The Writer's Heart

16

WHEN JESSIE woke up the next morning, she realized that she was tucked comfortably in bed. Wiping the sleep from her eyes, she got up, and headed into the kitchen. What she didn't expect was to find her mother and Marilyn having a comfortable conversation with cups of coffee in their hands, "you're finally up!" Gwen placed her cup down, and pulled Jessie into her arms. Marilyn sipped on her coffee, and admired the love that Gwen expressed for her daughter.

"Mom, what are you doing here?" Jessie was groggy, and still half asleep. She wasn't expecting to see her mother that day, since she hadn't told anyone that she'd be back so soon.

"I missed you, that's why," Gwen picked up her coffee, and glanced between Jessie and Marilyn. It made her giddy when the beautiful doctor had opened the front door. Honestly, the last thing that she expected was to find Marilyn Isles in her daughter's apartment. But it was the best thing to happen that week.

"This is Marilyn. My... uh... she's a friend," Jessie placed her hand against her forehead, and leaned against the kitchen island.

"Doctor Marilyn Isles. Gee, Jess, you could've told me that you're dating her sooner," Gwen seemed to be on cloud nine. Jessie wondered if her father would've felt the same way, or if it would've just been another disappointment.

"We're not dating, Mom."

The blush on both of their faces informed Gwen otherwise. There was certainly something going on, "oh, right," Gwen winked and grinned widely. Within the few minutes that she was able to talk to Marilyn, her suspicions increased. Marilyn wouldn't confirm anything, but didn't deny either.

"Mom!" Jessie was burning up by then. Why did her mother always have to embarrass her?

"What? I'm just happy for you both," Gwen smiled widely.

Marilyn placed her empty cup into the sink, and grabbed her phone from her pocket. She'd received a bunch of text messages from Gina, and had ignored all of her calls. The last thing that she needed was a nagging soon-to-be ex-wife on the phone so early in the morning.

"But we're not dating!" Jessie huffed and crossed her arms. Marilyn looked at her with an arched brow. Why was Jessie so persistent to deny?

"Fine then. She's your friend," Gwen formed quotations with her fingers. Jessie narrowed her eyes. If she didn't get her morning coffee soon, she'd turn into an angry gorilla, that was for sure.

Marilyn poured Jessie a cup, and handed it to her. Jessie looked at Marilyn with appreciation in her eyes. She read my mind. Jessie lowered her eyes, and sipped her coffee. Her mother was probably gushing over them already, "Gwen, it was nice to meet you, but I have to get to work," Marilyn looked at Gwen and then at Jessie, "I'll see you soon?"

Jessie smiled weakly, but nodded, "yeah," she rubbed the back of her neck. Marilyn didn't want to leave, but had no other choice. Her schedule was packed with appointments, "give me a call when you get time," Jessie said.

Gwen noticed the tension between the two, but also the chemistry. Gwen had never seen her daughter look at a woman the way she was looking at Marilyn. Anything is possible. She'd always worried that Jessie might've ended up growing old alone, "I will. Bye, Jess."

When Marilyn left, Jessie's heart sank. She gave her mother a bashful smile, and headed towards the fridge, "Marilyn Isles," Gwen tested the name upon her lips. Of course, she knew who Marilyn was. Her husband had competed with Marilyn's practice for years.

"Mom, don't," Jessie pressed her teeth together. She didn't need her mother's input on her not so relationship.

"Oh, come on. I've been waiting for this forever. Can't I be excited for you?"

"But there's nothing going on."

Gwen scoffed, "so you say. I'm your mother, you can't fool me, sweetheart."

Jessie closed her eyes, and took a deep breath. As much as she loved her mother, she couldn't deal with her at that moment. She had a rough night already, and the morning seemed to be continuing where the night left off—she wanted to cry. Crying in Marilyn's arms was one of the worst feelings in the world. She'd allowed herself to become so vulnerable, and she hated it, "it doesn't matter anyway," Jessie gripped onto the edge of the kitchen island. Her mother immediately grabbed her before she fell to the floor. Luckily for Jessie, Gwen was in good shape.

Gwen helped Jessie to the couch, and made sure that she was comfortable, "sweetheart, which doctor would you like me to take you to? Your dad or your girlfriend?" Jessie glared at her mother. Gwen just couldn't pass up the chance. She laughed and rubbed Jessie's back soothingly, "oh, don't bother with silly, old me."

Jessie buried her face into a couch cushion, and began to softly cry. Her whimpers were almost unnoticeable, but Gwen could tell. Carrie had told her everything. And they all knew that it was time to take Jessie to therapy. They'd tried in the past and failed. But it had come to a point where it wasn't an option anymore.

Gwen regretted everything that had happened, and wished that she could've changed the outcomes. She knew that there was a better way to handle everything. For sure, she could've looked after Lily while Jessie was in school. Hell, they could've hired a babysitter.

What Jessie didn't know was that it was her mother's decision to give the baby up for adoption. Her father had taken the blame, but it wasn't his choice. Gwen wanted her daughter to have a normal life without the responsibilities of motherhood, and she'd regretted that decision—no matter how much everything she'd done was for her daughter's best interests, Gwen had regrets. The pain that Jessie felt wasn't something that would ever go away, or be compensated for.