Chapter 20
Jack stood there for a second, trying to understand what Lisa had just asked him. He didn't know what she meant by asking him to stay with her. He walked over to stand next to the bed and held her hand.
Lisa wasn't sure she should have asked Jack to stay, but she really didn't want to be alone after that dream. She was touched that he didn't just assume that she wanted him to get into bed with her. He stood next to the bed holding her hand, and she felt safe and cared for with Jack standing so close. Lisa realized that she didn't want to sleep alone. For that night, at least. She sat up in the bed and started to scoot over. "It's sweet that you don't want to assume anything, but I do want you to stay with me tonight. I don't want to be alone."
His jaw dropped open. "Are you sure, Lis? I was serious about not wanting to share this bed until you're ready."
"I'm not sure that I'm ready," Lisa admitted, "but I also don't want to be alone tonight. If it's too much, I'll tell you, but for now I'd like you to stay."
"Okay, I'll stay. How is the whole pillow situation you have going on here going to work if I get into bed with you?" asked Jack.
Lisa looked around at her pillows and chuckled. "I hadn't really thought that far ahead. I'll figure something out."
They rearranged pillows on the other side of the bed, and then Jack laid down on top of the covers. Lisa rolled her eyes. She was tempted to just let him stay that way, but she worried that he would get cold. "You don't have to sleep on top of the covers. I don't care if you get under them. We're both adults, and I trust you not to cross any sort of boundaries."
Jack got under the covers. He felt nervous getting into bed with Lisa. He hadn't felt nervous about that in a very long time. He planned to stay until he was sure that Lisa was good, and if she didn't wake up again, he was going to move back to the couch. The problem was that he was so comfortable in bed. Even knowing that Lisa was next to him and being worried about jostling her, shortly after Lisa went back to sleep, he fell into a deep sleep as well.
Jack woke up at his usual early time. He was confused at first about being in the bedroom, but then he remembered Lisa's bad dream and her asking him to stay. He looked over at Lisa, and she was sound asleep. He watched her sleep for a little while until the need for the bathroom forced him out of bed. After having a shower and a quick cup of coffee, he was off to work.
When Lisa woke up, she saw that Jack had already gotten up. After looking at her phone she saw that it was about 7 a.m. and she knew that he had probably been up for a while. She hoped that she hadn't made things weird between them by asking him to stay. True to his word, he had been a gentleman and stayed on his side of the bed, but Lisa still felt a little awkward about it and now she had to wait to see how he felt about it as well. She got up and began getting ready. As the stiffness went away, she was able to do more and more on her own. She still had aches and pains and headaches, but it was getting better every day. As much as she hated not showering, she figured out a way to clean the important parts. Lou had picked up some wipes for her in town so that doing the quick cleaning was a little easier. Once she was done, she got herself a cup of coffee and settled in at the desk in her room and got ready for her work day to start.
Jack didn't come back to the house until lunchtime. Lisa was busy on the phone when he checked on her after getting home, and then she kept getting calls from Georgie and Edwin. He decided not to bother her and let her get her work done. He could talk to her later. He ate a quick lunch and then went back out to get more work done. He and Tim were going to be moving the herd in a few days, and Jack wanted to make sure the fences in that part of the ranch were in good shape first.
Tim needled Jack about his relationship with Lisa and how it was going. Jack refused to give Tim any information and just kept saying that it was none of his business. Eventually, Tim got bored and moved on, for which Jack was extremely grateful.
Lisa was extremely busy all day. She barely had time to eat lunch. There were all sorts of issues to deal with. A horse that was supposed to be shipped out started showing signs that they may be sick. There were concerns that the whole stable would have to be quarantined. Lisa breathed a huge sigh of relief when it turned out to be something minor, but the buyer was upset about the delay and wanted a discount. Between Georgie's calls and Lisa's emails, they were able to rectify the situation. By the time she was done working, she was completely drained. Lisa decided to lie down and close her eyes for a while.
When Jack got back to the house, he found Lisa sound asleep on top of the covers. He thought about just letting her sleep, but he knew she would be annoyed if she napped for too long.
Lisa woke up to Jack gently rubbing her arm and speaking quietly to her.
Jack smiled when Lisa opened her eyes. "Hey, dinner will be ready soon, and I didn't think that you would want to sleep through it and mess up your sleep cycle."
As Lisa stretched, she said, "You're right. It was just a long, stressful day. I didn't intend to fall asleep, but I guess I was more tired than I realized."
Jack squeezed Lisa's hand. "Your day seemed stressful when I came back to the house for lunch. I guess it didn't get any better."
"No, not at all. I don't feel like talking about it right now, though. How was your day?" asked Lisa.
"I worked with Tim all afternoon on fences," Jack replied.
"How was that?" Lisa knew those two drove each other crazy, but that they really did care about one another.
"I don't really feel like talking about it either," Jack deadpanned. Lisa and Jack laughed together, and he helped her sit up in the bed.
Lisa leaned back against the headboard. "He pestered you about me, didn't he?"
"Yes," Jack said and rolled his eyes. "It was very annoying. I ignored him until he got bored and left me alone."
Leaning forward, Lisa asked, "So, what's for dinner?
"Lou made lasagna." Jack was pretty sure Lisa would be happy with that.
"I love lasagna." She was instantly feeling hungry. Lasagna sounded very good.
"I know. You have made it for us often. Lyndy may love it even more than you, though. She even liked it when Katie and her friend, Parker, made it with ketchup because they didn't have any tomato sauce." Jack chuckled, thinking about that story.
"Ketchup?" Lisa was incredulous. "That doesn't sound very good."
"No, it doesn't. Thankfully, I wasn't around for that one. They offered to make dinner because they were trying to convince you to let them babysit Lyndy. You were home with Katie and Lyndy while the rest of us were out on a cattle drive. You had a meeting for work that came up suddenly, and you were struggling with how to handle it. Katie and Parker wanted to babysit. You eventually gave in and let them." He was proud of how hard Katie worked to prove she was ready to babysit.
"Wow, I really am a parental/grandparent figure in their lives. I knew that I was around a lot, but I've had more say than I realized." Lisa was proud that she played a role in their lives like that.
"Those girls love you a lot. That's part of the reason why. Although you spoiled them more than I would, you also loved and cared for them, often just as freely and willingly as me." Jack was proud of how often Lisa stepped in to help with the family.
Lou called for everyone to come to the table. Jack held out his hand to pull Lisa up from the bed, and she accepted the help. They made their way to the table and sat down as everyone else also sat down.
"Mom, is Georgie going to come tonight?" asked Katie.
"No, she texted and said it was a stressful day at work, and she just wanted a quiet night at Fairfield," replied Lou. "What happened today, Lisa?
"What didn't happen today?" Lisa sighed and then continued, "Really though, it was a stressful day. I decided to lie down after we got everything straightened out, and I fell asleep. Today, I wore me out."
"That doesn't sound good. Is everything okay?" asked Lou.
Lisa didn't want Lou to worry too much about Georgie. "It's okay now, but we had an issue with the horse I'm selling. It was all ready for transport, but then it seemed sick, and we had to get the vet in to run some tests. We were afraid we'd have to quarantine the whole facility, but thankfully, it was something minor. There will just be a small delay in getting the horse transported to the new owner. Nothing like having one of the biggest scares a horse breeder can have on their second day back to work. Georgie handled everything very well. I'm proud of her and how she got everything taken care of. I don't blame her for not wanting to go anywhere tonight. I think an early bedtime is in my future."
Jack looked sympathetically at Lisa. He was proud of her for how hard she worked and how good she was at her job, but he knew that she still got tired easily and he worried that she was taking on too much too soon.
"That does sound like a stressful day," said Lou. "I'm glad that it all worked out. By all means, rest up. It won't help your recovery if you're tired and stressed out constantly."
After dinner, Amy was running a bath for Lyndy, and Katie and Lou were doing the dishes. Jack leaned over to Lisa, "Do you want to go for a walk, or do you want to just sit on the porch? It's nice out this evening. I thought you might like to get outside."
"You know what? Sitting on the porch is about all I can handle tonight." Lisa and Jack got up from the table and walked out to the porch. They sat down on the bench. Lisa looked over at Jack. They hadn't talked about or even acknowledged her asking him to stay with her, and she wanted to clear the air. "Thank you for staying with me last night. I do think it helped me to go back to sleep knowing that I wasn't alone."
"You're welcome. You know I'd do anything for you. I guess you're wondering if I'm going to expect this all the time, huh?" Jack wanted to let her know that he knew her and didn't want her to worry.
Lisa looked up at Jack, surprised. She nodded her head but didn't say anything.
Jack chuckled. "I know you well enough to know that you were probably thinking that. I don't expect that all the time. If you ask me again, I'm there in a heartbeat, but I was already planning to sleep on the couch tonight. I know you aren't ready to share our bed full-time."
Lisa let out a sigh of relief. "You're right. I'm not ready for that. I don't know if or when I will be. It kind of scares me how much I already depend on you. I know some of that is because there's so much that I can't do for myself."
"Don't worry. I still see you as the strong, independent woman that I fell in love with. You just happen to need a little help right now." Jack patted Lisa's knee and leaned back on the bench. "So, how are you doing today?"
"Well, I don't really know." Lisa was being honest. She didn't know. "Today was so busy that I didn't have time to think about it much. It was kind of nice to focus on something else. The last nine days have been mostly focused on me losing my memory and people telling me about my life that I forgot. It's a lot to take in in such a short amount of time."
"I get it." Jack caught himself and realized he didn't actually get it. "I mean, I don't get it, but I can imagine what it must be like. I'm here for you no matter what."
Lisa looked up at Jack and smiled. "Thank you. I know you are always here for me."
"You know?" Jack looked surprised.
"Yes. Of course. You have barely left my side in the last 9 days. You have proven that you are a loyal and caring person." Lisa felt like she had lucked out with such a caring husband. She couldn't imagine Dan doing as well with this situation. As much as she tried not to compare the two, she couldn't help it sometimes.
"I'm just trying to be a good husband, and when that seems like too much, I try to be a good friend," explained Jack. "I'm glad that you allow me to do what I can. You could be pushing me away and refusing to have anything to do with me."
"I wouldn't, though. Maybe in the beginning, I might have wanted to, but you seem to have all the information about my life, and when you don't, Lou and Amy do."
"Oh, so you're just using me for information." Jack looked amused to let Lisa know he was joking. "I see how it is." Lisa chuckled at Jack's teasing, so he decided it was okay to continue. "It's fine. You can use me however you want."
Lisa's eyebrows went up. "That sounded dirty."
Jack blushed and began to backpedal. "No, I didn't mean it like that. Although, if you wanted to, I wouldn't complain."
Lisa rolled her eyes. "Flirt. You are an incorrigible flirt when no one else is around, you know?"
"Can you blame me?" asked Jack. "I'm married to the most beautiful woman in the world. I'd have to be an idiot to not flirt with you."
"See? Incorrigible flirt." Lisa was amused, but she couldn't help teasing Jack.
Jack smirked. "You aren't telling me to stop."
Lisa sighed. "What if I said it's good for my ego? I woke up 17 years older, and I feel those 17 years with these aches and pains and when I look in the mirror. It's nice to know someone thinks I've still got it."
"I'm not the only one who thinks that. I've been noticing men checking you out ever since we started dating. They haven't stopped doing it yet," Jack pointed out.
"I…you…I don't have a response to that."
"That's a first," joked Jack.
"Stop it." Lisa laughed and swatted at Jack's arm.
"So," Jack started, "are you going to be busy all week?"
"I honestly have no idea. Today was supposed to be an easy day, but it was the opposite. Hopefully, the rest of the week goes more smoothly. Why?" asked Lisa.
"I was just curious. I don't want you to overdo it and end up back in the hospital or something." Jack was worried about his wife and was trying to take care of her the best he could.
"I won't. Most days aren't like today. In fact, I think that I'm going to get ready for bed. I'm exhausted." Lisa got up and went inside.
Jack stayed sitting on the porch for a while, enjoying the beautiful evening at Heartland. He was thinking about bringing Lisa to the dude ranch for lunch sometime. He hadn't shown her that part of the ranch yet, and he wanted her to see it. He was lost in thought thinking about their wedding, which was his favorite day at the dude ranch. He didn't hear Lou come out onto the porch. He jumped when she sat down next to him.
"Sorry, Grandpa," Lou apologized. "I didn't mean to scare you. I just wanted to check on you and see if you're okay since Lisa came in alone."
"I'm fine, Lou. I was just thinking about the day I married Lisa. It was beautiful, and Lisa was beautiful," Jack said. He looked happy, remembering that day.
"I'll have to take your word for it since I wasn't there," Lou said sarcastically.
Jack rolled his eyes and sighed. "Lou, It's been over 10 years. You gotta let that go."
"I have. Mostly. It's just fun to tease you about it from time to time. So, do you think Lisa will want to get back together with you?" questioned Lou.
Jack sighed and said, "You know, I have no idea. I hope so, but we'll have to wait and see. When we got together all those years ago, Lisa did the initial pursuing, and then I reciprocated. I guess I keep hoping that she'll decide to pursue me again."
"She seems to like you. I remember when you two first started dating. The way she looked at you back then isn't too far off from how she looks at you now. She may be too scared to do the pursuing. You might have to do it this time. Lisa loved you so much just a little over a week ago. It's not an insane idea that she could fall in love with you again," Lou pointed out.
"She's been home for less than a week. I'm not going to risk pushing her away. Give her time." Jack was so scared of messing everything up.
"Okay, just think about it." Lou got up and went back inside, leaving Jack with something to consider.
To be continued