The Adventure Continues--Parts Four-Six

Weeks had passed, Jennifer’s magazine article was completed and the Harts were back into the normalcy of their lives. They were finally able to spend some time together, getting back some o the romance that was lacking so much earlier. Jonathan’s hours were not as long at the office and Jennifer was trying to plan a Valentine’s getaway for the two of them as a surprise. For quite some time she felt like she was fighting some bug inside of her. First it was just being nauseous and then it was just a lack of appetite. She pushed on trying to ignore the symptoms as they interrupted her day.

She pooh-poohed what was happening until she decided that she wanted to be 100% for the trip she was planning for Valentine’s Day weekend. She had made plans to whisk Jonathan away to London for a romantic week, staying at the Ritz. Chalking it up to early menopause she made an appointment with her doctor just to be sure.

"Jennifer, it’s been awhile since I’ve seen you," Dr. Stevens said. Mary Ellen Stevens had been her doctor since Jennifer had moved to Los Angeles 12 years earlier. "Tell me a little about what’s been going on with you."

Jennifer proceeded to explain the situation and insisted that she just needed a prescription and she’d be on her way. London was looking better and better every minute.

"Let’s do a simple blood test, just to be sure. You wouldn’t want me to send you off on your romantic vacation and have you be sick the entire time. This way I can rule out a few things. You’re probably right, it could be the onset of menopause. We really don’t have any hereditary findings to support at what age this could happen to you, what with your mother passing away at such a young age."

"Well, 42 doesn’t feel old, but I guess I have to face the music at some point, don’t I?" Jennifer mused.

The blood was drawn, Dr. Stevens gave her a general checkup and said that she’d know for sure later in the day. Jennifer gave the receptionist her cell number and asked her to call as soon as the results were in.

She ran some errands and prepared for the trip to London. She had the tickets, the rental car was taken care of, she even had Deanne clear Jonathan’s schedule for the week. Everything was set; it was going to be perfect.

She was jarred from her perfect dream when her cell phone began to ring. Sitting in her car in the parking lot of the shopping center, she began to talk to Mary Ellen Stevens herself.

"Wow, such service," Jennifer quipped. "I didn’t know that you made the phone calls yourself when it came to your patients."

"Well, I thought I’d better handle this one myself," she answered.

"That doesn’t sound very promising, Mary Ellen. Did you get the results of my test?"

"Why don’t you stop by my office before the end of the day and we’ll talk," Dr. Stevens told her.

Jennifer shot back, "Why? What did you find out? You’re making me nervous you know."

"There’s something I need to tell you about the blood test that I ran."

"Is there a problem? I can stop on my way home and pick up a prescription from the hospital pharmacy. You really don’t need to take the time to meet with me." Jennifer hoped that it was this simple.

"Jennifer, you don’t understand. Your blood test indicated that...I don’t know of an easy way to put this..."

"Please, just tell me." Jennifer bit her bottom lip as she waited to hear the horrible news. What was it?

"You’re most definitely not going through menopause," Dr. Stevens said. "You’re actually, positively pregnant."

Jennifer felt like a spear was shot through her chest. She said nothing into the phone as Dr. Stevens repeated the news.

"Jennifer, did you hear what I just told you?" she said. "You’re going to have a baby!"

Dr. Stevens realized the severity of the news that she had just passed on to her patient.

"Jennifer, I’m going to let you digest this information. Call my office by the end of the week to set up your first appointment. We’ll need to figure out just how long it will be before baby Hart will be due. And by the way...congratulations!"

The phone hung in Jennifer’s hand. She knew that her heart was beating, but no breath seemed to escape from her lips. I’m 42 years old, and I’ve just been told that I’m pregnant. It’s a mistake. I’ll just go in and have them redo the test. Women that are 42 years old don’t just find out that they are pregnant for the first time!

Her cell began to ring again as it sat in her hand. Aha! It had to be Mary Ellen calling back to tell her that the test was mistaken.

"Mary Ellen, I knew that it couldn’t be true...you know I almost had a heart attack!" Jennifer shot into the phone.

"Hi, darling. Who’s Mary Ellen?" It was Jonathan checking in to see how her day was progressing.

Jennifer was flustered as she tried to find the words to carry on the conversation. She muddled through it and hung up the phone. She knew that she had to get her thoughts together before she saw Jonathan this evening. She thought back to when exactly she had actually had a period. Was it December? She couldn’t remember and hadn’t been concerned, after all her periods were few and far between anyways. She shook her head, put the car in drive, and headed right to Mary Ellen Stevens’ office.

Jonathan and Jennifer were sitting in first class, holding hands as the plane coasted at the airport. Their flight was the beginning of what was to be a perfect vacation, Jonathan thought. He was so surprised when Jennifer picked him up from work on Friday morning and told him to cancel his plans. It was her turn to surprise him as they were off on another adventure in the beautiful city of London.

Jennifer found herself sleeping quite soundly on the trip, laying her head on her husband’s shoulder as she dreamed. Sleep had been her friend for most of this trimester as she entered her 10th week of pregnancy. She had yet to tell Jonathan and tried hard to hide her disgust of certain foods and smells. She wanted things to be absolutely perfect when she told him of their impending change. What would he say? Would he be happy? How was he going to handle this news? All she could think of was how Jonathan was going to react to the news that he was going to be a father later this year. September was a beautiful month, the change of seasons and crisp air brought many thoughts to Jennifer’s head. She couldn’t believe how nervous this had all made her. Just when you think your life is on auto-pilot, something comes your way that throws you for a loop. Well, this was going to be one long roller coaster ride.

She couldn’t help but think about all of those times she had indulged herself. She was usually so health conscious, but with the holidays--well, a few evenings of indiscretion weren’t going to hurt.

Jonathan Hart knew that this trip had been planned meticulously by his wife. He was constantly amazed with her ability to do so many things at once. Not only was she able to lend an ear to hart Industries problems, but she had her own career that tended to take on a life of it’s own. When Jennifer took on a project it was never halfway. With her it was all or nothing. He definitely got the feeling that she had pulled back somewhat when it came to her writing these past couple of months. Her editor had called a number of times trying to get her to take on some new writing assignments: Afghanistan, Somalia, and Beirut were high on the list. Not one to back down to an adventure, Jennifer had politely refused telling her editor that the timing just wasn’t right. Jonathan had tried to approach the subject, but Jennifer simply kissed him and thanked him for caring.

He gazed over at his wife, her head resting comfortably on his shoulder. He knew that the both of them really needed an escape from the hustle and bustle of Los Angeles. This trip was going to be a memorable one all right, and he was going to make sure that their time spent together would center only around the two of them.

Walking up the stairs of The Ritz Hotel, Jonathan and Jennifer held hands as the bellboy escorted them to their room. Handing him a tip and opening the door, the two lovebirds strolled into their suite and set down their things.

"Oh, Jonathan! Just look at this room. It’s been ages since we’ve been here...don’t the memories just come flooding back into your mind?" Jennifer exclaimed.

Jonathan pulled her close to his body as she peered out the window. His cheek rested against hers as they stared intently at the street below. She turned to face him with moist eyes, her arms wrapping around his waist in a life-affirming hug.

"Hey, what’s this all about?" he said as he gazed into her eyes.

"This is supposed to be a trip to remember, not one to make you tear up." He kissed her gently on the lips, waited for her reaction, and then kissed her again with passion.

Jennifer knew that this was a moment that would be perfect in which to tell Jonathan her news, but she was so caught up in his eyes, his lips, and the ambiance of it all. Her desire to be close to him took over as she succumbed to his advances. Slipping off her sweater, she dropped it to the floor and began to unbutton his dress shirt. The two of them continued to kiss, tongues entwined, as if their lives depended on it. No sooner had their shirts come off that Jonathan was laying his wife on the huge king sized bed. She lay on her back, pulling him down on top of her as he fumbled for his belt. Her breasts felt the need to be touched and suckled.

Jonathan slowly removed the straps of her lace bra, kissing her along her collar bone while doing so. Jennifer’s hands were everywhere, running through his hair while her legs parted to allow him to be even closer to her. Jonathan stopped and sat up on his haunches. He unbuttoned her pants, and pushed them down past her ankles. Looking down at her long legs, he smiled at the thong underwear she was wearing. God, this woman drives me crazy. Jennifer could see that he was deciding what to do next so she took his hands and placed them on her hips. Jonathan instinctively pulled her panties down past her thighs while admiring every inch along the way. Jennifer felt so incredibly sexy and wanted. She could tell from his state of arousal that she could make him explode with just one touch.

Jonathan placed his hands on either side of Jennifer’s body and put his entire weight on top of her. The two caressed and massaged each other wanting the feeling to last forever. In one motion Jennifer opened her legs, wrapping them around Jonathan’s waist. His penis seemed to have a mind of it’s own as it found the warm spot is was a magnet for. There was no turning back for either of them as Jonathan thrust himself inside of her, grunting as he did so. Jennifer’s feet rested on the back of his calves. A small gasp escaped from her throat as her eyes rolled back into her head. Her hands pushed on his buttocks as they found their rhythm, her hips lifting off of the bed to meet his needs. While throwing her head to the side and gasping for air, Jonathan took her legs and placed them in the air, resting them on his shoulders. Her heart was pounding as her husband continued his passionate dance. She held on for dear life as her moans reached a feverish pitch. This only made Jonathan work even harder. He moaned loudly as Jennifer tightened her vice grip around him, causing him to release deep inside of her. He collapsed in a heap on top of her, kissing her neck as his heart rate began to slow down.

"You are so, so incredible," Jennifer purred as her hand rubbed his back.

"We make a pretty good team, just the two of us, don’t we?" he smiled seductively.

Jennifer looked at him deeply as he rolled over onto his back, bringing her with him in one full motion.

"I have a surprise for you tonight, and you’ll never guess what it is," she lead him on knowing that he’d want to play twenty questions.

"Let me guess...you’ve made tee times for us at the club," he remarked.

"No, no silly. It’s better than that!"

"You’re taking me on a ferry ride on the river...only this time we won’t have to jump to get on board, right?"

"I’ll tell you what. Take a shower, get dressed and meet me in the hotel lobby. We’ve got a lot to do yet," Jennifer rolled off of him and bunched the sheets around her.

"I thought that we were going to lay in bed all day and make love...to me that’s a perfect vacation," Jonathan smiled thinking about the possibilities.

"Darling, please..." Jennifer answered. "You won’t be disappointed."

With that he made his way to the bathroom calling over his shoulder that her plans had better be damn good. She rolled her eyes and bit her lip hoping that everything was going to fall into place exactly as she had planned.

Feeling refreshed and full of exuberance, the pair made their way hand in hand down to the lobby. Hailing a taxi, Jennifer first took Jonathan to The Society Restaurant for a bite to eat. She waited to see if he would make the connection, but he seemed oblivious to the fact that this was where he took her on the "fateful" meeting in London. Feeling a bit despondent, she pushed on as they went to Churchill’s to listen to music and dance cheek to cheek. At one point she thought that Jonathan had remembered, but instead he complimented her on her choice of nightspots.

They left Churchill’s late in the evening, Jennifer’s plan slowly unfolding. She was bit miffed that he hadn’t put two and two together, but she knew that it all would make sense in a matter of time. She casually placed her hand on her stomach, trying to calm the butterflies that were doing double time. The taxi meandered through the streets of London, the night sky flooded with the bright lights and buildings. Jonathan could tell that Jennifer was getting exasperated with him as their evening went on. He loved tormenting her, knowing full well that she was trying to recreate their earlier days in London. The restaurant, the dancing...everything was perfect.

"Darling, have you ever had a sense of deja-vu?" he leaned in close to her ear and whispered.

"What?" she answered.

"I’ve just been playing with you all evening. I know what you’re up to," he smirked.

"You do?"

"You’re amazing, you know that? Just when I think that I have you all figured out you go and surprise me at the next corner," he replied.

Jennifer shrugged and tried to avoid his eyes. Jonathan used his finger to pull her face towards him in the taxi.

"If I died right now, I’d be the happiest man on the face of the earth. I love you so much," he said.

Jennifer knew that they had one more stop before the evening was over with. "Jonathan, I know that you think you have everything all figured out, but I have one more place I want to take you. Is that all right with you?"

"It’s not the jail house, is it?" he smirked.

"No, and I’m not going to discuss it with you any further," she blurted.

He smiled and took hold of her hand giving it a tight squeeze. The taxi pulled up along the eastbank of the River Themes, the water glistening as the lights of the city reflected off it’s ripples. The two figures got out of the car with Jennifer sending the taxi on it’s way.

"Do you remember when you proposed to me on this very spot?" Jennifer asked.

"I wasn’t sure that you were going to say yes," he said.

"I thought that people were going to drive off of the bridge when they saw your proposal hanging from the Tower Bridge," she giggled.

"That was a site to see, wasn’t it?" he replied, a smile spreading across his face.

Jennifer knew that the time was right and turned to face Jonathan in the moonlight. "I remember you telling me that we weren’t going to get in trouble on a weekly basis."

"We’ve fared pretty well together after all these years, haven’t we?" Jonathan grinned at her while rubbing his hands up and down her arms.

"We’re going to have to really be careful from here on out," Jennifer said. "Turn around."

Jonathan stared at her, genuinely surprised. "What?"

"Just do what I tell you, and turn around," she stammered.

Jonathan turned to face the bridge just as she had done so many years before. There were lights perched precariously along the top as four banner could be seen from the banks of the river:

The banners hung in the nighttime air as Jennifer peered around Jonathan’s shoulder to see his reaction. He was perplexed, but stood motionless. Another minute passed by before Jennifer finally went around he front of him and pleaded with her eyes. His own eyes were fixated on those banners almost as if he were still trying to figure out what this particular adventure was all about.

"Darling?" Jennifer inquired. "Are you okay?"

Jennifer began to get nervous as Jonathan continued to be speechless. His eyes finally changed direction and focused on the angel in front of him.

Jennifer sighed deeply. "What do you think of my surprise? I wasn’t sure what the best way was to tell you so I came up with this idea. I didn’t scare you did I? I...I.." Jennifer was at a loss for words as she carried on the conversation by herself. She decided to let him have his thoughts so she turned to walk slowly down the walkway, waiting for him to come to his senses. She hadn’t walked but a few steps when a husky voice called softly to her.

"Jennifer?" the voice croaked.

She turned to face him, seeing his pained expression. Her heart sank as she realized that the news that she had sprung on him was not having the effect she had hoped for.

"What are you trying to tell me? I need you to explain things to me because my heart is about ready to burst if it’s what I think it is," he was almost crying as he spoke.

"Well, I’m...I’m...oh, geez. What I’m trying to tell you is that you’re going to be a daddy," she sheepishly said.

With that Jonathan grabbed hold of his wife tightly as if to pinch himself to make sure this was all real. Tears of joy streamed down his face as he ran his hand through her hair, hugging her. Jennifer felt as though a weight had been lifted off of her shoulders with her husband’s reaction. She wasn’t quite sure how he was internalizing the news she had given him. They both stood in the moonlight, banners flowing, and tears trickling down their faces.

Of all the adventures they had encountered in their lifetime, this one was sure to be the most memorable. They walked hand in hand along the river knowing that a certain chapter of their lives was ending and a brand new one was beginning. A blessing in disguise was what this was at this time in their lives.

And so the adventure continues...