Page 2 of Every Last One
Emergencyricocheted in Gail’s head. Panic swelled her throat. This couldn’t be happening. Not when Phoebe was so close to being saved.
TWO
9:50 AM
Jordon Maddox woke up that morning with plans of making things right. His focus would be off until he did. As it was, his girlfriend’s announcement from last night continually played in his mind, like a haunting refrain. “I know we didn’t plan this, but I’m pregnant.”
The last part of that statement packed the punch. Just two little words that would forever change his life.
His first reaction was utter fear. There was no doubt his girlfriend would make a wonderful mother. She was loving and caring, the qualities that made her a terrific nurse practitioner. But he wasn’t too sure about himself as a father.
Am I even ready for this? Arewe?
He had his next five years mapped out. It was an approach to life he’d started in high school. It saw him through college, earning his MD, becoming an intern and attaining a residency. He’d decided on a specialty and had his sights on heading up the neurology department by the time he was thirty-five. That was only two years out.
It would take all his focus, ambition, and drive to pull it off. If he succeeded, he’d be one of the youngest department heads to ever work at Founders Hospital. He’d put in the hours, andhis mentors believed in him, praising him as one of the best attending doctors they’d ever seen. He was so very close to realizing that goal. But a baby… There was no way he could turn his back on Maria or their child.
That’s why he showed up at the nurses’ desk on the fourth floor that morning.
No roses in hand, though he’d thought about doing that. But she told him last night that she didn’t want to tell anyone else until after the first trimester. He came to deliver her favorite cupcake, red velvet, and a decaf coffee from her favorite shop. When he was brave enough, he had something else for her in his pocket.
Maria lit up when she saw him and kissed him on the cheek. They tucked into the nurse break room for a few moments. Two nurses were in there who Jordon knew, but they stuck to themselves. Leah Winters was making herself a coffee, and Colby Mahoney was on the couch reading a printed newspaper like a man in his sixties when he couldn’t be older than Jordon. They passed him a look for being there, as if he should know nurses sought refuge from doctors within these four walls. But he was tolerated because of Maria.
“This is for you.” He handed his offering over to her, and she took it with a grin.
“Georgetown Cupcake? I’d say someone is trying to make up for last night.”
“Is it working? I was a complete and utter… well, I should have responded better than I did.” He’d gone quiet in the immediate aftermath.I’m pregnant.Truth be told, he’d hoped he could sink into the couch and disappear.
“You were in shock.” She kept her voice low.
“To say the least. But I’m hoping we can talk more tonight after work?”
“Yes, of course. But speaking of work, I need to get back to it. I’m sure you have patients who would love to see you.”
“Don’t tell me that a little girl has stolen your heart,” he told her.
“You know Phoebe has, but there’s still room for you.” She tapped a quick kiss on his cheek and was off, her fingers filtering through his. “As for this treat”—she held up the cupcake box—“I’ll eat it later.” She put it into the fridge before leaving the room.
He stood there, watching her leave and feeling like a coward. Pushing his hands into his pants pockets, his left one wrapped around a small box. His great-great-grandmother’s diamond ring, a family heirloom.
Marriage might not have been in his five-year plan, but it was in the next segment. He loved her without a doubt. She was his future, the mother of his children. Did it really matter if the timing was moved up? Not that he had any plans to propose here. He’d already imagined the perfect setup. A baseball game at Nationals Park with them being invited to the pitching mound by her favorite Washington Nationals player. They’d go down there, and he’d propose to her right there in front of the world. She’d love that more than any other grand romantic gesture.
His phone rang, breaking his thoughts. He should get moving on his rounds anyhow, but he answered after seeing the name on Caller ID. It was best to take her calls, or she wouldn’t leave him alone. “Hello, Mother,” he said. “I’m kind of busy if you can keep it short…?” He left the break room and stood outside in the hall.
There seemed to be far more people roaming about than normal. Nurses, patients, and visitors were cluttering the hallways. All of them were hustling too.What the…
“Make time for me,” his mother commanded. “I just wanted to make sure that you’re set to come here this Saturday. It’s your father’s birthday dinner. A lot of important people will be here.”
Of which he had no doubt. He could protest that it was five days away, but his mother wasn’t wired like most people. She was a perfectionist and everything she had her hands in was planned to exhaustion. “You know I’m coming.”
“What’s going on there? It sounds busy.”
“It is.” He was having a hard time making sense of the foot traffic.
“He’s got a gun,” a man said to him quickly while he kept walking.
“Did that man just say…?” his mother asked.
