Greg actually took a step back from Dylan and Will and ran a hand over his head and put his fists on his hips. “Please tell me she didn’t hear this.”
“She did.”
Greg swore under his breath and paced a couple steps away and back again. John looked just as upset and devastated.
Dylan thought about the accident and what Jessie said for the last two hours. Her words echoed in his head.
I believed your lies and I never got a chance to tell him. He’s a father.
Hope is gone.
She hadn’t meant that he was Will’s father. He was Hope’s father. A shudder ripped through him like a shockwave.
Greg’s words at the construction site office came back to him too.
I can’t tell you how important Hope is.
Jessie’s breakdown, trying to confess her secret. Greg and John’s concern about Will calling Jessie his mommy. It all made sense.
It hit him like a wrecking ball to the heart. It exploded into a million pieces that tore his soul to shreds. He’d left Jessie behind, alone and pregnant with his child.
“Tell me about Hope,” he said to John and Greg at once.
Greg and John looked stunned and resigned at the same time. About to start talking, everyone stopped and stared when the doctor entered the room.
“I’m looking for J. T. Langley’s family. I’m Dr. Williamson.”
As a group, they stood together collectively holding their breath, waiting for the doctor’s report on Jessie’s condition. The worn, tired lines on the doctor’s face told him the news wasn’t anything he wanted to hear.
“We’ve moved her into a room,” Dr. Williamson began, and Dylan exhaled his relief that she was okay. “I’ll let you see her, but only a couple at a time.” Things couldn’t be that bad if they were allowed to see her.
Dylan took the lead. “How is she? What are her injuries?”
“Are you here officially, Sheriff?” Dr. Williamson eyed his badge and the gun at his hip.
“No,” Dylan said tightly.
“You’re going to break all the hospital rules to get to Jessie, aren’t you?”
“I’m glad we understand each other, Doctor,” Dylan responded, thankful he still held Will, so he wouldn’t ring the doctor’s neck to get him to start talking.
“She’s unconscious. She has a major head injury. The fact she isn’t in a coma is both a miracle and a rarity. We put ten stitches in her scalp. She’ll have a massive headache when she wakes up and a bump the size of a small apple. We’ve cleaned the road rash on her shoulder, thigh, and hip. The scrapes were coated in dirt and grime from the street. She’s on some heavy-duty antibiotics. Her skin will remain raw for a few days before it scabs over, leaving some lasting scars. Parts of her thigh and shoulder took the brunt of the skid on the pavement. Most of the gravel is out, but it’s impossible to get it all. Her skin will heal over what’s left and it’ll feel bumpy rather than smooth as scar tissue builds up. Later, if she wants, plastic surgery can take care of most of it. I’m particularly concerned about the four-inch shard of glass we pulled out of her side. It probably came from a broken soda or beer bottle. We cleaned the wound and stitched it closed.
“We’ll watch her for fever and infection over the next couple of days. The head wound is the most severe injury. We’ll closely monitor her the next day or two and see how she does. She’s very lucky.
“She’s in room 211 on the second floor, a few doors down the hall. There’s another waiting room upstairs. You can go in, but only two at a time. Only for a few minutes each. She needs to rest.”
“Thank you, Doctor.” Dylan shook his hand. As he left, everyone spoke at once.
Marilee became the voice of reason and called for quiet. “Let’s go upstairs to the other waiting room. Brian and I will visit Jessie first, followed by Greg and John. Dylan, when you go in to see her, I’ll watch Will. Now, let’s go.”
Dylan didn’t utter a sound, and no one else argued or said a word. They rode the elevator upstairs, Dylan lost in his thoughts about Jessie . . . and Hope.
Chapter Eighteen
* * *
DYLAN WAITED FOR Brian and Marilee to go sit with Jessie before he demanded answers from Greg. He needed to know about Hope. If Jessie couldn’t bring herself to tell him, Greg sure as hell would.
“Greg, tell me the truth about Hope.”
Greg and John shared another look, and John nodded his head to Greg. “He deserves to know, son. You should tell him. Jessie’s been hurting and angry for far too long. He should carry his half of the burden. She’s carried it alone all these years. It’s too much for her to carry alone.”