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“Excited? Let’s hope so.” I pull my pants up and fasten the belt like my life depends on it.
What I don’t tell her is the sudden dark gut punch of worry that hits like a premonition. Apparently, I’m outdoing Miss Superstition tonight.
Still, I can’t relax until I see Marissa alive and well, with her brain intact.
Anything could go wrong.* * *When the elevator opens, Jordan runs ahead with Brina and I trailing behind him. He darts into Marissa’s room before we catch up.
She looks at me. “Are you ready for this?”
“It’s now or never.” I take Brina’s hand. “I’m glad she woke up. If everything seems normal, it’ll be a huge weight off Jordan’s shoulders.” I squeeze her palm, tracing a circle on the top of her hand with my thumb. “And it also means we’ll be talking to Ruby soon.”
She beams up at me.
We’re a few inches from the door when Jordan pops his head out.
“She’s asleep?” he asks, wearing a deep frown.
“Hit the nurse button,” I say. “They told me she was awake twenty minutes ago.”
We step into the room together.
Sabrina sits in the chair and I stand next to Marissa’s bed with Jordan. The boy hits the call button on the bed just as a nurse and doctor stroll through the door.
“Sorry, I guess we shouldn’t have hit that,” I tell them.
“No problem,” the nurse says.
The doctor looks at Marissa, crumpled in the bed, totally inert and breathing slowly.
“You just missed her,” he sighs, adjusting his glasses. “I was in this room five minutes ago, and Miss Quail was fully conscious and talking to us.” He turns his head to face Jordan. “She asked about you. I told her you’d been here almost every day, and you’re well taken care of.”
“Why’s she asleep again?” Jordan asks, thorns in his voice.
“She’s on a lot of medication, I’m afraid, and she’s been unconscious for some time,” the doctor says kindly. “It’s not like it is in the movies. Some coma patients can only stay awake for a few minutes, gradually recovering their stamina over weeks. In this case, some of her sleepiness is a response to the pain and medications in her system.”
He gives an encouraging smile, but I also want answers to the question Jordan asks a second later.
“But she’s okay?”
“She’s on the mend. Her vitals look great. The brain tissue doesn’t seem to be scarred. Of course, we’ll be able to give a full assessment when she’s feeling better. If she doesn’t wake up before you leave tonight, she’ll likely come around tomorrow,” the doctor says.
“Thank you,” I say, finally a bit relieved.
The doctor leaves, and the nurse checks Marissa’s vitals again, scribbling something on the digital board before she exits.
“We’ll hang out for a few minutes until the end of visiting hours,” I say. “But if she doesn’t wake up, we need to let her sleep and come back in the morning. She needs rest.”
“Damn, I just wanted to talk to her, but...I’m glad Mom’s okay.” An unsure smile brightens his face.
“Me too, Jordan,” I say with a smile.
For him, I manage, but I’m still not relaxing totally until I see how Marissa acts.
Thankfully, Brina’s smile in the corner is a lot more honest.
Jordan spends the next fifteen minutes at her side, doing nothing but watching her, gently muttering a few words.
I’ve never seen a kid his age more intent on anything that wasn’t a cell phone.
I hate to even walk up and lay a hand on his shoulder.
“Okay, bud. It’s time to go.”
Jordan stirs, almost as if he forgot we were there, and kisses his mom’s cheek. “All right. I’m ready. I’ll be back soon, Mom.”
“Should we grab some ice cream on the way home?” I ask, searching for a happy distraction. “We all needed some good news.”
“Yes!” Both Brina and Jordan say it together.
I chuckle at their shared enthusiasm. It’s hard as hell not to kiss her right then.
Jordan goes out the door first, heading into the main lobby.
“Jordan?” A man calls his name.
A voice I know.
It can’t fucking be.
I burst through the door, leaving Sabrina trailing behind me, hoping to everything holy I’m hallucinating.
I wish I were so lucky.
Baxter goddamn Heron sits in a waiting room chair, right by the door, a polished expression on his face I want to rip right off. He should be grateful this is a hospital.
“What the fuck are you doing here?” I snarl, the hair on the back of my neck standing on end.
Sabrina comes through the door a second later and stands beside me, staring at the stranger she’s never seen before. I’ve seen him, though, and damn it, I wish I never had.
“Mag, what’s going on?” she asks quietly.
Baxter stands, straightening up, only a few inches shorter than I am. He looks at Sabrina.
His frigid blue eyes meet mine and a cocky grin crosses his face, heavy with a few more wrinkles than I remember.
