The Mentalist - What if?

Chapter 24

By the time she awoke in the early hours on the Saturday morning to Matilda grizzling, the nausea had passed, the chills had stopped, her fever had dropped and her headache was no longer like a jackhammer in her head; rubbing the sleep from her eyes, she stood and lifted her daughter onto her hip, wanting to let Jane get some more sleep. Taking her through to the kitchen, she quickly warmed a bottle of milk before settling down on the sofa, feeding the three month old as she watched her hazel eyes staring back at her.

"Did you miss me baby girl? I missed you, mommy wasn't feeling very well but daddy took good care of me; maybe we can go for a walk today, or down to the beach. It's time we started making some happy memories...Let them overtake the bad ones"

"Hey, I thought I heard you talking; how you feeling?" Jane asked as he sat next to her, an arm around her shoulder so she could lean into him.

"Better, thank you for taking care of me" she answered, looking at him.

"Anytime, you hungry? You didn't eat much yesterday?"

"Starving"

"I'll go and whip up something" he said, going to stand up.

"Hey, where's my kiss?" She said, stopping him.

"What was i thinking?!" He grinned, leaning over the side of the couch to kiss her softly. "Better?"

"Much. Now food" she demanded.

"Such a demanding woman" he muttered, walking away.

"Don't you forget it" she called back to him as she turned back to Matilda. "Daddy's a little silly, isn't he? But he loves us"

With breakfast consumed, Jane looked after Matilda and get her ready whilst Lisbon took a shower in the ensuite; stepping out of the hot shower, she pulled the towel Round her body and stood in front of the sink, looking in the mirror. Her hair desperately needed a cut; her once nicely trimmed bangs had long since grown out and she missed the way they would frame her face, no matter whether her hair was up or down. Knowing there was nothing she could do for the moment, she brushed it into a high ponytail before going back into the bedroom and dressing in her jeans, t-shirt and zip up hoodie; pulling on her sneakers, she found Jane by the front door, Matilda settled in the stroller whilst he made sure they had everything they needed in the baby bag.

"You all set?" He asked as she pulled on her leather jacket and grabbed her phone and wallet, slipping the latter into the bag now hanging across the handles and her phone into her jacket pocket.

"I think so; where are we going?"

"Let's just take a walk, see where we end up, eh?" He suggested, slipping a bottle of water into the bag along with a banana in case Lisbon started to feel faint again.

"Are you still thinking about buying the cabin?" She asked a short while later as they walked along the beach path towards the shops.

"Could be a good investment; we could use it as a getaway, rent it out occasionally" he answered, resting a hand upon hers as she pushed the stroller.

"Are you sure you can afford it? With the house and everything?"

"I know you don't like talking about it but you're forgetting what I used to do for a living; I never touched it. My salary at CBI paid for what I needed so its just sat there; we can decorate it, add some personal touches"

"It's perfect the way it is; I haven't forgotten what you used to do either. It's in the past and whilst I don't like or condone what you did, I can't change anything; I know that's not who you are now and I hope you never will be again in the future"

"I'll never go back to the life, or that version of me Teresa, not if it meant losing you and Matilda" he promised, squeezing her hand.

"Good, because if you did, I'd be gone before you would even realise" she warned.

"Trust me, I know what's at stake; I love you both too much"

"I love you too Jane" she smiled, pausing to kiss him before they carried on walking, stopping again when they finally reached the diner they had visited on their first trip. "I remember the first time we went in there; It ended up been our first disagreement as a couple. You were worried about me and I was a total cow"

"You were pregnant, hormonal and struggling with your emotions; not to mention I was pushing you to open up before you were ready to. You've made a start on talking to me, letting me in properly; that's all you can do. In the meantime, we make happy memories, have some fun, as a family"

"I've been thinking and, I think when we get back, I should try and get myself into a proper routine; get back in the gym more and going out. Been cooped up in the house probably isn't helping my anxiety" she said as they headed towards the other shops.

"We don't have to go back until you're ready; if the team need a consult, they can phone me. Maybe you could have go out with Grace, shopping or the spa or something; you said you wanted to have friends outside of work"

"I suppose I could; I just need to find things to keep me busy during the day."

"You'll figure it out; how about we stop and grab a drink? Sit on the pier and watch the sea?" He suggested, seeing a charming little tea shop coming up.

With a smile, Lisbon nodded and followed him.