Page 18 of The Marriage Auction 2: Part 3

The plane was now landing, and since the moment he got that horrible call, he hadn’t shared any of his feelings. The stoic businessman façade was firmly in place. The man had passed out, phone in hand after being told Ellen was in a coma. He’d just dropped right where he stood mid-conversation. Thankfully, we were standing next to haybales that caught the brunt of his fall, preventing his head from hitting the ground. He came to pretty quickly after he fainted, but still, it scared the hell out of me.

I knew it was up to me to keep Jack standing. He was facing the worst possible scenario regarding someone he loved very dearly, and I was determined to be right by his side through whatever happened.

Jack sighed deeply as the plane landed, and I squeezed his hand. He clung to mine like we were glued together. I didn’t care if he held on so tightly I bruised, as long as I could give him some semblance of comfort to show he wasn’t alone.

My heart beat double-time as he slapped the laptop closed with his free hand the very second the plane stopped and the fasten seatbelt sign was turned off.

Jack released my hand and unlocked his seatbelt, then turned toward me and reached across my lap, unclicking mine as well. He didn’t speak as he grabbed my hand again and helped me stand.

The flight attendant met us at the front of the plane and opened the door as soon as the ground crew signaled the plane had been secured. The stairs locked into place as a cool evening breeze ruffled my hair.

“Your car is waiting.” The attendant pointed to the blacked-out SUV parked on the tarmac.

“Thank you,” Jack said flatly and started down the stairs.

By the time we made it to the car, my luggage had already been put in the trunk. Jack had left his belongings at my home since he could get whatever he needed here at his own house.

“LHL Hospital Gardermoen,” he clipped to the driver. “Fast as you can.”

The driver said something in Norwegian and stepped on the pedal.

It was only mere minutes until we were pulling up to the hospital. Jack opened his door before we’d even come to a complete stop.

“Jack! Hold on. You’re gonna get hurt!” I screeched as he turned around, grabbed my hand and dragged me at a quick clip into the hospital lobby.

He spoke rapid-fire Norwegian and then we were rushing to a bank of elevators. Everything was a blur as we approached thenurses station. Then Jack was letting my hand go as he power walked toward a man holding a toddler at the end of a white hall. I recognized TJ instantly as we both had been staring at his image for the past 15 hours of travel, stopping only to refuel in Canada.

“TJ!” Jack called.

The boy kicked his little feet and the man that must have been Emil set him down on the ground. The little one ran as fast as his small legs could take him screaming “Dada Yak! Dada Yak!” over and over again. I swallowed the sob that tore through my throat but couldn’t help the tears that streamed down my cheeks when I saw my big man fall to his knees, scoop up TJ into his arms and press his face into the boy’s neck. His entire body trembled as he held the child.

“Dada Yak,Mamma syk!” TJ shared.

I watched brokenhearted as Jack wiped his eyes with the back of his hand as he nodded. “Ja, mamma er syk,” Jack repeated and cupped the boy’s face tenderly. He kissed him on one cheek and then the other and spoke quietly to him.

Emil came up to me and held out his hand. “You must be Summer,” he said in heavily accented English.

I nodded. “How is she?”

He shook his head. “They’ve only told me her injuries are severe and she is currently in a coma.”

Jack stood, TJ snuggled against his chest with his thumb in his mouth.

“He’s really tired. He doesn’t know me that well and has been fighting sleep,” Emil explained.

TJ’s eyes were already closing, his cheeks hollowing as he sucked his thumb.

“Thank you for taking care of him all this time. I’m sorry it took so long to get here from California,” Jack offered.

“You got here remarkably fast for being that far away. I’ve also been in contact with Ellen’s other brother Erik Johansen. He and his wife are another few hours out minimum, but his parents should be here soon.”

“Yes, I know. I gave them your information in case they were somehow able to get here sooner. They are coming from Australia,” Jack said while rubbing TJ’s back. “Can you tell me what you know about her condition? I heard you explain she was in a coma, but why?”

“The doctors haven’t told me much as I’m not next of kin. They’ve only allowed me to wait here because I have her son and you were on the way. She has you listed as her emergency contact on her medical directive.” Emil lifted his hand and pointed at a woman in a white doctor’s coat. “That’s her doctor.”

“Summer, can you…” He gestured at TJ’s sleeping form.

“Of course.” I reached out and let Jack transfer the boy. TJ pressed his sweet little face to my neck and sighed, blessedly not waking up. I cuddled him in my arms and went over to the nearest chair and took a seat, allowing the boy to sleep as I watched Jack speak with the doctor.

---