Chapter 14
It had been a week since Drew had rescued Jen from the woods. The snowstorm outside wasn't letting up even slightly. The night before, all power went out in the lodge. The only way to get heat and light was through the fireplace. Jen would drift in and out of consciousness every few days, but her condition never improved. Drew preyed for a miracle as Stephanie tried everything she could.
It was late that night while Stephanie slept on the sofa that Drew felt Jen's hand move. He thought it was only his imagination, and didn't pay any attention to it. Glancing at her, he noticed her eyes were open and she was staring at him.
"Drew," she moaned in pain, "it hurts."
"Tell me what hurts, baby," he said while wiping her forehead with a washcloth.
"Everything hurts," Jen answered. She winced as pain shot through her body. "Please stop the pain. It hurts."
Drew walked over to Stephanie and woke her. "Jen's up. She's in pain. Please, help her."
Stephanie picked herself off the comfortable sofa and walked into Jen's room. "Hi, my name is Stephanie. What hurts?" she asked in a gentle voice.
"Everything," Jen hesitated. "I haven't taken my pills."
Stephanie reached for the bottle on the nightstand and handed Jen a pill. "How do you feel now?" she asked, watching swallow.
"Much better, thank you," Jen kindly answered. "Who are you?"
"I'm Drew's cousin. Sorry if I caused any confusion between you. I never thought you would react that way."
"It's not your fault. I should have stopped and listened to Drew," she apologized.
"You know, he really loves you. Everything thing he told me was sweet," Stephanie began. "He's been by your side 24/7. Drew hasn't had any sleep for the past three days. I hope he'll finally decide to take a nap now that he knows you're okay."
"I do to. When I saw him, he looked exhausted," Jen agreed. She strained her neck to look out the door.
"I'll get him." Stephanie stood up and walked out of her room. She found Drew on the couch with his hands folded across his chest and his eyes closed.
"What?" he woke with a start as she nudged his shoulder.
"Jen's asking for you," she said. Drew stood up and walked into Jen's room.
"Hey."
"Hey," Jen uttered. She kept her head down to avoid eye contact.
"Baby, I'm really sorry about that whole misunderstanding. I meant to tell you that Steph was my cousin, but you never gave me a chance," he apologized.
"When were you planning to tell me?" Jen retorted. "Before or after I left?"
"What about you? When were you planning to tell me about your epilepsy? I thought you were gonna die. You have no idea how that made me feel. I was so worried," Drew turned the table.
Jen didn't want to look at him. She was afraid of telling him the real reason. Her vision became blurry as the tears dripped down her face. "I didn't want you to leave me," she softly cried.
"Oh, Jen. What would give you that idea?" he asked. "I would never leave you for any reason. I love you too much."
"I knew you would say that," Jen whispered. Drew wiped the tears away from her face and sat down next to her.
"How did you know?" he questioned, slipping his hand under the blanket to find hers.
"Let's say a little bird told me." Jen took his hand and slid it on to her stomach. She bent over and whispered, "Kiss me."
Drew did what he was told. He never hesitated on an invitation to one of Jen's long, passionate kisses. "I love you and I always will. No matter what happens, I'll stay by your side," he told her once it was over.
"I love you too. Let's never have this happen again. I hate it when we fight," Jen replied. Drew's hand brushed up against hers and she shivered.
"Are you cold?" he asked, tightly wrapping his arms around her body.
"Not anymore," she answered. Jen's hand slipped up his shirt and rested on his chest. Drew smiled and he kissed her forehead. "Thank you, Drew."
"For what?"
"You made my life complete. Without you, I never would have survived. I don't know how to repay you," Jen said, her head resting against his neck.
"Promise me that you'll love me and you'll have me forever. Promise me you'll always be there for me and never leave my side, through thick and thin, good and bad. Promise me that I can hold you like this every night, and never let you go. Promise me you'll be my wife." Drew took Jen's hand and pulled a large golden diamond ring out of his pocket. He slipped it onto the ring finger of her right hand next to the silver ring he had given her months back.
Jen felt the tears stream down her face as she looked deeply into Drew's soft brown eyes. Her heart was ready to explode with joy. "I promise," she wept. He bent down and gave her a deep kiss.
She held her hand up to her face and admired the ring as Drew asked, "When would you like the wedding?"
"Some time after I graduate, in the summer two years from now. How about you?" Jen replied.
"It's a good idea. I agree with you. Summer sounds like the perfect time to have a wedding," he said. "Big or small?"
"Huge. I want everything; a big cake, a long, flowing dress, and
millions of flowers. I also want it
to be somewhere warm, like
"Wow, you've got some pretty big plans, but I love them. They're really good," Drew commented. He held Jen closer and closed his eyes as she rambled off details.
"Drew, do you want red roses or white roses?" Jen asked. She looked up at him and noticed he was asleep. Making herself more comfortable, she closed her eyes and fell into a deep slumber.
The Next Morning
Stephanie was up at around six the next morning, much earlier than usual. She couldn't help but wonder what Jen and Drew were talking about all night. She heard bits and pieces of their conversation, but not enough to draw a conclusion. Silently creeping into their bedroom, Stephanie watched as the peacefully slept in each other's arms. "Aww, how sweet," she murmured. As the sun's early morning rays seeped into the room, she noticed something sparkle on Jen's right hand in the light. A further inspection revealed the diamond engagement ring Drew had given her.
Stephanie could feel her jaw drop to the floor in amazement as she realized what this all meant. Drew did what she told him not to. Sooner or later, Jeff would find out and murder him. That day would be the day all hell broke loose. She walked out of their room and picked up the phone.
"Should I tell him or not?" Stephanie contemplated. She couldn't make up her mind and put the phone back down. "I have to tell someone before I go nuts." She randomly dialed the first number that came to her head.
"Hello?" came a tired voice on the other end.
"Nick, did I wake you?" she asked.
"No, just another long night at the studio," Nick answered. "Stephanie, you only call when something big happens. What is it this time?"
"Oh . . . I don't know if I should tell you. I'm afraid someone's gonna kill me if I do."
"Come on, Steph. You called me in the middle of the night to tell me something, now you gotta do it," he ordered. "Who could possibly kill you? Drew?"
"Promise you won't tell anyone, period?" Stephanie pleaded.
"Okay, I promise I won't tell a soul," Nick answered.
"Um . . . Well, . . . I think Drew proposed to Jen last night. I'm not sure, but I did see a diamond ring on her finger that I haven't seen before," she explained.
"Drew did what?" he yelled into the phone.
"He proposed to Jen," Stephanie said softly.
"Where are you?" Nick changed the subject.
"At that lodge I was telling you about in
"Because I'm coming down there to personally ring Drew's neck, " Nick angrily hung up.
"Shit!" Stephanie shrieked. "I'm dead! I'm so dead! Drew's gonna kill me!" She knew Nick was serious about what he was planning to do and he'd be there in less than a day.
"Damn! Damn! Damn!" she repeated, smacking herself with her hand. "Why do I do these stupid things?"