"Hanging On"

Chapter 16

Jax awoke the next morning to find that his vision was almost completely restored. The haze had lessened considerably and he could see almost normally again. He just laid in bed watching Brenda sleep in his arms. He couldn't think of another place he wanted to be right then. He began to think, though, that maybe it was time to head back to Port Charles and their family.

Brenda woke up an hour later, still cuddled in Jax's arms. She looked up to see him watching her every move. She smiled and turned her head to his face, kissing him. They lay for a few more minutes, just like that.

Jax was the first to speak. "So, I was thinking."

"About what?"

"I think it's time to go home."

Brenda flipped over and faced him completely. "Are you sure you want to?"

"I think so. We've been here for over a week and I'm sure my parents are getting more than a little impatient waiting for us."

"If that's what you want, then we'll leave today." She smiled at him and leaned over to kiss him again. She got up then to get dressed and begin making the arrangements.

Jax waited for her to finish in the bathroom and then began his own routine. He still couldn't believe how much he appreciated being able to do the little things again, and without help.

Brenda returned to the bedroom after calling the pilot and setting everything up. She began to pack their things into their bags. Jax went downstairs to the deck by himself. He looked out on the ocean and just watched. He was mesmerized by the little things he never looked at or noticed before. He watched the seagulls walking on the beach and watched as the tides washed away their prints seconds later. He turned to look at the water crashing over the jetty just down the beach. The sky was bright and a vibrant shade of blue. There wasn't a cloud in the sky to mar the scene.

Brenda came downstairs after packing everything up. She put the bags by the door and went to look for Jax. She saw him through the kitchen doors, standing on the edge of the concrete. She opened the door silently and walked up behind him. She wrapped her arms around his waist and stood on tiptoe to look over his shoulder.

Jax turned his head to her and smiled. "Hey, you. It's so beautiful, isn't it?"

She nodded and watched his face as he turned back to the water. His eyes followed every movement behind his sunglasses. They both stood and watched for awhile longer and then Brenda let go of his waist. "I think we should get ready to go."

Jax nodded and turned back to the house. As he stepped through the doors a last time, he looked back once more. It was a sight he would never again stop appreciating.

Jax and Brenda landed at the airport in Port Charles in the mid-afternoon. They took a limousine back to the hotel and went to the penthouse. They had called John and Jane from the plane and told them when they would be returning. They were going to meet Jax and Brenda at the apartment.

Brenda opened the door to the apartment to find John and Jane sitting on the couch in the living room. Jax came in behind her still wearing his dark sunglasses. They all watched as he maneuvered around the furniture and sat down opposite his parents.

Jax looked expectantly at his parents before he removed his glasses. They didn't know he could see them, he had wanted to surprise them.

"Jax, my boy, you have gotten too good at that," John said.

"At what, Dad?"

"Getting around the apartment. I just hope you were as good at it in Malibu."

Brenda sat down next to Jax and took his hand. "Oh, don't worry, John, he got much better at it after a few days." She looked at Jax when he turned his head and smiled conspiratorially.

Jax smiled back at her. "Mum, what do you think?"

Jane was surprised by the question. She didn't know how to answer him. "I-I don't know, Jax. I just don't like seeing you like this anymore."

"Like what?"

"So dependent on everyone else."

Brenda played along some more. "Oh, Jane, don't worry, he's learned how to get around by himself quite well, right, sweetheart?"

Jax grinned and decided to give it up then. He took off his sunglasses and looked at his parents. He took a minute and then said, "Mum, aren't you hot in those pants? It's almost 90 degrees outside."

"I'm fine as I--what'd you say?" Jane was shocked.

"Jax, how do you know what your mother is wearing?" John's mouth was open in surprise.

Jax and Brenda laughed at their reactions. They began to tell them what had happened in Malibu, leaving out the part about all the pain Jax went through.

When they were finished, Jane got up and hugged Jax. She was grinning hugely. "I think this calls for a celebration. What do you think?"

Jax protested, but gave in when Brenda urged him. "All right, but we are not going anywhere fancy. It has to be somewhere that I don't have to change these clothes to get in." He was wearing another pair of loose shorts and a button down denim shirt. His left foot sported a brown sandal.

"I think we can arrange that," Brenda said. She and Jane went off to make the arrangements for the evening.

At 6:00, Jax followed Brenda into The Outback, knowing it was a casual enough place for his attire. They walked through the door and were immediately greeted by Mac and Felicia. They showed them to their table and the group sat down.

Jax noticed something. "Brenda, why are there three extra seats here?"

"Because there are three more people coming."

"Well, thank you, Sherlock. I figured that much out. Who's coming?"

Brenda smiled enigmatically. "You'll see soon enough."

"Brenda, I'm really getting tired of your surprises."

She leaned over and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Ah, but my last one worked out okay, didn't it?" He grinned in response.

They all ordered their drinks and began to talk about what had happened since they'd been gone.

It wasn't long before Jax felt someone cover his eyes.

"Guess who?" Brenda said, to cover the voice of the person standing behind him.

Jax felt the fingers covering his face and knew immediately. "Lois, sit down." He removed her hands and she bent down to give him a kiss. She still didn't know, either, so it was as much a surprise for her as it had been for his parents. But they didn't say anything yet.

Ned had been standing next to her and he took Jax's hand to say hello. They sat down as they waited for the last guest to arrive. The last person was as much a surprise for Jax as his sight was going to be for the person.

Jax gave nothing away to Ned and Lois about his sight for the next ten minutes. Suddenly he felt a hand on his shoulder. It had a strong grip and it felt quite familiar. Jax whirled his head around and stared at the person.

"Jerry! Where'd you come from?"

"The same people as you, little brother."

Jax stood as best he could to give Jerry a hug. Jerry bent to kiss Brenda hello and took a seat next to Jane.

Lois had watched the whole thing with her mouth open. "I just have one question, Jax."

"What's that, Lois?" He turned to face her with a smile on his face. She had noticed.

"How did you know it was Jerry standing behind you?"

"I'd recognize that face anywhere, even if I haven't seen him for almost a year!" Jax laughed as Lois was still a little confused.

Jerry spoke this time, "Did you say recognize?"

"All right, all right, yes I did." Jax looked Jerry right in the eyes and grinned. "And I can see your long-lost face right in front of me, Jerry."

The news finally sank in and Lois was up and around the table in a flash. She gave Jax a hug and looked at Brenda. "He can see? He can really see?"

Brenda nodded and reached over to take Jax's hand.

After the celebratory toast had been given, they all enjoyed their dinner together.

Jax and Brenda returned to the penthouse later that night. Jax was tired, but didn't want to go to bed just yet.

"You know what I want to do?" He sat on the couch and motioned for Brenda to join him.

She sat between his legs and he wrapped his arms around her waist. "What do you want to do?"

"I want to plan a wedding."

"But, we've already planned it, Jax."

"No, we planned a potential wedding that would happen someday. I want to plan one that will happen in four weeks."

"Four weeks? Are you sure?"

"The first weekend after I get this thing off my leg, I want to make you my wife." He grinned when she turned her head to him questioningly.

Then she sprang to action and went to get the notebook they had written everything in before. They expanded on and elaborated all of their plans. They set the guest list and began to look up who was going to help them with the wedding.

They planned for several hours and when they were finally too tired to do anymore, they went to bed.

The next three weeks flew by as they were planning the wedding and getting everything taken care of. Jax still had not returned to work, and wasn't going to until after the honeymoon. He was intricately involved with Brenda in making the wedding happen. Lois was in the apartment every day with new ideas or confirmations for them. John and Jane had flown back to Alaska two weeks ago, with the promise to return four days before the wedding. Brenda had never been so busy in her life.

Jax came into the living room one day while she was on the phone with the caterers. She motioned that she'd be off in one minute. He stood and waited patiently. When she hung up, she looked up at him.

"We have somewhere to be in a little while, Brenda."

Her face was blank and she tried to remember where they were supposed to be going. "Where?"

"Well, I don't know about you, but I could never forget this day. We have to go to the hospital."

The light dawned on her face as she suddenly remembered. "Oh, that's right! Today you get your cast off. I'm sorry, I totally forgot. Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go!" She grabbed her keys and opened the door for him.

Jax swung through the doors for what he thought was the last time and pressed the elevator button.

They made it to the hospital with five minutes to spare before his appointment. Brenda went in with him and stood quietly by the exam room table that Jax sat on, holding his hand. He had a ridiculous grin on his face. He had been awaiting this day for six weeks now.

The doctor came in and after a brief examination, picked up the saw that would cut off Jax's cast. Brenda closed her eyes at the sound and refused to watch at all. Jax was fascinated by the whole thing. He laughed at Brenda's reaction.

The doctor finally finished sawing and split the cast apart. Jax looked at his leg and was surprised to see how different it looked from his left one. He looked at Brenda and gave her a brief look of disgust. She laughed at him this time.

Jax was asked to stand on his left leg and resist from putting any weight on his right one for now. He did as he was told and stood carefully. The doctor asked Brenda to grab Jax's right arm at the elbow. Then, he asked Jax to distribute his weight.

Jax's right leg buckled almost immediately on him. Brenda caught him and he shifted his weight back to his left leg.

Jax looked puzzled. "Well, that was fun. What's going on here?"

The doctor told him, "You haven't put weight on your leg for so long that it's become weak. The only way for you to be able to walk is for you to gradually put more and more weight on it."

"Gradually?"

"Yes, I want you to stay here for a few minutes and begin putting the weight back into your right leg. Until you can stand without help, I don't want you to leave. I will come back in a few minutes to check on you." He left then and went to check on another patient.

Jax looked at Brenda who was still standing at his right side. She nodded to him and he put his weight down. Again, his knee buckled on him, but once Brenda caught him, he was able to remain standing on it. He did what the doctor had said and began to gradually shift more weight to his right leg. By the time the doctor returned, he was able to stand with all of his weight on his right leg.

The doctor smiled at his quick progress. "Good, now that you've done that, I want you to take a step forward." He told Brenda to stay at Jax's side.

Jax shifted his weight back to his left leg and took a step forward with his right. Once again, he buckled under the weight. When he was standing again, Jax looked expectantly at the doctor.

The doctor handed Jax his crutches again and told him to use them until he was absolutely certain he could walk without them. He told Brenda to make sure Jax was fully capable before letting him go without them. She nodded and he told them that they were free to go.

Jax took slow steps toward the front doors, trying to step on his right leg. It was going to take awhile, he could tell. Finally, about fifteen feet from the doors, he gave up and took all weight off his right leg, bending his leg at the knee. He began to swing out the doors again. He would practice some more when they got home.

Once they returned to the penthouse, Brenda resumed her phone calls for the wedding after making sure Jax was okay. He assured he was and began taking small steps in a circle around the living room. He was determined to be strong enough for this by the end of the day.

Every once in awhile, Brenda would look up to see Jax hard at work, regaining his balance. She would smile and return to her phone call. They only had five days to get this stuff taken care of before the wedding.

Finally, Jax was certain he could put his weight on his leg and took several steps without the crutches. He kept them in his hands, but he had done it without them. Then he looked at his next task, the stairs. He tried one and nearly ended up on the floor. He walked them slowly with the help of his crutches. He was getting there.

Brenda was arguing with the florist about getting the yellow flowers she wanted instead of the white ones the florist was insisting on. She was getting more and more upset and her voice continued to raise into the phone. Suddenly, she was interrupted by a loud sound. She turned quickly to see what it was and dropped the phone to the cradle.

She ran to the stairs and found Jax at the bottom. "Jax! What happened? Did you hurt yourself?"

Jax sat with his legs straight out in front of him and he was massaging a spot on his left ankle. "I'm fine, Brenda. I just bruised my ankle on the wall when I fell."

"Why did you fall at all?"

"I was walking down the steps and my foot slipped off the second stair."

Brenda noticed his crutches were still at the top of the stairs, leaning against the wall. He hadn't been using them. She smiled at him. "Are you sure you're okay?"

Jax looked up at her concerned face and smiled. "I'm fine, I was just coming to tell you I was." He stood up and walked up and down the steps slowly to show her. He wasn't a hundred percent, but he was sure he would be in a little while.

"Oh, honey, that's great!" She walked over to him and wrapped her arms around his neck. She pulled his head to hers and kissed him passionately. Then, she walked away and went back to the desk.

Jax was shocked by her abruptness. "You know, you can't start something and not finish it."

"Oh, but Jax, I have to call the florist back. I accidentally hung up on him when you fell." She smiled sheepishly.

Jax laughed and walked up the steps to his office.

Three hours later, Brenda finally hung up the phone with her last call of the day. Everything was almost finalized for the wedding. She went to look for Jax. She had no idea what he had been doing while she'd been on the phone.

Jax was in his office. He had been looking at the travel arrangements he'd been making for their honeymoon. But he had stopped about an hour into the planning and had laid down on the couch.

That was where Brenda found him two hours later. His head was turned to the back of the couch and he was asleep. She laughed softly and kneeled beside the couch. She started at his jaw and kissed a path to his mouth, ending with a deep kiss that he couldn't help but wake up and enjoy.

He opened his eyes and smiled at her. "What time is it?"

"It's almost seven."

"Seven!"

She laughed, apparently, he hadn't planned on sleeping that long. "Are you hungry?"

He nodded and she got up off the floor to go call room service. Half an hour later, the food arrived and they sat down to eat. They sat in general silence for the meal and when they were done, Jax went over to sit on the couch. Brenda followed him and snuggled into his chest beside him.

Jax laughed at something and Brenda looked up. "What's so funny?"

"Oh, nothing." The way he smiled at her told her he was being coy.

"Jax, tell me."

"It's nothing."

"Jax…" Her voice took on a warning quality.

"What, Brenda?" He grinned as he teased her. "All right, if you really want to know what I was laughing about, it was this." He kissed her then.

When they finally broke apart, she looked at him. "From what I can tell, that wasn't anything to laugh about."

"No, but this is." He swooped her up in his arms and took off for the bedroom.

"Jax! Put me down! This can't be good for you!" She was laughing, but she was also very serious.

He placed her gently on the bed and stared into her eyes. "I can guarantee you, Brenda, that this is very good for me."

He kissed her and pushed her down on the bed. He covered her mouth with his and his hands began to move over her body. He made quick work of the shirt she was wearing and moved to her pants. When she finally lay before him in all her glory, he began to make a trail from her mouth to her chest and back again.

Brenda made her move when he moved back to her mouth again. She flipped him onto his back and pulled at his shirt tucked into his shorts. She removed it and discarded it to the floor where her clothes lay. She pulled back for only a second to look into his eyes before she began to work on his shorts. She kissed a line down his stomach to the waistband of his boxers.

Jax pulled her back to his mouth while her hands remained and worked on his boxers. Once they were removed, he rolled her over again and they took their game of passion to the next level.

When it was over, Jax lay sleeping next to Brenda. She kissed him gently on the lips and was rewarded with a smile in his sleep. She smiled and snuggled into his arms. Jax was back and he was hers again. He was finally healed.