Home is Where the Heart is (19 page)

M
eanwhile at the hospital, soon after they had arrived, Jake was whisked away by a couple of nurses and a doctor so they could run some tests and get to the bottom of what was wrong with Cassie’s little boy.

Nick was being the supportive friend that he was, consoling a distressed Cassie, telling her everything would be okay with Jake, because he was the strongest five-year-old he knew.

Jordan appeared in the corridor a few minutes later with the same frenzied countenance as Cassie showed on her face.

The two parents embraced in a long-lasting hug as if they were the only people in the room. Nick looked past his friends to a silent Brielle, but she didn’t look all that surprised to see the former lovers’ passionate greeting.

He too had already assumed the spark between Jordan and Cassie would be reignited once again. They always did make a wonderful couple, so he naturally thought of them as a picture perfect family together with Jake. It wouldn’t be right if he didn’t root for his best friends to get back together.

Jordan and Cassie briefly pulled away from each other, and he tucked a strand of loose hair behind her ear.

“Did they say what was wrong with him?” he asked her.

Cassie breathed a worried sigh. “They said it looks like he could have appendicitis, but they’re running some tests to make sure he’s okay.” Her voice was soft and shaky.

“He has to be okay; I can’t lose him. He’s my baby,” she sobbed into Jordan’s shirt as he pulled her into him again. He didn’t care she was making it wet with tears. He was here for her, and that’s all that really mattered right now. He would hold her for as long as she needed to be held.

Jake’s pediatrician finally made an appearance, standing behind and clearing his voice in an attempt to be noticed.

Jordan and Cassie turn around to face him, along with Nick, who was now standing alongside his friends. His black-rimmed glasses sat on the bridge of his nose as looked down at the clipboard he held in his hands.

“Ms. Larson?” the doctor directed toward Cassie.

She nodded her head, pointing toward Jordan as well. “It’s okay. Jordan is Jake’s father.”

“How is our son?” Jordan asked the doctor, desperate for some good news.

“He’s in a lot of pain, but he’s stable. The nurses are with him now.” His speech was straight and adamant.

“What’s wrong with him?” Jordan asked.

“It’s as we suspected earlier. Your son has appendicitis, but we caught it in time so we can do surgery and he will make a full recovery without any further damage.” His fingers drummed against the clipboard he was carrying.

Cassie’s heart slowed down to a more regular pace knowing Jake was going to be okay. At least his illness wasn’t life threatening.

“When can we see him?” Cassie asked, desperate to see her boy.

“You may see him now while the nurses prep him for surgery. I’ll take you to see him, but it might be wise if just Mom and Dad go in for now.” His eyes darted from Cassie and Jordan to Nick and Brielle.

Nick nodded, tucking one hand into his front jeans pocket. He was fine with that. He was just glad his godson was going to be okay and would make a complete recovery once surgery was done to remove his appendix.

When Jordan and Cassie followed the doctor into the room to visit their son, leaving Nick and her out in the waiting area together, Brielle finally spoke for the first time since arriving at the hospital.

“They look good together.”

Nick turned to her with wide eyes, startled by her comment. All he managed to say was, “Yeah, they do.”

Nick could see that Brielle was starting to realize she and Jordan didn’t stand a chance at a happily ever after since Cassie was always going to be in his life.

The moment she stepped foot into the hospital room where her little boy was lying helplessly, Cassie couldn’t help but shed a tear or two as she shook a little. She knew that with surgery he would be fine, but it didn’t make the situation any less nauseating and panic inducing. For any mother to see her child suffer through as much pain as she saw Jake go through tonight, it was unbearable, and she didn’t wish it on anyone in the world. Cassie was thankful to have Jordan supporting her for the first time through this ordeal; any other time, she would have been doing it alone as a single parent. Even with Nick’s help, there was nothing like having Jake’s dad here.

Jordan continued to show his endless support toward the mother of his child as his hand cupped hers solicitously, their fingers intertwining together so naturally as if they were meant to be together.

As big as Jake was, compared to the size of the bed he was lying in, he looked so small wearing a hospital gown and a cap to cover his hair.

At the sight of both of his parents, Jake’s brown eyes lit up brightly.

“Mommy! Daddy!” His little voice sounded weaker than usual.

Cassie moved to the side of the bed, taking Jake’s hand in her own as Jordan stood next to her, his arm around her waist. It was almost as if they were a family of three all along, without their complicated history standing in the way of their togetherness.

For a few minutes, it was just the three of them in the room together. No one said one word. It was silent as Jordan and Cassie simply took in the reassuring, precious time with their ill son, praying he would get through this and go back to being the same kid that loved his baseball and ice cream.

A nurse reappeared in the doorway.

“I’m sorry to do this, but you need to go now. We’re ready for surgery.”

Jordan showed her an affable smile, while Cassie leaned down to place a comforting kiss on top of her son’s head.

“Mommy and Daddy love you very much. We’ll be right outside waiting for you with Nick,” she whispered to him.

Jordan ruffled his son’s hair gently, and they watched the nurses wheel Jake out of the room toward the elevator, which would take them to the operating room.

Cassie allowed Jordan to hold on to her for the extra support she knew she needed right now to keep from slipping to the cold vinyl floor and curl into a ball where she would lay weeping.

A couple of minutes later, they walked out of the room together and back to where Nick and Brielle were waiting for them. This time, Gabby was also there, and they gave each other a hug. For Cassie, it was nice to know she had the support of so many people in her life, despite her parents’ absence for so many years.

It felt so good to see her best friend tonight when she needed her the most. Cassie knew she would have had to cut her date short to do so, which was strange for Gabby since her dates were never cut short for anything. They usually continued on into the next morning, if they went well enough to do so.

“Gab, did you cancel your date for Jake and me?”

Gabby chuckled, choosing to disregard whatever facial expression she knew Nick was giving her right now. They hadn’t exactly talked since the night Nick spontaneously decided to proclaim his feelings for her with a kiss, but she knew they both ought to move on with their own lives. Nothing would come from an actual relationship between the two. Gabby thought it was blatantly obvious when she didn’t return those feelings back to him, despite the fact she was more than a little jealous when she saw him dancing with someone new at the carnival.

Could they not try and remain just friends anymore? Was it too much to ask for?

Gabby shrugged her shoulder like it was no big deal. “There’s always next time. I only have one godson and best friend who mean the world to me.” Then she leaned into Cassie’s ear, whispering so that no one else could hear what she was about to say next. “Besides, it really wasn’t going that well. I don’t think I will be seeing him again.”

Cassie’s eyes shined when she heard that comment, and Gabby knew what she must have been thinking. It was a little too obvious not to know what was running through her best friend’s mind, but she wouldn’t dare go there right now. She had too much to think about at this point. To Cassie, it was good to know that maybe her two friends did in fact like each other as more than just friends. Maybe she had reason to believe they could make it work as a couple.

“Ted...I forgot him,” Cassie mumbled. “Jake can’t go to sleep without him. When he wakes up from surgery, he’s going to want Ted.”

While the others looked at her like she was going crazy, Nick understood what she was talking about and stepped in to console her.

“It’s okay, Cassie. I will go and get his teddy bear.”

“Thank you,” Cassie said relieved, handing Nick her house keys. “You should find it in his bedroom.”

“Don’t worry,” Nick reassured Cassie. “I’m sure I will find it. Don’t stress too much; Jake will be fine. He’s strong like his parents.”

Cassie knew Nick had a point, but that didn’t make her worry any less than she was. Jake was her baby. She would always worry about him, particularly when he needed her the most.

Gabby stepped in, putting her best foot forward. “I’ll go with you. He’s my godson too,” she told her friends, looping a strand of black hair around her finger without so much as a look in Cassie’s direction. She didn’t need Cassie reminding her that maybe she did feel something for Nick. Whatever she was feeling had nothing to do with liking him as anything more than a friend, whether Cassie agreed with her or not.

“Let’s go,” said Nick, spinning his car keys around his finger while he stuffed the keys Cassie gave him into his jeans pocket, choosing to not look at Gabby as he turned and headed down the long white corridor. He figured the drive to Cassie’s house would be awkward enough without adding glances in her direction. Nick wondered why she had decided to come along. Was she looking for some alone time?

Nick wondered what on earth they would talk about, or would they spend the entire fifteen-minute trip it took to get to Cassie’s place and then back again in silence? It wasn’t like they had shared an actual conversation between just the two of them since that night when he had made the mistake of proclaiming his real feelings for her. He knew not to make that same mistake again. Gabby didn’t like him like that. She didn’t reciprocate the same feelings as he felt for her. They were just friends.

Cassie was thankful for her friends for having her back. She didn’t know what she would do without them. When Nick and Gabby walked away, it was only then Cassie finally noticed Brielle there. She wasn’t standing right behind Jordan, but standing off to the side by herself. Cassie thought she might be feeling out of place, and she had every right to feel like she didn’t really belong there.

Cassie would never say it to her face or anything, but it was the truth. Brielle didn’t belong there. She didn’t know her or Jake, and Brielle obviously knew she shouldn’t have come with Jordan, and Cassie couldn’t understand why Jordan would bring her here. Was there a possibility he actually felt something real for this woman?

But she couldn’t allow herself to think about the woman the father of her child could be dating right now. She needed to be strong for her son and had nothing to say to her right now, so she gave her a smile that Brielle returned benevolently.
Well, at least she seemed nice enough.

Cassie sank down into a chair, put her head in her hands, and began the long and tiring waiting game. She and Jordan knew it was going to be a very long night for the both of them.