When Jordan and Brenda arrived at the waiting area in the emergency room of the local trauma hospital, Brenda spoke to the admitting clerk. “We’re here to see Kirsten Murphy. Could you tell us where to go?”
The older woman punched in a few keys and consulted her computer screen. She looked up at them over the top of the eyeglasses that were perched on the tip of her nose. “Are you family?”
“No, but I’m her best friend, and this is her partner.” Brenda pointed to Jordan. “She doesn’t have family in the area.”
The clerk glanced from Brenda to Jordan. “May I see your identification, please?”
Jordan and Brenda handed over their IDs, and the woman looked at the cards then up at them before handing them back. “Please take a seat, and I’ll have someone come get you.”
They took two seats that were together and closest to the door that would lead them where they needed to go. The waiting room was crowded with people moaning and little kids wiping their hands across their noses.
After sitting for about thirty minutes, Jordan began to get antsy, and her foot bounced up and down. Brenda shot her an annoyed look, and she got up and started walking around. She felt like she was coming out of her skin. She just needed to be with Kirsten and see that she was all right. She needed to tell Kirsten how much she loved her.
Another agonizing fifteen minutes later, a woman came out the door dressed in dark blue scrubs. She looked down at her clipboard. “I’m looking for Jordan Roberts and Brenda Lewis.”
Jordan walked quickly over to the woman, leaving Brenda to catch up. “I’m Jordan Roberts, and this is Brenda Lewis.”
“Come with me please.” The woman held the door open and followed Brenda and Jordan into the hallway. “I’m Valerie Malone, and I’m the nurse in charge of Kirsten’s care. She was in a motor vehicle accident, but she’s in stable condition.”
All strength left Jordan’s legs as soon as the nurse had said Kirsten wasn’t in any serious danger, and she sagged against Brenda, hoping she could remain standing. Her heart sped up, and her mouth was dry. “What are her injuries?”
“We know her left arm is broken, and she has a possible concussion. She’s getting a CT scan now, but she should return to her room soon. Come this way, and you can wait for her.”
As they walked down the hallway, Jordan grabbed the nurse’s arm. “Is she going to be okay?”
Valerie looked at her with sympathy. “We won’t know much until we get the results back from radiology.” Valerie opened the door, and Jordan was relieved there was no other patient sharing the room with Kirsten.
Jordan slumped down in her chair and covered her face with her hands. Tears began streaming down her face, and she found it hard to breathe. A comforting hand rested on her back, and she glanced up at Brenda. “I don’t know what I’ll do if I lose her.”
Brenda rubbed her back. “We’re not going to lose her. You have to stay positive. Let’s just see what the results are and wait to talk to the doctor.”
Jordan nodded. She had to believe Brenda. Losing Kirsten just wasn’t an option. She couldn’t imagine her life without Kirsten in it. It was unfathomable to think that because of her lapse in judgment, Kirsten had been seriously injured. She had so many plans for their life—moving in together, starting a family, growing old together. Kirsten had to be all right. She just had to. If she wasn’t…Jordan didn’t think she could live with herself, knowing she could have prevented this. Her head began to pound as the tears continued to fall.
Twenty minutes later, two orderlies wheeled Kirsten’s gurney into the room. Jordan’s eyes were drawn to the soft splint on Kirsten’s left forearm and the bandage wrapped around her head. Kirsten’s eyes were closed, and she looked like she was sleeping. Jordan went to Kirsten’s side and held her hand.
“Oh, my God. Honey, it’s Jordan. Open your eyes for me.”
Brenda came to Kirsten’s other side and placed a hand on Kirsten’s shoulder.
Kirsten’s eyes fluttered open for a brief moment, but then she closed them again.
Jordan brought Kirsten’s hand to her lips and kissed her palm then cradled it against her cheek. “I love you, Kirsten. I will always love you. You have to get better, baby. I can’t imagine my life without you,” she whispered in Kirsten’s ear.
Kirsten’s eyes remained closed, but she licked her lips and spoke so softly that Jordan had to strain to hear her. “I love you.”
Jordan’s heart soared. Those three words meant more to her than she ever would have thought possible. It was almost too good to be true. She’d never thought she would be lucky enough to be in this position, that she would have an extraordinary woman love her. If someone had told her just five months ago that she would be find love again, she would have told them they were crazy. But here she was, and she couldn’t be happier. She vowed to spend the rest of her life doing everything she could to deserve that love.
She remained at Kirsten’s side whispering loving words, promising that she would be okay and that she would take care of her until the doctor came in an hour later. He was a tall, skinny man who looked far too young to have a medical license. His disheveled, sandy blond hair covered his forehead and curled at the bottom. His face gave away no information as he read Kirsten’s chart. He extended his hand to Jordan.
“Hi. I’m Dr. Gaffney, and I’m the neurosurgeon on call.”
She shook his hand. “I’m Jordan Roberts, and this is Brenda Lewis. What did the CT show?”
“From what Ms. Murphy told us when she was brought in, she doesn’t remember much of what happened, but witnesses said a truck ran a red light and hit the passenger side of her car. Paramedics stated she briefly lost consciousness at the scene but was easy to rouse. The driver’s side window was shattered, so we suspect her head hit it. Her CT scan didn’t show any bruising, swelling, or bleeding, and there aren’t any fractures of her skull or facial bones.”
Dr. Gaffney put the chart on the bedside table. “She has a pretty bad concussion, and she’s going to feel pretty miserable for a while. We want to keep her for a couple of days for observation to make sure her symptoms don’t worsen. Her eyes are very sensitive to light, and she told us she feels nauseous. She’ll also have a hell of a headache, but we’ll give her some medicine through her IV that should help with the pain and nausea.”
Jordan let out a breath. Her vision swam, and she was grateful that Brenda was there to steady her. Her relief was overwhelming. No brain bleed or bruising. Jordan was cautiously optimistic. “Thank you, Doctor. We appreciate it.”
Dr. Gaffney shook Jordan’s and Brenda’s hands. “We’ll get her moved to the neuro floor soon.”
As soon as Dr. Gaffney was out the door, Jordan collapsed into the chair and began crying again. Brenda squatted in front of her and placed one hand on each of her knees. “She’s going to be fine.”
“I know. I’m just relieved that there’s no brain bleed or skull fractures. When they let her out of here, I’ll bring her home with me. I’ll call my boss tomorrow and let him know what happened.”
“Okay. I’ll come over after work to sit with her, so you can get some rest.”
“I’ll be fine.” Kirsten’s weak voice wafted to Jordan’s ears.
Jordan jumped up and nearly knocked Brenda over to get to Kirsten. “Baby? Can you hear me?”
“Yeah, but my head is killing me. What happened?”
“You were in a car accident, honey. You have a concussion and a broken arm. You’ll be fine, but the doctor wants to keep you in the hospital for a couple of days just to make sure.”
Kirsten’s eyes fluttered open, but she gasped and closed them again. A tear streaked down the side of her face. “Please don’t leave me, Jordan. I didn’t mean to make you mad.”
It was official. She was the biggest asshole on earth. The uncertainty in Kirsten’s voice broke her heart, and she vowed never to make Kirsten feel that way again. “No, baby, no. I’m not going anywhere. I’m not mad at you. It’s my fault you’re here. I should have trusted you, and I didn’t. But I swear I’ll never leave you again. I love you so much.”
Jordan dropped her head to Kirsten’s chest, and gentle fingers threaded their way into her hair.
“It’s okay, honey. It’s okay.”
She didn’t deserve Kirsten’s forgiveness. Not at that moment. But she swore that she would be the woman who deserved Kirsten’s love.