*Here we have Jesse being the most adorable best-friend ever. And also the biggest shipper ever! Also, there's a little surprise at the end :)
Chapter 12 - He's Different
Leanne didn't know how long she'd sat there, holding Ethan's hand and crying her eyes out, but what she did know was that she was starving! She couldn't even remember the last time she had eaten, and the growls coming from her stomach were driving her crazy. She wanted to go get something to eat, but she was terrified to leave Ethan alone.
As if on cue, there was a knock on the door and she smiled to herself when she saw Jesse poke his head around the slightly open door. "Just me." His voice was soft and he offered her a soft smile as he spoke.
"Hi Mama." Leanne's voice was dry and her hands shook as she ran her fingers through her hair.
Jesse moved into the room and shut the door partially behind him. "I was coming to check on you." He moved to sit down next to her and rubbed her arm gently as he did. "We haven't heard much from you since yesterday."
"Yesterday?" Leanne shook her head back and forth and tried to stop the tears from falling. "How long have I been sitting here?"
"Almost 12 hours." The nurse's voice was gentle, and he offered the tired looking woman a sympathetic smile. "You were asleep for quite a while too."
Nodding her head up and down Leanne turned her eyes back towards Ethan's sleeping body, taking his hand in hers once more. "I'm scared to leave him." She whispered softly, squeezing his hand as she fought back another round of tears.
"I know." Jesse reached out and patted Leanne's hand with his own. "That's why they're here." He gestured toward the two heads poking around the slightly ajar door. "They're gonna sit with him while you and I go for a walk."
Shaking her head back and forth Leanne whispered a quiet "No." But when Jesse gently removed her hand from Ethan's and held it tightly in his own she knew that was what needed to happen. Turning to look at the two nervous residents standing in the doorway, Leanne offered them what little bit of a smile she could muster. "If he wakes up…"
"We'll call you." Angus' voice was soft and he returned Leanne's smile immediately.
"You…" She couldn't even get the words out before Mario spoke.
"We promise Leanne." Mario smiled as well, and they moved further into the room as Jesse helped the woman up from her chair.
"We've got him Leanne. We promise." Angus' whispered voice brought another round of tears to Leanne's eyes, and she wrapped her arms around the younger man, letting out a soft sob against his t-shirt when he hugged her back.
"We'll be back in a little while." Jesse offered the two men a soft smile, wrapping his arm around Leanne's now free shoulders, and escorting her out the door. After shutting it behind them he turned to her and asked her a question she had been pondering a lot lately. "You hungry?"
Leanne's face broke out in a smile and she nodded her head eagerly. "Hell yes."
Jesse chuckled and quietly escorted her down the hallway toward the elevator. They rode in silence to the first floor and then walked in silence to the diner down the street. Leanne was thankful for Jesse's silence almost as much as she was thankful for his friendship. Once they had taken a seat and ordered their usual meal, Jesse crossed his arms on the table in front of him and eyed his best-friend curiously.
"So what exactly happened between you two?" He asked quietly, eyeing her over the cup of coffee she was sipping from.
Well he sure didn't waste any time now did he? "We had a fight Jesse." Leanne whispered softly, bowing her head as she spoke.
"That's what couples do Leanne." Jesse echoed the words spoken to her not long ago by Will, and she felt her heart twist in her chest just like it did then.
"No Jesse." She choked back a sob and lifted her head up again, looking at him through tired, tear-filled eyes. "It was a horrible fight."
"How so?" Jesse leaned back in the booth, knowing that this was probably going to be a long conversation.
"I told him I hated him." She sobbed, and it broke Jesse's heart in two. "He was just hit by a fucking car and I told him I hated him." She wiped at her eyes and tried to calm herself, knowing that getting all worked up in a diner in the middle of the night was not a good idea. "I said horrible things to him Jesse." She slammed her hands on the table, causing the man to jump slightly. "I threw a fucking shoe at him!"
Letting out a soft chuckle the man leaned forward again, taking his best-friends hands in his, offering her a small smile. "He knows you don't hate him Leanne." He squeezed her hands gently as he spoke. "I'm sure tensions were just high. You two have been through a lot lately."
Leanne sighed and pulled her hands back, rubbing at her tired eyes. "I can't believe it." She shook her head back and forth and let out a soft sob. "I was so stupid."
Jesse let out a sigh that mirrored hers and he tilted his head to the side. "You're not stupid daddy. You're tired and scared and your emotions are all over the place. It's normal, remember?"
Nodding her head Leanne dropped her hands and eyed Jesse. "Yes Jesse, I remember."
Holding his hands up defensively Jesse sighed again. "Hey now! I'm just trying to be helpful here."
Leanne let out another sigh and she squeezed her eyes shut tight. "I know Jesse. I'm sorry." Opening her eyes she offered the man across from her, her best-friend, her rock for the past 17 years, a small smile. "You've been great through this whole thing. You all have. And I've been horrible."
"Oh please." Jesse let out another chuckle, reaching for the woman's hands again. "You're not horrible. I've seen horrible remember?"
Leanne let out a laugh. A real laugh. Probably the first one Jesse had heard from her in over a week. And she smiled at him as she spoke. "Yeah well, it's still early. There's still plenty of time for me to throw a vase at your head."
"Me?" Jesse let out a full belly laugh and playfully shook Leanne's arms. "I was at least quick enough to duck. Poor Mike got the worst of it. You punched him in the damn face."
Another laugh came from the other side of the table, and Jesse's heart softened at the look on his best-friend's face. He remembered the pain and anger that stemmed from Leanne after her accident. He understood her grief. He understood her sorrow. He also understood that she had to deal with it in her own way. He and Neal had done their best to calm her nerves however they could. But she had been a bundle of awkward, hate-filled energy. And at one point, they could no longer control her.
He remembered the night in question quite well. In fact, it was one he would probably never forget. They had all gone to her house and Rollie had made dinner. They had been having a decent enough time until the doorbell had rung. A package had been left on the porch. And it had been addressed Eli. Jesse could still hear to sob that wracked through Leanne's body and echoed through the whole house. They had all gone running to see if she was okay, only to find her tearing her living room apart. She had flung picture frames on the floor, thrown the pillows off the couch. She had then picked up a vase, and chucked it straight at his head. He was right, he had been quick enough to duck. But then Mike suggested that she calm down and she walked up and punched him square in the face. Neal had let out a laugh and if he had been a slower man, Leanne probably would've decked him too.
"Those weren't some of my proudest moments, thats for sure." Her voice was soft again, and the light that was in her eyes before had faded.
"And see," He squeezed her hands again before pulling them back and offering her a soft smile, "you made it out of that mess, just like you'll make it out of this mess."
Leanne sighed and squeezed her eyes shut, pulling her hands free from the older man's and leaning back against the booth. "I love him so much Jesse."
"I know you do." His voice was soft, and he prayed that he could offer the support she needed right now. Not just because she needed it. But because he needed it. He needed his best friend to be okay. He needed her to make it through this. To be happy again. Because if there was anyone on this planet that deserved a happily ever after, it was Leanne Marie Rorish.
Shaking her head back and forth, Leanne opened her eyes and looked at Jesse with a look he never thought he would see on her face again. A look that described every feeling he thought she had written off after John had died. A look that held all the intimacy, passion, and attachment she had once held for her husband. And he did a double take.
"Oh…" Was all the man could manage and he stared at Leanne like she had five heads for a good two minutes before either of them spoke again.
Leanne sighed and offered Jesse a thoughtful look. "I loved John, Jesse, I really did."
"I know." His voice was soft, and though there was so much that he wanted to say, he wanted her to just get this off of her chest. For his sake, and hers.
"And I loved the life we had together." She was tearing up again and Jesse just wanted to take all of her pain away.
"I know." Jesse repeated.
"But Ethan…" A small smile formed on her face and she shook her head back and forth, as if shaking an image from her head, "he's different."
Jesse chuckled. "That's an understatement." Jesse had liked John, he really had. In fact, he had been the one to introduce them all those years ago. He had been at their wedding. He had held both of their children after they were born. He had been there when Eli broke his arm and when Caitlin had croup. But that had all been because Leanne needed him. He had never gone out with John and had drinks. He had never been to their house for Christmas dinner or sat front row in one of their children's plays. No, he liked John, because Leanne liked John. But he wasn't crazy about him.
The man was as boring as they came. And the old Leanne, she was pretty boring herself. So the fact that they hit it off didn't surprise him. They had a short, low-key relationship before getting married. And then John took a job as an accountant (because come on, boring was his middle name) and Leanne had settled into Angels. And that had been that. They raised their kids quietly. And Jesse always suspected that Leanne had been bored shortly after Eli was born. Especially when she called him constantly looking for some company. Some sort of excuse to get out of the house. Yes. John was boring.
Ethan on the other hand. There wasn't anything boring about that man. He had like Ethan from the start. They were able to joke with each other, and he could always count on the Army doctor to have his back in a crisis. He also respected the man, because he respected Leanne. Even from the start. And the fact that he would do whatever possible to piss off Campbell. Well that was just the icing on the cake.
He knew that Leanne had fallen hard for him. And fast. And she had confessed to him on multiple occasions how badly she wanted him (in ways Jesse didn't need to know about). But he had been supportive. If that was what Leanne wanted, and that was what would make her happy, than he was fine with that. And then Leanne had told him about how they hooked up, about how it "wasn't serious" and he called her bullshit from the start. Once they had started dating, Leanne had changed. She was bubbly and she smiled constantly. The improvement in her moods had been amazing. Even after everything that happened, and Ariel and Heather had been laid to rest, she was still much better off, in his opinion, than she had been.
"I never thought I would want to settle down again…" Her voice trailed and Jesse snapped out his thoughts to look up at her, his eyes going wide when he realized the words that had just left her mouth.
"Settle down?" He asked curiously, crossing his arms over his chest as he let out a huff. "Like marry him?"
Leanne let out a chuckle and eyed the man suspiciously. "I'm just saying Jesse. If he asked…"
Jesse beamed from ear to ear, knowing that Ethan had been carrying around a damn ring for almost three weeks now, just waiting for the right moment to pop the question. "You wouldn't say 'no'." He finished her sentence for her and his smile grew when she beamed back at him, despite the tear filled eyes.
"I wouldn't say 'no'." She whispered softly.
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