"There she is, wait something is different" Clay said noticing Jess walk down the stairs to join her brothers in the kitchen, she was still asleep when they had arrived, she'd been woken by the noise they made chatting with Luca
"Yep" Jess said, her voice not quite as raspy as it had been that morning when Luca and Zalie had picked her up from the hospital
"Your voice, wait the tube in your throat, it's gone" Brock said noticing the lack of plastic tubing and the white dressing that was in it's place
"Jason why didn't you tell us it had been removed" Eric said assuming he had had prior knowledge as he saw Jess yesterday morning and spoken to Luca last night
"I didn't know" Jason said looking straight at Jess annoyed he hadn't been informed
"It's true he didn't know anything about it, the decision was only made late yesterday afternoon that it could come out, Luca didn't even know until he picked me up" Jess said explaining that it was a last minute decision to get it removed and if Luca didn't even know till this morning, there was no way Jason could have had any prior knowledge
"So your voice" Ray asked
"The trache was helping fill the gap where they removed part of my larynx, now it's not there my larynx has to adapt to the loss, how well it does, we don't know yet" Jess said explaining the reason her voice sounded like it did as she walked to the freezer and pulled out some chicken pasta Alie had frozen down in there and placed it in the microwave to heat
"But it already sounds better than what it did this morning, didn't think you'd be hungry yet cuddle bug, you ate only 2 hours ago" Luca said walking over to where the microwave was and pulled out a holder for the bowl and a fork and handed it over to Jess so it was ready for once the microwave finished
"Didn't realise you were watching everything I eat that closely" Jess said accepting the offer and smiling at Luca with a cheeky grin, some girls might take a comment about how often they're eating in a negative light from their significant other, but not Jess, Luca was happy to see her eating again so soon after eating something else grazing was how her body was going to survive, and Jess was grazing on oral intake a lot more regularly now
"It means she's getting better, you're definitely no where near as skinny as you were when we got home" Trent said proudly
"Thanks" Jess said sarcastically, she wasn't happy with her weight being so low still, she was keen to get some more weight back on her body seeing as now the tube was out she could start swimming and really get some condition back, and those muscles needed fuel and building blocks to develop, what better way than carbohydrates and protein
"It was a compliment, I mean it, you're looking a lot better than what you did when we first got home" Trent said worried Jess might be a little upset about his comment about her weight
"No longer a white bag of bones hey Sonny" Jess said with a laugh looking at Sonny, reminding him what he'd said that first night they'd come back from Syria
"Got that right Bookworm" Sonny said laughing with her, he'd struggled nearly as much as Zalie had with the changes to her appearance caused by the surgery and treatment she'd had, he hadn't realised how sick she had been until he saw her in the bathroom draining urine from a hole in her stomach and emptying her bowels into a bag attached to her stomach and missing about 60 pounds of muscle mass, sure she was still missing about 17 pounds, but her skin was starting to get it's olive complexion back slowly and she wasn't falling asleep like she used to, she could stay awake and focus on an activity for longer, she was becoming the Jess he recognised more
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"Jessica, good to see you, did you get the flowers and card Lucy and I sent" Rupert Draper said standing up to greet Jess with a friendly hug as she walked into his office with her dad
"Sure did, they were beautiful" Jess said acknowledging the receival of the gift
"Jay, always a pleasure" Rupert said turning to greet his old friend with a handshake
"Rupert, how did you go with that issue I called you about" Jay asked curiously as Rupert guided them towards his desk so they could all sit and talk
"She took a deal as she had some outstanding warrants, she will be serving jail time and has lost custody for the next 5 years, by time she regains it, the kid will be able to say if she wants contact with her mother" Rupert said with a smile, he was referring to the outcome of the situation where the lady had confronted Laura at the invitational and called her a horse thief as her gelding Bailey who was no more than 4 years old at the time was actually supposedly that woman's 7 year old mare who had been stolen from them 5 years ago
"Damn, and I was really looking forward to the show in court" Jess said laughing as she remembered the absolute absurdity off the incident, it was certainly one of her more memorable moments with an entitled parent, and unfortunately she'd seen more than one in her life
"Wouldn't have been much of a show Jessica, she couldn't find a attorney willing to take on her case pro bono and she refused to pay legal fees, ended up with a court appointed DA" Rupert said to her, it would have taken him all of 30 minutes to wrap up the case against a DA in a court hearing, it wasn't there fault, they simply had to big of a case load usually to prepare properly for cases like this that were so absurd and it wasn't as if the DA's got paid more the longer the case was active like they did in private practice like Rupert would, the DA was more than happy to make a deal on behalf of the client to settle the matter quickly
"Sounds about right for someone like her, bet she was pulling the single mother card as her reason not to pay for a lawyer" Jess said grinning
"No doubt, your dad told me you're trying on your wedding dress today" Rupert said agreeing with Jess on her comments about the woman not paying a lawyer as she was a single mother, he'd taken on some pro-bono work for single parents in the past, but he would only take them if he was confident of a ruling in his clients favour, this mother had zero chance of getting a court to rule in her favour as the horse was wrong age, gender and markings, and that's exactly why no one was willing to touch it
"And I'm meeting Emma for lunch, we might have a quick look around as well if we've got time dad" Jess said looking at her father, she knew his meetings with Rupert were anywhere from 2 hours to 10 depending on what was happening, Jess didn't like sitting through the longer meetings unless she was specifically needed for something
"The plane won't take of without you baby girl, but don't push it either, if you get tired or have any nausea call me" Jay said reassuring her she would have plenty of time to catch up with Emma, Luca had given Jay a long list of instructions before they'd left for the airport that morning as he was staying behind in Virginia Beach
"Take my car and driver, that way you're not waiting for a cab, he can bring you straight back here to rest if you get tired or if there's an emergency" Rupert said making the offer to Jess, he saw her as an extended member of his family anyway
"Are you sure Rupert" Jess asked surprised at the offer
"Positive, he'll be doing nothing this afternoon anyway, your dad and I will easily be 4 or 5 hours, from what I understand you need to be careful not to get any infection anyway, who knows what you could pick up in a cab or ride share, my car is my personal use only so it's a cleaner environment, you'll be a lot safer that way" Rupert said explaining the reason, his wife Lucy had been through chemotherapy in the past, while it was a long time ago now and drugs had changed, he knew that it affected the immune system so patients had to be careful about picking up infections as they couldn't fight them properly, and Jess had no spleen to help her if she picked one up anyway
"Rupert is right baby girl, I know you're not comfortable travelling with a chauffeur when you're with friends, but you've got to be so careful about picking up an infection at the moment, take his car and driver and go and have some fun with Emma after you've finished here" Jay said acknowledging his daughters concerns, Jess was always extremely worried about how some people saw her when they found out she came from money, it was like there was a certain expectation placed on her, or they regularly expected to benefit from the perks of hanging around her, but at the moment there was a more practical side to the situation that needed to be considered, and he knew that Emma would not treat this as an excuse to just get free perks each time they caught up from now on, Jess didn't say anything, she just knocked in agreement to take the car Rupert had offered her the use of
"Okay, now that's settled, I've drawn up the documents you requested Jessica, all they need is for you to review them and have the relevant parties sign. There was the 6 college funds for your friends children" Rupert said beginning the meeting, Jess's needs would take up very little time so it was easier to do them first
"6" Jay asked confused looking at Jess, he knew she was setting up funds for Emma, Mikey, Meelah and RJ, but he didn't know about the last two and who they were for
"Critt, George is in the family way times two" Jess said to her dad mentioning her other brother Critter back in Australia
"Bet he's freaking out, along with getting his chiefdom, it's a lot of responsibility" Jay said surprised, Critter was more like Sonny with his behaviour, not probably the first choice on who would get promoted to Chief first he would have thought a few years ago, Dede would have been his first choice but obviously he was now a midshipman studying at ADFA and the enquiry had seen a lot of the senior boys receive formal reprimands or been removed from the clearance diver unit because of their actions, and because Critter had stood up and helped Jess he was unfortunately now the senior guy in charge under Rick Duncan, and that role unfortunately carried the rank of Chief Petty Officer
"Putting it lightly" Jess said, Critter had called her as soon as he had word of the promotion, she had assured him that no one knows the job straight up and that he wouldn't have been recommended for the position if there had been someone else more qualified and if Rick hadn't trusted him
"Well if anyone can settle him down its Georgia" Jay said with a smile, he'd met the girl a couple of times, she had a very strong and dominant personality, would call the situation exactly as she saw it and wouldn't take any BS from anyone, all Jess could think was Georgia's way of settling Critter down would be keeping him on an extremely tight leash and potentially castrating him if his eyes strayed even once, she grew up on a farm and used to compete rodeo against Laura which was how they met so she knew how to handle a misbehaving bronc, she could handle Critter quite easily
"Your new will, I've updated the details naming Luca as your next of kin, the part about Zalie's inheritance, future guardianship in case of both yours and Luca's passing before she is of legal age, and distribution of your assets, all you need to do is review and sign them" Rupert said continuing the meeting as he put the documents into a manilla envelope for Jess to take with her to review and sign
"And what about the last document" Jess asked curiously referring to the advanced care plan
"I've had it reviewed by 5 independent doctors and 3 other lawyers, they all came to the same conclusion when they read it as to what your wishes are if the worst was to happen, you haven't yet appointed a person to take on the role of ensuring your wishes are followed, now might I suggest someone from your own command, preferably an officer as they are less likely to get injured with not being in the field as often as assaulters" Rupert said pulling out the document to take Jess through it
"Typical cake eaters, leaving us to do the dirty work" Jay said laughing
"Having someone in the military will make it easier to contact, and if they are in the same command then they are eligible to receive more information on your condition straight up without waiting around to get clearances and can support Luca easier" Rupert said explaining the reason for selecting someone outside of Luca at the moment, he wasn't always able to know where Jess was and what she was doing where as an officer within her command would easily be privy to that information if she was catastrophically hurt overseas and would have more authority to interact with doctors and intercede if they were doing something she didn't want
"You said Eric already knew you were getting this document drawn up, Jess is worried that her brothers would think she's throwing in the towel with this document" Jay said seeing Eric as the logical choice to have that power of authority
"That's not true Jessica, you are still leaving yourself with a lot of options with what you're willing to submit to with regards to treatment while balancing your quality of life, a lot more than most people would consider with what you've been through, this is simply your way of taking back the control with what happens next" Rupert said to Jess
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"When you said you had a surprise for me, you weren't kidding aunty Jess, can't believe I get to ride around in a limousine for a few hours, where did you score this from" Emma said excitedly as she hopped in the car the moment it pulled up, Jess had finished her part of the meeting with Rupert and was eager to leave
"Rupert, our family's lawyer loaned me the use for this afternoon, he's stuck in the office with dad" Jess said her behaviour a lot more relaxed than Emma's, this was not a new exciting experience for her like it was for Emma
"Didn't dad say he's got a private jet as well, that that you flew up in it" Emma asked recognising the name
"Yeah, he does and we did" Jess said unable to reach Emma's level of excitement over the whole thing
"That is so cool to get to travel like that, sorry, guess I forget that you get sick of talking about this type of stuff, it's just so" Emma said seeing the unexcited look on Jess's face and remembering what her dad had said about how Jess was not comfortable being around people when it came to displays of wealth, she never wanted to make people feel like she was rubbing it in she had the extra money and they didn't, yes she brought nice things for herself, but she never mentioned what the item cost her to other people, or that she even had a new item, she just kept quiet and went on with what she was doing
"Exciting" Jess said looking at Emma
"Yeah, like mum always wanted to go to Italy, but dads job" Emma started to say before pausing
"It makes it hard, trust me I know, I spent a lot of holidays with mine gone as well" Jess said, that was one thing no amount of money could change between her and Emma, they'd both grown up with their dads being away all the time because of their military commitments, it hadn't mattered that Jess had been able to go on these overseas trips with Alie, she would have gladly stayed put if it meant she could have spent the time with her dad instead, but that was not how their world worked unfortunately
"I used to keep track of all the things he missed, all the Christmases, birthdays, where he'd be home for Mikey's but not mine" Emma confessed to her, even though she called her aunty Jess out of respect, she saw Jess more as an older sister that had been through a lot of what she had and could relate to her easier than say Naima who she'd known for longer
"I gave up keeping track, it became to painful focusing on what I was missing out on" Jess said to her
"Where would you ladies like to go first" the driver asked interrupting the conversation
"Did you want to do your dress first aunty Jess" Emma asked looking at her
"You can't tell anyone that you're getting to see it, understood" Jess said firmly, she hadn't wanted anyone to see her in the dress before she walked down the aisle, but the way the day had worked out meant that Emma was going to be there regardless, so Jess had sworn her to secrecy over the whole affair
"I won't tell a single sole" Emma said as she smiled
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"Wow, aunty Jess, I never knew you had any curves" Emma said as Jess walked into the room with the dress on, it fit firmly to her body without being skin tight and flared at the bottom which really helped showcase Jess's height, she possessed a very rectangle body shape, but the dress had given Jess just the slightest hint of curves, a stark contrast to her usual baggy clothes she wore
"She's been given a little help, now everything is smoothed out through the middle and over the thighs, no one will be able to tell you're wearing a collection bag for the day so you're not worrying about having to cath yourself in the dress, the bag will need to sit on the inside of your thigh for complete modesty obviously with this fit, but you'll be able to drain it quite easily, wanna see your veil, make this look complete" Hanna said explaining that Jess's curves were mostly an illusion to Emma, Jess barely fit into a A cup, and her hip measurement was just under 2 inches bigger than her waist
"Yes" Jess said amazed by the dress, Hanna left the room to fetch it
"Are you getting nervous about your wedding aunty Jess" Emma asked
"Nervous, no, why would I" Jess asked looking at Emma curious as to why she was asking the question
"Here we go" Hanna said smiling as she entered the room with the veil
"What if something goes wrong" Emma said
"Like what" Jess asked
"You get sick and can't fly, or the MEB issues their decision and medically retire you, that would ruin the mood to get that just before you leave, or Luca backs out, or" Emma said starting to sprout off all the concerns that she thought could cancel the wedding
"Emma, uncle Trent and Luca both have extensive medical training and are more than capable of handling me getting sick, or Zah, and we have strong broad spectrum antibiotics on standby in case of emergency, they will both be on the flight with Zah and I and we are keeping things small and avoiding being around crowds of people to minimise that risk, and I think if Luca was going to call it off he would have walked away by now with everything we've been through, not to mention he would have your dad, my dad and your uncles all tracking him down wanting to kill him if he was to leave me at the alter" Jess said calmly smiling at the last bit which Emma knew was true in her own heart, her dad would hunt Luca down and eliminate him if he broke Jess's heart by backing out now
"That's true, but what about the MEB issue" Emma asked curiously
"Let's just say that's been sorted already, or at least the part about my returning to duty, and not a word out of you about it yet, the only people who know the outcome of the MEB's decision are uncle Eric, Luca, my dad and Alie, Captain Lindell, Doctor Masterson and Doctor Leighton, and that's how it remains till I say so" Jess said looking at her
"So are you returning to duty" Emma asked hoping Jess would say yes, she realised a little while ago that the knowledge that Jess was out there with her dad had brought her some degree of comfort, that she kept them out of trouble, she wasn't ready to loose that comfort yet
"As soon as I officially get remission and pass the fitness tests, they're still working out the details of my management plan and what I'll need to do treatment wise, but I'll be back, you just need to keep it quiet till after the wedding okay" Jess said to her pulling her in for a cuddle as Emma had started crying, her emotions becoming to much to control knowing that Jess was going back to duty to help protect people like her dad despite everything she'd been through it wasn't going to stop her
