Sonny looked at Benny totally confused. “What the hell are you talking about Benny?” he asked as he walked over to him. “What do you mean we’ve got Jax?”
Benny took a breath before answering. “Actually, we don’t have anything on Jasper Jacks but we have enough on the other two to send them to prison for years.” He handed the file he was holding out to Sonny. “They’re laundering money for the organization through their company. They have been since the beginning.”
“Are you sure?” Sonny asked as he opened the file and started looking through it. He got about half way through it when he slammed it shut and threw it across the room. “Damn it! There’s nothing in here on Pretty Boy!”
“I, ah, I know boss,” Benny said nervously. “We checked and double checked everything he’s done back to the very first deal he put together.”
“And?” Sonny demanded.
“And nothing boss! Everything he’s done has been strictly legit! Every deal was by SCC guidelines and every penny he used was perfectly clean.” Benny stopped to take a breath. “It’s like the old man and the brother purposely kept him out of the rest.”
“This doesn’t help me take him down!” Sonny yelled as he pointed at the file on the floor. “It’s worthless!”
Benny cringed at Sonny’s explosion. “That’s the thing boss. There may not be anything on him but we can use the information to get him out. From what I’ve found out about him he’s totally devoted to his family. If you threaten to take this information to the cops he’ll do whatever you say to protect them.
Sonny looked at Benny for several moments as he thought not only about what Benny had just said but also about the possessive way Jax had held on to Brenda when they stood in his doorway. “This just might work. There’s no way that spineless wimp would let anything hurt his ‘precious’ family. If it came to a choice between keeping his old man out of Pentonville and staying with Brenda he’d drop her so fast she won’t know what happened.” He smiled for the first time in days as he looked over at Benny. “This just might work. Good work, thanks.”
“What do you mean we’ve got him?” Jerry asked as he walked closer to Ben and Jax closed the door before joining them. “What have you got?”
“Lily’s father came through for us,” Ben said proudly as he held up the file. “One of his men just dropped everything we need to get Corinthos at my office.” He held out the folder to Jax. “This is a summary of what we’ve got.”
Jax took the folder and looked at Jerry for a moment before opening it. He quickly scanned over the pages before closing the file and handing it to Jerry. “Are you sure about all of this? Is there evidence to back it up?”
Ben smiled smugly. “There is more than enough evidence to put him and Morgan away for about twenty years.” He looked from Jax to Jerry and back to Jax. “Question now is, which one of you wants to take all of this to the police?”
“Are you crazy?” Jax and Jerry said in unison.
“What?” Ben asked. “You ARE planning on taking all of this to the authorities aren’t you? Cause I have to tell you, if you’re planning on blackmailing Corinthos with it I’ll have no part of that!”
“We never said we wouldn’t take it to the authorities Ben,” Jax said reassuringly. When he saw the confusion on Ben’s face as he started to say something, Jax held up his hand to stop him. “We just don’t plan on taking it to the Port Charles Police.”
“Why not?” Ben asked, relieved to know they would not be holding back the information for personal reasons.
“Think about it Ben,” Jerry said as he walked over to stand next to Jax. “Corinthos has been operating in Port Charles for years. He doesn’t even try to hide his activities anymore and the police STILL haven’t been able to arrest him – let alone convict him of anything.”
“Add to that the fact that Mac Scorpio, a man who hates everything Jacks, is the current Police Commissioner and you can see why we don’t want to turn this kind of evidence over to the PCPD,” Jax said calmly. “There’s no reason to believe that a case based on this information would get any closer to an arrest than those in the past – before the evidence ‘mysteriously’ disappeared.”
Ben looked at Jax for a moment before looking at Jerry and then back to Jax. “So how do you want to handle this?”
“You must have some connections at the FBI that you trust without question,” Jax said as he crossed his arms in front of his chest and sat on the edge of his desk. “Maybe someone in the Organized Crime Unit?” When he looked over at Jerry, Jax was surprised to see that rather than looking as happy as he felt at finally getting the evidence on Sonny, Jerry looked uncomfortable. “Jerry? Is something wrong?”
Jerry seemed lost in thought for several moments before looking absently at Jax. “What?” he asked, momentarily not sure what Jax had said.
“I asked if something was wrong,” Jax said.
“No, nothing. Why do you ask?” Jerry said as he cleared his throat.
“You had a strange expression when I mentioned turning the information over to the Organized Crime Unit,” Jax said. “Do you have a problem with that plan?”
“Me? No, I think it’s the perfect solution to Corinthos,” Jerry said with a touch of nervousness in his voice.
“In that case, I have a friend at the Bureau that I trust. I’ll give him a call,” Ben said. “I’m sure he can put me in touch with the right person.” Ben started toward the door and stopped just before reaching for the knob. He turned back and looked at Jax. “Why don’t you show that file to Brenda. Maybe it’ll make her feel a little better knowing that Corinthos is soon going to be out of her life for good.”
Jax looked at Ben when he heard him say Brenda wasn’t well. “What do you mean make her feel better? She was fine when I left the penthouse a few hours ago.” He looked nervously at Jerry and then back at Ben.
“Well when I stopped at the penthouse to check on her and Lily she was as green as I’ve ever seen a person. Lily said she found her curled up on the couch when she got up this morning.” Ben took a deep breath and exhaled loudly. “You might want to give her a call to make sure she’s okay.”
Jax looked at him and sighed. “I’ll do just that Ben, thanks.” After Ben left Jax covered his face with his hands for a second before running them through his hair. “Damn,” he said softly with a sigh.
“What is it?” Jerry asked. “Do you know what’s wrong with her? Did she have a relapse of that flu she had over the holiday?”
“Yeah, I know,” Jax said. “It’s not the flu but it is perfectly normal – at least that’s what Dr. B said.”
Jerry stared at Jax for a long time before it dawned on him what Jax was talking about. “Oh,” he said softly. “Why don’t you call home and make sure she’s okay. I’ll go to my office and get things moving to wrap up the Barrett matter.”
Jax nodded absently before walking around his desk and sitting down. He never even noticed Jerry leave as he reached for the phone and dialed. It took four rings before Brenda picked up. “Hi luv, how are you doing?” he asked, trying not to sound too concerned.
“Ben told you didn’t he?” Brenda groaned.
“He doesn’t know about the baby so he was worried about you luv,” Jax said supportively. “Are you okay?”
“Other than being dizzy and nauseated every time I try to stand up and loosing my breakfast right after you left, I’m just fine,” Brenda said with a groan.
“Do you want me to come home?” Jax asked.
“You know I’d love that,” Brenda said with a sigh. “But no, you don’t have to do that. Lily is here if I need anything. Besides, I think I’m starting to feel a little better. You finish up there and I’ll see you when you get home tonight.” She held her breath for a second before continuing. “I told Lily about the baby. Actually, she guessed. I just said yes when she asked. She promised not to tell anyone,” Brenda said quickly.
Jax didn’t say anything for a moment as he thought. “It’s okay luv, I don’t mind that you told her. I’ll stay here if you promise to call and schedule an appointment with the doctor Lois told you about. Dr. B did say you should have a thorough examination when we got home.”
“I already called her,” Brenda said with a sigh. “I have an appointment for tomorrow afternoon.”
“What time? I want to go with you,” Jax said as he reached for his day planner and flipped the page. He was glad to see that Addie had not scheduled any appointments for him during the afternoon.
“You don’t have to do that honey,” Brenda said. “It’s just the initial exam. You know, where she gives me the prenatal vitamins, tells me to watch what I eat and to get plenty of rest. I can go by myself.”
“No way,” Jax said firmly. “I want to be there – regardless of how unimportant.”
Brenda took a deep breath to get her emotions under control. “I have to be at General Hospital at 1:15,” she said softly.
Jax wrote the time in his planner. “I’ll be home by 12:30,” he said as he wrote.
“Are you sure you can get away?” Brenda asked, suddenly realizing that she was glad he was going with her.
“I have nothing else on my schedule for the afternoon tomorrow,” Jax said with a smile as he closed his planner. He could tell by the sound of her voice that despite her protests she was glad he wanted to go with her.
“Okay. Any idea what time you’ll be home tonight?” she asked.
“If you’re sure you’re okay I figured I’d leave here about 4:00 or 4:30,” Jax said as he leaned back in his chair. “Do you mind if we have dinner at home tonight? I know you want to see Ruby as soon as possible to tell her about the baby.”
“Sounds good to me,” Brenda said. “We can stop in to see Ruby after the doctor tomorrow,” Brenda said in a noticeably stronger voice. “Do you mind if Lily has dinner with us?”
“Not at all,” Jax said with a chuckle. “In fact, I’m counting on her being there,” he said with a trace of mystery.
Brenda didn’t say anything as she thought about what Jax had just said. A smile slowly spread across her face as she sat up and leaned against the arm of the couch. “When did he get home?” she asked excitedly.
Jax couldn’t help laughing. He was surprised at how quickly she had figured out that Jerry was home. “I’m not exactly sure – sometime last night I think. He showed up in my office a couple of hours ago.”
“Well you tell him he’s having dinner with us tonight – no excuses!” Brenda said firmly. She slowly began to realize that the earlier dizziness and nausea were fading and she actually felt her energy returning.
“I already made that very clear to him,” Jax said with a chuckle. “He’s going to meet me here in my office when he finishes the project he’s working on and we’ll head home together – that way I’ll make sure he gets there.” He took a deep breath and exhaled before continuing. “I need to talk to you about something later tonight though – when we’re alone.”
“This sounds serious,” Brenda said. “Can’t you tell me now?”
“It’s not really something I can talk about on the phone,” Jax said as he exhaled loudly. “Besides, there’s something I need to show you when I tell you.”
“Now I’m really curious,” Brenda said with a slight chuckle. She could tell that Jax did not want to say anything more about whatever this was so she didn’t push. “I better let you get back to work or you guys will never get home.”
Grateful that she had not pushed any further, Jax smiled slightly. “I will if you’re sure that you’re okay.”
“I’m fine Jax, honestly,” she said sincerely as she realized that she really did feel okay. “I’ll see you and Jerry later.”
“We’ll be there by 5:00,” Jax said. “I love you,” he said softly.
“I love you too. See you tonight,” Brenda said softly before pressing the disconnect button on the phone. She sat staring at the phone in her hand for several moments, trying to figure out what it was that Jax wanted to talk to her about. Finally she decided it wasn’t worth worrying about and set the phone on the coffee table. Slowly she turned and put her feet on the floor. She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly before standing up. Relieved when the earlier nausea and dizziness did not return, she took a quick look around before walking into the kitchen to find Lily.
When she got to the kitchen doorway she stood watching as Lily moved calmly from task to task as she prepared dinner. “I hope it won’t be a problem, but Jax is bringing a guest for dinner.”
Lily looked over at Brenda, suddenly feeling very nervous. “No, it’s no problem at all. I’ll just have my dinner in my room.”
“Absolutely not! You will have dinner with the rest of us!” Brenda said firmly. “Besides, if I let you do that I wouldn’t have a chance to talk to Jerry myself. He’d be having dinner in your room with you.”
Lily’s face lit up at the mention of Jerry’s name. “Jerry’s coming to dinner? Tonight?”
Brenda couldn’t keep from smiling at Lily’s obvious excitement at Jerry’s coming. “I just talked to Jax. He said that Jerry showed up in his office a few hours ago and that they’ll be here about 5:00.”
Realizing that she was letting her feelings show, Lily took a deep breath and cleared her throat. “Ah, right, it’ll be nice to see him again,” she said as calmly as she could.
“I’m sure it will,” Brenda said with a smirk. “Is there anything I can do to help with dinner?”
“I think I’ve got things handled in here. If you want in a little while you could set the table,” Lily said as she looked around the kitchen at what she was planning to make for dinner.
“I can do that,” Brenda said as she leaned against the doorframe. “If you’re sure you don’t need any help right now, maybe I’ll go take a nice long bath.”
Lily glanced up at the clock. “That sounds like a good idea. Once I get everything organized with dinner I think I may do the same thing.”
Brenda smiled at Lily for a second before turning and heading down the hall to the bedroom. When she got there she stood in the open doorway for a second before looking back up the hall toward the kitchen. She couldn’t resist the urge to let out a soft chuckle when she thought about Lily’s obvious interest in Jerry. She stood there for a moment or two longer before heading in to take her bath and dress for dinner.
As he had promised, the car carrying Jax and Jerry pulled into the hotel garage just before 5:00. As soon as it came to a stop Jax opened his door and got out. As Jerry got out Jax looked quickly around until he saw Jared standing by the open elevator. He gave Jared a slight nod and when he returned it Jax immediately started toward the elevator. Jared stepped aside to let Jax and Jerry in stepping in and inserting the penthouse key card.
Once the elevator started upward Jerry started fidgeting nervously. Finally he looked over at Jax. “Are you sure this dinner thing is such a good idea? Why can’t I just say hello and let you guys have a quiet dinner alone?”
“Brenda – and Lily – are expecting you. I promised you’d be there and since I NEVER break my promises to Brenda you ARE coming to dinner,” Jax said firmly. He gave Jerry a look that made it clear that there was no arguing with him. Jax couldn’t keep from smiling though when he saw the frustrated look on Jerry’s face as he exhaled loudly. When the elevator stopped Jerry looked over at him for a second before stepping out into the hall.
Jax stepped out next to him and put his hand on his shoulder. “Will you lighten up big brother,” he said with a chuckle. “You look like you did when we were kids and mum told you that you HAD to go to school.
“We’re having dinner with my amazing wife and a very pretty lady that I think you are starting to really care about.” Jax couldn’t keep from chuckling when he saw the sudden spark of something that he could only identify as a cross between fear and anger in Jerry’s eyes. He didn’t give him a chance to say anything though before nodding for the guard to open the door for them. Jerry took a deep breath and exhaled loudly as he shook his head before following Jax into the penthouse.
Brenda was just finishing the table when she heard the door opening. When she looked up and saw Jax and Jerry walking through the door a big grin crossed her face as she ran to meet them. She wrapped her arms around Jax’s neck and gave him a quick but passionate kiss. As soon as she ended the kiss she let go and walked over to Jerry. When she jumped up to wrap her arms around his neck she felt him immediately wrap his arms around her tightly and lift her off the floor.
“It’s about time you got here big brother,” Brenda said as she gently slapped her hand on his chest when he set her back on the floor.
“What do you mean finally?” Jerry asked innocently. “It’s only been two days since you saw me. I told you I had some things to do in New York before coming here.” He stopped for a second and rubbed his chin. “Come to think of it, I’m actually two days ahead of when I planned to be here.”
While they were talking Lily came into the room carrying a plate of Hors d’oeuvres. She stopped in mid-step when she saw Jerry standing with Brenda. She took a breath and let it out nervously before continuing into the room. “Hello Jerry,” she said with just a trace of obvious excitement in her voice that she hoped no one else had heard.
“Hello Lily,” Jerry said as he released his hold on Brenda, hoping that only he heard the nervousness in his voice. “How have you been?”
“Oh please!” Brenda said in exasperation as she threw her hands up in the air. She looked at Jax who just shrugged at her and smiled as he set his briefcase on the table behind the couch and took off his coat, tossing it on the couch. Obviously, she decided, if anyone was going to do anything to get these two together it was going to have to be her. “You two are acting like a couple of high school kids on their first date!” she said as she planted her hands on her hips.
Lily and Jerry looked at each other for a second before they both burst out laughing. “Leave it to Little Bit to cut to the chase,” Jerry said as he took off his coat and tossed it on the nearby couch with Jax’s. As soon as he did he stepped over to Lily and kissed her on the cheek. “Hello luv,” he said when he leaned back.
Suddenly feeling more relaxed, Lily looked up at him. “Hello Jerry, it really is good to have you home.”
Once the ice was broken the rest of the evening went very smoothly. After dinner and dessert the four of them sat talking for a while before Jax – and a reluctant Jerry – insisted on clearing the table. Once they finished the four sat relaxing on the couches talking about a variety of things.
As soon as he was sure things with Jerry and Lily were going smoothly, Jax gave Brenda’s hand a slight squeeze. “I need to talk to you about something,” he said softly when she looked up at him.
“Now? Brenda whispered.
“Why not? They seem able to take care of themselves now,” Jax said softly as he nodded toward Jerry and Lily who were talking and laughing. “I don’t think they even know we’re still here.”
Brenda looked over and had to agree. Jerry and Lily seemed to be totally into their own conversation. “Okay, let’s go,” she said softly as she squeezed Jax’s hand.
“If you two will excuse us,” Jax said as he stood up and then helped Brenda to her feet. “Brenda and I need to discuss some things.” He leaned over to give Lily’s shoulder a quick squeeze. “I’ll let the guards in back know we’re in for the night. Would you mind locking the front door when you turn in?”
“Of course Jax,” Lily said quickly. “Good night.”
“Good night you two,” Brenda said with a smile as she linked her hand with Jax’s and started toward the stairs. They stopped for a second so Jax could get the folder from Ben as well as several other folders out of his briefcase before heading up the stairs and down the hallway. Brenda waited in the hall while Jax went into the kitchen to let the guards on the service entrance know they were in for the night before locking the door and setting the alarm. When he came back he held out his hand to her and they walked the rest of the way to the bedroom.
Jax reached in to turn on the lights before stepping aside to let Brenda walk into the room ahead of him. Once she was in he followed close behind and closed the door behind them. “Are you cold? Do you want me to light a fire?” he asked when he saw her standing by the unlit fire.
“No, I’m fine,” Brenda said when she turned to look up at him. “This is about Sonny isn’t it?” she asked calmly.
Jax walked down the steps and over to her before saying anything. “Yes it is,” he said softly as he reached for her hand. “Come on, sit down for a minute,” he said as he led her to the nearby chair before sitting facing her on the edge of the chaise. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly before starting. “You know we’ve been working for months to get enough evidence on Sonny to send him and hopefully Jason to prison.”
Brenda looked at Jax for several moments before looking down at the folders in his hand and then back up at him. “You’ve got the evidence don’t you?” she asked calmly as she pointed at the folders in his hand.
“Yes,” Jax said softly as he looked at the folders.
“May I see it?” Brenda asked as she slowly extended her hand. Jax handed her the top folder and set the others on the chaise next to him. She opened it and carefully read each page. When she finished she closed the file and looked at him. “Is there evidence to support all of this?” she asked in an emotionless voice.
Jax was surprised at how calmly she was reacting to the information in the file. “Are you okay with this?” he asked softly as he watched her face.
“Sure, I want him to pay for what he did to me, to you, to us!” Brenda took a slow deep breath and looked away. “You aren’t planning to turn this over to the Port Charles Police are you?”
Surprised by her question Jax looked at her for several moments as he tried to figure out what she was thinking. “Why do you ask that?”
“Think about it honey,” Brenda said calmly. “How many chances have Mac and Taggert had just since you’ve been here in Port Charles to take Sonny down? Every time we think we’ve got him the evidence is mysteriously lost and the charges fall apart – leaving Sonny free to continue tormenting us.”
Jax reached for the folder and set it on the chaise with the others before taking both of her hands in his. “That’s not going to happen this time luv,” he said softly as he gently brushed his thumbs across the tops of her hands. “Ben called a friend of his at the FBI to get the name of someone on the Organized Crime Unit we can trust. He’s going to set up an appointment for us to show him this file and then if Ben agrees, turn over the evidence when they can make the case.
Brenda could feel what Jax was not saying so she gently squeezed his hands to get him to look at her. “Honey, I’m not upset about any of this – except for what it’s going to do to the Quartermaines when Jason is arrested.” She stopped for a second and smiled at him reassuringly. “Listen to me, for a long time Sonny was a very big part of my life, hell he was my life, but I think I knew even then that we had no future. There’s something in Sonny that is broken. He’s cold and selfish. I could never live that life – you showed me that.
“When Sonny threw me out to marry Lily I didn’t understand that but when he started stalking me to force me to go back with him any love I might have felt for him disappeared. All that matters to me now is you, our baby and our family. Putting Sonny in jail is just one more way to keep us safe.”
Jax looked at her silently for several moments. The pride and the love he felt for her were almost more than he could stand. Finally, he smiled at her lovingly and leaned forward. “I love you Mrs. Jacks,” he said softly as he leaned a little closer.
“I love you too Mr. Jacks,” Brenda whispered as she leaned closer to Jax to give him a passionate kiss. When she finally ended the kiss she leaned back just enough to look into Jax’s face. “Does Lily know?” she asked quietly as she played with the hair at the back of his neck.
“I’m not sure,” Jax said as he rested his hands on her hips. “The evidence came from Lily’s father so I would think that he told her about it before he sent it to Ben.”
“You’re probably right,” Brenda said as she glanced over at the closed door. “I hope she’s okay with it. She loved Sonny an awful lot.”
Jax hooked his finger under her chin and turned her face back to him. “I don’t think you have to worry about that luv,” he said with a slight smile. “I have a feeling that she’s already put Sonny and her feelings for him far behind her.” He gave her a wink and nodded toward the closed door. “Seems to me that she has someone else on her mind now.”
Brenda couldn’t resist smiling. “I think you just may be right,” she said with a slight chuckle. She paused for a minute to try to stifle a yawn. “I think I’m going to call it a night.”
“Okay,” Jax said as he stood up and held out his hands to help her up. “I have some reports to finish reading so I’ll be a little while.”
“Can’t you read them in bed?” Brenda asked as she looked up at him with a pout while wrapping her arms loosely around his waist.
“Won’t the light keep you awake?” Jas asked as he quirked his eyebrow at her.
“Not as much as knowing you’re in the room and not lying next to me would,” Brenda said as she looked up at him with the saddest face she could muster.
Jax looked down at her for several moments before resting his arms on her shoulders as a smile spread across his face. “Go get ready for bed,” he said softly. “I’ll be waiting for you in bed.” He leaned down to give her a quick kiss on the forehead before letting her go. Brenda held onto him for a moment before giving him a big smile and heading into the bathroom.
Brenda was not surprised when she came out of the bathroom and found Jax already in bed reading one of his reports. She dropped her robe on the chaise before walking over to get into bed. As soon as she lifted the covers to get in Jax set down the file he was reading and lifted his arm so she could wrap herself around him. He pulled the covers up snugly around her before wrapping his arm around her. “Umm, this is nice,” she said with a sigh as she wrapped her arm around his waist.
“Are you sure you’ll be able to fall asleep with the light on?” Jax asked softly as he played with a piece of her hair. When she didn’t answer right away he tilted his head to look at her. He chuckled softly when he saw that she had answered his question. She was already asleep. He leaned down to softly kiss the top of her head before reaching for the file he had been reading and opening it up again.
It was almost two more hours before he closed the last file and put it on top of the others on the floor next to the bed. He reached over to turn off the light before slowly sliding a little lower in the bed, careful not to wake Brenda who was snuggled close to him. It seemed to Jax that as soon as she felt him slide down Brenda wrapped herself around him in her favorite sleeping position without even waking up. He tilted his head slightly to softly kiss the top of her head before closing his eyes and letting himself drift off to sleep.
Jax was already out of bed when Brenda woke up the next morning. She sat up to call out to him but laid down immediately when she felt the room start to spin and her stomach start to churn. She closed her eyes and took several deep breaths to try to settle her stomach. When she opened her eyes she was relieved to find that the room and stopped spinning.
“Good morning luv,” Jax said softly as he gently sat down next to her on the bed. “How are you feeling?”
Brenda started to sit up again but quickly fell back into the pillow and closed here eyes. “Ugh,” was all she could say.
“That’s what I was afraid of,” Jax said soothingly as he brushed her hair off her forehead. “Try some of these,” he said as he handed her a couple crackers.
Brenda opened her eyes and looked at the crackers. She closed them immediately and slowly shook her head. “No way,” she said softly.
“They’ll help,” Jax said softly as he tapped her on the nose. When Brenda looked up at him unconvinced he smiled and held out one cracker to her. “Trust me.”
After looking at Jax for several moments obviously unconvinced she reached for the cracker, looked at it for a second and then took a small bite. When she realized that it was staying down she put the rest of the cracker in her mouth. As soon as she finished she reached for another cracker. After finishing that one she looked up at Jax and smiled slightly. Without saying anything she slowly started to sit up. Once she was sitting she took a deep breath and let it out slowly. She looked up at Jax. “Now how on earth did you know crackers would help?”
Jax chuckled slightly as he pushed a lock of hair behind her ear. “I didn’t, but I wanted to do something to help you so I called Lois. She said crackers helped her so I thought I’d try them. Lucky for you Lily had a box in the kitchen cupboard.”
Brenda smiled as she reached up to gently brush the backs of her fingers across his cheek. “Leave it to my amazing husband to go looking for a morning sickness cure,” she said in a soft but proud voice. She glanced over at the clock. “We need to get up or you’re going to be late for work,” she said as she started to push the covers back. When Jax put his hand on hers to stop her she looked up at him.
“You stay where you are,” he aid firmly as he held the covers in place. “I’m all ready to leave,” he said as he fussed with the covers.
“But what about your breakfast?” Brenda asked as she felt her stomach churn again at the mention of breakfast.
Jax couldn’t resist smiling. “Somehow I can’t see you sitting there watching me eat my breakfast,” he said with a chuckle. “Don’t worry though; I’ll have Addie get me something from the dining room.”
Brenda ate two more crackers before answering. “Okay, fine,” she said with a shudder. “Can we please talk about something else?”
Jax smiled as he cupped the side of her face. “Sure,” he said softly before leaning in to give her a quick kiss. “Have you got any plans for today?”
“I thought I’d spend the morning with Lily if she doesn’t have any plans.” She took a deep breath and shuddered as she let it out. “If my stomach ever settles that is,” she said with a sigh as she fell back into the pillow and closed her eyes.
Jax couldn’t help smiling as he looked at her. He stood up before bending back over to kiss her forehead. “It’ll pass, luv,” he said reassuringly as he brushed the backs of his fingers across her cheek. “I’ll call you later to let you know when I’m leaving the office.” He gave her another quick kiss before standing up. When she slowly nodded he tapped the bridge of her nose before picking up his jacket and briefcase from the chaise and heading toward the door.
“Be sure you listen to Jared when you’re out,” Brenda said firmly but without opening her eyes.
Jax stopped halfway up the steps and looked back at her. “I promise,” he said sincerely. “It won’t be much longer, luv. As soon as we put Sonny and Jason away we’ll get our lives back.”
“I know that sweetheart,” Brenda said with a sigh, still not opening her eyes. “You better get going.”
After staring at her for several moments Jax exhaled loudly. “I hate to leave with you feeling like this. I think I’ll stay home this morning. Then I can keep an eye on you until it’s time to leave for the doctor’s.”
Brenda opened her eyes and lifted her head slightly off the pillow to look at him. “Honey, I love that you want to take care of me but you really don’t have to. I just have to get used to this. Besides, it’s only lasts the first trimester so that’s only about 6 more weeks.” She could see the indecision on Jax’s face. “Go on, go to work,” she said with what she hoped was a reassuring smile. “I’ll be fine in a couple of hours. Besides, Lily is here if I need anything.”
Jax looked at her for a moment. “Okay, if you say so,” he said reluctantly. “I’ll be home about noon to go to the doctor with you. I love you,” he said with a wink and a loving smile before walking the rest of the way up the steps and out the door.
As soon as Jax was gone Brenda lay back on the bed and closed her eyes. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly to try to settle the churning that had returned to her stomach. It was almost an hour before she even attempted to get up. When she did she was surprised that the earlier nausea and dizziness did not return. She carefully bent to pick up her robe off the chaise before heading out to the kitchen.
As she approached the kitchen Brenda was surprised and relieved not to smell anything. When she saw Lily sitting at the table reading the paper she stopped in the doorway. “Good morning,” she said as she glanced around the room. “Have you been up long?”
Lily turned and looked at her with a smile. “Not really, I woke up when I heard Jax leave,” she said. “I hope you’re feeling better than yesterday.”
“Actually I’m feeling surprisingly good this morning,” Brenda said with a sigh as she came over and sat down next to Lily. “I guess morning sickness doesn’t hit every morning.” She glanced around the room again before looking back at Lily. “I hope you didn’t skip breakfast because of me.”
Lily looked at her for a second, not sure what she was talking about. When she figured it out she smiled. “No, not at all,” she said. “I wasn’t very hungry so I just made myself a bowl of cereal. Would you like me to fix you something?”
Brenda thought for a moment before answering. “I think I’ll just make a couple slices of toast and a cup of herbal tea.” She looked at Lily with a slight smile. “No sense tempting fate,” she said as she shrugged her shoulders.
“I just made myself a cup of tea so the water’s ready. You just need to make your toast,” Lily said as she held up her cup.
It only took a minute for Brenda’s toast. When it was ready she put it on a plate and brought the plate and her mug to the table. She went back to the stove to get the teakettle and a tea bag. After making her tea she put the kettle on the hot pad in the center of the table and sat down next to Lily. She took a bite of her toast and wrinkled her nose as she chewed.
“That would probably taste a lot better with some jelly on it,” Lily said with a supportive smile.
Brenda set the toast down to take the teabag out of her mug. “I’m sure it would,” she said with a sigh. “But I don’t want to chance it. I think I’m probably safer eating it dry.”
“You’re probably right,” Lily said with a soft chuckle.
Brenda stared into her cup for several moments before taking a deep breath and exhaling slowly. “Lily, can we talk about something?” she asked without looking up from the cup.
“Sonny?” Lily asked softly. When Brenda looked up at her she reached over and put her hand on Brenda’s. “I’ve been waiting ever since you and Jax got back for you to bring it up.” She leaned back in her chair and picked up her cup. “Sure, what do you want to know?” Brenda took another sip of her tea before slowly setting down the mug. “How did you do it? How did you live that life? How did you live with the violence?”
Lily reached for Brenda’s hand again and gave it a gentle squeeze. When Brenda looked up at her she let go and just rested it on top. “What happened when you were with Sonny – the shooting – is not the way it really is. I grew up in that world. My father and I think probably my grandfather were in the life and I can tell you from my own experience that no matter how tense things got between the families they never went after someone’s family. It was an unwritten law. Whatever happened to provoke that attack on you and Robin is solely on Sonny.”
“How did you live with his mood swings?” Brenda asked as she exhaled slowly, somehow comforted by what Lily had just said.
“He was never like that with me,” Lily said with a sigh. “I think that’s how I knew he didn’t love me. He was always polite and affectionate. He never raised his voice or disagreed when I asked to do something.
“I knew he was a volatile man. I had seen him blow up at Miguel and even Jason. I kept waiting for him to say something to me, to give me an order, but he never did. At first I thought it was his way of showing his respect for me and I liked it. But once we were married and he still acted like that I think I knew. He was just honoring his deal with my father. He had no interest in me.”
The sadness that had crept into Lily’s voice made Brenda regret starting this conversation. “I’m sorry Lily,” she said as her voice cracked. “Why don’t we just forget about all of this?” she said as she started to stand up. She was surprised when Lily put her hand on her arm to stop her so she sat back down.
“You know, after we got back from our honeymoon, when Sonny started harassing you to get you back, he convinced me that it was you who wouldn’t leave him alone – that you couldn’t accept him choosing me over you.” Lily suddenly felt surprisingly calm as she talked. “But that night, when I saw you at Luke’s with Jax for the first time, I started to suspect that he was lying to me. Then, after the accident the night of the fund raiser when he caused all that trouble in the ER, I knew.” Lily looked at Brenda. “The only person you wanted near you was Jax but Sonny tricked his way in to see you anyway. He nearly killed you that night but he never once came to see if I was even alive.”
“I’m so sorry,” Brenda said as she fought back her tears.
“Don’t be,” Lily said in a calm voice. “It wasn’t long after that, that I think I started falling out of love with him. Then when I woke up alone, with just Lucy sitting by my bed, after the shooting I knew the truth about Sonny. Brenda, there’s something very broken in him that will never let him love anyone. He claims people as his, like a possession, but he doesn’t know how to love or be loved.”
When she saw the tears starting down Brenda’s cheeks she smiled reassuringly. “It’s alright – really. Look at it this way. If it wasn’t for Sonny you never would have met Jax.” She saw a slight smile cross Brenda’s face. “Without realizing it Sonny gave you something very precious.”
“What’s that?” Brenda asked.
“Jax,” Lily said with a big smile. “Everything he did to try to force you to come back to him only showed you what you had with Jax. Jax loved you. He respected you and most importantly he trusted you to make your own choices.”
Brenda felt her eyes filling with tears again. “I never thought of it like that,” she said with a chuckle as she wiped away the tears that were rolling down her cheeks. “Thank you,” she said with a soft exhale.
“For what?” Lily asked as she got up to take her cup to the sink. “All I did was tell you what you already knew.” She washed out the cup and put it in the rack. “Put Sonny out of your mind Brenda. You have a life now with a man you love and who loves you more than his own life. You’re going to have a baby soon and that is only going to strengthen that love. Don’t let Sonny or what he put you through affect that.”
Brenda got up and walked over to the sink with her things. “I have no intention of letting him occupy one more minute of my time.” She set the dished in the sink and put her hand on Lily’s arm. “What about you? Can you put him behind you? I know how much you loved him.”
Lily closed her eyes for a second and took a deep breath, letting it out slowly before opening them to look at Brenda. “I think I already have. I talked with my father about Sonny when he was here for Christmas. I asked him to have his lawyer start annulment proceedings against Sonny for me.”
“Wow,” Brenda said softly. After thinking for a second Brenda took a deep breath before nervously asking her question. “Please don’t take this the wrong way but is an annulment actually an option for you?”
Seeing how uncomfortable Brenda was Lily quickly realized what she was thinking. “My father’s lawyer told me I have a very good chance of getting the annulment on grounds of fraud.”
Obviously relieved, Brenda crossed her arms I front of her. “Why fraud?”
This time it was Lily who took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. “The lawyer is going to argue that Sonny did not marry me in good faith. In other words, he didn’t have any intention of having a real marriage with me. He only married me so my father would keep him out of jail.”
“Oh Lily, I’m so sorry,” Brenda said as she rested her hand on Lily’s arm. “I didn’t realize. I honestly thought he loved you. That’s why it hurt so much.”
“What do you mean?” Lily asked.
“The entire time we were together he never said anything about marriage. The one time we talked about it he said that because he was Catholic he would only marry once and that would be to a woman he loved and wanted to have children with. At the time it didn’t mean much because I wasn’t thinking about marriage and family.
“But then when I thought I was sure I wanted to spend my life with him he turned around and married you. He has still never said anything about marriage to me. Every time I would see him all he ever said was that he was going to set me up in an apartment so that we could be together whenever he could get away. Not once did he ever say anything about leaving you. He’s planning to stay married to you.”
Lily could see how upset Brenda was but she could also tell that she needed to talk about this in order to put everything with Sonny behind her. “He probably would stay married to me if I let him but not because he loves me.” She couldn’t resist smiling slightly at the surprised look on Brenda’s face. “Sonny made a deal with my father. He would marry me and give me a good life – including children – and in exchange my father would make the evidence in the pending criminal case against him disappear.” Even Lily was surprised at how calm she was as she talked. “He didn’t want to stay married to me because he loved me. He wanted to stay married because he had given his word to my father. He was honoring a business agreement.” She reached for Brenda’s hand. “I was just business to him. I was never his wife.”
Brenda looked deep into Lily’s eyes and felt strangely calm. “I didn’t know,” she said softly. “I just assumed that he married you because he loved you.” She took a deep breath and let it out slowly before giving Lily a small but confident smile. “It wasn’t me. It never was. It was him. It was Sonny.”
Lily wrapped her arms around Brenda and hugged her tightly. When she ended the hug she stepped back to look at her. She and Brenda both couldn’t help chuckling as they reached to wipe the tears from each others cheeks at the same moment. “I’m so glad we had this talk,” she said with a sniffle as she wiped the last of her tears from her face.
“So am I,” Brenda said as she did the same. She reached for a napkin from the counter to wipe away the last of her tears. “Seriously though, thank you,” she said as the smile faded from her face. “I feel like I finally closed the door on that part of my life.”
“Good,” Lily said as she wiped away the last of her tears. She took a deep breath and exhaled loudly as she glanced up at the clock. “You better get moving or you’ll be late for your doctor’s appointment.”
Brenda glanced up at the clock. “Yikes, you right!” She gave Lily’s arm a gentle squeeze and headed toward the door. She stopped in the doorway and turned back. “Thank you – for everything,” she said softly but with a smile.
“Any time,” Lily said with her own smile. “Now get moving,” she said as she nodded toward the door. “Your amazing husband is going to be home soon and you’re not going to be ready.” Brenda glanced at the clock again and ran out the door, leaving Lily standing there chuckling.
True to his word, Jax walked through the door at exactly 12:00. He was not surprised at not seeing Brenda waiting for him in the living room. He set his briefcase on the desk and tossed his topcoat on the back of the chair. He picked up the stack of mail on the desk and started looking through it, sorting out Brenda’s mail.
“I think you are the only man I have ever met who is always on time – exactly on time!” Lily said with a chuckle as she came down the stairs. “Brenda will be down in a minute. She’s running a little behind.”
Jax couldn’t keep from chuckling. “I’d have been surprised if she HAD been ready.” He set the mail on the desk and walked over to her, the smile fading from his face. “How’s she feeling?”
When she looked into his eyes Lily knew he meant more that the morning sickness. “I think she’s feeling better than she has in a very long time – even with the morning sickness.” She walked a little closer, glanced toward the stairs and then looked back at Jax. “You know what we talked about this morning don’t you?” she asked quietly.
“I have a pretty good idea,” Jax said softly before glancing toward the stairs. “Were you able to help her?”
Even though she was smiling, Lily could feel tears filling her eyes. “I’d say we helped each other,” she said as she exhaled slowly. “I think it’s safe to say that Sonny Corinthos is never going to be able to hurt either one of us ever again.” She glanced at the stairs again for a second before looking Jax in the eyes. “Let her bring it up,” she said in a soft but firm voice. “I really think she needs to be the one to decide when and what she wants to tell you.”
Before Jax could answer they were both startled by the sound of Brenda’s voice from the stairs. “Well I’m finally ready and Jax isn’t here…” She stopped mid step when she saw Jax standing with Lily. “Oh, ah, hi honey,” she said sweetly as she walked over to him with a slightly embarrassed smile.
“Hi to you too,” Jax said before leaning down to kiss the top of her head. “How are you feeling? Still nauseous?”
Brenda leaned back a little within Jax’s arms. “Actually no, today has been really good except for what happen when I first work up that is. I guess that’s how it’s going to be – some days will be better than others.” She couldn’t help the sigh that escaped. “Any chance we can request all good days?”
Jax couldn’t keep from chuckling. “I don’t think it works that way but we can as the doctor.” He lifted his arm from around her waist to look at his watch. “We should probably get going. There are probably going to be a dozen forms to be filled out.”
“Okay, okay, I know you’re right,” Brenda said with a sigh. “I hate filling out all those forms. They keep asking the same questions over and over again.”
“I know luv, but if it helps Dr. Clatter take care of you and our baby it’s worth it,” Jax said as he cupped the side of her face in his hand. “Come on, let’s go,” he said before leaning down to give her a quick kiss on the cheek.
Brenda smiled up at him and put her hand on his on her cheek. “Okay daddy, let’s go.” She gave his hand a quick squeeze before letting go. She walked over to the couch to get her coat. She wasn’t surprised when she felt Jax take her coat out of her hands to hold it for her to put on. Once she was finished it only took a moment for Jax to put his topcoat on and reach for her hand. She gave him a loving smile and gently squeezed his hand before letting him lead her to the door.
As Jax had predicted, Brenda – and Jax – had about a dozen forms to fill out before Brenda was even taken back to an exam room. Once there she changed into a gown before a nurse came in to draw several tubes of blood. It wasn’t long after the nurse left that there was a knock on the door. Without waiting for a response the door opened and the nurse who had drawn her blood came back in with a distinguished looking middle-aged man who was obviously Dr. Clatter.
“Hello Mrs. Jacks, my name is Jonathan Clatter,” the doctor said as he extended his hand to Brenda. After giving her hand a quick squeeze instead of a shake he let it go and opened her chart. He took several moments to look over the information before looking up at her. “As I’m sure my nurse told you, your doctor in Alaska has faxed me a copy of your file as well as your test results.”
“Yes, she told me,” Brenda said nervously.
“There’s nothing to be nervous about Mrs. Jacks,” Dr. Clatter said reassuringly. “This visit will be painless – really!” He gave her his most sincere smile to try to reassure her.
Brenda took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. “Sorry,” she said with a slight chuckle. “This is all new to me. I’ve never had a baby before.”
“That’s okay,” Dr. Clatter said with a big smile. “I’ve delivered lots of them.” He waited for a moment to give Brenda a chance to calm down a little. When he saw her starting to relax he sat down on the stool next to her. “Shall we get started?”
Brenda looked at him for a second before slowly nodding her head. “Sure,” she said softly.
Jax was beginning to get a little worried as he sat in the waiting room. Brenda had been in with the doctor for nearly an hour. Just as he was about to get up and ask the nurse if there was a problem she stuck her head out the reception window. “Mr. Jacks, the doctor would like you to come back now.”
“Of course,” Jax said as he set down the magazine he had been trying to read for the past 30 minutes. He got up and walked over to the door the nurse was now holding open. As soon as he was through the door she closed it behind him and pointed to the first open door. “Thanks,” Jax said as she reached in after him to close the door.
The door had barely closed when the one on the opposite side of the room opened and Brenda came in followed by the doctor. Brenda immediately walked over to Jax and wrapped her arm around his waist. Jax wrapped his around her shoulders and gave a gentle squeeze. He smiled at her when she looked up at him.
“Why don’t we all sit down? This won’t take long,” Dr. Clatter said as he held his hand out toward the chairs in front of his desk. He sat down and waited for them to sit before opening Brenda’s chart. “Well Brenda, you appear to be in excellent health,” he said as he continued to look over the pages. “My exam shows that you are about seven weeks along, which explains why you have begun experiencing morning sickness. It usually ends at the end of the first trimester so you’re looking at about five more weeks.” When he saw Brenda scrunch up her face he couldn’t help chuckling. “Somehow I get the feeling that was not exactly what you wanted to hear.”
Brenda could feel her cheeks turning red as she quickly looked down at her hands. “Sorry,” she said softly with an embarrassed chuckle. When she saw Jax’s hand cover hers and squeeze it gently she looked back up at Dr. Clatter. “What are the chances that all the rest of those five weeks will be like today – queasy first thing in the morning but goes away quickly?”
Dr. Clatter stared at her for a moment before starting to chuckle again. “Not very good I’m afraid.” He glanced down at her chart again. “You should keep some soda crackers next to the bed, the couch or anywhere you spend any long periods of time. Many of my patients swear that they help with the nausea.”
Brenda immediately looked over at Jax when the doctor said that. “I tried that this morning and it really did seem to help,” she said as she smiled at Jax.
“I’ve written you a prescription for some pre-natal vitamins,” Dr. Clatter said as he held out the prescription slip. “I may want you to start taking an iron supplement but I won’t know that for sure until I get the results of the blood work that I ordered.” He glanced down at the chart again. “Your blood pressure is a little high but that could be nerves. We’ll keep an eye on that. I want you to stop back in the office early next week and we’ll check it again just to be sure.” He closed the file and linked his fingers together on top of it. “This is a very formative time in your child’s life. For the next month I want you to relax and not worry about anything. You should avoid as much stress as possible.”
“I’ll make sure of that Dr. Clatter,” Jax said softly but firmly as he reached over to again cover Brenda’s hand with his. “What about work? When will she be ready to go back to work?”
“I think that will be strictly up to Brenda. I know that you’re a model so I would suggest pacing yourself. You need to listen to your body. If it tells you that you’re tired you need to rest. If you’re hungry you need to eat.” Dr. Clatter leaned back in his chair and tented his fingers in front of his chin. “I strongly suggest that you let your employer know about your pregnancy. That way, when you need to adjust your schedule they won’t be caught off guard.”
Brenda and Jax looked at each other, obviously uncomfortable at the idea. “Ah, that could be a problem,” Brenda said nervously. “For reasons I really can’t go into we weren’t planning on telling anyone but our family about the baby just yet.” She never looked away from Jax as she spoke. Slowly she turned to look at Dr. Clatter. She was surprised to see a slight smile on his face. “Is something wrong?”
Dr. Clatter sat forward again as his smile grew larger. He opened Brenda’s chart and glanced through it before answering. “No, nothing is wrong. It’s just that you are a very petite woman so your pregnancy is probably going to start to show much sooner than it would in a larger woman.” He leaned back again still smiling. “Now I’m not going to claim to know anything about your profession Brenda, but my guess would be that companies plan their promotional campaigns months in advance. Are you going to be comfortable posing in a swimsuit once your pregnancy starts to show?” He could see Brenda’s mind working so he waited for a minute before continuing. “Is there a reason why you don’t want your employer to know?”
Brenda looked at Jax again, imagining the scene Lucy might cause. When she saw him nod slightly and give her a reassuring smile she gently squeezed his hand and looked back at Dr. Clatter. “No not at all, I trust her completely.”
“Good, I suggest you talk to her soon,” he said firmly. “Do either of you have any questions at this point?”
Jax cleared his throat. “Can you give us some idea when the baby is due?” he asked quietly as he held Brenda’s hand.
Dr. Clatter opened the file again to check before answering. “I can’t give you an exact date but I think you can plan on meeting the newest member of your family some time around August 7th.”
Brenda looked at Jax as a grin spread across her face. “Wow,” she said softly as she exhaled slowly. “This is real, isn’t it?” she asked. “We’re really having a baby.”
“Yep,” Jax said as he gently squeezed her hand.
“Well you’ve got about seven months to get used to the idea,” Dr. Clatter said with a slight chuckle. “Just remember what I said. I want you to avoid stress.”
Brenda chuckled. “You don’t have to worry Dr. Clatter. I’m sure that Jax will make sure that my life will be completely stress free – except for him that is.”
Dr. Clatter couldn’t resist chuckling himself before looking at Jax. “That is NOT what I mean,” he said with a trace of sternness in his voice. “All I’m saying is that Brenda should avoid people or places that will upset her.”
Jax gave Brenda a glance before looking at Dr. Clatter with his hands up in surrender. “I get it. I get it,” he said with a sigh. I promise I’ll try to behave.”
“Don’t worry Dr. Clatter,” Brenda said with a smile as she rested her hand on Jax’s arm. “We’ll be fine.”
After looking from Brenda to Jax and back to Brenda, Dr. Clatter stood up. “I think you’ll be just fine.” He held out his hand first to Jax and then to Brenda. “Check with the nurse to set up your next appointment and remember, try to relax.”
Jax and Brenda reached for each others hand before following Dr. Clatter to the door. He held the door open and let them walk out in front of him. When they got to the nurse’s desk he set Brenda’s file on the desk and looked up at them. “If you have any problems please call me. Otherwise I’ll see you next week.” He gave Brenda’s shoulder a gentle pat before going back into his office and closing the door.
After Brenda scheduled her next appointment Jax opened the door to the waiting room. He let Brenda walk out first and then followed her, closing the door behind him. He and Brenda both stopped short when they saw Jared standing by the door to the hallway waiting for them. They looked at each other before walking quickly over to him. “What are you doing in here? You were supposed to wait for us in the hall,” Jax said softly as he leaned close to Jared.
“Ben told me to wait in here. Corinthos is in the hospital and Ben didn’t think you’d want him to know you were here so he told me to wait inside and let you know.” Jared looked around the waiting room to make sure no one was paying any attention to their conversation before continuing. “If you feel up to it Mrs. J. Ben has a plan to get you guys out of here without Corinthos knowing why you are here.”
Brenda took a deep breath and let it out slowly as Jax and Jared looked at her. “I’m fine,” she said as she gave Jax a reassuring smile. “What’s the plan?”
“There’s a stairway just next to this office. Ben suggested that we take those stairs down to the floor below – that’s Internal Medicine. Ben figured that if Corinthos saw you guys there you could just tell him Mr. J was getting his final checkup from Dr. Felton.” He looked expectantly at Jax for an answer.
“Sounds reasonable to me,” Jax said. He looked down at Brenda. “What do you think?”
“Sounds simple enough to me,” Brenda said with a slight nod of her head. She reached for Jax’s hand. “It’s going to cost you though,” she said with a mischievous smile.
“Oh really,” Jax said softly with an arched eyebrow. “What do you have in mind?” he asked as he leaned closer.
“I want lunch at Kelly’s as soon as we get out of here and I want us to tell Ruby about the baby.” She looked up at Jax with an expression that left no room for discussion. “Agreed?”
Jax gave her a big grin. “Most definitely agreed,” he said as he leaned the rest of the way down to kiss her forehead. He looked at Jared over the top of Brenda’s head. “Let’s go,” he said with a slight nod toward the door. “We’ve got a very important lunch date.” He wrapped his arm around Brenda and pulled her close to him at the back edge of the door.
Jared opened the door slowly and looked both ways in the hall. When he saw no one, he opened the door the rest of the way and stepped out. After waiting a few moments to make sure that no one was watching, he waived his hand for Jax and Brenda to come out.
As soon as Jax closed the door he led them to the nearby stairway door, looking around the hall the entire time. He stopped for only a second to give the hall one last look before slowly opening the door. He was not surprised to see Eric standing at the foot of the stairs. When Eric gave him the all clear signal he stepped aside and let Jax and Brenda come into the stairway. As they started down the stairs he gently closed the door before following them down.
When they got to the next floor Eric slowly opened the door. As soon as he saw the other members of the protection unit scattered through the hallway he held the door open for Jax and Brenda. “The good thing about this plan is that Dr. Felton’s office is right there.” He pointed to the door across the hall. “If Corinthos or any of his men see you coming down this hall they’ll think Mr. J. was coming from Dr. Felton’s office.”
“That might work for those men who work for him but what happens if it’s Sonny or Jason?” Brenda asked with a trace of nervousness. “All they’d have to do is get someone to check the appointment computer to find out that I had an appointment and Jax didn’t.”
“Actually he did have an appointment,” Eric said proudly. He smiled when he saw the confused expression on Brenda’s face. “Your friend Miss Spencer was kind enough to change your appointment with Dr. Clatter to one for Mr. J with Dr. Felton. Since you arrived on time for your appointment the computer now shows that Mr. J did and was seen by the doctor.”
“How did you get her to do that?” Brenda asked as they walked toward the elevators. “Bobbie is really strict about hospital records.”
“I just explained to her that we were trying to keep something from Corinthos and she was more than willing to help,” Ben said as he walked up to them. When Brenda looked at him with a doubtful expression he chuckled and held up his hands. “Okay, truth is I had to convince her that we weren’t trying to falsify any actual records. It took a little convincing but I finally convinced her that the only thing we wanted her to do was change the appointments.” Ben leaned in to give Brenda a quick kiss on the cheek before walking down the hall, giving Jared a nod to signal him to keep close.
Before either Jax or Brenda could say anything, they were all startled by a familiar voice. “Well, well, well, if it isn’t the Pretty Boy and his bimbo,” Sonny said snidely as he stopped in front of them with his two bodyguards close behind. “What brings you two to General Hospital? Could it be you two weren’t smart enough to not get pregnant could it?” he said with a snicker. “After all, neither one of you is the brightest bulb in the box you know.”
“Actually, that’s really none of your business, Sonny,” Brenda said calmly. “A better question might be what you’re doing here.” She felt Jax wrap his arm around her as she spoke so she rested her hand on top of his on her hip.
“It’s nice to know you’re worried about me,” Sonny said smugly.
“I couldn’t care less about you,” Brenda said in an equally smug voice. “I was just wondering if we should call Lt. Taggert to let him know that you’re in violation of the protection order.”
Sonny was surprised at the tone of Brenda’s voice. There was no trace of the uncertainty or nervousness he had expected. He didn’t know what to say when he realized that she really wasn’t intimidated by him. He looked at her for several moments. Finally, he smiled at her. “I’m sure you’d like to think that I’m following you but you’re out of luck. I was here for a meeting on the AIDS wing. I didn’t even know you were here until I heard your voice – so I guess you can’t call the cops.”
Brenda chuckled and slowly shook her head at Sonny before looking up at Jax. “Now that we’re finished here how about that lunch you promised me?”
Jax leaned down to give her a quick kiss before resting his forehead on hers. “You know I can never say no to you,” he said softly. “Let’s go.” He gave her another quick kiss before wrapping his arm around her shoulders and pulling her close to him. “Come on, let’s go,” he said without looking away. He and Brenda looked lovingly at each other before walking toward the elevator, totally ignoring Sonny as they did. Jared walked behind them to the elevator and turned back to watch Sonny as they waited for the doors to open. He was surprised when the doors opened and they stepped in that Sonny didn’t try to stop them. He just stood watching them until the doors closed behind them.
Sonny stood staring at the closed elevator doors for several moments. He never saw Jason walk up to him. “Sonny?” Jason asked softly. “What’s wrong? Is there a problem with the AIDS wing?”
“Huh, what? No, there’s nothing wrong,” Sonny said without looking away from the closed elevator doors. “Everything is fine with the AIDS wing. In fact, construction is ahead of schedule.” He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly before looking at Jason. “Hang on a second, I need to check on something.” He walked over to the nurse’s desk. “Hey Bobbie,” he said sweetly. “I wonder if you could check something for me.”
“And what would that be Sonny?” Bobbie asked suspiciously.
“I need to know if Brenda had a doctor’s appointment this afternoon,” Sonny said quickly in a very quiet voice.
“Why do you need to know that?” Bobbie asked. “And what makes you think I would tell you if I did know?”
Sonny gave her his most sincere smile. “Look, I know you have no reason to help me, but I really need to know.”
“You still haven’t said why,” Bobbie said as she crossed her arms in front of herself.
“I know you and Brenda are friends but she’s trying to send me to jail. She and that idiot husband of hers paid off some judge to issue an order of protection that says I can’t come within a certain distance of her or I automatically go to jail. I think they came here this afternoon because they knew I had an administrative committee meeting for the AIDS wing and wanted to get me arrested for violating the order.”
“I still don’t see what any of that has to do with me,” Bobbie said, giving him the impression that she was weakening.
“Well, if Brenda did have a doctor’s appointment then I’d know it really was an accident that we ran into each other and I’d let it drop. If she didn’t though, then that means she and Jax came here purposely to set me up and I need to contact my lawyer.”
Bobbie looked at Sonny for several moments. She could not believe that Jax’s security director had been so right about Sonny. She was tempted to tell him no but then she remembered something else Ben had said about what Sonny wanted from Brenda so she slowly looked around as if to make sure no one was watching before stepping over to the computer terminal and accessing the appointment directory. Even though she already knew the answer she made a big show of looking. “Finally,” she said as she looked at Sonny. “Well there’s no appointment for Brenda but Jax had a 1:00 appointment with Dr. Felton – probably his final release exam after the shooting.” She was surprised at the disappointment she saw spread across Sony’s face. She also knew that Ben had been right about Sonny, which made her furious. “If that answers your question I really need to get back to work.” She turned her back to him and walked over to the other side of the desk without another word.
Sonny kept staring at Bobbie’s back until he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned to look and saw Jason standing there. “Damn,” he said so softly that Jason barely heard him.
“Sonny, are you okay man?” Jason asked in an equally soft voice. “What difference does it make if it was Jax or Brenda that had the appointment?”
“Because,” Sonny said as he exhaled in frustration. “If it was Brenda I could use it to my advantage.”
“How?” Jason asked.
“Think about it Jas, if Brenda had an appointment with someone like Dr. Meadows I could use that little bit of information to get Candy Boy to do whatever I want – including leave her.”
“I still don’t get it Sonny,” Jason said as he crossed his arms in front of himself. “Why would Jax suddenly do what you say just because you know that Brenda had a doctor’s appointment?”
“You’ve seen how protective Candy Boy is of Brenda, Jason. If she was the one who had the appointment we could get one of our computer people to play around with some of her test results.”
“I’m sorry Sonny,” Jason said quietly as he leaned closed to Sonny. “I still don’t see what good that would do.”
Sonny couldn’t resist smiling as he slowly shook his head. “It’s actually very simple,” he said smugly. “We make Jax think that something is wrong with his wife and he devotes his whole life to making her healthy again – causing him to neglect everything else in his life.”
Suddenly realizing where Sonny was headed, a smile spread across Jason’s face. “Leaving him wide open for you to step in and destroy him – causing Brenda to loose faith in him,”
“Exactly,” Sonny said with a big smile. “Then when she sees him for the idiot we already know he really is, I’ll step in with a promise to find a miracle cure – which will suddenly appear a month or two later.”
“Brenda walking out will leave Jax desolate and in need of comfort from the only woman who truly loves him – ME!” Miranda said confidently as she walked up to the two startled men.
After leaving the hospital Jax and Brenda went straight to Kelly’s – not only to enjoy a late lunch but also to tell Ruby their news. When they got to the door Jared went in first to take a quick look around before holding the door open for them. Once they were inside, Eric stepped over to the opposite side of the terrace to be able to see both the patio area and the walk from the parking lot. Inside, Jared took a seat at a table near the kitchen so he could watch the entire room.
Since it was almost 2:00 the lunch rush was already over and the dinner rush wouldn’t be starting for at least a couple of hours. Ruby was just putting fresh pots of coffee on the warmers when she heard the door open. She looked up and smiled broadly when she saw Jax and Brenda come through the door. “Hello you two,” she said as she quickly came over to them. “It looks like you two had a good holiday. When did you get home?” she gave them both a hug. “Come on sit down,” she said as she led them toward a table in the corner. “What can I get you?”
Brenda looked up at Jax as he held her chair for her. When she saw him nod slightly she looked back at Ruby. “We’ll order in a minute. Can you sit with us for a second?”
Ruby looked around the room. When she saw only two other tables occupied she knew that the waitresses could handle things. “I don’t see why not,” she said quickly. She was a little surprised when Jax pulled out a chair for her before sitting down himself. “Thank you dear,” she said as he pushed her chair in. “So, what’s up?”
Brenda looked at Jax again and smiled nervously. When she saw him smile back and reach to put his hand on top of hers she looked back at Ruby. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Jax and I have something to tell you and we need you to keep it to yourself for a while.”
Ruby looked first at Brenda and then at Jax. “You’re pregnant,” she said softly as she looked back at Brenda and leaned closer.
Jax and Brenda looked at each other in shock. “How on earth did you know that?” Jax asked softly as he glanced nervously around the room.
“Don’t worry dear,” Ruby said as she gave his hand a reassuring pat. “No one else can tell. I just know Brenda better and love her more than anyone – with the exception of you. I can see it in her eyes – and yours.”
Brenda couldn’t keep the tears that were filling her eyes from spilling down her cheeks as she smiled lovingly at Ruby. “I love you too Ruby,” she said as she reached over to pat Ruby’s hand.
It took Ruby a moment to stop herself from crying before answering. “So when is the baby due?” she asked as she reached up to wipe the last tear from Brenda’s cheek.
“Dr. Clatter said we can expect the newest member of the family to put in his appearance about August 7,” Brenda said proudly. She glanced at Jax for a second as the smile quickly disappeared from her face. “Ruby, you can’t say anything to anyone about the baby – not yet.”
“I already guessed that dear,” Ruby said calmly. When she saw Jax and Brenda’s surprised expressions she smiled reassuringly. “It’s not hard to figure,” she said as she reached to gently squeeze Brenda’s hand. “Sonny is still walking the streets – which means he’s still stalking you. If he was to find out about the baby it would give him the idea of using the child and it’s safety against one or both of you.” When she saw the stunned expression on Brenda’s face she chuckled. “You seem to forget dear, I spent many years working for men just like Sonny Corinthos. Except for their own family members they have no problem using the wives or children of someone outside their organization to get control over them.”
Jax smiled as he slowly shook his head. “I keep forgetting you led a ‘colorful’ life before you came to Port Charles,” he said with a slight chuckle. “But you’re exactly right, until we can handle Sonny we don’t want to give him any more ammunition to use against us.”
“Don’t worry, dear, your secret is safe with me. No one will hear anything from me.” Ruby paused for a second and glanced quickly around the now empty dining room. “I do suggest, though, that you do whatever you’re planning soon. If you don’t, people are going to start to notice before you’re ready to tell them.” Brenda glanced at Jax before looking to Ruby. “We know Ruby,” she said softly. “I have a feeling it won’t be long before I start to show.” She glanced down at her stomach. “I can already feel my clothes getting a little tighter.”
Jax reached over and covered her hand on the table, linking his fingers with hers. “Don’t worry luv,” he said with a reassuring smile when she looked up at him. “We’re almost ready to take him down.” When Brenda smiled back at him he turned to look at Ruby. “Now I promised my wife a late lunch, Ruby. What’s good?” he asked with a mischievous twinkle in his eye.
Ruby leaned back and looked at him with mock indignation. “Everything is good – and you know it!” she said as she crossed her arms in front of herself.
“Don’t pay any attention to him Ruby,” Brenda said with a laugh as she gave Jax’s arm a swat. “Could we have two specials – one with coffee and one with orange juice?”
“Of course dear,” Ruby said. She stood up and leaned on the chair after pushing it in. “I’ll be back in a minute with your drinks.”
“Thanks luv,” Jax said as he leaned back in his chair. “For everything,” he said in a quiet but sincere voice.
“You’re very welcome,” Ruby said softly with a very maternal smile. “You two are very precious to me. There isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for you – remember that.” She gave them both a smile before turning and walking toward the kitchen to get their lunches.
Jax and Brenda continued to look only at each other after she was gone. It wasn’t until Ruby came back with their drinks that they finally looked away. It was only a few more minutes until she brought their lunches. Since they still wanted to go see Lucy at Jacks Cosmetics to tell her about the baby, they didn’t linger over their lunch as they usually would. After finishing, they each gave Ruby a hug before heading toward the door where Jared was waiting for them.
Ruby was just cleaning up their table when she heard the door open. She glanced toward the door as she picked up the dishes. She felt her stomach churn as she watched Sonny strut through the door, followed by Jason and a woman she didn’t recognize but suspected was Jax’s ex-fiancé’. She waited and watched as they walked over to a corner table and sat down. She sighed as she picked up the dirty dishes and headed for the kitchen to send one of the waitresses out to take their order. Before she got half way to the counter though, Sonny called her over to their table.
“Hello Ruby, long time no see,” Sonny said smugly as he waived her over to their table. He couldn’t keep the grin off his face as he watched Ruby reluctantly set the dirty dishes on the counter and walk toward their table. When he glanced at Miranda and saw her smug expression he felt his good mood start to slip away. “What are you grinning about?” he asked in a harsh whisper as he leaned over to her.
The smirk immediately disappeared from Miranda’s face. “What?” she asked nervously. “I was just looking forward to you making that old bat squirm for disrespecting you.”
Sonny looked away from her as he took a deep breath and clenched his fists. He exhaled slowly as he looked back at her. “First of all, Ruby Anderson is not an old bat. She is a lady I respect and more importantly she is very close to Brenda AND JAX. If they would confide in anyone it would be Ruby so you be polite and keep your mouth shut!”
Miranda was frightened at the fury she saw in Sonny’s eyes. She shuddered as her mind filled with images of what could happen if he unleashed that fury. “Whatever,” she said softly as she tried to cover her fear with disinterest. Sonny glared at her a moment longer until he saw Ruby approach the table. He turned to look up at her with his friendliest smile. “How are you Ruby?”
“I was doing great until you and sunshine here walked in,” Ruby said sarcastically as she nodded toward Miranda. She looked at her for a second longer before looking back at Sonny. “What are you doing here Sonny? I know it’s not for the food so you must want something. Why don’t you just tell me what you want and then leave.”
“How dare you speak to Mr. Corinthos like that!” Miranda said as she started to stand up to confront Ruby. She sat back down when she felt Sonny put his hand on her arm and squeeze. She looked at Sonny for a second and immediately sat perfectly still when she saw the anger in his eyes.
Ruby stared angrily at Miranda for several moments trying to figure out what Jax had ever seen in this woman. Her immediate impression was that she belonged more with one of the Quartermaine boys than Jax. She looked back at Sonny. “Well, what do you want?”
Sonny smiled as innocently as he could as he looked at her. “All business, huh Ruby? I always liked that about you,” he said with a chuckle. When Ruby just stared at him he took a breath and let it out slowly, the smile never leaving his face. “I was just wondering what Brenda was doing here. If she’s feeling alright, you know,” he said in his best effort at a concerned voice.
“You’re really a piece of work Sonny,” Ruby said with a disgusted chuckle. “How did you know Brenda and Jax were even here?” She paused for a moment and snapped her fingers. “You’re having them followed aren’t you?”
Sonny could feel the smile on his face start to slip. “That’s really none of your concern Ruby. I just want the answers to my questions. What was Brenda doing here and what did she tell you? Is she sick?”
Ruby stared at him as her anger built. “Of all the nerve!” she said angrily as she crossed her arms across her chest. When she saw Sonny staring back at her, not making any attempt to back down she threw up her arms in disgust. “Fine, you want to know why they were here I’ll tell you. They came to have a late lunch to celebrate Jax getting a clean bill of health from his doctor. As to your questions about Brenda’s health – she’s never felt better – especially now that she knows that the man she loves has completely recovered from his injuries. You remember his injuries don’t you Sonny – when he was shot in the back rescuing Brenda from her kidnappers!” she spat as she looked first at Sonny and then settled her gaze on Miranda, her contempt for both of them obvious on her face. “Since there’s nothing else, I suggest you and your girlfriend get out of my restaurant!”
Miranda jumped up and started for Ruby. “Why you stupid old crone!” she said as she reached for Ruby’s arm.
“Enough Miranda!” Sonny yelled as he stood up, knocking over his chair.
Ruby gave Miranda a quick glare before turning her attention to Sonny. “You got the answers to your questions so take your girlfriend and get out!” She turned and started to walk away. She was only a couple of steps away when she stopped and turned back. “By the way, does your wife know about her?” she asked as she nodded toward Miranda. “You surprise me Sonny,” she said with a sigh as she slowly shook her head in disgust. “I never believed that you actually loved Lily, but I thought you at least respected her. For you to be seen in public with Jax’s lying ex-girlfriend is just plain insulting to her – and your marriage! By the way, ARE you still married to Lily? I haven’t seen her in a few months.”
Without saying a word to Ruby Sonny grabbed Miranda’s arm and almost dragged her toward the door. Just before opening the door he stopped and turned back to Ruby. “You’re wrong Ruby. I do respect Lily. I would never do anything to embarrass her. Miranda is not my girlfriend or anything like that. She is a woman who was treated very badly by Jax and the rest of that phony family of his. I’m just trying to help her get back what was taken from her.”
Now it was Ruby’s turn to be angry. “I thought you were smarter than this Sonny. Nothing was taken from her, she threw it away for money – a lot of money!” She glared at Miranda for a moment before looking back at Sonny. Her expression softened as she looked at him. “Do yourself a favor Sonny, forget this obsession with Brenda. You need to find your wife and make things right with her if you can.” She gave him a slight smile as she reached to rest her hand on his arm. “You looked happy when you were with Lily, more at peace. For your own sake, leave Brenda and Jax alone and move on with your life.”
Sonny stared at Ruby for a long time as he tried to figure out what she was trying to accomplish with that little speech. He quickly realized that she had meant exactly what she had said and he found himself appreciating her concern. He smiled at her and put his hand on hers on his arm. “Thanks Ruby, I’ll think about what you said,” he said politely before taking his hand off of hers. He looked over at the bodyguard standing nearby and signaled him to open the door. Once the door was open he looked at Miranda coldly and nodded for her to go out.
Once they were outside he grabbed Miranda’s arm and turned her to look at him. “Don’t you ever disrespect Ruby again,” he said coldly. “She’s good people and I will NOT tolerate anyone disrespecting her!”
Miranda looked at him in stunned silence. How could he talk that way about someone who had shown him such disrespect? “Are you telling me that you believed her? You believe they were celebrating Jax’s clean bill of health – here?” she said as she pointed over her shoulder at the diner.
Sonny had to force himself to hold his temper. He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly before answering. “You have no idea what you’re talking about Miranda,” he said flatly. “Brenda AND Jax prefer celebrating things quietly with someone they care about to going someplace fancy alone.” He couldn’t resist sneering at her. “So to answer your question, yes I believe Ruby. She’s the closest thing Brenda has ever had to a grandmother. It makes perfect sense that she and Jax would come here to tell Ruby and celebrate with her.
“She would also tell Ruby if something was wrong. I know Ruby well enough to tell when she’s hiding something – especially something bad. Ruby was not hiding anything when we were talking so we’re going to have to use something else to split them up.” He held his arm out toward the waiting limo. “Come on, we don’t want to be seen standing out here.” He waited until she walked past him and got into the cart to give a quick look around to make sure they weren’t being watched before getting in himself.
As the limo pulled out into traffic, the man standing at the bus stop took out his cell phone. He quickly dialed a number as he watched the limo wait for the traffic light. “They’re on the move. Yeah, they just pulled out of Kelly’s and are waiting at the light.” He waited as he listened. “Yeah, looks like he’s headed for home.” He watched as the light changed and the limo pulled away. He waited a couple moments longer until he recognized the car going through the intersection. “Elliott’s got him,” he said calmly before closing his phone and walking back toward Kelly’s to meet up with his waiting partner.
Jax and Brenda sat snuggled together in the back of the limo the entire way to the Jacks Cosmetics Building. When the car came to a stop in front of the building, Jared and Eric got out and looked around before Jared reached to open the door for them. As soon as the door opened, Jax stepped out and looked around himself before reaching in to help Brenda out. As soon as she stepped out they wrapped their arms around each other and walked into the building, Jared in front of them and Eric behind.
Lucy was getting totally frustrated as she tried to plan the Summer Campaign. Everything she thought of looked wrong sketched on paper. She couldn’t tell if it was the staging or the wardrobe but every layout looked wrong. She was actually relieved when she heard the intercom buzz. “Yes Kelly, what is it?”
“Brenda Jacks and her husband are here to see you,” the secretary said nervously. The same thing happened every time Brenda brought Jax to the office. Kelly felt like she was back in high school looking up at the star of the football team walk into the room. She could feel her cheeks getting warm as she looked down at her hands which were shaking slightly. She had been a secretary in the cosmetics industry for six years. She had worked with some of the most famous models, both male and female, without ever being phased, but every time she was around Brenda’s husband she reacted the same way. She knew he must have noticed and was grateful that never mentioned it. She sighed with relief when she heard Lucy’s voice on the intercom telling her to send them in. She looked up at Brenda as she struggled to hide her nervousness. “Go right in,” she said in what she hoped was a natural voice.
Brenda smiled at her. “Thanks Kelly,” she said sweetly. She reached over for Jax’s hand. It wasn’t hard for her to understand Kelly’s reaction to Jax because it was the same reaction she had the first time she had met him. The same reaction she still had every time she saw him.
Jax found Kelly’s nervousness around him a little disconcerting. Even though Brenda had tried to convince him he should be flattered by it, he still felt uncomfortable. “Thanks Kelly,” he finally said with a slight smile. When he saw the pink color rise in her cheeks as she looked at him he cleared his throat softly and put his hand at the small of Brenda’s back, pressing gently to encourage her toward Lucy’s door.
Jax gave the door a quick tap before opening it to let Brenda walk in ahead of him. He glanced over his shoulder to see Kelly watching them. He quickly looked around and exhaled softly as he followed Brenda into the office, closing the door behind him.
Lucy had looked up at the sound of the knock on her door. She couldn’t help smiling as she watched Jax and Brenda walk in. “Hello you two,” she said brightly as she stood up and walked around to the front of her desk. She gave first Brenda then Jax a quick kiss on the cheek and slight hug. “I’m not even going to ask if you guys had a good holiday. It’s written all over your faces.” She stopped suddenly and looked more closely at Brenda. “Okay, something’s different – you’re different!”
Jax looked at Brenda for a quick second before turning to Lucy. “That’s because she’s pregnant,” he said matter-of-factly.
Lucy just stared at Brenda as she eagerly nodded her head in confirmation. A big smile quickly spread across her face. “This is fantastic! I’m so happy for you guys!”
“Are you sure?” Brenda asked. “I mean, I’d understand if you were upset.”
“Why on earth would you think I’d be upset? This explains why I couldn’t come up with a campaign idea that I liked.” Lucy pointed at all the crumpled paper on her desk and in her wastebasket. “You guys are going to be great parents.”
Brenda looked over at Jax and smiled before turning back to Lucy. “Well it won’t be long before I start to show and I know for a fact that you’re working on the Summer campaign. I wasn’t sure how you would feel about having to hide me behind potted plants or giant beach balls.” She was surprised at the expression she saw on Lucy’s face.
“I have no intention of hiding your pregnancy Brenda,” Lucy said quickly as she walked around to sit behind her desk. She picked up the sketches she had been working on and tossed them in the wastebasket. “I’m going to work the next several campaigns around your pregnancy!” She stopped when she saw the confusion on both Jax and Brenda’s faces. “Think about it Brenda. Have you ever seen a cosmetics campaign aimed at the expectant mother?”
Brenda and Jax looked at each other for several moments before they turned to look at Lucy. “Does it really make a difference?” Jax asked innocently. He was surprised to see the shocked expressions on both women’s faces as they slowly turned to look at each other.
“Typical man,” Lucy said with a chuckle and a slight shake of her head. “It makes a very big difference Jax,” she said patiently. “Every woman thinks she looks her worst when she’s pregnant. The further along she gets and the larger the baby gets the more convinced she becomes that she’s no longer attractive.”
“That’s just not true,” Jax said quickly as he reached for Brenda’s hand and gave it a squeeze. “I’ll admit I’ve only been around two pregnant women but I can tell you from personal experience that a woman is at her most beautiful when she’s pregnant. She has an absolute glow about her.” He gave Brenda’s hand another gentle squeeze and smiled lovingly at her.
Brenda struggled to keep the tears filling her eyes from spilling down her cheeks as she smiled back at him. She sniffled once as she chuckled. “Thank you sweetheart,” she said softly.Lucy watched Jax and Brenda for a moment before clearing her throat to get their attention. “Although I do have to agree with you about Brenda, Jax, most pregnant women wouldn’t. The further along they get the more they start to notice even the smallest changes in their complexion and convince themselves that everyone else can see them too.” She paused and watched Jax digest what she had said. When she was convinced he understood what she was saying she continued. “What I want to do is show them that they don’t have to feel that way. I want to show them that pregnancy only enhances their beauty. If they see a woman as beautiful as Brenda remain beautiful as her pregnancy advances it will give them hope – not to mention opening a huge new market to Jacks Cosmetics.”
Brenda and Jax looked at each other with smiles on their faces – Brenda with a trace of embarrassment at Lucy’s praise and Jax with a trace of pride and total agreement. “I can’t argue with that,” he said proudly.
“Stop it you two,” Brenda said with an embarrassed chuckle. She gave Jax a gently swat on the arm before directing her attention to Lucy. “You do realize that it’s going to be a little while before I start to show don’t you? What are you going to do for the Spring campaign?”
A very excited Lucy clamped her hands together for a moment before taking a deep breath and laying them flat on her desk as she exhaled. “Oh that’s no problem,” she said excitedly. “We’ll do a regular shoot for spring – just change the print copy a little.”
Suddenly uncomfortable at the prospect of Brenda’s pregnancy becoming public knowledge, Jax fidgeted a little in his chair. “Uh, that may not be such a good idea Lucy,” he said with a trace of nervousness in his voice.
“Why?” Lucy asked as she looked from Jax to Brenda and back to Jax. “It’s the perfect strategy. We use the spring campaign to peak the public’s interest and then come summer we show them what we were talking about.”
“I understand that Lucy,” Jax said with a sigh as he ran his hand across his face. “It’s just that we’re not ready to tell anyone but our closest friends about the baby just yet.”
It only took a moment for Lucy to figure out what he meant. She put her hand up to cover her mouth as she drew in a quick breath. “You can’t really think that Sonny would do anything to hurt the baby can you?”
“We’re not willing to take a chance on that,” Jax said coldly. “You know him well enough to know that he’d do whatever he thinks necessary to get what he wants and right now he wants Brenda!”
Lucy looked over to Brenda. She could see the fear hidden in her eyes as if she was trying not to think about it. Finally Lucy smiled and looked back at Jax. “It’s no problem Jax. We’ll leave the copy exactly as it is for spring.”
“Thanks Lucy,” Jax said with his most charming smile. “Everything should be taken care of by the time you’re ready to start the summer photo shoot.”
Lucy didn’t know what he meant and if the truth be told she wasn’t sure she wanted to know. Deciding the best thing was not to ask, she took a deep breath and let it out slowly as she continued to look at him. “I’ll hold you to that Jax,” she said with her most confident voice.
“Now that we’ve got that settled I think we should get out of here and let you get back to work,” Brenda said as she stood up. She reached her hand out to Jax. “Are you ready to go sweetheart?”
Jax smiled at her for a second before reaching for her hand and standing up “I’m ready whenever you are luv,” he said as he linked his fingers with hers and pulled her close to him.
Lucy got up and came around to the front of her desk. She gave Brenda a tight hug. “You are going to be a great mom,” she said softly. “And you,” she said as she turned to Jax with tears in her eyes and a smile on her lips. “You are going to be an awesome dad.” She stepped closer so she could give him a hug. “Let me know when the ‘problem’ is taken care of,” she whispered before letting go.
“You have my promise that the ‘problem’ will be out of the way in time for you to shoot the summer campaign,” Jax said as he leaned down to kiss Lucy’s forehead. When she smiled up at him he gave her nose a quick tap with his finger before reaching for Brenda and wrapping his arm around her, pulling her close to his side.
They all exchanged another quick hug before Lucy walked Jax and Brenda to the door. She reached to open the door but suddenly stopped. She turned to look at Brenda without taking her hand off the knob. “This is going to be a great time for you,” she said softly with a big smile. “You are going to be a beautiful pregnant lady and an even more amazing mom.”
“I’m going to remember you said that when I’m eight months pregnant and none of your wardrobe fits me,” Brenda said with a chuckle. She and Lucy stared at each other for several moments before they both burst out laughing.
“You don’t have to worry about that Brenda,” Lucy said as she turned the knob but didn’t open the door. She leaned a little closer. “The only thing I want you to think about is taking care of yourself and this baby,” she said softly with a trace of sadness in her eyes.
“I’ll make sure of that,” Jax said in a firm but gentle voice. When Brenda looked up at him he smiled at her before leaning down to place a gentle kiss on the tip of her nose. “Let’s get out of here and let Lucy get back to work,” he said softly before giving her another quick kiss. When Brenda nodded slightly they turned to look at Lucy.
Lucy smiled at them for a second before opening the door. “Go on you two, get out of here. I’ve got a million things to do before the photo shoot,” she said with a chuckle as she nodded toward the open door.
Jax and Brenda wrapped their arms around each other as they walked out the door. Lucy watched them walk toward the elevator. The smile never left her face until she saw the bodyguards step up to them as they waited for the elevator. She exhaled slowly as she watched the elevator doors close behind them. She shook her head slowly as she stepped back into her office. She couldn’t help wondering if they would ever again be free to live their lives without bodyguards and tight security.
The car had barely left the parking garage at Jacks Cosmetics when Brenda snuggled into Jax’s side and closed her eyes. By the time they were halfway home she was sound asleep. When the car pulled to a stop at the elevator in the hotel garage Jax leaned down to kiss the top of her head as he gently tapped his finger on her cheek. “Hey, wake up sleepyhead,” he said softly as he tapped her cheek again.
Brenda stirred slightly but didn’t open her eyes. “Just five more minutes,” she whispered as she snuggled closer to Jax.
“I know luv,” Jax said softly as he tapped her cheek again. “But I think you’d be a lot more comfortable in our bed than the backseat of this car.”
Brenda’s eyes flew open as she was suddenly wide awake. She sat up and looked around. When she realized that she had fallen asleep in the car she looked at Jax, her cheeks pink with embarrassment. “Why did you let me fall asleep?”
Jax signaled Jared to open the door and stepped out. He reached back in to help Brenda out before answering the question. When she was out he wrapped his arm around her shoulders “I ‘let’ you fall asleep because we’ve had a very busy afternoon. You know when you’re tired so I just made you as comfortable as I could in my arms until we got home.”
The elevator doors opened and they stepped in with both Erik and Jared. “No wonder I fell asleep,” Brenda said as she rested her head against his chest. She looked up at him and couldn’t help smiling when she saw the loving expression on Jax’s face. Nothing more was said until the elevator stopped and the doors opened. Jared and Erik stepped into the hall first to look around before Jared looked back and gave them a signal it was clear. By the time they crossed the narrow hallway their front door was already open.
Jax let Brenda walk in before him and waited for the door to close. “Why don’t you go finish that nap you started in the car?” Before Brenda could answer there was a knock on the door. “Come in,” Jax said as he turned toward the door.
When the door opened he was surprised to see Miguel come in. “Hey mate,” he said as he walked over to him with his hand extended.
“Senora Lily is the reason I’m here,” Miguel said quietly. “She called me earlier and asked me to bring you to the cottage this afternoon.”
Jax and Brenda looked at each other in surprise. “Is something wrong?” Brenda asked nervously. “Has Sonny found out where she is?”
Miguel fidgeted nervously before answering. “No, no, it’s nothing like that, ma’am.” Miguel glanced around the room before continuing. “She asked me to tell you that there is someone at the cottage that needs to talk to Senior Jacks as soon as possible.”
“If Lily thinks it’s important that we meet this person, we’d best get going,” Brenda said as she reached for her purse.
“Ah,” Miguel said softly as he looked desperately over the top of Brenda’s head at Jax for help.
“Wait a second, luv,” Jax said as he reached for Brenda’s arm. “I think you should stay here and get some rest. You’ve already had a pretty full day.”
Brenda looked back at him for several moments as she tried to figure out why he didn’t want her to go with him. She quickly decided that the reason he gave her was his only reason for wanting her to stay behind. Slowly she set her purse back on the table. She smiled at him but her eyes still showed how tired she really was. “I am pretty tired,” she said as she sat on the arm of the couch.
“Well then I want you to go straight to bed and finish that nap,” Jax said as he walked over to her and rested his arms on her shoulders.
“Don’t be too long,” Brenda said as she linked her arms around Jax’s waist.
“I’ll probably be back before you finish your nap.” Jax leaned down to kiss her forehead. He leaned back and smiled at her before looking over at Miguel. “Let’s go, mate.”
“Se Senior,” Miguel said quickly as he walked over to open the door. He waited for Jax to walk out before looking back to give Brenda a nod of respect and walking out himself, quietly closing the door behind him.
As they stood in the hall waiting for the elevator, Jax crossed his arms and looked at Miguel. “Why did you get so nervous when Brenda wanted to come with us?”
Miguel looked around to make sure none of the guards could hear what he was about to say. “It’s just that the person waiting for you would not be comfortable with Seniora Jacks being there.”
“Who is this person anyway?” Jax asked as the elevator doors opened.
“Seniora Lily’s father arrived last night and requested that she set up an immediate meeting with you,” Miguel said quietly. “He said he has come into possession of some very important information concerning your family that Senior Corinthos is planning to use against you.”
Jax could not imagine what kind of information Sonny could have that would be harmful to him or his family. From what he knew about Hernando Rivera though, he must believe it was very important to have risked coming to this country, let alone Port Charles. He suddenly felt a cold chill go down his spine. Whatever Rivera was going to tell him was NOT going to be good.