Chapter 3 #2
It’d been a relief to be on Gansett, where she and Nikki had spent summers with their mother and grandmother.
Those had been the happiest times of her life, and Jordan loved any chance she got to return to the island and to spend time at the house that had been more of a home to her and Nikki than anywhere else they’d ever lived.
She wasn’t ready to return to the madness that was her real life.
A few more weeks on Gansett would help her mentally prepare to reenter the maelstrom.
Prior to the fire and the asthma attack, she’d been thinking it was time to go back and face the proverbial music.
Now, she had a good excuse to take more time off.
Jordan glanced at Nikki, who’d once been her full-time manager as well as her twin and closest friend.
She’d never admit to anyone, especially Nik, who was so happy in her new life, how lost she’d been without Nik at home and at work.
“Can you ask them about a note?” A doctor’s note about the severe asthma attack would buy her a few more weeks.
Nik would know what she needed. She always knew. “Of course. Don’t worry about a thing. I’ll take care of it.”
Jordan’s eyes filled with tears as she looked up at her sister. “I thought this shit was behind us.”
“I know. Me, too, but it was probably the smoke.”
“I hope so. If it’s back…”
Nikki laid her hand over Jordan’s. “It’s not. It was triggered by the smoke. I know it.”
Dr. David Lawrence came into the room, looking rushed and flustered. “I’m sorry it took me so long to get back to you, Jordan. A car accident resulted in several patients being brought in, so I got waylaid.”
“Anyone we know?” Riley asked hesitantly. He was related to half the island, or so it seemed.
David shook his head. “Tourists who took one of our famous curves too fast and found out how unforgiving Gansett Island trees can be.”
The doctor was tall, dark haired and good-looking. Jordan had met him and his fiancée, Daisy, at the opening of the Wayfarer.
“Are they going to be all right?” Nikki asked.
“They will be.” David sat in the chair at Jordan’s bedside. “Anyway, about you, Ms. Jordan. How’re you feeling?”
“Better. My chest hurts, but it always does after an attack.”
“Talk to me about your history with asthma.”
Jordan glanced at Nikki.
“If I may?” Nikki said.
Jordan nodded. She was too tired and wrung out to tell that story.
“Jordan had her first asthma attack when we were six. It came out of nowhere, and at first, our mom thought she was choking. She called for rescue, and the paramedics immediately realized what was happening. That was the start of a cycle of attacks that went on for years, well into high school when the situation seemed to stabilize. She’d go years without an attack, and when she had them, they were less severe than they’d been when she was younger. ”
David nodded as he took notes. “That can happen. People grow out of it in many cases. Others continue to struggle with it into adulthood.”
“She hasn’t had an attack in more than seven years.”
“I kind of thought my asthma issues were behind me,” Jordan added.
“They probably were until you were stuck in a smoky room, which will trigger the old demons.”
“So you don’t think it’s back like it was before?”
“I can’t really say for certain, but it’s probably safe to assume this particular attack was situational due to the smoke. We can only hope it won’t lead to others. Do you still carry an inhaler?”
“No. I haven’t needed it in years.”
“I’m going to prescribe one, and I’d like you to keep it with you for the next three months or so. I’d recommend a check-in with your pulmonologist to update them on this latest incident.”
“Can we take her home?” Nikki asked.
“I’d like you to spend the night so we can monitor your breathing. Just as a precaution. There were no signs of burns in your throat or upper airway,” David said, “and your chest X-ray was clear. We just want to be sure you’re okay before we release you.
Jordan groaned. She’d spent so many nights in the hospital as a kid that the thought of even one more was unbearable.
“I’ll stay with you,” Nik said.
“Absolutely not. Go home. I’m fine.”
“I don’t want to leave you.”
“Riley, take your fiancée and get her out of my hair, will you, please?”
“Come on, Nik. Let’s give Jordan the chance to get some rest. We’ll come back in the morning to bring her home.”
“Can we, Doc?” Nikki asked David. “Can she come home in the morning?”
“Provided her vitals are where they need to be, she can go home in the morning.”
Seeming to realize that was his best offer, Nikki leaned across the bed rail to hug Jordan. “Will you call if you need me?”
“I don’t have my phone, but I’ll make sure they have your number in case you’re needed.”
“You can give it to me,” David said. “I’ll be here all night.” He wrote down the number Nikki recited. “Try not to worry. Everything is looking good, and we’ll keep a close eye on her overnight.”
Jordan had given Nikki plenty of reasons to worry about her, especially lately. Her sister was now preconditioned to worry. Jordan hated being the cause of the line that had begun to form between Nikki’s brows from all the time she’d spent jammed up over Jordan’s shit.
It was time to make some changes. She just wished she knew what changes she wanted to make or how to actually reset her life.
She would use this time on Gansett to do some deep thinking and contemplation. Hopefully, by the time she left, she’d have a plan that would give her sister far less to worry about.
Because neither she nor Nikki could go on this way for much longer.