One Minute

     As she picked up the tan phone that hung on the dirty gray brick wall, she took a deep breath and sighed as a cool crisp voice of a hospital operator on the end of the line said "Metro Health Medical Center. How can I help you?" Running a nervous hand down the front of her knee length black skirt, Josette Kersavan answered her.

     "Yes would you page mortality for me please. I'm waiting at the back doors." she replied before she put the phone back in the cradle as a black SUV pulled up behind her in the long, narrow driveway. Turning around, she watched as a cop got out and began approaching her, his hand resting lightly on the butt of his Glock-9.

     "Can I help you miss?" he questioned as he eyed her from head to toe in one look before narrowing his eyes and waited for her to answer. Stepping out from under the breeze way, she replied.

     "I'm waiting for Jack Brickman." she answered, her eyes never making contact with his and her voice never sowing or even hinting at the fact that she was out of place, even though she was.

     "Just wanted to be sure. We've had some issues around here lately and you don't look familiar. He know you waiting?" the cop questioned as she shrugged her shoulders.

     "I assume so. I asked for him to be paged." Josette shot back before adding, "I'm with Kersavan Funeral Home and I'm picking up a death certificate." as she watched him click on his radio and start talking into it. Placing a hand gently on her womb, she took another deep breath and sighed as she heard the glorious sound of the heavy doors opening. Turning to face the doors, she smiled at the gentlemen in front of her. It had been a while since she had seen him, ad while he looked familiar, she wasn't a hundred percent sure, but he was.

     "Hello sweetheart." he said softly as she felt her cheeks turn red as she blushed. It was Jack. The voice was a dead giveaway.  Waving to the cop, Jack smiled as he extended his hand towards the open doors leading to the basement of the hospital. Nodding at the officer, Josette's heels clicked all the way inside the hospital and stopped just inside the doors to wait for him.

     "You've been drinking again haven't you?" she asked as he turned and faced her. It was the only thing that could explain the sudden weight gain and his head of slightly gray hair.

     "Does it matter?" he asked quietly, as he stuck his hands into the pockets of his lab coat, longingly desperate to reach out and pull her back into his arms once again like she belonged. "Besides," he added "I've been worried about you." he stated as they started to walk down the hall towards the office. Pulling open a second, single wooden door, he led her to an office marked AUTOPSY/MORTALTY OFFICE. Walking into the cramped, tiny office, he closed the door and looked at her for the first real time that day. She was stunning. Her chestnut brown hair hung loosely, the waves of it hugging her lightly colored face while her diamond blue eyes sparkled like the ocean. Her cheeks still bore some of the red retained from blushing at him earlier and her coral colored lips that begged silently to be kissed by him were opened just enough for Jack to see several of her crystal white teeth. She wore nothing special, yet as he admired the silk dark green blouse and basic black skirt, his eyes caught the sparkle of her three strand diamond anklet that rested slightly above her six inch black heels. As he leaned against the wall, she blushed ever so slightly.

     "You've been worried about me?" Josette asked, as he nodded his head, his eyes never break contact with hers. "Why? Wait. Never mind. I'm just here for Mrs. Hart's death certificate." she said a few seconds later. Pointing to the window looking out into the hall, he nodded his head again. Taking a single piece of paper out of the window track, she went to open the door to leave when he placed a hand on her shoulder.

     "Jos. Don't let it end this way. I..." he started, as she turned around to face him once more. She could see the hurt in his brown eyes, even through the tears dancing in her's.

     "Let it end how? You're the one who decided how it ended Jack. Please, just let it be. Let's just go back to you being the mortality guy and me being the funeral director and embalmer." Josette said softly as she placed a hand gently on her womb as she felt the wave of nausea beginning to overcome her. Setting the death certificate on the wooden desk along side of her, she bent over the trashcan and threw up. Going over to her, Jack gently rubbed her back.

     "It's alright Jos. Let it up." he said, as he handed her some paper towels. Still bend over the trashcan, she cried.

     "It's not okay. I caught you with another girl. I got engaged to a freakin heart doctor and I'm pregnant...I'm pregnant with your baby who is siding with its father and its all your fucking fault, and to top it off, I'm crying and I swore that no matter what was said, I wouldn't cry."

     "You're pregnant?" Jack asked, as he helped her to the desk chair before kneeling on the floor in front of her. "Oh Jos. How far? Are you sure?" he asked, before he handed her a tissue.

     "Why else would I be throwing up all the time?" she said, half laughing-half crying. "And about seventeen weeks." she added, rubbing her face dry before continuing. "God, I hate you."

     "Seventeen weeks? That's what, four months? Jos, why didn't you tell me?" he questioned as she looked at him.

     "You said you weren't interested in having kids. And besides that, what good would it have done? I'm engaged to Thad. It's his baby or it will be after we're married next week." she replied as she stood up and took a drink of water from the bottle he placed on the desk for her. "Which reminds me, I'm suppose to have dinner with him in an hour. I need to go and get ready." she added, as Jack stood up and pulled her into his arms, or at least tried to. Knowing what he was about to do, she pushed against his chest, but he didn't let go and after a few moments, she stopped and began shaking her head.

     "Jack please." she whispered as he placed his hand on her cheek. "What about Thad?"

     "What about him Jos?" he replied as he guided her lips to his. Refusing to fight any longer, she simply gave in and wrapped her arms around his neck as she felt his wrapped around her waist. Kissing her deeply and passionately, Jack prayed that the moment would never end, but his wish was short lived as her cell phone rang. Breaking off the kiss, she sighed.

     "Duty calls." she whispered, tears streaming silently down her face as she answered her phone with a brisk and quick "Kersavan." After a few silent moments, she nodded her head at no one, said ok and hung up. Picking up Mrs. Hart's death certificate once more, she sighed again.

     "Jos-"

     "I'm sorry. I have to go. Goodbye Jack." she said softly as she opened the office door and walked out, quickly brushing her silent tears off her face as she walked, while Jack stood in the office doorway and watched as the love of his like walked away from him once again.

     "Jos. Wait." he called to her a second later, as she turned around and looked at him. Jogging down the hallway towards her, he stopped and smiled slightly.

     "Jack. Please don't make this any harder then it already is." she said, as she bite her upper lip. She loved him, she couldn't deny it, no matter how hard she tried.

     "Don't go." he said, as he looked at her. There was so much he wanted to tell her, but he just couldn't seem to find the right words to say what he wanted to say.

     "Jack-"

     "Jos. I love you. You love me. Forget Thad. You're not happy with him. He's everything your not. He's always in the lime light. Your always going to big society events that you hate and he doesn't even respect your profession. You've said it yourself that he doesn't want you working after the baby's born. Jos. He's wrong for you."

     "But you think that you're the right one for me? You cheated on me with my girl friend. I caught you with Alyssa in our living room kissing her just as passionately as you were kissing me in that office. You told her that you loved her and you called her you "sweet baby" for god sakes and I'm suppose to be okay with all that?" she cried as she dropped the death certificate she was holding on the floor as she felt all the tears from the pain, hurt and betrayal falling uncontrollably. Walking over to her, Jack reached out to touch her, but she pushed against his chest before she backed away.

     "Josie. Please." he said in just a whisper, but she shook her head.

     "Just stay away from me." she cried as she slapped him in the face before she turned around and ran out the doors as they slammed in his face. Bending down, he picked up the Hart death certificate and carried it silently back into the office. Sitting down at the desk, he sighed as he picked up the phone and dialed the funeral home from memory. He knew that they needed the death certificate that night so they could cremated Mrs. Hart in the morning and he didn't want the fact that he had upset Josette to get in the way.

    Reaching her mustang at the top of "mortality hill", Josette unlocked the drivers door and collapsed into the front seat and cried. That damn bastard. How could he mess with her emotions like that, especially when he knew that she was happy with Thad, despite what he said, even though everything he said was true. She hated all those high society parties and events and Thad did want her to give up her profession after the baby was born even though she had no intention of leaving the funeral business, but regardless, Josette did love Thad regardless of their minor differences. But she loved Jack more, regardless of the fact that he had cheated on her with Alyssa. Jack was the father of her unborn child. She was certain with every ounce of her body that Jack was the baby's father, just like she was certain with those same ounces that she was still madly in love with Jonathan James Brickman. Reaching alongside of her seat, she realized that she had forgotten Mrs. Hart's death certificate back inside and as much as she dreaded going back in there, she was still on company time and was expected to show up at the funeral home in the morning with the certified copies of her death certificate so they could have her cremated that afternoon. Rubbing her face dry, Josette took a deep breath, stepped out of the car and walked silently back to the doors that led to the mortality office and to him. Picking up the phone once more, she sighed once again.

     "Josette Kersavan for Jack Brickman please." she said, before placing the phone back in the cradle and waited for him to return. Opening the door, he smiled at her.

     "I wasn't expecting you to come back, so I put the certificate in my office for Nick or your dad to come down and pick up tomorrow." Jack said, as she nodded her head.

     "I didn't think my pride would let me come back. In fact, I'm not sure why I came back other than the simple fact that we needed it and regardless of us and our problems, Mrs. Hart and her family shouldn't have to suffer because of it." she replied as he ushered her into the hallway and closed the door behind them.

     "Do you...are you going to wait here or go back to the office with me?" he asked. Swallowing, she answered.

     "I can come down with you." she replied as he smiled gently at her.

     "Alright then." he said as they started to walk down the hall towards the single door once more, but she stopped him, her hand placed gently on his arm. Turning around, he looked at her.

     "You were right Jack. I'm not happy with Thad, but it doesn't mean that I don't love him." she said softly as he placed his hand on hers. "And it doesn't mean that I don't love you, because I do. I can't help but be in love with you, even though you hurt me, I hurt you when I went back to Thad. Oh Jack, I'm sorry for what I said." she whispered, as he ran his hand down her cheek gently.

     "I didn't want to be right Jos. But I watch you on TV and I can see right through your eyes that being with him isn't what you want. But I'm glad, so glad, that you still love me, even though you hate me for what happened. But I assure you, that she didn't mean anything to me and there hasn't been-" but she silenced him with her lips resting on his.

     "I don't care Jack." she whispered as she kissed him. "All I care about right now is you and me." she added as she wrapped her arms passionately around his neck, before wrapping her legs around his waist as he held her tightly in his arms. Pushing through the door that led towards the mortality office, he nudged open the office door and carried her through the doorway, setting her gently on the desk before he closed the door behind them. Neither cared about the fact that in under an hour, Josette had a dinner to be at and they especially didn't care about the past or the future. All that mattered at that moment of time was each other and as they rekindled that love, at least for that night, Josette and Jack were where they were meant to be-with each other.