Brenda and Jax both slept in the day after Christmas. It was almost 10:00 when Jax finally looked over at the clock on the bedside table. He looked down at Brenda still sleeping soundly on his chest, her hair covering her face. He gently lifted the hair and tucked it behind her ear. He gently brushed the backs of his fingers across her cheek until she started to stir and slowly open her eyes. She blinked a couple of times to focus her eyes as she looked up at him.

"Morning," Brenda said softly as she brushed her fingers across Jax's chest. When they touched the medallion she stopped and lifted her head a little to look up at him. "Yesterday was real wasn't it?" she asked as she ran her finger across the medallion.

"Of course it was real," Jax said softly as he loosely wrapped his arms around her. "Why would you ask something like that?"

"Because it was a perfect day," Brenda said with a smile. "I've never had a perfect day before."

Jax smiled at her as he pushed her hair further off her face. "Well you just get used to it luv. You are going to have a lot more of them. I promise."

Brenda leaned up further to see his face. "That's one promise I'm going to hold you to," she said softly. She gave Jax a quick kiss. "Oh my gosh!" she said as she glanced at the bedside clock. "Half the morning is gone! What are mom and dad going to think?"

"I'm sure they slept in too," Jax said reassuringly. "You're probably right though, we should get up."

Without saying anything more Brenda leaned over to give Jax a quick kiss before throwing back the covers and getting out of bed. As soon as she stood up she sat back down again on the edge of the bed. "Whew," she said softly as she closed her eyes and held the side of the bed tightly, waiting for her world to stop spinning.

"Hey, are you okay?" Jax asked as he crawled across the bed and sat next to her. "Brenda?" he asked softly when she didn't answer him right away. He gently rested his hand on hers.

Brenda slowly opened her eyes and looked over at Jax. "I don't know. I guess I must have gotten up too fast. I suddenly felt really dizzy."

Jax reached over to feel her forehead. "You feel a little warm. Maybe you should stay in bed today - just to play it safe."

"I'm fine Jax, really," Brenda said with a reassuring smile. "I just need some food." She slowly stood up again. This time instead of the dizziness she had experienced the first time, she felt sick to her stomach. So sick in fact, that she ran into the bathroom to throw up. Jax immediately ran after her. He held her hair and gently rubbed her back until she was finished.

"That does it," Jax said in a soft but firm voice. "You are going back to bed!" When Brenda looked up at him her face was ghostly pale and there were tears streaming down her cheeks. "No arguments from you."

Brenda looked at him for several moments without saying anything as she tried to figure out if she was going to be sick again. When it seemed like her stomach had finally settled down, she leaned back on her legs. She took the wet washcloth that Jax was holding out to her and wiped her face. When she finished, she handed the cloth back to him and took a deep breath, letting it out very cautiously so as not to agitate her stomach again. "Whew! Where did that come from?" she said softly.

Jax reached to cup the side of her still pale face. "Want to try to stand up?" he asked in a very concerned voice as he watched the color start to return to her face. When she nodded yes, he stood up and slowly lifted her to her feet. He held her tightly for several moments as the color started to drain from her face again. "You okay?"

Brenda closed her eyes for a second and took a deep breath. "Yeah," she said softly as she exhaled. She looked up at him with a weak smile. "Right now all I want is to brush my teeth."

Jax smiled and cupped the side of her face. "Why don't you do that?" he whispered. "How about I ask Astrid to make you a cup of herbal tea?"

"That sounds nice," Brenda said with a slight smile. She took a breath and exhaled slowly. "Could you ask her if I could have some dry toast too?"

"Sure," Jax said with a smile before leaning down to kiss her gently on the forehead. "I'll get your tea." He walked to the door and looked back at Brenda. "Take your time. I'll wait for you in the bedroom."

"Thanks," she said weakly. "I won't be long."

When Brenda came out of the bathroom a few minutes later she did not feel much better. At least her stomach had stopped churning by the time she finished brushing her teeth. She was a little disappointed though, when she didn't see Jax in the bedroom. He had said he would be waiting for her. She was just reaching for her robe when she heard the door open. She was surprised to see not only Jax, who was carrying a tray with her tea, but also Jane and John.

"What's this I hear about you being ill child?" John asked as he walked past the others to stand in front of Brenda. He reached to gently put the back of his hand on her forehead. "She does feel warm," he said as he looked over at Jane. "She's deathly pate too."

"I'm fine dad," Brenda said weakly as she looked up at him with sad eyes. When she looked up she felt the room start to spin again so she grabbed both of John's arms to steady herself and closed her eyes. She held her breath as she tried to get her balance back. When she opened her eyes she couldn't keep from smiling at the panic she saw on John's face. "It's okay dad," she said. "It's passed. I'm fine now."

"No you're not!" Jax said as he set the tray he was holding on the bedside table and came over to Brenda. "You are getting back into bed right now." He expected a protest from her but instead she just nodded and let him lead her to the bed. He pulled back the covers so she could crawl in. Once she was in, he pulled the covers up around her. "Do you want your tea?"

"Please," she said softly as she reached for the cup.

Jane touched John's arm and nodded to the open door. "We're going to let you get some rest dear," she said as she came over to the side of the bed. "If you need anything just call," she said as she rested her hand on Jax's shoulder to get him to look away from Brenda and at her. "We'll be downstairs."

"Thanks mum," Jax said with a slightly relieved smile as he sat next to Brenda on the bed.

When they were out in the hallway, John pulled the door closed behind them. "Are you thinking what I am Lady?" John asked with a big grin.

"John," Jane said with a slight chuckle. "The child probably has the flu. I'll call Dr. Benton and ask him to come take a look at her."

"That's what I thought," John said with a nod as his grin got even wider. "You agree with me!"

Jane stared at her husband in disbelief. "John Jacks you are simply incorrigible!" she said as she shook her head. "Why don't you wait to hear what Dr. Benton has to say before you start counting grandchildren!" Without giving John a chance to answer, she walked down the hall to call the doctor.

Brenda only ate a couple of bites of her toast before she got sick again. When she got back to bed she took a couple of small sips of the herbal tea Jane had made for her. She handed the cup back to Jax who was sitting on the side of the bed next to her. "No more," she said softly. When she saw the worried look on his face she smiled weakly. "Will you please stop worrying about me? I'm sure it's just the flu. All I need is some sleep and I'll be fine." Seeing that Jax wasn't convinced, she put her hand on his arm. "Would you PLEASE stop worrying about me? I really would like to take a nap though. Why don't you go take your shower and get dressed?"

Jax looked at her for several moments before resting his hand over hers on his arm. "Okay," he said softly with a trace of a smile. "I'll be right here when you wake up." He leaned over to kiss her forehead before lifting the covers a little so she could slide down in the bed. After tucking the covers tightly around her, Jax leaned over to kiss the top of Brenda's head. "Feel better," he said softly as he sat back up. He watched her for a couple of minutes until he was sure she had drifted off to sleep before slowly getting up from the bed.

As Brenda had asked, Jax showered, shaved and dressed. When he came out of the bathroom he went straight to the bed to check on her. He exhaled softly when he saw that she was still sleeping soundly. He stood watching her for a while before walking over to sit in the nearby chair to put on his shoes. When he finished he crossed his legs and sat back, watching Brenda sleep. As he watched her he kept telling himself that she was right. It was just the flu and she'd be fine in a day or two. He sat there telling himself this until he heard a light tap on the door. He stood up, looked over at Brenda to make sure she was still sleeping and then walked over to answer the door. He was surprised to see Jerry standing in front of him.

"How is she?" Jerry asked softly as he stepped to the side a little so Jax could step out into the hallway.

"She's sleeping," Jax said softly. He looked over at the bed for a second before stepping out into the hall.

"Mum wants you to come down and eat something," Jerry said as he pointed over his shoulder. "I offered to bring a tray up but mum thought the smell of food might bother Brenda."

"She's probably right," Jax said as he looked back into the room. "I'm fine, really. Besides, I promised Brenda I'd be here when she wakes up."

"We figured you'd say something like that so I volunteered to sit with her while you eat." Jerry could see the uncertainty on Jax's face. "Go on, the longer you stand here arguing with me the more likely Little Bit will wake up before you get back."

Jax looked back again. "Okay thanks," Jax said softly when he looked back. "I'll only be a few minutes. Call me if Brenda wakes up."

"She'll be fine Jax," Jerry said reassuringly. "I'll keep close watch on her."

Jax looked back at Brenda sleeping peacefully one more time before nodding his head and heading for the stairs. Jerry watched him go down the stairs before going into the bedroom and sitting in the chair Jax had just left.

It was only about twenty minutes later when Jerry looked up and was surprised to see Jax standing in the doorway. He glanced down at his watch for a second to check the time before getting up and walking out into the hallway. "That was fast," he said with a chuckle.

"I wasn't very hungry," Jax said as he started toward the bedroom door. He stopped and turned back to Jerry. "Mum said she called Dr. Benton. He's coming out to take a look at Brenda later this afternoon."

"Only in Alaska would you find a doctor who still makes house calls," Jerry said with a quick laugh. He could see how much Jax wanted to get back to Brenda. "Go on; get back to your wife. I'll bring the doctor up when he gets here."

"Thanks Jerry," Jax said quickly before walking into the bedroom and closing the door behind him. He walked over to the bed to check on Brenda. He adjusted the covers around her a little and smiled when he saw the peaceful expression on her face. There was no trace of the pallor or the fear he had seen there earlier. After brushing a few strands of hair that had fallen across her face away, he pulled the chair up next to the bed and sat down.

About a half hour after he sat down he saw Brenda start to stir. He got up and sat on the edge of the bed. He gently brushed his hand across her hair until she opened her eyes. "Hey you," he whispered with a smile. "How are you feeling?"

Brenda rolled onto her back and stretched slowly. "Better I think," she said as she slowly started to sit up. "Yep, my stomach seems to have settled down." When she started to lean back Jax reached for his pillow and tucked it behind her. "Thanks," she said with a smile as she leaned back into the pillows. "That feels nice. Have you been sitting there all this time?"

"No, I have not," Jax said in a slightly defensive tone. "I went downstairs for a while to get something to eat." When he saw the doubt ion her face he held up his hands. "I did! You can ask Jerry. He sat with you while I was gone."

"He didn't have to do that Jax," she said as she leaned further into the pillows and closed her eyes. "I wish everyone would stop fussing over me. It's just the flu. Everyone gets the flu."

"We're supposed to fuss over you Brenda. We're your family. It comes with the territory so just jet used to it!" Jax said firmly but with a smile as he patted her hand. "Besides, we'll all know what's wrong in a little while. Mum called the doctor to come out and take a look at you. He should be here any time now."

Brenda looked at Jax in Stunned silence. "Are you telling me that a doctor is actually making a house call - in the middle of nowhere no less?"

Before Jax could answer her there was a soft knock on the door. He got up and walked over to answer it. When he opened the door Jerry was standing in front of him. "The doctor is here. Is Little Bit awake yet?" he asked quietly.

"She just woke up a few minutes ago. She says she feels better," Jax said quietly.

"Good, I'll tell the doctor to come up," Jerry said as he turned to go. When he got to the head of the stairs he stopped to look back at the now empty hallway for a second before starting down the stairs.

Jax left the bedroom door open when he went back to sit by Brenda. "Dr. Benton is on his way up," he said as he sat down next to her on the bed. It was not long before they heard a tapping sound. "Come in," Jax said loud enough for the doctor to hear.

A large gray haired man came into the room and walked over to them. He was about sixty years old with a full head of almost pure white hair. He was casually dressed in jeans and a turtleneck sweater and carried a rather large doctor's bag. "Hello Junior, how are you young man?" he asked as he crossed the room and extended his hand to Jax.

"I can't complain Dr. B," Jax said as he gripped the doctor's hand and shook it.

"That's not the story your father tells me. He said you've had some pretty serious health issues of your own lately." The doctor looked closely at Jax, obviously trying to judge his health.

"That's true, but thanks to my wife's wonderful care I'm feeling fit again." Jax looked down lovingly at Brenda. "She seems to be having some problems right now though. We were hoping you could tell us what was wrong."

"I take it this beautiful young woman is your wife," he said as he looked down at Brenda. "Ezra Benton," he said as he extended his hand to Brenda.

"Brenda Jacks," she said as she reached to take his hand. She flinched slight at his firm grip. "How long have you known Jax?" she asked as she leaned back into the pillows.

The doctor kept a close watch on Brenda as they talked. "I think he was eight - no ten - when I first met him. I think it was the first winter the family lived here. Junior here decided to see how far out on the lake ice he could walk and fell through." He looked over at Jax and smiled. "Got himself a good case of hypothermia that day," he said as he shook his head. "Doesn't seem to have stunted his growth any though," he said with a chuckle as he saw Jax blush slightly. "Enough about you boy, you look healthy enough now. Why don't you leave me alone with your pretty little wife here so we can get her feeling better?"

Jax glanced uncertainly at Brenda, not really wanting to leave her. When Brenda gave him a slight nod he leaned down to give her a quick kiss. "I'll be right outside if you need me."

"Oh no you won't young man!" Dr. Benton said firmly. "I want you to go downstairs with the rest of your family and relax. Brenda is going to be just fine with me." When Jax started to protest, he held his hand up. "No argument! Go downstairs and get something to eat or something. I'll call you when we're ready for you.

Jax looked at Brenda again before taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly. He gave Brenda a shrug of surrender before turning to leave. When he got to the door, he stopped and looked back, only to see Dr. Benton waiving his fingers for him to leave. Reluctantly, he walked out, closing the door behind him. He leaned back against the door, closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He exhaled slowly as he rubbed his hands across his face. He stood for a moment with his head against the door and his eyes closed. Finally, he took another deep breath and exhaled loudly before heading down the hall and then down the stairs to wait for Dr. Benton to come down.

Once Jax was gone Dr. Benton sat in the chair that had been pulled up next to the bed, setting his medical bag on the floor next to him. He reached inside and pulled out a file folder. "Why don't we get some basic information on you before I take a look?"

"Sure," Brenda said nervously. "What do you want to know?"

"Let's start with the easy questions. What is your date of birth?"

"March 28, 1974," Brenda said. "I'm twenty two."

"Where were you born?"

"Hyde Park Hospital, Hyde Park London England," Brenda said as she played with the edge of the sheet.

"Where do you and 'Junior' call home now? Are you living here with Jane and John?" he asked as he was writing on the chart he had brought for Brenda.

"No, we live in Port Charles New York. It's a small town in upstate New York, near the Canadian border," Brenda said with the first trace of a smile Dr. Benton had seen since he came into the room. "We really love it there. We have some very special memories and friends there."

Dr. Benton asked her several questions about childhood illnesses and injuries. When he got to the questions about recent illnesses or injuries he noticed Brenda tense up. "Is something wrong?"

"What? Oh, no, it's just that some pretty awful things have happened over the last year that I thought I had put behind me. I guess I haven't." Brenda took a shaky breath and let it out slowly. "You know, now that I think about it, it was really silly of Jane to drag you out here. I'm sure this is nothing more than the stress of everything that has happened lately catching up with me."

"I guess that could be a possibility," Dr. Benton said as he made some more notes in her chart. "But if I don't know what type of things you're talking about I can't agree or disagree with you on that."

Realizing he was right, Brenda took another deep breath and let it out slowly as she organized her thoughts. Even though she didn't want to think about these things she knew she had to tell him everything. "Okay, well back in April I got hit by a hit and run driver. Jax and I were at a charity event and I was waiting near the edge of the parking lot while he went to get the car. Some drunk driver was driving way too fast and lost control of his car. I got hit and flew about 10 feet through the air, landing on the parking lot. If it hadn't been for a friend pulling me out of the direct path of the car I might have been hurt a lot worse than I was."

After writing down Brenda's description of the accident, Dr. Benton looked up at her. He was a little surprised to see how agitated she was at discussing an accident that had happened eight months ago. "How seriously were you injured?"

"I had a hairline fracture of my right hip and some minor internal bleeding. The bleeding subsided a day or so after the accident. The hip healed pretty much on its own. I mean I didn't have to have any surgery or anything." Brenda took a deep breath and leaned back into the pillows. "Jax took me away to a really relaxing place to heal. He got my therapy instructions and medication from the hospital and made sure that I followed it to the letter." She couldn't help smiling as she remembered their first time in Malibu. She closed her eyes for a second and then opened them and looked at the doctor. "If you need any details about the injuries I received I can give you my doctor's name in Port Charles."

"I may want to do that later," Dr. Benton said as he continued to make notes in Brenda's chart without looking up at her. When he finished he looked at her and smiled. "When were you and 'Junior' married?"

"We got married May 28th. We eloped to Europe," Brenda said softly unable to resist smiling again at the memory of their wedding.

Dr. Benton made note of the wedding date and looked back at her. "You said earlier that you thought that your illness was caused by stress. Can you tell me what type of stress you have been under?"

Brenda closed her eyes and shuddered as the memories of recent events came flooding back. "About 6 weeks ago I was kidnapped out of our apartment."

"Good Lord," Dr. Benton said as he looked up from the chart and watching Brenda's face. "Were you hurt?"

Brenda shuddered slightly at the memory of those two days. "I got a few cuts and bruises but nothing serious. Jax and Jerry got me out very quickly - with a little help from some really special friends."

When he saw the way the color had drained from her face Dr. Benton figured Brenda had left something major out of her story. "What is that you are leaving out?" he asked in a gentle yet firm voice.

"Ah," Brenda said in a shaky voice. "As we were running away from the house I was being held in the men who had kidnapped me started shooting at us." Brenda shuddered. "It wasn't until we were in the car and about to drive away that we realized that Jax had been shot." She shuddered again. She looked at Dr. Benton with tears streaming down her cheeks. "I held his unconscious body in my lap and put pressure on the wound like Jerry said to as we drove to the nearest hospital but there was so much blood." Brenda suddenly threw back the covers and ran into the bathroom to be sick again. Dr. Benton followed her and helped as best he could until she was finished. After rinsing her mouth with the glass of water he handed her, she leaned back on her legs and looked up at him. "Sorry about that," she said softly before wiping her face with the wet washcloth he gave her. "See what I mean, stress."

The doctor gave her a reassuring smile as he helped her stand up and walk back into the bedroom. Once she was settled back in bed again, he sat back down in his chair. He made several more notes in her chart before looking back at Brenda. "You could be right. Stress is a very distinct possibility right now. I'd like to ask you a few more questions and give you a quick check before I say anything definite. Okay?"

"Sure," Brenda said as she snuggled back into the pillows. "What do you want to know?"

Deciding that it was not necessary at this point to press her about the details of the kidnapping and Jax's shooting, he leaned back in the chair and rested one leg on top of the other with the chart resting on top. "Are you using birth control or are you two trying to start a family?"

"I've been on the pill for almost a year now," Brenda said matter-of-factly. She watched as the doctor wrote her answer in the chart. "Why? Could that have something to do with me getting sick?"

"When did you take your last pill?" Dr. Benton asked, ignoring Brenda's question. He set his pen down on the chart as he looked up at her.

"It was…" Brenda stopped when she realized that she didn't know when she had last taken a birth control pill. Finally she said. "It was before I was kidnapped, maybe 7 or 8 weeks ago, I think."

Dr. Benton wrote down her answer. "Have you and Jax been intimate since then?"

Brenda blushed a deep red. "Yes we have," she said softly, too embarrassed to look at him.

"Have you been using any other means of birth control during that time?" he asked without looking at her to try to ease her embarrassment.

After a moment of silence Brenda looked over at him. She slowly shook her head. "No," she said in a voice so soft he could hardly hear her. "I guess we never thought about it."

"I see," the doctor said with a slight nod. "When was your last period?"

Brenda thought for a moment before suddenly covering her moth with both hands. She frantically looked around the room for a calendar. "Do you have a calendar?" she asked. "I need a calendar." Dr. Benton reached into his bag, pulled out his appointment book and handed it to her. Brenda grabbed it and started flipping through the pages until she got to the right date. With shaky hands she started quickly turning pages until she got to the current date. She looked at Dr. Benton for a second before looking through the book a second and then a third time.

"Brenda?" Dr. Benton asked. "What is it?"

Slowly Brenda looked at him. "I've missed one period and I'm 4 days late this month. I never thought about it last month with everything that was going on and all. Now that you asked I just realized that it hasn't come yet this month." She slowly closed the appointment book and wrapped her arms around herself, holding the book close to her chest. "I'm pregnant aren't I?" she asked in a shaky whisper.

Dr. Benton smiled reassuringly. "Let's not jump to any conclusions young lady. Why don't we give you a quick exam and see what we find?" When Brenda slowly nodded her agreement, he picked up his bag and sat on the edge of the bed. He reached into the bag and pulled out his stethoscope and blood pressure cuff. "Why don't we start by taking some vital signs? You know, temperature, pulse, blood pressure?" he asked as he reached for her arm.

Brenda looked at him for a second before slowly pushing her sleeve up. "Okay," she said softly with a slight nod.

From the moment he had come downstairs Jax had been pacing around the living room. He tried sitting down several times but was back up pacing again a minute or two later. He kept looking up the stairs as he paced. Jerry stood watching in the doorway for a while before finally coming in with a mug of coffee.

"Here, drink this," he said as he held the mug out to Jax.

Jax looked over at the stairs again before looking at Jerry. "Thanks, I can definitely use that," he said as he took the mug. He looked up the stairs again. "What's taking so long? Dr. Benton has been up there an awful long time. Maybe I should go up and check…"

"Relax will you Jax, Brenda going to be fine" Jerry said as he put his hand on Jax's arm. "Doc's only been up there a few minutes."

"How can you be so sure? You're not a doctor!" Jax snapped.

"He may not be but I am," Dr. Benton said from the head of the stairs. "And I say your wife is going to be fine."

Jax immediately walked to the foot of the stairs. "Are you sure she's okay?" he asked nervously.

"She's got a pretty bad case of the flu," Dr. Benton said calmly. "I already told her I want her to stay in bed for the next day or so and then take it easy. I've written up a diet I want her to follow for the next few days. I'll leave it with Astrid," he said as he closed up his bag. "Brenda told me you two were planning to fly home tomorrow. I think it would be better for her if you plan on staying put until after New Years. She's not up to a flight that long."

"Whatever you say Dr. B, we can stay as long as she needs," Jax said as he glanced up the stairs and then back at the doctor. "Are you sure it's just the flu?"

Dr. Benton smiled reassuringly. "Yes I'm sure, Junior. I took some blood samples to run some tests but I'm pretty sure I know what they'll show." When he saw how worried Jax still was he put his hand on Jax's arm and gave it a squeeze. "She's fine Junior - really." He smiled when Jax slowly nodded his acceptance.

"So Ezra, how's my daughter doing?" John demanded as he came into the room from the kitchen.

"She's fine Joho," Dr. Benton said as he looked over at John. "I was just telling the boy here that she has a pretty bad case of the flu. A few days bed rest and a light diet should have her back to her old self in no time." He looked over at Jax again. "I should have the results of those blood tests in a couple of days. If she's feeling up to it why don't you bring her into my office on the 31st? I can give her a better exam there and also give you two the test results."

"Sure, whatever you say," Jax said as he slowly nodded his head. "She loves to sleep late whenever she can. Would it be okay if we came in the afternoon?"

Dr. Benton set down his bag and pulled out his appointment book. "Why don't you two come in about 2:30? That will make you my last appointment so we can take our time."

"We'll be there," Jax said obviously relieved by the doctor's reassurances. "If you'll excuse me, I'm going to go up and sit with Brenda."

"Why don't you wait a bit," Dr. Benton said as he put his hand on Jax's arm. "Brenda was just going to take a shower and get cleaned up when I left her. Let her have some time. Why don't you take her some fresh tea - herbal? I'll have Astrid make her some broth for later."

"You're sure she's okay by herself? She was pretty dizzy this morning," Jax asked with a definite edge to his voice.

"She'll be fine Junior," Dr. Benton said with a chuckle. "Now go on, get her tea ready."

Still not sure, Jax looked from the doctor he had known and trusted for more than 15 years to his father. When he saw his father's slight nod of agreement with the doctor, he exhaled loudly and headed toward the kitchen to get the tea.

Once Jax was gone, John walked closer to his friend. "Are you sure she's okay Ezra?" he asked softly. "She's very precious to all of us you know."

"She's a very strong young woman Joho. She told me what the two of them have been through lately." This time it was the doctor who looked toward the kitchen. "How's Junior? Any after effects from the shooting or the surgery?"

John smiled proudly. "Thanks to some amazing doctors in Port Charles, he came through it without any after affects." John laughed softly. "Of course, a month of tender loving care in a private hideaway with his beautiful wife didn't hurt any either."

Dr. Benton couldn't help chuckling at the expression on John's face. "You really love that girl, don't you? No concerns that she's after the family fortune?"

The smile on John's face quickly disappeared. "Brenda is as much one of my children as the boys. She loves Jax more than her own life. She's proved that more than once. As to the money issue, Brenda's father was Harlan Barrett."

"Barrett Industries? That Harlan Barrett?" the doctor asked.

"That's the one," John said as he glanced first at the kitchen door and then up the stairs. "So you see, the one thing we didn't have to worry about was her marrying him for his money."

"What do you mean the one thing? Do you have reservations about the girl?" Dr. Benton asked.

"Absolutely not!" John declared. "She's the best thing that ever happened to the boy - to all of us! I have never seen two people more in love than those two. No, my concern is for the trouble that followed the poor girl." John looked sadly at his friend. "Did she tell you anything about what has been going on?"

"She told me about the hit and run accident, the kidnapping and about Junior getting shot." Dr. Benton looked at John. "You didn't think this was something I would want to know. I've been the boy's doctor since he was 10 years old."

"I would have told you - eventually," John said with his hands up in surrender. "It's just that everything happened so quickly. It was touch and go there for a while but there was nothing that was going to keep him down - Brenda made sure of that. She watched over him like a lioness protecting her cub, even at the expense of her own health."

"Really? She didn't mention that. What happened?" Dr. Benton asked.

"Apparently Jax and Jerry got into an argument about something stupid right after Jax got out of surgery and Brenda just froze. Then she collapsed. Jerry caught her before she hit the floor but the doctor decided to sedate her to make her get some rest. She slept about 24 straight hours and woke up her old self." John couldn't keep from smiling as he remembered those days. "Even though he just had major surgery Jax insisted on being with her when she woke up. Luckily, the doctor knew better than to argue with him so he put Jax in a wheelchair and let Jerry take him to be with her.

"As soon as she woke up and the doctor cleared her, she took total charge of Jax's recovery," John said proudly. "Quite successfully too, I must say."

"Now that they've put all of that behind them, their biggest problem is the man she broke up with before she met Jax," John said with a slow shake of his head.

"What do you mean?" Dr. Benton asked.

"It seems the man broke Brenda's heart by marrying someone else without telling her in advance. Then a few weeks after the wedding, he came to see her to tell her that his marriage was a mistake and that he wanted to pick things up again with her as his mistress. She told him no but he wouldn't accept that. At first he tried to make her miserable by flaunting his wife in front of her. When that didn't work, he started showing up where she was, demanding she come back to him by shaming her in publicly calling her names. She still refused.

"He finally went so far as to sell the company she owned with a friend that he was a majority stockholder in out from under her. In fact," John said with a smile. "That's how she and Jax met. Her other partner, Lois, went to him with an investment offer that got Brenda and her friend their company back and we made a multi-million dollar profit in 48 hours."

John stopped when he saw the kitchen door opening. Jax came out carrying a tray with Brenda's tea. "I'm going to take this up to Brenda," he said as he held the tray out a little. "We'll see you on the 31st," he said as he looked at Dr. Benton. "Thanks for coming all the way out here to see her Dr. B, especially on the day after Christmas."

"Don't give it a second thought Junior. I was planning to come out to see your folks this week anyway to wish them a happy holiday. You just make sure Brenda takes it easy for the next few days. If her fever doesn't subside in a day or so give me a call and I'll come back out instead of you guys coming in to the office."

"We'll keep a close eye on her Ezra, I promise you that," John said. He looked over at Jax. "You better get that upstairs before it goes cold."

"Right," Jax said with a quick nod before heading the rest of the way across the room and up the stairs.

John waited until Jax disappeared down the upstairs hall. "Thanks for not saying anything to the boy."

"No problem," Dr. Benton said. "You never said, is the ex still causing trouble?"

"Unfortunately yes," John said as he exhaled loudly. "But we're working on eliminating him from the picture."

"Who is this man that YOU haven't been able to keep him away from them?"

"That's the thing," John said quietly as he glanced up the stairs. "He's a high profile crime figure. In fact, he's one of the five biggest bosses on the east coast."

"Damn," Dr. Benton said with a loud exhale. "What can you do about someone like that? I seriously doubt you can pay him off."

John glanced up at the stairs again as a smile slowly spread across his face. "Oh I'm not going to have to do anything. He's going to do it all himself. All I have to do is stand back and let it happen," he said in a soft voice.

Dr. Benton looked closely at his old friend. "What have you done Jono?"

After glancing up the stairs again, John leaned closer to his best friend. "I just got tired of waiting for our security people to nail him, so I called in a favor or two from some 'friends', that's all. It shouldn't be long before this is all just a bad memory." John chuckled softly. "The best part is that there is no way he or any one else can track it back to me."

"Do you really think that's a good idea? I thought you closed the door on that part of your life a long time ago," Dr. Benton said slightly uncomfortable at his friend's plans. "You're running a big risk doing this. If you get caught not only do you loose your business but you will loose Jax AND Brenda."

"Then I just won't get caught," John said smugly.

"Just be careful Jono, you're playing with fire here." Dr. Benton took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "With that warning I'm going to take my leave. Benjie and Tess are going out for the evening so Alice and I are babysitting the grandkids."

"Speaking of grandchildren," John said with a twinkle in his eye. "Any chance Brenda's flu could be something else?"

Dr. Benton couldn't help chuckling at his friend's eagerness for grandchildren. "You know I can't answer that - even if I knew." He walked over to get his coat from the couch. After putting it on he reached into his medical bag and pulled out the diet he had written out for Brenda. "Give this to Astrid for me. It's Brenda's diet for the next few days. Remind her nothing spicy and nothing heavy. If the girl continues to have a problem keeping things down after today call me."

"We'll take good care of her, don't you worry about that," John said firmly as he looked over the diet. He glanced up the stair again and then back at his friend. "Actually, I'm more worried about Jax at the moment. He's so in love with the girl he's going to make himself sick fussing over her."

"Well, after what he's been through recently, it's up to you and Jane to make sure he doesn't. You can tell him for me that there is nothing for him to worry about. She's got a simple case of the flu," Dr. Benton said in his most professional voice. "You and Jane have a good new Year, Jono." He zipped up his coat and reached into his pockets for his gloves. "And you, my friend, be careful you don't call in a favor that you're going to regret."

"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing," John said in a soft but very serious voice. "I WILL get this man out of my children's lives - no matter what!"

Dr. Benton just shook his head in disbelief. Having known John Jacks for as long as he had, he knew it was useless to try to argue with him. He held out his hand to him instead. "Happy New Year Jono."

"Happy New Year to you too Ezra," John said as he took his friend's hand and give it a firm shake. He could see the unspoken warning in his eyes. "Give Alice my best."

"I will," Dr. Benton said as he closed his medical bag and picked it up. He walked to the front door with John behind him. He started to reach for the doorknob but stopped and turned back to John. "Don't let Junior smother the girl. All she needs is some rest and a light diet and she'll be fine. Tell him to let her do things when she wants. She'll know what she's ready for and when."

"I'll try, but I can't promise anything," John said with a laugh. "The boy fusses over her when she's healthy. I can only imagine what he's going to be like now."

Dr. Benton slowly shook his head and laughed. "Like father, like son," he said before turning, opening the door and walking out onto the porch. He immediately headed down the steps to the walk. When he got to his car he looked back at the house to see John standing on the porch. He gave a quick wave before getting into his car and driving away. When he looked into the rearview mirror, he saw John heading back into the house. As he drove away he thought about everything he had heard this morning. He thought about young Jax and his new wife who obviously loved each other more than their own lives. He smiled as he remembered how they had each talked more about their concerns for the other than themselves when he had talked to them. The smile quickly faded, though as he thought about John's vow to call in a few favors to take care of the man threatening his family. He couldn't shake the feeling that John was starting something he was not going to be able to stop. He exhaled loudly as he tried to let go of the thought that John was reopening a chapter of his life that was better left closed. It had been a very long time since he had heard John mention that part of his life. He had truly hoped to never hear about it again. As he drove away he kept thinking that what John was planning was going to blow up in his face and cause more harm then good. He promised himself that he would talk to John again to try to talk him out of this. There had to be a better way to help his children then what he was planning.

Jax slowly opened the bedroom door so that he wouldn't startle Brenda. He was a little surprised to see an empty room. He set the tray he was carrying on his bedside table before smoothing out the sheets and turning back the covers to freshen the bed. He picked up the cup of cold tea from Brenda's bedside table and put it and the tray on the table near the window. Just as he set the tray down, he saw the bathroom door open. He waited until he saw Brenda come out before walking over to her. "Hey you, feeling any better?" he asked softly as he gently brushed the backs of his fingers across her cheek. Even though the doctor had told him she would be fine, Jax couldn't help being worried by how pale she was and the dark circles under her eyes.

Brenda looked up at him with a weak smile. "I feel cleaner, but that's about it," she said with a sigh.

Jax wrapped his arms around her and gently pulled her closer to him. "Come on, let's get you back to bed. Doctor B said you were supposed to stay in bed for the next day or two."

"I'm too tired to argue with you," Brenda said softly as she looked up at him. She smiled weekly for a moment before closing her eyes and resting her forehead against his chest. "Whew! I'm suddenly feeling very dizzy."

"That does it, back to bed for you," Jax said softly as he swept her up in his arms and carried her to the bed. He gently laid her down and pulled the covers up around her, tucking them snugly against her. He sat next to her on his side of the bed as she leaned back into the pillows and closed her eyes again. He linked his fingers with hers. "How's that?" he asked softly as he rubbed his thumb across the top of her hand.

Brenda slowly lifted her head from the pillow and opened her eyes to look at him. "Better, the dizziness is gone."

"Would you like to try some herbal tea? Doctor B suggested I bring it up to you. He wants you to get plenty of rest and drink plenty of clear liquids," Jax said as he continued to stroke her hand.

"I think I will try some of the tea," Brenda said with a weak smile as she rested her hand on top of Jax's. "What I'd really like though, is to see that worried look disappear from your face. I have the flu Jax, nothing more."

"I know luv," Jax said as he reached to cup the side of Brenda's face. "I just hate seeing you so miserable and not being able to do anything about it."

Brenda knew exactly how he felt. It was exactly how she had felt right after he had been shot. Even with all of the assurances from the doctors and even Bobbie, she couldn't help worrying every time she saw him pale and in pain. "I understand sweetheart, really I do," Brenda said with as much of a reassuring smile as she could muster. "How about a little bit of that tea?"

Jax looked at her for a moment before answering. Slowly a slight smile appeared on his lips. "I think I can handle that," he said softly.

After slowly sipping the cup of tea that Jax gave her, Brenda snuggled down into the pillows. She was relieved that her stomach actually seemed a little less queasy with the tea in it. She lay with her eyes closed for several minutes enjoying the feel of Jax gently stroking her hair. Finally she opened her eyes and looked over at him, certain he was not going to like what she was about to say. She reached over to rest her hand on his leg. "You know, maybe it's not such a good idea for you to be sitting so close to me." When he tilted his head to the side to look at her, she looked up into his eyes. "I don't want you to catch this, Jax. I wouldn't wish this on my worst enemy - let alone the person I love most in this world." When Jax didn't say anything right away Brenda finished her thought. "I was thinking maybe you should sleep in another room - at least for the next night or so."

Jax slowly shook his head. "What good would that do?" he asked honestly. "If I understood Doctor B correctly, you've probably been building up to this for the past several days. Most likely if I'm going to, I've already caught whatever this is, so why stay away now?" He put his hand on top of hers. "I'm afraid you're stuck with me luv, 'cause I'm not going anywhere."

"You know what?" Brenda asked with a weak smile. "You have no idea how glad I am to hear you say that. I hate sleeping alone." She put her hand over her mouth to cover a yawn. "Sorry about that," she said softly with a trace of embarrassment.

"Don't be sorry," Jax said as he patted her hand. "Dr. B said you were supposed to get plenty of rest. You just close your eyes and go back to sleep. I'll be right here when you wake up."

Brenda looked up at him for a moment before slowly nodding her head and snuggling down into the pillows, never letting go of his hand. She had wanted to tell him to go downstairs and spend some time with his family but she couldn't bring herself to send him away. She loved the feeling of having him close to her. She rolled onto her side and slid closer to him, resting her arm across his ribs before quickly dozing off.

Jax couldn't help smiling as he watched the expressions on Brenda's face. He could see that she wanted to send him away but she also didn't want him to go. He was glad she didn't say anything because there was no way he was going to leave her.

It was almost two hours before Brenda slowly opened her eyes. She blinked a couple of time to focus her eyes before lifting her head. She was a little surprised to see Jax still sitting next to her on the bed. She was glad though, that he was at least doing some work.

When he saw Brenda lift her head Jax closed the file he was reading and let it fall to the floor next to the bed. "Hello," he said softly with a smile. "How…" Before he could finish Brenda suddenly lay back down and closed her eyes. "What's wrong?"

Brenda lay flat on her back taking several slow deep breaths. "My stomach started churning again," she said without opening her eyes. "I thought it was getting better. The queasiness seemed to go away, especially after I drank that tea."

"Maybe that's the problem," Jax said as he gently got up from the bed. "Maybe your stomach is trying to tell you that you need to put something in it." When he saw the doubtful expression on Brenda's face he put up one hand. "Nothing heavy, I promise. Dr. B left a special diet for you with Astrid. Why don't I go down and see what you can eat and bring something up?"

"Before you go could you pour me some of that tea you brought up earlier? Maybe that'll help," Brenda said as she slowly opened her eyes.

"It's not going to be very warm, you know," he said as he turned to pour what was left of the tea into Brenda's cup. "It's been over two hours since I brought it up. Are you sure you want this?" he asked as he turned back with the cup.

"Doesn't matter," Brenda said softly as she slowly sat up. "I really just need to put something in my stomach." She took a small sip of her tea. "It's just right," she said as she took another sip. She looked at Jax over the rim of the cup. "Would you ask Astrid if I could maybe have some soup? I think I might be able to keep that down."

"Are you sure?" Jax asked "Wouldn't you rather just have some fresh tea?"

"I'm sure," Brenda said with a reassuring smile. "Dr. Benton said I would know what I could handle and I'm sure I can handle some soup."

"Yes ma'am," Jax said with the first laugh he had felt all day. He leaned over to kiss Brenda on the forehead before getting up from the bed. "I'll be back in a few minutes with your soup."

"Okay," Brenda said softly. "I'll finish my tea while you're gone."

Jax gave her a quick kiss on the forehead before getting up from the bed. "Be right back," he said before walking across the room and out the door.

Jax came back a few minutes later with her soup. Brenda surprised herself by finishing the entire bowl without feeling the slightest bit ill. It wasn't long after she finished eating that she felt herself dozing off again. The last thing she remembered before falling asleep was Jax kissing her on the forehead, promising to be there when she woke up.

Brenda was surprised when she opened her eyes again to see that the room was dark. She blinked her eyes a couple of times to focus them. The only light in the room came from the lamp on the small table by the window. Once she focused her eyes she could see someone sitting in the chair by the table. "Jax?" she asked as she slowly sat up, relieved at the lack of queasiness.

"No child, it's me," John said softly as he closed the book he was reading and walked over to the bed. He sat down next to Brenda. "How are you feeling?" he asked with what Brenda immediately felt was a very comforting smile.

"A lot better than I did this morning," she said with a sigh as she leaned back into the pillows. "Did Jax make you come up here and watch me sleep?"

John reached for Brenda's hand before answering. "You listen to me girl," he said in a soft but firm voice. "You are my child now, just as much as either one of the boys. That means that no one has to make me do anything when it comes to any of you." John stopped and looked down at their hands. "Truth be told, I had to make Jax leave you. The only way I could convince him to go downstairs and have some dinner was to promise to sit with you until he got back. Actually, I had to fight off your brother and your mother to sit with you." John was surprised to see Brenda's head shoot up. "What's wrong, dear? Are you feeling ill again?"

"Ah, no," Brenda said a little embarrassed. "It was just the way you talked about the family. I've never been part of a real family before."

"Well dear, you better get used to it," John said with a big smile. "You are a Jacks now and don't you forget it!"

"Yes sir!" Brenda said with a chuckle, even though there were tears in her eyes.

"Hey, you're awake," Jax said as he walked into the room. "How are you feeling?" he asked as he leaned over to kiss the top of her head.

Brenda looked over at John for a moment before answering. "I was just telling dad that I'm feeling a lot better." She reached for Jax's hand. "So you finally took some time for yourself huh?" she asked with a smile.

Jax sat down on his side of the bed and looked over at his father. "I didn't have much choice," he said with a chuckle as he looked over at John. "Dad and Jerry threatened to drag me downstairs if I didn't agree." He looked back at Brenda. "Do you need anything? Something to eat?"

"Maybe some more of that herbal tea," Brenda said as she leaned back into the pillows. "I'm not hungry, just still a little tired."

"I'll ask Astrid to bring it up to you dear," John said as he got up from the bed. He leaned down to kiss Brenda's forehead. "Feel better daughter," he said as he cupped the side of her face. "I'll see you tomorrow." He looked over at Jax. "You get some rest too!"

"Yes dad," Jax said with his hands up in surrender.

While Jax and John were talking, Brenda closed her eyes as her mind replayed what John had said about her being a member of the family. She could feel tears welling up in her eyes as she thought about the beautiful things he had said. She could not believe how happy she felt - even with the flu. When she felt the tears start to spill out she opened her eyes, hoping to stop them before Jax could notice. Unfortunately, when she opened her eyes she saw Jax looking at her with a very concerned expression. "Sorry," she said softly as she wiped at the tears on her cheeks.

"Is something wrong? Are you feeling sick again?" Jax asked as he cupped her cheek and brushed her tears away with his thumb. When Brenda shook her head no he stopped stroking her cheek. "Did dad say something to upset you?"

"Just the opposite," Brenda said softly as she covered his hand on her cheek with her own. "It was something wonderful."

"What did he say?"

"When I woke up and realized that it was dad and not you sitting with me, I asked him if you had forced him to sit and watch me sleep," Brenda said slowly as she tried to control her emotions. "He said the most amazing thing. He said that he considered me just as much his child as you and Jerry, which meant that no one made him do anything." She stopped and looked directly at Jax. "Then he said he to fight MY brother and MY mother for the chance to sit with me!" She looked at Jax in total amazement. "I have a family Jax. For the first time in my life I have a real family - that I know I can always count on! How can I ever thank you for that?"

Jax moved closer to her and wrapped his arms around her. He could tell how important those few words his father had said had been to her. At first he thought to make a joke about her someday regretting it but he could tell that was not the thing to say right now. "You just did luv," Jax said softly as he continued to hold her in his arms.

Brenda was feeling well enough to get out of bed the next day. When Jax tried to convince her to stay in bed or at least upstairs in their room she refused. Over her protest he insisted on carrying her downstairs and settling her on the living room sofa.

Jane came into the room as he was tucking a blanket around Brenda for the third time. "For heaven's sake Jax, leave the poor girl alone!" she said sternly. "Brenda's quite capable of taking care of herself."

"I know mum," Jax said as he reluctantly backed away from Brenda. "I happen to like taking care of my wife. Afterall, she's spent the last month nursing me back to health. The least I can do is fuss over her a little when she's not feeling well."

Jane looked at Brenda who just smiled and shrugged. "How can I argue with that?"

"Don't even try mom," Brenda said with a sigh. "I've been trying all morning."

"Come on you two," Jax said as he held his hands up in surrender. "Don't go ganging up on me just because I'm concerned about my wife!"

Brenda and Jane looked at each other again and smiled. "We aren't dear, just give the child some breathing room," Jane said in her most maternal voice as she gently patted Jax's arm.

Jax looked from Brenda to his mother and back to Brenda. "I guess I have been a little overboard haven't I?" he asked sheepishly.

"It's okay honey," Brenda said as she reached for Jax's hand. "In a way, I kind of like it." She squeezed his hand. "But I'm feeling a lot better today, so you can relax." When she saw the disappointed look on Jax's face, she pulled his hand gently so he would sit next to her. "Don't get me wrong now, I'd love for you to keep me company - unless you have some work to do - I just don't want you hovering."

Jax looked at her for several moments. "I can do that," he said with a smile.

"Good," Jane said as she squeezed Jax's shoulder. "Now you two relax. I'll have Astrid bring you both something to eat."

"Thanks mom," Brenda said with a smile. "I think I might actually be able to keep some real food down."

"Ezra thought you might," Jane said with a very maternal smile. "He left a list of things you should be able to keep down." She looked over at Jax. "And you, young man, are going to eat a good breakfast. You need to take care of yourself or you'll get sick too."

Jax looked up at his mother with a twinkle in his eye. "Yes mummy," he said in his best little boy voice. He ducked back when his mother took a playful swing at him before heading toward the kitchen.

As he had promised, Jax spent the rest of the day with Brenda. When she dozed off he read through some of the files that Addie had sent to the house concerning his current projects for John or Jerry to review and act on. When Brenda woke up he started to put the files aside.

"Don't you dare put that away!" Brenda said as she sat up on the sofa. "It's about time you got back to work. We've imposed on Jerry and dad long enough."

"I know," Jax said as he closed the file and laid it in his lap. He put the cap back on his pen and looked over at Brenda. "I have a confession to make," he said in a now serious voice. "I've missed working." He put up his hand to stop her before Brenda could say anything. "Don't get me wrong. I wouldn't change anything about the last month." When he saw Brenda's expression he quickly continued. "Well except getting shot - that I could do without."

"Me too," Brenda said softly as she looked down at her hands. "I'm so sorry that happened."

Jax got up and sat next to her on the couch, taking her hand in his. He lifted her chin to look at him with the other hand. "Listen to me," he said softly. "I don't ever want you to apologize for what happened. None of it was your fault. You did nothing wrong. Everything that happened to both of us had nothing to do with you. It was Sonny's doing. You made your choice perfectly clear to everyone. That's all you could do."

Brenda moved so that she could wrap her arms around Jax and rest her head against his shoulder. "I know that in my head Jax," she said softly without looking at him. "But when I think about all the pain you've suffered and how hard you've worked to recover, my heart takes over and I feel totally responsible. If I had never gotten involved with Sonny he wouldn't be in our lives now."

"Hey wait a minute," Jax said as he gently stroked Brenda's hair. "Did it ever occur to you that we never would have met if it wasn't for Sonny?" Brenda lifted her head to look up at him. "If Sonny had not sold L&B out from under you guys Lois never would have found me and I never would have found you." He leaned forward to kiss her forehead. "For that I will be grateful to him for the rest of my life," he said softly with a loving smile as he leaned back from her.

"I've never thought about it that way," Brenda said with a smile. "Maybe I should send him a thank you card," she said with a chuckle.

"Maybe we should," Jax said as he pulled her close to him again. Afterall, he though, loving Brenda had brought him back to life again. He had never known this kind of peace or happiness before. Maybe he really should thank Sonny - AFTER he was behind bars that is!

Brenda's health improved steadily over the next few days. By the time they were getting ready to leave for Brenda's doctor's appointment she was trying to find an excuse to cancel it. Unfortunately for her, neither Jax nor anyone else in the family was agreeing with her. Reluctantly she agreed to go.

When they arrived at Dr. Benton's office there was no one in the waiting room. The receptionist looked up for a second when she heard the door open then almost immediately looked down again. "May I help you?" she asked without looking up, slightly agitated since she was anxious to close the office and get home.

"Yes," Brenda said as they walked up to the desk. "I have a 2:30 appointment with Dr. Benton. The name is Jacks, Brenda Jacks."

The receptionist's head shot up when she heard the name. When she had seen the Jacks name in the appointment book she had assumed it was either John or Jane Jacks since Dr. Benton had written it in himself. She looked at the man standing in front of her, immediately recognizing him as the younger Jacks son, the one everybody called Jax. This Brenda Jacks must be his wife. She had heard rumors that he had gotten married, but she had not believed them. Someone as rich and as well known as Jasper Jacks getting married would have been spread all over the papers, especially the local ones. Seeing him standing in front of her with his arm wrapped tightly around this woman made it obvious that the rumors were true. He was married!

Realizing that she was staring, the receptionist cleared her throat and looked down at the appointment book. "Ah, yes, Dr. Benton is with a patient right now. Please have a seat and I'll let the doctor know that you're here."

"Thank you," Brenda said politely as she took Jax's hand and led him toward the nearby sofa. They sat holding hands and talking softly until they heard a door open. Brenda looked up and saw Dr. Benton coming out the door next to the receptionist's desk. A young woman carrying a small child came out after him.

"Remember what I told you Beth," he said to the woman. "TJ is going to be fine. Just try to get him to drink more fluids. That prescription I gave you should take care of his fever in a day or two. If it doesn't, bring him back in."

"Thanks Dr. B," the mother said as she adjusted the baby in her arms. "I'll make sure he drinks more fluids. You have a happy New Year."

"Thanks, you too child," Dr. Benton said as he gave her arm a pat and brushed the baby's hair off of his forehead. Out the corner of his eye he caught site of Jax and Brenda sitting on the couch. He gave the young woman in front of him another reassuring smile before walking over to Jax and Brenda. "And how are you feeling young lady?" he asked.

Brenda and Jax had stood up as he approached them. "Much better than the last time you saw me," Brenda said with a smile.

"Good, good," Dr. Benton said as he returned her smile. "Let's take a look at you, just to make sure," he said as he held his arm out toward the open door to his office. After letting Brenda and Jax walk into the office ahead of him, Dr. Benton stopped at the receptionist's desk. "You can go on home Helen. Mrs. Jacks is my last patient. I can handle things alone."

"Are you sure doctor? I really don't mind staying." Helen looked up at the doctor, unable to tell him that she really wanted to stay so she could find out more about the new Mrs. Jacks.

"I'm sure," Dr. Benton said as he nodded his head. Normally Helen would be eager to leave early - especially on New Year's Eve. He knew her willingness to stay had more to do with her curiosity about Brenda than her dedication to her work. "You go on home and get ready for that party you're going to tonight."

"Okay, thanks Dr. Benton," Helen said, her disappointment obvious in her voice. "I'll lock the hallway door when I leave."

"Thanks," Dr. Benton said as he walked into his office, closing the door behind him. When he saw Jax and Brenda still standing he motioned toward the chairs in front of his desk. "Please, sit down," he said as he sat down behind his desk and opened Brenda's file. He looked over the several pages in it before closing it and looking at Brenda. "Why don't we give you a little better exam than I did at the house before we go over the results of your blood tests?"

Brenda looked at Jax nervously before looking back at the doctor. "Sure, whatever you say," Brenda said nervously.

"You can wait here Junior. We won't be long," Dr. Benton said as he stood up. Seeing the nervousness on Brenda's face he smiled at her. "There's nothing to be scared of my dear," he said reassuringly. He held out his hand to her. "I promise."

Brenda looked at Jax again for a second before taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly. She took Dr. Benton's hand and stood up. She let him lead her into the exam room and close the door.

It was about fifteen minutes later when Jax saw the exam room door open. He was surprised at how relieved he felt when he saw them come back through the door. He stood up as Brenda came closer and leaned over to kiss her cheek. "Everything okay?" he asked as he took her hand.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she said softly before turning to look at Dr. Benton. "At least I THINK I'm fine," she said as she looked uneasily at the doctor.

Jax reached for Brenda's hand as they sat down. Dr. Benton sat behind his desk and opened Brenda's file. "Well you seem to have completely recovered from that flu bug you had," he said a he looked over the chart. He smiled for a second as he laid the open file on his desk without looking up. "Now as to the results of those blood tests we ran," he continued in his most professional voice. He lifted his head to look directly at Jax and Brenda, a smile slowly spreading across his entire face. "Looks like you two have given each other one more Christmas gift." He slowly closed the file and leaned forward, resting his forearms on the desk and locking his fingers together. "The next generation of the Jax family should be putting in his OR her appearance in about 8 months."

Jax and Brenda looked at each other in stunned silence. Slowly a big smile spread across Jax's face. "A baby? We're going to have a baby?" He gently squeezed Brenda's hand. "Did you have any idea about this?"

Brenda slowly shook her head. "Not really," she said in a trembling voice. "It wasn't until I was answering Dr. Benton's questions at the house that I realized I was late. I also remembered that we haven't been using any protection since before this whole mess with the kidnapping and your shooting started.

A deep red flush came to Jax's face. "You mean the whole time we were in Malibu - all the times we…" A huge smile crossed his face. "No wonder you're pregnant! We'll be lucky if its not triplets!" he said with a laugh.

"Jax!" Brenda hissed as she punched him hard in the arm.

"What?" Jax asked innocently as he rubbed his arm where Brenda had punched him.

Eager to change the subject, Brenda looked back at the doctor. "Is there anything special that I should be doing at this point?"

Realizing how uncomfortable Brenda was at Jax's remarks, Dr. Benton decided to help her out. "For now all you need to do is get plenty of rest, eat a balanced diet and refrain from alcohol." He opened his desk drawer and pulled out several brochures. "These should get you started," he said as he handed the brochures to Brenda. "I suggest that you set up an appointment with an OB as soon as you get back to Port Charles. I'm sure they'll want to get you started on vitamins as well as set up a schedule for your checkups." He made a couple of quick notes in Brenda's chart before closing it. "If your OB needs any information from me please free to give them my number. I'll be glad to forward any information they may need."

"Thanks Dr. Benton," Brenda said in a still shaky voice.

"You know what, now that you are a full fledged member of the Jacks family and carrying the first member of their next generation, I think it's time you called me Dr. B like the rest of that wild bunch."

"Okay, thanks Dr. B," Brenda said softly.

"You two have a Happy New Year," Dr. Benton said as he stood up and extended his hand to Jax. "And YOU, young man, let the girl alone. Don't smother her and don't pamper her unless she wants to be pampered! Women have been having babies just fine for thousands of years without your interference!" He gave Jax a stern expression without letting go of his hand.

"I got it Dr. B," Jax said with a chuckle as he looked over at Brenda. "Don't drive Brenda crazy fussing over her. I should let her tell me what she needs."

Brenda looked at Jax in amazement before looking over at Dr. Benton. "I think he's got it."

"Sure sounds like it," Dr. Benton said with a chuckle as he continued to look at Jax and walked around his desk to Brenda. "You take care child," he said softly as he wrapped his arms around her and gave her a quick hug. "Come on now, you two go home and celebrate with your family." He let go of Brenda and walked to open the door. "Oh, and tell Jono for me not to get carried away celebrating."

Jax and Brenda looked at each other again and both smiled, knowing what John's reaction would be to hearing he was going to be a grandfather. They walked out into the waiting room with Dr. Benton and waited for him to open the hallway door. They each shook hands with him again before taking each other's hand and walking down the hall to the elevator. After pushing the elevator call button, Jax looked over at Brenda. They stared at each other in silence for a moment before huge smiles spread across both of their faces. Brenda jumped up and wrapped her arms around Jax's neck and her legs around his waist as they both laughed like a couple of kids. When the elevator doors opened, Jax stepped in with Brenda still wrapped around him. As the doors closed he leaned in to kiss her passionately.

Neither one of them said much on the way home. It was obvious that they were both still flying high from the unexpected news of the baby. Jax, however, couldn't help worrying about Sonny's reaction. He had gone ballistic at the news of their marriage. Brenda's pregnancy was sure to send him completely over the edge. As he pulled the car into the drive he decided to talk to Jerry about how close they were to getting Corinthos out of their lives.

Jax pulled the car to a stop in front of the house. He turned off the ignition and looked over at Brenda. As soon as he did he felt himself smile. The pure joy on Brenda's face was unmistakable. The slight natural smile on her lips that he had not seen since their honeymoon was back. He reached over and rested his hand on her thigh. "Ready to go mom?" he asked with a big smile when she looked over at him.

"You bet dad," she said as she reached over to cup the side of Jax's face. She leaned in to give him a quick kiss. When she ended the kiss she leaned her forehead against his. "Let's go," she said softly. "Before I loose my nerve."

Jax leaned back from her and looked into her eyes. "You got it," he said with a big smile. He leaned in again and gave her another quick kiss before opening the door and getting out of the car. He then came around to open Brenda's door. As she stepped out he reached for her hand and pulled her close to him for a hug. When he ended the hug he reached for her hand and they walked the rest of the way to the house.

Just as they reached the top step the front door opened. "It's about time you two got home," John said almost as a reprimand. "Your mother and I were starting to get worried."

Jax and Brenda walked in without saying anything. Jax hung up their coats while John closed the door. He glanced down at Brenda for a second and saw her nod slightly. "Nothing to worry about 'gramps', we were just talking to Dr. B about some things."

Jane, who had come up to them just in time to hear what Jax had called his father stopped and looked at them. "What did you just call him?" she asked uncertainly.

John finally realized what Jax had said. He looked from Jax to Brenda and back to Jax. "Did you just call me gramps?"

Jax and Brenda looked at each other for a second with very blank expressions before turning to look at John. "Yeah, but if you'd prefer grandpa we can do that too," Jax said very calmly before looking at Brenda who nodded her agreement.

As the reality of what Jax was saying sank in, a huge smile spread across John's face. "I knew it! I told Ezra this would happen!" John nearly ran over to Brenda. He wrapped his arms tightly around her, lifted her off the ground and spun her around several times.

At the same time Jax walked over to his mother. "How's it feel grandma?" he asked softly with a smile.

Before answering, Jane wiped away the tears that were spilling down her cheeks. "It feels wonderful," she said softly before wrapping her arms around Jax's neck. Jax wrapped his arms tightly around his mother and lifted her off the ground, causing her to squeal.

Just as John was setting Brenda down Jerry came out of the kitchen. "What the hell is going on out here?"

Brenda looked over at Jax and when she saw his nod she disengaged herself from John's arms and walked over to Jerry. "We were just trying to figure out how mom and dad liked being called grandma and grandpa." When she got to Jerry she put her hands flat on his chest. "So tell me Jerry, how does Uncle Jerry sound to you?" she asked with a big smile as she looked up into Jerry's face.

It took a second for Jerry to understand what Brenda had just said. When he did he looked over at John then Jax and finally Jane who were all smiling at him with big goofy smiles. When he looked back down at Brenda he suddenly realized that he had tears in his eyes. "It sounds pretty damn great to me Little Bit," he said as he wrapped his arms tightly around Brenda and lifted her off the floor.

Brenda buried her face in the side of Jerry's neck as she wrapped her arms tightly around him. As he continued to hold her off the ground she could feel the tears spilling out of her eyes. This was what she had waited all of her life for - a husband she adored, a family that loved her without limits and now a child of her own. Life didn't get any better than this and there was no one or nothing that was going to take it away from her!