Given the dogged fight that Jordan had put up â forever a terrible patient, she was â it was a miracle to see her resting, momentarily at peace. Her blood loss had only aggravated the panic that overcame her, and when it became apparent that Charming General couldnât handle the sudden influx of patients, Jordan felt she had no other choice but to relent and take the damn pain medicine already. Sheâd had visitors throughout the night â some more welcome than others â but there was only one person that sheâd been aching to see. Jordan knew that the world didnât revolve around her, that the lives of the many outweighed the individual, but⊠she couldnât help herself. Her heavy-lidded gaze would settle on the clock, waiting for the moment her door would swing open and reveal that which she longed to see.Â
She couldnât remember falling asleep, but if sheâd known her dreams would offer her no such solace, she may have just asked the nurse for a cup of coffee instead. Jordan jolted awake then â having found herself at the wrong end of an imaginary gun â and squinted beneath the lights she thought sheâd dimmed. Her heart monitor beeped behind her as she surveyed herself and the room. In her groggy state, she almost didnât catch him in her peripheral. Almost. âOh, shââ Jordan stilled, blinking rapidly, as if to shed the sleep from her eyes. Was he.. crying? He was. Immediately, she tried to sit up, but flinched after having accidentally put weight on the wrong arm. She settled for shifting her body towards his, despite her desire to do more and be closer.Â
âWhatâs wrong?â She asked, voice gentle. âItâs okay. Weâre okay.â Just the sight of him was enough to make her own eyes water. She hated it: seeing him like this. His hurt was her own, but she couldnât stomach the idea that the opposite was true for him, too. Jordan outstretched her hand then, beckoning him to take it. If she couldnât get out of bed and into his arms, then she would just have to settle for this, too. âI missed you.â Her expression was riddled with concern, but there was a hint of joy in there that couldnât be missed. Sheâd really, truly missed him. âI was waiting for you.âÂ
Easton was exhausted, physically, mentally, emotionally, completely empty. It took everything that he had in him to keep himself working while Jordan was at the hospital. He wanted nothing more than to be there with her, make sure she was ok, make sure she had everything she needed to make her whole again. But he also knew he had to help the rest of the town. That was his job and he had to put it first. Luckily for him, he knew a few of the ER Nurses who kept him updated on her condition. Sure it wasnât exactly legal for them to do that, but they knew him and they knew what she meant to him.
When he finally made it to her room, after things had calmed for him. He just sat next to her bed and watched her, his mind racing to all the possible outcomes, to the thought of losing her like he had his sister and he just broke. He heard her voice and lifted his head off the side of her bed and did his best to get himself under control. He wiped away the tears and took her hand, on the uninjured arm is his. âHey. You gotta promise me. Not to do that again ok?â He told her, his voice just above a whisper, as he still tried to get his emotions under control.
He took in deep breath pulling her hand to his lips and kissing it gently. âI missed you too.â He told her, his emotions coming back under control for the moment, his head clearing. âI need you to know something. I need you to listen to me and hear me out and not interrupt me. I know that will be hard for you, but I need you to try.â He told as he took in a deep breath. âI love you Jordan. I love you in all the ways that you can love a person. I love the way you make me laugh. I love the way you frustrate me, I love the way you know exactly how I like my coffee and that you donât make fun of my favorite TV Show.â He paused for a second. âI am in love with you. I am not going anywhere. You can push me away, you can try and sabotage this all you want, but I am here and I am not leaving you and I am not losing you. You are everything. You are the reason I get up in the morning.â He continued, tears falling down his cheeks again. âYou are the reason I smile most of the day. You inspire me and you donât even know it. I love you Jordan. I love you.â He told her wiping the tears away one more time before leaning in to kiss her forehead.