Life Changes

Chapter 18

After Jessica's mom and brothers arrive in Australia, Hoppo and Karen pick them up at the airport.

Katrina's POV:

Walking through the airport, I spot a tall, dark haired man and a blonde woman standing beside him. That must be Hoppo and Karen. Scanning their eyes all over looking for us, Karen caught Hoppo's attention and walked over to us. "Welcome Katrina! I wish it was under better circumstances, but we're so happy you're here!" "Me too. Thanks Karen!" Giving her a smile, I turned towards Hoppo, who gave me a big hug. "Katrina, it's nice to see you again. How've things been?" "They've been ok; traveling with these boys is an adventure! They were bored waiting for the airplane, but as soon as we got on there, they were content!" I smiled and looked at my blonde-haired boys; Jackson Darren, age 9 and Albert Bruce, age 7. It hadn't been a no-brainer to name one of the boys after Darren, but we also wanted to honor Hoppo by naming our second son after him. I was brought back down to earth when I heard Jackson ask how Jessica was doing. Hoppo said, "She is awake, but she is still quite bruised up so the doctor wants to keep her in the hospital for a couple of days before letting her go. We will go up to see her later today; let's get you guys home so you can meet our girls and get some rest! It's been a long flight for you!" Taking our suitcases with us, we took the short 3 minute walk to where Hoppo had parked the car. Sitting back, I glanced at the landscape as we drove to Hoppo's house. Famous landmarks came in sight; at last, we passed Bondi Beach. The boys were flabbergasted and wanted to go there as soon as we could. Chuckling, I said we could visit the beach tomorrow as the beach would still be there. I breathed in the fresh sea air, and glanced at the rippled water. No wonder Jessica loves it here; having this beautiful sight in front of you every day must be a dream which comes with its' own challenges.

Meanwhile, at the hospital...

Jess's POV:

I groaned while trying to get out of bed; with all these stickers stuck onto me, plus recovering from my surgery made getting around harder to do. I wanted to use the restroom to freshen up and look presentable when my mom and brothers come to visit. I got the text from Karen that they had safely landed and were now resting at the house before coming to see me. Looking over, I saw Harrison spread out on the cot they had put out for him; the poor guy didn't want to leave me alone in the hospital. While I knew he needed his rest and to not worry about me so much, I did enjoy his company. Leaning down to give him a kiss on his forehead, he opened his eyes and jumped up. "Jess! What are you doing? Do you need help? Do you-" I laughed before pushing him back on the bed. "I'm fine! I'm just going to use the restroom to freshen up and look presentable when my mom and brothers come by later. They landed 2 hours ago and are now resting at Hoppo's house." Harrison yawned and stood up. "Ok! While you're freshening up, I think I'm going to go outside and take a stretch and update the boys on our group chat; they've been super worried about you." I  smiled and walked in the bathroom closing the bathroom door behind me and started to wash my face and do my minimal makeup routine.

Harrison's POV:

Walking outside, I breathed in the fresh sea air. It felt good getting out of the stuffy room, even though I hated leaving Jess alone; but I knew I needed to get out and breath in some fresh air before I went crazy. Pulling out my phone, I opened WhatsApp and updated the boys on how Jess was doing. Within seconds, I got replies from the lads saying how grateful they were that Jess was doing ok. When I put my phone away, I spotted Hoppo and a middle-aged lady walking my way with two blonde-haired boys in tow. I smiled, and instantly thought it must be Jess's mom and brothers, as Jess had the same face shape and smile as her mom. "Katrina, this is Harrison, Jess's boyfriend who has not left her side since her being in the hospital." I held out my hand to shake her hand, but instead, I felt myself being pulled in for a hug. I hugged her back, and smiled as she whispered, "Thank you Harrison, for everything. Jess is a lucky girl to have you." She pulled back and I saw she was on the brink of tears. Wiping her tears away, she introduced Albert and Jackson to me. I knelt down and each shook their hand and gave them a high-five. "Harrison, where is the beach? We wanna learn how to surf!" Katrina chided them, and said, "Right now, we are going to visit Jess and then we can discuss the beach." Looking down, they sighed and each replied, "Yes mom." As I started walking back to the room, I felt a small hand hold my left hand, and another one hold my right hand. Looking down, I saw Albert and Jackson looking up at me and smiling, while saying, "You're our brother now, Harrison. We wanna protect you and stay close by." My heart melted, as I could imagine Jess and I's future children holding my hand and calling us mommy and daddy. For now, my attention was going to be primarily focused on Jess as she heads down the road to recovery, and spending time with her mom and brothers.

Jess's POV:

Opening the bathroom door, I walked towards my bed while a nurse came in and helped me get settle comfortably with all the wires and IV's attached to me. Thanking her, I pulled my blanket closer to me, as I was feeling a little bit chilly and decided to check my messages while waiting for Harrison and my mom. "Jessica!!!" Looking up, I saw Jackson and Albert letting go of Harrison's hands and running to my side. Being pulled in every direction, I was thankful when Hoppo and mom pulled the boys off of me; seeing my mom made me tear up, and I gave her the biggest hug. "Jessica, honey! I was so worried that you weren't going to make it, but then I heard that Harrison had spent night and day by your side which I am so grateful for!" Smiling, I looked at Harrison and winked at him while turning my attention back to mom. "How've you been?" Sighing, I looked at Harrison and Hoppo, who took it as a sign to take the boys somewhere else so I could talk with my mom in privacy. "Come on boys, let's go get an ice cream and we'll take a walk to the beach!" "Yeah! That sounds like a great idea; bye mom and Jess!" Planting sloppy kisses on my cheek, I chuckled as they ran off to Harrison and Hoppo's side. Turning towards my mom, I started my story. "After the boys found me all beaten up, bruised and bloody, they rushed me to emergency surgery where they were able to stop the abdominal bleeding. After the surgery, my doctor came in and gave us devastating news. She said because of my serious injuries towards my lower abdomen area where my uterus is located, she said the chances of me becoming a mom and having children are very small." Tearing up, I felt my mom giving my hand a squeeze and handing me a Kleenex. "How small are the chances, Jess?" Looking at my mom, I said," The chances of me becoming a mom, is 15-20%." A cry came out, and I broke down. I felt the bed shift, and I felt my mom laying beside me and hugging me, while stroking my hair. "Oh honey, I am so sorry to hear. I had no idea it would be this bad; I remember when your dad and I first got married, we weren't able to have children for a couple of years. We were considering IVF treatments, but your dad insisted we try naturally one more time before giving up; a couple months later, I found out we were expecting! When you were born, I was so grateful that we hadn't stopped trying, and before I knew it, we had Albert and Jackson. Never give up honey, no matter what is going on. You are a strong and beautiful girl, and your future husband will be lucky to have you; if he doesn't treat you right, he will hear it from me and uncle Hoppo." Laughing, I wiped my tears away and in that moment of time, I had never been more grateful to have my mom by my side. In all honesty, I was hoping that Harrison would be my future husband; but I would have to see where life's journey will take me before that question would be answered.

Now that Jessica's mom and brothers are in town, will this be the final stamp to Harrison's plan he has got going on? And how will everyone react, especially Jessica and Harrison, when they get some news that they had never expected before? Keep reading to find out.... ;)

Cheers,

Trishi