"Yes, Dr. Jacks," Jessie replied, trying her best to control her temper. "I thought you might want to take a look……"

"Well, you thought WRONG, Nurse Moore!" he exploded. Jax glanced down at the chart page, reading her notations of the patient’s condition. "There’s nothing here that warrants my attention when a REAL trauma might present itself any……."

"EXCUSE ME, DOCTOR!" Jax jumped at Jessie’s tone. She grabbed the chart from him and turned it to the side, pointing towards the insurance information. "You might want to take a look at the patient’s NAME before you say another word!"

Jax grimaced and looked down at the chart. His eyes widened slightly when he read Lucky’s name, but he didn’t want to give Jessie the satisfaction of being right. "Well," he muttered, putting his hand to the door of the trauma room, "I suppose until the real thing comes along, I can spend some time with this patient……"

Jessie smiled smugly. "Thank you, doctor," she sang, following him into the room where Lucky sat waiting on the gurney.

"Lucky!" Jax smiled for what Jessie thought was the first time in at least a week. "Long time no see!"

"Jax!" Lucky stuck out his un-injured hand to shake Jax’s. "If I didn’t have a bum hand, I’d challenge you to a round of poker right here and now." He leaned over as Jax pulled a stool on wheels over to the gurney so he could examine Lucky’s hand. "My wallet missed you at the poker game last week."

Jax froze and raised his eyes to meet Lucky’s. "There was a game last week?"

Lucky frowned. "Yeah. Brenda told us you was on duty and couldn’t make it."

"Oh……" Jax tried to hide his embarrassment but Lucky was too quick for him. "Oh, yes, that’s right……I think I was on duty. I just forgot." He probed the cut in Lucky’s hand and then pulled over a high-intensity lamp to use while putting in the sutures. After ordering the appropriate pain medications and supplies from Jessie, Jax tried to sound nonchalant. "How is Brenda, anyway?"

Lucky got an "I thought so" look in his eye. "Doc – don’t you know?"

He shrugged as Jessie handed him a syringe. "We’ve both been pretty busy lately – she’s had some deadlines from her publisher and I’ve been pulling extra duty since I took some time off over the Christmas holidays." Jax grimaced as Lucky yelped when he injected the numbing medicine. "Sorry about that." He handed Jessie back the syringe and then reached for the suturing instrument. "My kids came out from Boston to visit. Brenda and I spent a lot of time with them."

"Really?" Lucky sat back and observed more than Jax’s professional manner as he stitched the cut together. "Everything go OK? With the kids, I mean?"

"Great." Even though he tried desperately, Jax couldn’t keep the exhilaration out of his voice. "Better than great. They absolutely adored Brenda and she got along with them like she’s known them forever."

"So then……." Lucky tapped Jax on the shoulder so that the doctor was forced to look up into his eyes. "What did ‘ya do to screw things up?"

"Me? What did *I* do?" Jax tried to laugh, but Lucky saw straight through him. "What makes you think something went wrong between us?"

Lucky’s smile of superiority was broad. "I understand you been a little …….testy…….around the ER lately, doc."

Jax frowned at Jessie. "Whatever happened to physician confidentiality?"

"AND," Lucky continued, drawing Jax’s attention back to him, "Brenda hasn’t been herself either."

"She’s been upset?"

Lucky snorted. "She’s been lower than whale manure." Jax gave Lucky a quizzical look. "Low. Down…..in the dumps. Depressed."

"But see, I don’t understand that." Jax finished the sutures and stripped off his sterile gloves. "Why should *Brenda* be the one who’s depressed when she turned down *my* proposal?"

"Proposal? What did you propose?" Lucky raised one eyebrow suspiciously.

"Marriage, of course! What else is there to propose?"

"And Brenda turned you down?" Lucky flexed his hand as Jax finished putting on the bandage. "See now, that just don’t make sense."

Jessie cleared her throat awkwardly and both men looked up at her. "Um…….from what I understand, Brenda is a little timid about making a long-term commitment."

Lucky grimaced and tilted his head to the side. "Awwwww, geez………you mean that she’s spoutin’ that liberated female cr*p again?"

Jessie shrugged her shoulders. "Apparently that’s what she told Lois."

Jax gulped aloud. "Lois knows about this?"

Jessie nodded. "Well, *somebody* had to find Brenda and get the real scoop on why she turned you down." She turned back to Lucky despite Jax’s strangled pallor. "Brenda told Lois that she was afraid she didn’t have enough in common with Jax – that he’d go back to his conservative ways in a few years and then wonder what ever possessed him to marry such a wild, liberal wife."

"That’s ridiculous!! I would never go back……I mean, just because we have our differences……" His eyes pleaded with both Jessie and Lucky. "I LOVE the woman, d*mnit!! That’s not going to change just because she happens to be a little more of a free spirit than I do!!" Jax pushed his stool halfway across the room and ran the fingers of both hands through his hair. Then he looked back and forth between Lucky and Jessie. "And by the way -- is the whole WORLD discussing my love life now?"

"Now, doc," Lucky said in a condescending tone, "you just gotta understand that we all have the same goal – seeing you and Brenda together. Cause we all understand that you two are meant to be – even if the two of you sometimes screw things up."

Jax finally sighed and let his hands drop to his lap. "Well, at this point, I guess I can take all the help I can get. What did the Love Connection Consortium have in mind?"

"Hmmmmmm…….well, I really should discuss the details with Lois first………." Lucky suddenly smiled at Jessie. "Would you excuse us, Nurse Moore?" She gave Jax a hesitant look, but he just nodded. Once he signed the chart, she left the room and Lucky sat down on a stool facing Jax. "OK. See, we needed to get rid of her because I figure part of the problem is that we’re dealin’ with a woman – namely, Brenda – who probably has that Pre-Men-storiation Syndrome. And sometimes you just can’t come up with a plan when there’s other similarly infected females in the same room, if you know what I mean."

Jax nodded thoughtfully. "I see…….but what about Lois? Isn’t she…..infected?"

"Naw……." Lucky shook his head and waved a hand at Jax. "She’s post-particular." Jax frowned. "You know – she just had that kid." Jax nodded in understanding while Lucky shook his head critically. "You know, doc. I’m really disappointed in you, here. I thought you would understand all of those medical terms." He sat for a minute but then tipped his head to the side in concession. "But then again, I guess you wouldn’t since you ain’t no groin-o-cologist."

Jax finally smiled and leaned back and folded his arms across his chest. "Exactly what do you have in mind, Lucky?"

He thought for a few minutes, but then smiled broadly. "Well, doc, sometimes when somebody is afraid of the water, the best thing to do is just…….throw ‘em in the deep end!!!"

*********************

"Brenda!!!" Lucky smiled broadly and opened the door to admit her the following Thursday night. "Come in, come in!" He closed the door behind her, gesturing towards the living room. "Mi casa is Suzy’s casa…….or whatever the h*ll they say!"

Brenda shrugged out of her trench coat with a smile. "Thanks, Lucky, although I still feel a little strange about coming here for our poker night." She shook her head and frowned. "I still can’t believe how nobody else on the block lost power during that brownout except me!"

"Me neither! And I’m an electrician!" Lucky laughed heartily, silently looking up to heaven and apologizing for his duplicity when she turned her back.

"Sooo…..I’ve never been here before, Lucky," Brenda said as they made their way out of the foyer and into the small living room. "This is nice."

Lucky never got a chance to answer as Reggie appeared before them. "Girlfriend!!" he cried, his arms spread wide. "How ‘ya doin’?"

Brenda went into Reggie’s embrace with a sigh. "Just fine now that I see you, Reg," she replied, resting her face against his chest. She pulled back a little to smile at him. "How’s your love life?"

"You know what they say, doll – lucky at cards, unlucky in love." Reggie was still holding Brenda loosely when another voice was heard from the doorway.

"And what if you’re unlucky in both?"

Brenda pulled out of Reggie’s arms with a gasp. "JAX! What are you doing here?"

Jax shrugged his shoulders but Lucky went to put his arm around him before he could answer. "Me and Nicholas have been missin’ the good doctor, Brenda," Lucky replied. "’Ya know, April isn’t that far away, and I figure I better start savin’ up so I can pay my taxes. And Nicholas has got a new shipment of antiques to pay for, so I figure – let’s invite Dr. Jacks! He ALWAYS loses at cards!!"

Brenda rocked back and forth, suspicion written on her face. "And you came anyway? Knowing that they just wanted to take away your money?"

Jax smiled ruefully. "Once a sucker, always a sucker."

Brenda returned his smile. Inwardly, she was cursing her own stubbornness for not having called Jax when she got back from San Jose. As soon as she saw his twinkling blue eyes, she felt like her insides were melting into warm butter. "Well," she allowed, "I guess if everyone else is comfortable with Jax here, I don’t mind either……"

"Oh, honey, I’m MORE than comfortable with Jax here," Reggie gushed. He linked his arm through Jax’s as they all went into the dining room. "You can just sit next to me if there’s no other free chair….."

Lucky said something under his breath to Reggie that made him grow pale, and he immediately let go of Jax’s arm. When they came to the dining room table, Nicholas was standing there with a pitcher of amber liquid in his hand. "Brenda! Good to see you!"

"Same here, Nicholas!" Brenda made her way to the chair Nicholas indicated and slowly took her seat. She looked up at Nicholas, who was holding pitcher over her empty glass. "Oh, Lucky – you know I don’t drink anything but white wine. Do you have any?"

"Fresh out, Bren, but why don’t you try some of that instead?" Lucky replied as he went into the kitchen. An open counter between the dining room and kitchen allowed him to be clearly heard. He re-appeared in the doorway holding large bowls of potato chips and pretzels. "I think you might like it."

Brenda eyed the brown liquid warily as Jax took a sip from his own glass. "Oh, I don’t know, Lucky," she said. "You know me – it’s white wine or nothing." At Jax’s surprised look, she continued. "I really don’t like the taste of most liquors." She made a noxious face. "Too much like cough medicine."

"That’s why I think you’ll like this, Brenda," Lucky said again, nodding towards the pitcher as Nicholas prepared to pour. "It’s called Long Island Iced Tea. Nice and sweet – just the way you like it."

"Well……maybe just a sip, just for a taste," Brenda finally replied. Lucky sighed in relief as Nicholas poured just a little into Brenda’s glass. Four sets of eyes were glued to her face as she tasted the drink. She licked her lips, paused, and then smiled. "That is pretty good." She held out her glass to Nicholas. "I guess I’ll have some of that after all."

"GREAT!!" Nicholas was exuberant as he filled her glass to the brim. She was about to take a sip when he put up a hand. "No – wait! Don’t drink yet!" Brenda lowered her glass with a confused look. "We have to drink a toast!"

"Oh, a toast – OK." Brenda lowered her glass and waited expectantly as the four conspirators exchanged guilty looks.

"How about – to Dr. Jacks losing a lot of money tonight?" Reggie finally suggested with a giggle. "Bottoms up!!"

Jax groused a little but they all eventually seconded Reggie’s toast and took long drinks from their glasses of amber liquid. The first hand was dealt and everyone laughed when Jax started the evening off losing ten dollars to Nicholas.

"Geez, Reg, your toast worked!" Nicholas boomed. He grabbed the glass pitcher. "You think another one would bring me good luck again?"

"I don’t know but I’m willing to try!" Reggie laughed. Nicholas re-filled Brenda’s glass and was about to pour into his own when suddenly his arm jerked, knocking his glass over. "D*mn!"

"Oh! My good linen tablecloth!" Lucky cried, eliciting a strange look from Jax at his un-characteristic concern. Nobody noticed that Nicholas set the glass pitcher down on the far side of the table, away from the other four poker players.

"Now Lucky, don’t get yourself into a dither!" Reggie soothed. "Cook always says that cold water does wonders for stains!"

"I’ll run and wet some towels in the bathroom if you point me in the right direction," Brenda offered. Lucky rose and gestured down the hallway. But as soon as Brenda had left the room, he sat back down and reached under the table, coming up with a white plastic pitcher.

"So far, so good," Lucky whispered as he re-filled the glasses of the male poker players.

"How many of those do you think it will take to get her snockered?" Nicholas asked, leaning back in his chair to check if she was still in the bathroom.

"She’s got a high tolerance for white wine, but she’s a featherweight when it comes to anything else," Lucky muttered. "Three glasses oughtta do the trick." He glanced over his shoulder to make sure Brenda was still occupied. "Just make sure you guys only drink the stuff in the plastic pitcher, OK?" He shook his head and whistled softly. "I put so much booze in that other stuff that I had to put it in a *glass* pitcher – it would have melted right through this plastic!"

"I just hope we’re doing the right thing here," Jax added, rubbing his temples with his fingertips. "She’s gonna kill us when she finds out what we did……"

"Which is why she’s NOT gonna find out!" Lucky growled. He finished re-filling the glasses and hid the pitcher beneath the table just as Brenda returned. "Did you have any trouble finding the facilities, Brenda?"

She gave him a crooked smile as she handed him several cold, wet towels. "Not at all – like you said. Right down the hallway." She pointed over her shoulder but then frowned and blinked her eyes slowly – twice. "But did you know there must be some kind of bubble in the carpeting back there?"

Lucky’s eyebrows drew together. "Nooooo – why do you say that?"

Brenda’s eyes were wide and innocent. "Because – I was walking down the hall and all of a sudden, I tripped. Out of the clear blue – just tripped." She shrugged her shoulders. "So it MUST have been something in the carpet, right? Because otherwise, why would I have tripped?"

Reggie had a sudden coughing fit but when Jax thumped him on the back twice vigorously, he came up blushing like a new bride. After removing the stained tablecloth and replacing it with another one, Lucky insisted that the game go on, but not without another toast – for good luck. Brenda took a healthy drink from her glass and the next hand was played, resulting in Jax losing five dollars to Brenda. "Aha!" she chortled, fingering the paper money. "That time, the toast was good luck for me!" She gave her glass a goofy stare and then held it up to Nicholas. "Fill me up again so we can make another toast – I’ve got Christmas bills to pay!!"

Nicholas stifled his broad grin as he poured more "tea" into Brenda’s glass. He set the pitcher back down but then as the four male players lifted their glasses to toast, Brenda frowned at them. "Aren’t you gonna fill up everyone else’s glass too, Nicky?"

Four pairs of eyes grew wider, unseen by Brenda’s dilated ones. "Uh…..yeah, sure….." Nicholas stammered, picking up the glass pitcher. He grimaced at Jax and was about to pour some of the "high-octane" tea into his glass when Reggie jumped up from the table.

"BRENDA!! Did you see the wonderful plate of Christmas cookies I brought tonight?" He clasped his hands in front of him ecstatically and the four male players breathed a sigh of relief as Nicholas set the pitcher down again. "They were left over from the holidays but I just *couldn’t* let Cook throw them away!" He giggled wickedly and gave Lucky and the others a "fake" dirty look. "Let’s go taste some before these cretins get their hands on them!"

"Ohhhh, I don’t know, Reg," she drawled, taking another long drink of her "tea." She smacked her lips and then when an unexpected burp rumbled up and out, she covered her lips with a giggle. "I’m really not that hungry……."

"Sure you are, dollface!" Reg oozed. He came over to Brenda’s chair and pulled her up by the arm to a standing position. "You know how much you enjoyed Cook’s gingerbread men last year!"

Brenda wrinkled her brow in thought for a few minutes and then gave Reggie a silly smile. "Sure. Why not?" She went to push back her chair and stumbled into Reggie’s waiting arms with a squeal. "Whoa!! Who moved the floor?" she asked, staring down at the ground beneath her.

"Oh, yeah – three glasses, tops," Lucky muttered under his breath, leaning towards Jax.

Reggie supported Brenda and led her towards the kitchen while the other three men just smiled and nodded. As soon as he led her out of the room, Lucky pulled out the plastic pitcher and poured the regular iced tea into the glasses. "Is everything all set for later?" he whispered to Nicholas.

"The jet is waiting at the airport and the flight plan’s been filed," Nicholas muttered in reply, watching the kitchen for any signs of Brenda. "My client was more than willing to loan us his plane when he heard I’d throw in a rare Lladro figurine as a thank-you."

"That’s d*mn generous of you, man," Jax chimed in. He looked at Lucky and Nicholas sincerely. "I really appreciate everything that all of you are doing for Brenda and I."

Lucky lifted his glass with a warning glare. "Just make sure you don’t break her heart, doc," he growled. "Or else I’ll have someone fix it so you’ll need a prostational surgeon REAL bad!"

Jax winced and shifted uncomfortably on his seat but then when he heard Brenda’s high pitched, raucous laugh, he shook his head. "We ALL may need that specialist when Brenda finds out what we’ve done!"

The words were no sooner out of his mouth than Brenda came back through the door of the kitchen. She was leaning heavily on Reggie and holding the remains of a gingerbread cookie in her free hand. "Guess what, guys? I bit off his wienie!!"

She collapsed in a fit of giggles, burying her head against Reggie’s chest. He groaned and managed to get her back to her chair, where he deposited her with a loud sigh. "Geez, Brenda, no more gingerbread men for you! You’re putting on a few pounds there, girlfriend!"

She ignored the mild insult and just waved her cookie in the air. "Now Reggie, you know I’m not a cookie monster! I can stop eating cookies anytime I want – just like that!" Brenda held up her hand and attempted to snap her fingers but no sound resulted. She pulled her hand back and stared at her fingers with a frown. "It’s broke!" Then she looked up at Jax innocently. "Can you fix it, Doctor……hic……..Jacks?"

Jax took her hand and placed it back down on the table. "Maybe it’s just tired, like you, Brenda. Are you getting a little sleepy? Wanna go take a nap for a while we finish the game?"

"NO WAY!!!" Brenda tried to stand but wove in a circle and then sat back down hard. "No way," she repeated more quietly. "I am NOT sleepy." She looked towards the cards but then smiled and focused on something else instead. "What I AM is ……..thirsty!!" Brenda picked up her glass and took another long drink, draining it dry. She smacked her lips and then held it out to Nicholas with a goofy grin. "I need a refill." She looked a little shocked at Nicholas’s questioning stare. "The spices in those gingerbread cookies can really make you thirsty, you know!!"

"Sure, Brenda, anything you want," Nicholas replied, re-filling her glass. Another hand was dealt and Brenda managed to stay coherent enough to drop out early on. Jax and Lucky finished the hand, with Lucky winning $10 from Jax.

"You know," Brenda said wisely, tapping Jax on the shoulder, "maybe *you* ought to have one of those gingerbread men yourself. Maybe it would bring you luck." Jax shrugged and Brenda nodded again, her eyes drifting closed. "Yep," she burst out, her eyes shooting open again suddenly. "I’m gonna get you one of those cookies and your luck will change – you watch."

Brenda rose to her feet and swayed. "She’s up," Lucky whispered.

She sat back down with a thud, gripping the table for support. Her eyes stared straight ahead but didn’t focus. "She’s down," Reggie murmured.

After a determined snort and gripping the table more firmly, she rose and even managed to take a step towards the kitchen. "She’s up again," Nicholas muttered, watching as she tried to walk past him.

Brenda froze behind Jax and suddenly her face became very pale. She turned towards him and reached out a hand. "Jax……."

"She’s goin’ down," Reggie said dryly.

"Jax…….." Jax rose and managed to catch Brenda just as she collapsed into his arms. "……..I don’t feel so good…….."

Jax shifted Brenda in his arms so that he held her firmly against his chest. One arm supported her back and the other was beneath her knees. He stared down into her face and then turned to the poker buddies. "She’s out…..for the count."

"I’ll get her suitcase. Lois dropped it off this afternoon." Lucky rose from the table and went back to the spare bedroom.

Nicholas whipped out his cordless phone. "I’ll call the jet and let them know you’re on the way."

Jax had already begun walking towards the front door. Lucky met him there and opened the door for him, a small overnight bag in his other hand. "I’ll carry the suitcase out to the car," he instructed. "Call us when you get there and let us know when phase B is accomplished." He frowned and wagged his finger like a protective mother. "And don’t forget to buckle her seatbelt!!"

Reggie clapped his hands together in excitement. "Ooooooo, this is all so cool! I feel just like……..Tom Cruise!!" When the other three gave him a dirty look, he ignored them. "Want me to hum the these to Mission Impossible or something?"

"If Brenda ever finds out what we’ve done, you’ll be humming your funeral dirge!" Jax growled. He grimaced at Lucky. "I’ll call you as soon as we touch down." He was about to go through the door when he paused and looked back at the three other men. "Thanks again – for everything. I couldn’t have done this without you."

"Just make her happy!" Lucky called after Jax. "That’s all we want!"

*******************

It was too bright. Brenda tried to cover her eyes and block out the light but when she touched her forehead, it felt like someone was playing the bass drum right next to her ear.

She kept her eyes shut. It was soft, wherever she was. Soft, and satiny. Brenda moved her left hand a little. {I’m in bed. Definitely a bed. But not in a hospital. Definitely not a hospital bed, because they don’t have satin sheets in the hospital.} Brenda’s hand explored a little further but stopped short and froze when she encountered something warm.

{Something else is in the bed with me!! Something warm. Something …….breathing!!! Another person!!!}

Brenda dared to open one eye just a little. {So far, not good. I’m not in my own bed. I don’t have satin sheets, and this room SURE doesn’t look like my room.} She closed her eye again and her hand dared to move slowly upwards on the warm object next to her in bed. {Feels like……a leg……hairy……hmmm…..oops!…..a man…….ohhhhh, noooooo……don’t DO that………my head hurts too much for that…….hand, keep moving…….hmmmm……a flat tummy……..hairy chest…….}

Brenda’s eye opened reluctantly again when she felt rumbling laughter coming from the hairy chest. "Find anything interesting there, hmmmmm?"

"Jax….." she sighed in relief when she spotted his twinkling blue eyes. He was lying next to her in the bed, his elbow propped on the pillow, his head resting in his hand. Jax’s left arm was draped across Brenda’s body as he smiled at her. "Thank goodness it’s you……" she groaned, burrowing back farther into her pillow.

"Well, it d*mn well better be me!" Jax exclaimed in a voice far too loud for Brenda’s liking. "Especially now!"

Brenda moaned again in pain and opened the venturesome one eye. "Don’t play games with me, Jax. I’ve got a headache the size of the state of Texas and it’s much too bright in this room." She sighed and rubbed her forehead with her fingertips. "What’s "especially now" supposed to mean?"

Jax didn’t say a word. He merely reached out and took her left hand from her face. Holding it by the wrist, he deliberately displayed her fingers. Particularly the third finger on that left hand. The one sporting a wide, bright gold band studded with sparkling diamonds.

"Jax?" Brenda’s face became a sickly shade of green as she finally was inspired enough to open both eyes. She blinked as the diamonds winked at her in the morning sunlight. Then she turned to him in confusion. "Jax? What does this mean?"

He gave her a Cheshire grin. "It means," he replied, caressing her hand gently, "that we have now been married for 12 hours, 32 minutes, and ….." Jax paused to glance down at his watch before looking up into her bloodshot eyes again. "……14 seconds." Before Brenda could even squeak, he leaned over and placed a chaste kiss on her lips. "Happy anniversary, Mrs. Jacks!"

To be continued…….

Author’s note: I took some "artistic license" with the original novel since Catherine Coulter has the doctor/hero supply the poker buddies with something to put in the heroine’s drink that knocks her out. I didn’t like this aspect, so I just changed it to them getting her drunk.