The first thing Jillian noticed as she slowly woke up was the beep of machines around her. Her head was pounding from a headache, only softened by the pain meds that were slowly wearing off. She groaned, lifting a hand to rub her temples.

“Jillybean!” Her mom’s voice, familiar and comforting, broke through the fog.

“Ugh... mom?” Jillian murmured, her head throbbing at the loudness of her mom’s voice.

“It’s me, honey. We’re so happy you’re okay, baby,” Ginny said with a twinge to her voice like she was on the verge of tears. She reached out, giving her arm a reassuring squeeze. Jillian’s scraped up hands were wrapped in bandages, and there was a big bandage on her cheek where she had been cut from being thrown down and struck by Luis. Jillian couldn’t shake off the image of the man’s horrid face, which made her scowl.

“June’s here too. So is your father, but he’s out getting some drinks.”

It was surprising to know even her father was there. But it was also a little confusing that June was there. She guessed it meant she’d been rescued from Luis, which was a huge relief.

“Is June alright? He didn’t touch her or anything, did he?” she asked, barely opening her eyes enough to see the confused expression on her sister’s face. She still didn’t have the energy or willpower to open her eyes fully.

“Umm, no? I went to find Miss Katia, and Mr. Chris drove us home,” June explained to her sister. Jillian looked completely lost.

“Wait, so Katia got you from the police?” she asked.

“Hun, the cops were never involved. You should rest. Your head is still healing,” Ginny said, gently running her fingers through her eldest daughter’s hair, figuring that she was just very confused right now. She could see Jillian was struggling to make sense of things after whatever had happened.

“But... that’s…,” Jillian mumbled and closed her eyes, resting her head back, trying to piece it all together. “So, then, that must mean... Jason?” she said, reaching out, but all she got back was silence.

“Um…,” Ginny interrupted.

“We have no clue where he is,” June chimed in as well to help her mother. Jillian's eyes shot open completely at this news.

“What?!”

She blinked rapidly, trying to clear her blurry vision. The last thing she remembered was the chaos of the police and people yelling, especially at Luis and his crew. Her guess was that Jason might’ve gotten himself arrested, too. She hoped not, but it seemed pretty likely if he wasn’t here with her already. Worry wracked her brain, praying to god that Jason didn’t get caught in the crossfire or something.

Ginny sighed deeply, “Both of you disappeared, and everyone else was left clueless to your whereabouts.”

She shared what she knew, and June pitched in with the rest. Jillian was surprised by how much her little sister was talking now, it brought a smile to her face each time.

What didn’t make her smile was discovering that June had never been abducted by Luis. It clicked when June explained she’d lost her phone. Luis hadn’t taken Jillian’s little sister, he’d taken her phone, which June refused to put a password on. He’d used it as bait to make it seem like he did. Jillian was relieved her sister hadn’t actually gotten abducted and put through that trauma. Though she did kick herself for not figuring it out sooner. The fact that she had run off and left her sister alone at the market bugged the crap out of her as well.

While Ginny was there tending to her eldest child, Katia had insisted on keeping an eye on Lonnie and Calvin while they all went to see how Jillian was doing. Despite Ginny’s protests, Katia’s determination won out in the end. June accompanied the worried parents to the hospital. Damon wasted no time leaving work when he heard Jillian was hospitalized. He knew he might catch some heat for it later, but family came first.

Damon walked back into Jillian’s room carrying a couple of drinks. When he saw his daughter finally awake, he set the drinks down and quickly updated the nurses. Once he was back in the room, he gave his daughter a gentle hug and a kiss on the forehead.

“I’m so glad you are alright, Jill. I don't know what I would do if I lost you again,” he whispered into Jillian’s ear, surprising her slightly with the emotion in his voice. She didn’t even know what to say back to that.

The nurse came in soon after to check on Jillian’s vital signs and overall condition. After everything was sorted out, something unexpected happened, except that Jillian, had been fully expecting them. Two detectives strolled in, duty-bound to chat with her since she was finally awake. They politely asked everyone else to give them some alone time with Jillian. She reassured everyone that it was okay and she knew what was going on. Once the room was reluctantly cleared, they shut the door and started their questioning.

“How are you feeling?” One of the detectives asked. Jillian scowled a little at the question.

“I would probably feel better if you guys had gotten there sooner,” she grumbled.

“Sorry, we got there as fast as we could. We appreciate your and Mr. Kilpatrick’s support in apprehending Luis Vargus. Your eventual testimony will be invaluable in keeping him locked away for a long time. We are already in the process of getting warrants to raid his properties.”

Jillian let out a heavy sigh. As annoyed as she was about getting hurt, at the very least, it meant she would never have to be afraid of Luis again.

“I just hope… Hold on, my boyfriend showed up suddenly to try and rescue me. Where is he?!” she asked, finally remembering Jason.

The detectives looked at one another and shrugged. They had followed the ambulance that took Jillian to the hospital to provide protection and talk to her when she was awake. She warned the two that if they tried to pin him together with Luis or charge him with anything, that Lina, or rather Mr. Kilpatrick would be very upset. Once they promised to do what they could, Jillian allowed the two to question her, and they placed a recorder between them to get everything on record.

It turned out that Luis was already a wanted man in a bunch of states long before today. He was suspected of embezzling money from the company he was CFO of. And there was now evidence to support the suspicion of him being involved with the cartel, moving drugs and weapons. Jillian spilled all she could to the cops about Luis, detailing his shady dealings and dropping any names she could recall from the parties he dragged her to and what went on there. For good measure, she would occasionally declare into the recorder: “And Luis has no connection or even knows the man known as Jason Merris.”

The detectives tried to assure her it was unnecessary, but she felt it was best to ensure he was totally unrelated aside from wanting to rescue her. She might have gotten a bit too pushy about it, but they again assured her they’d sort it out as soon as they could. After chatting for a good twenty minutes, they figured they had what they needed for now.

After the cops left, the family rushed back in, giving Jillian some strange looks. With Luis hopefully out of the picture, she felt it was time to truly come clean about her past and why she was gone for so long. Why she never had anything put in her name, gotten her license, or any other things like that. It was like a story out of a movie, but she swore every word was true. Many hugs and kisses were exchanged as they all talked, and she couldn’t help but let out a few happy tears of relief. No longer would she have to cower in fear, wondering if that day would be the day Luis found her. Finally, she could live her life exactly how she wanted, on her terms.

Hopefully, with her boyfriend once he showed up again.

As Jillian explained the day’s events, Ginny’s phone pinged with a text from Katia. She smiled as she pulled up the text, and her eyes widened as she read the message.

“Jason was arrested!” she blurted out, catching everyone’s attention. Jillian let out a sigh, realizing she was just a few moments from that part.

“I knew that boy was trouble,” Damon said angrily.

“He’s not that bad,” June mumbled out. His head snapped to his other daughter. Had he gotten to her as well?

“He ended up in jail because he showed up with a gun to try and protect me, but the cops showed up as well and I bet he got rounded up with the rest of them. I was literally just about to explain all of that,” she said, trying to calm her dad down.

“That actually reminds me. Where’s my phone?” Jillian scanned the room, and thankfully, June fished it out from Jillian’s bag hanging off the bed. She scrolled through her messages, finding nothing new except thee missed calls from the man. No other texts or anything. She was very confused at first. But then she realized her grievous error. She’d blocked him after he had started blowing up her phone earlier while she was trying to make a different call.

“Son of a bitch,” she muttered, biting her thumbnail. Her thumb hovered over the unblock button, fearing the worst, before finally pressing it and unblocking him. His flood of texts appeared in an instant, each one more gut-wrenching and desperate than the last. She knew she’d have to get on her knees later and do some serious begging for forgiveness. Not that she minded being on her knees for him.

Jill: Heyyyyyy. *Sweating Emoji*

Jase: Hey yourself.

Jill: Yeah, I knowwwwww I’m sorrrrrryyyyy! When you come to get me I’ll explain, I promise!

Jase: Mmhmm.

Jill: I didn’t mean to keep you in the dark, baby. I was just trying to keep things under control and it kinda worked.

Jill: Well, mostly. I just freaked out a bit when I found out he had June.

Jase: Figured as much. Is she okay? She isn’t too traumatized, is she? I was worried about her as well.

Jill: Turns out he didn’t take her, just her phone, the bastard.

Jill: Anyway, where are you? Just get out of jail? I’m sorry that happened, babe. *Crying emoji*

Jase: Yeah, just got released half an hour ago and had to pay to get my car from impound. I’m heading to the hospital now.

Jill: Please hurry! I have booboos that need kissing. *Loads of heart emojis*

Jill: And some flowers, perhaps? *Winking kiss emoji*

Jase: Ha, no chance. I’ll be lucky if I leave this town with my credit card in one piece. Both Bail and impound fees were not cheap.

Jill: Awwww, well as long as I have you I think I will survive. I'll give you kisses as well to make up for it all.

There was a brief pause in the chat before Jason texted back.

Jason: Hoping I get a good return on those kisses, ‘cause it’s been one hell of an expensive day.

Jill: Haha, guess you’ll have to wait until tonight to find out, won’t you? *A series of suggestive emojis follow*

Jillian finally glanced up from her phone with a much brighter expression. Then she remembered everyone looking over at her. She froze for a moment, her face flushing slightly.

“Umm, Jason is on his way over. Can someone find out when I can ditch this place?” Despite her headache, she seemed eager to get out of the hospital bed. Damon nodded solemnly and went off to ask a nurse. Ginny glanced at her oldest daughter, who was back, grinning at her phone, fingers dancing across the screen.

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Now that Ginny knew all that Jillian had been through, it weighed heavily on her as a parent. But seeing her happy after so much happened was a small comfort. She couldn't help but move closer and gave her eldest daughter a tight squeeze and a hug, eliciting a mild protest.

“Moooom, I’m in the middle of a text here, haha,” Jillian playfully complained like a whiny teenager, but hugged back as best she could.

Jason arrived at the hospital right after he finished texting Jillian. At last, this crazy day was winding down. The worst was obviously over, and he was looking forward to relaxing and spending time with his girlfriend while she got better. He parked his car, shut off the engine, and opened his door. It was almost like his phone knew and decided to ring at that moment. His eye twitched as he saw the caller ID. The name “V” popped up. His jaw instantly clenched, and he tried to keep himself calm but failed.

Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes for a split second before answering his phone. Bringing it to his ear, he greeted, “Hey, Vince, what’s up?”

The more Vince spoke, the angrier Jason got. He argued back and forth with his boss, but in the end, they reached a sort of compromise.

“Alright, good deal. Catch you later, Jase. Enjoy the rest of your vacay, pal. Don’t disappoint me,” Vince said cheerfully before hanging up.

Jason was seething with rage as the call ended. He felt like throttling something, and if he had a choice, it’d definitely be Vince. Instead, his phone creaked under the strain of his grip.

Once Jason’s anger waned, a wave of intense sadness washed over him. He looked up at the hospital building, feeling a heavy ache in his chest. Why couldn’t things just go right for once? Why did everything seem to always go wrong, especially for him…for them? Maybe their relationship was just doomed. But even with all these doubts and obstacles, his feelings for Jillian remained unchanged. He still longed for her and hoped they would be able to make it through everything. Even if the odds felt stacked against them. With a deep breath, he finally mustered the courage to step into the hospital.

As Jason entered Jillian’s room, he found Ginny, June, and Damon sitting around, clearly battling against boredom, either on their phone or reading. Jillian noticed Jason’s arrival first as she sat up in her adjustable bed.

“Baby!” she exclaimed excitedly with a grin, though her bandaged cheek seemed to protest a bit.

Despite his low spirits, seeing her smile brightened his mood immediately, his own smile mixed with a hint of concern. He hurried over as she eagerly reached out to him, her bandaged hands making grabbing motions. She looked absolutely adorable, and he couldn’t help but give in.

He leaned over cautiously, and she embraced him tightly as he did. The hug lasted for a few long moments, with Jillian letting out cute noises as she squeezed him as hard as possible.

“Oooo I missed you so much,” she cooed, before pulling back to meet his gaze for only a second before their lips met in a passionate kiss. It felt like it had been years, not just hours since they had last kissed. Jillian’s whimpers and sounds of delight were less than appropriate as the sound of their kisses echoed in the small hospital room. His hands ran up and down her back, teasing the open slit in the back of her hospital gown. A throat clearing from across the room interrupted their moment and brought the couple back to reality.

Jillian reluctantly stopped and pulled back, whispering, “We’ll pick this up later, handsome.”

Even in front of her parents, the feeling of yearning she had right now was overwhelming. It seemed almost dying was one way to get her in the mood. Jason stood up, and looked back over at the family seated nearby. Ginny had a sweet smile. June seemed embarrassed, and Damon looked quite displeased, crinkling the magazine tight in his hands.

Clearing his throat, he spoke, “So, is everything okay?” he asked, trying to keep it simple.

“Yeah, just waiting on some blood work, and then I’m out of here. How about you? How was jail? Did you make any new friends?” Jillian teased, reaching out to grasp his hand gently with one of her injured hands.

“Pretty dull, honestly. Lots of waiting and more waiting. Plus, it cost a fortune,” he sighed, his thumb absentmindedly stroking her hand.

After hanging out and chatting for a bit longer, Ginny got up from her seat.

“Well, since you’re doing okay, sweetie, I should head back to relieve Katia. And you should probably get back to work before everything falls apart, dear,” she said, looking affectionately at her oldest daughter and then her husband.

“I think they can survive without me for half a day. I can take care of her just fine,” Damon said, glowering at Jason again. Ginny just rolled her eyes and walked over to her husband, clinging to his strong arm.

“That's very sweet of you, dear, but I think our daughter is a lot tougher than you give her credit for. Please relax, besides I’m sure Jason will make sure she gets home safe and sound, right?”

She smiled at Jason, who returned a small smile and nodded.

“You can count on me, ma’am,” he replied politely. Damon didn’t seem thrilled about the whole situation, but he reluctantly stood up when his wife nudged him. One by one, they all lined up to give Jillian a big hug and more. When it was Damon’s turn, he embraced his daughter tightly before straightening up to face Jason, who held his gaze without flinching.

“We’re still having that talk, boy,” Damon stated firmly.

“Daddy, please be nice,” Jillian interjected, reaching out to place a comforting hand on her father’s arm. “I love you. Everything will be okay. Promise,” she said with a reassuring smile, trying to ease his tension.

Damon let out a small sigh and rested a hand on her knee, giving it a gentle squeeze before giving Jason one last stern look and then headed out.

“Your dad is quite intense,” Jason remarked once the older man had left, letting himself finally relax now that he was out from under Damon’s harsh glare.

Jason stayed with Jillian the whole time she was in the hospital. When everyone else finally left, a nurse came in shortly after finding the two at the beginning of another impromptu make-out session. She cleared her throat to break the spell they were under, and they reluctantly pulled back from each other, though it was obvious they were eager to pick up where they left off. The flustered nurse hurriedly checked Jillian’s vitals and bolted out of there.

Jason and Jillian weren’t fazed in the slightest as they went right back to kissing until Jillian’s injured cheek started hurting too much to continue. Once her blood test results were in, she got the green light from the hospital to leave.

When they were finally in the car, Jason relaxed and couldn’t help but wonder aloud how Jillian had managed to summon so many cops to the scene so fast. Jillian smirked from the passenger seat.

“Remember when Lina came to the house?” she teased. Jason’s eyes widened in realization.

“Lina arranged this?!” he exclaimed, prompting laughter from Jillian.

“For the most part. It kinda went like...”

Jillian had dragged Lina into Jason’s room for a bit of Girl Talk to hash things out and give her some advice on not going overboard when it comes to boys. Mainly, she emphasized that centering your whole world around someone or some sexual desire was a surefire way to get hurt or into a situation where there was no easy escape. Since Lina didn’t have much female guidance, growing up without her mom around, she soaked up Jillian’s advice like a sponge.

When Jillian finished sharing most of what she had to say, she got up to leave. But Lina wasn’t done yet.

“You… seem like you’ve been through a lot... What’s it like?”

What Lina really wanted to know was what it felt like to be in love, but Jillian’s mind went straight to her own trauma.

“Well, it’s... not something I’d recommend. You end up feeling worthless, used up, and just altogether awful. I was lucky that I was able to get out when I did. But so many others aren’t and get stuck for the rest of their lives.”

Lina’s eyes widened in shock.

“Holy…I had no idea that truly being in love could be so terrifying!”

She was no longer sure she wanted to even try to date anyone now. They sat in silence for a moment before Jillian started laughing.

“Haha, no, no, no. I’m sorry. I thought you were asking about being stuck in a bad relationship like I was.”

“That sounds a lot worse than just a bad relationship.T hat's like slavery or something,” Lina said with a frown. They started chatting again, with Lina asking more and more questions. Jillian shared openly. More than happy to express the dangers of getting herself into the same situation.

“What?! He’s still out there looking for you?!” Lina exclaimed, hugging her knees close, her eyes wide with shock. Jillian gave a weary nod, her expression heavy.

“I think so… The worst part is that I accidentally dialed his number a few days ago. With all his connections, he probably already has an idea about where I am. I need to lay low from now on and hope he loses interest,” she confessed, her fingers nervously fiddling together.

“Can’t you get some security or something? Or go to the cops?” Lina suggested, her curiosity piqued. Jillian shook her head.

“My family and I can’t afford bodyguards, and the police won’t act without proof that my life is at risk. They promised to send patrols every few days, but it’s not much more than a cop car driving by occasionally.”

The two fell into a heavy silence. Lina frowned, deeply troubled by Jillian’s situation.

“What if I pitched in to help you?” she blurted out, catching Jillian’s attention.

“Huh?” Jillian responded, puzzled.

Lina shifted on the bed, moving closer to Jillian. “What if I have some people dig into this guy and arrange for some help to step in when he pops up again?”

Jillian looked taken aback by Lina’s suggestion.

“I couldn’t...” She tried to refuse

“But I insist. It’s the least I could do after causing so much trouble for you and Jason. Plus, it’s the right thing to do. I would hate myself forever if something happened to you or Jason that I could have helped prevent.”

Lina reached out, taking one of Jillian’s hands. Jillian hesitated, then let out a sigh.

“It would be reassuring to have a backup plan if he shows up again.” With a nod, she finally agreed to accept the help. Lina beamed and pulled Jillian into a hug.

“Thank you so much for everything! I’ll make sure nothing can hurt you like that again!” Lina bubbled with enthusiasm, causing Jillian to laugh softly.

“Alright, alright. I should be the one thanking you, though. You aren’t going to blow up Jason’s phone with texts anymore, right?”

Lina nodded, still smiling as they both got up from the bed, each wrapping an arm around the other, leaving Jason’s room looking like they were best of friends.

“So she and I have been texting pretty much every day. It turns out that a bunch of agencies already wanted Luis. So Lina pulled some strings and got a whole sting operation set up. I basically dialed the number Lina gave me for the guy running the show and told him where Luis was gonna be. I thought he had June otherwise I would’ve just let the cops handle it. But Luis gave me a twenty-minute deadline and instructions to come alone to save my sister, so I had to keep stalling him until the cops arrived,” Jillian explained, and Jason just looked totally blown away at this revelation. His girlfriend really had it all under control when she told him to leave at that time.

“Fuck… so I almost messed everything up, got tazed and arrested..for nothing,” Jason grumbled, but Jillian quickly reassured him, giving his thigh a comforting squeeze.

“It wasn’t for nothing. You are my hero, baby. You rushed in to save me, and that’s everything to me,” she said, trying to cheer him up. He let out a sigh and rubbed the back of his neck before he asked, “Is that also why you blocked my number?”

Jillian nodded sheepishly.

“Yeah, sorry ‘bout that. I was trying to call the number, but you kept blowing up my phone. Had to block you to get through. I’m sorry for not unblocking you sooner.”

She ran her hand up and down his leg, trying to ease the tension. Her hand slid to his inner thigh, giving it a squeeze.

“No, I’m the one that needs to apologize. I made it take longer for you to call the cops,” Jason said, as he reached down and gently held her hand.

“You were just worried, I get that. It shows how much you care about me, and I’ll never hold that against you,” Jillian replied with a soft smile, leaning over and resting her head on his arm.“Honestly, it’s my favorite thing about you. You can be a pain in the ass sometimes, but you’re also my sweetie wumpkin snuggle bug.”

Jason almost dry heaved at her unbearably cutesy words, which made Jillian burst into laughter at his reaction. As Jason drove, it became obvious they weren’t heading home, and Jillian finally noticed.

“Hey, where are we going?” she asked curiously, taking in the quickly disappearing civilization. “Somewhere more private,” he replied quietly.

“Oooo, sounds fun. Even if I’m hurting, you have no idea how horny I’ve been since you showed up at the hospital,” she confessed with a purr, her hand instinctively moving to his crotch, tracing her fingers along his package. However, to her surprise, Jason gently removed her hand. She pulled back, puzzled, to see a serious yet saddened expression on his face. There was something obviously not right.

“Jason… why the secrecy? Why drag me somewhere private if not for sneaking off for sex?” Jillian’s tone was firm, suspicion prickling at her.

“Because I need to talk to you without interruptions or others listening in before I tell you,” Jason said ominously, setting off alarm bells in Jillian’s mind.

“Jason, seriously, you’re freaking me out. What’s going on?” Her demanding tone betrayed her growing unease. There was a tense silence before Jason let out a heavy sigh.

“I... I’ve got some bad news,” he finally confessed, his expression darkening, leaving Jillian to watch on with growing worry.

“Bad news?” she echoed, her voice small. What? Was he about to drop on her now?

Jason headed out to a quiet lake that was practically deserted this time of year. It was too chilly for a swim or fishing and too mild for ice skating. He parked his car under a big shady tree, rubbing his face, trying to muster the courage to say what was weighing so heavily on him. Meanwhile, Jillian sat beside him, her nerves on edge as she impatiently waited for him to speak. Unable to contain herself, she unbuckled her seat belt and sat up on her knees, turning to him. Jillian reached out and gently turned Jason’s head to face her.

“Whatever is going on, we can handle it together, okay? We just took down a psycho with millions of dollars at his disposal. I don’t think there’s anything we can’t do now.”

She tried to keep her tone upbeat as she leaned in, sharing a deep kiss with him. When they pulled away, their eyes met.

“I... have to head back to Florida,” he said somberly

Jillian’s first thoughts were, “Is he still unsure about the long distance relationship? Well, I’ll make sure to-” Her thoughts were cut off as Jason finished his sentence.

“Thursday.”