Damn, the last chapter was the most commented chapter ever. Guess I got you with that secret, huh? You guys are the best! Check out my one-shot series, Our Family, if you miss the Substitute Father and Child books!
The feel of lips on my bare shoulder caused my eyes to flutter open, a smile making its way onto my lips. I could feel his breath on my neck, and it brought a sense of relaxation throughout my entire body. He slipped his hand under my tank top, his fingers dancing across the skin of my stomach. I tried not to shiver as he traced my scar.
I failed.
"Good morning," He whispered, kissing my neck softly.
"Morning," I murmured, turning over to face him. Ignoring the fact that we both had morning breath, he leaned forward and pressed his lips to mine. Waking up like this every morning was amazing, and my heart fluttered every time I woke up in his arms. It was hard to believe he had only moved in a week ago.
"So, I have the day off." He propped himself on his elbow, resting his head in his palm. "And since Jess stayed the night at Morgans, we can spend all day in bed. How does that sound?"
"Amazing." I hummed.
"How're you feeling?" He questioned suddenly, effectively changing the subject. I should've expected this question, seeing as how he had been asking me it everyday since my release.
"I'm okay." I answered truthfully.
"No headaches? Dizziness? Weakness?"
"Nope."
"You better not be lying to me, Blake. You had major brain surgery. You may be out of the hospital, but you're still recovering. It takes weeks to fully recover, not to mention more than just brain surgery was performed. You almost died, and I would never forgive myself if I let something happen to you because you didn't rest enough."
I gently cupped his cheek, rubbing my thumb over his cheekbone. "I'm not lying to you, Ross. I swear. I love that you're so protective, but I don't want you to worry. I'll stay in bed everyday if it puts your mind at ease."
Tears began to fill his eyes, much to my surprise. "When they first brought you in, I wanted to scream. It was like my feet were glued to the ground. And when you flatlined," His jaw clenched, his voice breaking as he continued. I could only listen, unable to prevent my own tears from forming. "I thought I was going to lose you. There was so much blood, so much damage...I couldn't do anything but watch the other doctors work on you. And in that moment, I wasn't a doctor anymore. I was just a terrified man, watching his girlfriend die in front of him."
"But I'm okay now." I spoke softly, wiping away a stray tear that fell.
"But you almost weren't!" He sat upright, tangling his fingers in his hair. "You almost died on me, Blake. You almost left Jess. What would she do without you? What would your parents and Morgan do without you?" He lowered his voice down to a whisper, small sobs escaping. "What would I do without you?"
I couldn't utter a word as I watched him breakdown, letting out all his pent up emotions. I could only slowly sit up, wounding my arms around his waist. He immediately hugged me close, shoving his head in the crook of my neck. Body trembling and more sobs escaping, he continued to relive the memories, as if they were still occurring.
I slowly ran my fingers through his hair, coaxing him to calm down. My heart was breaking as I watched him. I knew that the accident was hard on him, hard on everyone, but I guess I didn't know how much.
"I'm okay, Ross." I whispered, continuing to run my fingers through his blonde locks. "I'm alive; I'm fine. Please calm down." I had never seen him like this before, and I was truly worried he was going to give himself a panic attack. I needed him to see that I was okay, that I was alive and well. I wasn't going anywhere.
"I almost lost you." He continued to murmur, hugging me tight. "I love you so much, Blake. I wouldn't know what to do if I ever lost you."
I buried my face in his shoulder. "Good thing you'll never have to find out."
~*~
It never ceased to amaze me how much Jess loved Ross. I always feared that if I ever met a man, she wouldn't warm up to him. But from the moment they met, they seemed to have a connection. And as I watched him play with her, tickling her stomach as she giggled uncontrollably, I knew that connection would never go away.
I rested my chin in the palm of my hand, my eyes unable to look away. If I could, I would watch them all day. After Danny died, I never thought my baby would have a father, and although Ross could never truly replace my big brother, he was it. He was the man who would raise Jess beside me.
Despite my relief that Jess would grow up with a father figure, I truly hated that she would never get to know her real parents. I loved her like she was my own, but I wasn't her biological mother. I was her aunt turned adopted mom. When she would turn a certain age, I would start telling her about her parents. I was unsure of how her reaction would be, but keeping the truth from her would do no good. If anything, it would make things worse.
She deserved nothing but the truth.
I scooped Jess up into my arms, peppering her face with kisses. A string of giggles escaped her, her arms flailing in my hold. Ross watched us, smiling.
"I wish I didn't have to work tonight." He murmured, running his fingers through Jess' hair. "I'd rather do this instead."
"But your patients want to see their favorite doctor. Can't let them down, Dr. Lynch." I winked.
He chuckled. "I love my job, but I found something else I love more. Two, actually."
I felt my face heat up. This man seriously had a way with words.
Jess reached up and touched my cheek, causing me to look down at her and kiss her forehead. "What's up, baby?"
"We go see gwanma and gwanpa?"
My eyes widened slightly in shock, having not expected that question. I knew she missed her grandparents, I did, too. I rarely got to see my parents anymore, and the car accident wasn't the best situation for them to fly down here.
Seeing their daughter in a coma wasn't an ideal visitation.
She snuggled her head in my chest. "Miss them, momma."
I kissed the top of her head. "I miss them, too, baby."
Noticing she was about fall asleep, I laid her down on the couch and covered her with a blanket. I rested my back against the couch, staring at Ross with a saddened expression. "What am I supposed to do?"
He scooted closer to me, resting his hand on my thigh. "Well, if you both miss them, I say go to New York and see them. You don't have to go back to work for a few more weeks, so take that time and fly down there."
The though of visiting my parents excited me, but there would be one thing missing. "Come with us."
He looked at me, startled. "What?"
"I want to visit them, but I want you to come with us. Before they left, my parents told me they loved you. I know they would be happy if you came. Besides, I don't know if I would be able to handle the thought of leaving you behind. I'd miss you too much."
He smiled, leaning forward to press his lips to mine. "Hmm. Guess I'll have to talk to the Chief and tell him I'm going to New York."
"He'll be okay with that, right? Because you missed a lot of work when I was in the hospital."
I couldn't bare the thought of him getting in trouble because I wanted him to come with us. It wouldn't be fair.
He nodded. "He'll be fine with it. I never take vacation days, anyway. My time off work when you were in the hospital didn't count. I didn't enjoy that time off. I was losing my mind at the thought of losing you." He grabbed my hand, lacing our fingers together. "But now, I'll get to enjoy each day with you and Jess."
Swoon, yet again.
~*~
I had decided to keep my visit a surprise, but that proved to be harder than expected. I was just itching to call my parents and let them know I would be flying down for a visit. I knew the looks on their faces would be worth the wait, and I could already feel the bone crushing hugs I would receive.
Since this would be Jess' first time on a plane, I was slightly nervous that she would get scared and cry the entire flight. I was hoping that I could occupy her with some tv or a game on my phone.
"Your parents won't mind me staying with you, right?" Ross questioned as we packed a suitcase for the trip. "Maybe I should just stay in a hotel or something."
"Ross, they love you. Besides, we're not teenagers. We're adults in a relationship, so if we want to share a room we will."
"If you're sure."
"I am. There's nothing to be nervous about."
He scoffed. "I'm not nervous."
It was my turn to scoff. "Liar. A blind person would be able to tell you're nervous.But seriously, you have nothing to be nervous about. My parents told me they loved you before they went home. My mom's exact words were, 'sweetie, you found a keeper.' So relax, okay? You don't have to prove yourself."
He nodded, his body visibly relaxing. I didn't understand why he was nervous to begin with. I hadn't been lying at all; my parents really did love him. If they didn't, they would've told me. Before Kyle, I had a couple of boyfriends they disliked, and they weren't afraid to tell me. Especially my dad.
He had a few choice words for each of them.
Finishing off our packing, I double checked our belongings to make sure we didn't forget anything. Satisfied, I zipped up the suitcase and set it down on the ground. We were all packed and ready to go. Since our flight was tomorrow morning and we had to be at the airport a few hours before, I made sure Jess was fast asleep. A cranky toddler on a plane was something I wanted to avoid.
"We better get some sleep." Ross said, climbing into bed. I nodded in agreement, burying myself under the covers. He threw his arm over my waist, pulling me close to his chest. We laid in silence for a few moments before he broke it, his voice quiet and soft. "Excited for tomorrow?"
A smile overcame my face almost instantly. "Yeah. I can't wait to see my parents. Ever since I moved here, I don't get to see them as much. Sometimes I think my mom wants me to move back to New York, but she understands why I need to stay here."
"Because of Danny."
I nodded. Although Danny was buried in New York, I somehow felt closer to him here. It didn't really make sense, but it didn't need to. It made sense to me and that was all that mattered.
"I can't wait to see your old room." He smirked, wiggling his eyebrows. "And I really hope your parents tell embarrassing stories."
I swatted his chest as he burst out into a fit of chuckles. "Nice boyfriend you are. I didn't hope your parents would tell embarrassing stories when I met them. That just proves that I'm nice and you're a meanie."
"A meanie? Am I dating a ten year old?"
"If you were, you'd be in jail right about now."
He shook his head in amusement, dropping his head on my shoulder. I closed my eyes and buried my head in the crook of his neck, relishing in the moment. I couldn't wait for tomorrow to arrive, and my excitement only grew at the thought of going with the man I loved.
New York, here we come.
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