"Hey, Leslie."
She came out into the yard, and Damon gave her a peck on her cheek. "I'm dirty, hon."
She took a step back and grinned at him. "Geez, it's cold out here. How have you been, Jake? How long has it been?"
"I'm okay. I guess. I don't know. A while?" He shook his head, trying to get rid of the cobwebs.
"Look, I have to take a shower. It's good to meet you, and I'll let you two catch up. I'd shake your hand, but yeah, you don't want that." Damon gave a nod to Jake and winked at his wife before walking to the apartment. "Hey, you should talk in the living room. It's too cold out here," he told them before he entered the apartment.
Leslie nodded her head to her front door, and Jake followed her with his head down. "It's cold." She shivered and turned on the overhead light, and took in his posture. His shoulders were slumped, and tired, bloodshot eyes were accompanied by bags under both of them. "Are you okay?"
"Sure," he answered her. "I'm tired. I was telling your husband I've been staying at the hospital."
"Oh yeah? Big doctor on campus. Well, at least we now know what you were doing all this time." He didn't answer, just looked back out the window and stared at the stars. "Jake?"
"Huh? What?"
Leslie frowned. "You're not okay," she stated matter-of-factly.
"I'll see you later. Tell your husband I said bye." He was out the door before Leslie could reply.
"Did he leave?" Damon asked as he came back into the room, wiping his wet hair with a towel.
"I'm not sure he knows what's up or down."
He threw the towel to the couch and grabbed her by the hips, pulled her close, and kissed her until she broke the kiss for air. "Is that where that towel goes?"
Damon groaned. "No, dear." He let go of her before he picked up his discarded towel and took it to the back. "Oh. Were Jake and Stephanie a couple?" he asked as he re-entered the room.
"No. Why?"
"Our homeowner said she thinks Jake broke her heart."
Leslie's eyes dropped to the ground.
"Les?"
"Look." Leslie sighed. "Jake came to our school when we were freshmen. He was a Junior, and Stephanie fell head over heels, but he never was interested in her like that."
Damon grabbed Leslie's hand, dragged her to the couch, dropped down, and pulled her onto his lap. He placed a soft kiss on her collarbone.
"So he graduated but still hung out with us. One day, Stephanie got up the nerve and went to tell him how she felt, but instead, found him with another girl, and that was the last time she saw him until this week."
"She had a bad back spasm today, and Elizabeth said they had to give her morphine."
Leslie's head fell to his shoulder. "Must have been after I left with Chloe. He looks bad."
"Like me bad with Chloe for the first six months of her life?"
"Yep, and Stephanie looks terrible too."
"So basically, you're telling me she hasn't seen him in years, and he walks in when she's at her worst, and her feelings rush back. It doesn't help that he's successful, and she's facing another surgery and learning to walk again."
"I think you might have summed that up, but you can't tell anyone!"
"Who would I tell?"
"Everyone, you gossip-monger."
Damon laughed softly. "Did Chloe go to sleep easily tonight?"
"Yep." She let out a yawn and snuggled closer.
"Come on. Let's go to bed. We are helping Elizabeth move tomorrow."
She slid off his lap, and he followed her down the hallway to their bedroom.
*******
Dylan slid behind his sleeping wife and spooned her from behind. She let out a sexy little whimper that had him pulling her even closer. "Dyl? What time is it?" her sleepy voice had him at half-mast.
"Late," he answered near her ear. "We are moving Elizabeth into her house tomorrow. We got her water turned on."
"Did your sexy voice turn the water on?"
"Samantha," he said with a chuckle. "How was Drew today?" He felt her stiffen. "Sweetheart?"
She turned over and buried her face in his chest. "I'm at my wit's end," she uttered.
He squeezed her harder. "Did you find a costume for the party?"
"No. I lost my temper, and we left the store. I dropped him off at my mom's and went for a bike ride."
"Is he here now?"
"No. Mom told me that Dad will be helping you tomorrow. They'll drop him off at school and then go to the house to help."
"I'm sorry, Samantha. I don't know what to do. I love him like he's my own son, but he's missing something I can't give him."
"I know." Her voice was watery, and she squeezed his waist. He hugged her tighter and kissed the top of her head while she cried herself to sleep.
Chapter 5
"You need to eat, Jakey," his grandfather said as he looked down his nose at his grandson.
"I've eaten. I'm just resting," Jake replied. Boy, had he eaten. He’d slept until noon, and then his grandfather made him a homemade lunch, but now it wasn't settling. Stephanie's surgery was scheduled for the morning, and he felt sick.
"It's good to have you here, but listen, sonny, I won't always be around to watch you. You need someone to take care of you, but first, you need to court the girl."
"Gramps," he groaned and covered up his head with his bedspread.
"It's three in the afternoon, and you have been in bed all day. When do you have to go back to work?"
"Never at this rate," he muttered.
"Do I need to call your mother?"
Jake dropped the blanket off his face. "You wouldn't."
"I would." Gramps sat down on the bed and touched Jake's forehead. "Do you feel unwell?"
"I'm fine."
"I've known you your entire life, Jakey Boy, and something is bothering you."
Jake let out a sigh. "There's this girl." One side of Gramps' bushy eyebrows shot up, and Jake already regretted opening his mouth.
"What did you do?"
"Who said I did anything? Maybe she did something."
"Because you are upset and not angry, which means you did something."
"I was mad yesterday."
"Because you did something."
"That makes absolutely no sense!"
"Love doesn't make sense."
"You're talking in riddles, old man."
Gramps just smiled. "Tell me about your girl."
"She's um. She's having surgery in the morning. Dangerous surgery."
"What happened?"
"She was shot and almost died."
"Oh, Jake."
"And if the surgery goes wrong, she could be permanently paralyzed."
"Are you helping with the surgery?"
"No. They asked, but I couldn't do it. I'm too close to her, or I was. I hadn't seen her since she was a senior in high school, and then I left for medical school, and I didn't look back."
"So, you did...what do the kids call it these days?"
Jake stared, confused, at his grandfather.
"You know where you stop seeing someone and just disappear and don't contact them?"
"Ghosting?"
He snapped his fingers. "That's it! Why did you ghost her?"
"I didn't. She wasn't my girlfriend."
"But you wanted her to be."
"No...I mean, maybe? I don't know."
"I think you do know. Why wasn't she your girl?"
"She was popular. Played sports, and she always had a boyfriend."
Gramps frowned. "Does she have one now?"
"I don't know. Someone named Sam called her the other day, but I've never seen a guy visit her."
"Ask her out."
"She hates me."
"Ah."
"What? Ah? What does that even mean? I don't know what I did."
"You ghosted her."
"We. Weren't. Together!"
"But she was your friend, and you hadn't talked to her in years."
"S
he was my best friend, but she won't talk to me now."
"Because you ghosted her. Are you going to the hospital to be there during her surgery? And if something goes wrong, would that change how you look at her?"
"No. Why would it?"
"Pretty girl?"
"Annie is gorgeous. She always was, and she was so good at basketball. I went to some of her college games, but she didn't know I was there."
"Why did you do that?"
"Again. Boyfriend. Stephanie Waterford did not lack for male attention."
"But maybe she didn’t get the one she wanted. And why does having a boyfriend mean you couldn't see her?" He paused briefly. "Oh!"
"What, oh?"
"You didn't like to see your girl with someone else."
"That's not..."
"I think it is."
"Gramps."
"I am assuming she's in your new facility, which means she's having some issues."
"Yeah. She has chronic pain, she's learning to walk again, and she seems depressed and angry. She's a psychologist. Did I tell you that?"
"She's athletic, is used to helping people, and all that came to an abrupt halt. Think about that the next time she's lashing out at you. And maybe don't leave her at her worst."
"I wouldn't leave her."
"Oh, but you already did." Gramps patted his leg. "Now, what time do you need to be at the hospital for some special lady's surgery?"
"It's at four."
"In that case. I'll bring you a sandwich, and I'll let you sleep some more."
"Thanks."
"Yep, anytime."
*******
"Well, hello. About time you showed up." Jake looked up from where he was hooking up his new computer monitor. He had unpacked all his boxes, and they were broken down and stacked neatly. He had dusted every surface, washed every window, and his office was spotless. Elizabeth stood there, her arms crossed across her chest, a scowl on her face. "Thanks for helping me move yesterday," she said sarcastically.
"What?"
"Moving, and I know you knew about it. Your friend Leslie told me she talked to you yesterday when she dropped off a lasagna from her mother. Which was to die for, by the way."
Diana Jordan was an excellent cook. He remembered that from school. "I'm so sorry. I forgot."
She frowned at him. "How could you forget? I texted you and everything."
"I was tired, and Annie and..." He rubbed the back of his neck.
"Annie? Wait! Stephanie is the Annie? Your Annie?"
Jake squirmed. "What are you talking about?"
"The basketball player. I don't think you realize how much you talked about her in college."
"I did?"
"Only all the time."
He made a noncommittal grunt and went back to his monitor.
"What happened to your other monitor?"
"It broke." His phone lit up, and he pushed the speaker button. "Dr. Waterford is being prepped. She's being moved over to the hospital, soon."
"Thanks," he mumbled, then hung up the phone. He sat heavily at his desk, running his hands through his hair.
"All her friends are here. I mean ALL of them. The waiting room is full, along with her parents. Why don't you join them?"
"I'm trying to keep busy."
"I know, but I think you need to be with her family and friends. She needs to know you're there for her."
"I have to..."
"You don't have to do anything except go where you know you should be," she interrupted.
"Okay. Okay. Thanks."
He walked around his desk and to the door before Elizabeth yelled, "And grovel, Jake. So much groveling."
He didn't answer, just left his office.
*******
Leslie straightened up Stephanie's pillow, trying to make her more comfortable. "They'll be back to put you under in a second."
"Okay."
"And remember, Steph, they said you might be numb when you wake up. That doesn't mean the feeling won't come back to your legs."
"Okay."
"Everyone is here, except Jace and Daisy. They are watching babies today." Leslie named off the remaining occupants of the waiting room. All but one person. She really wanted him here, even if she didn't want to speak to him. "Okay, ready for gossip? I saw Jake the other night. He looked terrible."
"What do you mean?" She really didn't want to care.
"He looked like he hadn't slept in days. Bloodshot eyes, wrinkled clothing, and he almost couldn't follow the conversation. He left abruptly after talking for five seconds. I spoke to Mr. Lance, his grandfather, when he walked out to retrieve his mail. He said Jake was still in bed, and this was like two in the afternoon yesterday."
"Is he sick?"
"I don't know."
"Hey girl," Elizabeth breezed into the room with another nurse. "You ready?"
"No."
"I'm sorry about that."
"I'm going to go." Leslie squeezed her hand. "It will be okay. Prayers going up!"
"Blessings coming down," Stephanie muttered. Leslie let go of her hand and strode out the door.
"Okay. You have a ton of support today. Jake's pacing in the waiting room, and it hasn’t even started yet."
"He's here?" she asked, not quite masking her hopeful tone like she wanted.
"When I got here a few hours ago, he was cleaning his office."
"He used to do that when he was nervous or mad."
"He did the same thing in college. That hasn't changed any. He had the cleanest dorm on campus."
"Dr. Waterford, it's time," a nurse announced from the doorway, and Stephanie nodded in response. She looked at Elizabeth, and Elizabeth smiled at her.
"I'll see ya later, girl!" she told Stephanie as they wheeled her out into the hallway.
*******
Courtney paced back and forth. Back and forth. Back and forth. Sam's fingers were beating a rhythm on Dylan's leg while he had his arm around her, hugging her close. Stephanie's parents were the calmest of all. Or maybe they were just better at faking it. Her mom was knitting, and her dad was doing something on his phone.
Landon took a breath, grabbed Courtney's hand on what felt like her five hundredth pass, and led her out into the hallway. "Hey. Are you okay?"
She shook her head as tears pooled. She allowed Landon to wrap her in his arms.
"Would you feel better if we left and went to Mom's?"
"I can't leave." She pushed out of his arms. "This is all my fault. It's my fault."
"Courtney. It's not." He rubbed her arms.
"He shot her because of me."
"Courtney."
"I'm just going—I need to go. I'm going for a walk."
"Why don't I go with you?"
"Landon, please. I'll be back."
He dropped his head back and stared at the ceiling as Courtney rushed off down the hall and around the corner.
"Hey," Jake said as he stepped up to Landon.
"Hey, man," Landon said and held out a hand for a shake.
"Is your girl okay?"
"Nope. Sometimes she needs space, but if she's not back in thirty minutes, I'm going after her."
Jake cleared his throat. "I read about the abduction in the paper."
"Yeah. Between me, Sam, and Courtney, we have enough guilt to sink a ship."
"Sam?" Jake's stomach dropped to his feet. Maybe Stephanie did have a boyfriend.
"OH! Yeah. That pretty blonde in there laid up on the dude with the longish hair. We should have introduced you, but I'm worried about Courtney, and wasn't thinking."
Relief rushed through him, and he smiled a little. "Um. Is Stephanie single? I haven't seen a guy around. It would be pretty shitty if he weren't here, well, unless he's in the military or something. Hey, are you on leave?"
"No, I was injured and was honorably discharged." He rubbed at his chest and looked down the hallway in the direction that Courtney had disappeared.
"I'm sorry."
"Nobody's fault. Well, that's what they tell me anyway. And yes, she's single."
"Was she single when she was shot?"
"Are you wondering if some douche dumped her after she got hurt? No, she's been single for a while, from what I gathered from Courtney."
"Oh."
"And to be honest, Jake, I never understood why you didn't ask her out. You guys were inseparable."
Jake looked around and found a bench up against the wall and sat.
"You had cute little nicknames for each other and everything," Landon said and sat down beside him. "And you made me get her Tootsie Rolls every time I turned around."
"She always had a boyfriend."
"You always had a girlfriend," Landon countered.
Jake sighed and laid his head back on the wall.
"Speaking of girlfriends, I need to find mine." Landon stood. "I'm glad you're back. I'll talk to you later." Jake watched as Landon strolled down the hallway and out of sight.
*******
Landon walked through the doors to the hospital's courtyard and scanned the lit-up area. Courtney was sitting, leaning against a tree with her head resting on her arms on her pulled-up knees.
He gently sat down, wrapped his arm around her, and she leaned into his side.
"I'm not okay."
"I know, but that's okay."
"Wait! I need to check on Sam!"
"Courtney, Dylan has her, and I have you. Just sit here with me. The surgery should be over soon."
"What about Chloe?"
"Jace and Daisy have her."
"You told me this already. I'm sorry."
He grabbed her hand. It was ice cold. "Let's go inside, Fragolina. The sun isn't up yet, and it's cold. We don't have to go back to the waiting room. We can find a bench somewhere."
"Okay," she sighed.
He stood, helped her to her feet, and gathered her close for a bone-crushing hug before leading her back inside.
Chapter 6
Jake was ten seconds away from losing his shit. The meeting was droning on and on. This was the last meeting of the seminar, and if they added one more item to the already full docket, he would lose his mind.
Stephanie's surgery had been two weeks ago, and he hadn't even had a chance to see her. An emergency meeting of the board had him leaving for Seattle before she was even awake and out of recovery.
Elizabeth was keeping him abreast of her progress, but it wasn't the same as seeing her. Was she still angry? Probably. Not only had she dismissed him the last time he saw her, but he hadn't been around to oversee her care. Of course, she had been on the hospital side of the facility for the first week, and Jake wanted to be there whether she wanted him there or not. She probably didn't.
Broken Ties (The Healing Series Book 5) Page 4