Jonathan drove them up the coast a little ways, and checked them into a quaint little inn in a little town known as Bay Creek.
He reserved them a room, and the desk clerk handed them the room keys.
"You guys are the only guests we have here tonight, this is our slow time. So, let me know if you need something. Your room is all the way down the hall at the very end. Very secluded and private".
"Thank you".
They took their luggage to the room and got settled, and then they went to a restaurant in town.
It was a glamorous steakhouse, and they both really enjoyed it.
They headed back to the room, and changed into their pajamas.
They settled onto the bed and she gave him a long back scratch.
"It's so nice to finally have time to ourselves".
"Yeah, it is. I mean, I'm glad we had the kids, because I think that they were in a horrible situation. And I'm so thankful we have Max, but it's so nice to know that we can do whatever we want to and there won't be a knock on the door."
"Darling, do you still think we need more space?"
"Yes, I do. Do you?"
"Yes, but probably for different reasons than you do".
"What do you mean?"
"Our bathroom is small, we need a bigger one. Preferably one with a soaking tub. And the kitchen is a little tight, but that's workable. Really though, I would love for us to have a patio".
"Yeah, those are good ideas".
She started scratching his chest and playing with his chest hair.
"Darling, thank you for indulging me with the kids. I know that was a last-minute type of thing, to bring them to California".
"It's ok, they mean a lot to me too. And what's important to you is important to me".
He gave her a long back massage, and then just held her tight.
"You're worrying about them, aren't you?"
"Yeah, I am. Savanna doesn't take to people very well, and she's never met Julie and Sean before yesterday. And Luke processes things more deeply than it appears, and I think the stuff with Abby and Mike really got to him. If only you could have seen the look on his face when he realized that we were taking care of them again. And if you could have seen how absolutely terrified Savanna was to take her medicine the first time, she probably cried about 20 minutes".
"I promise you, if I ever come across Abby and Mike in person again, you will be bailing me out of jail."
"Same here".
He gave her a few kisses, and then wrapped his arms around her.
He reached up and turned out the light.
He rolled over on top of her, and kissed her sweetly. She kissed him back with more fervor and gripped his shoulders.
He ran his hand between her legs, over her soft heat, and up to her breast, which he gave a slight squeeze.
"Mmmm".
He started kissing her neck, as he rubbed his thumb over her nipple and flicked it a little bit.
She reached down and squeezed his butt, and dragged her nails up his back.
He unbuttoned her pajama top and pulled it open and leaned down and sucked on her nipples.
He stood up and took off his pajama pants, and grabbed a condom, while she shimmied out of her panties.
After he was ready, he climbed back on top of her again, and resumed kissing her.
He nuzzled her neck as he wound her curls around his hand.
"I want you, darling".
"I want you too".
He thrust into her and began rocking his hips forward, as he kissed her neck.
"Oh, baby….oh baby".
He continued to rock his hips forward as she wrapped her legs around his.
"Jona….than…..oh….god…"
"Almost there, baby".
He took her over the edge first, and then again. Finally, he went over himself and collapsed on top of her.
"We haven't had sex like that since New York".
"It's amazing what a change of scenery will do for a person".
They shared some kisses and she scratched his back for him as they calmed down.
He fell asleep on top of her a few minutes later.
She made herself as comfortable as she could and then fell asleep holding him.
***Around 5 a.m.***
Jonathan woke up and realized that he was on top of Jennifer.
He immediately climbed off her and went to the bathroom and came back to bed. He wrapped his arms around her and went to sleep.
Jennifer stretched out next to Jonathan, and nestled back against him, dreaming of Caroline and how they used to hang out and talk after college.
***A few hours later***
Jennifer woke up around 8, and stretched out next to Jonathan.
"Morning, darling".
"Morning. Has Max made breakfast yet?"
"Darling, we are staying at the Bay Creek Inn, remember?"
"Yes". He dozed off again.
He finally opened his eyes, and sat up.
"Did Max make coffee yet?"
"Darling, I just told you, we aren't at home. We are at the Bay Creek Inn, remember?"
"Yeah, I guess I was dreaming".
He snuggled with her for a minute and then got up and got a shower.
She got one after him, and after they were dressed, they checked out of the Inn and went to grab breakfast.
After a nice breakfast, they were headed home. They had a leisurely drive down the coast and arrived back home in middle of the afternoon.
Jonathan carried their bags upstairs when they came in, and then came downstairs. He took some more headache medicine and then sat on the couch with Jennifer.
Max had gone to a poker game and would be home late.
Jennifer turned on the tv, but the noise was bothering Jonathan, so she turned it off.
"What do you want for dinner?"
"I don't care."
"Do you want me to make you something, or do you want to have something delivered?"
"I don't care".
"Jonathan, I'm not a mind reader. You pick".
She snuggled up to him and put her head on his chest.
They ended up taking a nap together, for about an hour.
Jennifer woke up and was quietly reading while he continued to sleep.
About 20 minutes later, he woke up and started grabbing his head and thrashing about.
"Darling, what is it?"
"Headache….worst one ever…."
"Ok, I'm taking you to the hospital. Come on".
She helped him up off of the couch, and grabbed her keys and purse.
She put him in the front seat and buckled him up, and then drove him to the nearest hospital, Baptist Los Angeles.
She parked and helped him out of the car and held his hand as they walked inside.
"How can we help you?"
"Hi, my fiancé has been having horrible headaches that are getting increasingly worse. And he says this is the worst one he's ever had".
"Ok, fill out this paperwork and we will call him back as soon as we can".
She took the clipboard and Jonathan handed her his wallet and they sat down.
The only way he could be comfortable was if his head was in her lap.
She filled out the paperwork the best she could, and then eased out from under him to go turn it in.
Jennifer returned to Jonathan, and scratched his back while his head was in her lap.
About 10 minutes later, they called him back and put him in a room.
They came and took his vitals, and then the doctor came in to ask him some questions.
"Mr. Hart, when did these headaches start?"
He pointed to her.
"About the middle of November. At first it was every now and then, but now it seems as if it's every day".
"Have you received any other diagnoses?"
"Inner ear infection".
"Has he been confused, or dizzy, or anything?"
"At times. Sometimes he's nauseous. Other times he's forgetful. He's been moody at times as well, and I noticed that he will very quickly get into the bad mood and then very quickly get out of it".
"Ok, well his blood work is normal. I am going to order some tests and give you a shot for pain, and I will be back to check on you in a little bit".
"Thank you, doctor".
Jonathan was laying with a blanket over his eyes.
He was being extremely still. Jennifer laced her hand through his and sat there with him.
The nurse came in and gave him a pain shot, and ordered a bed for Jennifer.
Her bed arrived about 10 minutes later. They lowered the inside bedrails and pushed the beds together. She climbed up in it and wrapped her arms around him as best she could.
About 20 minutes later, the attendant came to take him for some tests.
"I'll be right here when you get back, darling. I love you".
She kissed him and then laid back on her bed.
"I love you too".
He squeezed her hand before letting it go, and they wheeled him away.
She went and found some magazines in the waiting room, and then came back to the room.
She read the magazines for about 40 minutes, until they brought him back.
"The doctor will be in to see you shortly".
"Thank you".
She laced her hand through Jonathan's.
"Hi, how is the pain?"
"Better. I'm nauseous if I move my head too much, though".
"Want to try sitting up?"
"Yeah, I guess".
She helped him move the bed up and moved hers up too.
He seemed to handle it well.
He drifted off to sleep just before the doctor came in.
Jennifer woke him up when the doctor got there.
"Mr. Hart, I'm Dr. Hawkins. I've been looking at your x-rays and CT results, and I found something alarming. I do believe you have some sort of mass inside your brain, that is pushing on the nerves in the brain, causing the headaches".
"You mean, like a tumor?"
"Well, maybe. It could also be a cyst. We don't know just yet, and we won't know till we get in there and figure it out".
"Dr., he has a bump on his head that he noticed a couple months ago. Could that be related?"
She showed him where it was and he examined it with a magnifying glass.
"Yes, that seems to be the location of the mass".
"So what happens now?"
"We need to schedule a biopsy of the mass to determine what we are dealing with. And we need to schedule removal".
She nodded.
"I am going to have the nurse come do the biopsy, and then I will examine the results and we will talk afterwards. He will have to be put to sleep for the biopsy though".
"Thank you, doctor".
Jonathan was quiet but squeezed Jennifer's hand.
"I love you, and it's going to be ok".
"Darling, what if this isn't fixable?"
"We will deal with whatever we have to, darling. Let's not worry till there's something to worry about".
"Call Max. Have him come get you".
"No, no, no. I am staying here with you and that's final".
He squeezed her hand again.
She leaned over and kissed him and then rested her head on his shoulder.
The nurse came and started an IV for him, and paged the anesthesiologist.
Within 30 minutes, Jonathan was sound asleep and the nurse was doing his biopsy.
They let Jennifer hold his hand, but she had to sit up and not lay on him.
It took about 12 minutes, and then the nurse was done.
Within the hour, Dr. Hawkins was back to talk to them. Jonathan was still asleep.
"Ok ma'am, I have the biopsy results".
"Jennifer, please".
"Ok. I'm going to be straight with you Jennifer. When we did the biopsy, we wanted to see blood or liquid coming through. That would have been the best-case scenario. Instead, we got some liquid and mostly air, and that is not what we wanted. So, we are going to have to take him to surgery to remove this. I expect it to take about 2 hours, but it could take longer. And there could be lasting complications, but we aren't positive about that yet. He will definitely have to stay overnight, and maybe two nights."
She blinked back the tears, and nodded.
"The attendant will be here in about 30 minutes to prep him."
"Ok. Can I do anything for him before then?"
"Not a thing. Just keep him calm".
"Thank you, doctor".
She leaned over and put her head on his chest and laced her fingers through his.
"Darling, I know you can hear me, so I want you to really listen to me. You are going to be just fine, Jonathan Charles. This isn't the end of our love story, not by a long shot. This is a plot twist, that's all. Our love story is just beginning, and we still have a lot left. I can't do it alone, I need you to do it with me, ok? I love you with all of my heart, and I am going to be right here waiting on you when you get back.".
She kissed him a few times and then just laid with him till they came to get him.
She kissed him again and told him she loved him and they took him to surgery.
She grabbed a Kleenex and wiped her tears, and then called Max.
"Hart residence".
"Max, hey. It's Jennifer. Jonathan and I are at Baptist Los Angeles, room 624. He was having a horrible headache so I brought him here, and they found a mass on his brain. He's in surgery right now".
"I'm on my way. Can I bring you anything?"
"Just some bottled water, I guess. And can you bring both bags from upstairs on the bed?"
"You got it."
They hung up and she laid back on the bed.
A few minutes later, Dr. Kendall came in.
"Hi. What's going on with Jonathan?"
"Hi, come on in. I wish I knew."
"Start from the beginning".
"Ok, so back in New York, Jonathan and I were taking care of the kids. This was before Christmas. And one night, he found a bump on his scalp and asked me to look at it. It was just a raised bump, not a freckle, but darker than his regular scalp. So, I told him to have it checked out. He said it didn't itch and it didn't hurt. He hasn't mentioned it since. Then, he started getting headaches. I didn't think anything of it because we were two single people living single lives suddenly thrown into caring for a 7 year old, a 5 year old and an infant. We weren't getting a lot of sleep due to the baby, and the stress level was higher than we were used to. One night, I woke up, and he was nauseous and had to pace to keep from throwing up. Again, I didn't think anything about it because the kids had all had the stomach bug and so had he. He actually went to the doctor after that, and they told him he had an inner ear infection. And one of the side effects of the medicines that he's on, is headaches. He's been confused at times lately, but nothing out of the ordinary, or that lasted too long. So, he and I went up the coast to a little inn for an overnight getaway. He had a headache on the way home, and took some more medicine when we got back and we took a nap. And then we were on the couch and he said he had the worst headache ever, so I told him I was bringing him here and he didn't fight me. I thought it would be just him getting a pain shot or something, but they told me he has a mass of some kind. They don't know if he has a cyst, or a tumor, but it's in his brain and he's in surgery right now to remove it".
She started to cry again.
"I just keep thinking, this time last year, he and I hadn't even met yet. And I still had my best friend, Caroline. And then he and I met and it didn't go well, to say the least, and now, we are in love and he's the best thing that's ever happened to me, and my best friend is gone, and I can't lose him too".
Susan put her arm around Jennifer.
"Shh. None of that. It's going to be ok. I have known Jonathan for a long time. He and my husband are good friends. And if there's one thing I've learned about him, it's that he's a fighter. He is going to pull through this and come out the other side better than ever."
"I hope so. We were just getting to the good part, you know? We were just getting past the mystery, and really getting to know each other. I mean, he asked me to marry him, and we are planning a wedding."
"That's wonderful!"
"Oh, we haven't announced it yet. So, please, just between us."
"No worries".
"I called Max. He's on his way. And I guess I should call the office, but I don't know who he would want to tell this too, or who he wouldn't".
"Sweetie, let's wait till we have something to tell them."
She nodded.
"What about your family? Do you want to call them to come be with you?"
"Well, I just have my father. And he's overseas and he hasn't even met Jonathan".
"I see".
Jennifer got up and got more Kleenex and wiped her eyes again.
"How did you know he was here?"
"I have privileges here, and saw him on the patient list. So, I came to check and see if he was ok".
"I'm so glad you did".
"So, why don't we keep our minds off this? Tell me-how did you meet Jonathan?"
"Through my best friend, Caroline. She and I were college roommates. He and her husband Patrick served in the Navy together. They had a birthday party for their son, and he came over because he was in town on business."
"And you said it wasn't love at first sight?"
"Not at all. He came off as a chauvinist. And then he begged them to set us up and she told me how obsessed with me he was, and I told her to drop hints that I wasn't looking for anything serious. So, when we finally have a date, he acted like a boor, and then we went back to Caroline and Patrick's house. And I was in the bathroom, and he was in the kitchen. But he thought I was in the bedroom, so he told Patrick that I wasn't beautiful or intelligent, and that was why he had behaved that way. I waited till he went upstairs and then left, in tears. Caroline ripped him a new one, so to speak, and he came to my work the next day to apologize. And then after that, I was writing an article that was exposing his company as the owner of a smaller company that was found to be dealing with money laundering, tax evasion, things like that So, he came to me and begged me to not print it, but I told him no, I wasn't going to do that. And I made it clear in the article that his company was only the parent company and not involved, but he was still so mad at me. So, then I get transferred to London, and he comes to London, and we called a truce. And we had a wonderful date together and I had a completely different opinion of him. And then, he ghosted me. So, I came home and avoided him all together, which wasn't easy, and then came the dinner".
"The dinner?"
"Yes, I was nominated for an award and there was a dinner and a ceremony. So, Patrick set me up with a guy from his firm, and arranged to have him pick me up there. Jonathan was there because he was going to watch the kids. So, my date is an hour and a half late, and I thought I had been stood up. I almost went home, but then he showed up. So, we went and we didn't hit it off. And then the next night, our friends were killed in a car accident, and we got thrown into taking care of the kids. So, we ended up sharing a bedroom and a bed because the infant was waking up in the night. And it slowly turned into us being friendly towards each other and getting along. And then one night, we had gotten a babysitter and went shopping for the kids for Christmas. And when we got home, Savanna was missing her parents, so we started watching home movies of them. And on the last home movie they had made, the one from the night of the dinner, you clearly see Jonathan agreeing to put on Patrick's tux and take me to the dinner. Only I didn't know it because my date got there right before Jonathan came out of their bedroom. So, we put that movie in and he didn't want to watch it and he got up and went in the bedroom. And after it was over, I went to him and told him I couldn't believe he had done that. And then I kissed him, and we've been together ever since".
"That's so sweet".
"Yeah, we had a rocky beginning, but we are in a good place right now. And that's why this thing, whatever it is, cannot take him from me. Our story isn't finished yet, and it's too soon for a plot twist like this".
"Where are the kids?"
"Well, that's another long story. We were supposed to watch them short term, and their "aunt and uncle" were supposed to watch them long term. And then they came to visit us, and we found out how they were being treated, and decided they were not going back there. So, then, Jonathan got his PI to do some digging and we found out that the aunt wasn't actually related to Caroline and Patrick at all. And through the process, we found an aunt who really is related, and they are now with them. We feel good about it, we feel as though they are safe, but man, do I miss them. It's only been a day".
"I know the feeling".
"I was expecting the other shoe to drop any day now, regarding the "aunt and uncle", but I never expected for the shoe to be this".
"Life has a way of throwing curveballs, that's for sure".
"Yeah, I guess".
She blew her nose and drank the last of her water from her purse.
"How did you meet Jonathan?"
"Well, we were at a dinner party one night. And he and my husband hit it off very well. And they started playing golf together and tennis, and then they started going to games together and we just started all hanging out, and he and I finally met and had a conversation about 4 months after he and Drew met".
"Well, he thinks very highly of you, because as soon as I discovered the bruises on Savanna, I wanted to get it documented and Luke wanted to talk to him about the cut he has. And he said first thing, we are going to Dr. Kendall".
"I appreciate that. And you guys did the right thing by bringing them in. Both of those situations needed attention".
"I agree. Luke only wanted Jonathan to see his cut, so I don't know the details other than his "cousin" stepped on him with cleats on, and it cut him. And his "aunt and uncle" refused to take him to the doctor, and it got infected".
"Yeah, he was pretty embarrassed, but he was a brave guy".
Max came in then, and handed her the bottle of water and put their bags down.
"I'm going to head to the cafeteria. I'll be back in a minute".
"Thanks, Max". She stood up and kissed his cheek.
A few minutes later, the nurse came in.
"Miss Edwards, Mr. Hart is out of surgery. The doctor will be in to speak with you soon".