CHAPTER FOUR
It could have been the drugs, it could have been the pain, but Malcolm knew Jessie was here. Despite the strong smell of his own sweat, disinfectant, and his mother’s cloying perfume, he was pretty certain Jessie’s vanilla scent permeated through to his soul.
“JJ?” he asked, mouth as dry as cotton. He struggled to open his eyes, only to find his mother’s worried face hovering over his.
“Baby, it’s Mom!” she announced an inch from his ear. Malcolm grimaced, an alarm sounded on the wall, and Craig was there in an instant to pull her back to her seat.
“Darling, please take a seat. You hovering over the boy like a UFO isn’t helping.”
“UFO? How dare you, Craig?” She fluffed her blonde hair before frowning at her son. “Are you all right?”
Malcolm rolled his eyes, head falling onto the pillow. “Never ... better,” he ground out when a nurse was back shining a flashlight in his eyes.
“Mr. Smith, can you answer a few questions for me?”
“Where’s JJ?” he asked, ignoring the nurse’s attempts at helping him. He was so tired of being pampered, prodded, and poked. All he wanted was five minutes alone with Jessie.
The nurse pursed her lips. “Answer my questions first, Mr. Smith. Can you tell me your first name and birthday, please?”
Malcolm went through a tedious slew of questions that seemed too easy, even for an ICU patient. After reciting the current president, his birthday, names of his parents, and his profession, he was given what he really wanted: Jessie’s whereabouts.
“She’s in the cafeteria,” Estelle said when the nurse left. “Poor girl hadn’t had anything to eat since the airport.”
Malcolm pressed the button to adjust the bed, bringing himself up a few inches until he could see without craning his sore neck. “How long have I been out?”
Craig folded up the newspaper he was reading and rested it on his lap. “Give or take, a few hours. Jessie came with Daisy, but Daisy left about an hour ago. Javi and Trevor are due by soon, and I think Trevor will take Jessie back home.”
Back home. Those two words made Malcolm feel like a million bucks.
Malcolm opened his mouth to ask more questions, but the familiar sounds of his friends and coworkers echoed around the room. “Smithy! You’re awake!” Javi clapped his hands as he stalked up to Malcolm’s bedside.
He reached out to touch him, but Estelle was faster. “Don’t!” She screeched. Her acting training kicking in as she projected her voice so loud, they likely heard it at the Alabama border. “Javi, please. He’s still so tender.”
Javi held his hands up, backing up until he walked into Trevor. “Oof,” the other man said, sidestepping before Javi took off his toes. “Watch the feet and take a seat, goober.” Trevor kicked out a chair for Javi as Craig steered Estelle from the room.
“Why don’t we let the boys have a few minutes? We can check on Jessie.”
Trevor nodded, shaking Craig’s hand as he passed. “Send my sister up when she’s done binging on all the Jell-O.”
Malcolm’s parents waved before closing the door and leaving the three firefighters alone. “How you feeling? You scared the shit out of us, Smithy,” Javi admitted, leaning forward in his chair. “I’m not kidding, we’re all still talking about it.”
Trevor nodded, face pulled down in a scowl. “It’s a night I’d certainly like to forget.” He raised his hand to scratch his chin, and Malcolm noticed a cluster of bandages.
“You okay, Trev? I thought by now you’d be free of those wraps.”
Trevor flapped a hand, dismissing Malcolm’s concern. “It’s nothing. Frankly, I feel fine, but between Whitney and Momma’s hovering, I might go insane.”
Javi snorted. “Yeah right. I’m sure you’re devastated that your girlfriend is all over you. Poor Trev.” He made a lewd gesture, and Trevor tossed a spare pillow at his head. Javi dodged it in time, cackling.
Malcolm snorted, savoring the brief moment of normalcy.
Unfortunately Javi’s shenanigans caused a coughing fit that lasted an eternity.
Trevor got him water while Javi looked on with concern.
“You’re sure you don’t need a nurse or anything?
There are a few cuties out there, and I wouldn’t mind finding you the best.” He winked, and Malcolm managed to flip him off with his good hand.
“You’re in the ICU and you’re still trolling for girls.”
Javi splayed a hand over his heart. “I’m visiting the ICU. You know if I were a patient I’d already have everyone’s phone numbers.”
“Of this I have no doubt,” Jessie agreed from the doorway, striding in with a tray of cups and a paper bag. She dropped her bounty on the end table before turning to her brother.
Trevor enveloped her in a hug, pulling her off the floor. Her sneakered feet dangled in the air. “Jessie, it’s so good to see you,” he said into her neck.
“Why don’t you knuckleheads stay out of trouble, huh? My delicate heart can only take so much.” She smiled when Trevor released her, but Malcolm didn’t miss the dark circles under her eyes.
Javi snagged his coffee and a donut from the bag, eating it in two bites while Jessie walked over to Malcolm. “How are you feeling?” she asked, voice low.
“Like I ran a marathon in the center of the sun,” he joked, coughing as he adjusted his position to see everyone.
“When did the doc say you can leave?” Javi asked through a mouthful of donut, powdered sugar dusting his lips.
“Hopefully soon,” Malcolm said. “I have no idea what things will look like with physical therapy, but they mentioned me getting a walking cast.” He gestured to his leg, which was suspended from the ceiling.
Malcolm had both the benefit and the curse of being in the medical field.
In addition to being a trained firefighter, he was also an EMT.
Even through his drug-induced haze, he knew his recovery was not going to be quick or painless.
He likely had months of PT and rest ahead of him, which was tantamount to a death sentence.
He was an active guy, from keeping busy at the job to working out and training for marathons. He kept in shape and was often the first person ready when a call came. Speed was his trademark, but now the effort of reaching out for his cup of water zapped what little energy he had.
Yawning, Malcolm collapsed back into the pillow. Despite that two-hour nap he just had, his body was ready for another one. “Can you hand me that water, JJ?”
Jessie was there, cup at his lips, helping him take little sips as the burn in his throat subsided. “Good job,” she cooed. “I asked the nurses, and they said you can have some Jell-O later if you’re hungry.”
“You mean you didn’t eat it all?” Trevor asked, earning an eye roll from his sister.
“Real nice, Trev. I spent ten hours on a plane, and you know I can’t find Jell-O anywhere else.”
Javi collected the empty coffee cups and stacked everything on the tray. “I’m going to find a trash can, and maybe a date for Friday night. Smithy, I’ll be back tomorrow. Let me know if you need anything, brother.”
“Thanks for coming,” Malcolm said, his eyes already drifting closed.
Trevor rose, dusting powdered sugar from his hands.
“I’ll walk Javi out.” Pointing to Jessie, he added, “I’ll meet you down the hall by the elevators.
I’m taking you to Momma’s.” Jessie opened her mouth to protest, but her brother cut her off.
“You need to shower, and judging from how you’re slumped over, you could use a nap as much as Smithy. This is non-negotiable.”
“I can see why they promoted you to captain,” Jessie replied, hands on hips.
Trevor smirked. “Damn straight, don’t you forget it.” He stepped forward, carefully resting his hand on Malcolm’s cast. “Rest up, Smithy. We’ll be ready whenever you are, okay? I spoke with the chief, and he has some ideas for light duty once you’re released.”
Malcolm nodded, but he hated the idea of light duty. Light duty meant grunt work and time staring at spreadsheets on a computer. But he knew now wasn’t the time to argue, so he kept his trap shut.
Once Trevor and Javi left, Jessie sat on the edge of the bed. Pulling his good hand closer, she pressed a gentle kiss on his knuckles. “I’ll be back tomorrow, but you call me if you need anything.”
“You’ll come back?” Malcolm asked, knowing it was a dumb question. Of course she’d be back. She’d hardly leave her post just to come eat Jell-O in the Pinegrove Hospital. Although if it was lime Jell-O with pears, he knew she would have made the trip.
“Yes, Malcolm. I’m here for a little while.”
A little while. Three words, maximum impact.
That was the thing with Jessie, their time together always had an expiration date. He never knew if a visit would last for days, weeks, months, or forever. His throat closed up as emotions threatened to choke him. He would not blubber in the ICU, he was a grown ass man.
“See you tomorrow,” he croaked, blinking rapidly and hoping against hope she didn’t see how upset he truly was.
“Rest up,” she said over her shoulder as she padded away, lips pursed. Was she struggling as much as he was?
Several hours later, Malcolm woke in a dark room. His parents were both asleep in their chairs, a new nurse hovered over his IV, checking fluids. “Hello,” she whispered. “I’m Nan, I’m covering the night shift. Can I get you anything?”
He tried to answer, but a cough came out instead. The hacking sound woke his mother, who was at his side and fussing over him like he was a newborn foal. “Baby, it’s okay.” She ruffled his hair, nearly knocking poor Nan onto her bottom.
“Ma’am, can I have one more moment with my patient?
” Her professional tone melted into pure ecstasy when she recognized his mother.
“Oh my Lord!” Nan rubbed her eyes, blinking in shock as she registered who his mother was.
“Are you Estelle Winters from Atlanta Hearts?!” She clasped her hands over her mouth to stop from squealing.