I know I always say this (but then it is always true) but I am sorry for how long it has been since I last updated this. And there's LOTS of Jac/Jonny-ness in this chapter, which will hopefully make up for some of my tardiness! And more good news - this is the penultimate chapter, and I'm planning to have the last part up before the New Year. Thank you so much to everyone who's stuck with this and is still reading it - I really do appreciate it! And, as ever please review if you have a moment or two to spare, and also, as ever, enjoy...
Jac woke slowly, gradually becoming more aware of her surroundings and luxuriating in how comfortable she felt. She snuggled down for a few more moments before, realising that this didn't quite fit, she opened her eyes for the first time. She was disorientated for a few moments finding herself in Jonny's bed and on seeing that his side of the bed was empty felt a surge of disappointment, which soon abated when music which was obviously being played quietly in another part of the flat penetrated her consciousness. Her attention was then caught by the clock by Jonny's bed, and she raised her head to look at it more closely, feeling the need to check what she had seen. And the clock did indeed say 8.26, and Jac could scarcely believe it, not able to remember the last time she had slept so late, or so long. She wriggled in the bed, briefly wondering how she had come to be in it, before slowly sitting up, throwing back the covers and, after a final stretch, getting up.
After a brief visit to Jonny's en-suite, where she was pleased to see that the dark circles underneath her eyes had begun to fade and that the look of strain which she'd had for much of the week had disappeared, she padded, barefoot, down the corridor. As she did so she become aware not only that the music that she could hear was 'Boomerang' by the Bare Naked Ladies, but also of a lovely bakery smell in the air and she realised that, for the first time in almost a week, she actually felt hungry. She paused in the doorway of Jonny's open plan kitchen/living room, smiling as she realised that he, oblivious to her presence, was singing along quietly to the radio whilst he was fetching things down from his cupboards and that the bakery smell was coming from the selection of pastries she could see on a plate on the kitchen counter. Her stomach rumbled at the sight of it, and whether Jonny heard this or had become aware of her presence by some other means, he turned round. He was momentarily stunned into silence by how beautiful she looked standing there in his old t-shirt, and before he could say anything Jac said, smiling
"Mornin…is that for us?" indicating the plate of pastries.
"Erm, yeah, yes," Jonny replied, recovering "I was going to bring it in to you," he continued.
"Ah well I've saved you the trouble" Jac said, walking into the room, "and anyway Jonny, crumbs in the bed! Crumbs in the bed!" And these words triggered her memory and Jonny saw the expression on her face change and realising what had caused it quickly reassured her.
"Jil had a good night. I phoned the ward this morning and she's fine. In fact Dr Frost reckons she'll be able to come out of HDU tomorrow."
"Really?" Jac asked, the relief evident in her voice and another smile beginning to spread across her face.
"Uh huh," Jonny replied, nodding. "I mean Elliott will have to check her out in the morning but its all looking good so far"
"Oh that's so good, does everyone else know?"
"I think so, Jenna said that Daniel had already phoned when I rang, so I'd imagine he'd have told the others."
"Yeah," Jac said, pushing herself up to sit on the kitchen counter next to the plate of pastries, "oh that's such a relief."
"Mmm, it must be," Jonny replied, before crossing the kitchen to stand in front of her and saying, "I do have chairs you know"
And Jac looked over her shoulder at the living room and then turned back and said smiling one of her soft, seductive smiles. "I know, but it wouldn't be so easy to do this if I was sitting in one of them," and she leant forward slightly and gently placed her lips on his. Jonny responded immediately and soon they were both caught up in one of their 'deep and meaningfuls', and when they finally separated and Jac rested her head on Jonny's shoulder, he remarked
"Yep, you definitely have a point about the chairs – wouldn't have been half so easy to do that, or this…" he continued, gently raising her head and softly kissing her again. And their kiss deepened until their second 'deep and meaningful' of the morning was interrupted by the rumbling of Jac's stomach, which caused her to blush rather fetchingly, clutch her stomach as if to silence it and then looking up at Jonny through half-lowered eyes to say, smiling,
"Sorry!"
"Hey no," Jonny quickly replied, "don't apologise. I was meant to be bringing you your breakfast ages ago. Go on, you go and sit down and I'll bring it over," he continued, beginning to bustle round the kitchen. Jac got down from the counter and started to walk towards the small table near the window. "Orange juice ok?" Jonny asked, holding up a carton of Tropicana, "or I've got tropical fruits if you'd rather?"
"Orange juice will be lovely, thanks." Jac replied, smiling over at him as she sat down, and really enjoying the feeling of being looked after he was creating for her.
xxxxxx
Two croissants and a pain au chocolat later, Jac asked for the second time, "So there's really a bakery near here that opens on a Sunday?"
"Yep, down the road and turn left," Jonny replied, "just in the morning though, half seven till half eleven I think. He reckons it's one of his most lucrative times – all those people having their lazy Sunday mornings. Oh, and the dog walkers first thing, obviously."
"So how come we've never done this before?" Jac asked.
"Well, you're not big on lazy mornings," he explained, and Jac couldn't argue with that, lie-ins not normally being part of her vocabulary, "and you and carbs don't seem to be too friendly either."
"Hey," Jac retorted, mildly affronted "I have a perfectly healthy diet."
"I know, I know," Jonny placated her, "but you have to admit you're not really a pastries person. Not like Mo or Elliott, for example."
"Nobody's a pastry person like Elliott," she countered smiling
"Fair point"
"So what's different about today then?" Jac asked. "Why did you go for the baked goods this morning?"
"I thought you deserved a treat," Jonny replied, "and Jil made me promise to pamper you before I left work yesterday. On which point do you want anything else to eat – there's a pain au raisin here with your name on it."
Jac looked over at the plate and was tempted, but determined not to over-eat and aware of how much she had already had, said. "Mm, I'm really not sure I could manage anything else. It's so big"
"I'll go halves with you then" Jonny offered.
"Mmmmm, go on then," Jac replied, smiling after a slight pause, "but if I have a stomach ache later you'll be for it. OK?"
"Excellent," Jonny said getting up to fetch a knife. "Do you want anything else whilst I'm up? Another drink?"
"You know what," Jac said, "a cup of tea'd be lovely. Thanks. You'll really be in Jil's good books when I tell her how you've looked after me this morning. There'll be gold stars aplenty!"
xxxxxx
A short time later Jac and Jonny sat, in a companionable silence, at the table sipping their tea. Jac suddenly remembered something and asked, "Jonny, how did I get to bed last night?"
"Well, when I came in you were out like a light on the sofa – Match of the Day blaring from the TV" he emphasised.
"Really" Jac asked, realising that she remembered watching the first few minutes of 'Casualty', trying to decide which of the three girls who worked in the supermarket would be the patient of the week, but after that… nothing till she'd woken up this morning. "So you carried me?"
"Yep – see told you I could." He replied, reminding her of another conversation they'd had, when him carrying her had been an option which she'd outright rejected.
"You should have woken me" Jac said.
"No way – you looked so peaceful and there are some times when you definitely shouldn't kiss Sleeping Beauty"
"Sleeping Beauty?" Jac asked incredulously, "I think my Prince Charming needs his eyes testing!"
And Jonny, who was astonished that she couldn't see what he did, could only say, "I've got perfect eyesight I'll have you know, and you definitely were a sleeping beauty last night."
"Fine then," Jac said quickly, blushing slightly, "but you still should have woken me. You could have hurt yourself."
"Hey, are you trying to imply that I'm not strong enough to carry you…
"No, n.." Jac tried to interrupt
"because it really wasn't an issue. And by the way, you've lost weight."
"What?" Jac asked, this pronouncement driving all other thoughts out of her mind.
"You've lost weight" Jonny repeated, "probably because you haven't been eating properly this week."
"Ttt, don't be silly" Jac replied. "I can't have – I've been the same weight for years."
"Mmm, I know," Jonny declared, "that's why I'm sure you have."
"Yeah, well, whatever you say," she said, making it obvious that she still didn't believe him. "And even if I have," she continued, "I'm sure I've made up for it this morning."
"Mmm, I don't think so, not quite yet," Jonny replied, "although if you eat half of this last apple turnover I'm sure you will have"
"You're determined to make me sick, aren't you?" Jac asked, as he cut the turnover in half, "but you're not going to stop going on about it till I eat it are you?" she said, looking across at Jonny as he shook his head and held the plate with the two halves on up to her. "So I suppose, I'll have to eat it," she continued, picking one of them up from the plate, "just to shut you up." And so saying, she smiled over at him and bit into the pastry.
xxxxxx
Jonny brought the 'proper' coffee Jac had asked for over to her as she sat curled up on the sofa, placing it on the table in front of her before putting his own cup down and sitting down next to her. Noticing that she had the blanket that he'd found her under last night over her legs he asked, "You're not cold are you – because I can put the heating on you know."
"No, don't bother. I'm not really cold, it's just nice" she answered, shrugging her shoulders as she tried to explain.
"Oh, that's a shame," Jonny said, "because if you were cold I was going to ask if you wanted to snuggle up, to share our body heat you understand."
"Well, now you come to mention it," Jac replied, shivering dramatically, and moving closer to him "I suppose it is a bit chilly in here."
"And I can't have you being cold, can I?" Jonny asked, putting his arm around her shoulder and holding her close, whilst she rested her head on his chest. "I mean, Jil would never forgive me!"
"You're off today, right" Jac asked after a few minutes of sitting like this, Radio 2's 'Love Songs' playing in the background.
"Yep," Jonny replied, "then I've got an early tomorrow, so we can go in together if you want…Well," he said, suddenly realising that he'd been slightly presumptuous, "if you were planning on staying that is?"
"Mmm I was," Jac answered, knowing without looking that her answer had caused Jonny to smile. "I'll need to pop home at some point – I've got to collect some more clothes, and I'll need to make sure that Daniel and the others are OK, although they'll probably be at the hospital so I can do that when I visit Jil."
"When you planning to do that?" Jonny asked
"I thought after lunch – for afternoon visiting. I can't wait till the evening because I want to say bye to Rob."
"He's leaving then?"
"Yep, that was the plan yesterday if everything was OK with Jil. I think even super-woman Sas is struggling to cope looking after a new baby, two wired little boys and a worried OAP."
"Worried OAP?"
"Yeah. Jil's grandma – nonna. She lives with Tony and Rosa, so Sas took the boys over there to look after her whilst they were gone. That was why there was all that hoo-ha over the keys – Sas had to be able to get in and out."
"Oh right, yep, I can see why that would be helpful…So do you want me to come with you to the hospital then?"
"Yeah, I mean only if you want," Jac quickly added. "Sorry, I do realise you've spent most of your off time there this week."
"Hey, course I want to, and I'd spend all week at the hospital for you if I had to – 24/7. And I'd like to see Rob before he goes too, we can both have a laugh at Daniel's expense about the football."
"Why, what happened?"
"Well, both our teams won and his lost big style – three, nil, and to the bottom team in the league as well. Reckon we'll be able to wind him up good and proper!"
"Oh for goodness sake," Jac retorted exasperatedly, because although she was beginning to change her attitude slightly, she still wasn't exactly a convert, "it's only a game."
"To quote a very great man" Jonny replied, " 'Some people think football is a matter of life and death, I assure you its much more serious than that' "
"What?" Jac asked incredulously, and moving her head so she could look at him
"Bill Shankly!" he exclaimed. "Oh never mind" he said, gently pulling her backwards so that she was resting against him once more, and feeling her relaxing into him, kissed the top of her head, accepting that she would probably never understand his devotion to the 'beautiful game'. Probably.
"Oohh I know what I wanted to ask you," Jac said, sitting up to look at him again, "why have you got a bottle of Johnson's Bedtime bath here? I wouldn't think a lavender scented baby product would be your usual choice to wash with."
"Erm, erm" Jonny struggled to answer, slightly bewildered by the change of topic and having no idea what the answer was until a distant memory was triggered. "Oh" he said, "it must be from when Lorna came down with Freya."
"Your sister?"
"Yeah, her and Finn were going to Cornwall for a wedding so they made a holiday of it, stopped off at Isla's and then here for a couple of nights before carrying on."
"How did they all fit?" Jac asked which, again wasn't the question Jonny was expecting.
"My flat is not that small," he objected.
"It's tiny," Jac replied definitely, "I'm surprised you fit in sometimes, let alone another three people"
"Two and a half" Jonny corrected, "Freya was only a few months old then. And I can assure you that everybody fitted in very easily – Lorna and Finn were in my bed, Freya had her travel cot in with them and I slept in here. And we were all perfectly comfortable," he concluded.
"Mmm, yeah, whatever you say," Jac replied, her tone of voice indicating far more about how much she believed what he was saying than her words did. "But I bet you would have been tearing your hair out if they'd stayed for much longer," she concluded. And Jonny, who didn't want to lie or to admit that she was right, decided that a dignified silence was the best response. "I knew it," Jac said triumphantly, and as she settled back down on to him, he could have sworn he heard her say something about shoeboxes but, because he didn't want her to move again, enjoying the sensation of holding her close to him, he decided to let it pass.
xxxxxx
"What time is it?" Jac asked, after drinking the last few sips of her coffee and putting the cup back down on the table.
Jonny looked over at the clock on his cooker, "Err, nearly five past ten," he answered, "why?"
"Just wondering," Jac said, settling back against him once again. "It's a shame the Beeb don't have +1, or we could watch Andrew Marr, I quite like that."
"We can see what else is on if you like," Jonny said, reaching for the remote control that was on the table where he had left it last night.
"No, no don't," Jac replied, "you'd need to turn the radio off and you'll have to move, and I don't want you to do that," she continued drowsily, closing her eyes "I'm really comfortable here… this is nice isn't it," she finished, yawning slightly.
And Jonny kissed the top of her head, and said quietly but definitely. "Yes it is! It's very nice." And wrapping his free arm round her too, held her even closer, before repeating, "very nice. Very nice indeed."
xxxxxx
Jonny, who had been half listening to the radio and absent-mindedly playing with Jac's hair whilst she dozed, felt her stirring. He loosened his hold on her slightly, and after a few moments she lifted her head and after smiling sleepily at him stretched her arms out in front of her before once again settling back on him. "What time is it?" she asked again, just before trying, unsuccessfully, to stifle a yawn.
Jonny once again looked towards the cooker, "just gone ten to" he replied.
"Ten to what?"
"Eleven."
"Oh, I thought it'd be later than that," Jac said contentedly, "feels like I've slept for much longer than 45 minutes or so. I never normally nap in the day – I wonder what's up with me."
"You're probably just catching up on all the sleep you haven't had this week," Jonny suggested
"Mmm maybe" Jac agreed, as Jonny continued
"But I am pleased you woke up when you did."
"Why?... Oh your arm's not gone dead has it?" she asked, immediately sitting up, "or your legs?"
"No, no it's nothing like that." Jonny reassured her, "I just need to pay a visit to the little boy's room, but I didn't want to disturb you."
"Aww, my hero," Jac said, grinning appreciatively at him. "But never let it be said," she continued, throwing the blanket off her legs, sitting up properly and finally putting them down on the floor, "that I stood in the way of a man answering the call of nature. Go on" she concluded, "quickly. I'm guessing you don't want any accidents on your lovely sofa."
"Not really," Jonny said, hurriedly getting up and heading towards the door, before coming back to kiss Jac's forehead he said, "I won't be long," and then set off again.
"Too much information," Jac called after him as he went through the doorway. "Won't be long," she repeated quietly to herself, shaking her head, "why on earth would he say that? Idiot!" She then looked around the room and hearing a siren from outside, stood up and crossed over the window to look out. She was just in time to see an ambulance turning right out of Jonny's street and, for a moment idly, wondered if it was heading for Holby, before her attention was caught by, of all things, a blue balloon floating past the window. She watched it as it floated down the street, slowly gaining height as it did so, before it disappeared from her line of sight, too high for her to see it from inside. She wondered briefly where it had come from, before shaking her head she turned back towards the room and noticing the coffee cups on the table walked back over, picked them up and deposited them on the kitchen counter next to the rest of the stuff they had used at breakfast. She heard a noise and turning round saw that Jonny was back.
"Hey," he said, "leave that! I'll do it later. You're meant to be being pampered, which in case you didn't know, does not include you clearing up. Go on, sit down," he continued, as he walked towards her.
"Well, I was going to get a shower actually."
"Oh," Jonny said, immediately trying to hide his disappointment that she wouldn't be with him for a while by saying, "Yes, yes of course, there'll be plenty of hot water and you know where the towels are?"
"Yeah but I won't need a new one," Jac replied, as she walked towards the door, "I can use the one I had yesterday, it'll be fine." she continued, pausing in the doorway. "Right, to the shower" she said, setting off down the corridor, leaving a disconsolate Jonny gazing after her before he turned his attention to the used crockery on the kitchen counter. She retraced her steps a few moments later, walking backwards down the corridor to say, with one of those looks on her face and leaning back so she could see in to the room, "You coming?" before setting off towards the bedroom again. And Jonny, who had been considering doing the washing up, suddenly decided that it could most definitely wait, and followed in her footsteps.
And when he had finished 'pampering' her in the shower. And when they had proved, beyond a shadow of a doubt, why crumbs in their bed would definitely not be a good thing, he decided that it could probably wait a little longer too. There were, after all, much better things, he reasoned, that he could be doing with his Sunday morning…
Oooh and just to say the title of this chapter is based on that of the Mel C song 'Suddenly Monday' which is a rather lovely song that I really like and which, I think, has the feel of what I was trying to get across here.