by Nicole Bella
It was getting late, creeping onto 9 pm, so he was pretty sure he’d be able to catch Vanessa leaving Anthony’s room after she had finished tucking him in. But, as fate would have it, he was early and as he approached Anthony’s bedroom door he could see it still slightly ajar. Without really thinking about it, Jackson crept up to the open door, peeking into the room. He had never actually seen Anthony and Vanessa together, at least not alone and for some reason he found himself insatiably curious.
‘What time are you coming over tomorrow?’ He heard Anthony ask.
‘The usual time.’ Vanessa responded.
‘Can you come earlier?’
‘Earlier? I don’t know if that’s a good idea.’
‘Pleeeaaaaassssseeee.’ Anthony begged. ‘Daddy won’t mind. I think he really likes you.’
‘Oh…I’m sure he does.’ Vanessa said, the double meaning clear only to her…and Jackson of course.
‘Truly he does. Please come over. I’ll get up early even.’ He continued to beg.
‘OK, Ok I’ll come over thirty minutes early. How about that?’ Vanessa said, finally giving in.
By now Jackson was right at the door, peaking in just enough to see the two. Vanessa sat on the edge of the bed, with Anthony tucked in under the sheets.
‘Perfect!’ Anthony squealed excitedly.
‘OK. I’ll see you tomorrow.’ And as she said this she leaned in, giving him a kiss on the forehead.
‘Love you,’ Anthony chimed, already half asleep.
‘Love you too.’ Vanessa whispered softly, taking a moment to look down at the sleeping babe.
Seconds later and Jackson was halfway down the hallway, not wanting to be seen by Vanessa or Anthony. And as he power walked, his head charged with him. He couldn’t believe what he had just seen. Anthony had never been that way with any of the other nanny’s before, never. He seemed to truly love Vanessa. How could Jackson possibly fire her now? What would Anthony say, or do?
Making up his mind quickly he decided that he wouldn’t fire Vanessa, just yet anyway. For Anthony’s sake he would give her another chance. Just one. Only then, if she truly deserved it, would he fire her. And as he walked, thinking about Anthony and the way he had been fawning over Vanessa, he was surprised to find that he hoped that she didn’t make another mistake.
CHAPTER FOUR
Red Balloons And Zombie Doctors
Jackson danced across the floor of the ring with such precision and grace that you’d almost swear he was a ballet dancer, not a world class MMA fighter.
‘Left!’ Pete screamed.
And as he did, Jackson hustled left, never breaking rhythm or stride.
‘Right!’ Pete ordered.
This time Jackson leaped to his right, again keeping his rhythm and composure with the aptitude of a finely trained athlete.
‘Now drop for fifty!’ Pete ordered like an army drill sergeant. ‘One. Two. Three...!’ He screamed as Jackson fell to the ground, landing on his outstretched hands and immediately going into a push-up. ‘Four! Five! Six…’
Pete trailed off, stopping his count before reaching seven. Pete never stopped the count.
Looking up from his position on the ground, it didn’t take him long to see what had caused the sudden halt. It was Vanessa, bustling across the room straight for the ring.
‘What the hell is she doing…?’ Pete asked, more to himself than anything.
‘Hello.’ Vanessa yelled out as she approached the ring. ‘Ah Jackson -- Mr McCall, I was hoping I could borrow you? Just a second of your time?’
Was she kidding? Jackson thought to himself as he climbed to his feet. There was no way that she thought this was appropriate behavior. Especially when considering his reaction the last time she tried to get involved in anything that wasn’t mandated by her job. Jackson would almost swear that she wanted to get fired.
‘Just a moment.’ She assured as she reached the ring, now attempting to actually climb into it. ‘Just a moment…’ She fell forward into the ring, landing face first. But, to her credit she didn’t let that stop her, quick to her feet with more agility then one would give her credit for.
‘Ah…Pete, take five.’ Jackson said, indicating for Pete to give them a minute.
Pete, in disbelief, gave his head a shake as if doing so might make the whole image go away. When it didn’t he resided to the fact that what was happening was real and climbed from the ring, muttering expletives to himself the whole time.
‘What?’ Jackson asked Vanessa flatly when they were finally alone.
‘It’s about Anthony. Next week.’ She said, just as flatly, as if this were all the explanation that were needed.
‘Ah…OK?’
‘I thought you might want to be involved?’ Again with the short, cryptic response.
‘You need some help? What you want me to hire someone to help you nanny?’ Jackson asked, generally confused now. Was she really suggesting that he hire another nanny to help her? Maybe she had gone mad?
‘It’s Anthony’s birthday party next week. I thought you might want to help with organizing the party…? Or not? I just a thought....’ It wasn’t the question so much that annoyed Jackson, but the way that she asked it. It was pretty clear that she had little respect for him when it came to his relationship with his son.
Jackson cursed himself the moment she mentioned Anthony’s birthday. Of course it was. He hadn’t forgotten…really. OK, maybe he had. But he would have remembered. He had reminders set and Charles was pretty good with keeping on top of that kind of stuff…Ok all of this made Jackson sound like a terrible father. But as established, he really wasn’t. He loved his son more than anything. It was just with his schedule, and other things, that some things often fell by the wayside. That’s what he had assistants for, and a nanny
As his mind turned with self-justifications for why he was a good father, Jackson could see Vanessa not-so-silently judging him. He didn’t need to read her mind to know what she was thinking. ‘Bad father! Bad father! Bad Father!’ She practically screamed.
‘What did you have in mind?’ He asked finally, realizing that he’d been silent for just a little too long.
‘Oh nothing too grand. I already have the theme and everything picked out. I thought you might want to help in picking everything up and setting it all up too?’
‘I can hire someone for that?’ The moment he said it he regretted it. The look on her face implied that he was missing the point entirely. This was confirmed by her actual words a second later.
‘Yeah but…I think Anthony would appreciate knowing how much effort you put into it. If he knew that you had gone out of your way…well I think he’d really like that.’
She was right. Of course she was. He almost felt like she had come in here expecting him to say no. As if saying that would finally confirm everything that she had suspected about him from the very beginning. And as she stood there, looking the MMA fighter up and down, he never wanted to prove anyone more wrong about anything before.
‘Sure. I’d love to help.’ He said, deciding that missing a day of training would be worth it. If for no other reason than to prove her wrong.
‘Great! I knew you would.’ She said excitedly, as if she had truly believed that.
And that was that. Beaming with joy she turned and skipped from the room; probably happier for Anthony’s sake than anything.
‘What was that about?’ Pete asked a second later as he climbed back into the ring.
‘Nothing.’ Jackson said, shaking his head as he tried to dismiss the conversation that had just take place. ‘Come on. Let’s get back to it.
*
‘Are you sure about the theme?’ Jackson asked Vanessa skeptically as they wandered the party-supply store in search of the appropriate decorations.
‘I’ve never been more sure of anything.’ Vanessa assured him with a cheeky wink.
Vanessa wasn’t at all surprised by Jackson’s hesitation when she told him what the them
e of the party was. Although she had no doubt that he loved his son, she also knew that Jackson was from that old-school form of fathering; one where he assumed that his son would share the same interests as he. But his son was, as she had come to be aware, the complete opposite of his father; at least in some ways.
‘OK. I’ll have to trust you on that one.’ Jackson finally caved as he reached for a packet of red and white balloons. ‘I’m guessing these are the colors you’re after?’
‘Red and white? Yep! Those are the ones!’
The party was going to be a medical themed event. From the cake that was shaped like a giant syringe, to the decorations that mirrored hospital colors right on through to the fancy dress requirement -- which was of course hospital decor. The entire house was going to be decorated like a giant, colorful I.C.U. And what’s more, she knew that Anthony was going to love it.
When Vanessa had first told Jackson about the plans, he was naturally a little resistant. He was even more so when she doubled-down and told him that Anthony wanted to be a nurse when he grew up, not a doctor.
‘But why would he want to be a nurse? He’s easily smart enough to be a doctor’ Jackson protested as they drove to the party supply store. To his credit, he didn’t seem mad, more surprised.
‘It’s not about that.’ Vanessa assured him. ‘He thinks that nurses help more people. Where doctors are just in it for the money. Isn’t that amazing? What a kid!’
This level of reasoning seemed to be all that Jackson needed as he slowly nodded his head. ‘He really is like his mother.’ Jackson said, more to himself than Vanessa. As such, Vanessa decided not to press the point, just glad that Jackson was going along with it.
They spent the entirety of the morning picking out an array of decorations that would almost seem right at home in a hospital…minus the sick people and depressing atmosphere of course. And as the morning wore on, Vanessa could feel the tension lifting between her and Jackson as he slowly came around to the idea that his son wanted to be a nurse.
‘And we’re going to dress up too?’ He asked as he threw some red streamers into their shopping basket.
‘Of course!’ Vanessa beamed. ‘What do you want to be?’
‘Hhhhhmmm….A doctor?’
‘Oh that’s no fun.’ She joked. ‘How about a zombie doctor instead?’
‘A what? Zombie doctor?’ He asked, trying not to laugh at the absurdity of the suggestion.
‘Yeah. We can paint your skin an off green color and coat you in a little more blood...and brains. You’ll look great!’ She beamed, truly believing that he would.
Jackson burst out laughing at the suggestion, probably the first time she had really seen him this happy. This was a whole other side to the fighter that she hadn’t been privy to before. Sure they’d spent a lot of time together prior to this. But that was different. There was no sexual tension here, no subtle hints to their past dalliances. It was all for Anthony, and that was what made the morning a damn near perfect one.
‘OK. A zombie doctor it is.’
--
The only real hiccup to the day came in the afternoon, when they were trying on their costumes.
The party was that night and they had spent the entire day converting the backyard of the mansion into an outdoor hospital. Red and white streamers and balloons were strung up across the yard, so thick that they almost formed a roof of their own. Underneath this, dozens of red and white balloons floated and bobbed. Jackson had even managed to use his connections through the medical staff that worked for him to wrangle a few hospital beds and old pieces of equipment together. All in all Vanessa couldn’t have been happier with the way it had turned out. She knew that Anthony was going to love it. She could tell that Jackson knew this too, which accounted for the terrific mood he was currently in.
As it were the two were in high spirits when they were finally able to start getting ready.
Vanessa was going as a nurse. Simple yet effective as, with her long legs and exquisite shape, she struck quite the figure in the nurse’s outfit. She knew that she did too, as she had caught Jackson staring more than once. Even though they had slept together quite a few times, these quick glances were something different; ones that didn’t scream of lust, but something else…or so she thought. Jackson looked oddly dashing in his zombie doctor outfit also.
‘More brains?’ He asked, scooping up the ‘brains’ that the two had made from supplies they’d bought at a costume store.
‘Always more brains.’ Vanessa joked, slopping the mixture of red paint and tubing over his shirt.
She was having such a good time that she didn’t even notice him stumble backward. It was only slight at first, maybe half a step. But a second later and he was forced to take another step backward, this time having to grab onto the nearby table to steady himself.
‘What’s wrong?’ She asked, rushing to his side in an attempt to offer some form of assistance.
‘Oh, what? Nothing. I’m fine…’ It was a lie that was quickly proven to be false as a second later he crashed hard to the floor.
--
‘I’ll have to take you in for some X-rays and maybe a CT scan.’
‘Now?’
‘Well the sooner the better obviously. I don’t have to tell you that it isn’t normal to lose consciousness from out of nowhere.’
Vanessa called Jackson’s personal doctor the moment that he had passed out. He was only out for a second, maybe less than that. But it was enough that it required immediate medical assistance. That much Vanessa was sure of.
The doctor was at the house in less than fifteen minutes and although he couldn’t tell exactly what the cause of the sudden pass-out was, he clearly thought it was more serious than he was letting on; or at least that’s how Vanessa had interpreted it.
‘Maybe we should cancel the party?’ She suggested as the doctor packed up his supplies.
‘What? No definitely not.’ Jackson protested. ‘Whatever it is it can wait until tomorrow. Right doctor?’
‘Well….’ The doctor didn’t seem so sure, but didn’t seem too willing to argue with his patient.
‘Look. I’ll take it easy tonight and tomorrow I’ll come in. First thing. See what the real problem is. Today is about Anthony. Not me.’
Jackson was insistent and there was no way that he was going to budge. So despite both Vanessa and the doctor’s protests, the party was to go ahead. Whatever was wrong with Jackson was going to have to wait for tomorrow.
*
Despite the small hiccup that was Jackson’s medical scare, the rest of the day and night was a huge success, especially the party. At first Jackson was skeptical about the choice of theme; only letting Vanessa talk him into it because she was so damn sure that it was the right thing to do. But the moment that Anthony came home and saw the decorations, he knew that they had made the right choice. He couldn’t remember the last time he had seen his son so happy. That alone would have made his day. But really his day was made even before that.
Up until today, he had treated Vanessa pretty poorly. Even he had to admit that. When they had first slept together he had done it more out of instinct than anything. And, as was his way, he had made sure to keep her at arms-length. There was no sense in letting her get too close; that wouldn’t help anybody. But after today, spending the entirety of the day with her, he had to admit, she was unlike anyone he had known before…well almost anyone.
What he loved was how strong and self-assured she was. She never balked, or faulted. When he argued with her she wasn’t afraid to argue back, and more often than not she was right. What was funny was how much he actually liked this about her. The women he usually slept with weren’t chosen for their sharp minds or wit. They had other features, ones prized by the superficial male. And although Vanessa possessed these too, she was so much more than that.
Once the party started and Anthony’s friends began to turn up, Jackson and Vanessa were very quickly forgotten as Anthony got swept up
in the celebrations. So, as Anthony and the other kids played and laughed, Jackson and Vanessa took a step back, enjoying each other’s company in a way they never had before.
What Jackson found the most interesting was that during all of this he never once felt a desire to take her to his bedroom. I mean, obviously he did, but not in that way. If this were his previous nanny, Miranda, he probably would have spent most of the night in his bedroom with her; letting Anthony spend the time with his friends. But with Vanessa, well she wanted to be a part of Anthony’s night as much if not more than he did. She suggested games for them to play, even getting Jackson involved when he would allow it.
