Learning To Fly

Jaime And Sarah.

A pleasant ticklish feeling wakes me up from my nap, coming around I realise it’s Sarah stroking her fingers gently through my curls draped across her bed. Blinking and looking up at her I see she’s wide awake and staring absentmindedly at the early dawn light piercing through the hospital curtains. Jack is sleeping on the opposite side of her bed, we must have all fallen asleep sometime after they bought her back to the room in the early hours.

I start looking around for Archer, I can’t see him and stand quickly, panicked that someone took him when we were all asleep “Hey, it’s okay. Marshall came and took him about half hour ago, call him” Sarah whispers and my heart stops pounding and the fact he was here and I didn’t get to touch him makes me really sad but happy too, he really did get straight on that plane.

Relaxed once more I smile at  her “How are you feeling?” it’s a stupid question to ask but I don’t know how else to start the conversation now that she’s mentioned Marshall, I’m suddenly painfully aware of her feelings for him once more and I’m hoping our seemingly fragile truce won’t end now that he is here. He came for me when I asked him too, surely that’s a positive in anyone’s eyes.

“Devastated, but life goes on doesn’t it” her voice is broken and I’m aware she’s putting as much of a brave face on this as she possibly can in front of me.

Reaching for her hand, I grip it tightly “I’m so sorry the baby is gone and I’m sorry I haven’t made much of an effort to try and get you to love me again” tears prick at my eyes.

She laughs lightly before clutching her side “ouch, Jaime you’ve done nothing but make the effort, I’ve been stubborn as a mule even Jack called me a ‘stubborn jackass’!”

We both break out into laughter “Please don’t think I don’t love you because I do and I always will love my pain in the ass little sister” she glances at Jack before looking at me and pulling a mock disgusted look on her face  “your gonna leave me here on my own with a big smelly boy” she pulls an exaggerated pout at me.

“I do not smell” he grumbles before shifting his head and dozing back off to sleep.

“Those things I said to you were awful JJ, you’re not a slut, I hated myself for calling you that”

I don’t want to go over old ground right now but if it helps her to feel better then I’ll listen.

“I know how much you love him and I saw how much he loves you and Archer when he came in earlier, he wanted to come over and touch you but he couldn’t because I had my beady eye on him. I feel bad about that too”

“Can you stop feeling bad Sarah, something awful just happened to you, we should talk about that instead”

She hushes me “I can’t talk about that right now, I don’t want to fall apart here, I want to be in my own home with just me and Jack, this is our tragedy, no one else’s. So I’m gonna talk a lot about other shit right now” I see Jack’s hand clench around hers tighter, I know he’s awake, he just can’t face this here either and I’m grateful that she’s waiting for the surgeon to come and say everything went well and she can leave so they can get home and get started with their grieving because she’s right with what she says it is their tragedy and they don’t need the world and their mothers to watch them fall apart.
“Besides Jack is trying too hard to hold himself together, he won’t break here” He doesn’t comment but I know he won’t she’s right.

“So are you going to marry him?” she asks, looking at me intently, “Yeah, he asked me and I said yes” there was no other answer for that question, however I made him wait a little.
“Was it romantic?” she wants all of the gossip now, I burst out laughing, thinking back to that night at the hotel the girls had clubbed together and got us for Christmas, the thought of Shady making another appearance making me shift awkwardly in my seat.
“Not incredibly, it was just after an ill-timed joke on my behalf after a night of hot sex. But I wouldn’t have had it any other way” the thought makes me grin like a fool. It had been in typical Marshall fashion, blurted out with impatience.
“Let’s see it then, the ring!” I hold up my wedding finger to reveal my lack of engagement ring and suddenly I’m worried he’s forgotten all about asking me.
“He needs to pull his finger out of his ass and put a ring on it J” she says with a wry laugh.

“You’re happy?” Sarah asks me sincerely, “disgustingly so, Sarah” now worried about if I’m engaged after all now but still outrageously happy.

“I wouldn’t have let you go without telling you all of this Jaime, I promise I wouldn’t have” she’s close to tears now and I don’t want to see her upset by this as well.

“Listen I understand completely the way you were towards me; I don’t understand you shutting Archie out but me yes. I know you wanted to protect me, just like he tried to do Sarah. It turned into a shit show for him unfortunately, but his heart was in the right place. I forgive you and I hope you can forgive me for what you see as my weakness in taking him back” I smile and let out a deep breath letting go of all of the shit I’ve been hanging onto since her reaction to Marshall being back in our lives started, the anger towards her for being such a bitch and for Archie, I feel like a massive weight has been lifted from my shoulders, I feel lighter and ready to get out of here and home to my man.

“There’s nothing to forgive, you love each other. I see that now and you two were made for each other I think, I’m sorry I tried to get in the way of that.”

“Can we put it behind us now. I can put off leaving for a week or so if you need me to stay here instead?” I make my offer to her, “What would Marshall think?” she asks me “Actually it was his idea, he suggested it” she’s quiet while she contemplates my offer, before grasping my hand in hers once more.
“I’d love to say yes, but it should be just me and Jack but I’m grateful for the offer JJ, thank you and thank you to Marshall too, but you’ve got a new life to be getting on with now, I got this” she reaches over and ruffles Jack’s hair “We got this”

“Damn straight!” I hear him say, his voice muffled by the comforter on the hospital bed.

After a couple of minutes silence I notice her grinning at me “What?” I ask her, confused by the grin.

“So we’ve never actually talked about the good stuff!” she looks downright mischievous right now, this is, the Sarah we all know and love and I’m glad I get to get a glimpse of her now.

“Stuff?”

“Yeah, I wanna know about Marshall’s junk, scrap that I wanna know about Eminem’s junk!”

“Sarah for fuck sake, I’m right here” Jack grumbles, sitting up in his chair he looks disgusted by her question.

“Well if you’re not interested in the cock and balls I suggest you go find that Doctor and hurry him the fuck up, we need to get out of here and I wanna know about the cock and balls” They look at one another and I see the pain and grief flickering in both of their eyes before Jack shoves his chair back with a sigh and goes off in search of the Doctor.

“So marks out of ten for the junk, he’s got a cute ass and he looks like he works out, not too shabby for a man in his mid forties”
I sit there speechless, my cheeks burning red with embarrassment while she gushes over my man’s ass, if she wasn’t currently laid up in a hospital bed we’d be having a wrestle right now and normally I wouldn’t discuss this but it’s Sarah and she’s having a hard time and I’m guessing Marshall will never hear of this conversation so with a roll of my eyes I look at her in the eyes.

“It’s a ten, if not more and before you ask, yes he knows how to use it”

An hour or so later, more details than I’d ever imagined telling anyone about my sex life shed and Sarah had gotten the okay to leave the hospital to rest at home, Jack drove us back to our little resort and I flew out of his car in my haste to get to Marshall, I waved them off as I ran, Sarah and Jack shaking their heads at the speed of my movements.

Flinging open my backdoor I rushed in to an empty sounding home, it's way too quiet, no one to be seen and I felt dejected as I wandered slowly up the stairs to grab a quick shower and get in bed while I waited for them to come back to me. To my surprise I found both Marshall and Archer curled up asleep in my bed. I showered quickly, pulling on one of Marshall’s t shirts I stole from his bag and snuck in behind him, he felt warm and cosy as I snuggled up against his back, finally feeling some semblance of peace  I drifted off to sleep.

I’m woken by loud whispering coming from either side of my head, keeping my eyes shut I let them play out their plan “Sssh ready Archie” my baby laughs and the bed dips either side of my head moments before I’m viciously attacked by Marshall’s and Archer covering my face in tiny wet kisses, I try not to open my eyes but the minute they start tickling me I’m awake and shrieking with laughter, trying to shove the pair of them away from me.
“Give in” Marshall’s smiling face appears in my vision “yes, yes, yes” I shout and Marshall pulls Archer away from tickling my belly, who then runs off screaming and slamming every door in the house, “At least he was cute for a couple of minutes today” I quip as Marshall plants his face in my neck inhaling deeply making my body tremble.
His tongue flicks out and licks up towards my earlobe before taking it in his mouth and sucking lightly.

“Thank you for coming earlier” I look down at him and he brushes my hair away from my face “Of course I’d come Jaime, even booked my own jet, all on my own” he says, sounding proud of himself.
“Well done baby” I stroke his arm and hug it tightly as he’s side on to me.

“It was so horrible Marshall, so much pain but fighting it until they could get home and just be them together” I have a little cry to myself, thinking back to last night and earlier this morning.
“I know Angel but they’ll be fine. They can try again can’t they? In time!” he asks hopefully.
“Yeah the Doctor just said it was ‘one of those things’ but Sarah would be fine to have babies in the future, doesn’t help them now but I guess that’s something”

Archer runs back in the room, pulling himself up on my bed and using it as a trampoline while he tells “Daddy” over and over at the top of his lungs before Marshall finally has enough and grabs him, pulling him down between us on the bed.

“Looks like I’m not the only one pleased to see you” he smiles before snuggling into the pair of us.