Chapter 35 Jon
JON
“You just couldn’t wait for the cops, could you?” Jacky says to Margeaux, rolling his eyes, then giving her another big hug. “Glad you’re okay, sis.”
“If it was Zoey, would you have waited?” she asks.
There’s a brief silence, then Jacky lets out a long sigh. “No. I’d have shown up with a chainsaw or something if someone had taken her.”
They share a laugh, and my chest tightens seeing Margeaux with her brother.
She’s talked to me a lot about her family.
Jacky—Jack—is her twin, and they’re really close.
I wonder if Jacob and I would have grown up to stay as close as we were.
I’d like to imagine he and I would have run away from home together, started our lives over together.
“So, is this the guy?” Jack nods his head in my direction.
Margeaux unhooks her arms from around him and faces me.
She’s got a few scratches and bruises on her arms and face, nothing too bad.
I didn’t even realize she was in the tightest black leggings and an equally tight sleeveless shirt.
She looks like an assassin. She’s so hot.
I’ve missed her. Would it be rude to kick her brother out of my room so I can have some quality alone time with her?
We just had a very intense, near-death experience.
I think we both deserve some comfort and relaxation.
“Yup. Jacky, this is Jon. Jon, this is my brother, Jack, or Jacky,” Margeaux says, gesturing between us.
“Jack works fine,” he says. He pulls his shoulders back, trying to look even taller as he takes a couple steps towards my bed. I’m not used to being in the patient role, I feel so vulnerable in this gown. Nothing very tough about a guy in a backless hospital gown.
“Nice to meet you.” I hold out my hand, which is heavily bruised and cut up from being restrained. He’s careful and doesn’t squeeze my hand too hard. I wish he did so I can show him I’m not as weak and pathetic as I look right now.
He looks over his shoulder to Margeaux. “Mom and Dad are talking with Zoey’s dad in the waiting area. It would really help settle Mom’s nerves if you said hi. You know, proof of life and all that,” Jack says.
Margeaux looks at me, then back at her brother.
“We’ll be okay, Beautiful. Go see your parents. They must be so worried,” I reassure her. Her brother doesn’t scare me. I was literally kidnapped, drugged, and held at knifepoint, by a raging psycho. Jacky isn’t scaring me in the least.
Margeaux runs to me and gives me the biggest kiss on the lips. She quickly swipes her tongue against mine and pulls away, making a small smacking noise. “Be nice,” she says, pointing her finger between both of us.
Jack shakes his head and chuckles. “She’s a handful, huh?”
“She’s perfect,” I say.
I settle in, getting comfortable in this hospital bed.
I’m already seeing the differences between this hospital and Paramount Hospital.
We get a lot more money for things like bedding and patient accommodations.
Even our beds are more comfortable, and the pillows, and blankets are cozier than here.
The staff here are professional and courteous.
I wouldn’t mind working in a hospital like this.
“So. You and my sister? Maggie hasn’t said anything about you until she came home yesterday morning, talking a mile a minute about some guy she’s dating being kidnapped by her stalker. We were all caught off guard.”
He slumps forward in the chair near my bed, resting his elbows on his knees. Looking at his face, he doesn’t seem angry. Maybe disappointed?
“I thought my sister would be comfortable talking to me about this kind of stuff. I’m not sure what she’s told you about our relationship.” He pauses, looking up at me. I guess this is my cue to speak.
“Nothing disparaging. She’s only had great things to say about you. Says you’re her biggest fan,” I say, hoping it helps him perk up.
His tight smile has me feeling that he still has doubts about something. I’m really not an expert in family dynamics. Mine is a mess all its own. I’m not sure what Jack needs to hear right now.
“We’ve always been close. She knows everything about me. And, this whole situation.” He moves his hands around, towards me, the door, the entire room. “I guess, I just don’t understand why Margeaux never talked to me. Like, some asshole…attacked her.”
“No. He raped her.” Words matter in these types of situations. Doctors are encouraged to use explicit language with their patients so we don’t accidentally confuse them about what happened to them or create the impression that the patient shouldn’t talk about their experiences. Words matter.
Jack grimaces, covering his mouth as if he’s going to be sick.
“She should have said something to me,” he says, choking back tears. “I would have been there for her. I would have hunted that guy down and made sure he never hurt her, or any other woman again.”
I like this guy.
“I mean, I’m definitely planning on doing that now that I know what happened,” he continues.
“Oh?” I ask, intrigued.
He huffs a laugh. “Don’t go thinking I’m some vigilante.
I’m not the violent type. But I work for the state police as a data analyst. I’m a computer guy.
I analyze data and equipment of potential suspects.
I’m a decent hacker, too. So, all I need is the guy’s name and I can track him down pretty easily.
I’ve already helped the local police get his information.
It will be up to Margeaux if she wants to press charges.
If not, I’ll just ruin his life from behind my keyboard. ”
Jack’s an evil genius, and I’m liking his vibe. “You won’t hear me stopping you. Destroy that fucker and everything he has.”
“Which makes me curious about something else,” Jack says, leaning back in his chair, more comfortable with me now. I lean back against the pillows, too. “Not much of a digital footprint on you, Jon Jacob.”
My eyes widen and my throat tightens to the point that swallowing is near impossible.
“Well, I’ve had a pretty boring life until I met your sister. No complaints about that,” I joke, trying to change the subject.
“Yea. I saw that. Pretty straight edge kind of guy. But, you didn’t exist until you turned eighteen. I couldn’t find anything. I’m not saying I’m the best hacker, but I’m pretty good. Want to tell me who you really are? You know, since my sister’s in love with you and all.”
My jaw drops. Margeaux loves me? I mean, I know how I feel about her, but she hasn’t led me to believe her feelings were just as strong.
I suppose she wouldn’t risk her life and face-off against that crazy woman, if she didn’t have some degree of love for me.
I feel my entire face heat up, reveling in the fact that that beautiful, one-of-a-kind badass loves me.
Jack clears his throat, reminding me he’s waiting for an explanation about my past life.
I sit up a little straighter and clear my throat as well.
“I ran away from home when I was sixteen. My family lived off the grid. We farmed our own food and lived amongst a small community of other people who lived similarly. Children were homeschooled. The common thread in our community was everyone’s love and belief in God’s power. ”
Jack doesn’t say anything, just nods for me to continue.
“God was the driving force behind everyone’s decisions and actions.
If our crops had a low yield, it was because God was testing us.
If we accomplished something, it was God’s will that made it happen.
And when we experienced any challenge, we had to trust in God’s ability to help us through it.
And if we fail, then it was God’s will for us to fail.
Same logic applies to when people get sick or hurt.
If you believe in God enough, he will cure you of any ailment. ”
I notice his eyebrows lift in surprise.
“Yea. Pretty intense,” I admit, trying to release some of the tension I’m feeling.
“Anyway. When I was fourteen, my older brother got really sick. Thinking about his symptoms, it was probably something like pneumonia, or some other viral infection. He could have been helped if my parents agreed to bring him to a hospital. They didn’t.
My mother’s words surrounding that horrible month of watching my brother slowly die were, it’s the right thing to do.
Meaning, it’s the right thing to do to just watch an innocent kid die because if God truly loved him, he would save him.
He didn’t. My brother, Jacob, died. I swore to him, and myself, that I wouldn’t let the same thing happen to me.
So, once I was old enough to get away, I ran.
I started a new life, and once I turned eighteen, I changed my name so my parents couldn’t find me. That’s all you need to know.”
Jack lets out a heavy breath. “Fuck, dude. So, Jon Jacob?”
“I didn’t have anything of my brother’s to remember him by.”
Another stretch of silence swells between us. I’m done talking.
“I like you, Jon. Margeaux picked a good one.”
Even if he told me he didn’t like me, it wouldn’t matter. I’d still date his sister. I’m hers until she decides she’s done with me—which I hope is never.
“You two done talking about me?” she chimes in from the hall, smiling big and bright.
“Yup. He passed the Jackground check,” Jack says, giving a goofy smile. Okay, yea. I can see the computer nerd side of him more now. He and I are probably a lot alike in a lot of ways.
“Good. Because it’s time for you to leave us alone,” Margeaux says, shooing Jack away.
“Mags…” Jack says in a warning tone. “You’re in a hospital.”
“Gross, Jacky! We’re not gonna bang in the hospital. I want Jon to be able to sleep. He’s been through a lot. We’ve been through a lot. I just want us to have some quiet time with my man before you, Mom and Dad swarm us again.”
Her man. You hear that, World? Margeaux Wild, wrestling phenom, has claimed me!
“Fair enough,” Jack says, holding his hands up and getting out of the chair. “See you, Jon.”
He leaves. Margeaux closes the door, then flops into the bed next to me.
It’s almost too small for both of us, but we squeeze in close together.
I immediately grab her hand, interlocking our fingers together, and push some of her hair behind her ear with my other hand.
She slowly licks her lips, giving me a peek of her tongue piercing.
I shift my hips, feeling my blood start to rush to my dick, and the movement doesn’t go unnoticed by her.
She wiggles her eyebrows at me, giving me a knowing look.
She trails her fingernails with chipped black nail polish down my torso, sneaking underneath the thin blanket.
“What’s up, Doc?”
This woman.
I’ll sleep later.