Chapter Fifteen – Skyla
“Are you sure?” she asked. They were seated in the car, all packed and ready to go, when she realized how much of a strain this might be on Jordan’s health. “You’ve spent the last couple of months in a hospital bed.”
“I’m sure. I feel fit, and as normal as a man can who can’t feel his legs,” he replied, his smile easing her tension. She’d just found him, the last thing she needed was to lose him again because he’d overexerted himself.
“I’ve checked the house is locked up, and I’ve left a message for Dylan to come over and check on it. I’m not sure how long we’ll be.”
He placed his hand on hers as it rested on the steering wheel. Skyla had insisted she should drive, the hospital was only an hour and a half away, but she didn’t want him to get tired. Ever since the phone call from her stepmom, she had begun to fuss over Jordan like a mother hen. No longer was she pushing him for independence; she wanted him to be careful, to slow down and not push himself.
“It takes as long as it takes,” he reassured her.
“I’ve left a message for Ben at the hospital so that he doesn’t worry.” She mentally went through her checklist again, and ticked them all off for the third time.
“Relax,” he said. “Just breathe. Then start the engine, you’ve done everything you need to do. By the time we get to the hospital, your dad will be out of surgery. Everything will be fine.” His voice was soothing, and she was so happy he had insisted on coming with her.
“I’m sorry.” She took a deep breath in and let it out slowly. “I’m usually better than this in a crisis.”
“He’s your dad, you’re allowed to feel panicked, but he’ll be fine.”
“I know. Best place for him, the hospital. At least Dorothy was there and called the ambulance quickly.” She turned the key in the ignition, and pulled forward, going through her mental checklist one last time as they drove away from the little house she already thought of as home.
“He’ll be fine. And maybe he can come visit us while he recuperates.”
“Really?” she asked, not knowing if her dad would agree to it, but thankful all the same.
“Yes. I’d like to get to know them.”
She snorted, feeling like her old self as she drove the car through the twilight hours, out of Bear Bluff. “Now you know how I feel about your family. I want them to know me. I want to know them.”
“OK. Deal, we get engaged, and then we travel over to meet them.”
“Engaged!” she exclaimed. “Already?”
He laughed, shaking his head. “I want to marry you, Skyla, put a ring on your finger, the works.”
“Do I have a say in this?” she asked, her panic changing directions. Weddings were not something she gave much thought to. She might have to get help to organize one.
“As long as it’s yes,” he said.
“Yes.” She nodded. “Yes, yes, yes.”
“That’s better,” he said, brushing her cheek as they turned onto the highway.
“I’m sorry.” She turned to look at him. He was handsome, he was kind and thoughtful, and he was hers. “I lost it, I never meant to talk to you as if you were incapable of looking after yourself.”
“I know,” he said. “It’s one thing I’ve learned about you. And I want to learn everything about you.”
Skyla grinned. “If you don’t like what you find out, tough, you made a marriage bargain, you don’t get to back out.”
“I never will want to back out.” He moved in his seat, making himself more comfortable. “I get the impression life is never going to be boring for us.”
“Good,” she said. “I like an adventure.”
***
“But I don’t like this adventure,” she said to him as they entered the hospital.
“Yes, I didn’t expect to be seeing the inside of a hospital anytime soon,” he said, as he wheeled himself towards the reception desk. He’d become so independent, she was glad they were mates, or she would be looking for a new job already.
Wait, she still had to find a new job. Skyla pushed that thought away; she had to concentrate on her dad, which meant they had to find him.
“Hello, we’re looking for Henry Martin, he’s been in surgery.” The receptionist smiled and tapped the name into the computer.
“Let’s see. Henry Martin. Yes, third floor, he’s still in surgery as far as I know.”
“Thank you.” Feeling numb, they went to the elevator, and pressed the button to call it down. Skyla stood chewing the inside of her cheek, trying to keep calm. Beside her, Jordan sat looking concerned, and then he reached out his hand and took hers, squeezing it, giving her a reassuring smile.
“It will be OK.”
She wanted to scream, ask him what if it wasn’t, but she kept calm, knowing he was right. Her dad was in good health, he was fit. If anyone was going to survive this, he was.
The elevator arrived and they waited for the three people inside to get out before they entered and Skyla pressed the button, taking them to the third floor. As the doors pinged open, she was tempted to press the button for ground floor and just run away, pretending this wasn’t happening and it was all a mistake.
Jordan, however, wheeled himself forward, pulling her with him. They stopped, looking to see which way to go, when she caught sight of a familiar woman, standing staring at the coffee machine.
“Dorothy?” Skyla said. Dorothy continued to stare at the machine.
Skyla loosed Jordan’s hand and walked quickly towards the woman who had become the main focus of her dad’s life. Any jealousy or resentment Skyla might have felt before was gone as she looked at the woman’s stricken face.
“Dorothy, is everything all right? Is there any news?” Skyla asked.
Dorothy looked up, confused, and Skyla half expected her to ask, who are you? Then her face broke and recognition spread over it. “Skyla. Oh, thank goodness you are here.” Her hand gripped Skyla’s. “Your dad will be so pleased.”
“Is he OK?” Skyla asked, feeling hopeful.
“He’s in recovery.” Dorothy took a shuddering breath. “The doctor said it was successful.” Her hands started to shake, and she put her left hand to her face, looking bewildered. “I don’t know what I’d have done if I lost him.”
“Let’s get you some coffee, or tea, you look all done in. Have you eaten?” Skyla took hold of Dorothy’s hand and held it tightly, worried they were going to have a second emergency on their hands.
“The nurse said she would get me some breakfast. I came to get some tea. Tea and toast, that’s what my mom always gave me to make me feel better.” Dorothy’s grip on Skyla’s hand tightened. “I wish we could be friends, Skyla. I know your dad misses you.”
“We are friends,” Skyla said, feeling guilty that she hadn’t gone and seen her dad as much as she should have. “But you make my dad so happy, I always feel as if I’m invading your privacy.”
“No, no, never.” Dorothy insisted.
“Let’s talk about this later. We need to get you some tea and find the nurse with your toast. Then we’ll try to find out how my dad is.”
“I’ll get it,” Jordan said, who had been sat back, watching the exchange between the two women. “Milk? Sugar?”
“Yes, please, white, one sugar.”
Jordan made his way over to the machine, while Dorothy watched. Then her stepmom asked, “Is he your boyfriend?”
“Sort of,” Skyla answered. “He was my client, but we’ve kind of fallen in love.” She smiled sadly. “So now I know how you and my dad feel for each other.”
“I hope so. I never meant to take him away from you,” Dorothy said. “Thank you.” She took her tea from Jordan.
“Here, you should have some coffee, it’s been a long night,” Jordan said, handing Skyla a cup.
“Thank you.” Skyla took the cup, but before she had a chance to sip it, a nurse came around the corner, looking for Dorothy.
“Any n
ews?” Dorothy asked, her face panicked.
“He’s come out of the anesthesia well. Doctor thinks it’s been a complete success. He should be able to come home tomorrow, but we’ll know more later.”
“So soon?” Dorothy asked.
“If all goes well, and you think you can manage. He’ll feel like a new man. You acted quickly, there doesn’t seem to be any damage to his heart,” the nurse said.
“Hear that, Skyla? He’s going to be OK.” Dorothy hugged Skyla, a thing they had never done before, not in any natural way. Their relationship had always been so much more distant.
“That’s the best news.” She hugged Dorothy back, determined to make an effort with her stepmom. Looking back on it now, she had been childish, and she had to admit, this experience had already left Skyla in no doubt exactly how much Dorothy loved her dad.
“I’ll let you know when you can go and sit with him,” the nurse said, walking off, leaving the three of them standing in the corridor.
“Shall we go and wait outside the recovery room?” Dorothy asked. “We’ll be right there ready when they say we can see him.”
“That’s a good idea,” Skyla said, sipping her coffee.
“I’m going to go and get some fresh air,” Jordan said. “Do you mind?”
“No, as long as you don’t run out on me,” Skyla said.
“No running here.” He pointed to his legs.
“You know what I mean,” Skyla said, bending down and kissing him. “And thank you. For being here. For being you.”
“You are welcome. I’ll try to call around and get us a hotel room too.”
“You don’t have to do that,” Dorothy said. “You can stay with us.”
“That’s so very kind, Dorothy. But we can’t.” Dorothy’s face dropped. “No. Not because we don’t want to. But there’s no downstairs bathroom, or bedroom.”
“Oh,” Dorothy exclaimed. “Of course, silly me.”
“It’s very kind of you, thank you, Dorothy,” Jordan added. “I’ll see you later.”
“Thanks, Jordan,” Skyla said, and watched him leave.
“Lucky girl,” Dorothy said to her quietly. “He seems like a nice guy.”
“He is.” Skyla looked away from Jordan and turned her attention to the recovery room. She longed to see her dad and know he was all right. She wanted to tell him she loved him. It struck her that she didn’t say those words enough, and had never said it to Jordan.
Next time she saw Jordan, she would tell him. Next time they were alone together she would show him.
Chapter Sixteen – Jordan
It took him three attempts to find a hotel that had the facilities they needed. The first two were booked up; there seemed to be a lack of hotels with disabled facilities, something he had never noticed before. Probably because it was one of those things that went unseen until you actually needed it yourself.
After booking the room, he wandered around the hospital grounds, before looking at his watch and figuring he should go back inside.
There was a side entrance he could use, that led straight from the gardens and into a physical therapy area. It was quiet, no one about yet at this hour of the morning. As he carried on along the corridor, he saw the empty gym, and couldn’t help taking a look. One of his hobbies, before the accident, had been keeping his body fit; he knew that to get his job done he had to work at optimum levels of fitness.
Pushing the doors open, he went inside, silently gliding around the gym, until he came to a set of parallel bars. He’d used these before; they were the same as those in the physical therapy room at the hospital where he had been initially sent to recover. The physical therapist there had talked to him at length as to how they would try to teach him to walk again. He’d tried, forcing himself to go through the motions, but there had been nothing to make him feel he wasn’t wasting everybody’s time.
But now it was different. He looked at his foot, willing it to move again. The minutest of movement, a twitch, a sensation of any kind, he’d take anything rather than the complete nothingness he had grown used to. He knew his legs were still there, but they were lumps of useless meat. Or had been, now he knew he could move his foot, he just didn’t know how. Closing his eyes, he tried to recreate the surge of emotion he had experienced this morning when he wanted to comfort Skyla. It was impossible; those sensations had been dragged out of him by his need to help his mate, to comfort his mate. But she wasn’t here now. She wasn’t in danger.
Jordan was sure that had been the trigger, the need to protect her from danger, real or perceived.
Not wanting to accept defeat, he wheeled himself between the bars, raising his hands up to grip them. Then he hauled himself out of his wheel chair, and stood with his feet on the floor, his arms hooked over the bars. All he had to do was lift one foot, and place it down in front of him. And then rinse and repeat. Easy.
“Come on,” he said to himself, willing his brain to send signals down his spine, and then along the nerve endings, telling his foot to move. Nothing. He tried the other foot, picturing it in his mind, but still nothing. Damn it, he wanted this so much, he wanted to cast off his wheelchair and walk out of this hospital, to be the man Skyla needed, the man she deserved.
“Stupid legs,” he cursed, trying to exert his will on them, trying to make them move by thrusting the force of his brain into this one simple task. A task a two-year-old was capable of.
He stopped, letting himself relax, trying to ease the tension in his muscles, not wanting that to be blocking the signals. Then he focused on how his legs should move if they responded. He imagined the muscles tightening, of them pulling his foot up off the ground, and then placing it forward. If he had moved once, he could move again; paralysis wasn’t like a car, his body surely could not have an intermittent fault. He could either move, or not, and he knew he could move.
But he couldn’t. Mentally exhausted, his mood one of utter disappointment, he reached for his chair and slumped back into it.
“There you are,” Skyla said from behind him. “I’ve looked everywhere for you.”
“How long have you been there, watching?” he asked, accusingly.
“Not long,” she said, approaching him.
He looked up at her, trying to keep the bitterness from his eyes. She needed him; she didn’t need to drown with him in his ocean of self-pity. “How is your dad?”
“Good. Better than expected. He’s resting, Dorothy is still with him. But they don’t want too many people with him in recovery, so I thought we could go and catch up on some sleep. She’ll call if there’s any change, and I’ll come back later this evening to see him. He’ll be more alert then.”
“OK. I’ve made us reservations; the hotel is a five-minute drive away.” He wheeled his chair towards the door, but she caught it and moved to stand in front of him.
“What you did… Just because it doesn’t work the first time, does not mean it’s never going to work.” She squatted down in front of him. “When we get home, the gym equipment will arrive and we can start your real therapy. At least that is one thing you need me for.”
“I need you for more than that.” He wanted to kiss her, but the sense of failure still enveloped him, making him feel unworthy. With each attempt at normality, he seemed to slip back into depression, where he could happily shut out the world. But this was Skyla, his woman.
She’d read his mind. Her hand stroked his cheek, fingertips rubbing over his stubble, and then her thumb brushed his lips, sending warm sensations flooding his body. Her lips hovered so close to his, he could feel a buzz of electricity passing between them.
Then she pulled away. “Let’s go to the hotel.”
His breathing ragged, he followed her out to the car, with visions in his head of what they would do when they were alone in the hotel room, with the rest of the world shut out.
Chapter Seventeen – Skyla
“This is nice,” Skyla said, as she heaved the two duffel bags onto the bed.
“Here. You should eat.” They had stopped off on the way to the hotel at a small bakery and bought fresh pastries and coffee.
“Thanks. I need something to give me an energy boost.”
“I thought we were going to catch up on sleep?” he asked, a glint in his eye, she was relieved to see. When she had found him in the gym, trying to walk with the help of the bars, she had seen the disappointment on his face. But he’d let it go, and she was happy to see his usual good mood settling on him again.
“We are. Later.” She took a bite of the still warm pastry and closed her eyes. “This is heaven.”
“I have to agree.” He ate his, very quickly, and then sipped his coffee. “So many things I took for granted before my accident. You know I intend to make time each day to appreciate them.”
“A gratitude list.” She shuffled along the bed to sit in front of him, her pastry finished now too. “You think of three things you are grateful for. Either write them down or say them out loud.”
“Can the three things be all the same?” he asked, his head cocked on one side. “Does Skyla, Skyla, Skyla count?”
“No. Now I see why you were in the Army. You’re the kind of man who needs very specific instructions.”
He reached out for her and pulled her closer, his hand fisting her hair and dragging her head down so their lips met. Damn, his kisses would have to go on her gratitude list, every freakin’ day.
He tasted of sweet pastries and coffee, his lips carrying a smattering of stickiness, but a heat that was all his own. Jordan cupped her left breast with his hand, and she knew her gratitude list was going to be hard to contain to three things today.
Rubbing his thumb over the taut bud of her nipple, he sent her body into overdrive, the heat between her thighs grew in intensity, the edge of arousal she’d sat on every day since she’d met him kicked up a notch, remembering the way he had made her come last night. She wanted more, she wanted to give him more.
Was there a way she could satisfy him? Would he be able to feel her touch on his cock?
Black Bear Down: BBW Bear Shifter Paranormal Romance (Return To Bear Bluff Book 3) Page 8
