Part 8

Jonathan Hart nervously tapped his pen on his desk. Jennifer was supposed to call him as soon as she was finished at the doctor’s office. She had not felt any better the morning after the benefit. In fact, she felt worse, and spent most of the morning in the bathroom emptying the contents of her stomach. He reminded him of her promise, and she dutifully agreed to see her doctor. She had finally convinced him that he did not need to go to her appointment with her, and she ushered him off to the office with the promise to call him with the prognosis, even though she was convinced it was just a bug. She had yet to call him.

Jonathan anxiously picked up the handset of the telephone and listened for the dial tone. The familiar sound reassured him that the phone was indeed working. Returning the receiver to its cradle, he resumed his pen tapping. Patience had never been his strong suit. Suddenly, the intercom buzzed.

“Yes, Deanne,” he said, pressing the button on the speakerphone.

“Your wife is here,” his secretary replied.

He looked up to see Jennifer enter his office. He jumped to his feet and rushed to her side.

“Darling,” he inquired, “what did the doctor say? Why didn’t you call me? Is everything alright?”

“Hello to you, too,” she laughed, kissing his cheek. “Everything’s fine,” she assured him.

“So it was just a bug after all?” he asked. “It’s all over. You’re fine.” He breathed a sigh of relief.

“Not exactly.” She shook her head. “It wasn’t a bug. And it’s not over. I’m afraid we’re going to have to deal with this for the rest of our lives.”

“But you said everything was fine.” He felt his anxiety returning.

“It is,” she confirmed. “Although, ‘fine’ isn’t really the right word.” Her eyes began to fill with tears.

“Jennifer, I don’t understand,” he admitted, using his thumb to wipe away a stray tear that had wandered down her cheek.

“To tell you the truth, everything is wonderful,” she clarified.

“Why the tears, then? You’re not making sense, darling.” She had him completely confused. If everything was okay, then why was she crying?

“Darling, I think you should sit down,” she suggested, guiding him to the chairs in front of his desk.

“Sweetheart, what’s wrong?” He lowered himself into one of the chairs and sat on the edge of the seat. Jennifer sat down opposite him and took his hands into her own. She looked him straight in the eye and smiled.

“Jonathan,” she cooed, “you’re going to be a daddy. We’re going to have a baby!” She was beaming.

“A baby?!” he exclaimed in surprise. He jumped to his feet pulling Jennifer with him.

“Uh-huh,” she giggled. He placed his hands on either side of her face and kissed her deeply.

“A baby,” he whispered, and she nodded when they finally broke apart. “We’re having a baby. How? When?”

“The usual way,” she laughed. “We weren’t exactly doing anything to prevent it. And as for when,” she paused, “the doctor thinks Baby Hart will be making his or her entrance in about six months, around Valentine’s Day.”

He gave her a skeptical look.

“I’m not kidding,” she promised.

“I suppose it is the perfect day for a Hart to be born,” he surmised and kissed her again. He reached out to touch her still-flat abdomen, where his unborn child was growing. Jennifer covered his hand with one of her own.

“We’re having a baby,” she whispered, her eyes once more brimming with tears. He picked her up and spun her around, both of them laughing. When Jonathan set her back on her own feet, she whispered, “I love you, darling.”

“Not nearly as much as I love you,” he promised. “Not nearly as much as I love both of you.”

Part 7

“Ladies and gentlemen,” Jonathan greeted the crowd of people in the ballroom. “Jennifer and I would like to welcome you this evening. We’re so grateful you could join us in supporting the Mission Street Orphanage, a place near and dear to my heart.”

Jennifer stood beside Jonathan as he thanked everyone for joining them at the benefit. As she looked out over the crowd, she felt herself growing lightheaded. Shaking her head to get rid of the feeling, she realized Jonathan had concluded his speech.

“Darling, are you all right?” he asked as he guided her away from the podium.

“Actually, I’m a little dizzy,” she replied, bringing a hand to her forehead. She shook her head, again. “I must have had too much champagne,” she smiled.

“Jennifer,” he said, “you haven’t had any champagne.”

“That’s right,” she remembered, swaying slightly on her feet. Jonathan steadied her and led her to a nearby table.

“Why don’t you sit down for a little while,” he suggested. “I’ll go get you something to drink.”

“Thank you, darling,” she complied.

“I’ll be right back,” he promised, kissing her forehead. He returned shortly with a glass of water in his hand. He noticed that Jennifer had grown rather pale in the brief amount of time he had been away from her. “Darling, are you okay?” he asked, handing her the water.

“I’m not sure,” she confessed. “I don’t feel very well.”

“Then, let’s go home,” he suggested. He took her by the arm and helped to begin to stand up.

“Darling, we can’t just leave,” she argued. “We’re the ones hosting this evening.”

“Of course we can leave,” he asserted. “You’re not feeling well, and I’m taking you home. We’ll find someone to make our regrets and make sure the rest of the evening goes smoothly,” he promised.

Jennifer reluctantly gave in and allowed Jonathan to escort her to their car and drive her home. When they reached 3100 Willow Pond Drive, he helped her inside and upstairs to their bedroom. As she got ready for bed, he could not help but remember the promise she had made to him earlier that evening.

“You know,” he teased, “this isn’t exactly what I had in mind when you promised to let me help you out of your dress.”

“I’m sorry, darling,” she apologized. “Tonight didn’t turn out quite as I had hoped.” She reached up and placed her hand on his cheek. He, in turn, turned his head and pressed a kiss to her palm.

“Jennifer, I don’t like this,” he confessed. “You’re never sick. You never sleep during the day. You’ve been completely exhausted for a long while, now. I want you to go to the doctor to make sure everything’s okay.”

“Jonathan, you know I hate doctors,” she protested. “It’s probably just a little bug. I’m sure I’ll feel much better tomorrow.”

“And if you don’t?” he wanted to know.

“Then I’ll go to the doctor,” she agreed.

“Promise?”

“Promise.” She kissed his cheek and climbed into bed. Jonathan hurried to get ready for bed, as well, and climbed in bed with her. It was not long before the two of them were fast asleep.

Part 6

The evening of the benefit arrived right on schedule. Jennifer spent most of the morning and the better part of the afternoon nailing down and confirming last-minute details. Finally convinced that everything was taken care of, she decided it was time to get dressed. She wrapped herself in her robe and stood in front of the mirror to do her hair and makeup. She easily swept her thick auburn hair up into an elegant French twist. Just as she was sliding the last bobby pin into place, Jonathan joined her in the dressing area.

“You look great,” he said with a smile. Standing behind her, he reached up and played with a rebellious tendril of hair that fell against her neck.

“I haven’t even gotten dressed yet,” she laughed. He wrapped his arms around her slender waist and kissed her neck. He looked up at her in the mirror with a devilish glint in his eye. “Oh, no, no, no, no,” she protested, pulling out of his embrace.

“Aw, come on,” he pleaded.

“Darling, we don’t have time.” She turned around to face him with a hand on her hip. He reached out and took her by the shoulders, drawing her into his arms.

“It’ll be terrific,” he promised. She could not help but laugh at him.

“It always is,” she agreed. She leaned back to place a kiss to his lips. “But we really don’t have time tonight, Jonathan. We will not be late to our own benefit. Be a good boy and get my black gown from the closet.” He looked at her, silently pleading with her to change her mind. “If you get me my dress now, I promise you can help me get back out of it later,” she offered with a smile.

“You’re tough. You know that?” he said as he kissed her nose and handed her the dress.

“I know. I know,” Jennifer teased, slipping the black silk over her head.

As she was getting dressed and finishing the final touches on her hair and makeup, Jonathan decided to get dressed, himself. He put on his black tuxedo, and tied his bowtie. When he returned to Jennifer’s side so that she could check his tie, he found her struggling with the zipper of her gown.

“Darling, can you help me with this?” she asked, indicating her stubborn zipper. “I can’t seem to get it to zip up.”

“Sure, darling,” he agreed, taking hold of the zipper. “You’re sure you want me to zip it up?” He made eye contact with her in the mirror and smiled.

“Jonathan,” she warned.

“I’m kidding,” he said, pressing a kiss to her shoulder. Jennifer sucked in her stomach and willed the zipper to move as Jonathan pulled on the tab and gently zipped her dress.

“Thank you, darling.” She released the breath she had been holding and turned around to straighten his tie. “All set?”

“All set,” he confirmed, and they were on their way.

Part 5

It was only Tuesday, but Jennifer Hart was already exhausted, just as she had been for the past several weeks.  It seemed she had never quite been able to recover from being up all night when the group of jewel thieves had taken them hostage in their own home and tried to steal millions in jewels from an unsuspecting international jewel salesman. After the thieves had been apprehended, Jonathan had bought her the emerald and diamond necklace. It was gorgeous.

Jennifer chalked up her exhaustion to all the work she had been doing lately to prepare for the benefit she and Jonathan were throwing for the Mission Street Orphanage that weekend. As she checked yet another completed task off her to-do list for the benefit, she glanced at her wristwatch. It was 3:30. Jonathan would not be home for a couple of hours, and she decided to take a quick nap before he arrived. Without even bothering to straighten up the lists and papers that littered the coffee table and much of the rest of living room, she made her way upstairs to her bedroom to lie down.

“Darling, I’m home,” Jonathan called as he entered the house a short while later. He dropped his keys on the table next to the door and walked into the living room, where he deposited his briefcase on the couch. “What a mess!” he thought as he observed his wife’s plans and preparations for the upcoming benefit scattered throughout the room. “Jennifer?” he called. Receiving no answer from his wife, he went to look for her.

Max and Freeway greeted him when he entered the kitchen, but Jennifer was nowhere in sight.

“Hi, Mr. H.,” Max smiled as he prepared dinner with Freeway at his feet, ready and waiting should any food happen to fall on the floor. “How are things at the office?”

“Pretty good, Max,” Jonathan answered. “Have you seen Jennifer?”

“Yeah. Mrs. H. went up to take a nap a little while ago,” Max informed him.

“Thanks, Max,” Jonathan said, giving Freeway a pat on the head on the way, as he left the kitchen.

He quickly climbed the stairs and quietly opened the doors to the bedroom. He found Jennifer sleeping soundly, curled up in the middle of their king-sized bed. Gently climbing onto the bed, he placed a loving kiss to her temple and smiled as she stirred in her sleep with a sigh. He bent and kissed the tip of her nose. He chuckled as a smile spread across her face. Leaning down one more time, he pressed his lips to hers and watched as her eyes fluttered open.

“Hi,” Jennifer smiled, her voice gravelly with sleep, as she kissed him back.

“Hi,” Jonathan returned. “Did you sleep well?”

“Mhmm,” she nodded. “What time is it?”

“A little after 6:00,” he answered as he laced their fingers together. He looked into her eyes. “Darling, are you feeling okay?”

“Fine. Why do you ask?” she said with a tilt of her head.

“Well, you usually can’t sleep during the day.” He kissed her fingers, never breaking their eye contact. “And Max said you’ve been up here for a while.”

“I feel fine, Jonathan. Maybe a little tired, but I’ve been pretty busy getting ready for the benefit on Saturday,” she reassured him with a smile.

“I know. I saw the living room,” he teased.

“Oh! I forgot about that,” she said, getting up out of the bed. Jonathan followed suit. “I should go straighten everything up,” she continued, “so I can find everything again after dinner.” Together, they walked to the door of their bedroom.

“You’re sure you’re okay?” Jonathan stopped her before they left the room.

“Absolutely perfect, darling,” she confirmed. “I promise.” She kissed his lips, and they continued their way downstairs.

Part 4

Jonathan rushed through the halls, making his way to his wife and daughter. As he rounded the corner, he noticed the door to the dressing room was open. He slowed his pace as the sounds of Jennifer and Jillian’s laughter emanated from the room. It seemed Jennifer had been able to calm their daughter down and bring things back under control, but he decided to check on his girls anyway. Silently leaning against the doorjamb, he took in the scene before him. Jillian stood with her back to him as Jennifer buttoned the last of the many satin covered buttons on the back of Jillian’s white gown. Jillian smoothed a stubborn auburn curl back into place as she twisted around to admire her dress in the mirror.

“Sweetheart, you look…” Jennifer paused, searching for the right word to describe her daughter’s stunning beauty.

“Gorgeous,” Jonathan supplied from his post at the door. “Absolutely gorgeous.” At the sound of his voice, both redheads turned around to face him. He smiled and received two identical smiles in return.

“Daddy,” Jillian beamed, “how long have you been there?”

“Not long,” he assured. She smiled and turned her attention back to the mirror, smoothing her hair and her dress. He could not stop looking at her. “She looks just like her mother,” he thought to himself.

Jennifer left her daughter’s side and went to her husband. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and she wrapped her arms around his waist.

“Darling,” she whispered.

“Hmm?” he responded, not taking his eyes off Jillian.

“You’re staring at her,” she gently scolded.

“No, I’m not staring at her,” he countered.

“Yes, you are,” she insisted.

“I’m looking at her,” he explained.

“Oh,” Jennifer smiled.

“I like looking at her,” Jonathan continued, still not diverting his gaze from his daughter.

“She is rather lovely to look at, isn’t she?” Jennifer agreed. She stretched up and pressed a kiss to his jaw. Looking up at her husband she saw tears in his eyes. “Darling, what’s the matter? You’re not going to start crying on me, too, are you?” she asked.

“When did she grow up so fast, Jennifer?” he inquired. “It seems like just yesterday she was a little girl in pigtails who needed her daddy to scare away the monsters from under her bed before she could fall asleep for the night.” He was lost in memories that began twenty-five years earlier.

Part 3

After Jennifer left, Jonathan made his way to the reception hall to check on things there. He fixed himself a scotch and water at the bar and then proceeded to help himself to the trays of hors d’oeuvres that had been left out by the caterers.

“You know those things give you heartburn,” he was warned just as he was about to pop another deviled egg into his mouth.

“What would your wife say if she knew you were out here sneaking snacks?” another voice inquired.

“Although, as long as you’re snacking we might as well join you,” a third voice chimed in. Turning around to face his accusers, Jonathan found himself face to face with his daughter’s bridesmaids.

“Hello ladies,” he said with a smile. “What do you say to keeping this our little secret?” he suggested as he offered the girls some food.

“Sure thing, Mr. H.,” Melissa agreed.

“You know we’d never rat you out, Mr. H.,” Tricia added. “If we did you’d never let us get away with anything ever again.”

“Oh! And before we forget, Mrs. Hart wants you,” Courtney remembered.

“Oh?” Jonathan asked, “What seems to be the trouble?”

“Jill’s having a bit of a meltdown,” Courtney continued.

“Nothing her dad can’t fix, I bet,” Jonathan said with a wink. “Well, girls, it seems I’m needed elsewhere. Don’t eat too many of those hors d’oeuvres, now,” he added as he made his departure.

Part 2

As she rounded the corner near the dressing room, Jennifer knew something was very wrong. Jillian’s bridesmaids had apparently been banished to the hallway. Tricia was sitting on the floor with her back against the wall and her ankles crossed in a ladylike manner as she nervously picked at her manicure. Melissa was pacing up and down the hall, twisting her hair around her fingers as her high heels clicked methodically on the marble floor. Courtney stood at the dressing room door, trying to convince the bride to let them back inside.

“Girls, what’s going on?” Jennifer inquired as she approached the trio. The four of them had been best friends since they were little girls. They shared absolutely everything with each other and could barely stand to be apart for more than five minutes, so Jennifer knew there must be a pretty major crisis going on.

“Oh, Mrs. H, thank goodness you’re here!” Melissa exclaimed, running to throw her arms around Jennifer. Tricia stood to her feet and walked over to them.

“She kicked us out,” Tricia added. “She won’t let us back in. She wants to call off the wedding.” Jennifer reached up to brush away the tears that had begun to fall down Tricia’s cheek.

“She does, does she?” Jennifer asked, not expecting an answer but receiving two nods in response. “Let me talk to her. Everything’s going to be okay, girls.” She squeezed both of their hands in reassurance.

“Come on, Jill,” Courtney pleaded from her place at the door, “let us back in. We want to help you. Stop being so ridiculous!” Jennifer walked over to Courtney and placed her hand on the young woman’s shoulder.

“Courtney, honey,” she whispered, “why don’t you and the other girls go and get Mr. H. for me, huh? Give me a minute alone with her.”

“Okay, Mrs. H.” Courtney conceded and left with the other girls to find Jonathan.

When the girls had rounded the corner Jennifer turned her attention back to her daughter. “Jillian!” she called. “It’s me, baby.” She tried the door handle, but it was locked. ”Sweetheart, open the door.” She could hear her daughter’s sobbing inside the room, but there was no movement to unlock the door. “Jillian, it’s Mom,” she tried again, to no avail. “Jillian Renee Hart! You open this door right now and stop acting like a child!” she scolded. She heard the door being unlocked and then opened.

As Jennifer stepped into the room, she took a quick look around. The room was full of flowers and gifts. Shoes and stockings lay strewn across the floor. Curling irons, bobby pins, hair spray and makeup covered the vanity. Jillian’s wedding gown was hung on the backside of the closet door. Jennifer turned to look at her daughter. Jillian had wrapped herself in a pale blue dressing gown. Her long auburn hair was only half pinned up. Mascara streaked down her cheeks; her makeup would have to be redone. Tears were streaming from her blue-green eyes, and she clutched a tissue in one hand. Jennifer opened her arms and Jillian rushed into them and wept.

“Baby, what’s wrong? What happened?” Jennifer cooed as she gently rubbed her daughter’s back.

“Oh, Mama,” Jillian sobbed, “I can’t marry Jeremy.”

“Why not, cherie? You love him, don’t you?”

“Of course I love him, Mama. I don’t know what’s the matter with me. All I know is I can’t marry Jeremy.”

“Sweetheart, you’re just nervous,” Jennifer reassured as she continued to rub Jillian’s back. “It’s perfectly normal to be nervous. I was nervous before I married your father.”

“You were nervous about marrying Daddy?” Jillian pulled back from her mother to look her in the eye. “I don’t believe you.” Her sobs had subsided into soft sniffles.

“I know. I know! I’m the only woman in the world who would have been nervous about marrying Jonathan Hart, but I was. I promise.” Jennifer raised her hand as if she were swearing an oath. She smiled as she wiped away Jillian’s tears. “But I also knew that I loved him very much, and he loved me very much, and I was the one he wanted to marry.” Jillian had seemed to calm down. “And it’s the same with you and Jeremy, right?”

“Right.”

“And the two of you are getting married today, right?”

“Right.”

“Good. Because I would hate to have to send your guests away, and Max would hate to miss out on the chance to dance with you at your reception, and I know your father would hate to tell the caterers to take the food back,” Jennifer teased. Jillian laughed, and Jennifer smiled. “Come on. Let’s get that hair and makeup fixed so we can get you in your gown so you can go marry the man of your dreams.”

“Sounds like a great plan to me. Thanks, Mama,” Jillian agreed as she wiped the final tears from her eyes and hugged her mother tight.

Part 1

“We’re losing her,” he told his wife with tears in his eyes. “We’re losing our baby girl, and there’s nothing we can do.” He held on tightly to his wife’s hand, trying to draw strength from her. She had remained calm and collected throughout the entire ordeal. He had been the nervous, worried wreck through it all.

“Sweetheart,” she crooned as she leaned against him to comfort him, “everything’s going to be fine. You’ll see.”

“No, darling, it’s not,” he asserted. “She’s leaving. I’m losing her forever.” He tightened his grip on her hand once again, while she used her free hand to wipe away the tear that had escaped down his cheek. “What am I going to do without her?”

“Jonathan!” Jennifer Hart scolded her husband. “Stop it. You’re acting like she’s dying or something. And you can see very well that Jillian is neither dead nor anywhere close to it. In fact I’ve never seen that girl more alive, than she is right now. If I remember correctly, you’re the one who agreed to walk her down the aisle and give her away this evening.”

“I had no choice,” he admitted. “Jeremy’s a great guy. My daughter deserves nothing less.” Jonathan smiled.

“She’s got herself a guy almost as great as her daddy,” Jennifer smiled back. She stretched on her toes to give him a kiss. Her quick peck wasn’t enough for Jonathan, however, and he ran his fingers through her hair as he held her to him.

“Mama!” a voice called. Jennifer attempted to break off their kiss in order to answer the caller, but Jonathan only increased his hold on her. She in turn melted into him, just like she always did.

“Mama! Where are you?” came the cry again, more insistently. Jennifer managed to disentangle herself from her husband’s arms, but she did not break eye contact with him. He raised their joined hands to his lips and kissed her fingers.

“Mama! Please!” Jennifer could hear the desperation in her daughter’s voice.

“Go and see what she needs,” Jonathan told her as he gave her fingers one last kiss. She gave him one of her mega-watt smiles in return as she left to go to their daughter.