Steven had a broad grin on his face, as he could hear Dr. Vieira.
I was crying happy tears. “I’ll be right there.”
I was out of my chair in a flash with my phone in hand. “Is it okay if I go see her?” I didn’t want to be rude or interrupt our conversation.
“Go,” he said. “We’ll have plenty of time to talk later.”
My pulse raced faster than ever as I flew out of the room and through the medical facility like a witch with wings.
20
LAYLA
Iwas out of breath by the time I pushed through the double doors into the wing where Jordyn was. Isaac, the nurse on duty, jumped out of his seat at his desk.
The vampire with curly blond hair and lean physique was shorter than others I’d been around. He was a sweet guy who liked to keep everyone laughing and upbeat. He’d told me his boyfriend always rolled his eyes when Isaac told jokes. I appreciated Isaac’s warm, friendly, genuine disposition. It had been refreshing amid the dreariness around here.
“Your sister has a guest.” Isaac waggled his eyebrows. “A very hot and handsome one.”
I stopped short. “Sawyer’s here?” I asked myself more than Isaac.
Jordyn had the hots for the Vampire Navy SEAL’s tech guru. I knew Sawyer was working on leads that he had. Maybe he’d driven the two hours from his tech cave at the naval base to meet with Tripp. I knew he hadn’t tagged along with Sam. I’d seen Tripp with Steven and Webb shortly after Sam had left.
Then again, Isaac could be talking about Webb or Tripp. They were both handsome. But I didn’t see any reason for them to visit Jordyn. Tripp wasn’t a fan of my sisters either.
As he circled his desk, he gestured with his head toward Jordyn’s room. “Come on.” He extended his elbow. “You look like you could use an anchor.”
I inhaled slowly, catching my breath and hooking my arm through his. “How long has Jordyn been awake?”
“About an hour. Dr. Vieira started to wean her out of the medically-induced coma about four hours ago. He didn’t want to alert you until he had a chance to run a quick exam and adjust any pain meds.”
“She’s fine, then? Can she walk?”
My stomach churned and roiled at the possibility that her freedom and independence could be forever stolen from her if she didn’t have use of her legs. The anger at the senselessness of the violence that had brought us to this point, the frustration at the cruel randomness of fate, and a deep, gut-wrenching sadness at the thought of what she might have to endure had weighed heavily on me since Doc informed me of Jordyn’s outlook if she made it through.
“Whether she can or not is something you’ll need to discuss with Dr. Vieira.”
The emotions spinning inside me came to an abrupt halt when I glanced through the window of Jordyn’s room, and my jaw hit the floor. Tripp was sitting next to Jordyn’s bed, fidgeting with his phone as if he was nervous, which was totally odd and confusing. He didn’t even like my sister. Plus, I had yet to see Tripp anxious about anything.
Isaac leaned into my ear. “Isn’t he swoony?”
The formidable sandy-blond vampire with eyes of the color of shiny pennies was nice to look at, but he wasn’t my type.
“I just love a man in uniform,” Isaac whispered.
The Navy SEAL uniform was an eye-catcher. I loved to see Sam in his, especially with weapons around his waist and legs, hair tied back, biceps showing through the T-shirt with the Vampire Navy SEAL emblem sewn onto it, although Tripp’s patch was different today. This was the first time I noticed the name Jupiter Sentinels.
My bewilderment lessened. “I don’t think your boyfriend would appreciate you drooling over another guy.”
“Pfft,” he said. “That handsome creature with your sister is nothing but eye candy.”
Tripp didn’t swing Isaac’s way. Come to think of it, I’d never seen Tripp with a significant other, so maybe he did.
Regardless, it was great to see Jordyn with her eyes open. No ventilator but an oxygen tube in her nose. She was still on the IV and tethered to the vitals machine, but at least she was wide awake. That was a celebration in and of itself.
“Is she still hooked up to the EEG?” I imagined she was, which was the reason for the green cap on her head.
“Dr. Vieira won’t take her off the EEG for another day. He’s being cautious. He’ll explain everything when he finishes his phone call.” He stabbed a thumb at the desk down the hall. “I have paperwork to finish.”
