Begin Again Season Two
Episode 15: Heart Attack
Almost a week had passed. Jenny was not looking forward to the day. Last night, Rufus had requested of her and Lily that, since Lily had the day off today, the two of them spend the whole day together. They were to do a little shopping, get some lunch, then see a movie before coming home to have dinner with the family. Jenny may have agreed to play nice with Lily for Rufus' sake, but it certainly hadn't changed how she felt about Lily. She still despised her, and she still thought that Lily was horribly wrong for Rufus. Even so, Rufus had practically begged them, and Lily had agreed almost right away. Jenny certainly couldn't say no now that Lily had agreed to go. She'd just end up looking like the villain again, and Lily would be the hero.
Jenny rolled her eyes at the thought of Lily being considered a hero. Please!
So, now she was stuck spending the day with a woman she despised. She just wanted to get it over with. She finished brushing her hair, then set the brush down, and headed down for breakfast. At least her father hadn't insisted she go out for breakfast with Lily as well. Eating at the same table at home was bad enough.
"Good morning, Jennifer!" Lily said cheerily, shooting Jenny a smile that Jenny suspected was put on for Rufus' sake. "Are you excited for our day together?"
Jenny shot back a smile just as fake. "Excited's not quite the word I would use, but yes, I'm very eager for our day to begin." So we can get it over with, she silently added. Today was going to be pure torture. She took a long swig of her orange juice, wishing she had something harder.
Rufus brought the last plate of food to the table, just as Scott came down stairs.
"Scott! I'm glad you could join us. Sit!" Rufus said with a smile. "Breakfast is all ready. You're right on time."
Scott slowly walked over to the table. "I'm not hungry."
"Come on, Sweetie, you have to eat before going to work. You need your strength!" Lily said, gesturing to his empty seat.
Scott glanced at Jenny. "I'm afraid of what other hurtful things will be said to me like they were said to me at the last meal I ate with you guys."
Jenny instantly felt bad. Scott had been avoiding her since she had so stupidly opened her mouth in anger and said the dumbest thing she'd ever said in her life. "Scott, look. I'm really, really, sorry. What happened to Veronica so was not your fault! I don't think it is. I only said it was because I was angry over you taking Lily's side, and I wanted to hurt you. I knew that was the one thing that could hurt you the most. I was a stupid bitch and I'm sorry."
Scott sighed. He stared at Jenny for a brief moment, then he sat down next to her. "It's all right. Just be nicer to Mom, all right?"
Jenny winced. She knew Lily was his mother, but it still bugged her when he called her mom. His birth mom was the only one he should be calling mom—not the bitch who gave him up. "Well, you'll be happy to know that she and I are going to spend the whole day together just the two of us to try to get to know each other better and smooth things over." Jenny wanted to vomit at her own words. She already knew Lily, and she didn't care to know any more about her. If it weren't for Rufus' sake, Jenny would go back and cut the rest of Lily's stupid wardrobe up instead of spending the day trying to play nicey nice with her.
Scott smiled. "Well, good! I'm very glad to hear that."
Jenny looked at Rufus who was actually shaking salt over his bacon. She made a face. "Ugh! Really, Dad? Salt on your bacon? That's just gross."
Rufus grinned. "What can I say? I love my salt!"
"Yeah, well, I'm sure your arteries don't. It seems like all you've been eating lately is greasy salty fried foods," Lily commented.
"That's the best kind of food!" Rufus said between chews. He closed his eyes as he savored the bacon in his mouth. "Mm..."
"Dad, you're disgusting!" Jenny said, making a face before taking a bite of her yogurt. "I don't know how you can eat all that junk."
Rufus swallowed his bacon, then took a sip of his orange juice before responding. "And I don't know how you and Lily can eat all that healthy junk."
"It's good for us. A lot better than all that bacon, sausage, and waffles you're always eating," Lily said, nodding toward his plate.
"And hash browns. Don't forget the hash browns," Rufus said, his mouth full of food again. "Mm, mm, Mm!"
"I have to say I'm with Dad on this one. I mean, you have to admit, all that stuff is a whole lot better tasting and satisfying than the banana oatmeal, blueberry muffins, and strawberry yogurt with granola," Scott commented, referring to the breakfast Jenny and Lily were both eating.
"Well, Jenny and I have thin and beautiful bodies. You two, well, let's just say your bodies reflect the way you like to eat!" Lily joked.
Jenny snickered. She hated laughing at something Lily had said. In fact, she really hated it. But she had to admit it was funny.
"And here come the hurtful insults that I was worried about," Scott said. Though, the smile on his face showed that he was only joking.
Rufus nodded. "I know, right? They're just jealous that they are missing out on real food." He pat his stomach. "And neither of us are fat. They're just trying to find excuses to justify their lame eating habits."
"I'd say good health is the best excuse to eat healthy," Lily quipped.
"And not getting fat," Jenny said. Her brother wasn't fat because he worked out. Rufus, on the other hand, wasn't exactly fat, but his stomach had a little pudge to it. He wasn't exactly a fan of working out. He was lazy when it came to things like that.
They actually had a nice family breakfast together, then Scott left for work, and Rufus cleared the table. He wouldn't even let Jenny or Lily help him. He was just eager for them to get out and start their day.
Jenny was too. Even though breakfast hadn't been bad, and even though she had laughed at one of Lily's jokes, she still did not want to spend the day with her. Even so, fifteen minutes after they finished breakfast, they were headed out onto the streets, heading off to the shops to do a little shopping.
Jenny looked at her watch. It was ten o'clock. She sighed. She had a good seven or eight hours before arriving back home. It was going to be a long day.
~BA~
The first place we went was Neiman Marcus. Lily still had Serena to shop for, and I still had to shop for my mother and my boss.
"It's always so hard shopping for someone who loves to shop. I mean, they've already bought everything they want for themselves. And then there's Daniel. I'm sure he's gotten anything for her that she hasn't bought for herself," Lily said as she looked through the rows of pretty dresses.
"Just get her a gift card for after Christmas. I know I always find it nice to be able to get a present even after the holiday is gone. Plus they restock with new items after the holidays," I reasoned.
"I know, but gift cards seem so impersonal! Plus, then the recipient knows exactly how much you spent on them, so it's a little tacky," Lily said, running her fingers over a skirt, apparently to check and see if the material was nice enough for her precious daughter Serena.
I was a little offended that she had inadvertently called my gift idea tacky.
"But that is a good idea. You know, maybe I could get her a nice sweater, then a gift card to Barney's. Barney's is her favorite store, so she'll like that. That way I'll have gotten her more than a gift card, so she won't have any idea how much I spent in total," Lily said.
"I could get my mom a sweater too. She's always complaining how cold she is," I said as we headed toward the sweater section.
"I would think you would have just made her one. Your work is always so beautiful. That way, you could give her a nice gift without having to spend the money!" Lily grinned at me.
It almost sounded like she was implying that I couldn't afford to buy nice gifts, which, now thanks to my designer job, was the opposite of the truth. However, she did say I always made such beautiful things, so I let it slide. "You're right, I could have. I just don't want to appear cheap. Especially now that I actually do have the money to buy people nice things."
"Even so, sometimes for a mother the best gifts come handmade from their children. I bet your mother would love something you made her," Lily pressed.
Just when I was starting to warm to Lily a bit, her cell phone rang.
"Hello?" she asked upon answering it. It was silence on her end for a brief moment before her face broke into a huge smile. "William! Hello! Merry Christmas to you too! How's your trip around the world going." She was silent again, then she giggled. "Oh, William, you always were a charmer!"
I felt my blood start to boil. I had been so stupid to warm to Lily for even a second! She looked and sounded all happy and giddy now that William had called her. Every time she complained about something bad he did to her, she always forgave him and started getting close with him again. I knew it was only a matter of time before she dumped my father for him yet again. In fact, I wouldn't be the slightest bit surprised if she left my father at the alter to be with William. It made me sick.
Lily laughed again. "Oh, William, stop! Flattery will get you everywhere!" she said before laughing yet again.
I rolled my eyes. She was such a... Ugh! I didn't even have the right word to describe her. Piece of trash was a good way to describe her. I had to get her away from my father. I was the only one who seemed to sense the danger that Lily posed to my father, so it had to be me to do something about it. It was all right though. After all, you know how the old saying goes. If you want something done, you have to do it yourself. I could do that. I smiled, an idea already forming in my head on how to start.
~BA~
Lily found a nice white cashmere sweater for Serena, as well as a nice purse. She purchased the items. Jenny stood behind her, her sweater that she had chosen for her mother in her hands. Lily had been right. She could make one just as nice as any sweater in this store, and she knew it would mean a lot to her mother. However, she did not want to admit that Lily had had a good idea, so she decided to just buy a sweater instead. Anyway, she was a good designer, but she couldn't knit to save her life. Even if she could, there was no may she'd finish in time for Christmas.
Lily finished purchasing the sweater and purse, and then Jenny took her turn at the register. Then, once Jenny was done purchasing the sweater, they headed out of the store. However, as they passed by the underwear section, Jenny looked around. When no one was watching, she grabbed a handful of underwear, and tossed them into Lily's bag.
She smiled to herself. She could hardly wait until they got to the doors and the alarms sounded.
Sure enough, they got to the doors, and the alarms sounded loudly as Lily walked through the detectors.
Lily stopped and looked around, wondering why the alarms had gone off.
Security came over and took her bag from her. They opened the bags to check, and there was the big pile of unpaid for underwear.
Lily's mouth fell open. "I don't know how those got into my bag! They're not mine! I know that sounds clichéd, but it's the truth! I would never steal!"
Jenny smirked to herself. This was it. Lily was about to get busted. She was already playing in her head what she would say to Rufus when she called him. "Dad, Lily got arrested for shoplifting! We were having a great time, and I was actually enjoying spending the day with her. Then she started acting weird. She asked me to go to the sweater section and find something she could give to Serena. I thought it was weird that she wouldn't shop for Serena herself, but I went because I didn't want to start a war again. I came back, she said she loved what I had chosen, we checked out, then headed for the door. That's when they stopped her because the alarms went off, and they found underwear in her bag. I don't know why she stole it! She must have done it when I was away picking out Serena's sweater. It's not like she can't afford to pay. She must have just done it for the thrill. I guess she's not the woman you thought she was."
Jenny knew her father would see right through her lie. Even so, it was going to be fun to see Lily squirm.
"It's all right, Miss. Rhodes. We know you are not a shoplifter. Maybe your bag just bumped the underwear and they fell in without your knowing. They are all just bunched together," the store owner, who had come over said to Lily then.
"Yes, that must be what happened!" Lily said. She eyed Jenny out of the corner of her eye.
Jenny felt her stomach lurch a little bit. Lily knew what she had done. She could see it on her face.
"I'm not pressing charges. It was just a freak accident," the store owner told security. He took the underwear from them.
"Thanks for understanding," Lily said to the owner.
"Not a problem. No harm done!" the owner said with a smile. "Have a good day, Miss Rhodes, and Merry Christmas if I don't see you again before then."
"Thanks you! Merry Christmas to you too!" Lily said.
Lily then left the store, and Jenny followed right behind her. Well, that had backfired. So much for her plan. She'd just have to think of another one, and she would think of another one. Lily could count on it!
~Begin Again~
Lily was embarrassed even though she had been lucky enough to know the store owner, and hadn't had to be hauled away to the police station. She knew Jenny had been the one behind it.
She whipped around to face Jenny. "What on earth was that for, Jennifer? I thought we were having such a good time, then you go and plant underwear in my bag? What is wrong with you?"
Jenny laughed bitterly. "What is wrong with me? What is wrong with you? After all William did to you, you still get all giggly and happy when he calls you. What? Did Cassidy finally get smart and dump his sorry ass so now he wants you back?"
Lily narrowed her eyes at Jenny. "No, he was just calling to wish me a Merry Christmas, and to get ideas for what Eric and Serena would like for Christmas. He told me I always know the perfect thing to get our children."
"I thought you were angry with him for cheating on you, and for making sure Ivy got the money that belonged to your mother. What happened to that, hm?" Jenny crossed her arms over her chest angrily. "Are you willing to forgive him since you're getting bored with my father and want a man to fall back on? After all, he's your only choice now that Bart is dead!"
Lily could not believe the words coming out of Jenny's mouth. "You know, you really need some psychological help, Jennifer. I have forgiven William for our children's sake. It doesn't mean that I have forgiven him enough to go back to him, nor would I want to! Your father is the only one I love, and the only man for me just as Cassidy is apparently the only woman for William! I would never leave you father!"
Jenny laughed again. "Funny you say that because you've left him not once, not twice, but three times, Lily, with a couple serious arguments thrown in between, all of which were your fault. I mean, you are the most fickle person I know, and my father deserves so much better than you!"
Lily nodded. "You're right. He does. But I'm the one that he loves and wants, and he is the one that I love and want. I've changed, Jennifer. I'm not the same woman I used to be. No matter what you may think of me, I am not going to leave your father again. I have learned my lesson, trust me. I am going to spend the rest of my life making up for all the times I wronged him. Your father is my world now, Jennifer. Nothing and no one is ever going to change that."
Jenny crossed her arms over her chest again, and looked away. "Yeah, well, I'll believe that I see it."
"Will you?" Lily asked, an eyebrow raised. "Because I think you're just determined not to like me, and no matter what I say or do, that's never going to change!" Lily snapped.
Jenny just looked at her, her arms still crossed over her chest, not denying it.
Lily sighed. "As much as we both hate it, we still have a lot more of this day that we have to spend together. We promised your father, and I'm not going to lie to him and say we hung out all day when we didn't. So let's go to Barney's so I can finish shopping for Serena. I should also get Eleanor and Cyrus a little something." She then walked on ahead, not waiting to see if Jenny was going to follow her. From the sounds of Jenny's footsteps behind her, she was.
Lily sighed. This was going to be the longest day of her life!
~Begin Again~
"Morphine is good, but cocaine is also good. It relaxes me without the mind trip," Scott said as he finished another line of cocaine.
Travis grinned. "I know, right? I told you it was. "Even so, I love me some morphstasy as well."
For days now, Scott had been doing all kinds of drugs with Travis. He had told himself that that first time he tried Morphstasy would be his last, but then he got a craving for it after work the next day, and he went back over to Travis' for more. Now, Travis had him trying other drugs like cocaine and marijuana. Scott knew this was out of character for himself, but ever since Veronica had died, he had changed as a person. Now, he needed anything he could to take the pain away.
His phone rang, and he looked at it. It was Jenny calling this time. Rufus had called about a half hour ago. Lily had called about fifteen minutes ago. Now, Jenny was trying him again. They all wanted to know where he was. Of course he couldn't tell any of them that he was at Travis' getting high, so she just pressed ignore call as usual.
"Your family again?" Travis asked, nodding toward the phone.
Scott nodded. "Yep!" He turned his phone off.
"You'd think they'd get the hint you don't want to be bothered," Travis quipped.
Scott nodded. "I know, right?"
Travis took out a bottle of pills and popped one into his mouth. He then handed the Morphstasy bottle to Scott. "Want one?"
Scott shook his head. "Do you really think that's a good idea? You just had two lines of cocaine."
Travis hit the air with his hand as if brushing Scott's concerns away. "Please! There's no need to be concerned. I know what I'm doing."
"Well, even so, I think I'll pass," Scott said. He stretched out on Travis' couch, his left hand dangling over the side. "Let's order a pizza."
"Fine, but you do the ordering. I don't think I'm with it enough to order." Travis said with a laugh.
Scott laughed too. "All right." He then went to order the pizza. He felt a little guilty, knowing his family was waiting at home for him to join them for dinner, but he just couldn't be with them right now. Not just because he was high, but because he couldn't face them. They tried to treat him like they always did, but the truth was, he still saw the looks of pity on all their faces, and the way they treated him was like he was some fragile porcelain doll. He just couldn't deal with all that right now. Travis may be a loser, but at least with him Scott was treated like a normal human being. And right now, that is exactly what he needed.
~Begin Again~
"He's turned off his phone, so we know he saw us calling. It wasn't turned off earlier," Jenny stated as she hung up upon receiving his voicemail. "It went straight to voicemail."
"Where could he be? I don't know why he won't answer our calls. I hope he's all right," Lily said with concern.
"I'm sure he is. If he was hurt, he couldn't turn his cell phone off. I'm sure he just wants to be left alone. You know how he's been lately. He never eats with us anymore," Rufus stated.
"I wish I knew what was up with him," Jenny said with a sigh. "I thought he'd talk to me since I'm his sister, but he always brushes me off when I try to ask him where he is lately. I mean, he's rarely home, and when he is, he just goes straight to his room,"
"He won't talk to me either, but that doesn't surprise me. Kids these days never want to talk to their parents about things," Rufus said as he took a piece of fried chicken and put it on his plate.
"I hate this whole giving him space thing. I wish we could force him to talk to us. I know that would only push him away, but still..." Lily sighed as she took out a grilled chicken breast. Rufus had made her and Jenny grilled chicken, and fried chicken for himself and Scott. The girls preferred to eat healthier, but fried foods never bothered Rufus or Scott.
"Hopefully he'll come around, and eventually talk to us," Rufus said. He then grinned at Jenny and Lily. "So, how was your day together? Did you two have fun? Maybe get to know each other a little better?"
Jenny felt her stomach lurch. Was Lily going to tell on her? Most likely. She could always do what she always did and deny, deny, deny, but Rufus always took Lily's side over hers, so she knew that denying it would do no good.
"We had a good time. I'm not going to lie, we're still not each other's number one fans, but it wasn't bad. We got along well enough," Lily said with a weak smile.
Jenny cast a glance over at Lily. Why wasn't Lily telling on her?
Lily smiled at her, and gave her a little wink.
Jenny smiled back at her, not even trying to hide the fact that her smile was fake. Lily was up to something. She knew Lily, and she knew that Lily never did anything that didn't benefit herself in some way. She was willing to bet anything that Lily was only not telling Rufus about the shoplifting incident because she wanted to hold it over Jenny's head. Well, Jenny wasn't going to let that happen! She had an idea.
She turned to Rufus. "Lily tried to steal some underwear today. She got caught when the alarms went off. She knew the owner, so he believed her when she told him it was an accident. I saw her take them though. She tried to send me off to get Serena a sweater for her. I came back to ask her what size, and I saw her pushing a whole bunch of underwear in to her bag."
Lily's eyes got big. "That's so not true! You planted them in my bag, Jennifer! I know you did!"
Jenny scrunched her eyebrows together. "Me? I so did not! I was nice enough to go pick a sweater for Serena out for you when you were too lazy to do it yourself, and now you're trying to blame me for the crime that you committed! Thanks a lot. I guess nice guys really do finish last!"
Lily slammed her hands down onto the table, and stood up. "Jennifer, that is enough! Now, I don't know what the hell your problem is, but it stops right here! I am sick of your lies, and I'm sick of you acting like a spoiled, whiny brat! I am marrying your father. I love him, and he loves me. If you don't like it, it's just too damn bad! You're going to have to get over it and grow up instead of acting like a pathetic little Jr. higher!"
Jenny stood up as well. She was so fuming angry, she could hardly take it! She picked up her drink and threw it right in Lily's face. "You are a stuck up bitch who lies, steals, and manipulates, and will never be good enough for my father!"
Lily gasped. "I cannot believe you just did that!"
"Really? Well, since you seemed to miss it the first time..." Jenny took the unopened two liter bottle of Pepsi off the table, walked over to Lily, and dumped the rest of it all over Lily's head.
Lily screamed, then grabbed the chicken from her plate, and tossed it at Jenny. She then took her own cup of soda, and threw it in Jenny's face. "To wash the chicken down!" she snapped.
"I hate you!" Jenny yelled, running to get her own chicken to throw at Lily.
"Enough!" Rufus said, standing up now. "Look at you two! If you ask me, you're both acting like Jr. Highers! No, scratch that. You're acting like two year olds! Now, I don't know what went on with the whole underwear situation, and I really don't care. I highly doubt Lily would steal underwear when she has the money to pay for them. However, I won't accuse any one of anything. I just want you two to shut up and get along! Is that too much to ask? I mean, gosh, what is wrong with you two? I—" Rufus suddenly stopped talking. He put his hand over his heart. "I can't believe how childish and immature you're both acting... Ah!" He clutched his heart even tighter, and fell down to his knees.
"Oh my gosh, Dad! What's wrong?" Jenny asked, rushing over to him.
"Rufus, Darling, what's wrong?" Lily ran over to him, and placed her arms around him, the concern very clear in her eyes.
"My heart... It hurts so bad!" Rufus cried out, clearly sounding as if he were in pain. He started hyperventilating then. "I can't breathe! Help me!" He then collapsed in Lily's arms.
"Dad!" Jenny screamed.
"Rufus? Rufus, wake up!" Lily said, gently smacking his cheeks. She looked up at Jenny. "Call 911 now!"
Jenny quickly took out her cell phone and dialed 911. "I think my dad is having a heart attack! He clutched his heart and said he was unable to breathe! He's passed out. Please send an ambulance right away. Quickly, please!" Jenny said, frantic. She gave them the address, then burst into tears. "Please save my dad! You have to get here now!" She sniffled. "Please."
"Jennifer, he's stopped breathing! I can't hear or feel a pulse!" Lily screamed.
Jenny quickly hung up the phone, then sank down to the floor with Lily. "Dad! Dad, wake up! Please! I'm sorry, okay? I'll be nice to Lily! Just please, Dad, wakeup!" She was hysterical now, her face streaming with tears and snot.
Lily tilted his head back and breathed into his mouth. Then, she began doing chest compressions.
"Do you know what you're doing?" Jenny asked.
Lily nodded. "Yes! I get my CPR certification renewed every year so that I know what to do in case Rufus or any of you kids need it." She continued working on Rufus for the next minute, and finally, she relaxed. "His heart is beating again, and he's breathing. Oh, Thank God!"
Jenny burst into tears again. "Hold on, Dad. Please don't die again."
Lily stayed by Rufus' side until five minutes later when the ambulance arrived.
"He stopped breathing and his heart stopped, but I did CPR on him. He's breathing again and his heart's beating again," Lily informed them as they put Rufus onto a stretcher and hooked him up with a portable heart machine for the time being.
"Well, it's good you knew CPR, Miss. You may have just saved his life," one of the EMTs told her. "We're going to take him to Cornell. Who's going to ride with him? There can only be one of you."
"You go," Jenny said quickly as Lily looked at her. "I'll keep trying to get ahold of Scott and meet you over there. I'll get a cab or have Dan pick me up."
Lily nodded. "All right." She then left with the EMT workers so they could get Rufus to the hospital as soon as possible.
Jenny dialed Scott's number, then screamed in annoyance when she got his voicemail. "Scott, where the hell are you? Our father has had a heart attack and is on his way to the hospital if you even care. Get to Cornell hospital or call me back ASAP!" She then hung up and called Dan. She hoped he picked up. If not, she was heading to the hospital herself. She didn't have time to wait around for big brothers who never answered their phones to call her back.
~BA~
"How is he?" Dan asked Lily as we rushed into the hospital with Serena.
Lily looked like she had been crying as she sat in the waiting room. She stood up, and wiped her eyes with a tissue as she sniffled. "He's in surgery now. They needed to do it right away. He has several clogged arteries."
"Is he going to be okay?" I asked, trying my best not to cry again.
Lily shrugged. "They said it doesn't look horrible, but they can't promise anything. He went into emergency surgery about a half hour ago. They said it could take up to eight hours to perform the surgery."
"This can't be happening," Dan said with a sigh. He sat down in the chair beside the one Lily had been sitting in, leaned across his lap, and buried his face in his hands.
Serena sat down next to him on the other side, and gently rubbed his back. "He'll be okay. Rufus is strong. It takes a lot more than a few clogged arteries to take him down. He's going to pull through this!"
Part of me wanted to snap at her that she didn't know that, so stop getting our hopes up. But there was a bigger part of me that needed to be given that hope even if there was a chance of it being false.
Chuck came into the room moments later. "How is he?" he asked.
Lily explained to him what she had just explained to us.
Chuck sighed, then he held her close. "I'm sorry, Mom. I know Rufus and I don't always get along, but I'd never wish this on him. I've actually started warming up to the guy, so there's no way he's leaving us any time soon. He's going to pull through this, and when he does, I will hire the best nutritionalists and heart specialists New York has to offer!"
Lily hugged him tightly, then kissed his cheek. "You're such a good son. He's started warming to you too, you know." She held Chuck at arm's length and smiled and winked at him.
Chuck smiled. "Blair sends her love and prayers. She had to stay home with Henry, but she wants me to call the minute there's any update."
"You can call her and tell her he's in surgery. She's probably wondering what's going on," Lily said.
Chuck nodded. "I will."
"Can I get you anything, Lily?" I asked then. I had been thinking about Lily and my dad the whole way to the hospital. I felt terrible for the way I had been treating Lily. I had upset my father, and that is probably part of what triggered his heart attack. All this time I had thought Lily didn't care about my dad, but tonight, after seeing her save his life, I knew just how much he really did mean to her. She had gone out of her way to get CPR certified, and to keep up to date with it just to keep him and us safe. I had been an idiot to think she didn't love my dad as much as she should.
Lily smiled at me, and this time, I could tell it was sincere. "Thank you, Jennifer. I appreciate it, but I'm good. I'm too nervous to eat or drink anything right now."
I nodded. "I am too." I sat down on the other side of her, trying my best not to start sobbing like a moron.
Lily surprised me by placing an arm around my shoulders, and gently rubbing my right arm. She kissed the top of my head. "It's going to be all right, Jennifer. We just have to have a little faith. We'll get through this together."
Now, if someone had told me even earlier today that I would be resting my head on Lily's shoulder and letting her comfort me, I'd have not so politely told them to screw off. But now I found myself resting my head on her shoulder, and closing my eyes as she continued to rub my arm. I had been wrong about Lily. She wasn't the monster I had made her out to be. And right now, I knew we both needed just as much comfort as the other one did. I didn't have my mom or dad with me, so Lily was the next best thing. Believe it or not, I could finally start seeing Lily as a good stepmother for the first time in my life. Hey, stranger things have happened!
~BA~
The eight hours seemed to drag. Jenny had tried numerous times to call Scott, but his cell phone was still off. She knew he was going through a lot right now, but she still thought he was being a real jerk right now. There was no excuse to ignore the whole family. She contemplated calling his adoptive parents. Maybe they could get through to him, she figured. However, she couldn't remember if they were still on the cruise or not.
Before she could decide whether or not to call them, the doctor came into the room. He didn't look somber, which Jenny hoped was a good sign.
They all stood up.
"Well? Is he going to be all right?" Lily asked, her voice full of anticipation.
The doctor smiled. "I'm happy to say your fiancé has pulled through the surgery just fine. He's going to be all right."
"Oh, thank God!" Lily said, a hand placed over her heart.
Dan, Serena, Chuck, and Jenny all voiced their relief.
"See?" Serena asked Dan with a playful nudge to his ribs with her elbow. "I told you Rufus was strong!"
Dan grinned widely. "You sure did!" he said, kissing her hard, then wrapping an arm around her.
"Now, he's still going to need to start eating right, and he's going to need to stay a few nights for observation, not to mention come back for monthly checkups just to make sure everything is still in good working order. If he does all that, he is expected to make a full recovery!" the doctor continued.
"Don't worry, Doctor. He's going to be eating healthy and exercising from now on whether he likes it or not!" Lily assured him.
"I'm glad to hear it!" the doctor said with a smile.
"When can we see him?" Lily asked.
"You may visit him as soon as he's moved to a room, which should be within the hour. Right now he is still in the recovery room," the doctor replied. "I'll have the nurse come in and tell you what room he's in once we know."
Lily nodded. "All right, thank you."
The doctor then left.
"Now will you eat?" Chuck asked Lily. "You've got to be hungry by now."
"I don't want to leave the room. I might miss the nurse telling me what room he's in," Lily said, shaking her head.
"We'll bring you something back," Serena said.
"Any kind of sandwich and something to drink will be fine then, please," Lily said.
"We'll be back soon," Serena said, hugging her mother.
"I'll catch up with you in a minute," Jenny called after them after Dan, Chuck, and Serena headed out.
Jenny turned to Lily. "Lily, I just wanted to thank you for saving my father's life."
Lily shook her head. "I appreciate it, but it was the doctors who saved him—not me. You don't have to thank me."
"But you did!" Jenny insisted. "You cared enough to learn CPR, and you gave it to him. If you hadn't, well, he wouldn't have been alive for the doctors to save. I am forever grateful to you for saving his life. I promise you, I'll never forget it!"
Lily smiled, and pulled her in for a hug. "I told you, Jennifer, I love him. I'd never let anything happen to him or you kids. I love you all so much I think I'd give my life for any of you."
"Even me? After I've been so horrible to you?" Jenny asked, the tears welling up in her eyes again.
"Of course I would, Jennifer! I love you! I mean, I'd probably have to think about it a little longer than the others, but..." Lily smiled, her smile and wink showing she was only teasing at that last part.
Jenny laughed. "Shut up!" She playfully pushed Lily, then broke from the hug, and smiled at her. "I promise you, from now on, I'm going to stop being such a brat to you. I've finally realized just how good you are for my father. I know you'll never hurt him again, and that you love him so much."
Lily nodded. "I'm glad you finally realize that. I do love him so much, Jennifer. I know you had reasons to believe I'd hurt him again, but trust me. You have no reason to worry. I'm never going to hurt him again. I've long since learned my lesson."
Jenny smiled. "I know." She then headed for the door, so she could meet up with her siblings in the cafeteria. She stopped in the doorway, and turned around. "I think I might want to go with you to your next CPR class. That way you'll have someone to protect you if you ever need it."
Lily smiled big. "I'd like that. Thank you."
Jenny smiled back. "Anytime." And as she left for the cafeteria, Jenny knew that she actually meant it—anytime.
Author's Note: I'm taking a break for two weeks so I can relax and enjoy Christmas and the new year. Will be back on the 10th of January. Have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, Everyone! :)