Crave (Splendor Book 2)

by Janet Nissenson

  What had happened next, in very quick succession, still had his head spinning. He’d called Julia immediately, apologizing profusely for not returning her earlier calls, and demanded an update on Tessa. When he’d learned she was still in surgery, he’d put the next steps in motion with dizzying speed - giving his management team no opportunity to argue with him when he’d announced he had to leave at once; calling to have the corporate jet made ready for a speedy departure; contacting Simon as he gathered his belongings from the suite and arranging to be picked up at the airport in San Francisco; commandeering one of the local hotel staff to drive him to the private airstrip where his plane had been waiting. During the hour long flight, he’d called Julia three times for updates, as well as badgering Jordan Reeves’s receptionist until she’d finally agreed to page the doctor. The affable OB/GYN had called Ian back promptly, and agreed to check on Tessa just as soon as the baby he was scheduled to deliver within the next half hour was born. Jordan had assured Ian that Tessa was going to be fine, that these sorts of things, while rare, were usually relatively easy to repair, and it was highly unlikely that there would be any complications.

  But any reassurances Ian had been given were instantly forgotten the moment he entered the hospital. Like most people, he disliked such places, and fortunately had had to spend very little time visiting them. His anxiety only continued to increase with each step that brought him ever closer to the visitor waiting room.

  Julia was busily tapping away on her iPad when he all but burst inside the room, and she sighed in relief when she saw him approach. She set her tablet aside and stood. “Ian. Thank God.”

  “Where is she?” he demanded. “I need to see her right away. She’s been out of surgery how long now?”

  Julia laid a hand on his arm, trying to calm him down. “About forty five minutes or so. But she’s still in recovery, so no one can see her yet. One of the nurses said the surgeon will be out to talk to us any minute now.”

  Ian shook his head. “Not good enough. I want to talk to someone now. Where’s this nurse you spoke to?”

  “Ian, you’ve got to calm down, okay? I realize all of this has been a shock to you, but you’re not going to help Tessa a bit by freaking out and going into boss mode. Sorry to break the news, but you aren’t the boss here,” she told him sternly.

  He heaved a sigh of frustration, raking a hand through his hair. “You’re right, of course. It’s just frustrating as hell. I should have been here, Julia. I should have been the one taking care of her, bringing her to the hospital. And then to ignore all of your messages - Christ, I’ll never, ever forgive myself if she doesn’t come out of this all right.”

  “Hush.” Julia took both of his much larger hands in hers. “And don’t blame yourself. Tessa seemed fine when I spoke to her yesterday. I think this happened very suddenly, so there’s no possible way you could have anticipated it.”

  Ian squeezed her hand gratefully. “It’s more than that. This damned IUD of hers - I’ve been after her for months to get it removed, to consult with a doctor about alternatives. But we’ve been so busy with one thing or another, she just kept putting it off. When I left her on Monday morning, I could tell she was in a bad way but she kept insisting it wasn’t anything out of the ordinary. God damn it!”

  Julia gave a little start as he slammed a fist against what was fortunately a very sturdy wall. “Why don’t you sit down, hmm?” she suggested calmly. “Look, let me go try and find that nurse, see if she has an update for us. And you look like you could use a cup of tea. Maybe a nice, calming blend like chamomile?”

  Ian made a face. “Hate the stuff, have ever since our old nanny tried to pour it down our throats to make us sleepy.”

  Julia eased him into a chair and patted his shoulder. “OK, Darjeeling it is then. And I need a really large cup of coffee, plus the biggest piece of pie I can find. I’ll be back in a bit, all right? And,” she added with a smile, “try not to punch any holes in the wall while I’m gone, okay?”

  He couldn’t help but smile a little in return. “I’ll try my best. And Julia - thank you. Thank God you and Travis were able to get to her so quickly. I owe both of you a long weekend at one of our hotels. Your choice. Unless,” he added with a wink, “you’d rather have a new pair of shoes.”

  Julia’s green eyes sparkled merrily. “Wow, what a decision. I did love that weekend Nathan and I spent at the Santa Barbara resort last year. But I’ve also been eyeing a new pair of Jimmy Choos, too. I’ll get back to you, okay?” Then she sobered before telling him, “And it was no trouble at all. I’m just glad we could help. And when we found her…” She shuddered. “God, it will take me a long time to forget that sight.”

  She disappeared down the hallway before Ian could quiz her further, and the frightening images her words called to mind only served to increase his anxiety.

  But then, in the next minute, the tall, broad-shouldered form of Dr. Jordan Reeves sauntered into the room, and Ian instantly sprang to his feet.

  “Well, it’s about damned time that baby was born,” groused Ian. “Boy or girl?”

  Jordan grinned, his black hair mostly hidden beneath the dark blue surgical cap that was the same color as his scrubs. “A girl. Seven pounds nine ounces and she’s pissed as hell. A real screamer if I’ve ever heard one.”

  Ian managed a wry smile as he shook his friend’s hand. “Just your type from what I’m told. And I’m going to be the one who starts screaming if that good for nothing surgeon doesn’t arrive soon to tell me about Tessa.”

  “Relax.” Jordan squeezed Ian’s shoulder. “First of all, Danny Shapiro is just about the best surgeon on staff here. And second, I just had a long chat with him about your lady and offered to give you all the details. Which is fortunate, considering he’s got another emergency surgery to rush into.” Jordan glanced around the nearly empty waiting room. “You here alone?”

  Ian shook his head. “Tessa’s friend - correction, our friend - just left to get us some tea. Julia was the one who called 911 earlier today. She’s been here the whole time.”

  Jordan’s gray eyes sparkled with interest. “Please tell me Julia was the really, really hot babe that I just passed in the hallway. Long hair, tight skirt, high heels, stacked like a brick shithouse?”

  Ian shook his head. “Forget it, mate. That is definitely Julia but afraid she’s already spoken for. Tessa and I were at her wedding back in June.”

  Jordan sighed. “Damn it. She’s just my type, too.”

  Ian rolled his eyes. “I didn’t realize you had a type. Other than young, female, and beautiful. Now, enough about your love life. I need to know every single detail about my woman, including how soon I can see her.”

  Jordan explained in a quick, concise manner about the laparoscopy that had been performed on Tessa to repair the damage to her uterus. It had been a minimally invasive procedure, requiring only a very small incision in her abdomen.

  “And of course they removed the offensive little device that caused all this trouble. Saved me the effort in extracting it, I suppose. How long did you say she’s had the IUD?” inquired Jordan.

  “Going on eight years, I believe.”

  Jordan nodded. “They’re usually good for about ten years before they have to be replaced. This - what happened to Tessa - is actually quite rare. Fortunately there won’t be any lasting damage. The perforation was fairly easy to repair.”

  Ian sighed in relief. “Thank God. That’s the next question I was going to ask. This won’t affect her ability to have children, will it?”

  “Nope. Not in the least.” Jordan cocked his head to the side, regarding Ian curiously. “Why? Planning on knocking her up soon?”

  “Jesus, you’ve got a helluva bedside manner,” complained Ian. “I hope you don’t talk to your patients that way. And no, I don’t plan on knocking her up - as you so charmingly put it - for at least a couple more years. That’s why we need an alternative form of birth control as soon as possible.”<
br />
  A deep laugh rumbled from Jordan’s chest. “A bit touchy there, Ian? Hey, I can’t blame you. Enjoy her for a while before you start procreating. But you’ll have to hold off on the fun and games for a bit, I’m afraid. She’ll need some time to recover from this.”

  “Obviously. Well, I abstained for two and a half years while I was waiting for her to become a single woman. I suppose a few weeks will seem like nothing in comparison.”

  Jordan stared at him in disbelief. “Two and a half years? Seriously? I don’t think I’ve gone two and a half days without some action since I was about sixteen.”

  Ian shook his head. “Knowing you as I do, that doesn’t surprise me in the least. Now, when can I see Tessa and how soon can I bring her home?”

  “I’d say another half hour to the first question, and maybe a couple of days to the second. We’ll have to keep a very close eye on her for any sign of infection. That’s a fairly common complication for this sort of thing, and I see from the reports that she already had a fever when they brought her in.”

  Ian’s spine stiffened at this news. “What does that mean? And I assume if an infection does occur that it’s easily treatable?”

  Jordan nodded. “Almost always, yes. And the fact that she was running a fever on arrival isn’t anything to get alarmed over. I noticed they’ve already started her on a pretty high dose of antibiotics, most likely as a precaution.”

  Ian was interrupted from asking any further questions by the return of Julia, who was balancing two large coffee cups, a paper bag, and her oversized leather satchel. Jordan, always a sucker for a pretty woman, rushed to offer assistance.

  “Let me take those for you,” he offered with a killer smile as he took the two cups. “We don’t want to have to treat you for a third degree burn, do we?”

  Julia gave him a polite smile in return, and it was very clear that she recognized Jordan for the notorious player that he was. “Thank you, the one with the tea bag is Ian’s.”

  Jordan introduced himself, sparing Ian the trouble, and couldn’t resist turning on the charm even though he knew Julia was already spoken for. “I understand from Ian that you’re recently married. My very, very bad luck. I don’t suppose,” added Jordan teasingly, “that you’ve got a twin sister tucked away somewhere?”

  Julia’s eyes widened as she and Ian exchanged a look of mutual horror. Jordan glanced between the two of them with a puzzled expression.

  “I was actually making a joke,” he explained. “Why the panic stricken looks?”

  “Because I actually do have an identical twin,” replied Julia. “And I’ll do you a huge favor and not set you up with her. As I understand it, the last time someone was crazy enough to do that, her date wound up with a very bloody nose.”

  ***

  Ian refused to leave Tessa’s side once she was moved to a private room. He might not have been the boss here at the hospital, as Julia had sternly reminded him, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t fully capable of getting things done. With Jordan’s help, he arranged to have a sleeping cot set up in the room; he sent Simon to the house to pick up whatever clothing and toiletries he might need; and he set up a mini-office space in the hospital room, with his laptop, cell phone, and tablet within easy reach. He’d been relieved to hear that the situation in Las Vegas was nearly wrapped up, and that his absence hadn’t had much impact on the proceedings. Andrew had been fully apprised of the situation with Tessa, and was under strict orders about what calls to forward along.

  Unfortunately, the only thing that Ian, or anyone else, for that matter, had not been able to control was the fast-moving infection that was taking over Tessa’s fever-wracked body with each passing hour. And each time the doctors and nurses upped her dose of antibiotics, they seemed a little less sure of themselves when they insisted this was normal, that she’d be fine, that she was a young, healthy woman who could fight this off in no time.

  But as the hours ticked by and Tessa showed no signs of improvement, Ian began to unravel a little at a time. He paced anxiously, ran his hand through his hair until it was standing on end, refused to eat or sleep, and snapped irritably when anyone urged him to calm down. Tessa was in obvious discomfort from the fever, tossing and turning, sleeping fitfully. She whimpered in her sleep, plucked at the bedcovers, turned her head from side to side. The nurses checked her temperature every half hour and tried to keep their facial expressions passive when her fever wouldn’t break, and especially when it started to surge higher. Ian made frequent trips to and from the bathroom, filling a small plastic basin with water so he could sponge her hot skin. Her cheeks were bright crimson from the fever, but her hands were ice cold despite his continued attempts to warm them.

  Towards dawn he finally laid down on the cot, and fell asleep almost instantly, completely exhausted from the last eighteen hours of stress. It was only Jordan’s arrival to check on his patient around nine a.m. that woke him, and he grumbled to realize he’d slept so long.

  “How is she? Any changes?” he asked anxiously as he stumbled sleepily to Tessa’s side.

  Jordan shook his head. “Her temperature is still hovering around 104°. We’ll keep pumping the antibiotics, sometimes these infections are stubborn bastards, and it takes a bit longer than we’d like for them to start working.”

  “But they will start working, correct?” asked Ian in a fierce tone.

  Jordan paused. “Yes, they should. We’ll keep a very close watch on her as we’ve been doing all along. So far it doesn’t appear that the infection has spread, and we need to make damned sure it stays that way.”

  Ian didn’t like his friend’s tone of voice. “What the hell does that mean? And what happens if it does spread?”

  The dark-haired doctor, clad in a charcoal gray suit this morning, hesitated. “Let’s not go there right now, hmm? She’s not even twenty four hours post op, so it’s very premature to start worrying about things like sepsis. I promise you, Ian, that we’ll take every precaution to make sure it doesn’t get that far. Now, if you don’t mind my saying so, you look worse than Tessa. And you’ve had those clothes on since yesterday. Get yourself together, man, and be quick about it.”

  Jordan practically shoved him into the en suite bathroom to shave, shower, and put on clean clothes. Ian was just emerging from the bathroom when Julia and Nathan entered the hospital room carrying coffee cups and white paper bakery bags.

  “Scones,” announced Julia. “Tessa told me the name of your favorite bakery once so we stopped on the way. You,” she told Ian, “are eating at least two of them. Plus the fruit cup. Don’t argue. Nathan will tell you it’s futile.”

  Nathan nodded in agreement. “I think Julia was a Jewish mother in a former life from the way she insists on feeding people. So give in gracefully, my friend.”

  Ian ate without actually tasting the food, knowing he needed the calories to get through the day. While Julia sipped her coffee and munched on a chocolate croissant, she tenderly brushed aside damp strands of Tessa’s sweat soaked blonde hair.

  “Her skin is so hot,” she murmured in concern. “The fever hasn’t broken yet?”

  “No.” Ian spoke in between sips of tea. “Jordan was in a little while ago, said it’s too soon to start worrying about sepsis, but I’m half afraid he’s bullshitting me.”

  “I don’t think he’d do that,” consoled Julia. “He doesn’t seem the sort who’d keep the truth from you.”

  Nathan frowned. “And how would you know that? Is that the guy who hit on you yesterday?”

  Julia looked flustered. “Jesus, Nathan, he did not hit on me. Though he did ask if I had a twin - jokingly, of course.”

  “Baby, I hate to break the news, but he was definitely hitting on you if he asked a question like that.” Nathan glared at Ian. “This guy’s a friend of yours?”

  Ian smiled. “Best OB/GYN in the city.”

  “I don’t care if he’s the best in the whole country. I’ll tell you now, Julia,” Nathan vowed to hi
s wife. “Whenever you get pregnant, he is so not going to be your doctor.”

  The Atwoods stayed for close to an hour, until they regretfully had to get back to the office. Ian assured them he’d call as soon as there was any change in Tessa’s condition, and thanked them again for everything they had already done.

  The day dragged on with no real change in Tessa’s condition. The infection continued to rage through her body, but thankfully didn’t appear to be spreading further. Still, it was taking a definite toll on her, and Ian was grateful she remained largely out of it. Once in awhile her eyelids would flutter open, but he was never really certain if her feverish brain actually recognized him or knew where she was.

  He tried to get some work done, desperate for any sort of distraction to ease his worry over Tessa. He took phone calls from his parents, his brother Hugh, from Matthew Bennett, all of whom had heard the news about Tessa from Andrew, and all expressing their concern. Simon stopped by midday, bringing along lunch for the two of them, but Ian barely touched his.

  As Simon stood up to leave, there was an unmistakable sheen of tears in his eyes as he squeezed Tessa’s limp hand. “She’ll pull through this, Mr. Gregson, I just know she will. Such a sweet, kind girl - she certainly doesn’t deserve this after everything else she’s been through.”

  Ian had to fight back his own tears. “I know, mate. Keep her in your prayers, will you?”

  “Constantly, sir. Please call me if I can do anything else. Anything.”

  It was early evening, and Ian was half-dozing in the bedside chair, when Andrew and his girlfriend Isobel poked their heads inside the room.

  “We brought dinner,” announced Andrew, holding up a large paper takeout bag. “Bento boxes, I hope that’s all right.”

  Ian grimaced. “Why is everyone who stops by today trying to feed me?”