| Some hours later they pulled up outside the B&B. They had all decided to have a big meal at Bessie�s, as Doug and Jack were in the middle of moving out of their cramped apartment into Gram�s old house. The owners had decided to sell it after never using it and Doug had seen it advertised. It was a simple act of fate and they both agreed it was the right thing to do. Never the less, it meant that the apartment was now a disaster zone. �You ready for this?� Dawson turned to Joey. She looked petrified at the prospect of this evening. �As much as I�m ever going to be,� �Okay, let�s go in,� As Dawson opened the car door Bessie appeared on the porch. The sight of her sister made everything seem better. �Bessie!� �Joey� Bessie ran down the steps and grabbed her sister. �I missed you so much!� They hugged tightly, Bessie noticing that Joey felt different. �Hey sis, are you putting on weight?� Bessie pulled away and looked Joey up and down. She looked different but she couldn�t put her finger on it. �Yeah, all that movie night Pizza with Dawson,� Joey lied, knowing that her sister was far too astute to not notice the obvious changes in her body since the last time they had meet. �Are you fattening up my sister for some reason Dawson?� Bessie cried over Joey�s shoulder at Dawson, who was unloading the bags from the boat of his car. �Yeah, I�m planning on using her as Marlon Brando stand in for the movie,� Dawson walked over the Bessie, smiling broadly. �Well, as long as it�s a good reason!� Bessie hugged Dawson, planting a kiss on his check. �Thanks for letting us have dinner here this evening.� Dawson said, pulling away and putting his arm around Joey. �Think nothing of it. The others are all here and I haven�t told them anything. By the way...� Bessie said as they reached the front door, �I am so glad things have worked out for the pair of you.� She smiled broadly and flung the door open. �Look who�s finally here!� Bessie shouted at the assembled bunch. The group spun around and rushed towards the couple, hugging and kissing the new arrivals. It was getting very overwhelming for Joey, who started to feel very claustrophobic. Finally the greetings were over and they all took to the sofas in the lounge. �So, how is the apartment hunting going Dawson?� Bessie asked, knowing it would prompt the pair into sharing their good news. �Umm, well it�s not really. We�ve kind of got an announcement,� Dawson stuttered, not happy he had to make this announcement this quickly. �Joey and I are back together� Everyone looked shocked. Shocked and silent. �Well, say something?� Joey ventured, looking over the faces of her friends. Jack and Andie had confused looks over their faces while she couldn�t put an emotion on what Doug was thinking. Suddenly Doug stood up and made his way over to Joey. �I�m so happy for you Joey, You deserve it,� Doug said, hugging Joey. �Thanks Doug.� Joey mumbled into his shirt, feeling a huge weight lift off her shoulders. �Congratulations Dawson. She�s a wonderful woman. You better look after her.� Doug said, moving on to Dawson. �I know and I will.� Dawson said, shaking Doug�s hand. Everyone else took it as their cue to jump into a group hug. Andie was squealing and grinning wildly, much the same as Jack was. Bessie looked on, watching the group of friends that had gone through so much finally share in a moment of happiness. In the jumble of hugs and kisses Joey�s handbag had been thrown across the room and its contents flung across the floor. Joey�s heart stopped, knowing what was in that bag. She quickly moved to find the sonogram before anyone else but couldn�t find it. �Joey, is there something you are not telling us?� she heard from above. Looking up she saw Jack holding the picture, with Bessie and Andie either side of him. |
| Don't leave home... Part two |