Here Comes the Sun

Being back at home was the perfect medicine for Nick. He came back to life in no time, constantly playing music with his brothers and snuggling with Layla. Family was the best remedy for me as well. I hadn’t been so relieved in quite a while. There was no doubt that I still worried about what was going on outside our safe-haven; Officer Alyssa was hard at work every day, fighting our case. But for the most part, being at home distracted me from our past and all of the fearful events that took place in Jersey.

“I can’t believe we’re actually going to have a wedding,” Mrs. Jonas squealed happily, folding clothes on my bed. The boys had gone out to lunch with their dad, so we girls had the house to ourselves. Danielle was painting her nails on my computer chair while I sat cross-legged on my bed, feeding Layla.

“Tell me about it,” Dani laughed, examining her electric blue nails, “I can’t wait. You have to help us plan it, Kara. It’s like, a must.” She glanced at me with a sweet, genuine smile.

“Do you really think I’m the right person to trust with a wedding?” I laughed, “I’m a terrible planner.”

“Oh, hush,” said Mrs. Jonas, “You’ll be just fine.”

I laughed. “Alright, if you say so.”

“Besides,” Dani continued, finishing up her nails and screwing the brush back into the bottle, “You’re going to need practice for when you plan your own wedding.”

I felt myself blush. “I guess so,” I said quietly, picturing another image of my future wedding. Layla finished drinking from her bottle and I sat her up.

“Here you go, sweetie,” Mrs. Jonas said, throwing me a small pink towel. I placed it over my shoulder and held Layla, patting her back.

“Thanks,” I replied, smiling.

“But seriously though, Kara. Nick is so serious about you guys,” Dani went on, blowing on her nails, “I know you two are going to get married someday. I just know it.”

“Well, don’t you know?” Mrs. Jonas asked matter-of-factly, turning around to look at Danielle, “They’re already engaged.”

I watched Danielle’s eyes almost pop out of her head.

“No, we’re not!” I laughed.
“Ohh, yes you are,” Mrs. Jonas teased.

“We’re totally not,” I said, turning Layla around and wiping her face before laying her down on the bed and fixing her dress.

“He gave her a ring,” Mrs. Jonas told Danielle quietly. I blushed.

“He gave you a promise ring?” Dani said, shocked.

I nodded, showing her the sparkly diamonds shimmering on my finger.

“Oh, my goodness!” she squealed, running over to sit near me and take my hand to look at the ring, “I didn’t know! That is just too cute. That boy is good.”

I laughed. “It’s not as nice as yours though,” I smiled, trying to shift the conversation back to her wedding instead of mine.

“Nah, I like yours better,” she laughed, even though I knew that couldn’t be true.

I watched as Dani admired my ring for a while and then shift her attention to Layla, who was fascinated by the glow-in-the-dark star stickers taped to the ceiling. Dani had decorated the ceiling with them while we were away. I thought they were absolutely adorable.

It intrigued me to see the look on Dani’s face as she watched Layla, letting her grip her finger with her tiny hand. Dani’s eyes sparkled and she smiled involuntarily. I knew her deep longing for her own kids, but I also knew everyone’s strong love and devotion towards Layla.

“Do you want to hold her?” I asked, smiling.

She nodded happily but shyly.

“Go ahead.” My smile grew.

She tucked her hands underneath Layla’s body and supported her head, lifting her up and holding her in her arms. I watched as Mrs. Jonas looked on with a warm smile, still folding clothes into a basket.

“She’s obsessed with those stars,” Dani said, laughing.

“She really is,” I agreed, fixing the hem of Layla’s dress.

“Kara?”

I looked up to meet her eyes.

“Yeah?”

She hesitated before speaking again and I watched as Mrs. Jonas seized folding as well.

“What was it like?” she asked quietly, as if she was afraid of the answer.

I almost shuddered, but I told myself not to be nervous. “What was what like?”

“You know, being pregnant and…giving birth and…stuff,” she said shyly, “You don’t have to answer. I was just wondering.”

“Oh, um –” I didn’t know where to start.

“I-I’m sorry, Kara, that was rude of me. I shouldn’t have asked. Just forget I said anything,” she rushed to say.

I shook my head. “No, Dani, it’s totally fine. Trust me,” I assured her, cracking a smile. I tried to quickly think of a way to explain it without getting emotional or worrying them.

“Being pregnant wasn’t actually that bad,” I began, “I ignored the weird cravings mainly because I had bigger things to worry about…”

“Did she kick a lot?” Dani asked.

I smiled. “It’s a funny thing, actually. The first time she ever kicked was when I was with Nick. It was incredible,” The memory warmed my heart, “After that, she’d kick quite often. Mostly when Nick sang.”

“Aww,” Dani cooed and Mrs. Jonas joined in, “That is too cute.”

“Yeah,” I laughed, “It was pretty nice.”

“Did it hurt when you went into labor?”

I nodded. “So much. But it was so worth it,” I said, smiling at Layla.

Dani sighed and smiled at the same time. I read exactly what was on her mind.

“You’re going to be an amazing mom,” I told her, “It’ll happen one day. I promise.”

She smiled at me with sparkling eyes.

“You’re already an amazing mom,” she said, “I mean it.”

“I’m trying as hard as I can,” I replied happily, “I really am. I just love her so much.”

“She’s so adorable,” she said, kissing Layla’s forehead.

“Well, soon we’ll have another baby in the house,” I predicted, “And you’ll be a grandma!” I said, turning to Mrs. Jonas and laughing.

Mrs. Jonas faked a hurt expression. “I’m not that old yet,” she said, frowning.

“Oh, no. Didn’t your birthday pass a little while ago? What are you, twenty or twenty-one?” I laughed, standing up to give her a hug.

She laughed against my ear. “Kara, honey, you are too sweet,” she said, “But you know what? I already feel like Layla’s my granddaughter.”

“You are her godmother,” I said, smiling.

“That is true.” She sighed and turned to Danielle. “Do you mind, Dani?” She held out her hands.

“Oh, not at all,” she said, holding Layla out so Mrs. Jonas could take her. She smiled as Layla nestled into her arms happily.

“She looks more like you everyday, Kara,” Mrs. Jonas exclaimed.

“I’m glad,” I said, trying not to let myself get upset, “I’d hate for her to look like someone else…”

Dani and Mrs. Jonas were silent.

“Kara, honey, I –” Mrs. Jonas began but she was interrupted by the sound of the front door.

“I’ll go see if the boys need help with anything,” Dani said as she began to stand.

“No,” I chimed in, “It’s fine, I’ll go, Dani. You stay here with Lay.” I smiled. I honestly did not want to get into more detail about what was about to be said.

“Oh, alright.” She smiled, turning her attention back to the baby.

I started towards the door and fixed my dress before walking down the stairs. It had been three weeks since we had returned to Los Angeles and my scars from the accident were clearing up nicely enough for me to show my legs.

I made it halfway down the stairs and found Nick at the bottom, bending over, possibly looking into a bag of some sort.

“Hey, nice butt,” I said, stopping on the stairs.

He jumped and turned around to look at the smirk on my face.

He laughed. “Hey, nice face.”

“Oh, thanks,” I waved my hand, “Just got a new one. How was lunch?”

“Pretty good,” he said, moving closer to the foot of the stairs, “How was…whatever you girls were up to?”

I noticed his hands were behind his back and continued walking down the stairs.

“Pretty good. Whatcha hiding there?”

He smiled and waited until I got a step away from him, just barely meeting his height even on the stairs. He revealed a single rose from behind his back and presented it to me.

I grinned hugely and accepted it, bring the flower up to my nose to smell it.

“What’s the occasion?” I asked happily.

He shrugged. “Just wanted to see that smile.”

He held out his arms and raised his eyebrows. I laughed.

“Thank you,” I said, grinning and wrapping my arms around his neck. He took my waist and lifted me up, spinning me around and then setting me down on the rug.

“You are very welcome,” he replied, smiling and intertwining our hands. “And you look beautiful, as always.”

I blushed. “Do you want to see Layla?” I asked shyly.

His smile grew larger. “Always.”

“Alright, let’s go.”

I led him back upstairs and into my room, which was surprisingly empty. We continued to search the numerous rooms until we finally found Dani and Mrs. Jonas in the guest room with dozens of magazines sprawled on the bed. Mrs. Jonas was comfortably holding Layla in her lap as she helped Dani sift through the articles.

“What are you guys up to?” I asked as Nick and I walked into the room.

“Hey, Mom. Hey, Dani,” Nick greeted them before kissing each of them on the cheek. He reached for Layla eagerly and Mrs. Jonas gladly handed her to him. He nestled her closely to his chest and kissed her cheek as well, smiling a huge, excited smile the entire time.

“We’re looking at wedding magazines,” Dani exclaimed excitedly, “These dresses are just beautiful.”

I walked to her and looked over her shoulder. “I like that one,” I said, pointing to a bright, white dress on the right side of the page.

“Oh, my goodness,” Dani squealed, “That’s the one I liked the most, too!”

I grinned. “We’re going to go put Layla down for a nap,” I said.

“That’s a good idea,” Mrs. Jonas sighed, “She’s getting a little restless.”

“Yeah,” Nick agreed, noting Layla’s crankiness, “We’ll see you guys later.”

He began out the door and I followed after him. He walked into my room and sat on my bed while I dug through the drawers to find Layla’s pajamas.

“You know,” Nick began, “I haven’t felt this good just sitting at home in forever.”

I smiled. “Me too,” I agreed. “By the way, have you guys spoken to Charlene recently?” I asked, sitting next to him against the pillows and laying my head on his shoulder, reaching over to hold Layla’s hand.

“Yeah,” he sighed, “We had to talk to her about the movie. She called again during lunch.”

“What did she say?” I asked.

He sighed deeper. “She came to the conclusion that we can’t do the movie. It’s just too much, especially now.”

I looked at him in shock. “Are you serious? They’re just cancelling the movie?”

He nodded. “She knows we have too much going on right now. She understands. She helped us out in more ways than one.” He almost sounded relieved.

But I was angry.

“How could they do that?” I exclaimed, “They can’t do that. Oh, my God, I feel so terrible. This is because of me and my stupid, pathetic situation. God.”

“Here you go again, thinking it’s your fault…”

“But it is, Nick. This movie could have been your shining moment. It’s a big deal. And now, it’s just been thrown away like it means nothing.”

He peered down at me. “I thought you’d be happy about this.”

“I just think it was important, that’s all. And I can’t help but feel bad…”

“You blame yourself too much, Kara,” he said softly, “Don’t do that.”

I was quiet, sitting alone in my shame. Far too many moments were spent feeling guilty for depriving others of important opportunities just for my sake.

“Besides,” he continued, “It’s not really being cancelled, per say. It could just be postponed.”

I looked up at him. “So you could do it someday?”

He nodded optimistically.

“Okay…” I gave up.

Layla let out a whimper and I knew she was getting cranky. She’d been awake for hours without a nap.

“Let’s put her down,” I suggested, reaching for her. Normally, Nick and I had a routine going to put her to sleep. I was in charge of naps whereas he was in charge of putting her to bed at night. Our go-to strategy was to sing, but Nick was way better at it than me.

“At least let me change her,” he said. He was constantly eager to be, in some way, involved with caring for Layla, but I wasn’t sure if it was because he wanted to help me or because he just adored her so much. I predicted it to be a combination of both. Either way, he was happy. He gathered her pajamas and a clean diaper, placing them on the white changing table towards the back of the room.

I gently passed her to him and he quickly changed her before she started crying. If she started crying, the entire family would come barging in, fervent to find out what was wrong and make her feel better. I prepped her crib and turned on the baby monitor, just in case. Nick and I usually took a nap at the same time Layla did, just because we had nothing better to do, so our routine was to give the other baby monitor to Dani or Mrs. Jonas, just in case something went wrong.

Just as Nick finished changing her, Layla began whimpering loudly and whining painfully, making our hearts ache. Nick kissed her cheek before handing her over to me. I rocked her gently back and forth, muttering a soft song underneath my breath. I couldn’t explain the pain that sparked in me whenever Layla was upset. Mrs. Jonas had told me it was motherly instinct, or plainly love for my daughter. Either way, it drove me to do everything in my power to make Layla happy again. Only then could I be happy as well. I knew all too well what it was like to be without her, and I never wanted to experience that heartache again.

Nick propped the pillows on my bed into position and drew the covers for when we would take our own nap. Naptime was always a personal favorite of mine – it was as if we were our own family, just the three of us, sleeping together. It made me feel peaceful, knowing the two things I loved most in this world were sleeping just a few feet on either side of me. There’s no beating that feeling.

It took quite a while to get Layla to fall asleep, but when she finally let her heavy eyes fall into slumber, I placed her gently into the crib and kissed her soft forehead.

“Your turn to be rocked to sleep,” Nick teased, walking up to me and taking my waist.

I sighed. “I’m beat. I have no idea why though,” I said, letting my eyes fall half-closed.

“You’re a mom with a five-month-old baby,” he said, smiling, “That’s why.”

I nodded, laughing. “That could be it. My neck is killing me, actually.” I rubbed the back of my head where my messy bun sat.

“I can fix that,” Nick said happily, “Turn around.”

He took my hand and spun me around, stopping when he was standing directly behind me. He ran his hands up my back and firmly placed them on my shoulders, massaging them. I closed my eyes at the contact, marveling over how good it felt to release the tension. He pressed down my back, loosening every muscle, and then returned up to my shoulders.

“You’re always so tense,” he said.

“I try not to be,” I replied quietly, distracted and lost in his massage, “Honestly.”

He chuckled. “I know.”

“It doesn’t really work.”

“Well,” he said, “That’s what I’m here for.”

He seized his hands and solely rested them on my shoulders. He pulled me closer to him as I cocked my neck to the side, still fascinated by his touch. I felt a soft kiss planted in the spot between my neck and my shoulder, giving me goosebumps. I leaned back against him involuntarily.

“I love you,” he said simply, kissing the same spot multiple times, then moving up my neck, sending more butterflies in my stomach.

“I love you, too,” I replied.

Just as he was about to spin me back around, my phone began to vibrate on my bed. He groaned, letting his forehead fall on my chest.

“Can we just ignore that?” he whined.

I smiled. “I wish.”

I stepped around him to pick the phone up and check who was calling.

“Definitely not,” I corrected myself, “It’s Alyssa.”

Nick’s eyes closed. “Great…”

I took his hand and led him to the bed. The two of us laid back against the pillows propped up against the headboard and he draped an arm over me as I answered Officer Alyssa’s call.

“Hello?” I said into the receiver.

“Hey, Kara. How’s it goin’?” asked a familiar voice. She was assertive and strong, like every other police officer I had met in the past, but there was also a sense of feminine care and gentleness to her voice that calmed me. I had grown very fond of Alyssa. We all had.

“Pretty good, Alyssa,” I replied, “We just put Layla down for a nap.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. I can call back later if you want.”

“No, it’s fine,” I said, “Once we put her down, she’s a pretty heavy sleeper.” I laughed.

“Oh, alright then,” she chuckled in response, “I just had a couple things to run by you. Actually, just one important thing.”

“Okay, go for it,” I said confidently, despite the fact that I was actually nervous.

“My team and I are working really hard on your case. I hope you know that.”

“Of course,” I said, “I couldn’t thank you enough. Honestly, I’m so grateful. We all are.”

“We’re happy to do it, Kara. We just hope it goes as planned. It’s a really complicated situation.”

“I know.”

“It’s gonna be a long trial with a lot of court dates. You’ll only have to show up for two, but they’re not for a while,” she continued, “Do you know what a line-up is?”

I contemplated the question. “I think so.”

“You see it a lot on TV shows and it’s not really much different,” she said, “You just come in, I’ll show you a line containing a few suspects, and all you have to do is simply indicate Taylor Johnson. That’s all.”

“Oh,” I suddenly got afraid, “That’s good, I guess.”

“I know it’s a lot to ask, Kara,” she continued, “Believe me, I know. You don’t have to do it if you don’t want to. You’ve done so much already. But this would be so effective in court. It’d be our strongest piece of evidence because you’re our strongest witness.”

“Yeah, I totally understand,” I said, “I’ll do it.”

I was taken aback by my sudden courage.

“Alright, great. Fantastic. I’ll call you again sometime this week or something, if I need anything else.”

“Okay, Alyssa.”

“And you can call me anytime as well. You have my number.”

“Yup,” I smiled, “Speed dial number four.”

I heard her chuckle genuinely. “I’ll see you around, Kara.”

“Bye, Alyssa.”

The line went dead and I threw the phone on the side table, turning back to face Nick.

“You could hear, right?” I asked him.

“Yup,” he nodded, “Are you sure you wanna do this?”

It took me a few moments to consider it. “Yeah, I’m sure, Nick. I’m sure.”