Teacher: Act Two (A Hollywood Rock n' Romance Trilogy Book 2) (10 page)

"I just know Jane is going to love you, little girl. Are you ready for an adventure?" A couple of thumps of her tail told me she was, and as I pulled away, she sat up straight to look out the window.

It was already 1:00 when I got back and I hoped Jane and Nora weren't back yet. I'd texted Danny so he wouldn't worry, especially after our tense night. He pulled open the door as Legs and I approached and his expression was priceless. He crouched down and let her paw and lick him all over.

"I wondered if I might see this little girl again! Hey honey!" He took me in his arms and inhaled deep.

"How does it feel to be done," I whispered.

He pulled back and kissed me deeply. "Mmmm, like that."

I giggled and said, "I brought her here because some girl just dumped her with Cosmo and he was worried they wouldn't take good enough care of her. I know Jane wants to pick out a dog, so if she doesn't want Legs, I told Cosmo I'd take her to a teacher I know who helps out with a rescue."

Danny burst out laughing. "They named her after you? That is just precious! You really think Jane is going to turn away this gorgeous girl?" Danny scooped her up and got all baby-talking, smoochy-face with her. It was absolutely the cutest thing I'd ever seen.

"What's in the bag, honey," he asked absently as we walked in the front door.

I swallowed nervously. "I thought I would camp out in your spare room for a few days and hang out with Jane while you are in the studio. I hope that wasn't presumptuous of me."

Danny turned around to face me and froze, Legs twirling around his feet. He seemed shocked, and when he didn't speak for a minute, I started to lose my nerve.

"If you'd rather I didn't, I under-"

His arms crushed me to him before I could finish my sentence and he kissed me desperately. I pulled back to catch my breath and his hands cradled my face.

"Are you fucking kidding me? I don't want you to ever leave, honey, but I'm trying to be patient. I'm so damn happy right now!" His enthusiasm was infectious.

"Me, too. But I'm sleeping in the spare room. Jane found me in your bed this morning and I felt terrible. I'm sorry, I tried to wake up when you left, but my body is all off schedule."

He shook his head. "It's fine, Jesse. She understands. I talked to her about it. If it makes you feel better to stay in the spare room, I won't argue. I'm just so happy you're here I could scream!"

"Don't do that! You have to go to the doctor tomorrow!"

He nodded, kissing me again so that I was quickly losing all perspective, when he suddenly broke away. "Shit! We've got to get to your appointment! What are we going to do with Legs?"

Just then we heard the girls coming in and he smiled fiendishly.

"Ok, girl," he whispered to Legs. "Go meet your sister. Go on!" Legs wobbled over to the door wagging her tail and when Jane opened the door she squealed!

"Who are you," she said, kneeling down, wonder in her voice. Legs pawed her and jumped up in her face to kiss her.

Nora came in behind her, beaming. "Where did you come from?"

"She's a refugee from Jesse's apartment. Her neighbor didn't think they could take good enough care of her so Jesse came to the rescue."

I looked between them and said, "If she's not what you wanted..." That was as far as I got.

"You mean we get to keep her? She's perfect, Daddy! Thank you so much!" She squealed and bounded over to Danny with Legs flopping happily in her arms.

"Thank Jesse. She's the one who saved her from those hairy beasts. Huh, Legs, you perfect little girl."

Jane giggled. "Her name is Legs? That's silly!"

I slapped my forehead and Danny laughed. "The guys named her after Jesse."

Jane looked at him like he'd sprouted horns, looked at me in puzzlement, her gaze dropped to my lower half. "Oh yeah, I get it! You are pretty tall." I loved this little girl! "So I guess it's settled! Legs stays," Janey cheered.

Nora clapped her hands, then bent down and had a heart to heart with the little pup to go over who was boss.

"I know you got these folks all snowed with your cuteness, but there will be no potty in my house, ya hear?" Legs gave her a woof and licked her face. Guess we knew who was going to be boss.

"Alright, ladies. You two are in charge. I've got to take Jesse to the acupuncturist and then to pick up her medication. We'll be back for dinner. Then, Janey, you and I can go to the pet store and get the necessary supplies."

Janey said she couldn't wait and immediately took Legs outside to play.

"Watch her around the pool," he yelled and took my hand, kissed it, and hurried me out to the garage, yelling to Nora that we'd be back.

The acupuncture experience was not at all what I thought it would be. The woman we saw was Native American and practiced all kinds of alternative medicine. Her name was Marianne and she was a true natural beauty. I instantly felt at ease with her. She interviewed us in her office, asking me all kinds of questions about my health.

When we got down to it, the needles barely hurt. She placed them carefully around my joints and face and then had me "marinate" in a dark room for about twenty minutes. The scents were heavenly and the sounds of ocean waves had me nearly dozing.

"How do you feel," she asked when she came in.

I mumbled, "Like Jell-o?"

She laughed. "Then the treatment is doing its job. You come back weekly and you may be able to do without the anti-inflammatory the doctor prescribed. Let's try this first, but you should start on the other medications. I have some natural supplements for you that will help flush the toxins, boost your immune system, and help with healthy weight gain. Drink this water and I'll meet you out front when you are ready."

I thanked her and took a moment to get more lucid before I tried to sit up. I felt fuzzy, so I moved slowly. I could hear Danny talking with Marianne, his voice sounding serious. When I emerged, I had to squint until my eyes adjusted and when they did, I saw her handing him his credit card and a large brown bag.

"Ok, Jesse! I'll see you Monday. Danny says you are taking a trip next week, so let's meet before you go." I thanked her and gave Danny a pointed look, which he gleefully ignored as he opened the door and said our goodbyes.

"This sounds promising, babe! How do you feel?"

I took a deep breath. "How do I feel about what? Physically, I feel loopy but good. Emotionally, I'm all over the place." I looked down at my hands and Danny put his between them.

"Thank you for letting me do this. I know you hate it, but can you forget about that? For a little while? Especially if it means you might not have to take as many drugs?"

I exhaled and nodded. "I am grateful, Danny. No matter what happens between us, I will never forget all you have done to take care of me."

He glanced over at me, squeezed my hands and smirked. "Does that mean I can be forgiven in advance if I did something else for you?"

"What?! You are really going to manipulate my gratitude!? You do not fight fair, Danny Black," I said in my most stern voice that was completely ruined by a giggle.

His eyes darted to mine and he said, "Good. I took the liberty of scheduling a shopping trip for you this weekend with Patricia. She lives for this shit! Shopping and spending my fucking money are her favorite things on this earth. I'm having her take you out to get whatever you need for the wedding, as well as a dinner party my parents are insisting on throwing when we visit. "His smile slipped a little and this time I squeezed his hand.

"For some reason you don't sound too excited about that."

He shrugged, lifting my hand to kiss my knuckles. He frowned down at my hand. "Hey! You're bleeding," he said and started to pull over.

"She said it’s fine, babe. She said that means it’s doing its job. I might bruise a little, too, so don't be alarmed, ok?" He winced and took my hand in his a little more gingerly. "It doesn't hurt. You can kiss it and make it better, though."

He growled a little and continued kissing my hand.

"You didn't answer my question. Are you having mixed feelings about seeing your folks?"

He nodded. "Always do. I'm sure they will be wonderful to you and Janey. Otherwise, I wouldn't take you. I just hope my father keeps his snide comments to himself. He can be a real ass."

"So are we going there first? I haven't even told my parents we're coming yet! I guess I should call them."

He laughed. "We can see whomever first. I just wanted to give my mother a heads up. She does nothing last minute. Maybe we can get that over with before we see your parents."

I shrugged. "I'm fine either way. My folks are pretty mellow so there shouldn't be much pressure there. Mom will love you immediately. Dad will try to figure out whether you're worthy. He will soon learn that resistance is futile, like the rest of us have, and he will join Team Danny."

Danny chuckled at that and pulled into the pharmacy parking lot.

I turned on him and said, "Are you going to make a scene this time?" I tried not to laugh but his look of mock indignation ruined it.

"I can't believe you don't trust me! I was simply trying to learn from my teacher! I can't believe you'd accuse me of making a scene." He continued to shake his head as he climbed out of the car and came around to my side. He pulled me into his arms and kissed me, an action I could never get tired of.

"Listen, baby. I can take care of this cost, ok? You've done more than enough for me today, ok? Thank you, again."

He kissed me once more and nodded gravely. "You're more than welcome, honey. But if we walk down the aisle with the flavored lubricants, I might have to stop and do some investigating. You never know when we might need those."

"Of course, you're right." We chatted in the store about our trip and he told me he wanted to book us a hotel in Los Gatos for the first two nights and then we could stay closer to my parents on Thursday if I wanted.

"Whatever you are more comfortable with," I said. "You think Nora will be fine with Legs while we're gone? I'm not sure she's ready for a road trip."

He nodded, pulling on his lip. "You're probably right. I'll check with her, but I'm sure she'll be ok."

The pharmacist had my order ready and took a few minutes to go over the new drugs with me. My head was swimming from his litany of potential side effects. Thankfully Danny listened intently and asked some important questions. We left with another big bag, and my bank account a little lighter.

"They really don't try to make you feel safe about taking these drugs, do they?" Danny looked worried and he had a death grip on my hand.

"They have to tell you all the side effects. Dr. Rosenberg had already told me what to expect. I'm just going to try to stay positive." We were back in the car and I was feeling really tired again.

Danny turned to me and ran his thumb over my chin. "Whatever happens, we face it together."

I nodded and gave him a weak smile.

We were quiet for the drive back to the house. When we arrived, he got out and came around to my side.

"You look like you could use a nap. Want to lie down for a bit?"

I really didn't want to, but I wasn't exactly fit for company. "Just until dinner? You'll wake me?"

He kissed me and helped me carry my things into the spare room. He tucked me in and I was out.

The next time I woke it was full dark outside and I was really warm. I moved to stretch and heard a tiny intake of breath.

"Did you sneak in here to cuddle with me," I whispered to Legs. She made a huge effort of stretching herself and then she licked my face. We went out to the kitchen together where I found Danny sitting on the couch with a stack of directions in front of him. A half built crate was on one side of him, and a pile of wire fencing was on the other. Janey was reading to him from the Internet and Nora was folding towels.

"Somebody came and took a nap with me," I said.

Jane jumped up and threw her arms out to cuddle the puppy.

"I'm telling you, puppies are just as much damn work as babies," Danny grumbled. I sat next to him on the couch and observed his progress. "Jane looked this shit up on the Internet and it said we should crate train her for sleeping, and then we should make one area of the house accessible to her. I got these gates so she can have the run of the kitchen, a fucking doggie door piece for the slider, a shitload of chew toys, a fake grass mat for her to do her business on... We've been at this for hours!"

I ran my hand over his shoulders and glanced at the clock. "Nine o'clock! I thought you were going to wake me for dinner!"

He rubbed at his hair. "We didn't really stop for dinner. Nora and Jane ate, but I wasn't hungry. I wanted to get this all done so little girl can feel comfortable."

He was unbelievably adorable. He was just as intense about preparing for this puppy as he was about school. Danny didn't do anything less than full bore. It made his approach to our relationship make even more sense. Once he decided he wanted to do something that was it for him. He poured all of his energy into seeing it through to fruition.

"I have something I want to give you," I said quietly. He looked up, intrigued. "It's not official, but I wanted to commemorate this day." I pulled out the certificate I'd made for him earlier.

He looked confused at first and then his lips split into a Cheshire grin. "You made this for me," he exclaimed.

I nodded. "Read it out loud!"

Jane and Nora came over to see what he was so excited about. In his hands he held the cheesiest, most gaudy certificate possible. I'd added gold stars, glitter, puffy paint... It was even done in rainbow colors. He cleared his throat and started to read.

"Commemorating the achievements of Daniel Adam Black. On this day, July 27, 2013, he has completed the requirements necessary to earn his high school diploma, which will be presented upon receipt of passing marks on the California High School Exit Exams. He met this challenge with utmost sincerity and integrity, and is hereby awarded the Jesse Martin Kick-Ass Student Award!"

He blushed and smiled so broadly. I’d seen that look before with my students, but it never affected me as much as it did on his face.. Nora and Jane rushed to give him kisses and hugs. Then he turned on me.