Johanna stared down at the pregnancy test in her shaking hand; she was sitting on her toilet, her nervousness weakening her legs. It had been two months since she had last gotten her period, and she had at last gotten the courage to buy the pregnancy test. She had to be careful, buying it that morning after Billie left home to go to the agency. She had told Billie she'd decided to stay home and work from there. Billie had taken her reasoning without question and had left Johanna after a long and tender making-out session. As soon as she was sure Billie arrived at the agency, Johanna had run out of the house and gone to the pharmacy to buy the pregnancy test.

Joseph had been calling her every day asking after her, but Johanna had told him she was afraid of checking with a test. He had finally convinced her that if she wanted to know, she had to do the test, and joked that he was running out of supply. They'd been meeting every week at her house, him supplying her with the seed needed and she injecting it after he left her alone. Billie never suspected a thing, and she never questioned the fact that Johanna would disappear from the office every Wednesday morning for the past couple of months, at least not aloud to Johanna.

Johanna watched the blue line begin to fade in, and she felt a tear slide down her cheek. She was emotional, and the anticipation was killing her. At first, when a minute had passed, she thought that the test was negative. But as the clock moved to two minutes the line began to turn into a plus sign and remained. Tears of joy filled her eyes and spilled down her cheeks. She dropped the stick and buried her head between her hands. Sobbing softly, she let go of all the anxiety and nerves that had plagued her for the last couple of months. Pretending to Billie that everything was fine had put a strain on her.

Picking up the cordless phone from the sink, she dialed Joseph's office number. She was glad when he picked up. He had a couple of assistants working there with him, but he never minded picking up if they were busy. "Joseph," She gasped, sniffing against the tears.

"Johanna, honey, is that you?" He asked, worry instantly tainting his voice.

"I'm pregnant." She blurted, drying the tears with a piece of toilet paper.

"You are? This is great!" Joseph sounded ecstatic. "You have to tell Billie, Jo."

"I know, Joseph, but how do I approach her?" Johanna said, nervous. She knew Billie would be happy, but at the same time probably angry that she hadn't been included in the process. It would have killed Johanna to see the hope in her eyes dashed to pieces if this didn't work. Knowing that Billie would be happy didn't take away from the fear.

"Just tell her." He said firmly, smiling happily from his end of the line.

"Okay," Johanna said sheepishly. "I'll call you later with the results of our conversation."

"You do that, Jo. See you later!"

They hung up and Johanna dialed the number to Billie's agency.



Margo picked up and sensing something important in the air, passed the call onto Billie without questioning her. She would eventually find out. Johanna had told her about Joseph's offer and what they were trying to do. She knew Johanna was going to stay home that day to find out if she was pregnant or not. She took the phone call and the nervous voice to mean that she was pregnant.

"Hey, baby." Billie said, her smile fading at the sound of Johanna's voice. She looked at Margo, who shrugged. "What's going on?" She paused, listening. "Now? Okay. What is this about, though? You don't sound so good. Are you alright?" Again, she listened. "Alright, see you there." She hung up and stood up, looking nervous.

"What is it?" Margo asked, watching Billie don her jacket and look about ready to bolt.

"I don't know." Billie looked worried, and Margo felt a little bad about knowing what it might be about. "She didn't sound so good. I'll see you later, she asked me to meet her at the park."

Margo nodded. "I'll close up here." She said, and Billie nodded gratefully. "Call me and let me know if everything is ok." Billie nodded as she walked out.



Johanna watched Billie emerge from her jeep and walk hurriedly towards her. The worry in her eyes made Johanna feel guilty about worrying her so much. Then she imagined what Billie would look like with a little blonde bundle of joy in her arms, and tears came unbidden to her eyes. She was so emotional that she could not speak when Billie knelt in front of her and asked, her voice trembling: "Jo, what is it? Tell me!" She took Johanna's hands in hers and squeezed gently.

Johanna squeezed back and prepared herself to say the words that would change their lives forever. "I love you," She whispered tearfully, and bent forward to kiss Billie on the lips gently. "And I'm pregnant." She said as she sat back. She could have laughed at the shocked, slack-jawed look on Billie's face if the situation weren't so serious.

"W-w-what?" Billie stuttered, and swallowed hard. "H-how?"

Trying to think of how to explain, Johanna started the wrong way. "Joseph-" She cut off when Billie jumped up and back, the fury in her eyes scary, her hands shaking. "No, wait, let me explain!" She called after her as Billie stormed away, leaving her jeep and starting to run in the direction of Joseph's office. "Oh no!" She gasped, as she chased after her, unable to run as fast as her lover.



Joseph spun around as the door to his office slammed open and Billie stormed in, red-faced and breathing hard. His assistant, Toney Jensen, was trying to stop her as she ignored and pushed past him. "Hey, Bill-" He started to say before Billie cut him off with a solid left to the mouth. He flew back and rolled over his desk, everything flying to the ground as he fell onto his hands and knees. He brought a hand to his bleeding mouth, groaning in pain. He heard a loud commotion from the other side of his desk and then Johanna's voice begging Billie to calm down.

Standing up slowly, his hand still on his aching mouth, Joseph saw Billie struggling against Toney while his other assistant, Martha Telasco, was trying to get around them to see if Joseph was okay. Johanna stood in front of Billie and tried to talk to her, but Billie interrupted. "How could you?" She grunted, trying to pull away from Toney, almost winning in the struggle. Her eyes fell on Joseph and she charged forward again, fury twisting her features. "I'm going to kill you!"

To Joseph, it was obvious that it took all of Toney's strength to keep her at bay. He looked at Johanna who was not moving from in front of Billie, still trying to talk to her.

"You don't understand, Billie." He mumbled around his swelling lip. He stayed where he was behind the desk, half afraid that she would knock him out if she got to him a second time. "Let her explain."

"Explain?" Billie exclaimed, finally yanking free of Toney and stepping towards Joseph.

"Billie!" Johanna cried out, restraining her with her hands on Billie's shoulders. "Stop it! Listen to me!"

"What do you have to explain?" Billie demanded, grabbing her lover's arm. "That you slept with my best friend? I think you already told me that!"

"That's the thing, Billie," Johanna said softly, looking into her lover's irate eyes. "We didn't sleep together."

The look of confusion on Billie's face could have been funny, had the matter not been so serious. Her eyes went from Johanna to Joseph, as her hand softened its angry hold on Johanna's arm.

"You see, I went to see Johanna a couple of months ago," Joseph said, pulling out a handkerchief from his back pocket and wiping at the blood dripping down his chin onto his shirt. His lip hurt like hell, but he would explain to Billie how everything happened. "Because I knew that you both wanted a baby, and I knew that I could help you. So we agreed that I would donate my sperm," he smiled sheepishly, grimacing at the pain, and shrugged. "In a little cup, and she would take care of the rest." He smiled tenderly at his friend, wincing as his swollen cut lip ached. "I could never do that to you. We decided to tell you when and if it worked."

Billie's eyes softened as looked at her best friend. He had a forgiving smile for her, his sweet eyes saying volumes. "Jo, I'm so sorry." She breathed and he nodded. Her eyes filled with tears as she looked at her lover and pulled her close. "I'm so sorry." She began to cry, burying her face into Johanna's neck. Billie felt Johanna's forgiving arms wrap around her and her soft lips kiss the side of her neck. She lifted her head and met her eyes. "You're pregnant?" Johanna nodded, running her hands through the love of her life's unruly hair. "We're having a baby!" Billie hooted, and kissed Johanna passionately. She lifted her in her arms and spun around, Johanna laughed delightedly, grasping her head in her hands and kissing her deeply.

Joseph watched on with a delighted smile on his own face, leaning against the desk with his arms crossed across his chest. He nodded to his assistants to leave him alone with his friends, and they closed the door to the office softly. He could trust them to keep the news secret. As his friends stopped spinning and just hugged, Joseph said: "Congratulations." His voice sounded a little muffled, his lip increasingly puffed. He winced and gingerly touched it.

Billie kept an arm draped over Johanna's shoulders and looked at him apologetically. "I'm really sorry, Joseph." She said, smiling sheepishly. "It's just that the thought of you and my lover being together drove me nuts. I didn't even let her finish explaining."

He nodded. "Now, why don't you ladies go home," He suggested, smiling gently. "And have a heart to heart talk and make plans, eh?" He smiled. "I have to go home and clean up, and try to explain that a jealous woman knocked me off my feet with a quick left."

Chapter Two



Upon closing their front door, Billie pushed Johanna against it and kissed her thoroughly. Johanna felt herself melting against Billie, and moaned from deep within, her mouth opening to welcome Billie's sweet tongue. Billie pressed her hips rhythmically against Johanna, causing the heat to flare in both of their bodies. Nuzzling Johanna's neck and shoulder, Billie breathed sweet words of desire into her lover's ear. Johanna couldn't contain herself; she lifted a leg and wrapped it around the thigh between her legs, rubbing her heat against it, feeling ready to explode. Their breathing matched in their erratic rhythm.

On the verge of loosing control, Billie pulled back and lifted the protesting Johanna into her arms. She made her way up the stairs with Johanna in her arms and carried her towards the bedroom, where they would celebrate new life.



"And I was thinking you were gaining a little weight and here you are pregnant." Billie whispered as they languished in the afterglow of fabulous sex. Their sheets and pillows were all over the floor, and they were the only things remaining on the mattress. The sweat was still drying on her skin, and she could see little beads still gathering on her lover's smooth forehead. Johanna was laying half on top of her, her head resting on her shoulder. Her right hand played with the taut muscles of Billie's abdomen, while her leg rested on top of Billie's.

"You thought I was gaining weight?" Johanna asked, lifting her head to look at her lover's happy face.

Billie nodded. "Yes, but I figured that since you were eating a little more than usual…" She faded off, smiling.

"I was getting very hungry." Johanna replied, smiling back at her. "I never even found it weird."

Running her hand through her lover's hair, Billie chuckled. "Of course, you're eating for two now." She teased softly. Looking at their bedside clock, Billie remembered Margo. "I promised Margo to call and let her know what's going on. I ran out of the agency like a bat out of hell." She reached for the phone and clicked it on, hitting the speed dial for the agency.

"Jordan Travel." Margo said.

"What are you still doing at the agency; didn't I give you the day off?" Billie said.

"Actually, no," Margo laughed. "You just agreed to when I said that I would close it down." Margo was glad that her friend sounded less worried and happy, which meant that Johanna's attempt at pregnancy had worked. "So you're going to be a mommy now, eh?"

"You knew?" Billie demanded, frowning good-naturedly at her lover, who had the grace to blush a little. "So everybody knew except for me?"

"Only Joseph, Johanna and I knew." Margo said, serious. "Johanna wasn't sure that she was fertile, so she wanted to make sure that she could get pregnant before letting you know that she had been trying in the first place. She didn't want to disappoint you."

"Come over to the house, I want to celebrate." Billie said forgivingly. "We'll order out and plan on names for the baby. How does that sound?" Her grin matched Johanna's.

"Sounds great to me," Margo said. "I'm going to go home first and wash up, then I'll come by like at eight."

"See you then." Billie said, and hung up. Gently, she turned them on the bed and lay on top of Johanna, kissing her softly.

Johanna opened up to her, her legs wrapping around Billie's waist, fitting perfectly. She was aware of Billie's firm breasts press against hers and of their stomachs pressing together. She wrapped her arms around Billie's shoulders and ran her fingers through the back of her silky hair. Her eyes, for the umpteenth time, admired Billie's features. God, she's beautiful! She thought with a sigh. Johanna had known Billie was the woman of her dreams even before actually meeting her in person.

Seeing her around town before Billie came out, Johanna had practically salivated over herself. Sexy was not enough to describe Billie. Johanna knew she was the envy of Illuminations' small lesbian community. Lovingly taking in her every feature, Johanna whispered: "I'm committing you to memory, so that I can send the message to the baby and she can look just like you."

Billie chuckled. "How can you be so sure it's going to be a girl?" She asked softly, loving the feel of Johanna's plush body pressing up against her own. Her hands caressed Johanna's sides, her thumbs brushing the sides of plump breasts.

"I can feel it." Johanna whispered, pulling her lover's head down for a kiss. As the kiss intensified, Billie began pressing her hips against Johanna's, her tongue working in her mouth with a matching thrusting rhythm. Johanna pushed her hips up to meet Billie's, moaning every time Billie's abdomen rubbed against her throbbing wetness.

Feeling hot, Billie moved down slowly, her lips caressing every crevice on her lover's body. Her tongue lovingly lathed puckered nipples, making the body beneath her tremble with anticipation. For a long time, Johanna lost herself in the feel of the silky tongue claiming her breasts and stomach, on the smooth hands lovingly caressing all of her body. She cried out as Billie's tongue parted and entered her. She loved when Billie entered her with her tongue right away; her body felt like it would melt and she would tremble uncontrollably, whimpering and out of control.

Johanna stiffened and arched as Billie hungrily ran her tongue across her clitoris, grunting her pleasure as Billie pressed her mouth hard against the heat between her legs. Orgasm surprised her in its intensity, and she cried out over and over again as wave after wave rocked her. Her legs fell weakly over Billie's shoulders and she smiled languidly as Billie slowly kissed her way up to her mouth. Sighing, Johanna returned Billie's tender kisses. She couldn't move as Billie resettled on top of her, kissing her passionately and leaving the taste of Johanna's passion against her mouth.

"I love you, Billie." Johanna whispered, alternately biting and kissing Billie's silky lower lip. She was fighting tears; her love for loved Billie was so intense.

"I love you, Johanna." Billie whispered back, meeting her eyes and letting her know with them how special Johanna was to her.



Margo arrived that night at eight on the dot, laughing delightedly and congratulating each woman with a hug and a kiss. They ordered Chinese and stayed up for most of the night, talking about the baby, and about what changes Billie and Johanna would make to one of the spare bedrooms. Eventually, Margo expressed her sleepiness, and both women invited her to stay in a guest room.

As Margo slept in the other room, Billie and Johanna just held each other and talked, making plans.

Chapter Three



Time passed and people were beginning to talk. Johanna's pregnancy was showing, quickly, and practically out of nowhere. Jewl actually found out about it by chance at the school, when Mrs. Tweed had commented: "Jewl, I don't know if you've heard that Billie Jordan's lover is pregnant." She was looking down at a file for Thomas Johnson, Ansel's teenage son, who had been fighting in the hallway with a classmate. "She's only four months pregnant, but gosh, she's huge! She's almost the size of your stomach. My bet is twins. I wonder who the father is." She smiled distractedly and walked into her office, not noticing the surprise painted all over Jewl's face.

She went home that evening a little confused. Joseph was already home when she arrived, waddling up the walk and grasping her back. She was huge, almost eight months pregnant and in almost constant back ache. It wasn't that she had gained a lot of weight, but her stomach added quite a few more pounds than she was used to. Terrence had said that she was in perfect health and that so was their baby, that there was no reason she should worry that she hadn't gained much weight in all other areas of her body. Terrence had suggested she walk every day to and from work, to keep her limber and make the birth of their baby easier.

Joseph was sitting outside on the porch swing, bundled up in his jacket, smiling gently as he watched her come up to the steps. He went to her and held her arm solicitously as he helped her up the steps. "Thanks," She said, sitting next to him and sighing.

He watched her and felt the familiar fluttering in his heart. Her beauty would always leave him breathless, would always inspire his heart. He lifted an arm and rested it on the back of the chair over her shoulders, gently kneading her left shoulder with a hand. He grinned as she leaned into him and he knew that they made a striking couple to anyone who passed by and looked. She stayed quiet for a long time, her head resting on his shoulder, her hand on his thigh. When she finally spoke, he jumped a little.

"Johanna is pregnant." She said, sure that he knew already. Why he hadn't told her, she couldn't guess.

"Yes," He replied carefully, feeling his heart skip a beat. The moment was here.

"You knew." Jewl lifted her head and looked up at him.

Joseph swallowed hard, nodding slowly. "Yes, I did." He said softly.

Genuinely curious, she asked: "Who helped them?"

This is the moment, Joseph. "I did." He said softly. He watched her eyes widen with shock and then anger slowly set in. He had kind of expected her to get angry.

Jewl stiffly struggled to her feet, going into the house.

Sighing, Joseph sat outside for a long while, contemplating the cloudy sky. Finally, sighing heavily, he made his way into the house. Jewl was sitting in the living room, staring at nothing in particular. She didn't look so angry any more, only thoughtful. Joseph shoved his hands into his pockets and gazed at his wife. Jewl bit her lower lip, and finally looked up at him. She pointed at the space beside her on the love seat. He sat down and waited for her to speak.

"You helped her get pregnant." She stated. "Why? And how?"

"They're my friends, Jewl," Joseph began, reaching over and taking her hand. She squeezed his in return, waiting for him to continue. "Johanna was so sad, she wanted a baby so badly; and so did Billie. Billie didn't find out until Johanna was about two months pregnant, when she actually took the test. I gave Johanna some of my sperm… in a cup, and she handled the rest. I had seen how sad they were, and it was killing me. All I thought was that I had to do something."

"This was why you were so distracted." Jewl cut in, finally smiling; she admired Joseph's big heart, it was why Illuminations' people held him in high regard.

Joseph sighed in relief, smiling at his wife's forgiving smile. "You're not mad at me?" He asked, looking at her with puppy dog eyes.

Laughing, Jewl threw her arm over his shoulder and pulled him in for a hug and gentle kiss on the lips. "I love you, Joseph," She said gently, placing her hand over his heart. She meant it. "For that big heart of yours. I can't stay mad at you." She looked into his eyes, seeing the goodness in him, the sweet love he had for everybody. "You're an angel in this world."

Grinning and blushing at her words, he cupped her face with a hand and leaned over to kiss her forehead gently. "How about we eat some dinner?" He asked gently, feeling as if a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. He was glad that Jewl had accepted his decision.

She made a disgusted face. "All I'm really craving for is ice cream right now, and badly." She said, smiling sheepishly.

Joseph smiled indulgently. "We don't have any, babe, but I'm going to go to the deli and get you that ice cream." He said, chuckling at the happy look on her face. He leaned over and kissed her again on the forehead. "I love you." He whispered, meeting her eyes and assuring her silently it would never change.

She watched him go with a smile, warmed by the tender love in his eyes. She had never felt so loved and cared for.



Whistling to himself, Joseph drove towards Taylor's deli on the other side of town. Jewl was the greatest woman he had met, and though she'd had quite a few rough obstacles in her life, she had come around beautifully. He had never quite felt like this for anyone other than Jewl. From the time he had known his feelings for Jewl for what they were, they never changed, even when he left and tried to forget. He dated from time to time, but it was useless. Jewl was the love of his life, and even though she didn't feel the same for him, he felt happy. She was at his side, and that was all that mattered.



Jewl was worried, Joseph hadn't returned yet. He had been gone for about two hours, and she knew it didn't take that long to drive over to Taylor's and to come back. She sat on the couch, holding onto a cushion and staring out the dark window. Joseph would never leave her like that, just waiting.



Joseph clutched at his stomach, grunting softly as another stab of pain shot through him from the wound. He had lost track of the time since the shootout began, and wondered how much longer he'd have to wait before someone noticed the store's lights still on and came in to find out why the store was still open an hour after it was supposed to close. Taylor's big body lay in a lifeless heap across from him, and the kid who had tried to rob him had died along with him; his body had landed amidst a mountain of canned foods that was now littered all over the place. Joseph recognized the young man. Ansel Johnson would be so disappointed.

Taylor had put up a good fight, and had riddled the young man with bullets before he collapsed under the strain of his own wounds.

Trembling with weakness, Joseph looked down at his bleeding abdomen. He knew that underneath his hand was a very ugly wound, and that the amount of blood seeping out of him was a death sentence. He couldn't move, the last of his strength taken when he moved to sit up and lean against the frozen food refrigerator; every time he did try to move, he felt like his guts would spill out through the entrance wound. Another trickle of blood made its way up his throat and out his mouth, sliding down his chin onto his shirt. He coughed weakly, and tears spilled from his eyes.

Joseph's only hope was that he had enough time to tell his mother and Jewl that he loved them with all his soul. He never expected things to go this way, not when he was so happy. Having Jewl at his side made him feel invincible, and when the kid pointed the gun at Taylor, he had tried to convince him to put the gun down or just leave. The kid had just looked at Joseph with dead eyes, pointed the gun at him and pulled the trigger. Taylor had taken advantage of the thief's distraction and pulled out his own gun from under the counter. The shooting that ensued left both men dead, and Joseph wounded; it was a wonder to him that it hadn't attracted any attention from people outside.

He could have cried out when he heard the sound of the store door opening and a quiet feminine voice: "Taylor? Taylor, are you alright?" Joseph made a gargling noise deep in his throat, wondering where his voice went. "What-" The woman gasped at the sight of Taylor, sprawled and bullet ridden on the floor, brown eyes open in death. Her back was to Joseph, and she turned to see the young kid, obviously dead among the cans.

Joseph finally managed to form a word. "Help!" He groaned, and the young woman spun around with a cry to look at him with scared eyes. The world dimmed to his eyes as she moved towards him with outstretched hands and a soothing voice.

****

Johanna and Billie lay together on the wide couch, holding each other. Billie's hand caressed her increasingly protruding stomach, listening to her lover's slightly labored breathing. Lately, Johanna had grown tired and very breathless from the smallest movements. She had even taken time off work, and spent a lot of her time resting. Billie was growing worried as the days went by, and had tried many a time to get Johanna to the doctor. Johanna would refuse, insisting that she was fine.

That morning, Billie had called Terrence, and begged him to make time and come by the next day and take a look at Johanna, even if it was at five in the morning before going to work. He was quite surprised to find out that Johanna was pregnant, and he and Johanna had many an argument about Johanna not going to see him at the hospital to make sure she was all right before getting pregnant. He had been doing long stints at work, and hardly had a chance to even see his parents, or to even find out that Johanna was pregnant. But Billie's tone had worried him, and he made up his mind to go see her.

The cordless phone's shrill cry startled the two women from a light doze. Grunting sleepily Billie decided to ignore it, but Johanna reached for the cordless on the coffee table. "Hello?" She said softly, her voice muffled with sleep. Gasping, she suddenly sat up, almost falling off. Billie steadied her, and became alarmed at the look of fear on her lover's face. "When? How?" Johanna whispered, a single tear rolling unchecked down her cheek.

Billie sat up carefully and looked at Johanna, who met her eyes. "What happened?" She whispered, her heart beating erratically in her chest.

"We'll pick her up and take her with us. She needs to know right away. Thank you, Terrence. See you there." She whispered hoarsely, hanging up and looking at her lover. The question and fear in her eyes wrenched Johanna's heart. "You have to be strong, Billie."

"What is it?" Billie exclaimed, a bad feeling at the pit of her stomach.

"Joseph was shot in Taylor's Deli today." Johanna whispered, and the stricken look on Billie's face broke her heart. She fought tears as she continued: "There was a robbery attempt, and Joseph was there; there were shots fired between Taylor and the kid who was robbing them. Joseph was caught in the crossfire." She touched Billie's cheek.

Billie closed her eyes tightly, breathing hard against the tears that threatened to spill. "Is he…?"

Johanna shook her head at the question Billie meant to ask. "They're operating on him, but it's not looking good. Terrence will tell us once we get to the hospital how bad it really is. He called Lorna and she's already there, and we have to go pick up Jewl." She said gently, beginning to stand. Billie remained paralyzed on the couch, staring into the distance.

"Come on, Billie. I'll drive." She said; she knew she had to be strong for Billie, Lorna, and yes, Jewl. Billie obeyed her slowly, looking distraught.

The drive over to Joseph and Jewl's house was strained; Billie gazed out the window, not saying a word as she silently wept. Johanna reached over and took her hand in hers, squeezing gently. As they pulled up in front of Jewl and Joseph's house, Johanna could see Jewl sitting at the front porch, back rigid, watching for anyone coming down the street. At the sight of her worried face, Johanna's heart wrenched all over again. She looked over at Billie, who was now looking down at her lap, tears slowly rolling down her cheeks.

"Come on, Billie. I need you beside me when I give her the news." She said gently, squeezing her hand a final time before getting out of the jeep. Billie emerged from the passenger side, wiping at the tears with the back of her hand.

They walked towards Jewl, who looked at them with surprised question in her eyes; she had a cushion on her lap, her small hands grasping the edges tightly. "Hey," She said softly, her eyes going from Billie to Johanna. "What's going on?" She couldn't imagine that Billie would visit them at their house, but the look on her face gave Jewl pause.

Johanna took a deep breath, glancing at Billie before looking back at Jewl. "We came to pick you up; we have to go the hospital." She said gently, not knowing how else to make an opening for the bad news she'd have to give. She could see Jewl freeze, her apprehensive eyes moving from Johanna to Billie and back and forth.

"W-what happened?" Jewl uttered, feeling her heart thumping out of her chest. Something bad had to have happened to Joseph, but she wasn't sure that she wanted to hear it. She could feel the tears gathering in her eyes and spilling down her cheeks. Seeing Billie fighting tears and the fear in her eyes solidified Jewl's worst fear.

Johanna swallowed hard. "There was a robbery attempt at Taylor's, and Joseph was caught in the middle." She whispered, unable to continue.

Jewl felt herself shut down, her emotions put on hold. She could only comply when Johanna reached out her hand and gestured with her head for Jewl to come with them. She moved towards the steps and went down carefully, briefly glancing at the visibly upset Billie. There had to be a mistake; the man hurt in the hospital could not be her husband, the only person who had truly and unconditionally loved her. He was the one person who had never asked anything of her, even when it was obvious that he hoped for more. She could feel herself shut down, her emotions freezing inside her.

Billie watched Jewl obey, evidently in shock; her face chalk white, her eyes devoid of any expression, she moved towards them with a look of complete denial on her face. Billie knew there was no mistake it was Joseph in the hospital; Terrence could never mistake his friend of years for someone else. Johanna helped Jewl into the back seat of the jeep, softly asking Billie to drive while she sat in the back with her.



Continued in Part 12


Katia N. Ruiz