Getting to The Truth
**GETTING TO THE TRUTH**
Chapter 68
"She's pregnant!"
"Who is?"
"Libby…that's who!"
Jax grinned broadly and grabbed his brother in a bear hug. "That's wonderful!"
"No it isn't!"
Jax dropped Jerry and stepped back, "It's not?"
"Oh….no…It's wonderful that I'm going to be a father. I can't wait! But Libby…well…I don't think she's too happy about it."
"What makes you think that?"
Jerry punched a pillow on the living room couch, "because the damn woman hasn't told me yet that she is pregnant."
Confused, Jax sat down in a chair opposite of his brother, "Then how doyou know she is pregnant?"
"I'm not an idiot…I know the signs…she's sick every morning…I caught her checking out her figure in the mirror…she's eating strange foods…I caught her reading a baby magazine…besides…I know her body as well if not better than she does, and that certain monthly occurrence has not happened in a while…if you know what I mean. Plus her emotions are all over the place. I never know from one moment to the next whether she's going slap me or hug me. Hormones running amok!"
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"I'm pregnant!"
"Libby…that's wonderful!" Mel exclaimed, then caught Libby's expression, "Isn't it?"
"Oh! I'm thrilled. I can't wait to see what Jerry and I can create," she laughed softly, then turned sad, "But Jerry isn't happy about it at all."
"I don't believe that," Mel rushed to assure her friend, "Jerry loves you with all his heart and soul. And I'm willing to bet my badge that he's thrilled with this baby. Now what did he say when you told him?"
"I haven't told him."
Mel looked confused, "then how could you possibly know he's not happy about the baby?"
"Just because I haven't told him doesn't mean he doesn't know. The man's not an idiot, even if I do tend to call him that all the time. He's observant as hell. He has to know I haven't had my period. And I've been dropping other little hints all over the place."
"What kind of hints?"
"Well….I've been eating weird combinations of food…sometimes it's enough to gag me, but I do it anyway, just to see if he'll say anything. And then there's the whole morning sickness thing. I feel perfectly fine…not a drop of morning sickness. But every morning I run to the bathroom like I'm on fire. And I fly off the handle for the least little thing just so he'll know that my hormones are out of whack…when I'm usually such a pleasant, calm individual."
Mel hid her smile at Libby's recitation.
"I'm constantly checking my figure out in the mirror…I've probably looked more in the mirror the last 2 weeks than I have my entire life. And I always make sure he'll catch me when I do so. I bought all these baby magazines and hid them all over the place where he would be sure to find them. If the man hasn't figured it out…he's a complete imbecile."
Mel laughed out loud, unable to hold it in anymore, "You two are priceless. Why don't you just tell him and be done with it."
"I don't want to do that."
"Why not?"
"Because…he'll put a stop to all that's fun in my life. No more chasing criminals. No more breaking into apartments. No more nothing that's fun. The man will buy me a ball of yarn, have my butt glued to a chair and expect me to knit booties until the baby comes."
"Oh Libby!" Mel laughed, "I don't think Jerry is going to take away all those things that he loves most about you."
"I wish I could be certain of that. The man really is a Neanderthal in some ways," Libby said, then started biting her thumbnail, "I wish I knew how he felt about this baby."
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"She's doing this on purpose…you know," Jerry said with disgust.
"Doing what?" Jax asked patiently.
"Driving me insane!!! Why won't she just admit she's pregnant, I can try to put all her worries to rest, then we can go out and buy out the baby store. But no…the damn woman has to be obstinate…infuriating…"
"Beautiful…smart….loving…." Jax supplied.
"Headstrong…mean-spirited…stubborn…" Jerry continued.
"And maybe just a wee-bit scared to death that life is going to change in a big way for the two of you…"
"What?" Jerry's head whipped around to Jax.
"I said…maybe she's scared. Let's face it…a baby changes everything No matter how much you want it. No matter how much you love it. Your lives will never be the same. And you certainly haven't been helping much with all your A wife shouldn't act like that speeches you've been giving lately."
"Can you blame me?! She nearly got herself killed!" He swallowed hard, "I can deal with anything except that."
"Then maybe you should tell her that instead of making her see red by telling her what she can and cannot do."
Jerry looked at Jax, "Is that what you do with Mel?"
"I love Mel…with all my heart. And I don't want to lose her. So I discuss my concerns with her…I don't tell her how to live her life."
Jerry rubbed his face, "Hell Jax, I don't do that with Libs. I love that spontaneous side of her. I love never knowing what she's going to do next. I don't want to keep her from being herself. I just don't want her hurt or dead."
Jax laughed, "You sound like Dad. He gave me the same speech when I was in the hospital."
"He did?"
"Yeah…maybe you ought to tell Libby what you just told me."
"Maybe I will"
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"I swear if I have to see one more house...I'm going to scream and never shut up," Libby exclaimed. Her conversation with Mel having changed from babies to houses. "Jerry and that damn Realtor have dragged me through half the houses in Port Charles."
"I can't believe that there isn't one house in Port Charles that you don't like."
"I didn't say that."
"Then why don't you buy it?"
"Because it's not for sale."
Mel thought a moment before the light went on in her eyes, "Jax's house."
Libby nodded, "I love that house. From the moment I stepped into it, it was home."
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"Where are you going to put the stuff?" Jax asked curiously.
"What?" Jerry looked at him confusion.
"You said that as soon as Libby tells you about the baby you are going to buy out the baby store. I just wondered where you were going to put all the stuff?"
Jerry grinned at him, "Are you trying to tell me it's time we moved out of your house?"
Jax laughed, "No...you know the two of you are welcome to stay here as long as you like...even with baby. I just wondered which room you wanted as the nursery. I'm ready to start buying stuff for new Jacks baby. I'm going to spoil the kid rotten you know."
Jerry laughed, "You spoil everyone rotten. Why would my daughter be any different?"
"Your daughter huh?"
Jerry grinned, "Yep...can't you just picture her...a little golden haired girl with her mother's beauty and pension for getting into trouble?" He leaned back and pictured it in his mind, "I can't wait."
Jax snorted, "Yeah, I can see it now...she'll have you wrapped around her finger, and you'll let her get away with murder. I can already see that Libby is the one that's going to have to be the disciplinary parent."
The two brothers grinned at each other.
"Getting back to your question...Libby is the one dragging her feet about the new house. She finds fault with all of them. I've been thinking about buying some land and having her design the house of her dreams."
"Good idea. Where you thinking of building?"
"Welllllllll...." Jerry grinned mischievously, "there is that lovely piece of property on the other side of the Quartermaine property."
Jax laughed, "That ought to put the old man in the grave."
Jerry's eyes twinkled, "Hmmmm....I never thought of that," he said innocently.
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"Hello Ladies!" Jax said brightly as he entered Mel's apartment. "Telling secrets?"
Libby jumped up guiltily and laughed, "Would we tell you if we were?"
"Hmmm...ask a stupid question...."
The two ladies laughed. Libby grabbed her purse and headed for the door, "I guess it's back to face the Neanderthal." She waved at the two of them and left.
"What was that all about?"
Mel looked at him innocently, "I have no idea."
"Yeah right," Jax said disbelieving, as he bent and gave her a quick kiss, only to decide to deepen it. He pulled his lips away slightly, "Ummmmm, you taste good."
Mel licked her lips, "Want seconds?"
His lips lingered over her's, "I thought you would never ask," he whispered as his lips captured her's again. A few minutes later he pulled back and smiled at her, "Hungry?"
"Mmmmhmmmm," she murmured as she tried to pull him close again.
He laughed and stood up, "I meant...hungry for food."
Mel laughed as she grabbed her crutches and stood up, "Spoil sport"
He slapped her playfully on the butt, "You're the one that's spoiled."
She looked at him over her shoulder with a sexy pout.
He shook his finger at her, "Nope...that look isn't going to work. I'm starving."
She sighed disappointed, "Ahhhh...they always say sex is the first thing to go."
He laughed, "Quit pouting and let's find something to eat. Or do you want to go out?"
"I'm sure we can manage just fine here."
The two worked side by side in the small kitchen cooking angel hair pasta with a light cream sauce and a green salad. Then Jax made Mel sit down while he carried their dinner to the table. The two ate in companiable silence, for a few minutes before Jax finally raised his eyebrow at her, "So...are you going to tell me what you and Libby were talking about?"
She shook her head, "I'm sworn to secrecy."
"Ahhhh...and I don't suppose I could make you break that confidence."
"Nope"
"Not even if I tell you a secret."
"What's the secret?" Her eyes flashed excitedly.
Jax laughed, "Nope...not til you divulge your secrets first."
She laughed, "I see we are at an impasse."
"Looks that way," Jax said as he took another bite.
She watched him, biting her lip, and decided to do a little fishing, "So...what did you do with your day?"
"I did a little business...but mostly...I talked to Jerry."
"Oh really?" She tried to not to show her interest, "And what did Jerry have to say."
Jax grinned at her over his glass, his eyes lit with humor, "Oh, a little this and a little that."
"Ohhhh...how little?"
"Ah HAH!!!"
"Ah Hah, what?" Mel said, digging into her food with gusto once again.
"She told you."
"Told me what?"
"That she's pregnant."
Mel laughed with delight, "And I suppose that Jerry told you that?"
He looked at her with both eyebrows raised, refusing to say another word until she confirmed what he had stated. After a few moments, she finally relented.
"Okay, Okay...she told me."
Jax grinned at her, "So did Jerry."
"So how does it feel to about to become an uncle?"
"I can't wait. It's about time we had some new blood in the family. I think Dad is tired of our shenanigans."
Mel laughed, "I have a feeling John will be over the moon." She sobered a little, "But you aren't going to tell him, are you?"
"Well...the way Jerry and Libby are going about it, she'll be delivering the baby before she finally tells him she's expecting."
Mel laughed and nodded, "She's not sure how he feels about it?"
"Jerry's worried that Libby's not happy about it."
Mel rolled her eyes, "I think Libby would be ecstatic if she could just find out how Jerry feels about it."
"Well....maybe, she'll tell him tonight. I think he's going to broach the subject of having her design the house of her dreams. Would be the perfect time for her to mention a nursery that will be needed."
Mel choked a bit, "What?"
"Oh...Jerry is getting a bit frustrated with how Libby is finding fault with all the houses they are looking at. So he decided he would buy some land and have her design her dream house."
"Ummmm....Jax...."
"What?"
"I know why Libby is finding fault with all those houses."
"Why?"
"Because she already knows the house she wants."
"Well Jerry will be glad to hear that. Although, I was kind of looking forward to seeing Edward Quartermaine's face when he found out that Jerry was going to buy the land on the other side of him." He grinned at Mel, relishing the picture in his mind. "So which house is Libby wanting."
Mel took her time, wondering how best to broach the subject, and finally just spit it out, "Your house"
"My house?" Not sure he heard her correctly.
She nodded slowly, watching his reaction.
"My house" He stated simply.
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End of Chapter 68
HollyJo