I'll Come Running

Chapter 22

"So I guess you finally got your answer." Jessie whispered. Rafe had now moved to sit on the edge of the bed facing away from Jessie with his head in his hands. "That's why I left all those years ago, Rafe. It wasn't because I wasn't willing to stick it out with you, I knew what I had gotten myself into, and I knew I was strong enough to take whatever I had coming to me... but, our child? I could never forgive myself."

In a strange sense, Rafe did understand why she did it.

"But that doesn't change the fact that you kept my daughter from me for four years." Rafe finally spoke up as he looked up with a stolid anger. His eyes were wide, his jaw was clenched. "I can't believe you really think that you could just not tell me about her. I deserve to know her, don't I?" Rafe asked with more conviction as he stood up from the bed to look at Jessie.

Jessie paused, but finally spoke up. "No, I don't think so Rafe. Because up until that point you had given me no reason to trust that you would change at all." Jessie spoke with no remorse in her voice. Of course she wanted to be a big happy family with Rafe, but he proved her wrong on that matter a long time ago.

Rafe had so much more he wanted to say, instead, he shut down, as much as it pained him to close Jessie off like he never had before, he did it. Rafe put his hands on his hips, looked away, and thought of his next words carefully. He cleared his throat.

"Yeah, well, you can take your money and leave. I don't give a shit anymore." Rafe dismissed her as he lied through his teeth. He wanted nothing more in this world than to be a family with Jessie, but how could he trust her after the four year stunt that she's just pulled, and what she's been conspiring with the pogues.

"Rafe..." Jessie whispered as she looked down at the bed. "... for what it's worth, I do want you to know that I wasn't coming here to take the money for myself. I told the pogues and your sister that I didn't want any cut of this. I still don't. I just was doing my brother-- who I hadn't heard from in years-- a favor. These past two days have been the best I've had in a long time, in about four years to be exact. And at first, this was an act... but after we got back to who we used to be... a small part of me genuinely wanted this to work out. I saw the old Rafe, and I felt like the old Jessie. But if that's how you feel... I'll go. But if you ever do want to see your daughter, just say the word, and I'll come running." Jessie said sincerely.

Rafe stayed silent, just pondering what all had happened. Jessie finally eased her way off the bed and made her way back to her wing only to be met by a call from-- oh great-- JJ.

"What do you want, JJ?" Jessie sighed as her voice cracked, clearly holding back tears.  She knew exactly what JJ wanted, she knew he and all the others heard their entire conversation. She grew to hate that little trick Pope had rigged her phone with.

"You... you were pregnant?" JJ said barely above a whisper. Jessie could tell he was just as confused as Rafe was, but he was trying to be gentle for Jessie's sake.

"Yes. That's why I left." Jessie said as she breathed heavily, almost seeming like a sigh of relief. After all, Jessie had been keeping this secret for a long time, and she dreamed of coming back to OBX one day and letting JJ meet his niece, but she hated that this is how he found out.

***

"What do you mean you're leaving, Jessie? It's the middle of the night! Stop, tell me what's wrong." JJ demanded as he stopped Jessie from packing. Jessie had just gotten back from her... conversation, with Rafe and knew she had to leave immediately. Every second that she was there was another second for him to calculate his next move, how he was going to manipulate her into staying. She knew Rafe wouldn't take what just happened lying down, and she had to get out of dodge. But how would she tell JJ? No, she couldn't. She knew if she did he definitely wouldn't let her leave then. Even worse, he'd make it his mission to kill Rafe Cameron, and that was a far worse destiny than never seeing his sister again. Jessie didn't want blood on JJ's hands and a vendetta in his heart for the rest of his life.