Chapter One-Hundred and Seventy-Eight

Claire pulled the black wig off of her head, fluffing her hair up as she began to slip out of her dress. She wiped the makeup off of her face, jumping as John's calloused hands tenderly caressed her waistline. "Hey, Sugar." She breathed, feeling his soft lips brush over her neck.

"My Sweets." He whispered, his voice not quite matching any of his tones. "I love you…"

Claire bolted from her dream, looking around John's empty room as she searched for him. "John?" She spoke so softly that she could hardly hear her own voice. "Fuck." She bowed her head in her hands, trying to force her tears away as she thought of how far John was from her. "I miss you so much…"

John threw his covers off of his legs, walking over to his window to look out at the moon. "Mi corazón…" He breathed, lifting the t-shirt he'd stolen from Claire's room to his nose. "Soon, you will beat in my chest again… you will cause my blood to both boil and rush, you will give me life, and show me the love I've never felt." He closed his eyes, touching the key at his throat. "But until that day, I shall make due."

Holly opened John's door, smiling as she saw him asleep with his notebook under his hand and Chance curled up in the bend of his knees. "John?" She whispered, brushing her fingers through his still damp hair from the shower he'd taken when he'd gotten back to the center. "You okay in here?"

He groaned, burying his face into his pillow as he refused to wake up. "Too much sugar…"

She chuckled, picking up his notebook, before she closed it and placed it on the bedside table. "Not feeling to hot today, huh?"

He shook his head, sitting up as she handed him one of his medications and a glass of water. "Spent half the night throwing up."

She patted Chance on the head as John slowly gathered his wits, knowing that he had to wake up slowly. "Well, I think you'll like what Thomas left for you this morning. He couldn't stay though, he had a case to take care of."

John nodded, pulling on an old t-shirt as he crawled out of bed. "God, it isn't more candy is it?"

"No. I think it's better."

John froze in the doorway to the rec hall, looking at the small family at one of the tables. "Frank? Julia?" He stepped toward the young parents, placing his hand on his goddaughter's head. "Hey there, Cupcake…" He breathed, gently kissing her little nose.

Frank chuckled, taking his daughter from his wife to let John hold her. "She's missed Uncle John." He smiled, watching how John cradled her in his arms.

He breathed a laugh, rubbing his thumb over her hair as she looked up at him with eyes like the sea. "I've missed her too." He smiled, bringing his face closer to the baby girl as she reached for his nose. "How's my little Cupcake, huh?"

Julia kissed her child's head, touching John's hands as he sang a low tune to her. "She only sleeps when we play your tape."

"And she started Crawling yesterday." Frank scratched Chance's ear letting the Pit Bull lick his hand. "Looks like that frog that Amelia has in her fish tank."

John didn't hear them, he was to focused on the child he'd helped bring into the world as she giggled at him and gave a toothless baby grin. "You are my sunshine, my only sunshine, you make me happy when skies are gray, you'll never know dear, how much I love you, so please don't take my Cupcake away." He took a bottle from Julia, letting her show him exactly how to feed the baby in his arms. "I needed this." He sighed, chuckling as Amelia took the bottle in her mouth.

Frank nodded, placing his hand on John's shoulder as he fed the baby. "So did we. It's not the same without you hanging around to babysit if we need you."

He chuckled, looking up at the parents. "I'll be better." He stated, closing his eyes as Julia combed her fingers through his hair. "For her."