by Lea Kinkade
Xander watched in fury as Jordan searched for her cell phone in her attempt to get away from him. He saw her close and open her eyes several times in what appeared to be an attempt to clear them. Her complexion turned white and then took on a faint green cast as she let her duffel fall from her shoulder and bent down to search through it for her cell phone. He watched helplessly as she quietly slumped over the duffel bag in a dead faint.
Anger giving way to fear, he bent over her anxiously, calling out her name. When she didn’t respond, he rolled her onto her back and checked to see if she was breathing. Thank God! Her chest was rising and falling as she took shallow breaths. Checking for a pulse, he could tell immediately that hers was racing much too fast. Loosening her clothing and patting her gently on the cheeks, he called her name over and over again, trying to get her to wake up. Pulling his cell phone from his pocket, he dialed 911, demanding an ambulance be sent immediately to his house at the Ranch, giving them specific directions to his house. After he told the operator that Jordan was four months pregnant, had fainted, and wasn’t waking up, she promised that paramedics and an ambulance were on their way. The operator kept him on the phone while Xander sat on the floor and pulled Jordan into his arms, rocking her gently back and forth, saying her name over and over.
When he finally heard the sirens of the ambulance, he gently laid Jordan back down and ran to the front door to flag them down. Vehicles from all over the Ranch were converging on his home before the sirens were even turned off on the ambulance. One of the first to arrive was his new head of security, Rio Andrade. Quickly telling Rio only that Jordan had collapsed and was not waking up, Xander asked him to call the main house to let his parents know what was going on and to get everyone cleared out of the area so the ambulance could get back out without any trouble.
As the paramedics ran into the house and over to Jordan, Xander told them about her pregnancy and her recent migraine attack. Once the paramedics got to Jordan, he was pushed away. He watched helplessly as they worked over her. After taking her vitals, they quickly bundled her up and put her on the gurney. Xander rode in the back of the ambulance with her, but when they got to the hospital, they whisked her away to a treatment room. Shortly after they took her back, however, they came out looking for him, as they were going to do an ultrasound on the baby. When he got back to where Jordan was being treated, they were attaching a monitor to her belly to check the baby's heartbeat. Xander saw his baby for the first time while Jordan was still unconscious.
* * * *
Xander slumped on the chair beside Jordan’s hospital bed listening to the various beeps and drips coming from the many machines hooked up to her and the baby. He was alone in the darkened room with her for the first time in what seemed like hours. Nurses and doctors had had a constant presence in the room until just a few minutes ago. Not only was her pulse still too fast, her blood pressure was too high, which caused concern for both her and the baby. She was still unconscious. They had left on the monitor that kept track of the baby's heartbeat, and Xander looked at the digital readout once again to assure himself that the baby’s heartbeat was where they told him it should be. It seemed too fast to him, but they said it was normal.
It was almost midnight. Xander had gone to the waiting room about 10:00 p.m. to tell everyone what little he knew. His family had taken the news of Jordan’s pregnancy surprisingly well and were concerned about both Jordan’s and the baby’s well-being. Xander had told his family and her friends to go home. The staff was not allowing anyone in the room with her but Xander, so there seemed little point in everyone sticking around this late. He promised to call if anything changed before morning.
The door opened and a nurse he recognized from earlier in the evening stepped back into the room. “That chair folds out to a bed. It’s not very comfortable, but it will get you horizontal,” she said quietly. “There are pillows and blankets in the closet. You might as well get some sleep. It doesn’t look like she's going to wake up for a while. She seems pretty out of it.”
“Why is she still asleep?” he asked. Although the doctor had told Xander that she probably wouldn't wake up until morning, Xander was still concerned.
“The doctor thinks that she had a re-occurrence of that severe migraine she had a few days ago. It’s her body’s way of coping with the pain. She’s reactive to stimuli, so that’s a good sign. They did more blood work and another CT scan. Nothing unusual in either. Besides the high blood pressure, she’s stable. Don’t worry. I'm sure she'll wake up tomorrow.”
“Oh, before I forget, you’re father and brother are still in the waiting room. They wanted to talk to you for a few minutes when things settled down in here. If you want to go now, I’ll be in here for another twenty minutes or so charting and changing her IV. I’ll keep an eye on her for you.”
“You’re sure? I don’t want her to wake up and be alone.” Xander wanted to talk to his father and brother, but he didn't want Jordan to wake up without someone in the room.
“She won’t be. I’ll stay until you get back. It’s a quiet night on the floor.”
Xander went out to the nearly deserted waiting room and found his father and Levi waiting for him patiently. Both asked about Jordan and the baby. Xander shared with them what he knew.
“What aren’t you telling us, son? There’s more going on here. Something’s just not right,” said his father urgently.
“Yeah, bro,” agreed Levi. “We can tell there’s more going on than you’re telling us, and it doesn’t have anything to do with Jordan’s health.”
Knowing he could trust them with anything, Xander broke down and told them everything about the last few days—from the time the doctor spilled the beans about Jordan’s pregnancy to her collapse at his house earlier that night. Looking totally shocked, his father told Xander flat out, “You must have it wrong, son. You misunderstood something she said. That’s not our Jordan. She wouldn’t say or do any of that.”
Nodding his head in agreement, Levi seconded his father. “You must have misunderstood, Xander. Go back and think about what she said again. You must have missed something. Jordan wouldn’t do this. You love each other. That’s something that Sophie would have done. Not Jordan.”
Looking at his brother solemnly, Xander carefully thought back to Jordan’s words after she had stammered out the admission that she was pregnant. Concentrating, he started to remember more and more of her words as she’d tried to tell him about the pregnancy. As more and more of what she had said came back to him, his eyes began to tear up. God, what an asshole he had been!
Xander started to tell his father and Levi the other parts he was remembering from her stammered speech, tears leaking from his eyes. When he was done, he sat there dumbly, not knowing what to do. Both men hugged him tightly. As Xander wiped the tears from his face, his father put his arm on his shoulder and said to both Xander and Levi. “This is going to take wooing at a whole new level, sons. We’d better get to work.”
* * * *
Jordan woke up slowly to beeping and dripping sounds in the room. Her whole body hurt, but she thought if she moved her head at all it just might explode. She wondered if that wouldn’t feel better. She realized that she was in the hospital again, and she slowly opened her eyes to the darkened room. She could hear someone snoring softly nearby but couldn’t turn her head to see who it was. Not remembering how she ended up here—again—she slowly breathed in and out, thinking back to what she last remembered. Not being able to remember anything in particular, she closed her eyes again and drifted into a restless slumber.
When she woke up again, Jordan was able to move her head to the side and saw Xander sleeping in the chair beside the bed. There were dark circles under his eyes, and it looked like he’d been crying. He was snoring softly. Content with him nearby, she let herself fall into a more restful sleep.
The third time she woke, the pain in her head had lessened considerably. She was able to move her head slowly from side to side and could see Xan
der sprawled out in a reclining chair beside the bed. He was deeply asleep and still snoring. She smiled to herself because she had never heard him snore before. He must be really tired. As she turned her head to look at the other side of the room, a nurse entered and smiled when she saw Jordan’s open eyes.
“How are you feeling?” the nurse said softly.
“Like an elephant is sitting on my head,” whispered Jordan. “How long have I been here?”
“Two days,” the nurse spoke quietly with a smile.
“What’s wrong with me?” Jordan whispered her question as she didn't want to wake Xander.
“Your migraine came back, and you blacked out. When you got here, your blood pressure was a little high, so we’re keeping an eye on you and the baby,” explained the nurse, talking quietly as she glanced toward the sleeping Xander. “Don’t worry. Everything is fine with the baby. Your blood pressure is back to normal, and it appears that you’re recovering from the migraine.” Looking back at Xander, the nurse continued to whisper. “I don’t think he’s left your room since you got here. Your fiancé is very concerned about you and the baby.” Making a note on the chart she held, the nurse turned toward the door. “I’ll let the doctors know that you’re finally awake. Close your eyes and try to relax. It’s the best thing you can do for yourself right now. I’ll be back with some ice chips. Your mouth is probably feeling as dry as the Sahara about now.” With that, the nurse left the room just as quietly as she had entered.
Not long afterward, both the nurse and a doctor walked into the room, rousing Xander from his nap. Jordan opened her eyes and saw the doctor, remembering his name was Dr. Taylor. Xander jumped to his feet and stood beside the bed, watching Jordan intently.
“How are you feeling, young lady?” asked Dr. Taylor. Jordan softly gave him the same answer she had just given the nurse. “Any black spots in your vision? Are you seeing halos?” Jordan responded negatively. “Any nausea?”
“No, I don’t think so. How’s my baby?” Jordan was tired of answering his questions. She was anxious to find out about her baby.
“The baby is doing just fine. We were a little worried about your high blood pressure when you came in but it seems to have settled back down again. Not sure at this point if it was migraine or pregnancy related. It’s something we’ll want to keep an eye on, though. You should be able to go home tomorrow if everything stays normal. I’ll want you on complete bed rest until I see you again in the office in one week. Your fiancé assures me that he’ll take good care of you. Sleep as much as you can. Rest is the best thing for you right now. I’ll see you tomorrow before you’re released.” And with that, the doctor left the room. The nurse explained to Xander what the ice chips were for, and then, telling Jordan to get some more sleep, she swiftly exited the room, leaving the two of them alone.
Xander looked at Jordan solemnly. “God, Jordan. I was so worried when you collapsed like that. I didn’t know what to do.” He fed her a couple of the ice chips.
* * * *
“What happened?” she asked quietly. “I don’t remember much after we got back to the Ranch,” she said evasively. “How did you find out about the baby?”
“The doctor let it slip while you were still asleep,” Xander said slowly. If she didn’t remember their horrendous conversation from the other night, he didn’t want to remind her of it now. Her hazy memory could work to his advantage in the new wooing campaign that he, his father, and Levi had come up with. If he could just get her back to his house, their house now, the first part of the wooing plan would be accomplished.
“Are you upset? About the baby, I mean. I know how upset you were that first night at the thought that I could have gotten pregnant. I’m sorry, Xander. I didn’t know the antibiotics I took would make the pill useless. It must have happened one of the first nights we were together. The doctor says I’m about four months along.”
“I’m not upset, Jordan. I’m thrilled!” he said truthfully. “We were already planning to move in together. I already have an engagement ring, just waiting for the right time to ask you. I’m happy about this. I can’t wait to start our life together.” He bent over her to kiss her softly and placed his right hand on her lower abdomen. “They did an ultrasound while you were still out. I saw our baby. They asked if I wanted to know the sex, but I said ‘no.’ I wanted to wait until you woke up to see if you wanted to know.” Gently rubbing her abdomen, Xander continued, “Do you want to find out? They told me they would do another ultrasound at your next checkup just to make sure everything is still okay. We can find out in a week. That is, if you want to.”
“Do you want to know? I’d sort of like to be surprised.”
“It doesn’t matter to me either way. If you want to be surprised, we’ll be surprised,” he said earnestly. Placing a few more ice chips on her tongue, Xander reluctantly removed his hand from her abdomen. He noticed her eyelids were growing heavy over her eyes. “Why don’t you get some more sleep? The doctor said it’s really important for you to get as much rest as possible in order to fully recover from this migraine. I’m going to go out and make some calls to the family. Everyone’s been worried about you. They’ll all want an update now that you’re awake. I’ll make some calls and be back in a few minutes.”
He wasn’t exaggerating. Everyone was clamoring for updates on Jordan and the baby. He knew his father and Levi had given everyone a short explanation of what had happened the night the ambulance had brought Jordan to the hospital, so they all knew that Xander and Jordan needed some time to work out some issues. However, they wouldn’t wait forever to see her. He would have to move fast. “They’re still limiting your visitors, so you can get the rest you need. I’ll tell everyone to hold off for a few days, and then they can stop by the house and see you for themselves.”
* * * *
Jordan was thrilled with Xander’s reaction to the baby! She couldn’t believe that he had already planned to ask her to marry him. They’d only discussed marriage in a distant sort of future way when they had talked about moving in together. She could not have wished for a better reaction to the news and basked in the glow of her love for him and their baby. Things were going to work out. She was in love, getting married, and having the baby of a man who loved her. Life couldn’t get any better. She closed her eyes and let the beeping of the monitor lull her into a deep sleep.
The next morning, the nurse removed the IV and brought in a breakfast tray. Because of her recent blood pressure issues, she could not have regular coffee, but they allowed her one cup of decaffeinated. Better than nothing. The scrambled eggs were rubbery, and the toast was cold, but her stomach was empty, and she ate everything anyway. She wondered if they made decaffeinated coffee for her Keurig. She’d definitely have to check into that if caffeine was off the menu for the duration of the pregnancy. Xander promised her he’d cook her a real meal once they got home.
The doctor came by and reviewed her chart, asking her questions about the migraine. Although she still had a slight headache, she could sit up without her head wanting to explode and she was only mildly sensitive to bright lights. The nausea was completely gone, and she wasn't seeing black spots or halos. Signing off on her release, he admonished her to stay in bed for the next week and promised to see her in his office in one week. The nurse stayed and went over the release papers with her and Xander. She told Jordan again to stay in bed, preferably laying on her left side, unless she was up to take a quick shower or use the toilet. Jordan was surprised how hard-core this bed-rest thing was, but Xander promised the nurse that she would do as ordered. He told Jordan he had arranged to work from home for the next week and that he would get her anything she needed.
The drive back to the house seemed like déjà vu, only this time, Xander beat Jordan around the side of the SUV and picked her up in his arms. Levi was waiting in the house and opened the door to the garage just as Xander started up the stairs into the house. Xander proceeded to carry Jordan up the stairs and into the
ir bedroom. The bedding was already pulled back for her.
Once in the bedroom, Xander sat her on the edge of her side of the bed and stripped her of her jeans and T-shirt. After removing her bra, he drew one of his UT Austin T-shirts over her head. All she had to do was poke her arms through the holes. Her hair was already in a loose ponytail at her neck. The shades were all drawn, and Xander’s lamp was the only light on in the room. The pillows were piled up at the head of the bed, so Jordan lay back on them with a sigh, shifting to her left side.
Levi knocked gently on the door and brought in her purse and duffel bag. He gave them to Xander, telling him, “I brought everything else in from the Escalade. I put the flowers and plants in the family room.” Once again, his family and her friends had gone overboard with the plants and flower arrangements upon learning Jordan was back in the hospital. “We got some decaffeinated coffee for you, Jordan. Taylor stocked up on groceries and put them away. Do you want anything from the kitchen now? If not, I’m going to get out of your hair. You two probably want to be alone.
“Under great duress, I got the family to agree to leave you guys alone for a few days. Doctor’s orders and all. If you need anything, let me know. Taylor and I will be around.”
“Thanks, bro. I appreciate everything. I’ll let you know if we need anything. Thanks for handling the family,” Xander said, flashing him a smile. Levi left quickly and quietly.
“So, do you need anything right now? Still hungry? Thirsty?” he asked her solicitously.
“I could drink some orange juice if you’ve got any. I seem to be really thirsty. I’m not really hungry right now. Maybe in a little bit. I think I’ll just lay here and gestate.” She teased him with a smile. “Maybe I’ll read for a while.” She reached for her duffel bag and opened the zipper, taking out her Kindle.
“I’ll go get you some orange juice and a glass of ice water and be right back.” She could hear him jog down the stairs and making noise in the kitchen. She settled back upon the bunched-up pillows and turned slightly on her left side. He wasn't gone long.
