Page 7 of Firefighter Midlife Wolf

“How fortunate.” He opened the door wider and waved her in. “Come on in. Sorry, I’m in the middle of cooking dinner.”

“It smells wonderful.” Her cheeks heated at the instant compliment that had come to her lips. She wasn’t there to take in the delicious sights and smells. She was there to take care of Jack Westbrook, Hayden’s son. Oh, shit. This was his son. Jessica was always very aware of just how much a patient’s illness or injury affected their family, but she hadn’t had a moment to connect the charming firefighter to the young accident victim she was there to check on. She felt horrible.

“Jack’s right in here.” He closed the door behind her, and they stepped out of the small foyer and into the living room. “We’ve got him camping out in the living room since his bedroom is upstairs.”

“Just because you call it camping doesn’t make it fun,” groaned the young man in the hospital bed that’d been set up so that it had the perfect vantage point for the TV. Loud music pumped from the speakers. A wheelchair with a leg support sat in the corner, and a set of crutches leaned next to it. He rolled his head to the side to look at Jessica. His wide mouth was set in a deep frown.

“Hi, Jack.” She stepped forward and smiled, but she didn’t hold out her hand. Any teens she’d dealt with in the ER weren’t too keen on shaking hands. That was for older folks who wanted to keep things proper or young kids who wanted to feel grown up. “My name is Jessica Anderson. I’ll be your visiting nurse while you recover.”

“Why don’t we turn this off for the moment?” Hayden found the remote on the table next to the hospital bed and silenced the TV.

The volume had been a bit much for talking, but the sudden lack of it made Jessica feel even more on the spot than she already was. She had a judgy teen patient, and his hot dad was standing there watching. So much for an easy appointment to end the day. Jessica set her bag down. “I’m assuming you’ve never had to deal with a visiting nurse before, so I’ll just tell you a little about what I’ll be doing. Basically, I’m here to help with anything and everything you might need until you’re healed up. I’ll take your vitals, see how you’re feeling and if you have any pain, and make sure you’ve got your medications taken care of. I’ll also be checking your surgical sites to ensure they’re clean, healing, and that no infection is setting in. I saw in your file that you’ll be getting some physical therapy, right?”

He shrugged with one shoulder, but it was attached to the broken arm. Jack cringed at the pain and then scowled at his arm as though it were at fault. “I guess.”

“They’re going to come work with you directly, but they’ll also leave you with some exercises to do on your own so you can get back up to speed,” Jessica explained, happy that she was falling back into her routine of being a nurse. Her wolf was still going bonkers, very aware of Hayden’s close proximity, but she could handle this.

“I thought at least this stupid accident would get me out of gym class, but I guess not,” Jack grumbled.

Jessica suppressed a laugh. Jack wasn’t trying to be funny, and she didn’t want him to think she was laughing at him or that she thought this was an easy situation to go through. “I’m also happy to help with any kind of mobility issues, like learning how to get in and out of the wheelchair or use the crutches. That makes things like bathing difficult, but I can help with that as well.”

Jack’s cheeks instantly flushed bright red. He scratched his forehead with the hand on his uninjured arm in an attempt to hide his face. “Uh, no thanks. I can figure that out on my own.”

“Don’t worry, Jack. I’m a nurse, so I’ve seen it all. It doesn’t have to be embarrassing.” Many patients had difficulty humbling themselves enough to accept help with basic hygiene, but it was the least they deserved.

“I think you might want to take her up on that,” Hayden said, coming around to the other side of Jack’s bed and tweaking a lock of his long, dark hair. “I think it’s about time this mop got a good scrub.”

Jack yanked his head away. “It’s fine.”

“Jack!” A girl came bounding down the stairs, her dark hair held off her face with a wide fabric headband. “Can we play on the Xbox now? I found your controller!”

“Might want to stay back unless you want a shower, Ellie. The professional bather is here,” Jack muttered.

Ellie stopped at the bottom of the stairs, suddenly realizing someone was there. She stared at Jessica and took in her scrubs. “Is that what you do?” she asked.

“I’m a nurse,” Jessica explained. “That’s one of the things I do, but I do a lot of other things, too.”

The girl thought about it for a second and then shook her head. “I do not want to be a nurse.”

“Ellie, don’t be rude. This is Jessica, and she’ll be coming by a few times a week to help take care of Jack. Jessica, this is my daughter, Ellie.”

Ellie was only a few years younger than her Paige, but the contrast between a girl of about ten and a thirteen-year-old felt massive. Ellie’s face was still young and fresh, and she didn’t look like she had a care in the world. That was just as it should be. “It’s nice to meet you, Ellie.”

“El, Jack’s going to be busy with the nurse for a bit. Why don’t you go upstairs and clean your room? I’ll let you know when Jack’s ready for video games,” Hayden suggested.

Ellie sighed, pausing on the third step. “Can we have pizza for dinner?”

“I’ve already got barbecue chicken sandwiches going,” her father replied.

“Ugh. Fine.” Ellie stomped back up the stairs.

“Sorry about that,” Hayden said. “She’s been a little bummed ever since Jack’s accident. They usually spend a lot of time together, and she misses playing with him.”

“Jeez, Dad,” Jack moaned. “It’s not like I’m playing dolls and having tea parties all day with her.”

“I know, buddy.” Hayden gently touched his son’s shoulder, a look of regret crossing his face for a moment before he looked across the bed at Jessica. “I’ll get back to dinner and let you do what you need to do. I’m afraid I’ve held you up long enough. I’ll be right in the kitchen if you need anything.”

She watched him walk through the swinging door, and it was impossible not to notice how good his butt looked in those fitted jeans. “All right, Jack. I’m just going to take your vitals. Are you in any pain?”

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