Later that night, after Jordan had went to her mom’s place and told her the news, she drove over to Krista’s. She got out of her car and went up to the door and knocked. A minute later Krista opened the door with the phone in her hand.
“Justin can I call you back? Jordan just came over and we need to make plans for something.”
“Sure, I’ll talk to you later okay?”
“Okay, bye,” Krista said and then hit the off button on her phone. “Hey Jordan, come on in,” she said as she opened the door wider. "How did your mom take it?"
"Not so great, but I think she is going to be alright. You didn’t tell Justin did you?”
“No, I didn’t.”
“So I take it that you know that they are coming over the day after tomorrow.”
“Yea, Justin called me to tell me. He and JC are excited.”
“Kris how am I gonna tell JC?” Jordan asked as she sat on the couch and put her head in her hands.
“I can’t tell you that. It’ll come to you though.”
“What if it scares him off?” Jordan asked with much concern. Scaring JC out of her life was the thing she worried about most.
“I don’t think you will. I truly think that he loves you Jordie. He wouldn’t leave your side when you need him most.
“I hope not,” Jordan said and then they both sat in silence.
Two days later Jordan sat on the bed in her room and read through a magazine. She was about to run down stairs to get something to eat when she heard the doorbell ring. She trotted down the stairs to get the door. The last two days had really put Jordan make to herself. She wasn’t sitting around mopping. She didn’t want to spend the rest of her life like that.
She put her hand on the doorknob and turned it. She opened it only to find JC standing there with a rose in his hand. She stood on her tip toes and leaned in for a hug and a brief kiss. “Well hey you!” she exclaimed. “You didn’t tell me you were coming over yet.”
“I wanted to surprise you,” he said. “We have the whole day together. I don’t have to do anything until tomorrow at four.”
“Wow! That’s great. Uh, come on in,” she said and took the rose in which he handed her as he walked past her and into the house.
“It’s beautiful,” she said and pulled the rose up to smell it.
“So are you,” he said and pulled her close to him.
She blushed and said, “JC, I ... I ... I was gonna go get something to drink. You want?” She chickened out. She was going to tell him that she needed to talk to him about something, but she couldn’t do it yet. Not right when he got there.
“Yeah, can I have a water?”
“Sure. Uhm, go ahead and have a seat. I’ll be right back.”
“Alright,” he said and then sat down on the couch.
Jordan walked into the kitchen and leaned against the counter. She knew that she needed to tell him. She couldn’t wait all night. She poured each of them a glass of water and then walked back out into the living room. JC was sitting on the couch with his head rested on the back of the couch.
“So, how was your trip?” she asked as she sat next to him and handed him the water.
He slowly brought the glass to his lips and then said, “it was good. The guys were all pretty wore out, so they didn’t bug the whole time.”
“That’s good.”
JC looked at Jordan and noticed the distraught look on her face. “Jordan, is something wrong?” he asked.
She looked at him and then set her glass down and said, “JC... I .... I have to tell you something.”
JC looked at the seriousness on Jordan’s face and said, “baby, what’s wrong?”
“JC, I went to the doctor the other day...”
“Are... are you okay?”
She hesitated and then said, “not exactly.”
JC turned more towards her, grabbed her hand and said, “Jordan tell me what’s wrong.”
Jordan closed her eyes and said it. “JC, I have cancer.”
JC was speechless. He knew that she couldn’t have cancer. He was falling in love with her and wanted to be able to have the option of spending the rest of his life with her. “What do you mean? Is it really serious? Can it be fixed?”
“It’s liver cancer,” she said and then opened her eyes and looked back up at him. “I’m not going to live through it.”
“How can you say that?” he said in a somewhat irritated tone. “Are you just going to give up?”
“JC...”
“There has to be something they can do. Did you ask?”
“A transplant is my only option right now, and I have AB negative blood... it is going to be almost impossible to find me what I need this soon.”
“What about chemo?”
Jordan stood up and looked down at him. She shook her head, “I won’t do chemo.”
“But Jordan it could save your life,” he said and stood in front of her. “If it’ll make it an easier I’ll stay here with you while you go through it.”
“That’s sweet of you to offer. But it is an option that I have ruled out. JC I watched my father go through it, and I watched what he went through, and then I watched him die. It only made him weaker.”
JC didn’t know what to say. He didn’t want to upset her by pushing the issue. “Jordan I will stand by your side with whatever you choose to do. I am not going to let you go through this alone.”
Tears filled Jordan’s eyes after she heard him say that. She was so afraid that he would leave her. “I was afraid you wouldn’t want to be with me if you knew I was going to die.”
“Jordan, I .... I ... I want to be with you. You mean a lot to me and I am not going to leave you stranded just because times get hard.”
“JC I want to spend as much time with you as I can. I have some time left, but I want to share it with you. I don’t want to leave with the regret of not being with you as much as possible.”
“I’m here now aren’t I?” he said.
Jordan leaned in closer to him and said, “hold me.”
“Always,” he said.
Later that night JC and Jordan decided to chill out and watch a movie. After Jordan had told JC what was going on with her life, they spent the rest of the day relaxing in the spa and swimming around in the pool. The two of them situated themselves in front of the movie case and tried to find a movie to watch.
“What do you wanna watch Jordan?” he asked.
She put a finger to her chin and said, “Hmm, I dunno.”
“Well I chose last time so this time it’s your turn.”
“Hmm, fine,” she said and pulled a movie off the shelf. “Talented Mr. Ripley.”
“Uhm, alright. If that’s what you want.”
“You hate it?”
“No, I didn’t say that,” he said in his defense.
“Good, cuz I like it,” she said back with a smile.
“Good, then it’s what we are watching.”
The two of them sat back on the couch after the movie was put in the VCR. Jordan cuddled close to JC and he had his arm wrapped around her. JC felt comfort with her in his arms. He didn’t want to ever let go of her. He felt like she had grown into a part of him since they met. He almost couldn’t imagine life without her.
When the movie was over JC looked down at Jordan and noticed that she was fast asleep within his arms. He didn’t want to wake her up, but he figured he could get her to her room without waking her up. So her placed his other arm underneath her legs and picked her up like you would a child. He help her close and then made his way up the stairs.
When he got to her room he laid her on the bed and looked down upon her. He sat on the side of the bed right next to her. He ever so lightly brushed a piece of hair off from the front of her face. In almost a soft whisper he started to sing part of a song he knew very well...
Hold on to the night
Hold on the memory
If only I could give you more...
Well, I think that I've been true to everybody else but me
And the way I feel about you makes my heart long to be free
Every time I look into your eyes I'm helplessly aware
That the someone I've been searching for is right there
Hold on to the night
Hold on to the memory
I wish that I could give you more ...
JC then sofly whispered the sweet words, “I love you.” He started to stand, but then just continued to look at Jordan lying so peacefull on the bed. Somewhere on the way up the stairs Jordan woke up, but she kept her eyes closed and just enjoyed the moments of being within JC’s stong hold.
Just as JC was about to turn and leave Jordan to sleep, she said, “I love you too,” in a whisper. JC turned but didn’t know what to say. He just smiled and continued to stare into her beautiful eyes.
“I’m sorry that I woke you,” he said.
“It’s alright,” she said back. JC walked back over to her and sat next to her again. He brushed his hand over the side of her face. “Stay with me?” she said and ran her fingers along the bottom of JC’s stomach, right above his jeans.
“You know I will stay with you as long as you want me too.”
She looked up at him and then slowly undid the buckle of his belt. “Be with me?” she said ever so softly.
JC looked down and saw that she was slowly and gently unzipping his jeans. “Jordan...” he started to say.
“I’m sure,” she finished his thoughts before he even expressed them. With that being said, JC slowly leaned down and captured her lips with his. Her body pressed against the matteress as JC’s body covered hers. The room was dark and the only things they could see were each other.