Jordan explained in a quick, concise manner about the laparoscopy that had been performed on Tessa to repair the damage to her uterus. It had been a minimally invasive procedure, requiring only a very small incision in her abdomen.
“And of course they removed the offensive little device that caused all this trouble. Saved me the effort in extracting it, I suppose. How long did you say she’s had the IUD?” inquired Jordan.
“Going on eight years, I believe.”
Jordan nodded. “They’re usually good for about ten years before they have to be replaced. This – what happened to Tessa – is actually quite rare. Fortunately there won’t be any lasting damage. The perforation was fairly easy to repair.”
Ian sighed in relief. “Thank God. That’s the next question I was going to ask. This won’t affect her ability to have children, will it?”
“Nope. Not in the least.” Jordan cocked his head to the side, regarding Ian curiously. “Why? Planning on knocking her up soon?”
“Jesus, you’ve got a helluva bedside manner,” complained Ian. “I hope you don’t talk to your patients that way. And no – I don’t plan on knocking her up as you so charmingly put it for at least a couple more years. That’s why we need an alternative form of birth control as soon as possible.”
A deep laugh rumbled from Jordan’s chest. “A bit touchy there, Ian? Hey, I can’t blame you. Enjoy her for a while before you start procreating. But you’ll have to hold off on the fun and games for a bit, I’m afraid. She’ll need some time to recover from this.”
“Obviously. Well, I abstained for two and a half years while I was waiting for her. I suppose a few weeks will seem like nothing in comparison.”
Jordan stared at him in disbelief. “Two and a half years? Seriously? I don’t think I’ve gone two and a half days without some action since I was about sixteen.”
Ian shook his head. “Knowing you as I do, that doesn’t surprise me in the least. Now, when can I see Tessa and how soon can I bring her home?”
“I’d say another half hour to the first question and maybe a couple of days to the second. We’ll have to keep a very close eye on her for any sign of infection. That’s a fairly common complication for this sort of thing, and I see from the reports that she already had a fever when they brought her in.”
Ian’s spine stiffened at this news. “What does that mean? And I assume if an infection does occur that it’s easily treatable?”
Jordan nodded. “Almost always, yes. And the fact that she was running a fever on arrival isn’t anything to get alarmed over. I noticed they’ve already started her on a pretty high dose of antibiotics, most likely as a precaution.”
Ian was interrupted from asking any further questions by the return of Julia, who was balancing two large coffee cups, a paper bag, and her oversized leather satchel. Jordan, always a sucker for a pretty woman, rushed to offer assistance.
“Let me take those for you,” he offered with a killer smile as he took the two cups. “We don’t want to have to treat you for a third degree burn, do we?”
Julia gave him a polite smile in return, and it was very clear that she recognized Jordan for the notorious player that he was. “Thank you, the one with the tea bag is Ian’s.”
Jordan introduced himself, sparing Ian the trouble, and couldn’t resist turning on the charm even though he knew Julia was already spoken for. “I understand from Ian that you’re recently married. My very, very bad luck. I don’t suppose,” added Jordan teasingly, “that you’ve got a twin sister tucked away somewhere?”
Julia’s eyes widened as she and Ian exchanged a look of mutual horror. Jordan glanced between the two of them with a puzzled expression.
“I was actually making a joke,” he explained. “Why the panic stricken looks?”
“Because I actually do have an identical twin,” replied Julia. “And I’ll do you a huge favor and not set you up with her. As I understand it, the last time someone was crazy enough to do that, her date wound up with a very bloody nose.”
***
Ian refused to leave Tessa’s side once she was moved to a private room. He might not have been the boss here at the hospital – as Julia had sternly reminded him – but that didn’t mean he wasn’t fully capable of getting things done. With Jordan’s help, he arranged to have a sleeping cot set up in the room; sent Simon to the house to pick up whatever clothing and toiletries he might need; and set up a mini-office space, with his laptop, cell phone and tablet within easy reach. He’d been relieved to hear that the situation in Las Vegas was nearly wrapped up, and that his absence hadn’t had much impact on the proceedings. Andrew had been fully apprised of the situation with Tessa and was under strict orders about what calls to forward along.