All or Nothing

Vivienne absolutely cherished the young boy from Bolivia with the soul-soaked brown eyes and sun kissed brown hair. And he loved her just as much in return. It didn't take long for them to become fast friends.

He had never had a grandmother before so when Vivienne told Pablo that he could call her grandmother, he had been so excited and honoured his bright brown eyes had glistened with tears. That in turn had caused her to tear up. Jesse had hugged them both, so pleased that his mom accepted his choice and relieved to know that Pablo liked his mother. The moment he'd let go Vivienne had stolen Pablo away, speaking in Spanish and caressing his soft hair.

Now, having greeted Pearl at the door, they vanished again.

"Everyone is going to love him," Pearl said, resting her head on his chest.

Jesse held her close and said, "I just hope he isn't too overwhelmed."

"I think exposing him to Bolivia first was a good idea. Long Beach is bigger than Sucro but he's not as awestruck as he would've been straight out of the orphanage."

"You're probably right," Jesse sighed. "I just want him to be happy."

Pearl stepped back. "Baby, Pablo is happy! The fact that he's with you, safe, clothed, not hungry, not lonely… that all counts for something."

Jesse nodded. His head dipped down and he kissed her tenderly. "You're amazing."

"You certainly seem to think so."

"I mean it. You haven't had time alone with me since I got back but you're not complaining."

"All that matters is you're back."

Sam and Dana and Genevieve were coming over for lunch. Pearl had suggested introducing Pablo to the family little by little, so they'd be skipping the family dinner.

The three didn't know anything about Pablo returning to the US with Jesse so when they saw Jesse holding a child, their initial reaction was friendly curiosity. It was followed by absolute shock and then understanding and delight.

By the end of their time with him that afternoon, they all thought the child was beautiful inside and out and looked forward to getting to know him.

Late in the week, Barry and Cindy invited Jesse home. Their children thought Pablo was the 'most adorable thing' and Cindy commended Jesse on his efforts to show Pablo a bit more of the world.

"How did you and Pearl keep this a secret from us?" Barry wondered.

Jesse only had time to smile before Pablo tugged on his hand. Barrett's little girl came running after him. When she saw him with Jesse she pouted.

"He doesn't understand me, Uncle Jesse."

"It's okay Caitlin. Keep talking to him and maybe try practicing your Spanish with him too, okay?"

She nodded but stayed where she was, watching the boy who was younger than her with her tall handsome uncle. Jesse leaned over to hear what Pablo was saying quietly. A second later, he called out to Brent, Caitlin's older brother.

The pre-adolescent boy skidded to a stop just behind his sister. "Keep an eye out for these two."

"Okay, Uncle Jesse."

"And if Pablo uses the word baño again, just take him please."

"Yes, sir."

The kid disappeared once more, and Jesse chuckled, taking Pablo's hand.

"Excuse me a moment," he said to the adults, swinging the child into his arms.

When he returned, he sent Pablo off to play and Cindy shook her head. "You're a natural."

He was confused. "Natural what?"

"Care giver, father figure."

Jesse smiled and leaned back in his chair. "You think so?"

"I saw it live. Every time you interact with the kids, it shows."

"Thanks, Cynthia. I guess being a doctor has influenced that a bit."

"Maybe," Barrett spoke up, "but I know some doctors who don't deal well with children."

He nodded.

The next time someone asked him about Pearl's involvement with Pablo's arrival, she was there.

It was a small lunch at the residence of Rebecca Murray. Vivienne and both her sons were there with Pearl, Leah, Hannah and Pablo. The latter was in awe of the size of Jesse's grandmother's home and her age- he imagined she was very, very old.

Rebecca had insisted that he sit in her lap and every now and then, she would feel Pablo tracing the lines on her skin or running his fingers over her silken hair, which was all grey and white.

"You're so precious," she said to him now, kissing his forehead. Then she turned to Jesse. "If you prolong his stay here, I'll fully expect him to never go back, Jesse."

That made her grandson smile. "That's my plan, Nana."

Her eyebrows went up but she looked pleased. "Well, that's wonderful. Even though he's not related to you yet, I'm falling in love with him." Pause. "Pearl, did you know that Jesse is looking at a permanent arrangement for Pablo?"

"Yes." She glanced at Jesse. "Not at first, but we've talked a little about it."

Everyone turned to Jesse. He shrugged. "A lot of this was in motion before Pearl and I got together."

Leah nodded. "So you're in it already. Well, Pearl, I hope this is not overwhelming for your new relationship."

Jesse looked at his girlfriend in surprise. Then a slight frown marred his brow.

Pearl simply smiled. "I'm not overwhelmed at all. Pablo is such a good, beautiful child. If I were Jesse, I'd want to have him as my own, too. I totally get it. And I was there when Jesse met this kid… he's smitten."

"You were there?" Sam echoed.

"Yes," Jesse said. "She's actually the reason I even knew he existed… probably the best thing that came out of that trip to Bolivia."

That made Pearl smile. "And I don't regret it one bit."

That answer seemed to satisfy everyone and the conversation moved on easily.

The following day, Jesse and Pearl were alone. Pablo was with his grandmother Viv at the zoo. Jesse was slowly getting used to leaving him with his mother as she continually insisted on giving him time to be with Pearl or to still do some work.

"Pearl," Jesse began seriously, "I need to talk to you about something."

She immediately noticed the tone of his voice and gave him her full attention.

They were sitting on her patio, enjoying the afternoon sun, each other's company and iced drinks. Placing her glass back on the table, she shifted in her seat to face him completely.

"I'm listening. What is it?"

For a moment, his hazel green eyes just searched her face. His eyes never left hers when he asked, "When I went to away Bolivia did you think I was just visiting Pablo?"

"Oh." Pause. "Well, yes."

Jesse's eyes widened with something close to horror but Pearl quickly reached out a hand and hurried to say, "But in retrospect, the way you talked about him should have clued me in and when Pablo talked about coming here that should have made sense. I could have asked for clarity."

Jesse nodded. "When you didn't ask me about it, I figured you did understand." He shook his head. "We should've talked about it when I announced my trip out there."

"Well," Pearl began, "we would have, but we got interrupted by Dana and Sam." Jesse still looked unsettled. "What is it, babe? There's obviously something on your mind. I can see it."

He was quiet.

Pearl sighed. "I was shocked," she admitted slowly, "when he appeared behind you that first day, but none of it should have surprised me. You love that boy. He's been a part of you since you met him."

Jesse nodded after a moment. "He really has." He hesitated, trying to find the words. "When you and I started this relationship it was just the two of us here. And then I came back with a little boy, who- make no mistake- I want to adopt. I can't give him up."

"That's the first time you've said it outright," she said carefully, keeping her eyes on his face.

"It is my intention," Jesse said clearly.

Pearl nodded. "Okay."

"So, if you want me, you automatically get Pablo, too."

She sat back in her seat. "I understand that."

"I suppose I didn't go into detail about it at first because I'd made the decision before we got together, so it remained an autonomous choice and I didn't really want to give you a chance to change my mind," he added, his eyes shifting downwards.

"That's fine," she responded carefully.

Jesse continued, "But now, I want you to be fully aware of my intention and also to choose whether you can handle being a part of this or not. I have to at least give you that opportunity."

"Jesse!"

"I'm trying to select my words carefully to avoid this sounding like an ultimatum. It's not," he assured her. "I just realised yesterday that you didn't ask for a dude with a son. In essence, I'm not the same man I was when I asked you out, even though Pablo was a part of my plans, even then. The game isn't the same. And I apologise – I should have broached the subject a long time ago."

What kept playing in his mind was the day he'd surprised Pearl with Pablo. He knew now that they had been talking about two different things, the weeks running up to his trip. And any last minute conversations had been interrupted by her asthma episode the night before his departure.