Jason's Story Ch. 14

He had been preparing for her to tell him about the twins' paternity when Simon came bursting into the room.

"My baby! I knew you'd wake up soon" he said as he rushed to her side and kissed her on her unmarred cheek.

Elise wasn't far behind and as Bria slipped in; followed closely by Kane, Jason got out of their way and moved toward the door. As Nigha was showered with affection; she looked over at Jason and mouthed 'please don't leave'.

He mouthed 'I'll come back...I promise' before he blew her a kiss and slipped out the door. He would be back; this was far from over.

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Elise relayed word that Brett's parents were in flight and would be arriving at the hospital sometime later in the day. She noticed that Jason was absent from the crowd but she had a pretty good idea of where he would be. She needed to speak with him about the situation.

She excused herself for a walk and climbed the two flights of stairs. Just as she'd suspected, she saw him off in the distance looking through the glass. She walked up behind him and placed a hand on his back; causing him to jump slightly.

"I knew you'd be here."

"Just needed to see them again. To make sure this wasn't all just some crazy dream."

"No honey; it's no dream, but for two people I love very much it will quickly become a nightmare."

"How is Brett doing? I walked by his room earlier and I noticed that a lot of the swelling in his face had gone down."

"He's actually improving. The doctor's won't confirm it, but we can tell."

"Good. He's a good man and he deserves better than this."

"That is very true" she replied picking up on his meaning. "Jason; I think it's admirable that you're hoping for the best for Brett."

"Brett is a good guy and he loves Nigha. I can't fault the man for his excellent timing and impeccable taste" he said with a smile.

"There are some men who would not have minded if the one thing that stood in their path had just simply faded away."

"There are some men who would not have pursued something that clearly belonged to someone else for their own selfish reasons also" he said as he kept his eyes on the tiny little fingers peeking out of the swaddled pink blanket.

"Even though the choices some men make may not be honorable; the trouble that results from them usually take a willing participant in the actions. What will you do when Brett pulls through?"

"I want him to pull through and be the man that he was before so that when she comes to me; I'm not winning by default. I intend to be with the love of my life, mother of my children. She was going to tell me."

"When?"

"I was getting ready to walk out of the room to get you guys when she stopped me. She was just about to tell me when everyone came in."

"How long had she been awake before Simon noticed?"

"About twenty minutes. Elise; I know that I have no right to ask, but would you do me a favor?"

"It depends on the favor" she said as she gave him a sly smile.

"Don't tell her that I know. I think that she'd feel better if she told me."

"I agree with you and I can't make any promises when it comes to keeping the truth from my daughter, but I will try my best."

"Thank you. So Brett's parents are due in today right?"

"Yes, they should be here before the day is out."

"Good. Could you tell my brother that I'll be at the house?"

Elise looked into his eyes for the first time in their conversation and smiled at him. "Thank you Jason."

"For what?" he asked with a shrug of his shoulders as though he had no idea what she was implying.

"For understanding. I look forward to the day when I can meet the parents of such fine young men" she said as she took his hand.

"Who knows; it may be sooner than you think" he said with a wink.

Elise let out a small chuckle. "I can see why she cares about you."

"It's more than caring; she loves me" he said matter-of-factly.

**********

Later in the afternoon; Brett's parents finally made it to the hospital and were greeted by good news. He was getting stronger by the hour and the doctor's were beginning to speak about his treatment with days instead of hours as the timeframe.

Suzanne donned the hospital scrubs first and went in and sat with her son. Tears streamed from her eyes as she noticed the cuts and bruises on his normally handsome, but now nearly unrecognizable face. Bill waited with Simon and Elise, and was brought up to speed on Brett's condition and the treatment to come.

At that point; the doctors were very optimistic about his chances and with good reason. Brett was going to come through this thing after all.