6 years of marriage and Rafael and Jayde were still in love. They fought but they always made up after they both learned how to fight for their marriage instead of giving up. The kids were getting older and both Steven and Kiera had moved out and were in college. RJ was in his first year of high school, Lucia was on her last year of middle school and Santana was in first grade. The apartment was quieter as both RJ and Lucia were out with their friends leaving only Santana to get the adult's attention.
"Mama, can I watch a movie on your iPad?"
"Sure. What movie are you going to watch?"
A shrug. "I don't know yet".
"Ok. Let me know which one you pick".
Rafael came in looking exhausted. Santana saw him. "Hi, papa".
He gave her a smile. "Hi, Princess".
Jayde went over to and gave him a kiss. "Hey, amor".
"Mama, can I watch this movie?" Santana came over to show the movie she wanted to watch. Jayde looked and smiled. "Of course. Have you seen that one?"
Santana shook her head. "I don't think so".
Jayde and Rafael followed Santana to the couch. She put her earbuds on so the adults could talk. "Sonny is planning on taking Santana for the weekend after he's done with work".
Rafael nodded. "We should do something, especially since we both know that RJ and Lucy are probably going to ditch us again. Where are they anyway?"
"RJ is at mock trial practice and Lucy is supposed to be doing homework with her friend".
"Teenagers. You never know what they're really doing".
Jayde smiled. "They're good kids though".
He nodded smiling. "We got lucky".
"We did". They heard Santana laugh at the movie.
The next day, they kissed each other goodbye before leaving for work. Jayde got the kids ready for school and they left a half hour later. It was a busy day for Jayde and she was surprised when she got a knock on her office door. Her assistant came in. "Sorry to bother you. I just got a call about your husband. His assistant said that he's in the hospital".
Jayde nodded as she got up. "Cancel everything I have for today and apologize. I have a family emergency".
Her assistant nodded then left the room while she grabbed her stuff. When she got to the hospital, she was greeted by Olivia. "What happened? Is he ok?"
"Rafael was in court and he had a heart attack".
"Oh my god. Can I see him?"
"He's resting. The doctors are keeping a close eye on him".
Jayde nodded and she melted into the chair. Olivia rubbed her back. "Can I do anything for you?"
"I have to call RJ, Lucy and Santana's schools".
Olivia walked away to make the phone calls. She came back ten minutes later and sat beside Jayde. "The kids are on their way here. Is there anything else myself or the squad can do?"
She shook her head. "Just stay here with me".
The doctor came over to them. "Mrs. Barba?"
Jayde stood up. "I'm Mrs. Barba. How is he?"
"He woke up and you can visit him. He might be a little weak".
She nodded. "Thank you".
She followed the doctor to Rafael's room. He didn't look like the man she had fallen in love with. He saw her come in. "Cariño. Lo siento".
Tears went down her face and he wiped them away making her smile a little. "You have to take it easy, mi vida".
He nodded slowly. "I know. Where are the kids?"
"They're at school. Olivia called their schools and they're on their way".
He took her hand into hers. "It's going to be ok. I love you so much".
"I love you so much!" She kissed his lips carefully.
The kids came in and Olivia knocked on the door lightly. She came in and went over to where they were. "I just wanted to tell you that the kids just got here".
"Thank you, Liv", Rafael told her. She nodded and walked out.
Jayde got up and kissed his forehead. "I'm going to go talk with them. I'll be right back".
He nodded as he watched her leave.
The kids were waiting and they got up and went over to their mother. "Where's papa?"
"Let's sit down". They went over to a private area where they could talk. They sat down on couch. "Papa had a heart attack".
Santana looked at her. "Is he going to be ok?"
"He's weak and when he gets home, we're going to have to take care of him".
They nodded. Lucy started crying scared. Jayde held out her arms. "Come over here, princess".
Lucy let her mother hug her and Olivia rubbed her back to console her.
"is this our fault", RJ asked.
"Of course not, hijo. This is nobody's fault".
The squad heard the news and they came to the hospital to help Jayde with the kids. Sonny and Fin distracted them while Amanda talked with Jayde and Olivia. "Thank you so much for coming. Both of us appreciate it".
Amanda rubbed her back. "He's going to be ok. He's a fighter".
She nodded. "I know".
"Can we get anything for you? A coffee or something to eat?"
she considered her offer. "Food would be great, actually. I want to come with you. I just want to tell the guys where I'm going".
Amanda nodded. Jayde went over to Sonny who noticed her coming over. "I'm going to get something to eat with Amanda and Liv. I have my phone just in case".
They walked through the hospital to the cafeteria. They got their food then sat down at a table. As she ate, she tried not to think about her husband laying weak on a hospital bed. Amanda thought of something to distract her. "How are Steven and Kiera doing?"
"They're doing great. Steven is studying pre-law and Kiera is studying to be an Early Childhood teacher. We thought she would pick something with fashion but she's always loved kids. She either wants to do general education or special education. Steven wants to be a Public Interest lawyer".
"Wow. I thought Kiera would pick fashion, too but I can see her being a teacher", Olivia told her.
"Yeah. RJ is thinking of addiction counseling and Lucy wants to be an actress".
"Addiction counseling? Wow. He has big dreams".
Jayde nodded. "He decided to do it after I talked to him about my addiction. He said, 'I want to help people like you, mom'. Santana wants to be a police officer like Sonny".
They laughed. "She has plenty of time to decide".
When they got back, they saw the kids laughing at Sonny. She smiled and went back to check on her husband. He was sleeping but the heart monitor beeped every other second. She took his hand and held it in hers. Olivia came in and saw them together. She came over and looked at Rafael. "Sonny is going to bring the kids to his place if that's ok with you".
Jayde nodded and she looked at Olivia. "Yeah. Thank you. I'm going to stay here with Rafi".
Olivia left and went back to the waiting room. "Jayde said you could bring the kids to your place. She's going to stay with Barba and I thought I would stay here in case she needs anything".
"I'll stay with you", Fin told her.
Sonny nodded. "Call me if anything happens".
"We will, thanks Carisi".
Sonny nodded again and went back over to the kids to tell them the plan.
Once the kids left, Jayde came out to the hallway outside of Rafael's room and started crying again. Amanda wrapped her in a hug. "I didn't want to cry in front of the kids because I didn't want them to worry about me".
"You can cry all you want, hon. We totally understand".
She nodded. "He's going to be ok". She looked at him through the window. "The last thing I said to him was 'I'll see you tonight. I love you'. We were going to go out for our sixth wedding anniversary".
"That's a long time to be married", Fin told her.
"Nine years total".
After a week in the hospital, Rafael was told he could go home but he would have to be careful to avoid another heart attack. His heart was getting older as was he. Sonny took the kids so he could rest at home. "Cariño, I can get it".
Jayde smiled. "You're supposed to be resting, mi vida".
He kissed her cheek as he went back to the couch and sat down. "You know I don't like resting".
She laughed. "I know. You're as stubborn as I am".
He laughed as she came over and handed him a bowl of soup. "Thanks and happy anniversary. I got you something. I was going to give it to you. It's in my briefcase".
Jayde got up and brought his briefcase over to him then opened it. There she found a notebook with her name on it. Curiosity got to her and she flipped through it.
"I recorded everything that I love about you since we first started dating".
Tears of joy came out of her eyes. "I love it, amor! Thank you!"
He gave her a hug. She got up again and went to her bag. She came back over with a paper bag. He set the soup down on the floor and opened the bag where he found a copy of Under the Dome that he had been looking for. "Oh my god! Where did you find it?"
"A used bookstore".
He kissed her in excitement. "Thank you!"
Happy belated Anniversary to Rafael! We are celebrating 6 years of marriage. We both realized that we're never getting rid of each other and we're stuck with each other forever.
