"Annie?"
"Can you hear me?" A familiar deep voice asked softly.
The gentle caresses on my face and the call of my name drew me out of the darkness bit by bit till my eyelids parted.
"Hey?"

I saw him.
Lying next to me, his eyes focused on my face as if he were studying me.
The emptiness in his blue pair sent small waves of confusion throughout my body. But they suddenly lit up upon noticing I was awake.

"Annie," he breathed relieved, before edging closer till his lips were pressed lovingly on my forehead. "How are you feeling?"

"I...I...my head, it hurts."

Jack smiled moving his hand to cup my face.
"I'll call in the doctor."

His words, they felt...empty.
He was there.
He was back.
And yet...

Why did he feel so alien?
Why did he feel different?
Normally, he would have been prepared for such a situation. He would not need to call a doctor. He was the most reliable man in my life. He was ever prepared.

I frowned, but slowly covered it with a light smile. "May I have some water?"

"Sure," he agreed, before getting up.
Under my slightly confused gaze, Jack pressed the summoning button on the wall.
"Send in the doctor, and some water for the lady of the house."

After addressing me so strangely, he glanced over at me and an attractive smile surfaced. He looked so damn gorgeous.
That smile. Those eyes. That face.
He was indeed my Jack, so why was there a conflicting worm wriggling in my heart?

When he was done, he came to sit beside me. With the same charming smile on his face, he picked my hand between his and rubbed my knuckles delicately. "You look more beautiful than the last time I saw you."

A shy smile formed on my lips. "And you seem to have learned how to flirt openly."

He lowered his mouth and kissed my knuckles like a gentleman. "Anything to make you smile so adorably."

I chuckled, throwing my gaze elsewhere after it became impossible to stand his.

His body moved, and when I glanced at his side, I half collided with his face. "You look so damn cute when you're blushing," he whispered, how warm breaths mingling with mine.

"I...I'm not," I lied in a constrained voice as the pressure of his closeness stirred my heartstrings.
I had missed him so much. And now that he was right there with me, I suddenly had no idea what to do with him.
As my head began to turn away, Jack's thumb halted any movement by my chin. And without any notice, he buried my mouth with his, knocking out the air in my lungs.

The feel of his skin against mine.
The taste of his tongue in my mouth.
The vibration of my heart pounding.

Gawd!
It all felt like a dream.
A lovely dream that I would never want to wake from.

He paused for us to catch some air.
And in his panting breaths, he whispered, "Let me keep your lips wet before the water arrives."

I laughed a little, raising my right hand to his face. The feeling of his skin, beard, lips, hair, all made my smile deepen and my heart flutter.
"You're really here," I whispered emotionally.

"Yes, darling. I'm back."
With that confirmation, I slipped the hand on his face to his neck and drew him to my lips for another bonding kiss.

There was some warmth radiating from the kiss and spreading out to the rest of my body, but it didn't feel the same as before.

*Knock-knock*

Jack grunted on my lips, before withdrawing. "We'll pick it up later."

I pressed my lips together and nodded innocently.
My man was back. I could let down my shield and be his little girl once more.

***********************

"I asked them to make you this," Luke said picking the blue cup next to the empty glass from the tray sitting on the night table.

I stared at it as he handed it to me.
Luke laughed assuring me, "It's not bitter I promise."

Ah Luke, always guessed what was on my mind without me speaking it out.

Like a good patient, I quickly drank the concoction and handed him the empty cup.
He praised me as usual, before setting the cup on the tray.

"He asked if you're pregnant."

"Huh! Who?"

Casually, Luke slid off his white gloves and tucked them in his briefcase. "Who else?"

Something suddenly snapped inside me. A dreadful feeling crept into my soul for no reason.
I knew what Luke was trying to do. He never liked Jack from the very start, and blamed him for the misfortunes in my life.

"Oh! And what did you-"

"Of course I didn't tell him anything. This is your news to break it to him. I'm sure he'll be happy to know that his second baby is healthy."

"Luke! Don't!" I snapped.

"Sorry... Well, I'll see myself out. You need to rest more. And, about that alcohol, you need to stay away from it. Half a glass of wine if you must drink."

As usual, Luke offered endless advice regarding my health before leaving the room. Only then did my breathing go back to normal.
I exhaled deeply, calming the fire in my lungs.

In the stillness of the large bedroom, my mind pondered over Luke's revelation.
Jack had never asked me anything about getting pregnant before. I was certain he would be elated to know I was pregnant, but him asking about it before I could hint it left a strange feeling in my chest.

I had had sex with him before that night with Zack. But there was still a possibility that the baby could be either.

Courage.
Where would I have the courage to open up about such a thing to Jack?
The story felt so similar to what happened between Pattie and him.
How would he react?
Would he leave me if the baby turned out to be Zack's?

But before that, where would I gather the courage to carry out a DNA test?
I needed to be sure whose child I was carrying. Not that it would affect the bond I'd later create with it. I just needed to know.
Or maybe it would be better not to search for the truth and just declare Jack as the dad.
Even if it was Zack's, what would later matter would be how I'd raised it when it came into the world.