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He started with the jam session. “He kept stopping in the middle of a riff, wiping his face, saying he didn’t feel right. I made him drink some water, then I actually ran out and got some Gatorade from a vending machine. Electrolytes can make a big difference. He drank that, and it seemed like he might be doing better. Then when everyone was leaving, he went to use the bathroom and I caught him veering into a wall. He started rambling about something, but none of it made sense. I checked his vitals as best I could. Erratic pulse, no sign of a fever, elevated heart rate. Altered mental status. It all added up to a big red flag.”
“My heart rate is elevated just hearing about it.” The strain in her voice made his heart ache for her. He wished he was with her right now, holding her close while she traveled through the night toward the hospital. All he could do was use his voice and his love.
“He’s okay, Kendra. He’s in the right place, with the right people checking him out.”
“Thanks to you.”
He didn’t answer that directly, but she was right. If he hadn’t been there, who knew what would have happened? Maybe Alvin would have tried to drive himself home. Or maybe someone else would have noticed something wasn’t right and stepped in. Or tried. It hadn’t been easy getting him to the hospital.
“I’m glad I was there. He wanted to go home, and he got confrontational about it. He’s got that Carter family fighting spirit.”
“Where do you think I got it from?” Her voice sounded a little lighter this time. Her imagination had probably been going wild with potential life-threatening scenarios. “Dominic and Ahmad just got a big dose of it too.”
“Ahmad?”
“The first Uber driver. I hope he doesn’t testify against me if Dominic files charges.”
“What?”
“I kicked Dominic in the balls. Well, probably more like his upper thigh because of the close quarters. It was the only way to get my point across that I wasn’t going anywhere with him! He’s fine,” she added quickly. “I’m sure he’ll be back in charming seductive mode by the time he reaches Minneapolis.”
Jason didn’t know whether to laugh or applaud—or fly to London and smash his face in after all. “I’ve been having fantasies of punching him out. I guess you took care of it yourself.”
“You already got one scar while defending me.”
He’d risk a million more scars for her…but he didn’t say that. She already knew it.
“So you’re not going to London?” he asked cautiously, almost afraid to hear the answer.
“I’m not going to London. I figured out why Dominic flew all the way here to lure me to London.”
“It’s…not because he wants you back?” He could barely get the words out, and every muscle in his body tensed as he waited for her answer.
“Hell no. He doesn’t want me back. He claimed his firm wanted to hire me, but that’s not it either. He made some bad investments and needs to sell Explastica right away. He knew I didn’t have the money, so he talked his firm into purchasing it. He was in a rush to close.”
The rush of relief made his head swim. He looked up to see an older man in scrubs coming toward him. “The doctor’s coming out. How far away are you?”
“I can see Braddock now. Maybe ten minutes?”
“I’ll put the phone on speaker.”
He bolted to his feet to greet the doctor, a pleasant but tired looking man in his sixties. “How’s he doing?”
“We have him on IV fluids. We’re running some tests. Nothing definitive yet. Are you his family?”
“No, but his daughter is on the way. She’s on the phone right now—” But his screen had gone dark. Damnit, he must have hung up when he tried to put the speaker on. “Can you wait until she gets here? Is it urgent?”
“We can wait. Tell the nurse when she’s here and we’ll go from there.”
“I have paramedic training, so I’m familiar with signs of stroke. Did he have a stroke?”
“Let’s wait for his family.”
As soon as the doctor was gone, Jason texted Kendra. Sorry, didn’t mean to hang up on you. They’re going to wait for family, aka you, but he’s stable. IV fluids. Running tests.
She sent a thumbs up emoji.
He paced the perimeter of the emergency room, watching the reflections in the windows and bracing himself for the sight of Kendra. He hadn’t set eyes on her, even in passing, since he’d confessed his feelings to her. His stomach roiled at the thought of seeing her again, being so close, but so far.
