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“Don’t worry, the government’s safe. We got a message.”
“Good.” He attempted a smile.
“I won’t let anything more happen to you, Jordan. Do you hear me? It’s over now.”
He closed his eyes and tried to nod. But the pain in his shoulder increased and he gritted his teeth with the agony. Then, thankfully, everything started to go black. Jordan sighed in relief as he sank into the bottomless void.
When he awoke again, the first things he saw were an IV bottle and stark white walls. The antiseptic scent told him he was in a hospital.
He blinked and rolled his head to one side. Molly was asleep in the chair next to his hospital bed. How she could rest in a molded plastic chair was beyond him. She’d curled up tightly, her feet tucked beneath her. Her head rested against one shoulder and a strand of beautiful golden hair fell across her cheek.
Molly was a natural with children, Jordan remembered as he watched her. Once she forgave herself for what had happened to Jeffrey, there was a chance she’d marry again and have the family she’d always wanted.
A weight settled on his chest. He’d done his stint with this fatherhood business and wasn’t willing to take the risk a second time.
Lesley had agreed that there’d be no children. He was convinced they’d find their happiness together.
Molly was a different kind of woman. She loved children, had loved being a mother. Jordan recalled that when they’d first brought Jeffrey home from the hospital, he’d been afraid to hold their son for fear of hurting him.
By contrast Molly had acted as if she’d been aroundinfants all her life. She’d laughed off his concerns and taught him what he needed to know, insisting he spend part of each day holding and talking to their son. Soon he was as comfortable as she was, and the nightly sessions with Jeffrey had been the highlight of his day. Jeffrey had been a happy baby with an emerging personality.
Then he was gone.
He’d been ripped from their lives, leaving behind a burden of grief and anger that had crippled them both.
Jordan forced himself to look away from Molly. He closed his eyes and with some difficulty brought Lesley’s face to mind. Sweet, kind Lesley. A fuzzy image drifted into his consciousness, followed by a deepening sense of guilt.
He’d made love to Molly, not once but twice. One lapse in good judgment he could explain away, but two? Not that he was obliged to explain anything to Lesley. She wasn’t the type to ask, and he certainly wasn’t going to volunteer any confessions.
“Jordan?” His name came to him softly, tentatively, as if Molly were afraid to wake him.
He turned his head toward her. “Hi,” he said, and realized his mouth felt as if someone had stuffed it full of cotton balls.
“How are you feeling?” She stood by his side and stroked his forehead.
“Awful.”
“Are you thirsty?”
He nodded, surprised by how well she anticipated his needs.
“Here.” She poured a glass of water, which shebrought him with a straw. She held it to his mouth and he drank, letting the cold water quench his thirst.
“All right,” he said, relaxing against the pillows. “Let’s talk about the bullet. How much damage did it do?”
“There were two and both of them were clean hits. Luckily there’s no bone damage. It’s going to hurt for a while, but you’ll recover. Think of the next few weeks as a long overdue vacation.”
“This may come as something of a surprise,” Jordan said, “but if I’m going to take a vacation I’d prefer to do it on a nice peaceful Caribbean island instead of someplace where I’m fighting off rebels.”
“I couldn’t agree with you more. I could arrange for us to fly to the Virgin Islands. A couple of weeks there soaking up the sun would do us both good.” Her face brightened with the idea. He could almost see her creating some romantic fantasy.…
Jordan closed his eyes. He’d walked into that one all by himself. There was no way on earth he could spend two weeks in some tropical paradise with Molly when he had every intention of going through with the divorce.
“How soon can I travel?” he asked abruptly.
“A couple of days. You’re weak now because of the blood loss, but with proper rest you’ll regain your strength pretty fast.”
“I have to get back to Chicago. I don’t have time to hang around on a beach.”
