It felt like an eternity before Jordan reached the bottom. She struggled to climb over the icy rocks and boulders. Finally, Maggie was only a few feet away. Jordan called out to the injured woman as she closed the distance between them. “Maggie! Maggie, talk to me, sweetheart. Say something, please.” Maggie’s breathing was ragged, her chest rising and falling unevenly.
Jordan knelt by Maggie’s side, taking special care not to move her. She gently brushed the curly locks from Maggie’s brow. Placing her shaking hands on either side of Maggie’s face, she leaned close and whispered, “Maggie, I’m here. Hold on my love. Please, don’t leave me. The stable hand will find your horse. Help will be here soon. Please hold on.”
Maggie’s green eyes fluttered open.
Jordan gasped and choked back a sob. She took Maggie’s hand in her own and brought it to her lips. Maggie’s hand was bloody. Jordan kissed it tenderly, her eyes never leaving Maggie’s.
Maggie smiled as she fought to keep her eyes open. “Jordan,” she rasped, her breath steaming in the cold March air.
Jordan leaned closer to hear what Maggie was saying. “I’m here, my love.”
Maggie took a ragged breath and her brow furrowed in pain. Her eyes were locked on Jordan. Finally, she summoned enough strength to speak. “Jordan, I love you. I always have... through all time.”
Jordan’s throat nearly closed with emotion as she held back a sob. “I love you too, Maggie. I always will. Please don’t leave me. I need you, my love. Please don’t leave me.” Tears cascaded from Jordan’s eyes and fell onto Maggie’s cheeks. She placed a tender kiss on Maggie’s lips. As she raised her head, she watched the life ebb from the beautiful green eyes. Still holding Maggie’s hand, Jordan fell back onto her knees and a long painful wail escaped her.
“No!”
Chapter 10
“Good morning,” Kale said as he entered her room. “Here, I brought you some goodies.”
“You’re a saint,” Jordan replied as she accepted the bag of sweets from her friend. “I wonder if hospital food has always been this bad.”
“How are you feeling today?” Kale asked.
“I feel great. I felt great yesterday when Peter confined me to this jail.”
“I confined you to this ‘jail’ for you own good, Jordan,” Peter said from the doorway.
“Peter,” Jordan exclaimed, embarrassed.
“The lab crew will be in later this morning for another round of blood work. I expect it will take a few days to get your white count back to normal. Until then, you’re safer here than in a germ-infested lab environment or at home where you’re sure not to follow doctor’s orders.”
Kale grinned. “Peter knows you too well, doesn’t he?”
Jordan stuck out her tongue.
“Well,” Peter said, “I can see everything is fine here. I’ll be back later to review your test results with you. Kale, I’ll see you later at the lab.”
“I’ll be right along,” Kale replied.
“Take your time. The less opportunity she has to drive the staff crazy, the better.”
“I hear you.” Kale chuckled.
“Hey!” Jordan exclaimed indignantly.
After Peter left, Kale sat on the edge of Jordan’s bed.
“Thanks for bringing the diaries, Kale. Seriously, I was really bored.” Jordan embraced him tightly.
“Kale Simmons?”
Kale looked up quickly. Sunshine from the window obscured his view of the speaker standing in the doorway.
“Yes?” he asked, squinting to see through the glare.
The visitor advanced into the room. “Hi, my name is Andrea Ellis. Peter Michaels told me I would find you here.”
Kale was on his feet immediately. He was stunned by the beauty of the woman standing before him. Andrea Ellis stood a little over five feet tall with long, flowing blonde hair and striking blue eyes. The tailored blue business suit hugged her shapely curves as if molded especially for her body.
Kale stammered. “Ah... ah...”
Jordan was clearly enjoying Kale’s discomfort. “Where are your manners, Kale? Shake the woman’s hand,” she said.
Kale shook Andrea’s hand. “Miss Ellis. Yes. I’m sorry for being so rude. My friend over there,” he nodded his head toward Jordan, “gives me such grief, I’m afraid I was a bit preoccupied. Forgive me?”
Andrea shook his hand firmly and smiled once more. “Only if you call me Andi.”
“Andi it is.” Kale continued to shake Andi’s hand much longer than politeness demanded. Her smile mesmerized him.
“You’re going to shake her arm off at that rate,” Jordan observed.
“Oh! Oh, I’m sorry. I’m such an idiot. Here, have a seat.” Kale pulled a chair over to Jordan’s bedside.
“No, that’s all right,” Andi said. “I just came to introduce myself. I’ll be working with you on the power supply for the new spinal implant.” Andi turned to Jordan. “You’re Dr. Jordan Lewis, right?” They shook hands.
“Jordan, just Jordan. I only use the doctor crap with my students.”
“I understand you’ll be the recipient of the new implant?”
Jordan looked at Kale. “Yes, I am, assuming there are no complications from this infection. Right, Kale? ”
Kale took Jordan’s hand and brought it to his lips. “You bet. We promised you. Now you have to keep your promise to behave and get your butt out of here so we can proceed.”
Andi watched the tender scene with obvious interest. Jordan smiled. “I’ll do my best. I have a redhead to meet. I won’t do anything to jeopardize that.”
Kale frowned. The only redhead he was aware of in Jordan’s life was the long-dead Maggie.
Jordan grinned. “Get your ass out of here. Miss Ellis needs your help at the lab. Scoot.”
Kale grinned at Jordan and then at Andi, who smiled back at him. He leaned in close to Jordan and whispered, “If you weren’t in this bed right now, I’d kick your ass.”
“I can still kick your ass, in bed or out. Better run before I get mad.”
Kale promised to come back that afternoon. “I expect to see you running sprints up and down the hallway,” he said.
“Well then, I guess you’d better get to work on that implant pronto, so I can do just that.”
Kale clicked his heels in mock salute. “Yes, ma’am!”
Jordan watched as Kale escorted a grinning Andi from the room.
* * *
When Kale returned, Jordan was engrossed in a diary. He sat on the edge of the bed. “Any news on today’s blood tests?” he asked.
Jordan smiled. “It appears the antibiotics are beginning to kick in. My white count is improving. Peter just left a few minutes ago. He’s thinking maybe one more day of antibiotics, then the surgery to prep the nerve endings. A couple of days of recovery and then I can go home.”
“That’s awesome news. If Andi and I can work out the details of the self-generating power pack in the next few weeks, we’ll pretty much be on schedule.”
“Andi, huh? She’s cute.”
Kale blushed to the roots of his unruly hair. “Really? I hadn’t noticed,” he said.
“Like hell you haven’t. You are so full of shit, Kale Simmons! You turned into a total pile of jelly when she was here earlier.”
Kale rose from the bed and walked to the window, turning his back on Jordan for a few moments. Finally he turned around and threw his hands in the air. “All right, I confess. Yes, she’s gorgeous. And you’re right—my hormones are kicking in big time. Damn. I’ve never felt this way before.” He sat down once more on the bed. “What should I do?”
“Well, for starters, you need to give it more time. You’ve only known her for a few hours. Don’t go jumping in with both feet until you know her better. She could be a royal bitch.”
Kale shook his head. “She could never be like that. She’s so sweet.”
Jordan smiled. “I’m sure she’s very nice, but take my advice. Don’t commi
t your heart until you know for sure.”
Kale rose to his feet and paced back and forth. “I’m so inept, I don’t know what to do. It’s not like I have beautiful women falling all over themselves to date me.”
Jordan wondered to herself why that was true. Kale was a good-looking man. A little bohemian perhaps with his unruly hair, and a bit nerdy, too, but good-looking, nonetheless. “Well, is she showing any interest in you? I mean do you get the impression that she likes you, or do you think she’s just being cordial?”
“How can I tell?”
“Does she treat everyone the same way or is she especially nice to you?”
Kale shrugged. “I don’t know. I guess she treats everyone pretty much the same way.”
Jordan was afraid of that. “Okay, okay, we can work with this.” She paused to think for a moment before continuing. “Do you remember when we were out to dinner, you know, the night the waitress gave me her airwave code?”
“How could I forget?”
“Do you remember the advice I gave you?”
Kale looked off in the distance for a few seconds. Then he looked back at Jordan, excitement on his face. “Compliments. You said that women like compliments.”
“Exactly. If you really like this woman, start off by giving her small compliments. Don’t overdo it. Drop subtle lines here and there.”
“Like what? Help me out here.”
“Okay, try this.” Jordan made a picture frame with her fingers. “You and Andi are poring over the blueprints for the new power pack. She points something out to you, you lean in close to see what it is. You look at her and casually comment about how nice she smells. Then you immediately turn your attention back to the blueprints.”
Kale’s eyes opened wide. “Yeah, I can do that. Anything else?”
“All right. Let’s see. Okay, you’re already at the lab one morning. When Andi walks in, she’s wearing this killer ‘I’m-toosexy-for-my-clothes’ outfit. She comes over to where you’re working, putting her lab coat on as she approaches. You glance at her and say, ‘It’s too bad you have to wear that coat over such a beautiful outfit. You look very nice today.’ Then, as soon as you drop the compliment, you move on to whatever it was you were doing.”
Kale was once again on his feet. “I think I’ve got it. Drop a quick compliment and then change the subject. Show a little interest, but don’t make a big deal about it. Show her I’m interested, but don’t overdo it.”
“Exactly.”
“What do I do if she begins to show some interest back?”
“You invite her to dinner. Or better yet, invite her over to our place. You’re a great cook, and I’ll be there to help you break the ice. Women just love it when a man can cook. You can use the pretense of discussing the implant to lure her over. How does that sound?”
Kale grinned from ear to ear. ”Jordan, you’re a genius. Every guy should have a lesbian friend to help him through a first date.”
Jordan shook her head. “You’re such a nerd, but I love you anyway.”
Kale hugged Jordan. “I love you, too. I always will.” He released her and headed for the door. “I’m going to run home for a quick shower and a bite to eat. I’ll be back after dinner. Is there anything I can bring you?”
“Just you. Oh, and I really want to talk to you about the dreams. I have so much I need to discuss with you.”
* * *
“Jordan. Jordan. Wake up, sleepy head.”
Jordan slowly opened her eyes “Go away, Kale. Can’t you see I’m sleeping?”
“Oh, no you don’t. You’ve slept for ten hours. I think that’s quite enough, don’t you?”
Jordan’s eyes snapped open. “Ten hours? Are you sure?”
“Positive. I stopped in last night around 9:00 p.m. You were sound asleep then. It’s 7:00 a.m. now. How do you feel?”
Jordan reached for the remote to raise the head of her bed. Once she was in a seated position, she rubbed her eyes and looked more closely at Kale. “I had the oddest dream last night. In fact, I’ve had a couple of odd dreams since I’ve been in here.”
“Are they about Maggie?” he asked warily.
“The first one was. The one last night was just weird. I was filling the well that Sally and I fell into sixteen years ago. I was filling it by hand.” Jordan touched his hand, a look of urgency in her eyes. “Kale, about that first dream—Maggie knew I was there. She actually wrote me a note.” Jordan’s eyes misted over. “She died. I wasn’t able to save her. I tried to reach her in time, but I failed. We need to help her. We can’t let her die.”
Kale was concerned about Jordan’s grasp on reality, but before he could respond, Peter entered the room.
“Good morning,” he said cheerily.
Kale rose to his feet. “I hate to run, but I’ve got to get to the lab. I’ll stop by after work.”
Before Kale could leave, Peter said, “How’s that new research assistant working out?”
Peter looked at Jordan, his eyes full of mischief. Jordan grinned.
“Andi... I mean Miss Ellis is working out fine. Smart girl.” Kale wanted desperately to leave before Peter asked any more questions.
“Good, I’m glad. I’m sure she’ll be a fine addition to our staff. I’ll see you both in my office at one o’clock this afternoon. I’ve called a review meeting on the status of the implant.”
“One o’clock. We’ll see you there.” Kale scurried out the door and down the hall.
“Peter,” Jordan scolded. “You’re awful. Do you have any idea how much you intimidate him?”
Peter looked at her. “Come now, you enjoyed that as much as I did.”
“True, but I still feel bad for the guy.”
Peter chuckled. “I’m looking forward to this afternoon’s meeting. I’m willing to bet he’ll be so busy looking at Miss Ellis that he won’t hear a word I’m saying.”
“You might be surprised. We’ve been working on a plan for him to woo her without making a total fool of himself.”
“Do you realize how lost he’d be without you?”
“That’s not a real comfortable place for me to be. I’m kind of glad Andi has entered the picture. He needs someone who can give him the kind of relationship he’ll never have with me. He’s already infatuated with her. I just hope she’s interested in him.”
“Time will tell. So, we’ll do another round of blood tests this morning, and if the results are normal, we’ll schedule the surgery for the electrodes. If that goes well, you could be home in a couple of days. That doesn’t mean you’ll be off the hook, mind you. A few days of bed rest when you get home, and then you should be as good as new.”
“Please tell me that ‘bed rest’ is only a figure of speech. Don’t tell me I really have to stay in bed.”
Peter smiled. “Only for a few days. After that, you’ll have to be especially careful about getting in and out of your chair. In fact, it would be best if you had help with that.”
* * *
Jordan spent the rest of the day reading excerpts from Maggie’s diary. At six o’clock, Kale poked his head through her door. “Hey, girlfriend!”
Jordan looked up. Kale had a wide smile on his face. Jordan smiled back at him. She closed the diary and crossed her arms in front of her. “Something tells me you had a good day. You look like the cat that ate the canary.”
Kale pulled a chair close to her bed. “It was incredible. I did as you suggested. I complimented her on her perfume and then quickly changed the subject to the power supply. She kind of blushed a little and thanked me. I could see her glancing at me and smiling on and off for the rest of the morning. When it was time for lunch, she asked me to join her. What do you think of that, huh?”
Jordan clapped her hands. “I think it’s a great start. Remember not to move too fast. Tomorrow, comment on her outfit and then do little things that might please her, but do not overdo it. Take it slow. If she likes you, it’ll get easier. She’ll start reciprocating with little
gestures of her own.”
Kale took Jordan’s hand. “I can’t thank you enough. I really, really like her. She’s so smart. We spent the entire day brainstorming ways to integrate the power supply into the body’s natural energy-generating capabilities. She’s brilliant, and she’s beautiful. I struggle to stay focused on the task. During the meeting, I was so mesmerized by her, I hardly heard a word Peter said.”
“Peter was right.”
“What was that?”
“Oh, nothing. She asked you to lunch, huh? I assume you went?”
“You bet I did. It was only to the cafeteria, but heck, it’s a start.”
“That it is. Congratulations. Just remember to take it slow, okay?”
“Slow... got it. How was your day?”
“Fairly uneventful. My white count isn’t quite normal, but it’s improving. Peter is hoping we can do the pre-surgical workup tomorrow, then the electrode prep surgery. I’m so tired of being in the hospital.”
“Did Peter say when you can go back to work?”
“It looks like I’ll be confined to home for a while. Peter is prescribing a week of post-operative bed rest.”
“You’ll follow Peter’s orders, right?” Kale asked.
Jordan pretended to take offense. “What is it with you and Peter? I do know how to follow orders, you know.”
“I know you know how. The question is, will you?”
Jordan picked up the diary and swatted Kale. “Get out of here before I kick your ass,” she said. “Go home. Get some sleep. I expect to be waited on hand and foot when I get home, so you’d better rest up. By the way, you forgot one of the diaries. It might have fallen on the floor next to the end table in the living room. If you think of it, bring it by on your next visit.”
Karen D. Badger - Yesterday Once More Page 9
