Plain Jane

"How did you sleep?" he asked as he sat next to her.

"Like a baby," she told him. "You?"

"Never better," he replied. "Know what the best part of it was?"

"I hope you say 'making love' with me," she replied smiling.

"That was amazing," he told her but not the best part. He saw her disappointed look and set his coffee cup down. He bent down and kissed her on the cheek and said, "The best part was waking up and seeing you laying next to me." She smiled and he said, "That's a first for me and I hope it won't be a last."

The made love again in the shower and spent the rest of the day at his place getting better acquainted in every way couples in love like to do. It didn't take much to convince her to stay the night with him again, something Jessica was thrilled to do.

The next morning, Pierson had to get back to work but let Jessica know he'd love to see her again that evening and she happily agreed.

Both of her parents were waiting for her when she came home but neither of them spoke. After a lengthy, awkward silence she finally said, "Yes, I stayed at Dean's house."

Her mother didn't know what to say so, "Oh, I see," was the best she could do as she looked at her husband wanting to say something.

Her dad was reading the newspaper when she made the big announcement. In his typically dry fashion he peeked over the top of the paper and said, "Maybe we'll finally get her to move out."

Were Jessica not so overjoyed at her relationship with Dean, she'd have come back with some kind of witty retort. Instead she said, "Be careful what you wish for, Daddy."

He just smiled, said dryly, "Promises, promises," then went back to his paper.

For the next two weeks, Pierson took Jessica around to meet all of his family and friends, most of whom expressed some level of surprise or even shock. One of them asked her, "Did you cast some kind of spell on this guy, Jessica? We all would have bet good money he'd never settled down."

Pierson answered for her. "Spell, potion, incantation, or whatever. It doesn't matter. What does matter is I'm happier than I've ever been and for the first time in my life, I'm in love with this woman. So however it happened, I'll take it."

During the next month, Jessica essentially moved in with Pierson. She was staying there most nights and not only had her own toothbrush, she had her own dresser and a growing part of his huge, walk-in closet.

Early on a Saturday morning Pierson said, "I'd like to go back to Harborview."

"Okay, but what's brought this on all of a sudden?"

"I was thinking about that little girl we played Candy Land with. Do you think she's still there?"

"Definitely. I've been back twice but didn't want to make a big deal about it. Even if she's not, I can sadly promise you other children will be. Are you sure you want to do this?" she asked him.

"Positive," he told her.

They got ready to go and just before noon pulled into the parking lot where they'd parked that first time.

To their surprise, Angie happened to be at the front desk again and she remembered Dean and his name. Not just because he was 'that really good looking guy' but because he'd called ahead and talked to her. "Go right on back you guys," she told them. "Our kids' parents are with them today so they're in a particularly good mood." She winked at Pierson as he went by and he mouthed the words, "Thank you!" to her as he winked back.

As they went inside, Pierson looked around and at first he didn't see her. He did however, see several other children with severe facial burns and his heart ached for them. As he was looking for her he heard her angelic little voice say, "Jessica! You came back!" as she ran to give her a hug.

"And you brought your friend. Hi!" she said to Pierson. "Do you wanna play with me?"

"I do!" he told her. He took her hand and said, "Would it be okay if the other children in here played with us, too?" She nodded her agreement before Pierson took her aside and asked her to do something for him. "Can you do that, sweetheart?"

"Yes, I can!" she told him proudly.

Pierson then introduced himself to the parents while Jessica set up the Candy Land board. He spoke to each of them and although she wasn't paying close attention, she saw some of them smiling and nodding. All of them came over with their children in tow as Pierson sat them all down. 'Their' little girl sat on her daddy's lap while her mom held her tiny little hand.

"Everyone? Kids? My name is Dean and this beautiful young woman right here is Jessica." He bent down and said in a voice that made it sound like a big secret. "Don't tell anyone but she's my girlfriend."

All of the kids giggled or laughed and then Pierson said. "And guess what else?" They all looked at him and just waited for him to tell them what else.

"No guesses?" he said feigning disappointment. "Okay, I guess I'll just have to tell you, so listen closely, okay?"

The kids moved in closer and all of the parents were smiling. "What's going on?" Jessica said sensing she was the only person not in on something.

Pierson moved next to Jessica and spoke to the children. "She's not just special to me. Oh, she is special. That's for sure. But I also love her very, very much!"

"You do?" their special little girl asked. "Yes, I do!" he told her. "In fact, I first fell in love with her right here in this very room playing Candy Land with..." Pierson swung his finger around and touched the girl on the nose and said, "With you!"

She giggled as she sat on her father's lap. "And because I love her soooo much, I want to spend the rest of my life with her!"

"Dean. What are you doing?" Jessica said as he turned around and got down on one knee.

Their special friend handed him the thing he'd asked her to keep and held it up so Jessica could see it. It was by far the biggest diamond she'd ever seen and her heart went into a state of near arrhythmia. "Oh, my God," she said unconsciously.

"Jessica? My life changed forever when you brought me here. You opened my eyes to so many things to which I'd been so very blind. The needs of other people. The pain and heartache that surrounds us. But most of all to love. I fell in love with you right here and I'm even more in love with you today. Jessica, will you make me the happiest man on earth and marry me?"

She was openly crying tears of joy as her hands shook while covering her mouth. People were smiling and waiting until she managed to say, "Yes! Yes, of course I will marry you!"

Everyone burst into applause as he slid the ring onto her finger and kissed her softly. "Eeew!" the little girls and the boy who were there all said in unison.

Pierson sat next to Jessica and said, "And all of you are invited to our wedding. We'll have pony rides and a bouncy house and all kinds of fun things for you to do."

There were cheers and more tiny claps as the children thought about all the fun they'd have rather than a wedding which still had no meaning to them. Each of the parents had already agreed and Pierson had invited them, as well.

Jessica held out her hand to their special little girl whom he finally learned was named Courtney and said, "Can I ask you a question, Miss Courtney?"

She stood up and nodded her head. "Yes," she replied.

"Do you know what a flower girl is at a wedding?"

"Of course," she said matter of factly. "She drops all the flowers to make the floor look pretty."

"That's right!" Jessica told her. She glanced over at her parents who were nodding their approval and she saw the mother's eyes filling with tears as she said to Courtney, "Would you like to be my flower girl?"

"Me?" she said hardly able to believe her ears. "Why yes I would!" she said precociously.

Jessica pulled her in close for a hug and said, "You are so sweet and so beautiful. I love you, Courtney."

"I love you too, Jessica." She pushed back and said, "And I love Dean, too!"

He pulled her up on his lap and told her, "I love you right back, Courtney."

"I love my mommy and daddy, too," she let him know before running back to her father's lap.

There wasn't an dry adult eye in the room as they turned their attention to the board game playing two games before getting ready to leave.

Pierson gave each family a business card and let them know they'd be in contact once they had a firm date in mind. There was another round of hugs and some more tears as they said goodbye. "So we'll see you at our wedding, okay?" he and Jessica said to each of the kids following the hugs.

When they were both back outside and in his car, Jessica said, "You might have to take me around to the ER."

"Why? What's wrong?" he asked assuming it wasn't serious but worried enough to ask.

"I think my heart is going to blow up," she said as tears began falling again. "Never in my wildest dreams could I have imagined anything this special or this romantic, Dean." She looked over at him and said, "I didn't think I could possibly love you any more, but I was so wrong. Thank you for the most wonderful moment in my life. I will treasure that as long as I live."

"I couldn't think of a better or more appropriate place to ask you, honey," he said. "This place is very special to me too, and I don't know if you saw it, but I teared up when you asked Courtney to be your flower girl. You're the most amazing, most wonderful woman I've ever known. I can't imagine my life without you. Saying 'yes' is the most wonderful gift I've ever received. Thank you and...I love you so much."

"If you don't get me home and make love to me I'm going to climb onto your lap right here in this parking lot," she said with a tearful smile.

"Let's hope traffic isn't stalled on the way home then. I don't want to get arrested for public indecency on our first day as an engaged couple," he joked smiling back at her.

Traffic was lighter than normal and in less than an hour they were in bed together making love passionately. Pierson caught her looking at her ring several times and finally said, "Is it still there?"

"Stop!" she said. "I love this ring. It's so beautiful and what it represents is even more wonderful."

"It represents our love and just like the circle of that ring, it'll never end," he told her.

"Promise?" she asked holding it out looking at it again.

"I do," he said.

Six months later, he said those same words when asked if he would love, honor, and cherish Jessica Lyman all the days of his life just moments after she'd said them to him.

After the ceremony, they had a traditional first dance in which their little friends joined them with someone else from Harborview, but that was the end of the traditional ceremony. After that, it was nothing but fun and games and cake and candy and pony rides for all of those children who represented everything that now mattered to Dean and Jessica Pierson.

Dean didn't bother asking her where she wanted to go on their honeymoon. He surprised her by designing a pet-rescue center on a very large lot he purchased and they spent their first days together as husband and wife helping the construction crew lay the foundation and begin building the facility. Three months later, they had a vet and two groomers on staff along with a half dozen employees to care for the animals that began streaming in as they worked tirelessly to find them loving homes.

Pierson had finally found love while Jessica had found purpose and both of them were so deeply in love with the other that they made plans to start a family of their own.