When I woke, Jake was walking in with Hawk. He was holding a coffee.
I looked up at them and sighed.
"Hey," he smiled. He walked over and kissed my head. "How are you feeling?"
"Better. Did you make things right with your mom?" I asked, rubbing my eye.
"I did."
"Did you really?"
"Yes. How's your head?"
"Fine."
Dr. Taylor came in. "Hey. I'm on Dr. Michaels' service today, so I'll be with you for a bit. Mind if I check your incision?"
"Knock yourself out," I spoke.
He put hand sanitizer on and rubbed it in before lifting my gown. He removed some of the bandages. He touched it.
"Ouch," I winced.
"Tender?"
"No. Lighten up your touch. Is this your first post-op exam or something?" I smiled.
"No, but it's my first with someone I work with. How's the pain?"
"Fine."
"I-"
My grandparents walked in with the Chief.
"Dr. Taylor, is Dr. Malone able to move in around in a wheelchair?" the Chief asked.
"I think so."
"You think so? Oh, I'm never leaving this place," I sighed.
The Chief smiled and took a look at my incision.
"All my dignity is going out the window," I sighed, looking at Jake.
He smiled and took a drink of his coffee.
"Okay. Dr. Malone, I need you to come with us," the Chief spoke, getting a wheelchair for me.
"Where are we going?"
"A meeting," Granddad spoke.
"I don't like the sound of that. Am I being fired or something?" I asked, getting a little worried.
"No, of course not."
Jake put his jacket around my shoulders.
Dr. Taylor helped me up and into the wheelchair.
"Should I come?" Jake asked.
"No, it's a family matter," Granddad spoke.
"I am-"
They wheeled me from the room. They took me to a nearby conference room.
Kelly was sitting with a man in a suit.
A couple men in suits were on the opposite side of the table.
A man stood and shook Granddad's hand. "Jackson, nice to see you again. Lucille."
She shook his hand.
The Chief closed the door and sat with Kelly and the man in the suit.
"We're here for a malpractice suit," Granddad spoke. "Dr. Hamilton's negligence led to our granddaughter almost dying and-"
"Hey, wait a second," I spoke
My grandparents' lawyer spoke over me, "She was negligent. The patient almost died and-"
"Hey!" I shouted. Feeling a pain, I immediately grabbed my throat.
They all froze and turned to me.
"We're not suing," I spoke.
"Bridget, dear, we've filed the papers. She deserves to be held accountable for her actions. You could've died."
"No. We're not doing this. She made one mistake. We're not going to put a mark on her reputation."
"Bridget, we're not trying to make a mark on her reputation," Nan spoke.
"Then, I don't understand," I slowly spoke.
"They're trying to take my medical license," Kelly spoke, looking up at me.
"That's insane!" I gasped. I turned to them. "You barely know me. I don't understand why you're doing this."
"You're the last person in our family and we almost lost you due to her negligence. She was in the wrong. She needs to take responsibility," Granddad spoke.
I looked at Kelly and the Chief.
They looked serious, not saying anything.
I turned to my grandparents. "This is complicated. They're my bosses, my teachers. You can't just take her license."
"We're also suing the hospital," the lawyer spoke.
"This is ridiculous," I snapped.
"Britt-" Kelly started.
The lawyer touched her arm. "Doctor, don't speak directly to her."
Kelly sighed.
"What? Are we not allowed to talk anymore?" I asked.
"We don't recommend it until this is all over," my grandparents' lawyer spoke.
Kelly looked up, realizing something. She put her head in her hands. "James is going to freak."
"Who is James?" a lawyer asked.
"My son," Kelly spoke.
"My fiancée," I spoke.
The lawyers nodded and wrote it down.
I looked at my grandparents. "Please, can we make this go away? Please?"
"No," they spoke.
There was a knock on the door.
We all looked up.
"Dr. Malone?" a voice spoke.
I turned and saw Dr. Cole in the doorway.
"I know you're not working for a few days, but I thought you might want to see something." She handed me a paper.
I looked at it.
Test results for Peter. His counts were elevated and not in a good way.
I turned to her. "Dr. Cole..."
"We'll think of a plan." She looked up. "Chief, I really need her back. I need her mind."
"She's my resident," Kelly spoke up.
"Not anymore," the lawyer spoke.
"No. Stop. If j want to do General surgery, I'm damn well going to do General surgery. She's going to be my mother-in-law. She's one of my best friends and you're not going to stop me from talking to her. We're done here." I turned to Dr. Cole.
She was looking at the Chief.
He sighed, "Dr. Malone, if you work, it has to be from a wheelchair or your bed. Research only. Paperwork only. No surgeries on until you have my clear, okay?"
"Skills lab?" I asked.
He nodded.
"Britt, what do we do about James?" Kelly asked me.
"No one say anything. We're resolving this. No one is suing anyone. I'm the patient and I'm fine."
"Bridget," Granddad spoke.
"What are you going to do? I'm 27 years old and I'm not giving you permission to use my medical records. End of discussion."
"Bridget."
I looked at the lawyers. "They can't do a malpractice suit if they have nothing to make their case, right?"
They nodded.
"Great. We're done. Can I get to doing research now?"
The Chief nodded.
Dr. Cole took me to the locker room, where she helped me change into scrubs. Then, she took me to the library to do research.
I sat there for hours.
It felt so good to get back to work, to get back to what I was good at. I looked at study after study and procedure after procedure.
The results Dr. Cole had shown me were Peter's. I couldn't tell them anything until we had a plan. We needed a plan. We had to get him to Melanie's wedding. We just had to.
Jake was on my mind. He was losing his dad and he didn't even know. He had no clue what was about to happen. He was going to lose everything. Kelly was going to lose everything... They couldn't take her license, too.
I grabbed all my books and got everything I had been doing research with. I went to the conference room, where everyone was still talking. I wheeled myself in.
"Bridget, we're not dropping the lawsuit," Nan spoke.
I looked at Kelly. "Please, forgive me for saying what I'm about to say."
She nodded.
I stood, looked at them, and spoke, "Your son is dead."
"Bridget-" Granddad started.
"No. Let me talk."
They were quiet. All eyes were on me.
"You lost your son and I lost both of my parents. I have no one, but I-I have Kelly and I have Peter, her husband. They're not even my family, but they're more family to me than any family I'd ever known."
They remained quiet.
"Peter has cancer."
"Dr. Malone," the Chief warned.
"I'm speaking as the patient, the fiancé of her son, not her husband's doctor, sir. I'm not breaking any rules."
He nodded.
I cleared my throat as tears came to my eyes. "Peter is more than likely going to die soon. Kelly and-and Jake and their whole family are about to lose everything. She's a doctor and she knows what it's going to be like, but she's about to experience it. Her everything is going to be nothing and that's terrifying enough as it is. She's losing everything."
Kelly had tears in her eyes. She was looking at her hands.
"I've lost my parents and the father of my child less than a month apart."
Everyone looked up at me.
"Four years and two weeks ago, I lost my child. I know loss. I know what it's like to lose everything, to be helpless. Dr. Hamilton isn't just my doctor. She's my best friend, my mother. She's everything that I hoped to one day be. And right now, her life is about to crumble around her. She's going through enough. She can't save her husband, but she can save lives. She can save them like no other surgeon I know. She's brilliant and talented and if you sue her and take her license, you're killing any potential patient she might have had, because no one is as good as she is."
"Bridget," Nan warned with tears in her eyes.
"She's good, really good. I need to learn from her, so if she goes, I go too," I spoke.
Everyone's eyes widened.
Kelly's mouth fell open.
Everyone was stunned. They looked around at each other, then at me. They didn't know what to say.
"I don't want to be a doctor in a world where she isn't, where she can't be my teacher."
"Britt, you can't throw away your talent," Kelly spoke.
"I will, because it's not worth it. If I can't be one of the best, because I learned from you, I don't even want to be a doctor. Ask Jake. I'm a damn good waitress."
"Language," she smirked.
I but back my smile and looked around at everyone. "I'm fine. I feel better today than I have since the accident. I'm getting back to work. There's no harm done." I looked at my grandparents. "We're losing everything. Please, don't take her license, too. It won't bring Dad back. It won't make you feel better. It'll hurt her and it'll hurt me. Please, don't make us suffer more than we already have."
They didn't speak.
I took a breath, moved my books, and sat down. "Okay. Now, someone say something."
The Chief looked stunned.
My grandparents looked at each other. "We need time to think."
"Great. I'm going to make my way back to bed before-"
There was a knock on the door.
Jake looked in. "Where have you been?"
"Too late," Kelly smirked.
"What's going on here?" Jake asked.
"Britt's family is suing. They want to take my medical license," Kelly explained.
"Doctor, please," her lawyer spoke.
"I'm her son. It's fine," Jake spoke.
Their eyes widened.
Jake looked at me. "You've been gone for hours. Dr. Taylor has come to take your vitals five times and you're missing in action. Are you okay?"
"Working," I smiled, pointing to the books in my lap.
He rolled his eyes. "You're just like Mom, a workaholic."
I shrugged.
His eyes widened. "Oh! Dad wanted you to know that he's got treatment in an hour. He asked me to track you down, said he wanted to talk to you."
"Why?"
Jake shrugged.
He was so cute. All he did was shrug, but it was so unlike him. He always had answers. He was always so sure. His uncertainty was charming.
He looked up at everyone. "She made a mistake. My mom made a mistake, but she's a damn good doctor."
"Language," she mouthed.
"My mom is a workaholic, because she's good at what she does. She saves lives every day. Last night, I watched her try to save Britt's life in our kitchen. Our kitchen. She would do anything for Britt. It was a mistake, but Britt is okay. Everyone is okay. Why take a step back when they're moving forward?"
"I would hate to be your kids. Your speeches make me cry," Kelly spoke, wiping her eyes.
Jake looked confused.
"I just finished my speech," I smiled.
"Oh. Team work," he smirked, kissing my head.
I smiled.
"Except Britt's willing to give up her career for me," Kelly smiled.
Jake froze. He looked at me. "You what?"
"I can do other things," I reminded him.
"Like breaking milkshake machines?" he smirked.
I laughed, looking up at him. "It's a good thing I love you."
He chuckled, then frowned, "Yeah, no, you're not going back to that." He looked around the room. "Can we make this go away? Please?"
My grandparents looked at each other again. They nodded.
Granddad spoke, "I think we're finished here. What matters is that she's okay and she is, so we'll drop the lawsuit against both the hospital and Dr. Hamilton."
The hospital side shook my grandparents' hands.
Jake smiled at me. "Now, I'm stealing you for Dad."
I undid the brakes and nodded.
He wheeled me to oncology. Instead of going in the room, he walked around the wheelchair and stood in front of me. "Stand up."
"What?"
He put my books on the floor and wrapped his arms around me. He lifted me up and wrapped his arms around me. He kissed my neck. "Thank you."
"For what?"
"Protecting Mom. You protected her from me, then a lawsuit. You saved her license. Thank you."
Finally able to breathe, I rested my head on his shoulder. I gripped his shirt. "You make me feel safe," I whispered.
"I do?"
I nodded. "It's like I can breathe with you. I can relax."
He kissed my head.
"Anyone ever tell you that you should get a room?" Drew spoke.
I looked up and pulled away from Jake. "Hey, Drew."
He smiled, "Hey. How are you feeling?"
"I'm good. I just have to take it easy, but they said I could get back to work," I smiled.
"Good. We miss you around here," he smiled, stepping in the room.
Jake put me in my chair and put my books back on my lap. He smiled at me and stole a quick kiss, then he walked around the wheelchair and pushed me in the room.
Peter smiled, "Britt! You look good."
"Liar," I smiled. "How are you feeling?"
"I'm dandy, just fine. How are you?"
"Just dandy," I smirked.
He smiled and looked up at Jake. "I just started my treatment, so you came in right on time."
"Great. I-"
"Peter, you will never guess--Oh! Britt's here," Kelly spoke.
I stood. I turned. "Kelly, I am so sorry. I was really out of line in there and-"
She cut me off, pulling me into a hug. She didn't say anything. She just held me.
"Um, I'm confused," Drew spoke.
Key pulled back and wiped her eyes. She sat on Peters bed and told them everything. She didn't miss a single detail or quote anyone wrong.
Peter smiled at me, then at Jake. "You did good. If you don't take care of her, I'll haunt you until the day you die."
Jake smiled. He looked at me. "Sit down before you wear yourself out."
I sat down.
"And quit talking about haunting. You're not dying for a long time," Jake spoke.
I looked down at the books in my hands. Oh, dear. This was going to be harder on him than I thought.
There was a knock on the door.
Dr. Cole smiled, "Hey, Dr. Malone. Did you come up with anything?"
I wheeled myself over to her and handed her all the notes I took.
She nodded and looked them over. "Some of these are highly experimental, Dr. Malone. Are you confident enough to try any of these?"
"Try, yes. At this point, what could it hurt? Dr. Cole, we have to do something."
She nodded and sighed, "I will look these over. I'll get back to you soon, okay?"
I nodded.
She left.
I turned around to see them all staring at me. They looked curious and worried.
"How bad is it?" Peter asked.
I hesitated.
"Britt, please," he pleaded.
"It's not looking good," I sighed. "All of your tests are higher than they should be. We're just trying to think outside the box, trying to buy you more time."
"Just get me to February and we can call it quits, okay?"
"Peter," Kelly warned.
"Dad, you can't think like that," Drew spoke.
"Drew, I'm dying. I don't stand a chance. It's spreading too fast and it's not shrinking. They don't know what to do."
Drew sighed.
"Dad, they're trying. They'll find something," Jake spoke, trying to assure him.
"Son, I love you, but you're being naïve. I know I'm dying. Your mom knows it. Britt knows it. We all know it."
"Share some of the denial," I muttered.
Jake nudged me.
"Sorry. I just hate it," I sighed. "I spent three hours studying, doing research. My head is so full of cancer, I feel dizzy."
"Okay. Don't say that, because if you end up having a tumor in your brain, I'll be pissed," Jake spoke.
"I'm fine. They've seen my brain," I smiled.
"Why are you smiling?" he asked.
"Jake, you need to relax. You're going to go prematurely bald and I'll be pissed."
Kelly smiled, "You two are cute. Are you going to have a big wedding?"
I said no while Jake said yes. I turned to him. "Who am I going to invite?"
"Doctors, nurses."
"So you're going to invite the whole freaking division where you work?"
"Probably. Is that a problem?"
I sighed, "Why are we even talking about this now? We have time. We-"
"I leave in July."
"Yeah, so?"
"So we're getting married before I go."
"Wait. What?" I asked, completely taken off guard.
"What if I die over there? Don't you want to be identified as my wife?"
"Jake, that only leaves us like six months and it takes months to get a dress in. I never have time off anyway. How the hell were you expecting to do everything in six months?" I asked.
"We can figure it out," he spoke.
"We could just go to City Hall before you leave and have a big wedding when you get back," I suggested.
"That might be a good idea," Peter nodded.
"No, it's not. I might not come back," he argued, getting angry.
I looked at him. "Do you want to come back?"
"Yes, of course I do."
"Then, shut up. It's like going into surgery. If you think you're going to die on the table, you more than likely will. You can't go if you think you're going to die," I spoke, looking at Peters chart. I couldn't look at Jake.
"I could die no matter what."
I didn't say anything. What could I say?
Peter was fine. His vitals were stable. There was nothin I could do. Knowing that, I closed his chart.
"I have more research to do, so I better go," I spoke.
Peter nodded.
"Are you going back to your room?" Kelly asked.
"Probably."
"I'll come," Jake offered.
"No, it's okay," I spoke, looking up.
"Bridget-"
"No, I think you should stay with your family," I spoke, trying not to get angry or upset. I needed to get out of there.
He looked at me.
"I need to think and I need to do it alone," I spoke.
"Think about what?" he asked.
I didn't answer. I didn't want to upset him. I didn't want to anger him. I just wanted to think about him, about what it would be like to have him gone.
"Bridget," he spoke, barely above a whisper, "what do you need to think about?"
"You," I spoke.
He blinked. "Me? What about me?"
I hesitated.
"Do you not want to marry me?" he asked.
"It's not that, Jake."
"Then, what is it?"
"You're so used to the idea of dying. You don't care if you go overseas and never come back...but I do. Carrie didn't, because she didn't understand. Right now, I don't either. I know I love you and I can't live without you, so I said yes...but where does that put me when you decide it's okay to die over there?"
He was quiet.
"I don't want that. I want you. It's not you I need to think about. I need to think about everything. And if you want to get married so soon, there's a lot that has to happen and I don't have time to sit and plan and be a bride, so I have to think. I need you to let me think," I spoke.
He sighed and nodded.
Kristi came in. "Dr. Malone, you have some visitors in your room. Dr. Taylor asked me to come get you."
"So much for thinking," I sighed. I wheeled myself from the room and down the hall. I wheeled into my room to see my grandparents, Lou, and George. I climbed back into bed and sighed.
"What's all that?" Lou asked.
"Research."
He nodded. "So George and I are getting married February first. We wanted you to be the first to know, so you can take the day off."
I sighed, "Darling, I love you, but can we not talk about weddings right now?"
"Did something happen? Where's Jake?" George asked.
"He's being deployed in July. He just informed me he wants to get married before he leaves. He wants a big wedding before he leaves, because he thinks he's going to die overseas," I explained.
"So what are you going to do?" Nan asked.
I shrugged. "I guess I'm getting married some time in the next five months."
"But there's so much to do," Lou spoke.
"I know."
"And you need a dress."
"I know."
"It takes six months I get-"
"I know!" I snapped.
Instead of looking offended, he took my hand. "Sweetie, he's not going to die if he has you to come home to."
"Lou," I spoke with tears in my eyes. My heartbeat accelerated. I couldn't be without Jake. What was I going to do if he never came home?
He squeezed my hand.
"Britt?" Jake spoke.
I looked up at him.
"We'll give you a minute," George spoke.
They all left the room.
Jake closed the door and walked over to me. He sat on the edge of my bed and took my hand.
"I don't want you to die. Please, don't die," I whispered as the tears overflowed.
He wrapped his arms around me as a sob escaped my lips.
After a minute, I pulled back and sighed.
He wiped my tears away and took a deep breath. "I want to marry you before I leave, because I want to have you waiting on me when I get home."
"Jake-"
"It's not the same as having a girlfriend to come home to. Having a wife to come home to has a hope for a future, a hope for promise. I need that, Britt."
"You want a family," I whispered, understanding. "A strong foundation."
He nodded.
I could do that for him, give that to him. I needed him to come home. If I was what he needed to do that, I'd do it.
"Okay, but I still need time to make some calls. Think you can get rid of my visitors for a bit?"
"Of course," he spoke, giving me a kiss.
He stood and left.
A minute later, I picked my phone up. If we were going to do this, we had to plan soon. I went to Google. When I found what I was looking for, I dialed the number.
When the woman answered, she sounded cheerful, asking what I needed.
"I'm Bridget Malone. I need to make an appointment to look at dresses. Here's my issue. My fiancé is being deployed in July and I'm a surgeon, so my time off it limited. He wants to get married before we leave, so I'm stuck. I don't know what to do."
"When's your next day off?"
"The day after tomorrow," I spoke, knowing I'd be discharged tomorrow.
"Come in around one and we'll help you. We have loads of dresses that don't need to be ordered, so that'll be helpful. I'm Tia. I'll be your bridal consultant."
"Awesome. I'll see you then."
"Bye."
I hung up and rang Jake.
"Yeah, honey?" he answered.
"Did Lou leave?"
"No. He and George are with me."
"I need the three of you in here," I spoke. "We need to talk."
"Okay. We'll be in shortly."
He hung up.
A minute later, they walked in. They sat down.
"Okay. Here's the deal. Jake wants to get married soon, so I need the two of you to help me call around and find a wedding planner."
Lou nodded and got on his phone. A second later, he nodded, "Okay. Erica will be in soon to give you the rundown."
"You've got a wedding planner on speed dial?" Jake asked in surprise.
"No. She's a friend of mine. She's an event planner and she's really good."
Jake nodded. He looked at me. "What do you want? We should have some sort of idea."
I shrugged.
A few minutes later, there was a knock on the door.
A woman in a black skirt and white blouse stepped in. Her blonde hair was pinned back. Her bright blue eyes glistened. She smiled, "Lou, hi."
He stood and hugged her. "Erica, it's good to see you."
"You too. It's been too long."
"Well, Britt is in a bit of a bind. They desperately need your help," Lou told her. He looked at us.
Jake explained what was going on.
She nodded, "Okay. We can make this work."
Jake gave her his seat. "Where do we start?"
"With a date. Any ideas?"
"Early June," Jake spoke. He turned to me.
I nodded.
"Any ideas where?"
"Not yet," I spoke.
"Color schemes?"
I looked at Jake. "You've thought about this more than I have."
"How much would you hate a red, white, and blue wedding?" he asked, biting his bottom lip. He had that nervous, sexy look that I loved. He looked at Lou. "Would that be really cliché?"
"Yes, but it would also be cute," Lou smiled.
"I like the idea," I agreed.
Jake looked at me. "Like the idea? Britt."
"What? Don't you want me to like the idea?" I asked, confused.
"No. I want you to love the idea. It's our wedding day. Don't you want it to be perfect?" he asked.
"Jake," I sighed.
"What?" he asked.
"There's no way it could be perfect. I have no parents and your dad-"
"What about him?" he asked.
"Jake," I sighed. Did he really not know? Did he really not understand?
There was a knock on the door.
Kelly came in with Peter. He was walking.
"Peter, sit down," I smiled.
He sat and smiled, "You look stressed."
"Wedding planning started and you're interrupting their first fight," Lou spoke up.
Peter looked at us. He turned to Jake. "Don't be stupid. Rule no. 1: Agree with her, no matter what."
"She said our wedding won't be perfect."
"Weddings are about bringing two families together. I don't have parents and-"
"And I won't be there," Peter nodded, understanding.
Kelly's eyes saddened. She put a hand on Peter's shoulder.
"Dad, don't say that. You don't know," Jake spoke.
"James, we know. Britt knows. If she didn't, why do you think she's working on my case so soon after having surgery?" Peter asked.
Jake hesitated. He looked at me. "You haven't said anything."
"Did I really have to?" I asked.
He didn't say anything. He looked down.
I took his hand.
He looked at our hands and sighed. He ran his thumb across my knuckles.
"So color scheme?" Lou prompted.
"Red, white, and navy, I think. It's like a classier take on red, white, and blue," I spoke, looking at Jake.
He nodded, "I like that idea."
I looked at Erica, who wrote it down.
"Do we have a budget?"
"No," Jake spoke.
"Yes," I spoke.
He looked up at me and smirked, "Are you going to let me win anything?"
"No. Get used to it now," I smiled.
He kissed my hand and smiled, "Okay. Let's talk budget."
"No budget," a voice spoke.
I looked up.
My grandparents stood in the doorway. They walked in.
"No budget," Granddad spoke.
"Starting our married life with a pile of debt is not an interest of mine," I spoke. "There's going to be a budget."
They exchanged a look.
Nan nodded.
Granddad got an envelope from his blazer. He handed it to me.
"What's this?" I asked.
"Just open it."
I let go of Jake's hand and opened it. I removed the paper and looked it over.
It was a check. It was what my father left me after his death. $625,000.
My mouth dropped.
"That does not include what's coming from your mother or the estate," he spoke.
I couldn't process words. How the hell did he have so much money? Why didn't they say anything? Why did we live a shitty life if we had this much money?
I quickly put it back in the envelope. I held it out to my grandfather.
"Bridget-"
"I can't accept this. I don't understand," I managed to speak.
"Bridget."
"And you need to stop carrying that around."
"What do you know about your parents, Bridget?" Nan asked.
"Dad was a carpenter and Mom was a sales consultant. They didn't do anything that impressive. We struggled a lot to stay above the poverty line. Growing up was difficult. Why?" I looked at Lou. "What did they not tell us?"
He shrugged and looked at my grandparents.
"I think we need a minute," Granddad spoke.
"No. I-"
"Bridget, dear, we need a minute alone," Nan spoke.
"It's not a problem. We can wait outside," Kelly spoke.
Everyone filed out.
I looked at my grandparents.
"Bridget, your father was a carpenter...but before that, he founded a very successful lumber company. Your mom was a co-founder, because the wood was discovered on the land her parents left her when they passed away."
"Where's this land now?"
"When your parents found out they were going to have you, they wanted to do something safer. The land belongs to the company that he ran from afar up until the day he died."
"So what does this mean?"
"It means that you own a lumber company that makes millions every year," he spoke.
"Oh my God. Why didn't they tell me?"
"They wanted you to have a normal life, but a damn good life once they were gone."
I put my head in my hands. "Oh my God."
"Bridget, they'd want you to have a nice wedding. They'd want you to take care of your family. They'd want this," Nan spoke.
"I know nothing about lumber. Lumber has no pulse. It's got no blood. The one time I worked with wood, was when I removed a large branch from a man. How am I supposed to own a lumbar company?"
"Your father's team will help you. As your father's lawyer, I will help you," Granddad spoke.
"I'm an intern. I love my job."
"Then, you can still do it. The board only meets once a month. This is a busy time of year, because many people still have fireplaces and they got their trees from us," Granddad told me.
"That check you have, can we put it in the bank or something? I don't want to carry it around. I don't want my colleagues knowing."
He nodded, "Of course."
"And the wedding will have no budget," Nan spoke.
I nodded and cleared my throat. "Clearly, I can afford it."
"Yes, you can," Granddad spoke.
"I need to tell Jake. Out bank accounts are going to be combined soon. He deserves to know," I spoke.
Granddad left the room and returned with Jake.
He told him what he told me.
Jake's eyes widened. He struggled to find words. He looked at me. "You didn't know?"
I shook my head.
"Oh my God." He put his hands in his hands. He started to shake. He was crying.
I put a hand to his back. "Jake, what is it?"
He looked up and wiped his eyes. "Sorry. I don't cry a lot. I just-I'm so relieved."
"Why?" Granddad asked.
"Because I won't have to worry about her. If I go overseas and I die, I'll know she can take care of herself," he spoke. He looked at me. "I hate your parents, but I'm so grateful they did this. I really am."
"Jake," I sighed, "you don't have to worry about me."
"Yes, I do and I will, so don't try to make me stop," he spoke.
"Bridget, when do you get out of here?" Nan asked.
"Tomorrow."
She nodded. "Would you and James like to come over for dinner?"
I looked at Jake. "Do you have anything on base?"
"I can make time," he spoke.
I looked at them. "Then, sure."
"Great. We'll tell Loretta," Nan smiled.
"I'm sorry. Who?" I asked.
"Our housekeeper."
I nodded.
When they left, I turned to Jake. I couldn't believe that just happened. I couldn't believe any of it.
He gave me a sweet kiss. He pulled back and spoke, "You need to rest. You've done a lot today."
I wasn't going to fight him on that. I moved over in the bed.
He left the room and returned. He closed the door and slipped his shoes off before he laid down with me. He pulled me in his arms and kissed my head.
I sighed.
Things would be okay. We would be okay. Everything would be okay.