Page 21 of Forever Found
“Addy? Can you hear me?” Jordan said a little louder and I snapped my focus back to his image on the screen.
“Sorry. I was miles away.”
“Where did you go, babe?” he asked gently.
“About the last time I s-saw Adam. I…I thought he…” I stopped, unable to complete that sentence and forced some air into my rapidly constricting chest. “He was so still, Jord…and the blood. There was so m-much.”
“I know. I see it too, every time I close my eyes, but he fought, Addy. He’s a strong motherfucker, and he’s still here with us. He’s gonna be alright,” he assured me. I nodded and swiped at my eyes, looking up to Kane and Eli. Of course they were watching me with worry, but I forced a tiny smile to try and placate them. “Not sure I can say the same about the poor bastards taking care of him,” Jordan added playfully, making me smile through my sniffles.
“He’s not happy in the hospital, huh?”
“No, he’s really not. He’s pissed that he was shot and worried sick about you. Add the pain he’s in. Yeah he’s a miserable bastard right now,” Jordan explained.
“Can’t the doctors do something? Give him more pain pills or something?” I worried.
“He won’t take them, Addy. He told you about his past, right?”
“Oh God! He’s not taking any pain medication?” I gasped as I realized what Jordan was implying, and just how much pain Adam had to be in.
“He won’t risk it, and I don’t want to push him on the subject. He knows what he can handle. You know how important his sobriety is to him.”
“I know, but I hate to think of him in pain.” I left off the ‘because of me’but that didn’t make it any less true. He had been shot trying to protect me, by monsters I brought into their home.
“Don’t you dare do that, princess,” Jordan snapped sharply, and when I looked back up to his image he was sending me a look of reproach. “You are not blaming any of what happened on yourself. Kane, Adam, and I are not going to allow that. You hear me? This was not your fault. It was no one’s fault except the sick fuckers who came into our home and hurt you all.”
“But I brought them to our door, Jordan. If I hadn’t been there….”
“No. Stop right there. We are not losing you to your demons over this. I know I’m not all bossy and shit like Adam and Kane, but I am serious on this. No blaming yourself, no hiding from us, and no running to that place in your head that makes you ill. You are not to blame and I’ll tell you that as many times as I need to until you believe it. Now, tell me you understand.”
“I understand, Jordan, and I’ll try, but it’s so much easier said than done,” I sighed.
“Then we’ll help you, all of us, but that means you have to come to us. No hiding, remember? You agreed to that,” he told me firmly, and it seemed so odd coming from Jordan. He was always the one I relied on for laughter and happiness. I wasn’tsure I had ever heard him be so straight laced and serious with me.
“I remember,” I agreed as I glanced to Kane. He nodded with a small smile at me and his approval wrapped around me like a warm, soft blanket.
“Good. You call me anytime you need to, okay? No matter what time, I want you to call if you need me.”
“I will. I wish I was there with you,” I admitted.
“Me too, so much. But Ash said you might be able to fly home tonight, so that’s good news, right?” I nodded, too choked up to talk. I couldn’t wait to be home and back with all of my guys.
“Okay, princess. Brace yourself. I’m going into the bear’s lair,” Jordan joked as he flipped the camera and showed me a set of glass doors, behind which I could see Adam sat up in a hospital bed.
“Jordan! Wait!” I gasped as I took in how pale Adam still looked, and the numerous machines around him. He looked to be asleep, his head leant back and slightly to the side.
“Deep breaths, angel,” Kane prompted as he came closer and took the cell from my trembling hand. Tears were running down my cheeks and I didn’t realize I was gasping until he told me to slow down.
I pressed my face against Kane’s arm and tried hard to just calm down. Adam clearly needed to see me as much as I needed to see him, so I couldn’t lose it like I was.
“Kane. What happened? Is she okay?” Jordan asked.
“She just got a little panicky. Is Adam still hooked up to some machines?” Kane asked.
“Yeah, shit. I never even thought. He’s okay, Addy. He still needs a little oxygen right now, so he has a tube under his nose, and he has a ton of monitors, but they’re all just keeping an eye on his vitals. He has an I.V. because he needs fluids right now, and they left a canula in his other hand just incase he needed to go back to surgery, but they should take that out later today,” Jordan explained in a hurry. “He’s good. His color is starting to come back and he’s been up to use the bathroom a couple of times, even though that pissed off his nurses.”
“You don’t have to see him, Addy. We could just make it a voice call. Would that help?” Kane asked. He had his arm around me and was running his hand up and down my side.
“We can do that, babe. Adam just needs to hear your voice. He’ll be okay without the video thing,” Jordan agreed.