"You better have a very good explanation for me," Becky stood with her arms crossed in the doorway, staring Jenna down from across the room. Jenna felt trapped, the pump still attached to her breast, a sleeping Jim caught in the crossfire with a slumbering Lulu snugged against his side. Becky's rage radiated in waves, filling the room, palpable.

"Becky," Jenna placated, quickly removing the pump and righting her shirt. She glanced at Jim, but he was still snoring. Dawn hovered behind Becky in the doorway, peering at Jenna with her wide doe eyes, equally frightened.

"Jenna," Becky said testily.

They stood there in silence for a minute. Then, suddenly, Becky rushed across the room. For a moment Jenna feared she would be body slammed into the glass windows behind her. Instead, Becky yanked her to her feet and wrapped her arms around Jenna tightly, practically smothering her in a suffocating hug. Jenna flailed for a moment against Becky's massive chest until she relented, loosening her grip slightly so Jenna could breathe again.

"I could kill you right now," Becky whispered, keeping her arms wrapped around Jenna. Jenna had to smile, even being crushed as she was. She didn't respond, basking in the warmth of just being held by somebody who cared. Finally, Becky let go and backed away, gruffly smoothing down the front of her diner uniform. "Don't you ever even think of doing that to me again!" She scolded.

Jenna couldn't help but look abashed. Two months and she had seen Becky twice; both in the weeks immediately following Lulu's birth as they all frantically removed her belongings from the house she had shared with Earl. It had easily been six weeks since the last time she'd seen her. A hard six weeks, too.

"If there weren't a dying man in the bed I would be giving you a piece of my mind right about now," Becky continued.

"He's not dying! And this is the first time I've been out of the house for more than an hour or two at a stretch," Jenna whispered, glancing at Jim again.

"That's half the problem!" Becky shot back.

"I know, I know," Jenna placated. "Now could you keep your voice down? He needs to rest."

"Don't you go all mothering on him too now, girl," Becky glared accusingly at Jenna and she shrank under the gaze. "You left him in the first place so you could be there for Lulu, don't let no idiot ex of yours start re-routing that plan."

"I'm not! And he's not an idiot," Jenna defended.

"I ain't talking about this one, girl," Becky said knowingly.

"She knew?" Dawn accused. "How did everybody know about this but me?"

"It was my business Dawn!" Jenna said sharply. She paused for a moment, realizing how harsh she sounded. "Everybody has their secrets, right, Becky?" She watched Becky's cheeks redden, a look of indignation crossing her features. Dawn caught it, but apparently was less willing to risk Becky's wrath than Jenna's, and let it drop with a "harrumph!".

"How long are you planning on playing nurse-maid?" Becky asked briskly, changing the topic.

"He has nobody else. I'm just here until he's back on his feet."

"Don't you go forgetting that now," Becky scolded.

"You'll be wanting your pie, Jenna. You need to eat," Dawn quickly proffered the foil-wrapped package of pie, attempting to diffuse the tension and Jenna took it obligingly, opening it and tucking in with a fork. While she ate, Becky regaled her with stories from the diner, updating her on the customers they all loved and hated the most, sharing some Cal stories that had Jenna's sides splitting, trying to hold her laughter in so as not to wake Jim.

After a good hour, a nurse poked her head in the door.

"I know he was just admitted today, but we have to keep some sort of order, and visiting hours are long since over. I'm gonna have to ask you ladies to skidaddle until tomorrow."

"It's ok for me to stay, right?" Jenna asked. The nurse earlier had said she could, but she just wanted to be sure.

"Just fine sweetheart. It can't be a party though," The nurse glanced at Dawn and Becky.

"Yeah yeah, we're leaving," Becky replied caustically. The nurse took that as her cue to leave, and her head quickly disappeared from the door frame.

"I'll take Lulu home now, if that's ok with you," Dawn asked tentatively, remembering earlier. "She'll probably do better in her crib, though she does seem happy now. I'll bring her back in the morning if you'd like, before I go to work."

"That sounds great," Jenna replied, gently lifting Lulu from Jim's side and putting her in Dawn's arms. Jim shifted once she was gone, adjusting as though searching for her in his sleep. "Could you bring her carrier tomorrow? If she'll be here a while I want her comfy. And the full diaper bag? And the pump, too, if that's not too much to ask."

"Don't worry hun, I'll bring it all." Dawn soothed. This was the first night Jenna would ever spend away from Lulu.

They left then, Becky with much fuss over when she could ever hope to see Jenna again, Dawn with many placations about remembering specific lotions and onesies and diapers. They left behind them a strange silence, punctuated by muted beeps from Jims monitoring equipment and echoing noises from down the halls.

"Sorry the party had to end," Jim whispered from his bed. Jenna jumped at his voice and landed with her hand on her heart.

"Jesus Jim, could you stop doing that?"

"Sorry. I feel as though the whole hospital bed thing makes it a bit weird for me to enter conversations halfway through."

"That doesn't mean you have to frighten me like that!"

"Sorry," he replied.

"How are you feeling?" Jenna asked.

"Better. Less like a truck hit me, more like a man. Which is fitting, I guess."

"You're not gonna let me apologize for him, are you?" It was a statement, not a question. Jim smiled mutedly, his mouth a strained line.

"I wish you could see through my eyes," he said.

"What?"

"You could see how silly you sound when you say that."

Jenna harrumphed, crossing her arms indignantly. "Are you at least going to press charges?"

"Against Earl? God no."

"Why not? He assaulted you!"

"He's just dealing. In his own way. Which perhaps isn't the best, but still."

"He ruptured your spleen, Jim."

"Do you want me to press charges?"

"Of course!" Jenna retorted.

"Really? You want to go to court and have this drawn out for months, all in the name of making him pay money we both know he doesn't have? Because that's what will happen. He can't afford it, and I don't want to be the reason he's in jail, and I don't want to be stuck here while we wait to find out which unfortunate future the miserable man has ahead of him. It would take months. And I don't plan on sticking around."

"You don't?" Jenna asked. The words punched her in the stomach, knocking the wind out of her.

Had she really expected him to stay? After all, the only reason he was in this place originally was to support his wife during her residency. That was no longer an issue.

"What is there for me here? A tiny OB practice and my ex wife and the woman I loved. Nothing."

Jenna didn't reply, letting his words swirl in her mind. The woman he loved? He had said it, before things had ended. Told her he loved her. The feeling the words had sent through her curled her toes and made her cheeks hurt resisting the urge to smile. It shouldn't surprise her that he had meant them; that he still acknowledged them. He was a man of his word, after all. And she shouldn't be surprised he would want to leave. She always had too. But somehow it still hurt. A lot.

"You should go now," Jim broke the silence. Jenna was startled from her thoughts. Jim sat there, looking at her with a mournful expression. That was his reality. He had loved her. Had. Not anymore. And she didn't love him. Had she ever? He was an oasis, a temporary respite from the hell that Earl had made her life. Being with him had been nice, but it had come with an accompaniment of shame and fear and wickedness. Everything Joe warned her about was true. She didn't want to be the person she was when she was with Jim. Seeing him only reminded her of that time, of the feelings and happiness and humiliation. They both needed to get out of here. She shouldn't be surprised. She shouldn't be hurt. She just shouldn't.

She stood and walked to his bed, carefully lifting him forward and beginning to fluff his pillows.

"Is this comfortable?" She asked, leaning him back against them in a semi-upright position.

"I'm fine. I'll be fine. If you go, I mean. I'll be fine. There's good nurses here."

Jenna still didn't reply, merely picking up the pile of blankets at the foot of his bed and draping one over his body, tucking it in around him, being extra gentle with his sore ribs. He watched as she unfolded another and laid it out on the couch by the window, setting a pillow at one end—her bed for the night. He didn't protest again as she laid down and curled up on her side, facing away from him.

She didn't wish him goodnight, didn't say a word, just felt everything she had been avoiding; missing her baby, wanting desperately to start the life she had promised herself, somehow still feeling tied to this Podunk town and handsome doctor and all the awful feelings that accompanied him.