The Flame (A Norman Reedus Story)

Chapter 81--Hollycon Tokyo

Chapter 81—Hollycon Tokyo

December 27, 2014 7am

Norman’s POV

I roll over and realize I’m alone in the bed.  I look over and see light beneath the bathroom door.  I stretch and sit up, wondering why she didn’t wake me.  I pick up my cell to see what time it is and groan; we don’t need to be up for another forty-five minutes.  I get out of bed, walking to the bathroom and I hear the shower running.  It’s so unlike Jenna not to wait for me to shower.  I open the door and step into the bathroom.  She’s in the shower, her back to me and she hasn’t realized I’m in here yet.  I open the glass door and softly ask, “Hey sweetheart why are you up so early?” 

She turns to look at me and I notice her eyes are puffy and red from crying.  My voice is full of concern as I ask, “What’s wrong Jenna?”  I pull her into my arms, kissing her cheek as she sighs, “There’s not exactly anything wrong.”  I look into her green eyes and see nothing but sadness, “Well you usually don’t cry for no reason.”  She shrugs, “I’m just being an idiot and getting ahead of myself.  I got my period this morning and honestly I was not expecting it.  After my moodiness the last few days, I thought I was pregnant.” 

I sigh and hug her tight, “It’s alright darling.  You weren’t the only one getting ahead of themselves; I was hoping you were too.  We just started trying, so don’t worry about it.  It will happen, so we’ll just keep at it okay?”  She nods, letting out a sigh and whispering, “Sorry.”  I kiss her lips lightly, gently telling her, “You have nothing to be sorry about.  You sure as hell don’t owe me an apology for your feelings or the fact that you got your period.  I’m disappointed that it didn’t happen this time, but it doesn’t change how I feel about you sweetheart.  I love you.”

She kisses my cheek, “Can you get any more perfect?  I love you too.”  I smile at her, “So how about we take a shower and then eat some breakfast?”  She gives me a small smile and hands me the shampoo.  As we take our shower, her mood lightens and I’m relieved that she’s not dwelling on what neither one of us can control.  I watch her put conditioner into her hair and my eyes wander down to her flat belly.  I’ll admit it; I’m just as sad and disappointed as she is.  I can’t wait to see her with a baby bump, so we’ll just keep trying until it happens. 

We finish our shower and dry off, wrapping ourselves in towels and walking back into the bedroom of our hotel.  Room service delivers our breakfast right on time and we relax as we eat; our mood much more upbeat than it was a little while ago.

We get dressed and ready to head out to Hollycon.  I look over at her as she slips on her tank top and smile, “Wearing your Christmas present I see.”  She looks down at the “The Real Mrs. Daryl Dixon” tank and smiles at me, her green eyes sparkling in amusement, “Is it too much?”  I walk over and kiss her cheek gently as I tell her in my Dixon voice, “Oh hell no darling.  I prefer everyone know you’re my girl.”  She giggles, “You better keep that Dixon voice to yourself today or there’s gonna be fan girls with exploding ovaries everywhere.”  I chuckle, “You think so huh?”  She nods, “I know so, no Murphy either because Lord knows my ovaries can’t take it.”  I grin, “Aye Lass!”  She rolls her eyes, “What did I just say Murph?”  I kiss her cheek and mutter, “Okay, okay I promise to behave.” 

We walk out of our room and meet Steven in the hall.  He looks over at us and gives us a weak smile.  He coughs a little and Jenna remarks, “Jeez Steven you sound like shit.”  He nods, “I feel like shit too.”  She reaches out and puts her hand on his forehead, “You’re running a fever Steven.  Why the hell are you even out of bed?”  He shrugs, “It’s time to go to work.”  Jenna sighs, “Did you take anything?”  He shakes his head, “Not yet.  I don’t have any cold medicine with me.”  She reaches into her bag and pulls out a bottle, “Do you have any allergies?”  He shakes his head, “Nope.”  Jenna hands him some pills, “Here’s some Day-quil and a couple of Motrin.  See me in about 5 hours and I’ll re-dose you.  Keep yourself hydrated.  Use plenty of hand sanitizer today and drink hot tea if your throat bothers you. ” He nods taking the pills and saying, “Thanks Mom.”  She rolls her eyes, “Well someone has to take care of you boys.  I swear you guys would die without a woman to take care of you.”  I chuckle and tell Steven, “She’s right you know.”  He nods, “Yeah I know.”  I put my arm around Jenna and give her a kiss on the cheek, “He’s right though, your Mommy instincts automatically kicked in.”  She groans, “Sorry.  It’s a habit.”  As we walk to the elevator I tell her, “I wouldn’t want ya any other way sweetheart.”