Page 79 of Once Bitten
“What does it say?” she asked, her eyes on Jordyn’s phone.
“He’s okay, or at least stable.” Jordyn held the phone out to her friend so she could see Steve’s message, telling them that Jamie had been moved out of the ICU and that he would come to meet them soon now that the Barstows had arrived. “He’s pretty sure Jamie will be awake soon.”
“Thank god.” Dora breathed and some of the tension left her body.
“See? It’s going to be okay.” Jordyn squeezed her shoulder gently in reassurance.
Dora gave her a weak smile and let out a deep sigh. “I’m never letting Jamie drive anywhere ever again.”
At that, Jordyn let out a laugh and hugged her friend to her. If Dora was making jokes, then she had hope that things would be alright, and that was all they could ask for. Now, it was just a waiting game of when Jamie would wake up.
* * *
It seemedlike they had been sitting in the waiting room for an eternity when the double doors that the Barstows had disappeared behind finally opened again. This time it was Steve, and to Jordyn’s comfort, the look on his face was one of relief.
“Hey,” he said softly, looking at where Dora had nodded off again next to Jordyn.
“Is everything okay?” Jordyn asked, taking care to keep her voice down. He motioned for her to get up and follow him, so she gently moved Dora to the side and walked quickly to Steve’s side.
He nodded and let out a weary sigh. “Yeah, he’s stable and he’s awake. Everything is going to work out.”
Jordyn smiled and held her arms out to him, offering him a hug. Wordlessly, Steve all but fell into her arms, causing her to stumble back a step. Jordyn turned her face into Steve’s chest and breathed deeply, tightening her arms around him as much as she could. It was only a moment later that Jordyn realized Steve was crying, the slight shake of his shoulders giving it away as his face was buried in her hair.
Tentatively Jordyn reached up and put a hand against his cheek. “Stevie...” She sighed and closed her eyes when he still said nothing.She did her best to hold him as close as her arms allowed. After a few minutes, Steve gave her a squeeze before he pulled back to look at her. There were tears in his eyes, and he blinked rapidly against them.
“I don’t know what I would do if he didn’t wake up, Jordyn.”
“I know, baby.”
“It almost happened again.” Steve rubbed a hand over his eyes, hastily, and shook his head. He wasn’t looking at Jordyn. His eyes were trained on the floor while he spoke, and Jordyn could see that he was getting lost in his memories of the crash that took his family, so she stepped close and tilted his chin so that their eyes met.
Jordyn leaned close to him. “But it didn’t. It didn’t. Jamie is awake and eveythi— Her reassurances were interrupted when Steve reached out and pulled her against him.
“And you’re right here,” Steve finished for her, kissing her forehead.
She smiled against his chest, letting him hold her, his hands stroking her back as if convincing himself that she was indeed standing with him. “Yeah, I’m right here, and I’m not going anywhere.”
“It’s not like last time,” Steve said softly against her ear. “I didn’t lose my home.”
“That won’t ever happen again,” Jordyn whispered. As soon as the words left her mouth, Jordyn waited for Steve to tell her that ‘anything could happen’ as he had earlier, but he didn’t.
Instead, Steve’s hands tightened on her waist and he added, “Never again.”
It was then that Dora stirred, and when she saw Steve and Jordyn together, she sat up straight. “Is everything okay?” she asked, fearfully.
The fact that Jordyn and Steve were holding one another so tightly could be either terrible or wonderful, especially with Jamie’s well-being hanging in the balance. At the sound of her voice, Steve and Jordyn looked up, and Dora instantly relaxed when she saw the looks on their faces. Things were good, things were, oh, so very good.
Without hesitating, Dora shoved herself to her feet. “When can I see him?”
Steve gave her a grin and nodded back towards the double doors. “I think I can sneak you back. Let’s move before the nurse comes back, though.” Dora gave him a hasty nod, and after a quick look down the hallway, the three of them pushed through the doors.
“Is he awake?” Dora asked softly as they walked down the too bright hallway.
“Yeah, he was when I left. He’ll be really glad to see you and know that you’re okay,” Steve replied. “He sent me to bring you back after I told him you were good.”
Dora smiled brightly at Steve’s words and forced herself not to urge him to walk faster. Thankfully, they were at Jamie’s door shortly. Dora let out the breath that she hadn’t realized she was holding when Jamie lifted his head and met her eyes when she appeared in the doorway.
“Hey, sweetheart,” Jamie greeted her. His voice was stronger than she had anticipated, and that only made Dora smile bigger.
