Title - Saying the Words Author - Nicky Rating - PG Category - JMPR Summary - Jarod and Miss Parker have a decision to make - keep running or face the demons from their past? Disclaimer - The characters aren't mine. I'm just using them for my own entertainment purposes. * * * * * * * * * * Chapter 29 * * * * * * * * * * Jarod tips up to the door and nudges it open with his foot. He sticks his arm into the doorway, waving around bouquet of roses. He's disappointed that she doesn't even seem to notice them. "Mara?" he says, walking the rest of the way into the room. He sees that she's just hanging up the phone and realizes that's why she didn't say anything about the flowers. When she finally looks up at him, her eyes light up with glee. "More flowers, Jarod?" she smiles, putting the phone back on the bedside table and holding her arms out to him. He gives her the roses, being careful not to scratch her with the thorns. "They're beautiful. Thank you." "Let me take them for you," he offers, dumping out the dying flowers he brought her yesterday and replacing them with the fresh roses. "If I stay here much longer, they're going to have to turn my room into a flower shop," she giggles. "Well, that won't be a problem," he grins. "A little birdie told me they're kicking you out of this joint today." "That's good," she sighs in relief. "I am so ready to get back to my own house and sleep in my own bed with my very own husband." She looks seductively at him and can see the desired effect her words are having on him. "He's ready for that too," Jarod's voice rumbles deeply. In two long strides, he's back across the room and sitting on the side of her bed. "He's more than ready, in fact." He leans down to her and captures her lips with his own, not wasting any time and diving straight inside. He gasps when she catches his tongue between her teeth and gently nibbles it. She alternates between biting and sucking his tongue, driving him crazier and crazier by the second. "You like that, huh?" she grins smugly at him, his eyes wild and face flushed. "Oh, yeah," he nods his head erratically, still flustered at the special treatment she gave his tongue. "Do I even want to know where you learned that trick?" "Probably not," she laughs. "So, who were you on the phone with when I came in?" he asks, trying to give himself a mental cold shower. There was no use getting himself all worked up with her still in the hospital. "I was making arrangements for Lyle's body," she tells him, her previous playful mood instantly sobering. "I want to send him home. He should be buried with my mom. No matter what he's done, he was still her child." "I understand," he assures her. "Lyle really didn't have much more choice on how his life turned out than we did. I'm just glad our life turned out like this. Despite how things started, we're finally together and we have a baby on the way. We're happy. I just wish . . . " "Wish what, Jarod?" She can see something is now troubling him. She grabs his hand and gently squeezes it, encouraging him to say whatever's on his mind. "What is it?" "This can't last. They're not going to let it. I'm not going to be able to keep you safe," he finally admits. "Lyle got so close. Too close. The next time, we might not be so lucky. The next time, we'll have . . . " He places his other hand on her stomach. "I know," she whispers, looking down and watching as he caresses their child. "But we can't give up. Not now. We're a family. And I'm not going to let them destroy that." "We can't keep running from them. I can't keep uprooting you. You're going to need to be settled before the baby comes." "You mean *we're* going to need to be settled, don't you?" she asks him with her voice shaking from trying to hold in her tears. Despite her efforts, a few manage to escape and she angrily swats them away. "Jarod? What are you saying?" "I'm saying that I don't know how or if I can protect you anymore." "So what? You're just going to leave me now?" she screams, more angry tears falling down her face. "No," he says quickly, just now realizing what she's thinking. He leans kisses her cheeks, wiping away the tears with his mouth. "I could never leave you. Never. You know that. Not if I had a choice. I was trying to say that I'm tired of running. I'm tired of looking over my shoulder. We can't give our baby a life like that. So I say that we should stop. Stop the running. Stop the hiding. Stop playing their game." "And how do you suggest we do that?" she asks skeptically. "We go home. Back to your house in Blue Cove. We find you a doctor. We put together the nursery. And we live our life. It'll be much easier keeping an eye on the Centre when we're right in their back yard." "That's too dangerous," she says, shaking her head. "We can't. What if they take you? Or the baby?" "You won't let them get our child," he smiles knowingly. "I won't let them get you either," she cries. "We might not be able to prevent that from happening," he whispers, his own tears starting to fall. "We both know that." He pulls her into his arms and hugs her tightly for a few minutes. He could tell she just needed time to think. Once she did, she would realize that this really was for the best. "When do we do this?" she asks, breaking the silence. "As soon as possible. We can make it back in time for Lyle's funeral." She just nods, pulling out of his embrace. She stares out the window for a few moments, still thinking about how life was about to change yet again. "Jarod, tell me everything is going to be alright." "Everything will be alright for you and for the baby. I think you two will be safe," he tells her honestly. "I can't promise anything else. I wish I could, but I can't. That's a chance I'm willing to take. And it's the best shot we have." The heavy silence is broken again by the doctor coming into the door. "Mrs. Wilson," he says cheerfully. "Looks like someone is about ready to get out of here." "Yes, it's time," she smiles politely at him. "It's time to go home." She looks over at Jarod and he nods his head, understanding the double meaning of her words. It really was time. Time to stop running. Time to go back. Time to make that old house a home again. For whatever time she has left with Jarod, she's going to be sure to make the most of it. * * * * * * * * * Sydney walks into the waiting room with a fresh cup of coffee. He was determined he wasn't going to let Celia spend another minute at the hospital. The woman needed rest and her body was beginning to demand it. He almost laughs seeing the tiny woman curled up in the chairs, fast asleep. "Celia," he calls to her, watching her eyes flutter open slowly. "Why don't you go home and get some rest? Those chairs don't really look all that comfortable." "I actually was," she tells him with a yawn. "Lisa is up visiting Kylie and Debbie's in there with her dad. I was going to give them both a few more minutes and them take both of them home early tonight. I think we all need a little break. Looks like you showed up just in the nick of time. I know Debbie will feel much better knowing her dad won't be here alone." "You've been a good friend, Celia," Sydney says warmly. "To Debbie and Broots. To Jarod and Miss Parker. These past few days have been terrible. But we all made it through with your help." "It's the least I could do," she says, getting distracted at something over his shoulder. "Speak of the devil." Sydney turns around and smiles at the approaching Jarod and Miss Parker. "Hey you two! Mara, you're back in plain clothes," Celia notices. "Does that mean you're getting out of here." "Yeah, my doctor just released me," she smiles. "We just stopped by to say good-bye," Jarod says. "Good-bye? You're just leaving the hospital, right?," Celia asks, confusion marring her face. "No, we're leaving Michigan," Miss Parker tells them. "Jarod and I decided that it's time to go back home." "To Blue Cove?" Sydney asks, eyes wide open. He can't believe they'd want to be anywhere near the Centre. "It's the only thing we can do, Syd," Jarod explains. "We can't run anymore. Not with the baby coming so soon. We have to make a stand. Draw a line in the sand, so to speak. Hopefully, they won't cross it." "Well, just know that I'm behind you, no matter what." "Thank you, Sydney. That means a lot. We're going to need all the support we can get," Miss Parker smiles. "Now if you all will excuse me, I need to go see Broots before we go. How's he doing?" "Not much better. He hasn't regained consciousness yet," Celia sighs. "I'll go in with you." The two women go into the room, leaving Jarod and Sydney outside alone. "Is this really the best thing, Jarod? What about the Centre? Aren't you worried about them getting to you? How did you convince Miss Parker to go along with this?" "Slow down, Syd," Jarod chuckles at all of the questions. But his mood was far from joyous. They're all serious issues that he's going to be facing soon enough. "Yes, I truly believe this is the best thing for us. No, I don't know what to expect from the Centre. And yes, I'm pretty sure they're going to want me back. But that's a sacrifice I'm willing to make for my family's safety. But like I said earlier, hopefully it won't come to that." "Jarod, I wish . . . " "I know, Sydney," Jarod interrupts. "I know. I wish so much that things could have been different. But if they were, I most likely wouldn't be standing here today with my beautiful wife and beautiful child on the way. What happened before was the past. It was a horrible past and a terrible way for a child to grow up, but I survived it. And I wouldn't change a day of it if the end result wasn't the same, if I didn't end up right here right now, finally living the life I've always wanted with the one person I've always wanted. We're together. We're in love. And we're . . dare I say . . . normal." Sydney can't help but smile. He's watched Jarod and Miss Parker all their lives. And never had he seen either of them with as happy as they are at this moment. It was the most rewarding feeling for him to see them achieve that. He's the closest person either of them has to a parent, and it does his heart good to know that despite what they've been through, they've finally found the thing that most people search their whole lives for without ever finding. "Just be happy, Son," Sydney says proudly, pulling Jarod into his arms. He hugs the man for a few moments until the door to Broots' hospital room opens up again. "Hey there stud, save some of that loving for me," Miss Parker teases. "Only for you, Honey," Jarod calls back to her with a laugh. "You ready to go?" "Almost," she says. She turns to hug Celia, sad now that she has to leave her. "Celia, take care of my moron in there. Tell him he has to get better so that you two can be my baby's god parents." "Mara," she gasps, surprised to be bestowed such a gift after only knowing her for such a short time. "I'd be honored. "Good. That means I'll be seeing lots of you," Miss Parker laughs before leaning over to whisper in Celia's ear. "Although, I have a feeling that wherever he goes, you won't be far behind. You two can make each other happy. Trust me on this." She smiles and winks at the blushing woman. She grabs Jarod's hand and looks up at him, letting him know she's ready now. "Sydney," Jarod says, offering the man his free hand to shake. "We'll see you soon. Come by for dinner when you get back to town. We'll cook out or something. I hear it's what normal people do." Sydney just laughs and rolls his eyes. Those two were about as far from normal as they could get. But so long as they're happy. That's all that really matters. As they get further and further down the hall, Sydney says a sincere prayer that they will be able to stay that way. They deserve to live their dreams. To be continued . . .