Home is Where the Heart is(46)

Jake’s pediatrician finally made an appearance, standing behind and clearing his voice in an attempt to be noticed.

Jordan and Cassie turn around to face him, along with Nick, who was now standing alongside his friends. His black-rimmed glasses sat on the bridge of his nose as looked down at the clipboard he held in his hands.

“Ms. Larson?” the doctor directed toward Cassie.

She nodded her head, pointing toward Jordan as well. “It’s okay. Jordan is Jake’s father.”

“How is our son?” Jordan asked the doctor, desperate for some good news.

“He’s in a lot of pain, but he’s stable. The nurses are with him now.” His speech was straight and adamant.

“What’s wrong with him?” Jordan asked.

“It’s as we suspected earlier. Your son has appendicitis, but we caught it in time so we can do surgery and he will make a full recovery without any further damage.” His fingers drummed against the clipboard he was carrying.

Cassie’s heart slowed down to a more regular pace knowing Jake was going to be okay. At least his illness wasn’t life threatening.

“When can we see him?” Cassie asked, desperate to see her boy.

“You may see him now while the nurses prep him for surgery. I’ll take you to see him, but it might be wise if just Mom and Dad go in for now.” His eyes darted from Cassie and Jordan to Nick and Brielle.

Nick nodded, tucking one hand into his front jeans pocket. He was fine with that. He was just glad his godson was going to be okay and would make a complete recovery once surgery was done to remove his appendix.

When Jordan and Cassie followed the doctor into the room to visit their son, leaving Nick and her out in the waiting area together, Brielle finally spoke for the first time since arriving at the hospital.

“They look good together.”

Nick turned to her with wide eyes, startled by her comment. All he managed to say was, “Yeah, they do.”

Nick could see that Brielle was starting to realize she and Jordan didn’t stand a chance at a happily ever after since Cassie was always going to be in his life.



The moment she stepped foot into the hospital room where her little boy was lying helplessly, Cassie couldn’t help but shed a tear or two as she shook a little. She knew that with surgery he would be fine, but it didn’t make the situation any less nauseating and panic inducing. For any mother to see her child suffer through as much pain as she saw Jake go through tonight, it was unbearable, and she didn’t wish it on anyone in the world. Cassie was thankful to have Jordan supporting her for the first time through this ordeal; any other time, she would have been doing it alone as a single parent. Even with Nick’s help, there was nothing like having Jake’s dad here.

Jordan continued to show his endless support toward the mother of his child as his hand cupped hers solicitously, their fingers intertwining together so naturally as if they were meant to be together.

As big as Jake was, compared to the size of the bed he was lying in, he looked so small wearing a hospital gown and a cap to cover his hair.

At the sight of both of his parents, Jake’s brown eyes lit up brightly.

“Mommy! Daddy!” His little voice sounded weaker than usual.

Cassie moved to the side of the bed, taking Jake’s hand in her own as Jordan stood next to her, his arm around her waist. It was almost as if they were a family of three all along, without their complicated history standing in the way of their togetherness.

For a few minutes, it was just the three of them in the room together. No one said one word. It was silent as Jordan and Cassie simply took in the reassuring, precious time with their ill son, praying he would get through this and go back to being the same kid that loved his baseball and ice cream.

A nurse reappeared in the doorway.

“I’m sorry to do this, but you need to go now. We’re ready for surgery.”

Jordan showed her an affable smile, while Cassie leaned down to place a comforting kiss on top of her son’s head.

“Mommy and Daddy love you very much. We’ll be right outside waiting for you with Nick,” she whispered to him.

Jordan ruffled his son’s hair gently, and they watched the nurses wheel Jake out of the room toward the elevator, which would take them to the operating room.

Cassie allowed Jordan to hold on to her for the extra support she knew she needed right now to keep from slipping to the cold vinyl floor and curl into a ball where she would lay weeping.

A couple of minutes later, they walked out of the room together and back to where Nick and Brielle were waiting for them. This time, Gabby was also there, and they gave each other a hug. For Cassie, it was nice to know she had the support of so many people in her life, despite her parents’ absence for so many years.