Page 81 of Hidden Plays
“What’s going on, Jordan?” Mom drew her brows together.
“I have to go. Holden’s brother…” Fuck, how do I explain this? I gritted my teeth. “Holden needs me. His brother’s in the hospital.”
Mom quirked a brow. “Uh, does he need surgery by any chance?”
Bingo. “I don’t know. Maybe.” And if they were calling Dad, it meant it would be a tough case. I’d heard enough stories from Dad to know that putting an addict under for surgery was dicey. “I’ll have to talk to you both later.” My heart pinched. Poor Holden. The last time we saw his brother, he’d been so upset.
Mom squeezed my forearm. “Jordan, you know he’s in expert hands if your father is in the operating room with him.”
“Yeah, I know, Mom.” I brought my hot chocolate to the sink, rinsed the mug and set it in the dishwasher. My heart jolted. Holden wasn’t out with his parents. How would we handle this? My hands trembled as I dried them on a towel. “Love you both, and I’ll see you later.” I raced back to them, kissed their cheeks and then jogged toward the front door.
After parkingin the hospital’s multi-level garage, I jogged to the front doors of the tall squarish building. The sprinklers were on, watering the grassy grounds, trees and palms.
I stepped under the portico covering the rounded drive to the entrance and through an automated sliding door, then tugged my phone from my pants’ pocket and dialed Holden. He’d mentioned the ICU, but he didn’t specify which one. The call rang once.
“JJ?” He huffed a breath.
“Yeah, I’m here, babe. Where are you?” I scanned the reception area, the stone tile floors and high-backed lounge chairs.
A woman sat behind a wooden desk, watching me.
“I’m coming down from the ICU. Are you at the entrance?” Holden asked.
“Yes.” I spun around. Which direction would he come from? We had so much to talk about.
“I’m here.” The call ended, and Holden strode from the elevator behind the reception desk. “JJ?” He ran to me, arms outstretched.
I caught him and wrapped him in a tight embrace. “Babe, are you okay?” I nuzzled his hair. For the moment, no one was around to witness us.
“It doesn’t look good.” Holden’s breath hitched, and a sob wracked his body. “H-he was in a car accident. He drove off the road on Shea, and his car crashed in a wash.” Clinging more strongly to me, he said, “He has internal bleeding and…” His body shook. “He might not make it. What am I going to do?”
“I’m sorry, babe.” Stroking the back of his hair, I said, “I’m here for you and your family, and so is my dad.” Surely this was why Dad had left the house. “He got called in for an accident victim.”
With a sniffle, he lifted his head, his wet gaze finding mine. “What? They called your dad in?”
“Yeah.” I set a hand on his cheek and rubbed the traces of tears with my thumb. “If anyone can get your brother throughthis, it’s my dad.” Would Dad have any idea who he was saving tonight and how much it meant to me?
With a hard swallow, he said, “Oh my God, I can’t believe it.” His gaze darted across my face. “I think it’s time for you to meet my parents.” The side of his mouth ticked.
“Are you sure?” I studied him. “You’re going through enough. You don’t have to?—”
“There’s no fucking way I’m getting through this without you. I can’t hide what you mean to me for another second.” His brows wrinkled. “I love you, and if Dad can’t handle it, then he can go to hell.”
“Holden?” Leah stood by the elevator, a tissue in her hand, and her mouth dropped open. She stepped toward us, blinking a few times. “What’s this?” She glanced toward the woman at the desk. “Come with me and let’s talk.” Grabbing Holden’s elbow, she led us into a hallway.
“Mom, this is JJ. He’s a wide receiver for ASU’s football team and he’s my uh…” He hooked an arm around my waist. “He’s my boyfriend.”
Holy fuck, what a way to come out. Worrying my lip, I forced my gaze to hers. “Pleased to meet you, Mrs. Cox.” I extended my hand to her. “I’m sorry for the situation here.”
She stared at my hand as if it were on fire.
Maybe it would help if she knew my father was here, trying to save her son. “My father’s an anesthesiologist, and I’m pretty sure he’s in the operating room with Noel.” I pushed my hand closer.
She gave a quick shake of her head. “You, you know Noel?” Her gaze crept to mine.
“Shake his hand, Mom.” With a huff, Holden put her icy hand in mine.
With her brows wrinkling, she shook my hand. “Pleased to meet you. JJ was it?”
