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Here's the next chapter.
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Chapter Three-Hundred-Sixty-One



“Hey Annabelle, how are you this afternoon?” Cyndi the receptionist in the hospital wing at Ramsey questioned when Annabelle walked in the door. Annabelle smiled at her some.


“I’m doing pretty good.”


“That’s good to hear. Doctor Johnson is in with a patient – he should be done shortly though.”


“How did you know I was here to see Steve?” Annabelle asked stupidly and Cyndi laughed.


“Well, since you’ve spent a great amount of time in this hospital in a coma, I wouldn’t expect you to return so soon otherwise smiling and well as you seem to be right now,” she replied.


“Oh. Right…” Annabelle replied, her face suddenly turning bright red.


“Besides, he also told me you were coming,” Cyndi added. “He said to have you take a seat right over there in those chairs.”


“Okay, thanks” Annabelle replied slightly embarrassed of herself and she went on over and sat down in the chairs. She sat there quietly for a few moments, when suddenly Jennifer entered the lobby. She was on her way down the hall when she caught sight of Annabelle in the corner of her eye and paused to look at her. She gave her a polite smile despite her personal feelings about her.


“Hello Annabelle…back so soon? How are you feeling these days?” She asked turning her whole body to face the woman she loathed just so she couldn’t see Cyndi’s sympathetic eyes watching her, though she could feel them on her.


“I’m doing pretty good.”


“Yeah, it seems like it…you are practically glowing. So, not that we don’t like you here or anything, but I couldn’t imagine what you would be doing here at the hospital” Jennifer told her and no matter how hard she tried to stay kind both Cyndi and Annabelle heard the rudeness in her words.


“Steven and I are going to hang out this afternoon,” Annabelle answered.


“Ah, I see.”


“Yeah…”


“Well, that’s great. I’m glad to see he makes time for someone,” Jennifer replied. She flashed Annabelle one last smile before turning and walking back the way she came.


“Jen, weren’t you just…” Cyndi trailed.


“No point in it now,” Jennifer muttered before disappearing around the corner. Cyndi looked back at Annabelle then just on time to see the confused expression on her face.


“What did she mean by that?” she wanted to know, and Cyndi shook her head.


“I’m just the receptionist honey…not my position to say,” she told her before looking back down at her computer trying to busy herself. Annabelle sat back in her chair looking down at her feet as she endured the sting of the venom in Jennifer’s words. What did she mean? she wondered to herself. We barely know each other. We were just introduced to each other one time…what could I have possibly done to make her so cold toward me? Just then Doctor Johnson came from the hallway that Jennifer had intended on going in and he smiled at the sight of Annabelle, his entire face lighting up.


“Hey.”


“Hey yourself,” Annabelle replied while smiling at him weakly. Doctor Johnson noticed the difference right away and frowned. Her smile happens to be one of his favorite features. He reached out and took hold of her hand and gently pulled her up and into his arms.


“Hey…what’s the matter?” he questioned as she nestled into him and let him wrap his arms around her protectively.


“Nothing, I’m okay” Annabelle told him flashing him another one of her weak smiles only making him frown even more. “Lets just get going…you don’t have all afternoon. Your house for lunch right?”


“Mhm,” Doctor Johnson answered worriedly and he allowed her to pull away from him, take his hand, and pull him from the hospital.


“Where is Julie? I thought the plan was to bring her a long?” He asked letting Annabelle change the subject but not letting it slip from his mind.


“I was going to, but she came home from school and the first thing she asked me was if she could spend the night at her friends house. She was all excited about it so I couldn’t very well tell her no. My mom has her and is going to drop her off for me.”


“It’s a little early for her to be getting out of school, isn’t it?” Doctor Johnson asked as the two of them got into his car. “It’s one thirty, doesn’t school end around two or three these days?”


“She had a dentist appointment,” Annabelle answered after fastening her seatbelt. she turned her head and looked out the window as Doctor Johnson pulled the car out of the hospital parking lot and headed for his house. The two of them were silent for ten minutes of the ride until Doctor Johnson couldn’t take it much more. As he stopped at a red light he reached over and took her hand into his own and he gently squeezed it.


“Anna please…tell me what’s bothering you.”


“Nothing.”


“I know its not nothing, you are never this quiet – and your smiles are all off, and its written all over your face.” Annabelle was quiet for a couple of moments before answering.


“I spoke to Jennifer today…just before you came out to see me,” she told him and she turned to look at him studying his reaction. Doctor Johnson stiffened somewhat and she noticed him twitch causing the nervous feeling in her stomach to intensify. “Is there something you need to tell me?” she asked softly.


“What did you two talk about?” Doctor Johnson questioned while concentrating hard on the road. She wouldn’t… he thought quietly to himself. She wouldn’t dare


“She asked me how I was feeling and I told her I was doing fine. Then she asked me well if that’s the case…then what am I doing at the hospital? She was trying to be polite but I could hear the rudeness dripping off of her words,” Annabelle began explaining. “When I told her I was there to see you and that we were hanging out this afternoon, she forgot all about being polite,” Annabelle continued on noticing Doctor Johnson become even more tense. “She then said to me…with so much venom in her words that she could be a snake if she wanted to…that she’s glad to see you make time for someone.” Annabelle waited for Doctor Johnson’s reply and after a couple of moments when she didn’t get one she spoke up again.


“So, it just makes me wonder you know? What could she have meant by that? And we hardly know each other – we were introduced one time that is it. So what could I have possibly done to make her hate me?”


“It’s not your fault Anna…” Doctor Johnson told her softly, still not making eye contact with her. “She’s not angry at you…she’s angry at me.”


“Well, I think I at least deserve an explanation of why since she seems to be directing it at me don’t you?” Doctor Johnson was silent for a couple of moments before answering.


“It all started when you were in a coma…” he began. “Jen and I…sort of had something going on. I don’t know what to call it since you can’t really call it a relationship…but there was something there.” He then chanced a brief look toward Annabelle’s way and saw her looking down at her hands quietly fiddling with her fingernails. “She was really into me…and I guess I liked her too but our feelings became known at a very wrong time.”


“Because of me?” Annabelle guessed.


“All I could ever think about the entire time you were in a coma was you,” Doctor Johnson admitted softly. “Brandon, Ashley, Brooke, and everybody kept urging me to leave the hospital and spend time with Jennifer but I couldn’t. Because I was hurting and stressing inside over the fact that you might not make it through that coma alive and I wanted to be by your side every waking second until you did. The only time I ever made time for her was when Brandon forced me to.”


“That isn’t fair,” Annabelle whispered fighting back the need to cry for Jennifer, as she suddenly fully understands why she is so cold toward her. She would be too if she had this great man right at the tip of her fingers when all of the sudden this bitch gets into a car crash in front of his hospital and steals his attention.


“I know its not…and believe me I feel horrible I do, but…”


“But nothing! I can see why you were so involved with me when I was in a coma because of Kayline and everything, but why didn’t you make time for her when I woke up? How could you lead her on like that? I can just imagine what she must feel!”


“Because if it was meant to be, Brandon and everybody wouldn’t have had to force me into making time with her, Annabelle.”


“That’s—“


“—I know it was horrible for me to hurt her like that and believe me I feel like an asshole, but I knew nothing could happen between me and Jennifer because somewhere a long the way of me stressing over you, I fell in love with you.” Annabelle froze in her seat and looked at Doctor Johnson in utter shock at his words.


“I…you…huh?”


“I fell in love with you, Anna…” Doctor Johnson whispered, before reaching over and taking her hand into his own once more and he squeezed it gently. “I could’ve fought it, I could’ve made things happen with Jennifer, but in the end it would’ve been you my whole heart truly wanted…and that wouldn’t have been very fair to Jennifer either, now would it? Either way I would’ve been a jerk.” Annabelle stared at him for a couple of moments in silence before pulling her hand away from his, scooting herself as close to her door as she could get, and she turned her whole body around as much as she could with her seatbelt on before looking out the window.


“The last thing I wanted to do was hurt her Anna…you have to believe me. Jen is an amazing woman and I like her very much. But its you I’m in love with so trying to make things work between me and her would’ve only delayed her broken heart for later. Which one would’ve made me an even bigger jerk? Sooner or later?” Annabelle didn’t answer and after a couple of moments when it became clear that she wasn’t going to, Doctor Johnson sighed and continued the drive to his house accepting that it’s going to be a quiet one.


~*~*~*~*~


“What would you like to drink? I have water, orange juice, apple juice, Kool aid, Dr Pepper – name your choice. AJ and I did a lot of shopping last night.”


“Water is fine,” Lindsey answered as she sat on the barstool and leaned comfortably against the counter.


“Coming right up,” Howie told her before pulling out a water bottle and handing it over before grabbing a Dr Pepper for himself.


“Now I want you to make yourself at home here okay?” he asked her while leaning against the other side of the counter and looking into her eyes with sincerity in his own. “This is your house now too, so anything you want you go right ahead and get it. Like I said Alex and I did a lot shopping so we have everything imaginable. I sort of made the mistake of setting AJ and Ryan loose in the store, so I’m sure we have every junkfood there is.”


“Okay,” Lindsey replied with a laugh and Howie grinned. “Does AJ live here too then?”


“He will be…he’s moving in tonight is that okay? We thought it would be the best thing for Laila. She’s grown very attached to him and she can’t sleep at night without knowing that he is just in the next room or downstairs. He’s like a security blanket that helps her feel safe. It would be bad to separate them; she would just scream the whole night every night. Trust me, I’ve been there. It’s not fun.”


“Yes of course it’s okay. Anything that keeps my baby girl happy is more then okay with me. Especially if he will help her reconnect with me…” Lindsey replied while looking down at her water sadly. Howie reached across the counter and took her hand into his own before delicately rubbing his finger over it.


“That’s the plan,” he promised her soothingly. “He’s really amazing when it comes to Laila – he even surprises me at how responsible he is with her sometimes. He has a special way of making situations easier for her without even trying, especially the traumatic ones. Just give her sometime to get used to you okay? She’s just a baby she doesn’t understand why you’ve been away for so long.”


“I feel so horrible doing this to her…” Lindsey told him while looking up at him, her eyes tearing up. “What kind of mother am I?”


“Everybody makes mistakes and goes through their hard times…the important thing is that you received help and you’re getting better. That’s the most important thing you could do for your children. They love you, Laila loves you and she always will. Just give her a chance to remember that.” Lindsey nodded quietly as a single tear slipped down her cheek and Howie reached out and brushed it away. “Why don’t we talk about what we’re going to do about making mommy strong, huh?” he asked and Lindsey shrugged. “Have you given any thought about maybe applying for a job? It would be kind of nice to make your own money and stuff…I think that’s a good first step.”


“I don’t know…” Lindsey replied softly. “I haven’t had a job since Rick was alive…I’m kind of scared of the thought you know? Its one step closer to going on without him.”


“I don’t think he would want you to quit living just because he can’t anymore Lindsey…I think he would want you to be happy and strong, not only for you but for your kids. They need that from you more then anything else right now, especially Ryan. He’s at the point where he really needs stability right now.”


“Yeah well…” Lindsey replied softly, looking away from Howie and avoiding eye contact at all cause. “That’s what he has you and AJ for. He’s doing just fine with the two of you.”


“But its not AJ or me that he wants, he wants his mother. You saw how badly he misses you…you aren’t trying to tell me that after seeing how he reacted to your reunion earlier that you’re just going to give up on him are you?” Howie asked patiently, reminding himself not to lose his temper. The two of them have done enough fighting and they were just starting to finally be on the same page.

“It’s just really scary…and tough…”


“I know…and it’s okay to be scared, but we’ll do it together okay? You tell me what you’re interested in doing and I will pick up the applications for you.” Lindsey sat there staring fixedly at her water bottle and Howie squeezed her hand gently.


“You aren’t forgetting your husband honey…I’m not asking you to do that. I could never ask you to do that because I can see how much you love him. I get that…you always will, and that’s okay. Nothing or no one can take that from you. But you’re just moving on with life…it’s okay to move on. I never had the privilege of knowing him but I think that’s what he would’ve wanted. When you love someone you want them to be happy am I right?”


“Yes…”


“Okay…so you make a list of everything you are interested in doing and I will pick up the applications.”


“Kay…” Howie gazed at her in silence for a few moments before going on.


“I will supply you with the money for now but as soon as you get a job I am taking you to the bank so you can open your own bank account. As soon as you have a stable amount of money and you are back on your own two feet again I want you to start providing for yourself. You can help AJ and I out with groceries and the bills, and as much as the two of us love those kids to pieces and love to spoil them, its time for you to take responsibility for them again now that you are better. We will always be here to help out in any way that we can…we’ll live in this house like one big happy family but we eventually want you to become their main provider again. Is all of this okay with you?”


“Yes that’s fine,” Lindsey replied. “I want to help out around the house in every way that I can and the faster I can be the mother of my children again, the better.”


“Good to hear,” Howie told her with a small grin and Lindsey smiled back slightly, feeling very happy that she gets to be apart of a family again.



~*~*~*~*~



Meanwhile at Doctor Johnson’s house, as soon as he had the homemade pizza in the oven and cooking exactly the way Brandon had instructed him over the phone, he went outside to the backyard. He walked over to the edge of the hill where the path to the beach starts and he found Annabelle standing down there. She is standing just where the water stops and she has her arms crossed over her chest as she stares out at the horizon and she is clearly still upset with him. Sighing softly he made his way down the path and crossed the beach to where she was. He walked up behind her and slid his arms around her waist from behind before kissing the back of her neck softly and resting his chin on her shoulder.


“Are you going to stay mad at me forever?” he asked sadly and she could hear the pout in his voice. “Please don’t punish me for loving you Anna. I don’t regret it one bit. I regret hurting Jennifer…I will always be sorry about that and I hope that someday she will find it in her heart to forgive me. God knows I don’t deserve it, but I hope she does because I care about her. But I wouldn’t give up loving you even if she paid me to.” Anna shook her head.


“I don’t deserve you…” she insisted softly and Doctor Johnson heard the crack in her voice.


“Are you crying?” he asked worried before gently placing his finger to her chin and tilting her head back so he could see her face. She rested the back of her head against his shoulder and sure enough she had tearstains running down both of her cheeks.


“How am I supposed to go on being with you knowing I stole you away from another woman right out from under her nose?”


“I was never really hers Anna…”


“No, but she obviously thought you were.”


“It wasn’t your fault…the situation was bound to happen whether anything worked between Jen and I or not. I know this will sound totally cliché but I truly believe it was fate that brought you to me.”


“Oh Steve don’t be ridiculous…” Anna scolded stubbornly even though she herself thought the same thing more then once.


“I’m serious. Think about it…your car crashes right in front of my hospital where I happened to be right there outside and all waiting for something to do. You were in a coma for weeks and the entire time I felt this pull toward you and couldn’t leave you even if I wanted to. You saw my little sister and she told you to tell me everything is okay causing this incredible bond that can’t be explained between us…that’s just way too much to be called a coincidence Annabelle. Someone from above obviously wanted us together.” Anna stood there quietly gazing up at him as more tears slipped from her eyes and rolled down her face and Doctor Johnson wiped them away before tightening his arms around her and hugging her close to him.


“Please…please accept me because I truly believe in my heart that you were gift wrapped and given to me for Christmas and I’m sticking to it.” Annabelle turned in Doctor Johnson’s safe arms that were wrapped protectively around her and she reached up and cupped his cheek in her hand before bringing his face down closer and brushing her lips lightly over his. Doctor Johnson tightened his arms around her and kissed her in return. He brought his hand up and combed it through her long brown silky hair before cupping the back of her head in it. After a few moments she pulled back, slid her arms around his waist, and rested the top of her head in the crook of his neck as he kissed her forehead softly and gazed out at the ocean. She nestled into him comfortably and silently thought about the situation. She feels sorry for Jennifer…responsible and even guilty, but at the same time she can’t deny the fact that standing in his arms at that particular moment feels right and there is no place she would rather be. After a few moments of enjoying each other’s company, Doctor Johnson remembered the pizza.


“Oh shit…” he muttered. “The pizza!” he exclaimed, before turning around and running in the direction of the house. Annabelle laughed hysterically at this.


“Maybe I should have made lunch!” She called after him.


“You may have to,” he told her while still running. Annabelle shook her head feeling highly amused as she watched him run up the hill and disappear in the yard. She took one last look at the beautiful ocean before turning and going after him. When she got inside she went into the kitchen and walked up behind him as he was tending to the pizza and she slid her arms around his waist. She rested her chin on his shoulder and looked at the pizza.


“Is it okay or should I prepare to take over?” She teased.


“Its fine,” Doctor Johnson laughed. “I came back just on time.”


“I thought you said you couldn’t cook to save your life?” Annabelle asked when she finally got a good look at the pizza and saw that it was perfect.


“I can’t,” Doctor Johnson chuckled. “Hence why I almost burnt it.”


“Well, call me crazy…but that looks and smells really good.”


“That’s because its Brandon’s recipe and I called him on the phone and had him walk me through it,” he admitted and Annabelle giggled at the sheepish expression on his face.


“Aww…don’t be embarrassed. I think it’s sexy that you wanted to cook for me.”


“Even when I almost burnt it?”


“That was my fault,” Annabelle insisted. “I distracted you. And anyway…you didn’t burn it. Id say that looks really good and I really wanna try it.”


“Are you sure?” Doctor Johnson asked self-consciously.


“I’m positive,” Annabelle replied. “Now cut that pizza and serve it Mister.”


“Okay, okay,” he laughed. “I’ll get us both some pizza but I want you to go pick out a movie of your choice and wait for me on the couch.”


“Of my choice huh?” Annabelle laughed. “I’ll have you know that I am the biggest fan of chick flicks.”


“Well, lucky for me we don’t have any” Doctor Johnson told her with a smug grin and Annabelle laughed. She hugged him close to her and nestled into him for a few moments more while kissing the back of his shoulder softly as her guilt over Jennifer slowly slipped to the back of her mind. Jennifer who? She feels bad that Doctor Johnson ditched her for her, but then again the selfish side of her can’t help but think well its not my fault I’m the one he loves. She’ll feel horrible for thinking that later, but right there and then under the influence of the gorgeous doctor who only has eyes for her, she can't help but take sides with the little voice inside her head that is telling her to go for it. Don’t be a fool, he wants you and you want him so what are you waiting for? But really, could anybody blame her?