Author's Note: Well, not nearly as long of a delay as I thought there was a going to be. LOL I got caught up playing Mass Effect 3 so I didn't take the time to really work on this. I knew that was going to happen, forgot to warn y'all about that in my last post, but hey, no big deal LOL I particularly like this chapter. It's been one of my favs since I planned this story. It has a full range of emotion, so sit back and enjoy the mini roller coaster I'm putting you on.
Sorry to my reviewers, I'm skipping the shoutouts this chapter for no other reason than I'm just being plain lazy LOL. Although, I greatly appreciate each and everyone of your for taking the time to leave me a note! Love you guys! Special note to archmore for add this story to alerts! Hope everyone enjoys this!
Chapter 34
"Kat! What are you doing out here?" Jason was livid. He'd stepped off the elevator on Kat's floor only to come face to face with the woman herself. She was fully dressed, wearing a pair of jeans and a low cut yellow t-shirt. Her left arm was roughly bandaged, leaving him to assume she'd pulled her own IV and wrapped up her arm... again. It wasn't the first time she'd plotted to run out of the hospital since the chest tube came out a week ago. At least she'd listened to the doctors on one thing and had put on the walking boot for her broken foot.
"I was going downstairs to see Tanya and little Marcus." Tanya had given birth to her and Rocky's first son, second child, in the wee hours of that morning. Jason had found the text message from Rocky when he woke up that morning. "I haven't seen him yet, and the doctor said it's good for me to be up and about now that the chest tube is gone."
"How's your breathing?" Jason questioned as he stepped aside for Kat to get on the elevator with him. The least he could do was let her go see the new baby before dragging her back to her room. Now that she wasn't constricted to the bed, it was getting harder and harder to convince her that she wasn't ready to go home.
"Just fine." Kat rolled her eyes and stepped onto the elevator. She stabbed the button for Tanya's floor with more force than necessary. "You don't have to treat me like I'm breakable."
"I just worry about you." Jason sighed. Kat looked over at him with a mix of understanding and contempt, but she didn't say a word. "So why get all dressed up to go see Marcus? And when did Tanya bring you those clothes?"
"To answer your first question, I don't like running around in those stupid hospital gowns and a bathrobe. I prefer to be dressed. What makes you think these are from Tanya?"
"The yellow shirt and the fact that you two wear the same size jeans." Jason shrugged. "When did your co-conspirator drop them off?"
"The day after the tube came out." Kat replied with a roll of her eyes yet again.
"Kat, I know you want to go..."
"You promised to take me home Jason!" Kat cut him off as she narrowed her eyes at him. "You promised, as soon as you could, you'd take me out of here."
"I still plan to, Kat!' Jason snapped. "The doctors haven't released you yet!"
"You're not even trying to get me out of here!" Kat said just as the elevator stopped. The doors pulled open, but neither made a move to get off the elevator. They stood there staring at each other, silently daring the other to say something more.
Jason broke the stare first, and slipped off the elevator when the tension became too much for him. Kat followed suit, but stayed a few feet away from him, not allowing him to touch her. They arrived at Tanya's room and Kat gently knocked on the door.
"Come in!' Rocky half sang from the other side. Kat plastered on her signature smile and opened the door. Jason trailed behind her, sporting a smile of his own.
"Kat! Your back!" Tanya grinned, she let out a loud laugh as she noticed Jason standing behind her. "Ah, and brought your warden with you."
"He caught me at the elevator." Kat groaned. "No clean escapes today."
"I should have known, you'd already been down to see Tanya." Jason groaned. "You were really trying to leave, weren't you?"
"So what if I was?"
"Kat, the doctors haven't released you yet."
"I don't care what they say." Kat crossed her arms over her chest.
"Well Kit-Kat, would it kill you to listen to the doctors?" Rocky shrugged as best he could with the precious bundle in his arms. Kat shot him a glare that surely would have put him six feet under, if looks could kill. "Okay, forget I said anything."
Jason sighed and shook his head, there was no winning with Kat. "Fine, I'll talk to the doctor today. I'm sure that we can get out you by this evening."
"Finally!" Kat exclaimed.
"On one condition." Jason held up a hand, Kat slouched and let out a sigh. "You continue to see Dr. Jeffery and you actually start talking to him."
"What if I don't?" Kat challenged.
"Then I won't be pushing to get you out of here." Jason replied.
"What the... Jason! That's not fair!" Kat argued. "Dr. Jeffery is so... meddling."
"That's he's job Kat." Jason rolled his eyes. "He's supposed to be asking you questions and getting to the heart of an issue."
"I don't have any issues, Jason." Kat seethed.
"I'd like to disagree with you." Jason raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms over his chest. "But we're not talking about this here. You wanted to sneak down to see Marcus."
"You're so pig headed." Kat grumbled as she turned back toward Rocky.
"I believe that Tommy said it best when he called you a stubborn mule." Jason retorted as Kat took the small baby in her arms. She looked up at him with fire burning in her eyes, but he knew she wouldn't retaliate so long as she was holding the baby. Tanya looked between her two friends for a moment and then caught her husbands gaze. Rocky gave her a simple shrug to say that he didn't know anymore than she did.
Kat and Jason stayed for only a few minutes before leaving the happy second time parents alone with their new baby. They rode the elevator back up to Kat's floor in complete silence, the tension wrapping around them like a constrictive blanket. Kat limped off toward her room, stomping her good foot as hard as she could with each step, making a satisfying slap against the ground with her shoe. Jason could practically feel the anger rolling off of her, like a hurricane starting to brew. When she blew, he knew it was going to be one hell of ride.
Kat stood by the door with a hand on her hip, waiting for Jason to follow her into the room. He could see the look in her eyes as if she were contemplating slamming the door on him, and he quickly rushed out of the doorway well past the door's range of motion. Kat closed the door calmly, which only served to make him even more nervous. He'd been expecting her to slam it with as much force as possible. The fact that she was suddenly so calm terrified him.
She turned to her back to him and wrapped her arms around her stomach. Jason stood behind her silently, unsure of what exactly was happening. He saw her shoulders shake as silent sobs sent tremors racing through her body.
"Kat..." Jason started, but his throat was incredibly dry and he found it hard to say anything more than her name.
"I'm having a hard time keeping it together." Kat admitted quietly. Her airy voice broken and thick. "I just want this to be over."
"Then talk to Dr. Jeffery. He'll know how to help you." Jason pleaded, finally taking the last steps to her. He placed his large hands on her shoulders and gently turned her around to face him. "I'm right here too. You know you can talk to me about anything Kat."
"Jase, I..." Kat closed her eyes and chewed on her bottom lip. "I called him your name once."
"That's what's bugging you?" Jason asked in surprise. Of all the things that she could talk about, that hadn't been one he's been expecting.
"He was nuzzling my neck one morning and I thought it was you for a minute." Kat opened her eyes to look at him as tears streaked down her face, face and thick.
"Oh, Kat." Jason breathed and took her into his arms. He gently stroked her hair and pressed a kiss to her forehead. "You went through hell, I can't blame you for thinking you were somewhere safe, with me. You did nothing wrong."
"It wasn't just that I called him your name, he tried to act like you. Everything he did to me that day was a shadow of you. He was trying to prove to me that he loved me." Kat explained. "I tried so hard to fight him, but I couldn't... and he... and I... I responded... and he... I..." She pulled away from him suddenly and looked up into his midnight eyes.
"Hey, it's okay. Talk to me Snowflake." Jason soothed. He tried to reach for her again but she took another step back from him.
"You're not understanding." she shouted.
"What? What am I not understanding?" Jason crossed his arms over his chest.
"Forget it." Kat turned around and limped toward the window. "I just need out of here. It's too quiet and too much time to do nothing but think."
"Kat, don't shut me out." Jason begged from his spot across the room. He watched Kat's shoulders fall as she let out a heavy sigh.
"I can't explain it. At least not to you, not yet." Kat shook her head before lifting her gaze back out the window. Her eyes locked onto the park where children were enjoying their Saturday, playing in the late March weather. It was chilly but one didn't need much more than a jacket or a sweater.
"I'll go call the doctor." Jason finally conceded after a few moments of silence. Kat turned back toward him, her smile radiant and her eyes bright.
"Thank you." She replied barely above a whisper. Jason just nodded to her and left the room. He made his way down the hall to the nurses station.
One of the younger nurses, Mary, looked up as Jason approached the desk. "She didn't get far did she?" She grinned.
"You knew she was leaving?" Jason raised an eyebrow.
"Sure. I saw her trying to sneak out, but security said that you had just walked in the door and heading towards the elevator." Mary replied.
"Oh." Jason shrugged. "Could you get Dr. Retta on the phone for me?"
"I'm assuming that you want to take Ms. Hillard home now?" She laughed.
"Better that I get her released than chance her running away." Jason replied with a slight chuckle. "She's doing well enough I think she can manage at home."
"Well I hope Dr. Retta agrees with you." She smiled as she dialed the doctors beeper number. It took all of five minutes for the doctor to call. He wasn't in full agreement with Jason's theory, but did agree to come check Kat for himself leaving the possibility of release as an option. Jason walked back to Kat's room to give her the good news.
"Am I free?" Kat asked from her perch on the bed. Jason took notice that her voice was a bit wheezy. He let out a sigh and shook his head.
"You should put your oxygen on." He raised an eyebrow as he sat on the edge of the bed. He grabbed the oximeter, a small device used for the purpose of measuring her oxygen level, from the side table and placed the clip on her pointer finger.
"I'm fine." She waved away his concern with her free hand. Jason rolled his eyes and checked the readout on the small machine.
"The doctor will be here soon, if you're wheezing like you are now, he won't let you go home. You're in the high eighties, you need it on for a while." He said as he took the device off her finger. Kat rolled her eyes and took the oxygen mask off the headboard of her bed. She fixed her glare at him and slipped it over her face. "Much better."
"Just so you know I hate this thing." She muttered.
"Your lung isn't fully healed yet Kat..."
"I know." Kat rolled her eyes again. "Seriously, I wish everyone would stop treating me like I'm fine china."
"Can you really blame any of us Kat?" Jason said sternly as he crossed his arms over his broad chest. "We nearly lost you. I saw you die, right there in my arms. It's a miracle that you're sitting here with me now. I'll be damned if I loose you to your own stubbornness. If the doctor says you have to do something I'm going make sure that you follow his instructions to the letter."
Kat let out a heavy sigh and fell back against the pillow. She closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths, as if letting his words sink in.
"Kat, tell me you understand were I'm coming from." Jason moved up high on the bed so he could take her hands into his. "Tell me you understand I'm not trying to be over protective for no good reason." Kat opened her brilliant blue eyes and met his gaze.
"I love you." she whispered.
"I love you too Kat." Jason replied with a smile.
"I understand."
"Thank you Kat." Jason gave her hands a squeeze and then stood up from the bed. Kat sat up and watched him move across the room toward the window.
"You think about it a lot, don't you?" she asked suddenly.
"Yes." Jason replied quietly. "I keep seeing you covered in blood, white as snow, and weak beyond anything I've ever known. I can't get the feel of your limp body out of my system, the feel of your cold skin against my fingers..." Jason swallowed hard against the lump in his throat as his memory replayed the scene from the forest. Kat licked at her dry lips, she hadn't realized that night had left a lasting impression on anyone other than herself. She finally realized she wasn't the only one suffering from a living nightmare.
"Jason." Kat whispered. "I'm sorry."
"Why should you be sorry, Kat?" Jason let out a bark of bitter laughter.
"I'm sorry I keep fighting you on everything. I can only imagine what it's like your shoes."
"And I have no idea what it's like to be in yours." Jason replied. "Call a truce?"
"Truce." Kat grinned.
"You're not as wheezy now, you can take off the mask." Jason laughed. Kat quickly shed the plastic face mask with twice the speed that she ever put it on. Jason took out the oximeter once again. Kat rolled her eyes, but still held out her left hand as Jason slipped the end onto her pointer finger. She snuggled back against the pillow and closed her eyes once more. "Looks good, back up in the high nineties."
"That's good." Kat shrugged. Jason still hadn't removed the clip from her finger, but he held her hand tightly in his own, rubbing small circles into her wrist and palm with his calloused thumbs. "Mmm, what do I have to do to get you to do that to my whole body?"
"I'll think of something." Jason laughed. He watched her relax even more into the bed and grinned. Now was as good a time as any, he supposed. He reached into his pocket and retrieved the small object he'd been carrying with him everyday since she had woke up. He slipped the oximeter off her pointer finger, and slid the small circular metal object on her ring finger. Kat's eyes shot open to see what he was doing. Jason grinned at her with his million dollar smile as he finished pushing the ring all the way down to her knuckle.
Kat stared at the sparkling flawless gem now resting on her finger, speechless. Her mouth opening and closing like a fish. She looked up at him with wide eyes before looking back at her hand.
"Katherine Lynn Hillard, will you marry me?" Jason asked after he let her stare for a few minutes. Kat looked back up at him and back down at the ring on her finger, a simple pear shaped diamond set into a silver band with two small pink gems surrounding the diamond.
"Are... are you sure?" She gulped.
"There's no one else in the world I'd rather be with Kat. I already asked your Dad." Jason replied. "Please say yes."
"I..." Kat closed her eyes and let her head fall back so she was facing the ceiling. For a brief moment, Jason was sure she was going to say 'no'. He felt his heart clench into a ball within his chest as he waited for her reply. Time ticked by slower than anything he'd ever experienced. What only lasted a few seconds felt like an hour as he waited. She finally sat up straight and looked him the eye as a smile spread across her face. "Yes."
Jason's heart nearly exploded with joy. He stood up from the bed with whoop and held Kat's hands tight in his own. "Thank you! You have no idea how happy you've made me!"
Kat smiled at his excitement, truthfully she had never seen Jason act like this. It was nice to see a side of him that she was sure no one had ever experienced. Jason bent over and hugged her fiercely, kissing her cheek over and over again. Kat giggled as his stubble scratched against her cheek. Jason grinned and began rubbing his cheek against hers purposefully. "Jason!" Kat squealed after a moment.
"What?" Jason asked innocently as he pulled back from her.
"Thank you." She whispered tenderly. Jason gently kissed her lips as he cupped her cheek with his hand.
"I've got a few calls to make." Jason said, and stood from the bed once more. He disappeared out the door. Kat sat alone on her bed staring at the ring Jason had just placed on her hand. She hoped that she had made the right choice, it wasn't just about her anymore. There was Jason and Lilly to consider. Kat's breath caught in her throat, she going to be Lilly's stepmother. Her, Katherine Hillard, a stepmother. The thought both terrified and thrilled her. What if Lilly didn't want her as a stepmother? What if Lilly resented her father getting married again? Or even more terrifying, what if Lilly wanted all that? Could she live up to the expectations of a six year old?
At least there was one person she could talk to about this. Without another thought she picked up her cell phone off the side table. She brought up the number of the person she wanted and pressed send.
Meanwhile, Jason couldn't contain his excitement as he brought up the first speed dial number. He waited impatiently as the phone rang and rang. "Come on doc, it's a Saturday, no school."
"Hello?" came an answer, finally.
"Geez, think you took long enough? It was about to roll over to voicemail." Jason replied.
"I was... busy." Tommy said.
"Bro, I told you I don't need to know things like that." Jason grimaced. "Seriously, it's not even lunch time yet."
"That's not what I was busy with!" Tommy retorted. "Get your mind out of the gutter for more than 2.5 seconds would ya?"
"That's oh so hard, when I'm talking to you." Jason grinned.
"Gross bro, just gross." Jason could picture Tommy standing there with a sour look just shaking his head.
"So what were you busy with then?"
"Are you calling just to harass me?"
"Possibly. What were you busy with?"
"Being hounded with wedding details, I'm supposed to be trying to give my two cents worth about what I want." Tommy sighed. "Anna's picking the colors and theme, and for some reason she wants me to help. Not one of her girlfriends. Me! I'm horrible at this bro!"
"Sounds horrible Tommy." Jason laughed.
"Yeah, it is. I've got swatches of colored fabric littering my livingroom, and menus from restaurants and caterers stacked two feet high on the coffee table. Why she couldn't get her friend Jasmine or even Kimberly, who's really awesome at this kind of stuff, to help her is beyond me."
"Where's the happy bride to be now?"
"She's outside signing for yet another package from UPS." Tommy groaned.
"I have the feeling I'll be going through that same hell as you very soon." Jason laughed, wondering if Tommy would catch the meaning.
"Let's hope not. Anna is not going to be getting my guy friends involved in this, although she's talking about tuxes and flowers already. We have an appointment next weekend with a florist all the way in LA! LA! All because some stupid wedding magazine says this particular shop is one of the best in the state. We've got six months before the wedding and she's already..." Tommy suddenly paused in his rant, silence filled the line for a long moment. Jason had to bite his tongue to keep from laughing as he pictured Tommy with his dumbfounded look that he got when he just caught onto a joke. "You asked Kat?"
"Damn Bro, who ever said you were slow? It only took you all of two minutes to realize what I said." Jason finally let out the laugh he had been trying to hold in.
"Ha, ha, ha." Tommy said sarcastically. "You know, I personally know that Kat won't put you through this. She knows what she wants and it's usually very tasteful. Don't be surprised if she's got the whole thing planned in a week."
"Actually I wouldn't mind if Kat involved me in the planning process, or at least Lilly. Lilly is going to be so excited."
"I bet. When's Kat getting out?"
"Today if I can manage." Jason replied. "I cut her a deal and we're waiting for the doctor to come sign the discharge papers, well after he checks her out."
"Well that's double good news! We should throw a party for her, and you. Anna and I can be there in a couple hours. Trini and Aisha can start getting things ready. Zach and Kim could be there for the party too. And with her family already in town it makes it extra special."
"I'm sure she'd love everyone to be there." Jason grinned. "Tanya and Rocky will be home with baby Marcus tomorrow, we could throw a party for them tomorrow. Kat would enjoy it."
"Let me talk to Anna when she gets back inside, and I'll call you back."
"Actually just call Rocky and Adam to set things up. I don't want Kat to overhear anything. Send me a text to let me know if we got a green light."
"At this point I'm giving the green light, even if the future Mrs. disagrees." Tommy laughed.
"Anything to get out of fabric swatches?" Jason chuckled.
"At this point I'd welcome a not so friendly visit from Rita."
"You just want to wear spandex again. What color this time? I think you're on blue."
"And have Ethan think I'm his 'soul brother', I think not." Tommy replied in horror. "Who says I have to take up another color anyway?"
"Well Dr. Rainbow..."
"You know, technically black isn't a color of the rainbow, not is white." Tommy cut him off. "So you can tell the king of nicknames that doesn't work for me."
"Technicalities." Jason rolled his eyes. "I say you take pink, your last team was missing that color."
"You're so funny, let me know when stand up hour ends." Tommy drawled. "That joke is way over used, Rocky makes a crack about me wearing the cute little skirt and taking Kim or Kat's place on the team just about every time he sees me."
"I don't think you could pull off the color anyway." Jason laughed.
"Yeah. Hey, Anna just came back in. I'll send you a text once I have some plans in motion. Later man."
"Hope to see you later. See ya Tommy." Jason replied before ending the call on his end. He quickly dial his parents number to pass along the good news to both his and Kat's parents. It didn't take long for the text messages to start flowing in from all his friends congratulating him and Katherine. He grinned to himself, thinking that there was nothing that could bring him down at that moment.