She wished he was by her side yet he wasn't rather it was Nelly. Nelly had gone to the canteen to get her some food. The hospital had called Nelly because she had made her emergency contact. She had cried a lot thinking that she was going to die. The doctor was yet to tell them what had happened to her. In all honesty, she was afraid for her baby. She didn't know how she was going to deal with herself if she lost it. Maybe it's that motherly bond people talk about. Such nonsense! Nelly arrives with a tray of orange juice and toast.
"Why? did I donate blood,?" Jordan sasses.
Nelly rolls her eyes. "Don't ask me. That's all I got from the canteen."
"And they call that a canteen?"
"Look here lady, if you've got a prob-" A nurse and a man in a coat with a stethoscope round his neck enter the room causing Nelly to pause in her 'fed up' speech. Jordan chuckles slightly earning a glare.
"Miss Rivers, Miss Delamoore, good morning, I am Dr. Trudeau and this is my assistant nurse Nieman and we will be asking you a few questions as we get started." The doctor looks at them for confirmation. "Is that okay with you?" it was directed to Jordan particularly.
The doctor raises his head slightly from the clipboard he was checking with the nurse in a blue scrub. Jordan and Nelly look at each other trying to wrap their heads on what he wanted to ask about.
"Sure," Jordan agrees fidgeting with her fingers. "Go ahead."
"Will you stop that?" Nelly hisses. "It's making me nervous." Jordan glares at her. They had probed her back with lots of pillows. She was lying but leaning with the help of the pillows in that position. She felt comfortable though there were tubes passing through her nose. She would pay Nelly a hundred bucks if she does this for her everyday but she knew her. She wouldn't.
The doctor clears his throat. "Has this ever happened before?" The nurse began.
"No. Not that I remember?" The doctor ticks a box.
"And have you had any attack like this before?" The doctor asks. Jordan stared off into space reminiscing.
"Yes. But that happened in sixth grade. I was twelve." She lowers her gaze. "It was an asthma attack." It was almost inaudible.
"Okay. But ever since then has there been a case of it or an appearance?"
"No but little ventilation problems, I guess." Worry began to climb up in her heart. "is this going to affect my baby?"
"No for now. We can wait until the baby's born and growing for us to know if he/she inherited it." The doctor loosens up a bit. "By the way, your baby is safe and healthy. You'll be beginning to show" He smiled. Jordan had already noticed the small circle bump on her tummy. Her eyes welled up at the thought.
"Wow, wow, what's happening Jordan" Nelly comes to hug her patting her back. For a teensy second she wished it was him. She wished it was him hugging her giving her all the comfort and assurance that she would need. At least she got to know that the father of her child was alive and faring well. That had been bugging her all this time. The tears fall making the doctor feel awkward. She hadn't expected to see him after these months besides he doesn't know that she is pregnant. That's good. It should remain like that.
That memory flash had revealed more than enough for her. But he didn't look like what she had seen. He was intimidating and brooding at the dais. Yet he did have his piercing looks which drew her to him like a magnet till this day. Maybe that's what caused what happened at the club. But he started first! He was beautiful, drop-dead gorgeous. And with that sharp body features he had, Jordan was certain her son would inherit that. He was to die for. She wasn't sure about the gender of the baby though.
He had thick curly hair just as she had seen at Varna Avionics. She gasped. Varna Avionics? He was the CEO of Varna Avionics? Oh my goodness! She didn't know what to do. Besides when he saw her he did nothing and even when she was on the floor, he did nothing but ran away like a coward from something stupid. She was certain about. He doesn't remember her. She went full blown sobs. Nelly couldn't understand why she was still crying even after the doctor had said that the baby was okay.
"miss? Can you please…um…stop crying" the doctor clears his throat uncomfortably. Nelly hands her tissues to wipe her tears and snots.
"You can go ahead" Jordan speaks from behind the tissues. It came out a bit muffled.
"How long have you had this ventilation problems?" The nurse nods at something the doctor whispers in her ears then leave the room.
Jordan looked unsure. "Ever since I found out that I was pregnant. I think."
"Okay. So what causes this to happen?" Jordan didn't know if she could tell him the truth. Nelly would get worked up and start demanding answers to her constructive questions.
"Memory flash. Or flashbacks whatever it's called."
"Memory flashes ?" Nelly and Dr Trudeau say in sync.
"What kind of memory flashes? And why didn't you tell me?" Nelly bombards her with a lot of questions not giving her chance to get a word out. "Were you going to keep this away from me?" She sounded guilty.
"Not now Nelly," Jordan utters curtly. She was tired. " I'll tell you soon. Trust me. " Nelly nodded. "let the doctor do his job then we leave. Hmm?"
Dr Trudeau saw it as his cue to continue. "So these flashes cause your bronchus to constrict preventing you from breathing. Spasmodic contraction." He spoke as if he was ticking off the boxes on his bucket list.. "And you have an inhaler with you all the time."
"That's for in case of any unexpected attack." She shrugs.
"That's thoughtful." He closes the clipboard and looks at them. "Well, as I said nothing can be determined as of now for your baby. So I suggest you take very good care yourself and your baby. Maybe we could ask the baby's father-"
"Don't you dare continue that sentence." She hisses causing the doctor to raise his hands in surrender. Nelly stares intensely at her for a while.
He lowers his hands. "You will be discharged in three hours time and that's at two o'clock." He checks his watch. "Ill leave you to replenish your strength." Nelly stays silent for the rest of the three hours when the drugs danced in Jordan's veins. They lay her on the bed properly for her to get some sleep.
Nelly was on the phone when they stepped out of the hospital's doors. She was back from paying the bill. As they strode through the parking lot for her car Jordan felt uneasy. Like someone was following them but she shook it off when Nelly finally located the car still muttering words. Jordan found out she was speaking to her mother when they got into her car, a black Audi.
"You told my mom about it?" Jordan shot her question immediately Nelly pressed the red call button.
But Nelly looked at her as if she was crazy. "No I didn't." She couldn't believe the nerve of her friend. "In fact, she saw it on TV then called to tell me to come get you." Jordan gasped. "Then did the hospital call to tell me where you are."
"It happened live?"
"Oh yes. Why would you think I want to bother her frail heart with this issue?" She held her hand with her right hand with her left on her cheek caressing it soothingly. "Let's let the old citizens retire peacefully." She pats her hand then return both her hands to the steering wheel, igniting the engine. Jordan sighs. "By the way, she wanted to speak to you." She speaks it like it wasn't a big deal. "Just don't freak out on her.
Jordan moves to turn the radio on. "She's going to kill you for calling her that. I get that you are frustrated but- She…what? Why didn't you tell me earlier?"
Nelly rolls her eyes. " Yeah with you acting as if FBI has denied you access to San Francisco jail." It was more of her been provoked. Jordan huffs then takes her phone from her bag at the backseat. The call forwarded on conditional. Soon her voice transmitted all the way to Belgrade.
"A good day to you Mama" Jordan greeted as cheerfully as she could.
"Cut the bull crap" Keturah responds in her own way as the makeup artist polished her face.
"It was an accident, Mama. Totally unexpected." She tried to calm the veteran TV star down. She didn't want an another instance of hypertension just before her show.
"I know Jo-bear, I know. It's not your fault honey so don't let it get to you. " Keturah wished she could pat and console her one and only daughter.
"Oh, Mama," She began to cry. Fucking hormones!
"I have an interview with Julie Andrews."
"Really?" Nelly butts in excited at the new information. "Oh can you get her autograph for me please Aunt? Pretty please?"
"Sure. I'll make sure she'll sign your name in her signature on that floral handkerchief you left in Jo-bear's room."
"Jo-bear, huh." Nelly giggles but Jordan groans and stopped when she noticed that black car tailing them. She became cautious.
"Uh…Mama. Can I call you back later? Besides you need to rest a little for your interview."
"Sure but don't forget, Bear." Jordan groans at the use of the ridiculous endearment. Keturah cuts the line when the artist asks her to close her eyes. Nelly notices the whiplash in Jordan's attitude.
""What is going on-"
"Just drive Nelly. Don't ever stop well until that black Honda behind stops following us." Nelly comprehends what she said and goes according to it. She uses the highway instead of the normal lanes. Still the Honda Accord followed them. Nelly had had enough when it was close to an hour of random driving.
"I'm hungry." Jordan exclaims in the silence which has been bathing them.
"Me too."
"Fuck this Honda. Let's stop at MacDonald's for a quickie." Nelly nods frantically. "Then we'll see if this fucker still want to follow Prego woman and Blondie."
"Huh?"
"Take the left fork."
A month later
Just as they were being followed that day at the hospital, it appears that it was actually her they were following not Nelly. Jordan has felt for this past month that she was being stalked. Whether on foot, bus or in her car, that feeling stayed. She thought she was being schizophrenic but that wasn't the case. She even talked it out with Nelly one sleepover who just brushed it off as just her illusions. Even Nelly had to change her mind when she had gone to draw the blinds and seen the very same Honda which followed them at the hospital. They almost called the cops when they decided to think through their plan.
"I mean, whoever it is, Jordie, they are not harming us in anyway." Nelly was busy crunching on Cheerios. She placed a handful in her mouth then tried to speak but a glare shut her mouth. "They didn't send any random note, no threats just basically following us any where we go."
"Following me , Nelly." Jordan gulped her orange juice. " It gives me the creeps and renders me stressed."
"Take it that he or she is your bodyguard." Nelly drinks directly from her carton. " Girl, you are not paying a dime so why stress it." She pats her shoulders then plops another handful in her mouth.
"Don't stress me remember, the baby"
"I know I know dear. But think about it. Give it sometime if gets any creepier, this time we are calling Interpol."
"Interpol?" She crisscrosses her legs on the carpet as the movie began.
"Duh, you don't know if it's a dangerous criminal. It could be a mafia." Nelly copies her action. "Don't you still have your connections with them after your last session."
"I do, I do I could call at any time they'll come get me."
"Good. Now shut and let's watch John Wick kick some ass." Jordan chuckles at what she says then dims the lights by voice recognition.
"Wow, I've got to get some." Nelly exclaims. That had been the night both had thought was too much and had had enough. But she was wrong.
Jordan grew to get used to their presence everywhere she went. Work, Park, Tourist Sites, you name it. Once at the shopping Mall, she thought she got a glimpse of the stalker's face but that turned out to be a customer who didn't want to die by his wife's hands at the bakery.
She had put on burgundy turtleneck sweater and jeans pants for work today. She had got even better promotion than she was aiming for last two months. Now, she had her own column in the Washington orbital and could publish whatever she wanted though she was going to tackle crime mostly. She had also gained the opportunity to go to countries to make cover ups. Unfortunately with the baby on the way, she couldn't do any 'strenuous' work. She huffs the cold was catching up fast just being in October. She took the bus and stopped at Bake bar for a quick breakfast although she had one before boarding the bus. She was eating too much lately. Nelly was already at her work place at Numbers and figures, a finance consultancy firm as an accountant.
She salutes the security guard at the lobby and greeted her fellow workers as she walked to her cabin. It was a cute room separated by a wall and shared with her cabin mate. A souvenir which came with her promotion. She couldn't be more excited. She drops her bag then powers up her computer ready to print out the article Maureen has been bugging her with since Tuesday. Today was a Friday bonanza. A buy one get one free at Eddy's pizza. She wasn't going to miss that!
Jordan hadn't noticed that her mate's empty cabin was no longer empty. But this time it wasn't Mr. simpleton Neither was it Nelly or her mother nor her siblings who like to give her surprise visits. Curiosity got the best of her . She rounds the hallway to her cabin mate's office. She opens the door into the dark room then closes it. Maybe it was David, his assistant. She could pass the copy of the drudgery case through him . She thought about it . It was a perfect plan. She treads slowly towards what she thought was his desk but ends up colliding with a hard wall whose surface was thumping in a rhythmic pace. That wasn't a wall!
"Miss me, Kinny baby?" A baritone voice whispers in her ears. Her eyes widen. It was that very same voice she didn't want to hear again for the fear of her weak heart. She didn't want to believe it so she searched for the table lamp with her hand. He had locked her in his grip around her waist preventing her from moving anywhere further. That little touch of fire ignited the sparks she had felt at La Palma. She needed to get out of his arms. Moreover she needed the light to make sure that all these are not true. The lights come on as of it had heard her plea.
And there he stood with that sexy smirk, sharp tanned features, those blue eyes which had a tint of green dancing in the background and the thick curly locks of his. She had remembered each and every inch of his face and didn't think of forgetting it any sooner. She just shoved it at the back of her mind. He was propped up on the desk half sitting and her in between his legs. She could feel his gaze on her under the table lamplight. She needed the main lights to be able to 'see' for herself.
She began to walk backwards not knowing exactly where she was going to and hit the edge of the chair unexpectedly.
"Careful baby." She just needed the lights on. His arms tighten around her waist as he drew her back to her former position. "We've got a baby on board." His voice was sultry as she remembered it to be.
Jordan's eyes widen again in shock and fear. He chuckles into her neck inhaling her fragrance. That was calming her down than she had anticipated. 'How did he know about the baby?' She asked herself. 'Was he going to take he/she away from me?' She subconsciously lean into his body and cologne.
"That's more I like it." He moans making her snap back to reality. Her face, burning red with anger.