Doctor, Doctor (R.S.L)

Chapter 19

"His blessing?" I questioned calmly, though I was anything but calm. I was freaking out on the inside. 

Ross nodded, running a hand through his hair. So many questions were running through my head, but I clamped my mouth shut and let him talk. "When you were in the hospital and your parents came to visit you, I know they were surprised. When Morgan was introducing us, your mom thought I was your doctor." He let out a small chuckle. "It was an awkward moment for all of us."

I could only imagine. 

"They didn't expect me to be your boyfriend, let alone someone that was helping you raise Jess. But with you hurt, our relationship was the last thing on their minds. There was always a part of me that felt weird for not talking to them about us. But I wasn't about to bring that up when all they cared about was you waking up." 

I could see where this was going, but I stayed silent, not wanting to jump to any conclusions. 

"I needed your dad's blessing, because you're his little girl. I needed to know that it was okay for me to be with you and to help you raise Jess." He looked me directly in the eyes, and I could see nothing but love. "He had already lost his son, and he almost lost you. You and Jess mean the world to him, and I needed to show him that you two mean the world to me. You're my family, Blake. You both are."

My eyes shone with unshed tears, and he lovingly brushed a tear that slid down my cheek. I cupped his face and pressed my lips to his, nothing but passion and love in this kiss. I had never heard such sweet words come from someone I loved, and I needed to show him that. To show him that he was my family, too. 

I pulled away suddenly, smiling when he pouted. "My dad did give you his blessing, right?"

He nodded, chuckling. "Yes, he did. Now can I go back to kissing you?" He grabbed the back of my neck before I could reply, reattaching our lips. We were both smiling, making it a bit difficult to kiss, but I didn't care. 

I had never been so happy.

~*~

Our time in New York was quickly coming to an end, much to my dismay. We tried to pack in as much fun as possible for Jess. I wasn't sure when we would be coming back, so I wanted to make this trip memorable. And when my parents weren't working, they joined us. I took as many pictures as possible, promising my mom I would print them out and send them to her. 

She loved making photo albums. 

But on our last day in the city that never sleeps, my parents weren't able to join us out for the day. I tried not to get too upset at the fact that I would be leaving them soon. Hopefully I would be able to visit them again soon, or have them visit us. 

"Mommy, mommy, look!" Perched up on Ross' shoulder, Jess pointed to the penguins hobbling around in their exhibit. "Daddy, you see 'em?"

I loved the way Ross smiled whenever she called him Daddy. 

"They're cool, huh?" 

"I want one."

I chuckled, pinching her cheek. "Sorry, Munchkin. No can do."

Though it was a bit of a distance from my parent's place, we decided to spend our last day at the Bronx zoo. And when Jess smiled upon seeing the first animal, I knew it was a good idea. So we spent the day going from exhibit to exhibit, observing all the animals and taking tons of pictures. It was nice to spend this last day together, because I knew when we got back home that we wouldn't be able to do this for a while. Ross and I would be going back to work, and Jess would finish Kindergarten before going to summer camp.