We both laughed, and he pulled me close.
"I love you," he whispered into my ear and we made our way through the masses and into the ancient church.
As we knelt to pray, Mathis' phone started ringing. Talk about embarrassing. He silenced the phone in his pocket, held my hand and we continued our silent prayers.
"Nora, slow down. What happened?"
Nora was frantic on the other end of the phone. Something about Lori being injured by a client. Screaming about how I needed to come back to Vegas immediately. My worst fears were coming to life, all while I was half a world away.
"Lori was with a client. He was apparently drunk, and crashed the car." She choked back a sob and tried to continue through her tears. "Jenny, it's bad. It's so bad. Did you know she had a baby? He is alone. There is no one to take care of him. God, Jenny! Please come back!"
"A baby?" That was the only thing that stood out to me out of the entire conversation. Not the fact that my number one girl was in the hospital. Not the fact that she never thought it was necessary to actually tell me she was a mother. God, it wasn't like I asked, but what the fuck?
"Nora, we will be back as soon as we can. Please, get that little boy and bring him to our penthouse. Take care of him and when I get there, I will sort this all out." I let out a sigh, and I felt like I was the one completely to blame. One of my clients did this to her. She put her trust in me and my client and this was what happened.
"Nora, who was the client?" I had to know.
She was silent for a long time. Just as I was about to speak again, I could hear her voice break through a small sob.
"Jenny, it was Jude."
And my world crumbled into a million pieces as my legs gave out in the middle of a crowded square. The only thing I could feel was my husband catching me.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Some People's Nerve
Mathis
I never thought seeing my wife break before my eyes would be one of the hardest things I ever had to see, but it was. It was downright fucking painful. I may have grown up with a cold hearted dick for a father, but that hatred luckily never seeped into me. I wouldn't let it.
My arms wrapped around Jennifer as the cell phone dropped out of her hand and shattered on the cobblestone street. "Love, what's wrong?" I knew there was an accident from what I could gather from her conversation. Was it bad?
"Jude … " She shook her head. "I can't fucking believe that asshole." Her breaths came out in small gasps, her tiny body shaking against me.
I grabbed her chin and tilted her head. "Breathe, baby."
Tears rolled down her cheeks. "We have to go home."
I nodded and placed a kiss on her mouth. "Of course. Want to tell me what happened?"
She huffed and angrily wiped the tears away. "Lori was in an accident because … " She let out an aggravated sigh. "Jude was drinking. He was fucking drinking, Mathis. She has a baby boy! Oh, God." Sobs wracked her shoulders. "It's my fault. All my fucking fault."
My stomach clenched. "Hey." I cupped her cheeks. "It's not your fault. You didn't know that he would stoop low enough to drink and drive. Listen to me, Jennifer. It's not your fault," I said, my voice firm.
Jennifer chewed her bottom lip. "Okay. I'm so sorry to cut our trip short."
"Don't be. We can always come back anytime you want to."
"Thank you," she whispered.
What the hell was Jude thinking when he got in the car with Lori? Was he trying to kill himself and her? Fine if he was hell bent on hurting himself, but did he not care who he took down with him? Was he that fucking desperate to get Jennifer's attention?
All of these questions rang through my mind as we sat in the cold sterile waiting area of the Emergency Room, patiently waiting for the doctor to tell us what the hell was going on. Jennifer was frantically talking to Nora in the corner as they held each other's hands. No doubt pulling strength from one another. They both desperately needed it.
Nora's usually perfectly styled blonde hair was wild and unkempt like she had been awake all night. I had no doubt that no one had slept. I knew for a fact, Jennifer didn't.
"I'm so sorry."
My back stiffened at Nora's quiet words.
"I told Jude to drive Lori home. He only had a couple of drinks. I thought he was fine, but he must have had more than I thought. Oh, God, Jenny. It's my fault," the woman sobbed.
Jennifer shook her head and wrapped her arms around her best friend, whispering in her ear.
"Hey, boss."
I looked up and nodded as Dean sat beside me. My bodyguard, my best friend, was sporting blue jeans and a black leather jacket. The guy was dressed casual and it threw me for a second.
"Problem?"
I shook my head. "No. Just not used to seeing you out of a suit."
Dean chuckled and scrubbed a hand down his face. "It's been a long night."
"I bet," I said and clapped a hand on the guy's shoulder.
"It's a fucking mess, Mathis."
My heart raced at the gruffness of his voice. Was Lori going to make it? Was Jude? God, it would destroy Jennifer if she lost either of them. I had to get over the fact that Jude was a big part of her life. As much as I hated the guy, I was man enough to know and respect that. It had just taken me time to get here.
"Are you family?"
We all turned to a large man standing at the entrance to the waiting room. Bags lined under his eyes and he pulled at the collar around his throat. He looked tired and miserable. The only way I knew he was a doctor was by the white lab coat he was wearing.
Nora rose to her feet. "Yes."
The doctor frowned, but nodded once. "They're both stable and resting."
A unison sigh erupted around the room.
"They're fine?" Nora asked, bringing a shaky hand up to her mouth. Jennifer came up behind her and placed her hand on the woman's shoulders.
The doctor nodded. "Yes. Mr. Emerson had the most injuries, but they're both resting. You can see them once they regain consciousness..."
"Oh, thank you, Doctor," the women said at the same time.
Served Jude fucking right. I hated to say it or even think it, but it looked good on him. With all the shit I did in my life, drinking and driving was not one of them.
Jennifer sat down beside me and grabbed onto my arm, pulling it onto her lap. She took a shaky breath. "I can't believe Jude did this."
I bit back a scoff. At first I couldn't either, but if he was that desperate, it didn't really surprise me. I couldn't even begin to think what kind of shit I would pull if Jennifer walked away from me. In a way, I couldn't blame the guy, even if it bothered me.
"I'm gonna fucking rip him a new one," she mumbled.
Dean and I chuckled.
"Oh, we know, love," I said, kissing her hair.
I watched as Nora sat on the other side of the room and stifled a sob. I frowned and elbowed Dean. Could he really be that oblivious to her pain?
He grunted.
"Trouble in paradise?" I whispered.
He sighed. "Not talking about it."
Hmm...interesting.
"Nora," Dean barked.
She looked our way and glared at him.
"Come here," he demanded.
She huffed and sat beside him.
He wrapped an arm around her shoulders, whispering in her ear.
I didn't know what had happened, but I hoped for the best, that they could work it out, or forget their issue for the time being. The girls needed us. And when Jude woke up, he better pray he had a good explanation for the shit he pulled.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
This is Motherhood?
Jennifer
I sat at Lori's bedside for hours. Doctors and nurses came in and out, running tests and checking on her condition, but I couldn't move. I wouldn't move until she woke up and knew I was there for her, no matter what. The elephant in the room remained, the poor baby boy whom Nora was taking care of in my penthouse right this minute. I wanted to rush home and tend to him myself, but I had too much to do first.
The door opened and Dean stood in the doorway with a pissed off look on his face.
"Jude is awake. I'll sit with Lori." Before I could form a single thought, I jumped from the shitty wooden chair and stalked in the direction of his ICU room. The click of my heels echoed through the hallway, until I found myself outside his door. The heavy wooden door was cracked open and I could hear the medical staff asking him a series of questions.
As much as I didn't want to calm down, I had to. If I didn't pull my shit together, I was going to be removed from the hospital in handcuffs. Although that could totally make for an awesome story someday, Jude wasn't worth it.
I slowly slid through the door and made my way to his bedside. He didn't notice me at first, but I noticed how horrible he looked.
His blue eyes were nearly swollen shut and there were cuts all over his face. A large bandage covered his forehead and one of his arms. His voice was weak, quiet, when he answered all of the questions thrown at him.