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Please forgive any errors.  This fic is unbetaed.  I'm still working on another fic of the conversation between Taylor and John after Crossing but before 4C. The muses are being stingy with that one but laid this one on me yesterday as I was driving to pick up my brother for Thanksgiving dinner. I wanted to finish and post it before midnight last night so I could post it on Thanksgiving but alas and alack that was not to be. So here's a little belated Thanksgiving story. And I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving.

As usual I don't own anything that has to do with Person of interest except my disappointment over Carter's death which said disappointment was added to by Scareface's unfortunate sacrifice last week. They now have something else in common. They both gave their all for the ones they loved most.





Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.


Chapter One

John and Taylor were about to get on her last good nerve. They had seemed to be tag teaming her all day. First it was Taylor being constantly under foot asking her every ten minutes what else he could help her do. So Joss had given him a list of last minute house cleaning touches for him to accomplish. And even with that he was still at the kitchen door constantly asking her if she was ok, feeling alright or if she wanted him to take over and finish whatever she current had her hands on or in. She was about to hand him his head on a platter when she had heard the shower upstairs turn on. John was awake.

When John had finally gotten in at 3 in the morning he was exhausted. This last number must have been very hard for him because she hadn't seen him for two days. Joss had started to worry that he would miss tomorrow, well now later today. John had barely gotten his suit coat off when he tried to not disturb her by gently laying on the bed and promptly fell asleep. Joss no longer slept well unless John was by her side so whether John had clothes on or off or got into bed quietly or not didn't really matter to Josh. She was just happy he was in bed with her. After she took his shoes off Joss climbed into bed and pulled the covers over them. Finally, Joss snuggled comfortably into his side and John unconsciously puts his arm around her waist and pulls her tighter to him. Joss breathes John in and thanks God that he came home in one piece...this time.

Joss listened to John take a quick shower and then he was in the kitchen by her side helping her prepare their first Thanksgiving dinner as a family. She was beginning to get use to it but it still amazed her that someone John's size could move so quickly and quietly. He knew that entering a room so quietly would sometimes startle her but it always made her break into a small smile after she of course gave him "the look" for sneaking up on her. The smile was a mixture of knowing that John knew she wasn't really mad at him and of pride that her man was so good at what he did.

"One day I'm gonna bell you, you know that right?" Joss sneered at John. John just smirked at her and opened the fridge looking for the ingredients he need for his stuffing.

She figured the hand off had been made when John came downstairs because Taylor was suddenly nowhere to be found, sort of. Joss could still hear Taylor puttering around probably finishing that final touches list she had given him a few hours ago, but he was no longer popping in and out every 5 minutes to check up on her. John was buzzing around working on his part of the dinner but also asking every two minutes if she was ok, needed anything or wanted him to finish anything she was working on.

Even though Joss was beginning to feel like a small break was in order she realized that she was about an hour behind in her cooking. Dinner was to be served at 2 p.m. and she still had the candied yams, mashed potatoes and Mac and cheese to prepare. She also realized she was an hour behind because she didn't get up when she was supposed to this morning. Joss had been so comfortable snuggled up with John she didn't want to disturb him when she got up. So to give him more time sleeping she didn't get up when she knew that she should have. Nahh, that wasn't the truth. She just didn't want to get out of bed and leave his side.

After John had come home Joss had fallen into a very rest full sleep. No bad dreams had, for a change, awakened her or John through the night. Because their nights were often interrupted and spent apart from each other they relished waking up to and in each other's arms when they could. Joss had awoken about 15 minutes before the alarm was supposed to snatch them from sleep so she turned it off so it would not wake John. The next 45 minutes Joss spent first just watching him sleep and then, with her head on his chest, listening to the soft susurrus of his breathing and the steady beating of his good, brave and loving heart.

So yeah it was her fault that she was behind. Yes she was getting a little tired and probably needed a small break. But their constant hovering and wheedling her about overdoing had her at the tipping point. John had just asked her for the umpteenth time if she needed any help. Joss didn't keep a diary but they were all about to see an angry black woman. As she quickly turned from the fresh garlic she was crushing for the mashed potatoes to face John, Joss opened her mouth to light into him for, once again, being overprotective of her. The look in his eyes made her retort to John's last furtive inquiry about how she was doing turn to dust in her throat and rocketed her back to the day of her fifth physical therapy session.

"Your healing well and coming along very fast Detective Carter." Shelly Botelle, Joss' physical therapist said with a big smile. Shelly had heard that the police officer that had been shot in the heart by a dirty cop had survived and after some recuperation was going to need physical therapy. Shelly determined right then to become that cop's therapist. The story had made the news. The detective that had made the story had so intrigued and inspired Shelly that she had found out as much as she could about her and was determined to do all she could to help Detective Carter recover and get back to her life and son as soon as possible. New York couldn't afford to lose one of the good ones. Because according to the papers, with all of the corrupt cops Detective Carter had exposed there weren't very many good cops left.

On most days Shelly's touch of hero worship didn't bother Joss very much. However today she must have gotten up on the wrong side of the bed because she was feeling a bit out of sorts and Shelly's off and on fawning over her was making Joss short tempered. Even though the therapy to build the chest muscles on her left side was light weight and not very challengeing Joss would break into a sweat within the first five minutes of a therapy session and be exhausted ten minutes later. She reined in the snide remark she was about to give and instead gave Shelly a small smile and a civil reply.

"Thanks Shell. I'm determined to get out of here ASAP. I'm dreading the pile of paperwork that's waiting for me on my desk at the precinct when I get back." Shelly's hero meter went up another two notches.

"Yes Harold?" John said as he dropped his hand from his ear. Being so focused on her therapy sessions Joss had almost forgotten that John was there. He moved away from them out into the hall to complete his conversation with Finch. The soft sound of his voice started to lull Joss to sleep where she lay on the exercise mat. She was tired, exhausted even, had to be. How else could she forget John?

John, who was the first face she saw when she woke up after being in a coma for a month. John who first held her hand and later would climb into the hospital bed and hold her trembling body when she would wake up in the middle of the night screaming Simmons's name and crying out for John. John who, without saying one word, reminded her with his presence by her side night and day that she was stuck with him and was no longer alone. John, who held her, stroked her hair and wiped the tears from her cheeks when the pain meds had worn off and there was still two hours left before she could take the next dose.

"I could never forget John." Joss murmured. "How do you forget how to breath?" she sighed as she drifted off to sleep.

"Hey sleepy head," Shelly said as she gently shook Joss' shoulder to rouse her. It had been about ten minutes and Joss had already started to have a very pleasant dream about her, Taylor and John enjoying a meal at the Lyric dinner. It seemed like they were celebrating something because they were all smiling and very happy.

"Come on Joss," Shelly encouraged her as she shook her again. "We only have another 15 minutes and then you're done for the day. Besides, that gorgeous husband of yours is waiting to escort you back to your room where a delicious dinner from Chez Le Hospitàl is awaiting you."

Her husband. Joss wasn't crazy about that little ruse and was gonna' let John and Finch know just where she stood on that when she felt well enough to really care about it. But she was happy that John was here with her. John said it was the only way they would allow him to be privy to her medical information and 24/7 visits. Joss started to chuckle but when she inhaled she felt like someone was standing on her chest and she couldn't breathe. As Joss tried to talk, her face contorted in pain. Shelly's voice rose as she asked Joss if she was alright. John had just completed his call with Finch when he heard the alarm in Shelly's voice and barreled into the room to see Joss clutching her chest and writhing on the floor in pain. Joss was breathing in short sharp pants and had broken out in a sweat.

"Ok Joss. I'm going to the nurse's station for help. Try to stay calm and lay still till I get back. Mr. Warren please try to keep your wife calm." Shelly instructed as she hurried from the room.

John felt useless and adrift. He didn't know what to do to help Joss. Joss's grip on John felt like she was breaking all the fine bones in his hand. He'd gladly endure the pain if it helped her to get through this. "What can I do to help you," John plaintively asked his voice thick with emotion.

To Joss the pain seemed to be getting worse by the second. Through gritted teeth and labored breaths Joss ground out "Up." He started to pick her up but she shook her head no and forced out "Sit." John nodded his understanding and had moved behind Joss to support and help her to sit up when Shelly and the cardiologist on call hustled into the room with a crash cart and emergency team in tow.

On sitting up Joss could now pull more air in her lungs because the pain had reduced significantly and she was breathing a little easier. The doctor had seen her breathing become less labored after Joss sat up and began to gather information from her while she leaned back on John's chest for support. After a brief examination and a few questions from the cardiologist they were told that Joss was probably suffering from acute pericarditis. He was concerned however that Joss may have developed a more serious complication and was going to send her to imaging to check on that immediately.

 

John and the orderlies placed Joss on the gurney and strapped her down in a sitting position then readied her for the trip to imaging. Her breathing had started to become a little labored again. They held each other's hands, fingers intertwined as they all walked with Joss on the gurney to the imaging department. With a quiver in his voice that only Joss knew was there, John asked, "What's the more serious condition Doctor and what will the next step be if it's found?"












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Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.