Fade to Black (sequel to riptide)

Part 38

Jacksons pov
They like her. The only part of my family that is still in my life likes her. Obviously mom hasn't met her but she will eventually and she will love her nonetheless. She already does and she hasn't met her.
I carry the suitcases up the stairs and into the room and sit on the bed we were going to share hearing the shower going. I roll my eyes and n
Knock on the door.
"Hey babe you taking a shower?"
"About to." I open it.
"Then you might need this." I hand her the bag with her soaps and wash towels in it.
"Ohh right. Thank you baby." I chuckle closing the door and going back to sitting on the bed going through my phone. I went into my email opening up the email and looking at the selection of tuxedos and suits for my wedding. I want everything perfect. Absolutely perfect. I was debating between a few Blazers so I had made the decision to wait and see how they look on me. I want to wear a tux. Lauren thinks I look hot in a tux so that's what I'm going to wear. Also I'm wearing skinnier pants than most because I don't like the extra hanging pant around my ankles plus I've got nice legs I'm going to show them off. My biggest issue is choosing shoes. Do I got boot or traditional, shiny or velvety. Do I get black or do I get some sort of brown. Lauren still hasn't decided on a what I'm wearing to match her ladies. I think pocket square is the safest way to go. She thinks cummerbund. I'm not wearing a damn cummerbund to my wedding. One of my biggest pet peeves I cummerbunds because they're unnecessary alike what is they're purpose. I think they don't have one and so I'm not wear one but Lauren is trying to make me wear one. I don't want that. Just then I hear her exiting the bathroom.
"Hey babe what're you doing?" She asks.
"Nothing really just messing around." She nods. I watch her get ready and she trips on her way over to her suitcase.
"Coño!" She curses gripping her foot. I laugh a little. She gets on the bed crawling over to me.
"I like your family." She says her head resting on my abdomen and her arm wrapped around me. I place my hand on her arm rubbing it soothingly.
"They like you."
"You think?"
"They love you."
"Tabitha seemed to hate me though she was rolling her eyes when I talked and trying to make me say something wrong. ."
"Tabitha hates everyone. She's on my list of family I don't necessarily like that much."
"Hmm."
"Babe you need to take a shower you smell like travel."
"I would ask you to join but you just got out." I sigh and she chuckles.
"Just go shower." She pushes me off the bed grabbing my phone from my hand while she's at it. Thankfully I he closed my app when she came out of the bathroom and went into 1010 the game.
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After a shower we both went downstairs for dinner. It was great then we all gathered in the living room kids and all to watch a movie. An American movie in honor of our American friend. We watched Grown Ups. An American Classic.
I looked down at Lauren sensing a sort of energy coming from that direction. I see her staring up at me so I smile and she smiles back mouthing "I love you." To which I reply with a soft kiss.
"Hey Jackson us boys are heading out for some surfing tomorrow morning want to come along."
"I would but Lauren won't allow me to." He says.
"No you're just not allowed to surf in LA. I don't trust anything in LA and there were a lot of close to shore shark attacks that weekend." Lauren explains.
"So I can go?"
"Of course you can I'm not your mother you can do what you please."
"Yeah but if you tell me not to do something..."
"You do it anyways." She finishes my sentence.
"Ok that's true." She rolls her eyes focusing back on the movie. She fell asleep so I carried her upstairs into the bedroom closing the door and tucking her in before climbing in behind her and lossly draping md arm around her. She sleepily leans over and pulls me in closer intertwining our hands and tucking them close to her chest making our proximity increase.
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Next morning Ryder woke me up and I carefully squeezed away from Lauren much to her dismay as she reached around before cuddling a pillow. I took a deep breath then went to the bathroom to brush my teeth and change. I got my wetsuit on and headed downstairs. I went into the garage and grabbed one of the fifty million surfboards in there. We strapped it up to the hummer and we drove down the way to the beach. It was like ten minutes away barely. We speed because it's early and although the roads are usually barren they were even emptier given the timing. We got to the beach and immediately chalked up and head out into the waves. We sit on our boards waiting for the right wave.
"Jackson you haven't surfed in a while. There's a new king of the waves." Dax says.
"You wish. I'm the king of everything. King Jack is the name and life is the game."
"We will see. Only time will tell."
The first good wave and we all swim out and hop on the board to ride it out. I had a great time surfing around with the boys. It was the first time in a long time that I got the chance to completely decompress. To be with family and really slow down. I've been working myself crazy only seeing Lauren amor the girls for the most part. I realized how stressed I've been. I haven't relaxed properly. I wake up work out, make breakfast, then either go to set or work on music. I take calls and meetings. I go on social media and connect with fans then go back to work keeping my focus there. I watch the girls and hang out with them. Cuddle and talk with Lauren then watch a movie with her. I haven't really been able to process everything since well since Christina died. That rocked me and from that moment on I was sort of in a bubble. I don't know what it was about being home with people I love surfing. It's like I'm able to release finally release the pain from Christina and the pain from Arian. I just want people to stay happy and lives not to be lost. We surfed as the sun came up into the day. We packed it up shortly after and headed home. We drove up and ran inside. We saw the ladies all gathered in the kitchen. Both me and Damon ran up to our girlfriends. I wrapped my arms around Lauren and kissed her cheek. Damon kissed Stella right on the lips.
"Did you have fun?" She asks leaning into my touch further.
"Yes I did. Very much so."
"That's good."
"How did you sleep?"
"Good. How about you?"
"Great.
"Awesome. What's for breakfast?" I ask my grandma.
"Boy you know better than to greet me like that."
"Sorry grandma. Good morning." I say kissing her cheek as she passes by.
"What's for breakfast?" I ask again and she rolls her eyes.
"How about you first get a shower and get changed then go out to the coop and get some eggs and milk the cow for some milk."
"But..."
"Now." My grandfather buts in. I groan then grab Lauren's hand leading her back upstairs with me. I peel out of wet suit and swim trunks. I hop into the shower seeing Lauren on her phone.
"What're you doing babe?"
"Uhm I'm picking out cummerbunds for you and your groomsmen."
"Babe I already told you I'm not wearing a damn cummerbund. And neither are my boys."
"Why not?"
"Cummerbunds are ugly. You know what babe look we will do blue ties."
"But..."
"Babe you got to pick your girls dresses and I wanted to intervene but I didn't now don't intervene on my boys."
"I don't appreciate the way you just said that." She says.
"What I just asked for you to not intervene."
"Your tone." She says lowering her Cuban glare into my soul.
"Right I'm sorry babe. I shouldn't have said it like that."
"Thank you." She removed her glare making me shake it out cause she was scaring me.
"Also we got an email and they want us to do a vogue spread."
"A what?" I ask shocked.
"A vogue spread."
"Hell yes. Let's do it. That's amazing."
"Ok I'll tell our managers yes."
"Oh my god babe that's insane. We're going to be in vogue."
"Yeah we are."
"I'm so excited."
"I can tell."
I jump on her and hug her so tightly cupping her face and kissing her repeatedly.
"Oh wow you really are excited."
"I am." I kiss her again but for longer.
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It's been an accomplished last three days. We spent quality time and saw different sights. We got Lauren to try some proper Australian delicacies. She finally got to meet Sandy and her mom. She seemed a little jealous when I greeted Sandy with a tight hug and I spun her around. I think she's still upset cause Sandy is my ex. But she eventually gave in and befriended her. Now I was outside in the baking sun running around with my cousins playing football or American soccer while Lauren was inside with Stella, Sydney, Grandma, Sandy, and the aunts planning part of the wedding looking through magazines. It was so cute how excited she was. I can't wait to marry her.

Lauren's pov
I was looking through wedding magazines with the ladies while the boys were outside playing soccer. I told Jackson to be careful and come in for water often and it's been two hours and he has yet to come inside and get water to cool him down.
"What kind of flowers do you want?"
"I don't know. Jacksons planning my bouquet. According to my dad it's a tradition in my culture. I've never heard of it but he's so insistent to make this wedding as Cuban as possible. Like we had to rework the menu and make half the foods we wanted and half Cuban family reunion foods." They all laugh except Tabitha.
Just then Toby runs inside.
"Lolo!"
"Yes baby what's up?" I say looking down as he struggled to talk breathing hard. Sydney grabs his inhaler and chucks it at me. I give him a few puffs and he soon calms down.
"What's wrong?"
"Uncle Jack."
"What happened baby?"
"Didn't you hear me? He fainted and he's in pain and can't move."
"Shit!" I place him down. I run outside and over to where Jackson was laying with all of the men hovering over him. They saw me and moved out of my way as I went down beside him.
"Baby? Baby can you hear me?" He was breathing super hard and he was gritting his teeth screaming in pain. He nodded though.
"You're ok baby. I'm right here."
"Just make it stop." He groans.
"I need anything cool you can find. Ice packs anything like that. I need gallons of water, ibuprofen or Tylenol. And I need you guys to help him into the house." I tell them. Dax runs off inside with Damon.
"Hey babe do you think you can walk?" I ask. He nods attempting to stand up. I try to help him up but then Ryder and Brody help me out instead help him up. They Joel him on either side as they carry him inside practically. He was sort of walking while clutching his stomach but he was dizzy and a little out of it. As his symptoms call for.
"Here you go." They say putting him down on the couch and he loudly groans grabbing his abdomen. They bring me everything I need. I cover his body in ice packs and frozen vegetables trying to get his temperature down. I give him water and try to hydrate his body and the Tylenol to help with the pain. I sat by his side with his head in my lap stroking his head as I tried to soothe him. After a while he was almost all better. Still had a headache, some pain occasionally but he was Much better.
"Hey ok what happened?" Stella asks walking into the living room with everybody else.
"He had a sickle cell crisis. When he gets way too cold or overheated and dehydrated then he faints and gets sharp pains throughout his body like someone's stabbing him repeatedly in different locations. He starts to get dizzy and a headache. His hands, chest, and abdomen clam up and he sometimes can't see. He gets dizzy and disoriented and his heart speeds up and his breath shortens. It's one of the most horrible and painful things I can imagine a person going through. There's nothing fun about it. It can be life threatening if one were to let that go on for a while so the antidote or cure is to regulate his body temperature, hydrate, and give him some pain medicine." I explain running my fingers through his hair.
"That's horrible."
"Yeah it is." Jackson says groggily still recovering.
"Does that happen often?"
"Not too often. In the three years that we've been together and before that I've seen it happen 3 maybe 4 times. As long as he takes care of himself and keeps himself away from too much cold or keeps hydrated in the heat. It's preventable. If he'd just come in for some drinks of water like I told him to then he'd be fine but he's stubborn."
"I thought I could wait longer. I didn't feel like I needed water."
"I know it's not your fault." I console petting his head some more.
"Do you feel better Jackson?" Ryder asks.
"Much better. The pains not as excruciating and my mind is clearer."
"Ok let's just all watch a movie with some cookies grandma made yeah?" Brody suggests.
"Let's do it." Jackson agreed. They put on a movie and we watched it as Jackson snuggled his head into my stomach. I leaned down and kissed his forehead lovingly. I'm glad he's feeling ok.