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Jasper stood and stared down at her. His Jennifer. The woman who’d just admitted to not only trusting him but to loving him. Was this real? Was this true? He hoped it was. He hoped so with all his heart.
Right now, though, she needed him and there was no way on this earth that he was going to let her down. Knowing his parents had enough to deal with in supporting Megan, he called Sara to let her know what the situation was.
‘Of course I’ll keep the girls overnight. They’re fine. Don’t worry about them. Perhaps having a sleepover will make up for the fact that they didn’t get to walk down the aisle today. They’ve still been practising.’
‘Oh, my crazy, darling daughters.’ Jasper couldn’t help but smile at this news.
‘You just take care of Jen. She needs you, Jasper.’
‘I know.’ He nodded as he looked towards her bedroom. ‘And I need her just as much.’
Jennifer woke with a start. She was positive she’d slept through her alarm, that she was late for work. Was it her first day on the job? No. She’d been back in Parramatta for some time now. She frowned and went to lift the covers off her body and discovered it was almost impossible to move. Everything ached. She lay still, trying to remember. Had she been in an accident? Was she in hospital?
She slowly opened her eyes and looked around. She was in her own room. She relaxed a little and lay silently for a moment, desperately trying to remember. It was then she realised she wasn’t alone, the breathing of someone next to her almost echoing around the room. Her heart thudded wildly as she forced herself to move and was momentarily surprised at seeing Jasper lying next to her…still dressed in the trousers and shirt he’d worn to his sister’s non-wedding.
And then she remembered. She was sick. She never got sick but here she was—sick—and Jasper had taken care of her. There was a weight around her waist and she realised he had his arm over her, and although she was beneath the covers and he was on top with a blanket half over him, she’d still somehow snuggled up to him as they’d slept.
‘Hi.’
Jennifer’s gaze flicked up to meet his. He hadn’t moved but his eyes were open and his lips were curved into a caring smile.
‘How are you feeling? Any better?’
Jennifer opened her mouth to talk but coughed instead. Turning her face away into the pillow, she moaned.
‘That good, eh?’ Jasper chuckled and lifted his arm as he sat up. Jennifer felt instantly bereft at his departure. ‘Let’s get some more paracetamol into you.’ He checked his watch. ‘Yep, you’re about due for another dose.’
It was then she remembered him waking her up every four hours and making her swallow pills. She remembered him sponging her forehead with cool, refreshing water and also taking her temperature. When he returned, she didn’t speak until after she’d taken the pills.
‘Thank you.’
‘For?’
‘Staying.’
Jasper sat on the bed beside her and brushed a strand of hair away from her face—her glorious hair which now bounced around her face and shoulders. ‘How could I not stay when you begged me so charmingly not to leave you?’
‘Did I?’ Jennifer closed her eyes as she recalled holding his hand against her cheek and asking him not to go. ‘Oh, I did.’ She groaned and sunk deeper into the pillows.
Jasper laughed again. ‘Don’t worry, Jen. I wasn’t going anywhere.’
‘The girls.’ Her eyes snapped open.
‘They’re fine. They’re with Sara. And if you’d like a further update, when I called to check on them earlier, they were busy making bread rolls and planning to make Sara’s boys marry them later on just so they could walk down an imaginary aisle.’
Jennifer tried to laugh but every muscle in her body seemed to scream with agony. Added to that, she ended up coughing.
‘Rest.’ Jasper once more came forward to kiss her but she pushed him away. ‘Ah…that doesn’t work, Jen.’
‘You’ll get sick,’ she said between coughs.
‘No, I won’t. In fact, in kissing you, I might just be passing on some good antibodies to help fight the good fight.’
‘That’s rubbish.’
‘I know, but I’m the doctor and you’re the patient and what I say goes.’ He stood, leaned over her and kissed her full on the mouth. ‘Now rest.’
And that was how the day progressed with Jennifer sleeping most of it away while Jasper took care of her. It was close to eight o’clock on Sunday evening when she started feeling as though she had a little more energy.
It was then she was able to fully comprehend that Jasper had not only taken out her intricate hairstyle but had removed her clothes. It was true that she was wearing a red nightshirt he’d obviously found in one of her drawers and she was pleased he’d not left her to sleep just in her underwear. Still, the realisation that Jasper had undressed her was one that warmed her cheeks.
