Chapter 25
It had been almost three weeks since the accident, and Jack and Lisa had gotten into a bit of a routine. Jack always got up early to do chores out in the barn. He then came back to the house and had breakfast with Lisa. Lisa could take care of getting cleaned up every day. Either Jack, Amy, or Lou helped Lisa with washing her hair on the days that she needed it, and then she got to work in the bedroom while Jack went back outside to work. The couple would have lunch together if Jack was close by to the house around that time, and then they would have dinner with the family. It was nice for them to have a routine, and it helped Lisa have some normalcy in her life. Jack told Lisa that it wasn't too different from how they did things before the accident except that there were days that she had to be at Fairfield to work back then.
Lisa felt like she was getting to understand her current business and had learned who all of her employees were. She was starting to want to go back to work, but she was nervous. Georgie and Edwin had given her the rundown on everyone and had made sure she knew how to say people's names. They also helped with the horses. Lisa couldn't be seen, not knowing who her horses were. She prided herself on being more hands-on than some breeders were. She had always known every horse in her stable, and she wasn't going to stop just because she lost her memory. Her goal was to get back to work by the following week, no matter how nervous she was. Jack, Amy, and Lou had all offered to give her rides to Fairfield on the days she was going, and Georgie was willing to drive her back to Heartland.
Lisa had been to see her neurologist. They had encouraged her to try going back to work part time to see if doing things that she had done before the accident would help trigger her memory in some way. Going back to work was something that she had already been considering, but not to get her memory back. She wasn't super hopeful that it would help, but she was interested in trying. Lisa was most excited that she had been told that once her arm was out of the cast, she could drive again. Unfortunately, Lisa had about three weeks left before she could drive.
On Friday evening, after Jack finished his work, he walked up to the house. Lisa was sitting out on the porch drinking an iced tea. He loved seeing her there. As much as he wanted to kiss her and sit down beside her and put an arm around her, he held back. They had only kissed once since Lisa had lost her memory. She wasn't ready to do it again, so Jack had agreed to let her go at her own pace. He could wait. Instead, he sat down beside his wife and bumped his shoulder against hers playfully. "Hey, how was your day?"
Lisa turned to look at Jack. "It was fine. I'm ready to have my life figured out, but at the same time, I'm super nervous about going back to work next week. What if it goes poorly?"
"You'll do great. You're smart and capable, and I've seen how good you are at your job. You make me incredibly proud." Jack was incredibly proud of how successful his wife was. He needed her to understand that as well.
"Well, hopefully, I don't mess it up and make things bad for me. I'm scared someone is going to find out about my memory and try to take advantage of me and my lack of knowledge." Lisa didn't trust some of her peers in the horse racing and horse breeding industry. There were always people who cut corners, cheated, and didn't treat their horses well. She refused to do business with people like that, but she was missing over 17 years of information on the industry.
"Well, make sure you have Edwin and Georgie around when you have dealings with outside people. They can direct you to how you need to go and can help by asking the questions that need to be asked." Jack hoped that he wasn't overstepping with his advice, but Lisa had always appreciated it in the past, and he enjoyed being there for her.
Lisa was grateful that she had someone like Jack on her side. She hoped that he was right about everything. "Thanks for always supporting me."
Jack felt like supporting Lisa was one of the few things he could do at the time. "Of course. I'll always be here for you. I married you for a reason."
"And what was that reason, huh?" Lisa challenged Jack. She was being a little bit flirty.
Jack almost didn't know what to do with Lisa's flirtiness, but he wasn't going to miss an opportunity to flirt back with her. He leaned over and said, "Well, you're insanely beautiful, smart, and kind. How could I not want to marry you?"
Lisa felt a tingle down her spine when Jack's deep voice was right in her ear. She wanted to kiss Jack again, but fear stopped her from making a move. "I don't think I'm that great, but sometimes it's nice to hear that you think I am."
"Always." Jack leaned over and kissed the side of Lisa's head and then sat back up.
Lisa was surprised by Jack's spontaneity but quickly schooled her features so that she didn't show any reaction. "I should probably get to bed soon. I want to be well rested for my shopping trip in Calgary with Lou and Amy tomorrow."
"Oh yeah, the girls are looking forward to that." Jack knew Lisa was changing the subject, so she didn't have to acknowledge what he'd just done, but he let it go for the time being.
"Is that something that I did before the accident?" asked Lisa.
Jack hated that Lisa didn't have confidence in her current relationships with him or his family. "Yeah, you would go shopping with them or while you were shopping you'd pick things up that you thought that they'd like. You have always loved spoiling them in some way."
Lisa chuckled and said, "Yeah, that sounds like me. Well, I'm heading to bed. Goodnight."
Jack reached over and squeezed Lisa's hand. "Goodnight."
LIsa squeezed Jack's hand back and then got up and went inside.
Jack sat out on the porch and thought about the state of his relationship with Lisa. He was really thankful that she was still there, but he was worried that it might come to an end once she went back to work full time and Georgie went home. He decided that he was going to push things a little bit with Lisa. He wasn't going to go beyond her boundaries, but he wanted her to know that he was serious about her staying at Heartland and being his wife. Jack got up from the bench and went inside. Everyone was heading to bed, so he grabbed his pajamas that he'd stashed in the bathroom and got ready for bed as well.
Lisa was having breakfast with Amy and Lou in the kitchen the next morning when Jack came back from doing chores. She was starting to realize that she was always happy to see Jack when he walked into a room.
"Hello, ladies. How are you all doing this morning?" asked Jack as we took off his boots.
"Hi Grandpa" and "Hi Jack" were said in response by the three women.
Jack walked into the kitchen and rested his hand on the back of Lisa's chair. "What time are you leaving to go shopping?
Lou shrugged her shoulders and answered, "Not for a while. We all have to get cleaned up before we go anywhere." Turning to Lisa she asked," Lisa, do you need help washing your hair today or getting cleaned up at all?"
Lisa thought for a moment and said, "I could use some help washing my hair, but I can clean up pretty well on my own. I may not be perfect at it, but I prefer the privacy of getting cleaned up by myself."
"I can appreciate that." Lou stood up. "Let's go get your hair washed, and then you can do whatever you need to in the bathroom. I need to do some work on the computer." Lisa and Lou went into the bathroom and shut the door.
Jack sat down at the kitchen table with Amy. "Thanks for inviting Lisa to go shopping with you. She's really looking forward to it."
"It's fine, Grandpa. We like going shopping with Lisa and it's been a while since we did that. I'm looking forward to spending some time with her." Amy leaned back and looked at her grandfather. "So how are you two doing? It seems like you're closer, but at the same time, you're not."
Jack realized that his family was more aware of what was happening than he realized. "That would be a pretty good description of it. We're getting closer, but it's slow. I'm not going to force her to do or be anything she isn't ready for. It's only been three weeks since the accident. I think we're getting there, but I've been letting her go at her own pace. I'm not sure if that's the right choice, but it is what it is."
"She does seem to like you, but I can also tell that she's scared. I can't imagine what it would be like to wake up in the hospital and find out that you've gotten married and suddenly have a whole family and you have no memory of any of it. Even a person who is very chill is going to have a hard time with that," Amy pointed out.
Jack laughed and said, "Lisa isn't exactly a chill person. She is pretty good at going with the flow of the family, but she likes things the way she likes them. It's part of the reason we took so long to live together. Both of us were set in our ways, and even after she moved in, we struggled. We got on each other's nerves and did things in ways that the other didn't like. It took time for us to get used to living under one roof after many years of dating and marriage. I'm not going to expect miracles here when she doesn't even remember meeting me much less marrying me."
"I think she'll come around, Grandpa," responded Amy.
"I sure hope so." Hope was all he could do most of the time at that point anyway.
"What do you hope?"
Jack and Amy turned to see Lisa standing by the doorway to the kitchen. "Uh, I hope it doesn't rain for you guys today," replied Jack.
Lisa looked at Jack skeptically. "You want to try that again?"
Jack's shoulders dropped in defeat, and then he went over to where Lisa was standing and pulled her into the dining room. "I never could get much past you. Amy just said that she thought you'd come around on wanting to be my wife, and I said that I hoped she was right."
"I never said I was completely against the idea. I'm just not ready for anything like that." Lisa squeezed Jack's arm as a gesture of reassurance.
"I know, and you can take your time to figure it out. I'm not going anywhere." Jack hoped Lisa knew he meant what he said.
"Okay, well, I'm going to finish getting ready. I was just letting Lou use the bathroom before I finished getting cleaned up." Lisa turned around and stood by the bathroom door to wait for Lou to exit.
Jack sat back down in the kitchen. After Lisa went back into the bathroom, Amy gave Jack a look and whispered, "Busted." The two of them laughed together.
Once the three of them were all cleaned up and ready to go, they headed out to get into Lou's SUV. Jack, Katie, and Lyndy all stood on the porch and waved goodbye to them.
Katie nudged Jack's shoulder. "Don't look so sad. It's not like she's leaving for good. She's just going shopping with Mom and Aunt Amy."
Jack just sighed. He knew Katie was right, but it was the first time that Lisa had left Heartland without him since the accident. It just felt different.
"You're going to miss her, aren't you?" asked Katie. "We should make dinner tonight so they don't have to worry about it when they get home from shopping. They would like that, and you could impress Lisa a bit."
"What do you know about that?" asked Jack.
Katie stood up straight and tried to look more grown up. "I know enough. I also know that you love Lisa a lot, and it makes you sad that she doesn't remember you. Don't worry, GG. She'll come around."
"You're Aunt Amy said something similar this morning. What makes all of you so confident?" asked Jack.
"We've seen the way you look at each other when you think no one is looking. Lisa tries to hide it more than you, but I grew up with you two. I know what I'm seeing. She likes you and I think one day she'll love you too."
Jack put his arm around Katie. "Thanks for the pep talk. I guess I needed it. Now go do something fun instead of worrying about me. I'll be fine."
Katie giggled and went inside to play with Lyndy and keep her entertained while Jack stood out on the porch to think.
Jack hoped that everyone was right and Lisa was coming around the way they thought she was. It was hard for him to see it. He was often too close to the situation to see what was happening fully. He hoped it wasn't wishful thinking that made his family be so optimistic about the situation. He sighed and then went inside to spend time with his great granddaughters. Gerogie was supposed to stop by later as well, and he was just so thankful to have her close by as well.
Lisa enjoyed getting out of the house with Amy and Lou. She was enjoying having some girl time with them. They went to a cute little bistro in Calgary for lunch and then went to a few boutiques to shop. Lisa wasn't finding much for herself and it was difficult to try anything on with her arm in a cast, but she had fun encouraging the girls to try things on and complimenting them when the clothes looked good. At a couple of stores, Lisa insisted on paying for Amy and Lou's purchases. She knew they could afford it, but she liked doing things like that for them. After a few hours of shopping, they stopped into a local coffee shop to take a break. She could tell that they wanted to ask about her and Jack, but they were holding back. After their coffee, they went to another store, and Lisa found a dress that was really pretty and was possible to wear even with her cast on.
She had been standing there for several minutes, looking at it when Lou came up behind her. "You should try that on. It's really pretty and it would look really nice on you."
Lisa looked over her shoulder at her granddaughter. "You think? I was just thinking that I could actually try it on because the sleeves are a little flowy, but I'm not going to be in a cast forever so I wasn't sure if it was something I would actually wear."
Amy was walking by just then and noticed the dress Lisa was holding. "Oh, Lisa. That is such a pretty dress. You should try it on."
Taking a deep breath, Lisa said, "Okay, I guess I'll try it on. It might look terrible on me, but it couldn't hurt to check."
"No, it couldn't," Lou agreed.
Lisa went into the fitting room and tried on the dress. She loved it. It was sort of a faux wrap dress with a beautiful floral pattern that came to her mid calf. She felt pretty in it and hoped that Amy and Lou liked it, too. She was pretty sure she could wear a burlap sack, and Jack would think she was beautiful, but she couldn't help but wonder what he would think about this dress.
When Lisa stepped out of the fitting room, Lou and Amy gasped. Lou was the first to say something. "Lisa, you look beautiful. That dress was made for you."
Lisa turned around in front of the mirror. She really loved the dress. "You think?"
Amy nodded. "Lou is right. That dress is perfect for you. I know you picked it out because you could get it over your cast, but it's perfect for you no matter what."
"Thanks, girls. I think I'll get it. I have no idea when I'd wear it, but I really do love it." Lisa turned to go back to the fitting room. She could hear Amy and Lou talking quietly about how much their grandfather would love her in that dress. Lisa felt her cheeks get hot and looked in the mirror to see that she was blushing. She found herself liking the idea of Jack seeing her in the dress. As much as she was afraid of things not working out and hurting Jack, she couldn't help but grow more and more attached to him. He knew her the best of anyone in her life, and there was something extremely attractive to her about that. Lisa realized she had gotten lost in thought about her relationship with Jack and changed back into her clothes as quickly as possible.
It was getting close to dinner time, so they headed back to Heartland. When they arrived back at the ranch, Jack, Katie, and Lyndy were setting the table and pulling a lasagna out of the oven and there were a couple of pies sitting on the counter in the kitchen.
Lyndy ran to give Amy a hug, and Lou gave Katie a side hug as she cut up some vegetables for a salad. Lisa moved past everyone and went to hang her dress up in her closet. She heard her bedroom door open and close as she was hanging the dress up. She turned around to see Jack standing there. "Hi, did you have fun with Katie and Lyndy today?"
Jack walked closer to Lisa. "I did. Did you have fun with Amy and Lou?"
Lisa looked up at Jack. "We did. It was nice to have a girls' day out. I only bought one thing, but the girls got more."
"What did you get?" asked Jack.
Lisa gestured to the closet behind her. "I bought a dress. Even though I have no idea where I'll wear it, I just couldn't resist."
"Maybe I'll have to take you out for a nice dinner sometime so you have an excuse to wear it," offered Jack.
Lisa tilted her head and looked up at Jack. "Are you asking me out on a date?"
Jack stood up a little straighter and replied, "I guess I am. What better way for my wife to get reacquainted with me than to go on a date?"
"When are you thinking we would go on this date?" Lisa had wondered what dating Jack was like.
Jack felt nervous and yet excited at the prospect of taking Lisa out on a date. "I don't know, but I'll come up with a time and see if it works for you, and we'll go from there. How does that sound?"
"I'm okay with it." Lisa was nervous and excited as well, but she tried to play it cool.
"Okay, dinner is about ready, I need to go help the girls finish it up. I just wanted to see how you were," said Jack.
"I'm fine. Go help the girls, and I'll see you out there in a minute." Lisa sat down on the bed and sighed after Jack left the room. She hadn't expected Jack to ask her out on a date, but she was looking forward to spending time with Jack in that way.
To Be Continued
Author's Note: I don't know if you all noticed, but this is the first real-time jump in this fic. Their life is becoming more routine, so there's less reason to write about every single day. I've been getting more writing done lately. I'm hoping to update more often, but no promises. Thanks for all the reviews and comments. I really appreciate it. They help me to know if what I'm writing is working.