Page 17 of Greater than the Heart
Cade tried to reach for the button to summon the nurse because he wanted water, but his right arm hurt like hell. He glanced down to see a cast which pissed him off, so he reached over his body and picked up the buzzer, depressing the top of it.He was glad it didn’t make any noise because he didn’t want to wake his friends.
When the nurse came bustling in, he tried to hold up his right hand, but the pain shot up his arm, so he lifted his left, holding his index finger to his lips in the international sign of, “Shhh!”
The petite nurse walked in with a bright smile. “Welcome back, Mr. Delacroix,” she whispered as she began examining the machines around him.
“Thanks. What day is it?” he whispered in return.
“It’s Thursday morning. Do you know where you are?” the woman asked quietly.
Cade looked around and snickered. “Disney?” he joked, bringing a quiet giggle from her as well.
“You’re at Hope Memorial. Your fathers just left at midnight when your brother and his husband came in to send them home. It’s about three thirty. I expect them back in a couple of hours. Can I get you something? How’s the pain?” she asked.
“My arm hurts pretty bad, and I’m afraid if I lift my head, it will roll off. Was I shot in the head?” he asked, remembering vividly the events that led to him being in that hospital.
“The bullet grazed the left side of your head. You fell down several stairs, which is what caused most of the damage. I’ll be back with some ice chips and a shot. I’m sure you’re pretty parched,” she explained. He nodded as he watched her leave.
He looked over at his friends sleeping in the big chair, seeing two gold rings glinting in the soft light from the bathroom. He wanted to wake them and find out what was going on, but they looked too peaceful.
The nurse came back with a cup, handing it to him. “Eat them slowly. You want the television? Of course, after I give you this shot, it might knock you out, but you’ll wake in a few hours. We’re all glad you’re awake, Mr. Delacroix. Your family will beespecially happy. They’ve been a bit of a mess,” she whispered, not really surprising him at all.
“Do you know what happened to the two kids who were trying to rob the club?” he asked as he held the cup of ice in his cast hand, digging in the plastic spoon to take a few chips into his greedy mouth. As they melted, coating his dry throat, his eyes closed without his bidding.
He couldn’t stay awake for the answer, but he prayed they were both okay. They were stupid kids to have done what they did, but he honestly prayed no one had seriously harmed them.
Chapter Eight
Jax
Earlier…
Jax was at the florist shop not far from the Center, picking up some flowers to have on the dining room table that night. He was fixing dinner for Kincade, with help from Ford. It was going to be a simple meal—pork chops, baked sweet potatoes, and a mandarin-pecan salad Katrina had mentioned was one of Cade’s favorites. She got the recipe from the family cook and emailed it to him. Jax was very excited.
He and Ford had discussed it and decided Jax would take the first run at feeling out Cade regarding becoming parents. He’d rehearsed it in his head all the way to the other side of town, but nothing sounded right.
“We love you. Our life is great just like it is, but Ford and I thought maybe we could explore having a baby together?”It made it sound like Cade’s opinion didn’t matter, and they were coming to him as an afterthought. That wouldn’t do.
“What would you think about having a baby? I’d like kids, and I think Ford might like kids. What do you think?”That approach sounded a bit vague. Jax didn’t like it.
“We all love each other, and that can be enough, but have you thought about maybe the three of us having a discussion about adding to our family?”That sounded closer to the tone he wanted to set.
They damn well should have been talking to Cade about it before that night, but the three of them were so busy, even having to resort to keeping a calendar they synced so they each knew what the others were doing. A subtle approach was likely the best.
If they were going to have a child, they’d have to rethink the schedules they kept. Would one of them stop working and stay home with the child? Would Ford and Cade continue to split time at the club as they currently were, and then he could be a backup at night to help with the baby? What if there was morethan one baby? Who’d father the baby? Where would they get the eggs?
There were far too many questions to consider. Once the door was opened, they could discuss it like rational adults. He just needed to open the door.
He paid for the rose bouquet and told them he’d pick it up at four that afternoon. When he hopped into his Expedition, his cell was ringing from its perch in the cup holder. He picked it up to see it was Ford.
“Hey, baby,” he answered.
“Jax, I just got a call from the police. A 9-1-1 call came from the Club. The alarm didn’t go off, which means Cade shut it off when he got inside. I’m headed there now,” Ford told him.
“I’m on my way,” Jax told him as he turned his SUV in the direction of Andersonville. He called Wes Martin, leaving him a message that he wouldn’t be in as early as he’d promised, and could he handle things until Jax had a better handle on what was happening at the club?
He ended the call and tossed his phone into the passenger seat, cursing himself for not being earlier that morning. He and Ford got up to a little mischief before he left for the Center, and after they’d enjoyed a very fulfilling sixty-nine, Jax had fallen back to sleep for half an hour. When he woke, Ford was still sleeping, so he hopped out of bed to start his day. The news that something had happened at the club had him worried and plagued with guilt.
When he rolled up on the scene, there were cops and paramedics everywhere. Jax’s worst nightmare was coming true.
