Reaching out for my hand, Jordan circled my palm with his thumb in soothing motions. “You probably went to school with my mom, then. Her name’s Janette Jordan.”
I blinked slowly at this information. “Your mom’s maiden name was Jordan?”
“That’s why she named me it. So her last name would continue because there’s only girls on her side of the family.”
We’d discussed his mom and sister and where they lived, but he’d never told me her name. This was all new to me and hella interesting.
“You’re Janette’s kid?” At the tone of the doctor’s voice, we both looked up at him to see him looking shocked as he stared at Jordan.
“Yeah?”
Clearing his throat, he moved back to the machine he’d just switched off, pressing random buttons even though—like I’d just pointed out—it was off.
“Could you—” he stopped and frowned down at the floor. “Could you maybe tell her Mike Hudley says hi?”
Jordan’s eyes narrowed on him as he nodded. “Sure. Want me to text it to her now?”
Waving his hand around, he shook his head. “Only when you want to. Anyway, your stats are looking okay, Miss Blake, and your oxygen and pulse are fine. We’ll let the IV run through and check you over again before you’re discharged. Does that sound okay?”
The poor guy was rambling and looked like you could knock him over with one breath. “Sure. You’re the doctor, so you just say what you think’s best.”
Glancing briefly at Jordan again, the doctor smiled weakly at me. “I need to ask you a question, if you don’t mind? Are you okay if I ask it in front of… Jordan?” He almost choked the name out, and I felt kind of sorry for him.
“I’ve got no secrets from him.” The words were brutally honest, but from the way he squeezed my hand, I knew they meant something to him.
“In your file, it says you were treated in 2010 for stab wounds to your side caused by a pencil. You underwent surgery to repair some damage, as I’m sure you remember.”
“That’s right.”
“I was just wondering—is everything okay? Are you in any trouble that we can help you out with?” He wasn’t being nosy or nasty, far from it. There was genuine concern in his voice and expression as he asked, and that meant a lot.
“Doc, we think it’s the same person who stabbed her, and the police and Nico Mayson are involved in the case. The Broken Eagles are also helping to look out for her, but we’re trying to find out how they dropped the bone in her yard without it being picked up on the security cameras.”
Looking thoughtful at what Jordan has just told him, the doctor rubbed his chin, his stubble rasping loudly. “They’re all great people, including The Broken Eagles. If you can think of anything we can help out with, just let us know.”
Then he smiled gently down at me. “You were lucky, Miss Blake, and I’m glad you weren’t poisoned worse than you were.”
After telling us he’d be back in an hour and leaving, I smiled at Jordan, who was frowning at the door the doctor had just walked out of.
“I think the doctor had a crush on your mom at one point. Maybe you should invite her to come and stay for a while?”
Cutting his eyes back to me, he lifted an eyebrow. “If she comes, my sister, Faith, will come with her.”
“What’s wrong with that?”
“You know the issue you have with your grandma?” When I nodded, he smirked. “That’s Faith but multiply it by a hundred.”
“If you grow up surrounded by insanity, you become immune to it,” I pointed out. “I probably won’t even notice it. Plus, your mom’s been single for twenty-four years now. It’s about time she had a man in her life, and I think Doctor Hudley would like to take that spot.”
Leaning over me, Jordan whispered, “Why don’t we focus on getting you and our boys fixed and back home. Once that’s over, we’ll think about getting her to visit with Hurricane Faith and the path of destruction she’ll leave behind her.”
Just to say, if I had moments like this with him for the rest of my life, I’d die with a smile on my face. Even if I didn’t, I’d hold them close to my chest and cherish them until that last moment. Fentanyl aside, obviously.
Chapter Twelve
Jinx
Two weeks later…
I couldn’t relax.
Can you imagine the person who was your entire world being poisoned with something like Fentanyl? Almost losing your dogs because of it? How do you relax and go back to normal after that?
The day after it’d happened, we’d gotten the boys home, and she’d finally managed to chill out and get some sleep. But every time they’d had to go out to the bathroom, we’d trailed beside them, examining everything in their paths.