Page 36 of The Rebirth
“She’s in prison at our Boston complex,” Steven said. “No need to worry about her. As far as Wendy goes, I want both of you to know that she’s accepted an offer to work for Dr. Vieira. Her employment will be temporary, pending an evaluation process. Wendy is also studying to become a pediatrician, and with the expansion of the infirmary, we need the help. We’ve also hired Dr. Martin.”
My mouth parted. “My human ob-gyn doctor?” I liked Dr. Martin, who was good friends with Dr. Vieira.
“The same one,” Steven confirmed. “Look, we need to start integrating more with humans if we’re going to succeed in this new era. I also have plans to build a school on the naval base. With the soldiers’ families returning to their homes, I want a safe haven for them and their children until such a time when they don’t feel too threatened to come and go as they please.”
Sam rubbed his neck. “I guess we missed a lot. Does any of what you just relayed have to do with the role you have in mind for me?”
Sam had mentioned the phone conversation he’d had with his dad at the motel in Bismarck. He was more than curious what position his father intended for him as Steven led the vampire nation.
“We’ll talk in more detail about the new organizational structure that I have in mind and where you fit into it later today,” Steven replied. “For now, I’m sure Layla would like to see her sister. And Samuel, you’re welcome to stay with Layla, but I would prefer if you joined me and the team in the conference room.”
I gripped his arm. “Go with your dad. We’ll see Ellie and Rorie when Doc is finished with their exam, and you can stop by and check on Jordyn later.”
There wasn’t much he or I could do for my sister, and from the conversation he and Steven had been having on our way here, I could tell my husband was anxious to catch up on what was happening in North Dakota. After all, Olivia, Ben, Kraft, Kendra, and Conrad were scouting the state for Adam Emery. Plus, I was dying to know if Romanwasdead.
Sam rested a hand on my lower back. “Will you be okay? I know you can probably kick my ass now with your witch powers, but if you need me to hold your hand, I will go with you to see Jordyn.”
I just adored my husband for thinking of my emotional well-being. I gave him a quick kiss on the lips. “I love you, vampire. Go with your dad.”
After we parted ways, Wendy and I navigated in the opposite direction from Sam and Steven.
“I hope my fiancé and I have that deep love you and Sam share,” Wendy said.
I really didn’t want to make small talk. It wasn’t only taxing on my psyche, but it was hard to chat with her, knowing she had worked alongside Beverley. If Steven wanted us to give her a chance, then she had to start earning our trust. Nonetheless, I believed she had to have known something about Beverly’s actions.
“Did you know what Beverly was up to?”
Wendy brushed her brown bangs away from her eyebrows. “Sadly, Beverly never gave me any indication she was up to something. I understand she was vetted and her background check was clean, just like mine and the other nurse, Amy’s. But… she was excited about a new man in her life. She’d been dating him for a few months. She didn’t share details about him or who he was.”
As we turned a corner down another hallway, I asked, “Didn’t you work with her here at this facility?”
“Yes. We weren’t close, if that’s where your questioning is going. We were on opposite shifts. She did, however, volunteer to work on your birthing team.” Wendy touched her chest. “I didn’t. I had a final exam that I was cramming for when Dr. Vieira came to me. He thought being on the birthing team would be a good learning opportunity, and he trusted me. He and my parents are good friends.”
I could see why Steven had gone to bat for her, not only because he’d read her mind, but he trusted Dr. Vieira’s judgment.
“If I had to guess, one of your parents is a doctor?”
Her head moved up and down. “My father owns a well-known law firm in Boston. As a vampire, he caters mostly to people in our community. My mother is a surgeon at Mass General here in the city, and she was the one who operated on your sister Jordyn.”
I made a mental note to thank her mother if I had a chance to meet her.
When we reached the double doors, Wendy hit a large silver button on the side wall, and the doors opened.
“Wendy, I want to be very frank. You don’t want to make an enemy out of my husband and me.” I felt compelled to say my piece, especially if she would be working in the infirmary on the naval base.
“I can assure you I will never betray the Masons. That’s not who I am or how I was brought up. The Banks family code of honor is to help those who can’t help themselves.”
Much like the Vampire Navy SEAL’s mission statement. Still, for all I knew, she could be blowing smoke up my ass.
She gently touched my arm. “I hope over the coming months, you’ll see that I’m trustworthy. For now, I want to prepare you before you see Jordyn. She’s hooked up to a ventilator and an EEG machine to monitor brain activity. Since she hit her head and she’s in a medically-induced coma, the EEG is necessary. So don’t freak when you see the green cap on her head that has probes attached. Dr. Vieira will explain more about her prognosis when he comes up.”
Suddenly, the outside world and our conversation vanished as we walked into a modest-sized area with three rooms and a nurse’s station. Directly ahead was a sign for the operating room.
Each step I took as I walked alongside her felt heavy and painful, both in my legs and my chest. I didn’t know what to expect when I saw Jordyn. The last time I’d seen someone I loved in a hospital bed fighting for her life, it had been my mother. And the deathly sight of my mom as she fought to breathe and talk during her last moments before she passed was forever imprinted on my brain. I wasn’t sure I could even see Jordyn without falling apart.
The second I looked through the window into the last room we came to, tears flew out faster than I could stop them, and air rushed from my lungs as if someone had punched the wind out of me.
As Wendy had detailed, Jordyn was hooked up to machines—a ventilator, vitals machine, IV—and she had that green cap on her head.
