Chapter 43
Jessica watched the rising sun paint the sky a myriad of reds and oranges before fading to a delicate pink and a soft blue.
Sam was still racked out, his little body scooted as close to the edge of the bed as possible.
His new teddy bear was tucked under his chin, and his foot poked out between the bed rails.
She’d kill for a coffee.
And her own bed.
Preferably with Sam, Teddy and Blue all in it.
A continuous family nap/movie/relax was the only way she was interested in spending today.
“Hey,” Teddy said, poking his head through the door. His hair was down, the strands still wet and a bit tangled like he’d just stepped out of the shower.
She pushed to her feet, stretching as she crossed the room to where he was standing. The chair-bed hadn’t been terrible, but Jessica wouldn’t be sad to say goodbye to it. “How’d you get past the nurses?” she asked, after accepting the chaste kiss Teddy dropped on her lips.
“Bribed them.”
She pulled back. “What?”
“I brought coffees and treats with me. Wyatt left a message for me last night and said he and Billie had made up two care packages. One for us and one for the hospital staff.”
Wattle Junction really was the best place on earth.
“And they let you in? Even though it’s not even seven?”
“Turns out my mother’s right.”
Jessica froze, her hand hovering over a coffee in the cardboard tray Teddy offered her.
“I’m very charming. It’s my cross to bear. Also, she wants to apologise to you in person. Have a special family dinner with everyone to welcome you and Sam properly.”
Jessica was still frozen. “Just like that? Everything’s fine?”
Teddy pressed the coffee into her hand and helped her curl her fingers around it, but she didn’t take a sip.
“She’s really sorry, Starshine. One of my favourite things about my family is how no one is afraid to apologise when they realise they’ve done the wrong thing.”
Jessica nodded, pushing aside the lump that appeared when she thought of her own mother. “At least Lulu and I agree that a mother’s love is supposed to be all-encompassing.”
Teddy smiled, tilting his chin towards Sam’s bed. “How’s the patient?”
“He had a good night. Woke up a couple of times for observations, but he’s been pretty dozy.”
She stifled a yawn in her elbow before taking a long sip of her coffee.
“And how was your night?”
“Could’ve used a better pillow.” She hoped Teddy would catch the hidden meaning in her words, even if it was heavily veiled. But each night that they’d spent together—admittedly not many—she’d woken up sprawled across his chest or his back.
Teddy climbed into her chair and spread his arms wide. “I’m always happy to be your pillow.”
Jessica slid onto his lap.
“I brought something else with me,” Teddy said softly, reaching into the pocket of his shirt. He pulled out their wedding rings. “I figured the most important person who needed to know about our marriage is Sam, and now that he does …”
“You want to wear our rings? People will notice.”
Teddy flushed, and Jessica needed this moment to slow down. So she could document every detail from Teddy’s pink cheeks to his adorably shy smile. The way his hand shook a little underneath hers. Because was this the moment? It felt like it.
“This will probably go down as the worst proposal ever, and I always thought I’d be smoother than this, but I want to be yours, Starshine.
Wholly and completely. None of this ‘we’re secretly married but also dating’.
It’s so unnecessarily complicated when you’re it for me, Jess.
You’ve shown me what real happiness and love and partnership are, and I want to wear your ring every day and have everyone know how much we love each other. ”
She picked up Teddy’s ring. The metal was solid against her palm. Just like they were. “I want that, too.”
“Yeah?” His grin was wider than the sunrise outside.
Jessica slid Teddy’s ring back on his finger and hoped she’d never see it bare again.
Teddy kissed her hand once he’d put her ring back on her finger. “Love you, wife,” he whispered.
She wrapped her arms around his neck. “Love you too, husband.”
Then she ruined the moment by yawning.
“Come on.” He coaxed her legs over the side of the chair and tucked her head under his chin. “Get some rest while you can, Starshine.”
The familiarity of his scent and mannerisms made it impossible to keep her fatigue at bay any longer. But the final pièce de résistance? Knowing her husband was here. Ready to catch her and hold her together for as long as she needed.
“I missed you last night,” she murmured, gaps stretching between her words as contentment mingled with her exhaustion. She’d close her eyes. Just for a moment. Safe here in Teddy’s arms.
His hand coasted down her back. “Me too, Starshine. Get some sleep, hey? I’ll keep an eye on Sam.”
“Wake me when …” But she didn’t finish her sentence.
Jessica just slept.
Teddy blinked awake when he sensed someone else was in the hospital room.
“Hi,” Rob said, stopping a few steps into the room, the ‘get well soon’ dump truck-shaped balloon he’d bought dancing under the heater vent.
“Hey,” Teddy replied quietly, conscious of how Jessica was curled around his body, one of her hands tucked under the neckline of his shirt. Ironically, this was the most compromising position he’d ever been caught in, and everyone was fully clothed.
Awkwardness suffocated all the air in the room.
“Sorry. Let me wake Jess and then I’ll get out your hair.” He could go find some more coffee for everyone.
“It’s fine,” Rob said, shuffling over to the other chair in the opposite corner of the room and depositing his backpack in it. His shoulders rose as he took a deep breath, and then he turned back to Teddy. “She used to be such a light sleeper. I’m glad to see that she’s getting some rest now.”
Was he imagining the subtext? Before he had a chance to decide what Jessica’s ex meant by that, Rob continued. “I’m sorry about yesterday.”
Teddy stilled. Jessica had said that they’d buried the hatchet last night, but this was unexpected. If his hands weren’t occupied, he would’ve scratched the itch that raced along the back of his neck.
“I’m sorry too. I’d really like us to find a way to be friends. Or be friendly. Whatever you are comfortable with. I’m not trying to replace you.”
Rob sighed, smoothing the bottom of Sam’s blankets. “Being friendly would be good. For Sam. And all of us.”
Jessica stirred and Teddy swept the curls that had fallen across her forehead off her face.
“Teddy?” Jessica mumbled into his chest, her eyelids fluttering open.
He dropped his head so his mouth was next to her ear. “Morning, Starshine. We’ve got company.”
“What?” She sat up bolt upright, her elbow catching Teddy in the stomach as she scrambled to her feet.
“Oof.”
“Sorry.” She winced. “Hi, Rob.”
“Jess.”
The awkwardness from earlier returned, but it wasn’t as cloying as before. “Teddy didn’t spend the night here.”
Scratch that. There it was.
Jessica smoothed her hands down the front of the hoodie she’d borrowed from Teddy. “I mean, he came back this morning. I don’t want you to think that he got to be here and you didn’t or anything.”
“You don’t need to explain yourself to me, Jess. If we’re all going to be a team, then we have to trust each other.” Rob’s voice cracked. “There are going to be times when we all miss out on things. That’s the nature of a split family like ours. I’ve apologised to Teddy about yesterday, as well.”
“And I apologised too,” Teddy said.
Sam stretched his uninjured arm above his head and blinked awake. The first thing he said was: “Can I have ice cream for breakfast?”
“I don’t see why not.” Rob smiled. “There’s some in the fridge in the family room. I’ll go and get it.”
“So,” Jessica said once the door had closed behind Rob.
“So.” Teddy smiled.
“Seems like everything’s going to be okay?
” She sank her teeth into her bottom lip.
Teddy reacted instinctively, his hand moving towards her before his brain had even caught up.
Gently, he tugged her lip loose before tracing the line of her jaw.
He dipped his head so they were eye to eye.
He could spend forever here. Lost in her gaze.
“Everything’s going to be better than fine,” he promised. “And I’ve got an idea about how we can tell everyone our good news.”