determined to take care of that baby by herself with little help from any one.
Vicky and Clint had just left and Natalie was reading a book while sitting in the chair next to Jessica's bed as the baby slept in the bassinet. All of a sudden Natalie heard a noise come from Jessica, a soft noise, she got up and went over by her. she was waking, Jessica was waking up. Natalie pushed the call button for a nurse and she went over to get the baby.
"Jess, Jess, Thank God you woke up" Natalie said while she watched Jessica's eye's open completely. Jessica looked at Natalie. Natalie took Jessica's baby and started to put her in Jess' arms when Jessica stopped her.
"I don't want that thing!" Natalie heard Jessica say or was it Tess. Natalie pulled the baby back towards her as Tess pushed her away, she held back the tears and then she heard someone by the door, she looked thinking it was the nurse but was relived to see it was him. It was John, he had heard and seen Natalie try and give her sister the baby and then her reject it, he could see Natalie was upset. He walked a little bit closer to her and then a nurse along with a doctor came in to examine Tess. Natalie and John along with the baby went out into the hall to wait.
"She doesn't want her, It's not her, It's..it's Tess" Natalie said a little emotional and John brought her and the baby close to his chest and held them. Natalie pulled away from him after a few moments.
"What's going to happen? What's gonna happen to my niece if Tess won't let Jess come back out? I'm not sure it's safe for the baby to be around Tess, especially after she finds out it's not Nash's. What do we do then?" Natalie asked him looking into his eyes for answers
"Then you'll take care of her till your sister is back, till she is well, just like you promised her" john told her bringing his hand to her chin.
"But..but I'm not sure I can do this alone, I mean... all alone, without any help, what do I know about caring for a baby" Natalie said looking into his strong blue eye's.
"You've been doing just fine so far and you won't be alone, you have a lot of family to help you and...and.. you've got me" John told her reassuring her again that he would be there for her. He leaned in gently and gave her a gentle kiss on the lips as they heard someone approach. They looked to see Clint and Antonio standing there staring at them. Natalie explained to them that Jess was awake but that she was Tess. Antonio and Clint went into the room to try and see if they could bring Jess out but they couldn't. Tess was just getting madder and madder talking with them. They tried showing her the baby again a few more times but that didn't work, Tess seemed to be determined to stay in charge and not let Jess out. Finally after the whole family had attempted to bring Jess back a decision had to be made.
Natalie had told John she was fine and for him to go back to work, she assured him she would call him if she needed him. The family had decided to bring Tess home with them and to once again keep her locked up to try and integrate Jess and Tess. But then there was the question of the baby. If wasn't wise to have her in the same house with Tess.
"Jess asked me to take care of her, so that's what I'll do, I'll take her to my new place with me" Natalie told her family as they all stood in the waiting area.
"Your new place? Oh, the one you just got before all this happened" Vicky said and Natalie nodded yes.
"That's fine dear but it's a big responsibility taking care of a baby 24 hours a day, I know you've been doing it here in the hospital but it's different at home. There are no nurses. I think it would be best to hire a nanny and she can keep the baby in the carriage house," Vicky said and Natalie was already shaking her head No.
"No! Jessica asked me to take care of her and I will, if it would make you feel better I can move into the carriage house with the baby." Natalie told her trying to compromise but there was no way a stranger was going to be taking care of her niece, especially not after her sister had asked her to do it.
"Natalie darling but atlas let us get someone to help you with her, it's not fair for you to do this all on your own" Vicky said
"I won't be doing this all alone, I'll have you guys and.. and I'll have John" Natalie said softly as she looked at her mother.
"Natalie honey yo-" Vicky was about to say something else and John approached them cutting her words off.
"That's right, she'll have me," John said as he walked up behind Natalie and told her family of his commitment to help Nat with the baby.