3
Time had passed slowly for Seth as he waited for what Jessica's thoughts carried her to. At 12:30, he made his way upstairs, following through with his promise to her, but he was sure she wouldn't open the door to him.
He rapped lightly on her door with little hope. "Jess, it's 12:30. I brought you up some lunch, milk, pain meds and an ice pack." He waited for an order to just leave it by the door, or even a 'thank-you', but when he got neither, he dared to open the door. He found Jessica asleep on her bed.
Moments passed as he tried to decide whether or not to wake her. But he couldn't take his eyes off her. No one knew her like him. To an outsider she was simply asleep, but to him he knew she'd fallen asleep in stress. It was stress he had caused and that didn't please him at all. This was not how he had wanted to tell her. He'd hoped when he told her it would be a moment of happiness and joy, but that was a hope of the past now.
After a deep breath, he sat the tray down and attempted to wake her. "Jess, I brought you some lunch and your medicine." She stirred slightly, wiping her eyes, confirming his thought that she'd been crying. "How's your wrist?"
She turned onto her back and didn't resist his help to sit up. But she merely avoided answering his question and instead made a different observation. "You didn't leave."
His answer was matter-of-fact. "I promised you I wouldn't."
"You're my best friend."
He wondered whether that was a way for her to block any further advances, but responded the only way he knew how. "And always will be."
There was silence before her next statement. "I don't want to lose that."
He felt like that was her final way of stating that she did not want their relationship to change. It was a hard thing for him to hear, but he certainly didn't want to lose her. "We won't. I'm here for as long as you'll have me Jess. I can't even go two weeks without seeing you!" She finally chuckled. "Ah, now that's better. Now, how about lunch?"
"I, uh, need to use the phone first. Let's go downstairs to eat. I'll just freshen up a bit."
As he picked up the tray, "I'll wait for you down there."
He walked downstairs, thankful that he had at least gotten a chuckle from her. Even if it meant his true feelings would forever be hidden, he would always have her in some capacity. Once downstairs, he poured himself some coffee, set the table for lunch and waited for her.
She came downstairs only moments later and without a word went to the telephone. Clumsily, with her left hand, she dialed the long-distance number. He listened to her side of the conversation as he sipped his coffee. "Yes, hello, this is Jessica Fletcher. Oh, yes, my wrist is fine, thank you. I uh, just wanted to call and accept the book signing for November…for two." Seth choked on his coffee and his eyes flew to hers. She had been watching him, waiting for his reaction. She stifled a grin and a giggle. "Yes, my…uh…boyfriend would like to travel with me." Seth gulped as Jessica still stared at him. "Thank you." There was a long pause before, "No, we still need to discuss my contract and make sure it does not interfere with my relationship. I'll let you know. Uh-huh. Goodbye."
Nonchalantly, Jessica made her way to the table as Seth's mouth hung open in shock. "Now Seth, close your mouth. I am not about to start courting someone who drools at the table!"
He immediately snapped his mouth shut. She started eating while he just stared at her until he got the nerve to speak. His voice squeaked, "We're…courting?"
With a flip of her hand that was a little less skillful with her left hand, "In our day it was called 'courting'. I believe now it would be referred to as 'dating'." When his shocked look didn't change, "I'm sorry about maybe misleading you upstairs."
With a huff, "Maybe?"
She held up a finger before continuing. "I had to make sure that no matter what, you and I would never be without each other. Seth, you are my very best friend. Other than Frank I have never been as close to anyone but you. I lost him ten years ago. I can't stand the thought of losing you." He started to interrupt but she held up her hand. "I know that…eventually…one of us will have to suffer the loss of the other, unless God gives us the gift of going together, but I'm not willing to lose you any other way."
He gathered himself before he spoke, not liking the subject of losing each other or death. "I will never leave you, Jess, unless it is not my choice."
She shook her head and cleared her throat, "The same goes for me."
They ate in silence but once they were both done Seth insisted on looking at her wrist. "It actually feels better, Seth."
But when he touched it and she winced, "A-yuh, I see that."
As he wrapped her wrist again with fresh bandage she asked, "Can we please get out of the house Seth?"
He was about to protest, but when his eyes met hers, he lost his fight. "What did you have in mind?"
"How about if we just go for a walk before dinner?"
"Okay, but only if you wear a sling. It will help with the swelling." She nodded. "And, uh, you might want to change."
She looked down at her lounge-wear and laughed. "Well, hopefully I can manage the button on my jeans now."
Later that night, after their walk and dinner, they were side by side on the couch going over her contract when a knock came to her back door. Seth got up and returned with their guest. "Ah, Sherriff, come in." Without even moving from the couch, "Did you want some coffee?"
"Sure Mrs. F."
Jessica looked at Seth, "I'll have one too Seth."
The Sherriff and Jessica chatted about her trip and what had happened to her wrist until Seth returned. "Wow Doc, I didn't know you were into serving coffee for people. How 'bout you come down to the office tomorrow and we'll work you in?"
With a smug grin, Seth settled back into the couch beside Jessica. "Well Sherriff, I only provide coffee service for someone I'm dating!"
Jessica jabbed Seth in the side with the Sherriff nearly choked on his coffee. "Dating? You two?"
Seth was slightly defensive, "It's not so unbelievable!"
They all laughed before Mort offered his congratulations. "Gotta say, it's about time. I thought you two were a couple when I first moved here from New York."
The two weeks before their trip, they spent a lot of time together. Jessica's wrist had healed, Seth was at her house every night for dinner and stayed until he ushered Jessica to bed before he headed home. She didn't know why, but some weekdays she couldn't even make it through a workday without seeing him and went to his office to meet him for lunch. Weekends they spent out and about but since they were the talk of the town, most of that time had one person or another questioning and or congratulating them.
On Monday, the day before their flight to NYC, their nightly routine had not changed. It was getting late and Seth was ushering her to bed. Once at the door, like every other night, Seth leaned in and gave her a hug, telling her to get some sleep and he'd see her the next day.
But when he turned to the door to leave, Jessica uttered the word she'd been holding in. "Stay." Seth heard the word and froze. It hadn't been a question, more like a plea. When he didn't move she stepped toward him and placed a hand on his back. "Please."
He knew he couldn't turn. The look in her eyes would weaken his soul. Jessica continued to plead with him. She took another step forward, placing her other hand on his back. "You can stay in the guestroom. I'm…I'm not asking for anything. I just want to wake up with you in the morning." She felt crazy, a woman of her age saying these things. One more step brought her arms around to his chest and her body pressed against his.
Seth never spoke, but peeled her hands from his chest, brought them to his lips and then walked out of the door.
As the door closed in front of her, she felt foolish. She didn't know the reason why she couldn't just wait until the next night in the hotel. Now she was afraid she'd made a mess of things. She headed to the couch, filled with worry, wondering just what she had done. Minutes passed which seemed like an eternity to her and she stood, knowing she wouldn't be able to sleep. She grabbed her coat and purse and headed for her back door to get her bicycle.
She was so intent on her path she nearly ran into Seth as he was coming in the back door. He caught her arm to steady her. "Where are you going Woman?"
She overcame her shock before answering. "I was getting my bike to come to your house. I thought you'd left."
"I moved my car around back." He raised the bag in his hand. "And I had to get my bag."
"I thought I'd upset you."
He wrapped his free arm around her. "I'm sorry, Jess. I just…needed to think for a minute. I shouldn't have done that to you."
After locking up, they held hands and walked up the stairs. At the outside of the guestroom door, they said their goodnights. They hugged and he kissed her cheek. Their lips had yet to meet, which was the main reason that this step seemed so out of order to him. It wasn't that he didn't want to kiss her, but the time hadn't been right to him yet.
She disappeared into her room, but even after she readied herself for bed, she wasn't sure if she could sleep. She crawled under her covers and tried to will herself to sleep, but over an hour later, she was still awake. Her mind was consumed with the fact that Seth was only feet away from her and she wanted to be lying beside him. She also knew there was a step she needed to take before that could happen.
She got out of bed and made her way to her vanity. With a deep breath, she removed the ring that had donned the ring finger of her left hand for decades. She looked at it only once more before placing it in her jewelry box.
With only a little courage, she got her robe and made her way across the hall.
She knocked lightly on Seth's door, and when she got no answer, let herself in. He was snoring lightly as he slept. She closed the door behind her and took the few steps needed to close the distance between them. She whispered his name and shook him only slightly.
Groggily, "Jess? Are you okay?"
"Yes…well…sort of." Seth propped himself up as she continued. "Can I…sleep beside you?" Seth cleared his throat. "I…I…just want to know what it's like to wake up next to you."
Without a word, Seth moved over and held up the sheets so she could crawl under. She tossed her robe on the bottom of the bed and did just that. For a few minutes, they laid beside each other without even touching, until Seth spoke. "Now, I don't think this can even be counted as sleeping with one another! Come over hear." With a giggle, like she had to be taught these things all over again, she curled up next to him, with his arm wrapping quickly around her. Once they got comfortable, "Oh, and no complaining about my snoring, understand?"
Jessica merely chuckled as she snuggled closer to him.
Two days later Jessica was busily signing autographs, all the while smiling as she remembered the wonderful dinner they had shared the previous night and waking up in Seth's arms for the second morning in a row. She had never expected to find joy in a man again like she had with Seth, but she had, without a doubt.
A few moments later, there he was, by her side. "Jess, ready for lunch?" With a huge smile, she nodded. "Okay, we'll have to fight the media on our way out. You're pretty popular 'round here."
Jessica chuckled and entwined her arm in his. They hit a crowd of reporters as they exited the bookstore. It was a sea of men and women calling Jessica's name. Questions came about her book and Jessica handled them as best as she could, but the only question Seth heard included his name, "Doctor Hazlitt, now that you two are an item, when will you be putting a ring on that empty finger of hers?"
Jessica gulped, worried about Seth's reaction. Seth paused for only a moment but then gathered himself for a reply, "Well, it wouldn't be right for me to tell you before I told her, now would it?" Seth gave a final push through the crowd as they chuckled at his response.
In silence, waiting for what Seth was going to say, Jessica followed him up to their hotel room. Upon entering, he wasted no time. He took her left hand in his, "Jess, when did you take your ring off?"
"I took it off before I came to ask to sleep next to you the first night in Cabot Cove. I knew it was the right thing to do." Seth raised his eyebrows at her and she knew that answer was not sufficient for him. "I took it off because…because it was a token of my past which belonged to Frank." She pointed to her left ring finger. "But this finger is something that should represent my present and my future…which both belong to you."
Seth placed a hand on her cheek and looked deep into her eyes. "Jess, may I kiss you?"
She took a step closer. "Seth, you are the most charming man I know. Of course you can."
Their lips met in a perfect moment, pressed together. When he finally pulled back he whispered, "Thank you."
"For what, the kiss or the ring?"
"Both."