Jordan held tightly to her hand and when she squeezed in response to his touch, he was reassured that she was in there. That she was still holding on. While Rick and his deputies chased after the jerk who had done this, Jordan hung on to something he cherished more than life itself. His brother had been right all along and he would no longer rebut the fact that he had fallen in love with this girl the first time he had seen her, and there was no denying the fact that he would go to great lengths to give her the life she deserved.
“I’m sorry, Kate,” he whispered into her ear. “I’m sorry this happened to you.”
Small town Iowa shouldn’t have things like this happen. The town was a peaceful place, overlooking the river and all of the shops surrounding downtown, which the town people enjoyed more than anything.
“Okay, we’re almost to the hospital,” the medic said, standing up in order to tighten the straps on the cot, unhook unnecessary wires, and tuck the IV line under the blanket so it wouldn’t get ripped out on their way into the Emergency Room. This wasn’t Jordan’s first trip to the hospital in the back of an ambulance. He had ridden with Paul the day he’d had a heart attack at the shop. Much like tonight, that was a harsh memory that Jordan tried not to remember much about.
The ambulance rocked as it entered the ambulance bay near the Emergency Room entrance. When he tried to let go of her hand, Kate held on tighter. It pained him to let go, but he had no other choice as they wheeled her out of the back of the ambulance.
* * *
It hadn’t taken the ER doctor long to diagnose Kate with a grade two concussion not too long after the CT scan came back. Kate was making progress just a few hours after arriving at the hospital, but the doctor mentioned keeping her there a bit longer, just to make sure there wouldn’t be any unforeseen changes in her condition.
Jordan watched as the doctor performed his assessment, making it clear he was testing Kate’s reflexes and memory. “Concussions usually take longer than a few days to recover from, but it’s a play-it-by-ear type of thing,” the doctor explained to Jordan as he thrummed the reflex hammer against her extremities as he noted improvement. “I think Kate will make a full recovery within a week, but she’ll have to take it easy and keep off her feet.”
The doctor turned to face Jordan and asked, “She’s pretty lucky coming out of the attack with only a few stitches and a concussion, though. It took a lot of aggression from the attacker to cause such an injury.”
Jordan nodded in agreement. He already knew there was aggression. He knew that Kate was lucky because of knowing how crazy her ex had acted at the hotel; it was a no brainer that he could and would do anything to get back at her—including trying to kill her.
“Once she’s home, I assume she’ll have you to look after her?” the doctor asked, clicking his pen and shoving it into his coat pocket. It was an accurate assumption, because Jordan had already set his mind to taking care of her. “If her symptoms worsen once she’s home, don’t be afraid to call or bring her back in. It’s always a good idea to keep a close eye on her for twenty-four to seventy-two hours.”
“Yes, sir,” Jordan said, watching the doctor open the door. “Thank you, Doc.”
The doctor nodded and said, “Take care. I hope they find the jerk who did this to her.”
“You and I both, sir.”
* * *
Kate felt out of it. Almost like she had been thrown against a wall several times without reprieve. Opening her eyes made the pain in her head throb against the back of her eyes, so she quickly shielded them against the lights above her bed. She wasn’t sure where she was or how she got there, but she recognized Jordan’s voice right next to her.
“Jordan,” she said, her words scratched her throat and she could barely hear them, but he had heard her loud and clear as he stood next to her, and ran a hand along the side of her face.
“I’m right here, Kate.”
“What happened?”
No matter how hard she tried to remember what had happened and where she was, the only result was an increase in pain in her head and more confusion. She already had an idea she was in the hospital, but everything was foggy and she really didn’t have any clue at all. She hated that she couldn’t remember anything from today—was it even today anymore? What day was it? What time was it?
Jordan must have sensed her panic, because he whispered for her to relax and take it easy. “I’ll explain everything later on, but right now you need to rest.”
“Jordan, what happened? Please, tell me,” she asked, pleading for him to just tell her something, anything would do. The harder she pleaded, the more scared she got and the worse the pain became in the back of her head. She raised a hand to her head and was startled to find it wrapped in gauze-like material. “Jordan, what’s this?”
When he said nothing, and his face was blank as though he was debating on telling her the truth now or truly waiting until later, tears fell from her eyes. She felt them slide down the side of her face, soaking into the material surrounding her head. “Jordan, please, just tell me what happened? Tell me what’s going on?” She begged with a shaky voice, as it cracked against the emotion she was trying to sort through.
“Kate, I... I really don’t want to tell you right now,” Jordan said, as he continued to soothe her fallen tears as his thumb trailed alongside her face in the path the tears had taken.
“Jordan, please.” She couldn’t take begging him anymore. She needed to know. She more than needed to know. A panic attack was setting in and if she didn’t find out soon, she was going to freak out.
“Your ex,” he said, the grimace on his face told her it wasn’t good. He was upset and the pain in his eyes told her this was bad. “Kate, I’m not too sure what really happened because I wasn’t there with you, and I’m sorry. We should really let you rest.”
She hated the fact that he was trying to protect her. Just because she was in pain didn’t mean she couldn’t handle hearing what he had to say. “What happened, Jordan?”
Furrowing his eyebrows would have been the sign that she was pushing him to tell her something that was too painful or too much for him to tell her, but she needed to hear whatever it was.
Exhausted from her failed efforts to get him to tell her anything, she closed her eyes and sighed, exhaling the breath slowly in order to calm her emotions. She was dizzy and even worse, she was wrapped in gauze and bandages and had no idea what had happened.
No longer able to keep her eyes open and focused on Jordan, she allowed them to close as she succumbed to sleep. The last thought she had was a short glimpse of what might have happened—she remembered hearing a noise in the hallway.
He had taken the time she was resting to think of a better way to tell her what had happened. Pulling his cell phone from the pocket of his shirt, he dialed Rick’s number, praying they had found the creep and taken him into custody.
“Hey, Jordan,” Rick answered on the second ring. “I hate to say it, but we think he left town and headed back to Arizona. We aren’t a hundred percent sure, but that’s where I’m putting my money.”
Jordan squeezed the bridge of his nose between his finger and thumb. Of all the possible news he wanted to hear, this hadn’t been on the list. “So what does that mean?”
“It means we keep the search going,” Rick said, grumbling something under his breath that Jordan couldn’t quite make out. “We’ve contacted authorities in Arizona to be on the lookout for him while we have highway patrol lining the interstates. We have charges filed against him, but what we really need is for Kate to give us a statement.”
Jordan looked over at the couch where she was lying, snuggled underneath a comforter he had found wadded up in a nearby closet. It was less than a few hours of being released from the hospital, and she seemed to be doing fine, but not well enough to give a statement. Especially since her memory was still foggy and she couldn’t recall any events leading up to the attack.
“I don’t think that’s goin
g to happen any time soon, Rick,” Jordan said. “She’s recovering now, but still out of it.”
“Let me know if anything changes within the next few hours,” Rick said. “And Jordan, please know that I’m just doing my job. I don’t want to be pushy, but this asshole deserves to be locked up for what he did to her. The sooner we get her statement, the sooner we can find him, the better the outcome will be for everyone involved.”
“I know, man,” Jordan said, keeping an eye on Kate as she tossed and turned on the couch moaning. “I’ll let you know as soon as things start looking up.”
Ending the conversation, he hurried to Kate’s side. He wasn’t too sure if she was in pain or if she was having nightmares, but he wanted to reassure her somehow. Letting her know he was by her side, he rubbed a hand along her arm. “It’s okay, Kate. I’m here.”
Swinging arms flailed out from under the blanket as she fought him away from her. The reaction was instant and unexpected. Unsure of what to do, he tried to keep calm and reassure that everything was okay. That she was safe and no one was there to hurt her. His only chance at having her hear what he was saying was if he could get behind her and cradle her in his arms.
Hoping that it would work, he walked around the back of the couch, talking in a calm voice the whole time. Reassuring her was proving to be difficult this time, and he hated seeing her like this. It was hard to believe just the other day they were scheduling their pictures and talking about how they were positive they would win the contest. Now, she flailed her arms and fought him off of her, no matter what he tried, he was failing at getting her to calm down.
The doctor had written discharge papers early that morning, giving Jordan approval to bring her home. He hadn’t thought to ask what to do in case this was to happen. The doctor had failed to mention the aftermath of the attack. Jordan was left to do what he thought was best—hoping like hell that it worked.
“Kate, I’m here,” he said, holding her in his arms, cradling her against his chest as she thrashed her arms and screamed. “You’re okay. Everything is going to be okay. I’m here now.”
The words gutted him as he said them. Regret washed through him as the thoughts of guilt overwhelmed him. If only he had made it a point to encourage her to lock her doors, double check her surroundings, maybe she wouldn’t have been attacked. Maybe if he had acted on his gut instinct, he could have made it in time to fight off her attacker.
“Jordan!” her scream was blood curdling, sending his adrenaline through the roof. He held onto her and tried his best to tell her that she was okay. He had no way of knowing if she was asleep or awake. He had no idea what the heck was really happening.
“Kate, shh... it’s okay, I’m right here.”
The doctor hadn’t told him this could happen. No one had told him the aftermath of being attacked could be this complicated and unrelenting. He wanted everything to go back to normal. He wanted to be able to comfort her and tell her that everything was going to be all right, but now, at this very moment, he wasn’t convinced by his own words and didn’t blame her for ignoring them.
* * *
Fear flooded its way through her body. Flashes of random moments quickly played in her mind. Freaked out and unable to understand what they were or what was happening, she could only scream for Jordan and pray that he was close by.
She could hear him reassuring her, but the fear had dug its claws in deep and wasn’t letting her go. Jordan’s arms wrapped around her as she couldn’t stop thrashing her arms and fighting these awful thoughts away.
Confusion and fog had her lost for understanding. She knew Jordan was there, but what had the flashes been? Had she been dreaming or was it a nightmare? Was she recalling pieces from what happened? This whole thing was a nightmare and she wanted answers, but surrendered to the pain and confusion as she relaxed against Jordan’s chest as he cradled her gently and reassured her the best way he could.
“Jordan,” she whispered, unsure if her words were loud enough for him to hear.
“I’m right here, Kate,” his voice deep with concern and uncertainty.
“Will you stay here with me?”
She wasn’t sure what had happened, but she knew that she needed him to stay with her. If there was a chance that she would have the same reoccurring images flash through her mind, she needed someone to be there for her.
“Yes, I’ll be here forever,” he whispered into her ear, as his hand swept away the fallen tears. “I’ll be here for as long as you need me. Now, and forever.”
* * *
Making promises he wasn’t sure he could keep hadn’t been his strong suit. Until he met Kate, he hadn’t ever cared if the promises he made had been broken or not. Before her, he had been broken from his divorce, alone and unable to focus on anything but his own pity.
But with Kate, he had seen a change in his mood and his outlook on the future. Kate had changed him in a way he never thought he would ever change. She made bad days disappear. She brought promise and hope to this small town and into his life.
He had turned into a gigantic mushy, overly cheesy kind of guy in her presence; his buddies now teased him about that. He had a soft heart and she was the gentle hand that held it. He wanted nothing more than to ask her to marry him, to be with him for the rest of his life, and to make him the happiest man who ever lived in the state of Iowa. Hell, they didn’t even need to stay in Le Claire. They could move wherever she wanted to. He’d be okay with whatever decision she made.
Watching her sleep with her arms drawn up close to her face, cradling her chin, with the blanket gripped tightly, he fell in love with her all over again. He had never believed in the mushy, overly dramatic lovey dovey stuff, but now he had no choice. What may not have been believable before meeting Kate, was definitely something he believed in now—he had the proof right in front of him.
“Why are you watching me?”
Her voice was scratchy and weak, but he heard her loud and clear. He smiled because she had busted him, yet again. She was getting pretty good at busting him.
“Because you’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen,” he said, smiling like a helpless, love stricken fool.
“You must be blind, because the last time I checked, I have a bandage the size of Texas wrapped around my head.”
Hearing her talk in straight, uninterrupted sentences was a good sign. It meant that she was healing and recovering from her injury. He knew she would soon be asking questions about what had happened and he could only hope he had the right words to give her what she wanted to hear without upsetting her. He hated that he had to be the one who told her, but thinking about someone else telling her only made it apparent that he wouldn’t want anyone else explaining it to her.
“That bandage is just an added bonus,” he said, offering a subtle wink. “I think it’ll be an accessory in our pictures in two weeks.”
Seeing the disappointment change her expression, his gut twisted. He hoped that she could recall memories from before the attack. And if she could remember, he hoped she hadn’t had a change of heart. He was looking forward to their session.
“How am I going to get pictures taken when I look like this?” she asked, releasing what sounded to him like an overly exaggerated grunt as she mumbled something else under her breath.
“I’m sure by then you’ll have retired your fashion accessory,” he teased, trying his hardest to lighten the mood. She had every right to be angry, but he wanted nothing more than for her to realize that she was beautiful, no matter what she had on her head.
Her laugh lightened the weight from his chest. “You think so?”
He shrugged, after giving her a teasing grin. “I would like to think so, but I guess it’s up to you.”
He laughed along with her, until her eyes filled with concern and confusion. “Jordan,” she whispered as she looked up at him. He grabbed her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. “What happened to me?”
Taking a deep breath and swallowing t
he large lump that formed in his throat, he hesitated before saying, “Kate, I think...”
“Jordan, please?”
He couldn’t tell her no; but he simply didn’t have it in him to explain to her that her ruthless ex-husband had taken his anger out on her. He was more worried with how she would react, than anything. Knowing it could possibly trigger flashbacks was another concern.
“Kate, when the Sheriff and I showed up at your house, you mentioned during a lucid moment that it was your ex-husband,” Jordan explained, holding tight to her hand, preparing himself for her reaction.
But she didn’t react to his words. Instead, she lay still and looked up at the ceiling. He could see the tears welling up in her eyes, but not a single one escaped. Squatting down next to her, he trailed his thumb down the side of her face, following the line of her tensed jaw. She was trying to be strong, he could tell. “I’m sorry.”
Shaking her head, she propped herself on an elbow as she attempted to sit up. Giving up, she plopped back down as she let out an unmistakably frustrated groan. “Why?”
He wasn’t sure what she wanted to know. Why her? He would never understand why someone would want to hurt her. He would never have that answer for her. Why her ex-husband came all the way to Iowa just to mess with her and the life she had made for herself? Again, he didn’t have the answer to that, either. It would take being a psychopath to understand one and even then, he wasn’t sure there would be an answer fair enough to justify why this happened to Kate.
“I don’t know, babe,” he said, tears stung his eyes as he looked at her lying still, focused on nothing in particular as she stared at the ceiling. “I wish I had been there. Maybe if I had...”
“This isn’t your fault,” she whispered, her voice cracking with emotion as she fought back tears. “It’s mine. If I hadn’t gone to Arizona...”
“Babe, you didn’t have a choice,” he assured her. “This wasn’t your fault.”
Kate's Forever (Thistle Do Flowers Book 1) Page 12