Chapter 6

The next morning

January 20th, 1999

The Boathouse

Jean had never seen a man with a hangover look as chipper as Scott did that morning. She could tell he had a headache, and was a bit green, but he had a perpetual grin on his face nonetheless. It cheered her to see him so lighthearted since he woke up from his coma.

She hadn't slept all that well the night before, despite the fact it was the first night Scott actually slept in the same bed with her in almost two weeks. Nothing happened between them, of course. When the effects of the alcohol wore off on Scott, he became really nervous and bashful around her. She found it cute, but also hoped he'd get over it soon enough. She remembered walking in on him in the shower the night before.

Having Scott back home again gave Jean a false sense of normalcy. She had briefly forgotten that although she was completely comfortable around Scott, he was still wrapping his mind around the fact she was his wife. That oversight on her part led to the previous night's incident.

She had needed to grab her nightgown from the washroom while Scott had been showering. She waltzed right in not giving it a second thought like she always had. Scott had jumped back in the shower as if he'd been scalded by hot water. He had quickly grabbed the shower curtains and wrapped it around himself, almost slipping in the process. The memory of it was still so vivid, she could recall it like a video in her mind's eye.

"Jean! My God, give a guy some warning!" Scott yelled.

Jean hadn't known whether to laugh or cry… Since she had cried enough for the night, she opted for the former. "It's nothing I haven't seen before, honey."

"Still… This may be old hat to you… But, it's kinda new to me…" Scott said, looking very embarrassed. Jean had to take pity on him because he was right, he had no memories of their life together. Them walking in on each other in various states of undress wasn't old hat for him.

Jean sighed, "I'm sorry, Scott. Just a habit. I'll leave you to finish showering now. I promise, I'll knock first next time."

The irony didn't escape Jean. In their marriage, Scott was usually the one to throw sexual innuendos her way. He was the one who was comfortable strutting around the house with little to no clothing, provided the children weren't around, of course. Now it seemed she'd be taking the lead on a lot of things, at least for the time being.

Despite the sad reminder of the state of their still fragile marriage, it was good to see Scott sporting his charming smile again. In fact, he hadn't stopped smiling since he got back home.

He had told her just before falling asleep the night before, "Jean, I'm almost afraid to close my eyes… I'm afraid when I wake up tomorrow morning, this will all have been a dream… Just a bit of wishful thinking my drunk mind conjured up."

Jean tenderly caressed Scott's cheek and told him, "I promise you, it's not a dream. When you wake up in the morning, you'll probably have the worst headache in the world, but I promise you, I'll still be here."

Scott had tentatively kissed her goodnight. It was a far cry from the man who had started making out with her so passionately in his old bedroom back in the mansion just a couple of hours before. She attributed his boldness from the last bit of alcohol left in his system. She smiled at his awkwardness, a part of her even found it adorable. But she did miss her take-charge husband. All in good time, she reminded herself.

Her thoughts came back to the present and she watched Scott as he flipped through the newspaper in front of her. His forehead was all scrunched up which told her he'd found an article very interesting. It was cute.

The first thing he had done upon waking up that morning was to call the woman he'd been with the night before and cancel their date. She was glad he didn't need any persuasion or reminder to do so. The woman's name was Alison, or so she'd overheard from the room next door… Not that she'd been eavesdropping… Alright, she'd been eavesdropping… But whatever.

Could you blame a woman for being anxious when her husband almost had sex with another woman the night before? Never mind he had no idea he was a husband to anyone… Just the thought of Scott in the arms of another woman was enough to make Jean nauseated. When Scott had told her that he'd come back from some woman's place, Jean's heart just stopped. She'd never felt fear like that before that didn't involve anyone's life being in danger. If it had turned out that Scott had gone through with it, Jean didn't know what she'd have done.

She reminded herself that she had to get over it. It really had been as much her fault as Scott's. Actually, more so hers, since she was the one who had allowed him to think he was single. Anyway, she had listened to his part of the conversation with Alison and was glad she didn't hear any trace of regret in his voice. The insecure part of her wondered for a moment if a part of Scott might have preferred the freedom of a single man. But his happiness couldn't be faked. She knew he was still upset that there was so much he couldn't remember, but it was now tempered by the knowledge that a life he thought was no longer within reach, was his all along.

Another reason that Jean had a hard time sleeping the night before was because she had worried so much about the repercussions of her telling Scott so much. It had felt right telling him. Seeing the happiness radiating off him went a long way towards making Jean feel like her decision was justified.

But at the same time, she wasn't an expert on the field of retrograde amnesia. Had she hindered his progress? A part of her felt guilty… But at the same time, Scott was a grown man with needs. If the alternative was Scott thinking he had a smorgasbord of women to choose from, then Jean had no qualms about choosing the lesser evil.

Jean's musings were suddenly interrupted by Scott's voice. "Wow, Jean! Is that a Doctor of Medicine degree on the wall?!" Jean was so deep in thought she hadn't noticed Scott get up from their kitchen table. He had obviously wandered into the living room and saw her framed credentials.

Jean walked over to where Scott was. "Yes. I earned that two years ago."

"Gosh… Talk about marrying out of my league," Scott said, jokingly. But Jean sensed the insecurity behind his words.

"Don't say that, Scott. I couldn't have done it without you. You were so supportive," Jean said, kissing her husband on the cheek. "You were the one who watched Rachel while I did my practicum and took my exams. You were the one who always had dinner ready and the house all cleaned up while I was busy studying. And never once did you complain. This degree is as much yours as it is mine."

Scott gave Jean that lopsided grin she loved so much. "Well… since you put it that way…"

Jean just laughed. Scott kept looking around their living room some more. Jean just stood back while he perused their home. Scott picked up his and Jean's wedding photo on their mantle.

"Wow… You looked so gorgeous. I can only imagine how happy I felt that day. It hurts that I can't remember any of it," Scott said, sadly returning the picture frame where he got it.

"Oh, Scott… It's only temporary. You're going to get your memories back!" Jean said, making sure to put extra conviction in her voice… Conviction she wasn't entirely sure she had.

"You can't know that for sure, Jean," Scott said, a hint of despair in his voice.

"I have faith, Scott. And even if you don't ever remember, that still doesn't change the man you are. I promise you, we'll get through this… No matter what," Jean said, embracing her husband.

"Thanks, Jean," Scott said, returning her embrace and tenderly placing a kiss on her forehead. After a few moments of holding each other, Scott continued to look around their house. He saw a stack of photo albums under the coffee table in their living room.

He picked up the album at the top. He opened the cover and the first photo he saw was a photo of him and Jean and a woman who looked just like Jean. They were sitting together on one of the living room couches in the mansion. "This isn't your sister Sara. Did you have another sister you didn't mention to me, Jean?"

Jean smiled wistfully at the photo in Scott's hand. Should she tell him about Rachel… Future Rachel? If Scott never again regained his memories, Jean felt that forgetting the year they had spent with their grown daughter would be the most tragic part of it.

"The story's a doozy, Scott… Are you sure you're ready to hear it?" Jean asked.

"Well… Since you put it that way… Of course, I have to hear about it now!" Scott said. "Please, Jean. Tell me."

"This is our daughter, Rachel… From the future."

Scott stared at Jean, his mouth slightly agape. Jean figured Scott was trying to gauge whether or not she was kidding. When he realized she wasn't, she continued with her explanation.

They ended up talking about Rachel for a good two hours. Scott had so many questions. A lot of them revolved around the details of Jean's supposed death in 2016. Jean could tell that Scott was already formulating a plan to ensure the event never came to pass. She explained everything that happened while Rachel was stranded in the past.

Scott had tears in his eyes by the end of Jean's retelling of everything. It wasn't anything new to Jean, and she had since made peace with losing the grown-up version of her beloved daughter and best friend… But she still got choked up whenever she thought of the remarkable woman she had become so close to almost ten years ago.

There were nights when she still had nightmares of watching her daughter die, albeit they were much fewer and far between these days. Those nights found her going into little Rachel's bedroom after her nightmare and just holding her daughter. She often found comfort in that.

"So, our little girl will grow up into this amazing young woman, huh?" Scott said, still in awe.

Jean nodded, wiping a stray tear from her cheek. "Our future selves did a great job in raising her, that's for sure."

"Tell me more about her," Scott asked.

"She kicked your butt in chess," Jean said.

"No!" Scott said, with mock indignation.

Jean laughed. "Yup, and she could give you a run for your money at billiards too."

Scott laughed so hard at that. "I think perhaps my future self was trying to raise a hustler."

"I have no doubt you two could have cleaned house at any pool hall you decided to play at… Speaking of, she was incredibly competitive. She got that from you. I felt I had to supervise you two even if you were just playing something as mundane as video games for fear of blood being shed," Jean said, wryly. "Thank God, you're a lot less competitive with our three-year-old."

Scott just grinned at that, obviously proud of their daughter. "Could you tell me a bit about little Rachel?"

Jean smiled. "Well, she loves junk food. Again, she got that from you. Whenever I force her to eat her veggies, she runs to you thinking you can save her from eating them."

"And do I? Save her from eating them, I mean?"

Jean laughed. "No, not usually."

Scott laughed. "I promise, I'll make a better effort to eat my greens."

Jean smiled. "Anyway, she loves horses. Whenever you take her to the video store, she always ends up renting My Little Pony. Her favorite story is The Velveteen Rabbit and she gets one of us to read it to her almost every night before she goes to sleep-"

"I guess, since I'm the one with amnesia, I'll be the one reading it to her for a while? After all, I wouldn't yet be sick of it," Scott said, chuckling.

"You read my mind," Jean said, smiling. "Anyway, her favorite color is pink. She loves to put on my nail polish… She was even able to convince you to put some on yourself-"

"Just for the record, that little tidbit shall never leave this room," Scott said, only half-jokingly.

Jean giggled. "Too late, she's told all her aunts and uncles already."

Scott gasped with exaggeration. "And I can still show my face at the mansion?!"

"Everyone knows Rachel's got you wrapped around her tiny little fingers… Oh, and don't be surprised when she pesters you about teaching her how to play chess. You promised her several weeks ago, and you haven't gotten around to it yet," Jean said.

Scott scoffed at that. "After telling me that she'll be kicking my butt at it soon enough, I may just reconsider."

Jean just rolled her eyes at him. "And Scott… Rachel's very perceptive. If you're in a bad mood, or you're sad, she'll sense it. I suspect it's the first manifestations of her telepathy. She was in so much distress the night of your accident because she felt my panic and fear. We have to be careful around her is all I'm saying."

"I understand, sweetheart," Scott said. Jean smiled as Scott didn't even seem to notice he used one of his favorite endearments for her. "So, tell me about our little boy. What's he like?"

"It's hard to say right now, he's only three and a half months old. But he's a very good baby. Almost never cries. He's sleeping through the nights now. He definitely takes after you in looks about as much as Rachel takes after me. According to future Rachel, he grows up to have telepathic and telekinetic powers as well," Jean said.

"Thank God our children inherited your powers instead of mine. They don't need that burden," Scott said, relief in his voice. He looked down again at the picture of him, Jean and grown-up Rachel. "You know, Jean… Our daughter grows up to be very beautiful..."

"Yes, she does."

"I foresee myself having to keep would-be admirers at bay…" Scott mused, out loud.

"Oh, God… Don't get me started on the time she went out on a date with this guy… Let's just say, I had to rein you in, you were so overprotective," Jean said.

Scott just smiled at that. After a moment, he asked seriously, "Jean? Am I a good father?"

Jean was quiet for a moment, trying to choose her words carefully. "You're the most wonderful father I know, Scott… I couldn't have been blessed with a better father for my children."

"I'm relieved to hear that, Jean… To be honest with you, I'm a little nervous. I'm afraid I don't remember what it's like to be a father to our children, or even a husband to you. I don't want to let you or them down," Scott said.

"You could never… It's not in your nature to be irresponsible, Scott. And in the end, loving our children and taking responsibility for them is all we need to be good parents. Besides, it came naturally to you the first time around, I doubt this time will be any different," Jean said, putting her head on Scott's shoulder.

Later that afternoon

"Scott, you look nervous," Jean said, as they were stopped at a red light in their Honda Civic. They were on their way to Jean's parents' house to pick up Rachel and Nathan.

"I guess I am… A little. It's just that… For all intents and purposes, this is the first time I'm meeting the children," Scott answered. "And what if Rachel senses I can't remember her? She'll be crushed!"

"She knows you were in an accident, Scott. I explained to her as best as I could that you forgot some things… And that she'll need to help you with remembering things when she can. She's not even four years old, Scott. You won't disappoint her, I promise. Besides, she'll be so thrilled to see you, nothing else will matter," Jean said, taking Scott's hand in her own.

"And what about your parents, Jean? I'd only met them the once as far as I can remember… Do I still call them Professor Grey and Mrs. Grey?" Scott asked, fidgeting in his seat.

"You call them Elaine and John," Jean said, casually.

"I see… Okay," Scott said.

Finally, they pulled up the driveway to Jean's childhood home. Scott's heart was pounding. He was excited to see the children, but scared as well. Jean rang the doorbell. Professor Grey opened the door.

"Hi daddy!" Jean said, letting go of Scott's hand for a moment to embrace her father.

"Jeannie, your mom and I were getting worried. You said you'd be here an hour ago," Jean's father said.

"Sorry, daddy, Scott and I just got to talking about… Oh, the last ten years and we lost track of the time," Jean said, laughing.

John Grey turned to Scott. "Son, my wife and I were worried sick about you when Jean told us what happened. We would have visited you at the hospital, you understand? But Jean insisted we shouldn't because the doctor said not to overwhelm you."

"Thank you, sir. And thank you… for thinking of me," Scott said, a tad awkwardly.

"Good to see you not looking the worse for wear, son," John said, patting Scott on the shoulder. Scott smiled, Jean had a nice man for a father. "Anyway, Elaine's just feeding little Nate upstairs, she should be down shortly."

Scott was about to respond when a childish voice said from behind John, "G'anpa, who's there?"

Jean's father stepped aside to reveal Rachel Summers, a stunned look crossing her angelic face when she saw who was at the door. She stared up at her father with emerald green eyes as large as saucers. Her mouth formed a perfect 'o', obviously not expecting to see Scott. When the moment sank in, she ran towards Scott and jumped in his arms. "Daddy! I missed you!"

Scott instinctively lifted his little girl and the feel of her in his arms was one of the sweetest things Scott had ever felt in his life. "Are you all bedder, Daddy?"

Scott nodded, his emotions running high. "I am now, sweetie."

Jean, watching the heartfelt moment unfold before her, said to her daughter, "Gee, honey, what am I, chopped liver?"

Rachel giggled and held out her little arms towards Jean, "I missed you too, mommy!"

Jean laughed, taking her daughter from Scott's arms. "Were you good for Grandma and Grandpa?"

Scott took the moment to really examine his daughter up close. She was an angel. Her red hair was a shade lighter than Jean's. She had a little button nose, rosy cheeks and emerald green eyes that were identical to her mother's.

"Scott, oh my, it's so good to see you looking well!" Elaine Grey said, coming down the stairs, little Nathan in her arms.

"Thank you so much, Elaine. Jean and I are really grateful for you and John watching the kids while I… umm… recuperate," Scott said, meaning every word. But his eyes were on the little bundle in his mother-in-law's arms.

Elaine, must have noticed her son-in-law staring at his son, as she asked, "Would you like to hold him, Scott?"

Scott nodded. "Yes, please." He gently put his hand under the baby's neck, his other hand spanned the rest of his tiny body.

"Wow, he's so light," Scott said.

"Wait, til you've had him in your arms for a half an hour," Jean said, wryly.

Scott just smiled. He looked down at his little boy. He stared right back up at Scott, a look of inquisitiveness in his innocent face. Jean was right, he did take after Scott in looks. Oh well, he'd not hold that against him, Scott thought, with a hint of amusement.

"Daddy, are you gonna come home with us?" Rachel asked, a hint of trepidation in her voice.

"Yes, honey… I'm definitely going home with you," Scott said, smiling at Rachel.

"Yay! Daddy's coming home!" Rachel sang in Jean's arms. The adults all laughed at her exuberance.

Later that evening

The Boathouse

It had taken a lot longer than usual to put Rachel to sleep that evening. Her excitement was so high from seeing her daddy again after almost two weeks, she couldn't keep still. Poor Scott had to go through The Velveteen Rabbit, The Cat In The Hat, and The Berenstain Bears, before Rachel finally fell asleep.

Thankfully, Nathan had fallen asleep during the car ride home and didn't wake up when they brought him in. Jean's heart melted just remembering seeing Scott with the kids that afternoon. A part of her had worried about Scott getting overwhelmed with a newborn and an inquisitive three-year-old. But he took it all in stride. More than that, he seemed to love every moment. Like a duck to water, as they say.

Jean came out of the washroom, drying her hair with a towel. Bath time at night after the kids were in bed was one of her favorite times to unwind. She quickly put on her nightgown and slipped in beside Scott in their bed. She noticed he had a dumb grin on his face as he stared at the wall.

"What's going on in that head of yours, Scott?" Jean asked playfully.

"We've got two kids, Jean" Scott said, matter-of-factly.

"Yeah…"

"You know what that means?" Scott said, sporting a lopsided smile.

"We'll be paying university tuition 'til we have one foot in the grave?" Jean said, drolly.

"It means…" Scott leaned closer to Jean and whispered in her ear. "We've had sex."

Jean almost choked on her own saliva. Good to see her husband somewhat back to his old self. Regaining her composure, Jean said, "Well, they certainly weren't dropped off by a stork, honey."

"But you see… I don't remember making them… I'm practically a virgin," Scott said, a suggestive smile on his face.

Jean giggled. "Would you like a demonstration to help you remember?"

"It's not every day a man gets a second chance at a first time with the woman he loves," Scott said.

Jean took her husband's hand; large, rough and callused when compared to her own. She gently placed his hand on her cheek and said, "I love you, Scott. You'll never know how much."

For a moment that seemed to stretch into forever, Scott looked into her eyes. Jean could sense him trying to memorize her face. Then with a sound of longing, he pulled her body against his, and lowered his lips to hers. Jean and Scott held nothing back from each other. Scott and Jean gave their hearts and souls to one another, lovingly joining their bodies together.

Afterwards, Jean contentedly lay in her husband's arms, drowsy from lovemaking. It never ceased to amaze Jean how wonderful and intense the experience was every time. She didn't have the words to describe how she felt when she and her husband were together like that. There were just no words to express that heated union of body and soul.

She snuggled closer against him, her legs intimately entwined in his. Not so long ago, she had been beneath him. Now she lay like a baby opossum tucked against his side, her body completely and utterly relaxed. She noticed how perfectly she fit in his arms, and how perfectly he fit in hers. She was suddenly startled out of her thoughts when her husband, who she thought had fallen asleep, asked, "Jean, is it like this every time?"

"Pretty much," Jean said, smiling.

"Good," Scott said, holding Jean just a little tighter.

To be continued…