Chapter 13

"Mrs. Stewart, I'm happy to confirm your pregnancy and although you are somewhat past the prime years for childbearing I see no reason why this should not be a normal pregnancy and delivery."

The doctor, white lab coat and spectacles, sat across his office desk from the elated couple. Yet while his news had been positive, there was a frown on the M.D.'s face. He cleared his throat nervously.

"I'm afraid I also have some bad news... very bad news."

"What is it doctor?" asked Kenny.

The doctor took the x-rays films, placed them in a viewer and turned on the light. Neither Jessica nor Kenny recognized it until the doctor pointed out the liver.

"What does it mean?" asked Kenny.

"I'm sorry. It's liver cancer... advanced..."

"You mean... ?"

The doctor nodded his head sadly.

"But... but surely there's something you can do," exclaimed Kenny.

" I wish it were so. Normally we could start chemo and radiation treatments. They might give you an additional six months, but with the baby to consider..."

"I understand," said Jessica.

"You're early enough to consider abortion."

"No way," she replied. "If I'm going to die, I at least want to leave a living part of me behind." Looking the doctor in the eye, she asked, "What will it be like?"

"Perhaps the only good thing about liver cancer is that there will be little if any pain. Shortly you'll begin to experience weakness, a loss of stamina, vitality. That will progress until you will finally become bedridden, but that will not be until very close to the end.

"What about... ?" she started.

"It will be a race between the pregnancy and the cancer. Take care of yourself. I'll put you on a regimen of proper diet, vitamins and medication that won't adversely affect the baby. With a little luck you'll have just enough time to bring your baby to term."

"But I don't understand," injected Kenny. "She feels fine."

"That's one reason why liver cancer is so insidious. It often doesn't exhibit any symptoms until the disease is rather advanced." He turned to Jessica. "You feel fine now, but it won't be long before the symptoms I've described will begin to appear. I want you back here for regular checkups.

"I understand. Thank you doctor."

"I... wish I could do more."

"So do I," she replied ruefully.

The two were virtually silent on the way back to the apartment, both brooding over the heartbreaking news. Jessica fixed a bite to eat but neither was hungry. Kenny was speechless. Several times he started to express his feelings only to find he was at a loss for words.

"All right," she said, taking his hand, "I'll say it for both of us. This sucks! Just when we finally find each other again and start our life together again, we get this. Okay, it isn't fair, but as I see it we've got two choices. We can either feel sorry for ourselves and I'll leave you with nothing but regrets, or we can make the most of the time we have left and I'll leave you with the happiest memories of our lives. So, which is it going to be?"

He was silent a moment, then looked at her with that boyish grin. "Let's make some memories!" he said, pulling her to him and kissing her deeply.

"Make love to me, Kenny. Take me to bed and screw my brains out. All I want to think about tonight is how good you make me feel."

"I think that can be arranged," he grinned, sweeping her into his arms and heading for the bedroom.

Over the next few weeks they opened the music store, hired a manager and split most of their time between traveling to see as many of the sights as possible and getting the business off the ground. Neither had been to this part of the country before so visiting some of the historic and natural wonders of the region was an exciting trek for them both.

Having returned from their latest travel adventure, they were finishing dinner one evening, Kenny doing the dishes while Jessica rested a bit. As the last dish was put away he walked into the living room and sat down on the end of the couch where Jessica lay.

"Hey Jessie, I know the trips we've taken have been fun for both of us, but I was wondering if maybe there was something... anything you'd like to do... maybe... oh, I don't know, maybe somewhere you've always wanted to go or something you've always wanted to do."

"It doesn't really matter as long as I can do it with you.," she smiled tiredly.

He returned the smile. "Hey, I feel the same, but there must be something. I'd really like to do this for you."

"Just love me, Kenny. It's all I've ever wanted."

He lay beside her and held her until she drifted into an exhausted sleep. Her strength was deserting her, even the simplest of things exhausting her and she was now taking a nap each day.

He lay next to her listening to her breathing. He knew she would never ask for anything, but he wanted so badly to give her a special memory, especially before she became too weak to enjoy it. He wracked his memory to recall anything she might have said over the years, something he could do for her. Then it occurred to him. She hadn't mentioned it for years, but it was just the kind of memory he could and would give her. As he picked her up in his arms to carry her to bed a plan began to form.

"Kenny, it's absolutely gorgeous, but we can't afford..."

"Hey, I want my lady dressed in something as beautiful as she is."

They were in a rather exclusive dress shop. At Kenny's insistence she was trying on a full length body-hugging red satin evening dress, cut low in both front and back. Although she had not yet started to show and looked great in the dress which accentuated her curvaceous figure, Jessica was still a little embarrassed at the amount of cleavage it revealed and the fact that it dipped so low in back as to reveal just a hint of cheek cleavage as well. The deep slit up one side revealed a good deal of leg and thigh.

At his beckoning she turned to model it for him, rotating slowly for her appreciative young husband, the matching spike heels pitching her forward just enough to enticingly accentuate her figure.

"But this is just extravagant. I mean, where would I ever wear it?"

"Let me worry about that. Do you like the way it fits?"

"Oh, it fits perfectly, but..."

"Then we'll take it and the shoes," he said to the approving sales girl.

"Really, Kenny, this is just too much."

"Nope. Where we're going you'll be the most beautiful woman there."

"And you still won't tell me where that is?"

"It's a surprise for my lovely lady."

"But wherever or whatever it is, I'll probably just wear this once and..."

"Ah, ah, ah," he chastised good naturedly. "This is all about creating memories... for both of us."

"I still don't underst..."

"Hey, enough talk. Home we go."

And with that Kenny paid for the outfit using a good deal of the money left from the sale of the previous store and the two made their way back to the apartment. A long kiss and Jessica took a nap while Kenny fixed dinner. Jessica was just awakening as he brought plates of steaming fish and rice into the living room.

"Wow, I could get used to this. A delicious dinner served to me on the couch," she smiled.

"You may want to reserve judgment on the delicious part of that statement. However, if I can just get you to eat a little more, I'd bring it to the ends of the earth."

"I'm sorry. I just don't seem to have much of an appetite anymore... but I will keep the word delicious," she smiled tasting the fish. "Are you going to tell me now?" she asked.

"Oh, you mean the dress? No, I won't tell you, but I will let you figure it out for yourself. Let's see, it's May and in a couple of days we are going to be headed to a little town in Maryland called Cambridge."

"What? But Cambridge is where I grew up, went to school." A look of recognition swept across her face. "You didn't."

"Yup. We fly in, rent a car and..."

"You know we can't afford this."

"For the pleasure of taking my lady to her high school prom, expense is no object."

Years ago, Jessica had confided in the first Kenny that her greatest regret was missing her senior prom. She had been asked, her parents had bought her a dress and then a severe reoccurrence of mononucleosis had laid her in bed for several days and she missed what she had been looking forward to all year. Now Kenny was obviously giving her a second chance.

"But won't it seem strange..."

"I called the school principal and explained our situation. She said that normally they restrict the participants to current juniors and seniors, but under the circumstances they would be glad to have an alumnus and her husband attend."

"All this just for me?"

"Not all. I get to dance with the most beautiful woman there and later I might even have a chance to get in her pants," he grinned.

"There's a pretty good chance of that right now," she replied, lying back on the couch and beginning to enjoy his hands as they roamed her receptive body.

"You are the most radiantly beautiful woman here," smiled Kenny as they entered the balloon and streamer decorated gymnasium. A small band played from a raised platform while tables were set around the periphery of the gym leaving a sizable area in the middle for a dance floor. Although extensively remodeled, the school was the same one Jessica had attended some twenty-three years ago. She and Kenny had taken an abbreviated tour of the building earlier, but as they entered all eyes were on Jessica, ravishing in the red dress, black hose and shoes, her hair swept into a sophisticated do and a petite necklace adorning her slender neck.

They made their way over to the principal who stood near the refreshment stand with three or four other teacher/chaperones.