Emotional reunion
When Jenny came out of her room after a few hours of studying, she saw that Jason had fallen asleep on the couch again. She sighed at seeing him lying there without a blanket again. When she walked over to cover him she noticed that he was frowning in his sleep. It seemed that he was feeling uncomfortable. Wondering if his cold from yesterday had come back, she touched his forehead. When Jason felt her hands on his forehead he opened his eyes, he pushed her hand away, but Jenny seemed unfazed by this. She went into the kitchen and got a wet towel and some medicine. Through his protests she took care of him till he stopped struggling and let her do as she pleased. It was late at night when Stephen and Susan returned from their business dinner as well and they too were reunited with Jenny after her long absence. They appeared just as shocked to find Jenny in their living room like any other person she had run into so far. Though Susan had heard some rumours at school, she didn't fully believe it. Not until now, when she was witnessing it with her own eyes.
"Jenny, is that really you dear?"
This time Jenny was startled as well as she didn't really know how to face her in-laws. If they were even willing to fulfill that role in her life after her running away. She shot up from her crouched position and greeted Susan and Stephen.
"Mother...Father..."
As she searched for the right words to say, she nervously kept pushing back the same strand of her behind her ear, while fidgeting with her feet. Once she found her resolve she confidently greeted them once more.
"Good evening mother, father. I have returned. I hope you don't mind that I am staying here. I-I wanted to make a better entrance than this, but Jason discovered me today by chance and he didn't take it very well. He also appears to not be feeling too well, so I was taking care of him. Causing me to be even more unprepared than I already was for us meeting again."
Even though Stephen and Susan were yet to speak another word since Susan's question, Jenny continued to ramble on.
"I am sorry for leaving so abruptly and not keeping in touch during my absence. I felt that it was necessary to leave like that in order to give Jason a proper chance at life without me. I truly wished for him to forget about me fast and find someone better to be by his side. When I found out that my leaving had an opposite effect to what I was trying to accomplish, I made my resolve to return. I am sorry that both my decisions had been made one-sidedly. I never intended to hurt anyone with my decision to leave, but that doesn't change the fact that I have. I hope that if I manage to convince Jason to take me back, that I can return to being your daughter-in-law."
The more she said, the more guilt she felt and the more she had to fight back the tears that appeared to be welling behind her eyes. She only stopped talking when Susan came up to her and hugged her tightly as she said, "Welcome back dear." Hearing these words Jenny's eyes grew wide from shock and the tears she was keeping back, started falling down. Seeing this scene, Stephen smiled from a short distance before walking over and patting her head and repeating his wife's words. "Welcome back."
After their emotional reunion, Jenny informed them about Jason's condition and they too could tell that Jason wasn't feeling too well. Not being accustomed to seeing him be sick, they weren't too sure how to handle the situation. Susan felt his forehead and sensed that he no longer appeared to have much of fever, but he was still feeling warm to the touch. "It seems like you have the situation under control and have broken the fever. Can I ask you to take care of him for me?" Jenny nodded. "Of course mother. No problem at all. But I am a bit worried if he might be uncomfortable here." Susan nodded in agreement. "Yes, lying in bed would be better. Honey, why don't you carry Jason to his bed. He would be much more comfortable there." With some difficulty Stephen lifted his son, who had the body of a full grown man by now, off the couch where had been resting and carried him up the stairs to the room Jenny and Jason had once shared.
Though it would have been easier to have him rest in the guestroom downstairs, this was something that didn't cross any of their minds at that moment. When they reached the door to their room, Jenny opened the door up and turned on the lights for her father-in-law to carry Jason inside. But when she looked inside, she saw the damage that Jason had done to the room. Something which he had refused to let anyone clean up and hadn't taken care of himself either. She was shocked to see their room reduced to this state and could almost imagine the events that had taken place after she had left. Her side of the bed appeared as untouched as when she had left that night and somehow his side appeared like he hadn't slept on it recently. Pushing through the painful stab she felt and breathing through the lump that she felt in her throat, she walked over to the bed and lifted the sheets so that Stephen could place Jason down. When Jason was properly tucked in, Stephen and Susan left for their own room as it was time for them to go to sleep as well and left Jason in Jenny's care as they had discussed earlier.