Saving the Doctor - Epilogue

Jon chuckled silently and hugged her closer.

...

The reception was a very finely catered selection of good looking and even better tasting food options. Jon and Carly were seated with a few other physician friends, two of which Jon had known in passing and they were able to have a pleasant enough conversation between the speeches.

Overall it wasn't turning out as awkward as Jon expected. He thought he would feel like an elephant in the room, but no one at the table or elsewhere even came close to hinting at it, and it was a big enough reception that Jon felt like he could act like just another face in the crowd. Carly took her sandals off to put her feet up on Jon's lap, and he rubbed them caringly as they listened to the toasts.

The desserts were finished off and the last speech done, with Elaina and Matt giving a heart-felt speech thanking everyone, Matt breaking down in tears again beneath his otherwise manly exterior and giving Elaina a passionate kiss at the end.

They started to stand up and mingle as the music started.

"Feel like dancing a bit?" Jon asked, sliding his hands over Carly's hips and pecking her a kiss.

"Ughh, unfortunately no," she replied with a regretful smile, "That food was amazing but it's sitting right between my lungs," she said, patting the top of her large bump, "I think I'll find a corner to sit down in.

He gave her a sympathetic smile, "K, well I'm gonna go find a washroom, then let me know where you've set up camp."

"Sure thing," Carly said, flashing a dimple and pecking him a kiss as they parted.

Jon came out of the bathroom, and went to grab a beer at the bar, looking around and feeling glad that no one was staring at him or seeming to recognize him. It didn't last forever though, as he made his way through the crowd to find Carly, and he suddenly found himself in front of a familiar face.

Elaina's sister Madeline stopped in her tracks with an incredulous look on her face, "H...hey Jon. I um, didn't expect to see you here."

"Hey Madeline," Jon replied with an embarrassed smirk, and clinked his beer with her wine glass for lack of anything else to do. "I kinda didn't expect to be here either, but Elaina sorta went out of her way to invite me, and we're trying to move on in peace... is the idea I guess."

"Right, okay. Well that's really big of you to show up and support her," Madeline said with a sympathetic smile and a pat on his shoulder. "I figured you'd be kinda torn up and bitter still. I mean, no one would blame you."

"Um... yeah no it's okay. We're both moving on," Jon said clearing his throat.

She seemed to search his eyes, looking unconvinced. "Okay. I just, I really liked you, and it kinda broke my heart when I found out. Like, knowing how hard you were trying to save your relationship when I saw you before Christmas there, only to have her go and... sorry I'm probably making things harder for you by talking about it."

"No it's okay. Um, thanks Madeline," he said, awkwardly. "What, er... how much did she tell you?"

"Oh well, not like DETAILS, but... It must have been so hard, when she decided to switch jobs and you couldn't move with her right away, and then OF COURSE a long distance relationship is tough at the best of times. Then to have her just up and leave you for Matt..."

Jon's lips froze on his beer before he had taken a sip, saving him from choking.

Madeline continued, "I mean, she tried to frame it like you were growing more distant and uncaring and pushing her away, and that Matt 'came to her rescue', but I could read between the lines. I can only imagine how much that must've hurt at the time."

Jon finally lowered the beer from his lips, never having taken a sip and cleared his throat again, trying to figure out how to respond. "Yeah it was... a bit tough. There was some drama for sure, but I've moved on. I think we're both better off."

She gave him another pitying smile and a nod, like she didn't quite believe him. "Well that's good to hear. But like... to keep the wedding date and venue, except with him? I mean, she explained it with her logical reasons of course, but... man, that's gotta feel cold, even for her."

Jon nodded, and shrugged. "Yeah, I was surprised, but honestly I'm not that broken up about it. I'm here with someone actually, her name's Carly, I should introduce you."

"Oh, good for you. That's great to hear." Madeline said with a smile, but still seeming a bit patronizing. "I was on my way to run and get something though, I'm sure I'll find you two later."

"Sure, it was good to see you again Madeline," Jon said politely.

"You too Jon, I'm glad to see you're doing okay," she said with another sympathetic smile, and turned away.

Jon let out a sigh and shook his head in disbelief before taking a generous swig of his beer. When he thought about it though, he wasn't surprised that Elaina wouldn't tell her friends and family anything close to the truth.

He moved through the crowd looking to find which side of the large room Carly had sat down, but found himself a short distance from Elaina and Matt just as they were saying goodbye to a few well-wishers. He was about to skirt around when Matt caught sight of him and gave an excited wave. Jon felt like he had no choice but to wave back and walk up to say hi.

Jon made to simply shake Matt's hand but was pulled into a friendly half-hug.

"It's so good to see you man! Thank you SO MUCH for coming. It means a lot to us, really," Matt said, smiling wide.

"No problem, thanks for the invite. You two look great together," Jon said, feeling like he meant it and hoping his face played along.

Elaina gave an appreciative nod, though she looked at least a touch uncomfortable.

Matt was all smiles, "Thanks man, it means so much to have your blessing and to see you here supporting us, you're such a great guy. Hey, are you here with..."

Jon cleared his throat, "Yeah, Carly's here too actually."

"Oh great! I THOUGHT I had seen her before, but I wasn't sure. Elaina wasn't even sure if you'd be here."

Elaina nodded again, "It's good to see you again Jon, thank you for coming," she said, meeting his eyes finally, for more than just a brief glance.

"Everything looks great, and it's all going smoothly. Not that I'm surprised," Jon said with a friendly smirk.

Elaina looked away, "Well it's far from perfect. The punch was supposed to be m-..." she stopped herself and took a breath, giving him a slightly embarrassed look, "Yes, it's overall been quite nice."

"It IS a great venue," Jon replied.

"It is..." she said with a slight squint.

"Hey!" Matt said suddenly, looking off to the side and waving. "Carly!"

Jon looked over to see Carly caught on her way by, looking surprised and nervous and finally turning to cautiously walk over to them."

"Hey! It's good to see you again!" Matt said excitedly, giving her a big hug.

"Y...yeah you too Matt thanks. You two look so happy together, it's beautiful really," Carly said.

"God, she's such a sweetheart man," Matt said with a wink towards Jon, "And talk about beautiful, you look amazing! How many months are you?"

"7, er, almost 8 actually," Carly said, over top of Elaina's quiet cough.

"Well you're rockin' the glow," Matt said with chuckle, then pulled Elaina close, "Just like you are honey, I love it," pulling her in for a kiss, seemingly unaware of Elaina's uncomfortable face.

"We said we weren't going to talk about that, remember?" Elaina said in quiet urgency.

"I'm sorry, I know, but it just makes you even more beautiful and I can't help feeling proud and just... I'm sorry honey. I love you so much," Matt said, pecking her a kiss again, and to Jon's surprise seeming to actually quell Elaina's annoyance a little.

"I know honey, just, try to be more discrete. Why don't you show Carly where the special non-alcoholic wine is?" Elaina suggested.

"Oh! Yeah of course! Elaina got this stuff in special, because... well you know. Anyway it's from France, tastes just like the real thing," Matt explained to Carly.

"Oh, well I could just ask the bartender and- oh! Um, okay," Carly said, being led away by Matt and giving an amused wave at Jon.

There was a brief moment of awkward silence between Elaina and Jon as he waited for her to talk, assuming she had actually wanted to be alone with him.

Jon finally spoke, "It's an amazing night, I really mean it Elaina. It's a good start to what I think can be a good marriage between you two."

Elaina gave him a questioning eye, "Thank you, Jon."

She sipped her wine again and mentioned in a casual, but not too casual voice, "I noticed you and Madeline talking."

"Uh, yeah, we were just catching up," Jon said.

"Oh?" Elaina said, "What were you talking about?"

"Just how I was doing, since... our long distance relationship didn't work out and you left me for Matt," Jon said raising an eyebrow.

Elaina gave an annoyed look and sipped her drink again, "Would you have preferred I actually told them the truth?"

"...I guess not," Jon conceded.

"I'm sorry, I suppose, in hindsight I should have warned you about what my story was," she said, looking away. "I hope you played along?"

"Yeah don't worry I'll keep your secret," Jon nodded with a smirk that she did not return.

"Thank you," she said flatly.

There was another silence as they both seemed to be avoiding saying what they wanted to.

"Was the chicken okay at dinner? I thought mine was a little dry," she finally asked.

Jon couldn't help give a small chuckle, "Yeah it was delicious Elaina. Everyone agreed, don't worry. Which caterer did you end up going with?"

"Matteliano's," she replied.

"Huh, I don't recall that one."

"We never went to them together. They're from the city. Matt liked them the best," Elaina explained.

"Ah," Jon replied with a nod.

Another long pause dragged on while Jon tried to think of the right words for what he wanted to ask.

"So... you're actually pregn-"

"Is it that obvious?" Elaina interrupted, her face turning red. "I told Matt and my mother not to say anything, and they only had to alter the dress a bit, but I feel like everyone's trying not to look."

"It's... not obvious at first, but yeah I could kinda tell. Sorry," Jon said honestly.

She sipped her drink and glanced around uncomfortably.

"You're still gorgeous Elaina, like everyone knew you would be," Jon said supportively.

Elaina gave him a suspicious look, but seemed to settle slightly.

"Thank you," she said graciously, then sighed. "No offense, but watching Carly orbit around here hasn't made me very eager for what's to come."

Jon tried to put the appropriate amount of effort into not taking offense, and chose not to reply.

She seemed to stare at him gradually more intently through his silence and took on a more relaxed, pondering look, leaning in slightly closer, "It isn't Brent's is it? It's yours right?" she asked quietly.

Jon met her eyes; those vivid penetrating eyes that seemed to delve into him, and before he could decide whether to admit it or not she seemed to become satisfied enough with his look, and nodded.

"Don't worry, I'll keep your little secret," she said, with a domineering smirk as she sipped her drink again. "I think now I understand, Jon."

Jon felt his face going red and his muscles tense at her implication. He told himself to just let her have her imagined narrative. He knew he would still be with Carly even if it was Brent's child, and that's all that mattered. Still, he persisted on the subject.

"So how far along are you then?" he asked.

Elaina didn't meet his eyes at first, "Just over three months."

Jon stood there looking at her, trying to decide how much more direct he should be, but when she finally looked at him again he knew she was reading his mind.

If there was any doubt left about whether the old Elaina still lingered below the surface, that doubt was snuffed out by the piercing intense look she gave him; one that he had known so well. It sent flashbacks through his mind to all the countless moments she had seized him with their beautifully mesmerizing severity. His body went rigid as her nails dug into his arm, like the teeth of a viper, hypnotized in her grip like he had been so many times before.

She leaned her face into his. His dry mouth parted slightly, sucking in a silent breath as her luscious lips hovered past to tickle against his ear.

She spoke in a whisper that seemed to echo through his skull, "It's Matt's. End of story. Matt is the father, and if you EVER even suggest the possibility that it might be otherwise, I will fucking DESTROY you."

She slowly pulled away and took her nails off his arm, giving him one last threatening look before resuming her graceful posture and sipping her drink smoothly.

"Okay," Jon croaked, and then took a swig as well.

Elaina suddenly smiled wide and said a gracious "Hello," to someone who had approached.

"Elaina! You're so gorgeous, I'm so happy for you tw-..." the woman stopped as she looked at Jon and realized he wasn't Matt.

"Jon was just leaving. Take care, Jon," she said offhandedly.

"Y- yeah you too, bye," he said to the back of her shoulder, as he quickly stepped away, trying not to stumble, with his heart still racing and his palms feeling clammy.

It was the last words they would ever speak to each other.

...

"Aww LOOK at them!" Carly gushed and snuggled closer into Jon as they sat comfortably off to the side of the room.

The dance floor was hopping and a few small kids in suits and dresses had made their way out to bounce around.

"That little guy's got some moves!" Jon chuckled.

Carly giggled, "Well he's tryin' to show off for the girl in the red I think."

"Totally. Think she's diggin' it?" Jon asked.

"Maybe a bit. She mostly wants to show him up though."

"She almost is. Damn, I don't think I could dance that well at that age."

"Can you dance that well now?" Carly joked.

Jon laughed, "Maybe not. Is that a challenge though?" he suggested, gesturing to the floor.

Carly bit her lip and smiled, "Maybe wait for a slow song."

He smiled back and pecked her a kiss.

"God that little suit is so fucking perfect," she said. "Can we go baby-clothes shopping again tomorrow?"

Jon chuckled, "Yeah, but you gotta leave SOME clothes in the store for everyone else."

She pouted adorably, "But their all just so CUTE!"

"You're cute."

"YOU'RE cute," she stuck out her tongue at him.

They both squeezed their hands on each others waists as they sat back comfortably.

They people-watched for a while more until the music switched to a slow song. Jon sat up and looked down at Carly with a questioning eyebrow as she lifted her head off his shoulder.

She sighed but puckered a dimple up at him lovingly, "Help me up?"

He giggled and nodded, standing up and gently holding her hand as she stood, and then clasping their fingers as they walked out on to the dance floor. They each slid an arm around each other and and Jon let out a comfortable sigh as her breast and belly pressed up against him. She felt amazing in his arms.

"Ugh, there's too much of me," she complained, twisting slightly to the side to get closer to him.

"Naw, you're perfect," Jon said with a smile and kissed her lightly.

She rolled her eyes but blushed and smiled as well. They sunk in closer as they danced slowly.

"Aww, she's dancing with him now," Carly whispered, looking at the little boy and girl from before.

"Nice," Jon chuckled. "But, you gotta admit I'm at least a better slow dancer than him."

Carly laughed and squeezed him tighter, bouncing her heavy breast into him. She slid her hand up his shoulder and squeezed, "You're not bad," she teased, biting her lip.

They danced in comfortable silence for a bit.

"We don't have to stay too much longer," Jon suggested.

"Okay, but I'm not as tired as I thought I'd be, actually," Carly said. "Might be nice to go for a walk?"

"Yeah sure, there's a walkway through the orchards that goes all the way around the estate," he suggested.

"Yeah, and the stars will be nice, out in the country here," Carly agreed.

...

The song eventually ended and Carly went to use the washroom.

Jon strolled outside onto the large deck surrounding the building, dimly lit with a few smokers off to one side and a young couple talking in hushed anger over on the other. He moved away from them and walked up to the railing looking up at the impressive blanket of stars above him.

"Jon!"

He looked over to see Matt by himself, halfway down the railing, waving him over.

Jon walked up and returned another strong handshake and a half-hug.

"I was hoping to find you again," Matt said amicably. "I didn't get much of a chance to talk before. Thanks again for coming. It's a real relief knowing you're willing to celebrate with us."

"Yeah, no problem man, I was flattered at the invite," Jon replied. "Gettin' a break from the crowd?"

Matt sighed, "Yeah, I needed some fresh air, and just... to clear my head, everything feels so surreal, it's like I'm dreaming, it's amazing, but... I dunno."

Jon looked over at him, surprised to see his positive surface falter.

"I just..." Matt hesitated. "She just does so much, and works so hard with everything and pushes and perseveres, and never takes no for an answer."

Jon gave a wincing look as he listened, nodding along to the familiar description of his overbearing ex.

"And sometimes it just feels like..."

Jon opened his mouth in empathy, searching for words.

"...like I don't deserve someone so amazing." Matt finished, looking off in the distance.

Jon raised his eyebrows in shock before quickly reigning in his surprise and closing his mouth.

"She just does so much for me. She organized this whole wedding, found us a new, huge, amazing condo and designed it. She shops for my clothes and has me looking way better, got me a new hair stylist... My life was a disorganized mess before her. I'm just at the hospital so much. Like, I just wanna fix bones. I hate having to worry about all that other stuff and she just does it and doesn't expect me to have to lift a finger," Matt said, then chuckled, "She even gets annoyed when I butt in and try. And I just feel like I could never give enough back, to make it up to her, you know?"

Jon didn't, but nodded anyway.

"She's even doing my hospital and clinic billing for me. Caught a bunch of stuff I should have been claiming, so I'm making more money now too," Matt laughed and sighed. "I mean, she gets mad sometimes, blows up even, but who doesn't? And, even then, she's always super clear about what she wants, and what I need to do about it. God, I just feel like I'm some lucky bastard that won the lottery, and I kinda feel like I don't deserve it. Almost like she's gonna suddenly realize it and leave."

Jon thought for a moment, "Well, I do remember feeling a little bit that way at one time at least," he said honestly. "But, I can tell you for sure, I think she's a happier and better person with you, than she ever has been. I don't think you have to worry man. You guys seem perfect for each other, and... it's kinda almost sounding like impostor syndrome," he said with a chuckle.

Matt looked off distantly again and frowned in thought, then finally nodded and smiled. "Yeah... That's it!" Matt said raising his eyes at the revelation. "Impostor syndrome, just like in training. I'm just nervous and I just gotta keep working to earn it, and eventually over time if I keep showing her how much I love her and listening to her, it'll feel like I do." Matt let out a huge sigh and put his hand on Jon's shoulder. "Thanks, man."

"No worries," Jon chuckled, not having put nearly that much thought into the comment.

There was a brief silence and then Matt looked over at him again.