Jordan's Return (17 page)

“No. No, really, I'm fine. I can't stay here overnight. I have children and…” She tried to sit up but a firm hand on her shoulder eased her back down.

“It's all being taken care of, Jordan,” Rob said softly. “I called Laura from the car earlier as we followed the ambulance and she's on her way. I'll stay with the boys until she gets here.”

Jordan stared at him helplessly, her brown eyes huge. He looked and smelled wonderful and just the sight of him had made her feel better. She didn't want to be here in the hospital. The last time she had to stay in one was after her accident, and just the thought of being in one again filled her with anxiety. Couldn't they see that?

There was nothing she wanted more in this world than to go home with Rob. As much as she loved her sister, it wasn't Laura she wanted taking care of her. If she could just convince them to release her, maybe she could regain control of the situation to her benefit and Rob would be forced to talk to her and hear her out.

Unfortunately, it was not to be. Her eyes begged him not to leave her here, even if it was only overnight, but Rob's attention was now focused on talking with the nurse. She continued to drink in the sight of him and if she could get his attention for just a minute, Jordan was sure she could get him to see how pointless it was for her to stay.

Jake and Joseph came to stand beside her, their little faces tear-streaked and full of worry.

“I'm fine, guys. Really,” she reassured them with more confidence than she actually felt. They would be okay as long as they knew she was fine. So no matter how much Jordan did not want to be there, no matter how badly she wanted to kick, scream, cry, and demand not to have to stay overnight, she would let her children believe she was okay with the whole thing. “I'll be home tomorrow and you get to hang out with Aunt Laura in the meantime. That should be fun, right?” It was important that they see their mom was positive with the situation. There was no need to make them feel any more anxiety than they already were.

Both boys nodded their heads, their expressions serious. “I don't want you to worry. Everything is going to be fine, okay?” Again they nodded and Rob walked back over and placed a hand on each of their shoulders. They leaned into him and Jordan had to close her eyes. The sight of the three of them like that reminded her of what she'd always wanted. The reality was he was here because he'd been forced to be. Joseph had called him and he didn't want to make a twelve-year-old handle this mess all by himself.

If he had well and truly wanted to be with her, with them, he wouldn't have needed an emergency call to bring him back. The fact that he wouldn't even make eye contact with her hurt more than the bump on her head.

That thought caused Jordan to grimace. “Are you okay? Should I get the nurse?” Rob asked, his own voice shaking with anxiety.

“No, please. I'm fine,” Jordan responded weakly. There was no way she wanted that damn chatty nurse hovering over her again. Experience had taught her she'd have a night full of hovering nurses ahead of her, so why invite one here now?

“Why don't you go ahead and take the boys home? There's no point in hanging around here waiting for me to get moved to a room. Sometimes it can take hours.” She looked down at her hands, unable to look at Rob's handsome face and see everything she wanted but could not have. “Sorry you had to get dragged into this mess. Hopefully, Laura will get here soon and you'll be able to get back to your own life. She's a pro at looking after us.”

Rob looked at her, his expression closed. Taking a deep breath, he nodded his head. “Give your mom a kiss, guys, and let's get out of here so the nurses can get her to her room and she can rest.”

The boys obeyed his command, and Jordan watched Rob usher them out of the room. They each waved to her as they walked through the door.

Rob didn't look back at her or say good-bye. She closed her eyes to hold back the tears.

* * *

Never before had Rob been in a situation like this one; part of him wanted to call Claudia and have the boys spend the night with her and her family because leaving Jordan alone in the hospital made his whole body tighten with anxiety. He'd seen the fear on her face when the nurse stated she'd have to stay overnight. Rob might not have been back in Jordan's life for long, but he knew enough about her recent past to know she was fighting her own demons by being forced to be in a hospital again.

Then there was the fact that he wanted to talk to Jordan and fix everything, but unfortunately, now was not the time. She had fainted and no one seemed to know why, so for him to stand there and demand that she listen to him so that he could feel better would be beyond selfish.

Looking over his shoulder at the two boys in the backseat of his car upset him the most. They looked utterly devastated and lost. How many times had they had to sit back and have someone else take care of them since Jordan's accident? They must be used to it by now, but that didn't make it right and it didn't mean it was a good thing.

A lone tear slowly made its way down Jake's cheek and Rob's grip tightened on the steering wheel. A quick glance at the dashboard clock showed it would be at least two hours before Jordan's sister would arrive. He had to do something to lighten their burden and take their minds off what they had witnessed that afternoon.

Making up his mind quickly, he started the engine and plastered a smile on his face before turning and facing the boys.

“Who's up for some ice cream?” At the sight of their slight smiles, Rob knew he'd walk through hell and back for these boys and nothing was going to stop him doing everything in his power to make sure they never felt alone again.

* * *

Just as she had predicted, the night was unbearable. Nurses woke her every hour or so to check her vitals. How was anyone supposed to get any rest under these circumstances? The only positive point to all these disturbances was it forced Jordan to put her own personal misery aside for brief periods of time while she was poked and prodded by uncaring medical personnel. Right now she'd kill for a sleeping pill that would let her sleep through the next couple of days. Maybe she'd wake up and find out the last week had been a bad dream. That she and Rob hadn't fought; they were still together, in love, and making plans for the future.

Unfortunately, there were no drugs to dull her senses, and her mind was fully alert to all that was going on and all that had gone on before. None of it brought her any comfort. Thinking back on that night made her ache. She knew she had some lingering control issues. If only she had just responded differently. If she'd had the confidence to engage Rob in a logical conversation, things would be a lot different right now.

Eventually she was going to have to face the reality that Rob was nothing like Eric. She needed to stop letting her ex-husband have this kind of control over her, making her doubt her every move. Jordan knew she was an intelligent woman who was more than capable of taking care of herself and her children. There was going to come a time when she was going to have to learn to trust in herself above all and not let her past keep ruining her future.

As she lay there in the darkened room, her thoughts were of the accident. She remembered how she had been riddled with anxiety over whether she would recover enough to take care of her children on her own and how desperately she'd missed them.

This time around, she had similar concerns, but they were compounded by a broken heart. Jordan felt miserable and alone. Her sons, no doubt, had already gotten their hopes up at seeing Rob again tonight.

Maybe he could explain to them why he wasn't going to be around in a more diplomatic way than she could. Should she have mentioned that to him? No. The closed expression on his face before he left showed he had no feelings left for her. She had blown it. She had broken his heart for the last time.

She had broken his heart.
That thought made her angry. He had no right to claim a broken heart over their initial breakup because it was completely his fault! All she could be guilty of was moving on with her life! Leave it to a man to turn the tables—and shift the focus of blame.

Her emotions and memories seesawed through the night. One moment she was locked in the past, and the next, she was banging her head on the brick wall of reality. By the time the sun was starting to streak through the flimsy window blinds, Jordan knew what she had to do.

As much as it pained her, she would have to return home to Raleigh with Laura; their vacation was over. No matter what diagnosis the doctor came to her with this morning, Jordan did not want to take the chance that something like this would happen again and force her boys to handle it on their own.

Sighing wearily, she closed her eyes and waited for the shift change that would bring a new nurse in to check on her. It was when her body finally accepted the hopeless truth with resignation that Jordan fell into a deep yet dreamless sleep.

* * *

Sometime later, she was awakened again, but this time by a doctor.

“Good morning, Mrs. Manning. It looks like I may have some wonderful news for you!” he beamed.

Great. A morning person
, Jordan thought bitterly. Her head was pounding and she wanted nothing more than just to get out of here and go home. Forcing a smile, she waited for his news.

“I've consulted with your neurologist back in Raleigh as well as looking over your x-rays from last night, and they're all clear.” When she gave him a puzzled look, he continued. “We feared you might have a blood clot, possibly from your accident, but that's not the case. You do, however, have a rather nasty inner ear infection. That essentially is what caused you to get dizzy when you stood, therefore causing you to faint.”

Jordan heaved a sigh of relief. “And my head?”

He waved his hand dismissively. “Just a minor bump from the fall.” He smiled and made some notes on Jordan's chart. “No signs of a concussion. Our main concern in keeping you overnight was your medical history. Luckily it's just an ear infection. We'll give you your first dose of antibiotics now and as soon as you're ready, you're free to go.”

“Thank you so much,” she said with relief and a grateful smile.

“Your husband is waiting outside for you in the waiting room. I'll tell him he can come in,” he said as he exited the room. She heard the man converse with someone briefly and figured it was probably her brother-in-law Mark, who had most likely driven down with Laura. She was sure that after last night, Rob would not willingly come back into this situation.

Jordan was climbing out of the bed and nearly fell over when Rob entered the room. He looked like hell. There were dark circles under his eyes, and it looked to Jordan as if he hadn't slept all night. Or was that just wishful thinking?

“What are you doing here?”

“I thought it would be too hectic for Laura to bring the boys in to pick you up, so I told her I'd come and get you.” He moved only a foot into the room, afraid to get too close, gauging her reaction to his being there.

“Oh.” They stood there for long moments, struggling for something to say. “What time did Laura arrive last night? Did she get settled in okay? Is Mark with her?”

“She got in around eight,” he said flatly. “When I left, the boys were moving her luggage into your bedroom and trying to convince her to let them stay up and watch some TV.”

“I'm sure they probably played the sympathy card and, knowing my sister, she caved. She normally lets them get away with just about anything for the first few days she's with them, and then goes back to being tough as nails.”

Rob winced at the thought that the boys had been away from Jordan enough for a pattern to form. He almost spoke the words out loud but decided it would be best to hold his tongue.

When Jordan turned to grab her clothes, Rob let his eyes feast on her. Keeping his distance, he simply watched. He knew if he got any closer to her, he'd make a fool of himself and haul her into his arms, kissing her senseless and begging her to stay with him because he wanted so desperately to take care of her.

It bothered him that he had to sit back and let Laura take over. Not that he had anything against Jordan's sister; it was just that if she weren't here, if her help weren't an option, Jordan would have no choice but to accept his. Now he not only had to deal with Jordan's objections, but probably Laura's as well.

When he had arrived back at the bungalow with the boys, he had felt in control. He kept himself busy trying to distract them. They'd stopped for ice cream on the way home and then watched some TV together. But once Laura had arrived and started asking questions, Rob found himself struggling for answers. There was so much about Jordan he didn't know. Aspects of her life since the accident that she hadn't shared with him but Laura had. He had greedily soaked up any tidbit of information he could get. The more he knew, the better his chances of convincing her to stay with him.

As much as he resented Laura's being there, he was grateful for the opportunity to learn more about Jordan's life. If he could understand her, not only her health, perhaps he could unveil the truth behind her reluctance to be with him.

The last twelve hours had been hell on him. Since he wasn't related to her, he couldn't get a doctor to talk to him. He'd let the nurse's assumption in the emergency room go without comment at the time, but when he'd come back after getting the boys and Laura settled back at the bungalow, he'd foolishly told the truth about who he was and at that point everyone seemed to clam up and just offer him a seat in the waiting room. All night, he had paced out in that damn room hoping for some scrap of information on how Jordan was doing.

At one point, he had even called Laura and asked her to call the hospital to get information for him. Unfortunately, he hadn't bothered to look at a clock and it had been near two in the morning. She had been patient, even kind to him, as she reminded him that a doctor would be in to see Jordan in the morning. With every hour that passed, his anxiety had grown until finally the sun was up and there was activity around him once again. With no choice but to lie, he'd found the doctor who was heading into Jordan's room and gotten an update on her. Once he knew she was going to be all right, Rob was able to relax.