Margeaux refused to be in a separate hospital room from me.
“I’m not letting you out of my sight, Doc. You get into too much trouble without me,” she teases.
“Me?!Pretty sure you brought nothing but trouble into my life since day one.”
“Yea. My sister has that effect on people,” a tall, dark-haired guy says from the doorway.
“Jacky!” Margeaux lets go of my hand to give this massive guy—her brother– a bear hug.
35
JON
“You just couldn’t waitfor the cops, could you?” Jacky says to Margeaux, rolling his eyes, then giving her another big hug. “Glad you’re okay, sis.”
“If it was Zoey, would you have waited?” she asks.
There’s a brief silence, then Jacky lets out a long sigh. “No. I’d have shown up with a chainsaw or something if someone had taken her.”
They share a laugh, and my chest tightens seeing Margeaux with her brother. She’s talked to me a lot about her family. Jacky—Jack—is her twin, and they’re really close. I wonder if Jacob and I would have grown up to stay as close as we were. I’d like to imagine he and I would have run away from home together, started our lives overtogether.
“So, is this the guy?” Jack nods his head in my direction.
Margeaux unhooks her arms from around him and faces me. She’s got a few scratches and bruises on her arms and face, nothing too bad. I didn’t even realize she was in the tightest black leggings and an equally tight sleeveless shirt. She looks like an assassin. She’s so hot. I’ve missed her. Would it be rude to kick her brother out of my room so I can have some quality alone time with her? We just had a veryintense, near-death experience. I think we both deserve some comfort and relaxation.
“Yup. Jacky, this is Jon. Jon, this is my brother, Jack, or Jacky,” Margeaux says, gesturing between us.
“Jack works fine,” he says. He pulls his shoulders back, trying to look even taller as he takes a couple steps towards my bed. I’m not used to being in the patient role, I feel so vulnerable in this gown. Nothing very tough about a guy in a backless hospital gown.
“Nice to meet you.” I hold out my hand, which is heavily bruised and cut up from being restrained. He’s careful and doesn’t squeeze my hand too hard. I wish he did so I can show him I’m not as weak and pathetic as I look right now.
He looks over his shoulder to Margeaux. “Mom and Dad are talking with Zoey’s dad in the waiting area. It would really help settle Mom’s nerves if you said hi. You know, proof of life and all that,” Jack says.
Margeaux looks at me, then back at her brother.
“We’ll be okay, Beautiful. Go see your parents. They must be so worried,” I reassure her. Her brother doesn’t scare me. I was literally kidnapped, drugged, and held at knifepoint, by a raging psycho.Jackyisn’t scaring me in the least.
Margeaux runs to me and gives me the biggest kiss on the lips. She quickly swipes her tongue against mine and pulls away, making a small smacking noise. “Be nice,” she says, pointing her finger between both of us.
Jack shakes his head and chuckles. “She’s a handful, huh?”
“She’s perfect,” I say.
I settle in, getting comfortable in this hospital bed. I’m already seeing the differences between this hospital and Paramount Hospital. We get a lot more money for things like bedding and patient accommodations. Even our beds are more comfortable, and the pillows, and blankets are cozier than here. The staff here are professional and courteous. I wouldn’t mind working in a hospital like this.
“So. You and my sister? Maggie hasn’t said anything about you until she came home yesterday morning, talking a mile a minute aboutsome guy she’s dating being kidnapped by her stalker. We were all caught off guard.”
He slumps forward in the chair near my bed, resting his elbows on his knees. Looking at his face, he doesn’t seem angry. Maybe disappointed?
“I thought my sister would be comfortable talking to me about this kind of stuff. I’m not sure what she’s told you about our relationship.” He pauses, looking up at me. I guess this is my cue to speak.
“Nothing disparaging. She’s only had great things to say about you. Says you’re her biggest fan,” I say, hoping it helps him perk up.
His tight smile has me feeling that he still has doubts about something. I’m really not an expert in family dynamics. Mine is a mess all its own. I’m not sure what Jack needs to hear right now.
“We’ve always been close. She knows everything about me. And, this whole situation.” He moves his hands around, towards me, the door, the entire room. “I guess, I just don’t understand why Margeaux never talked to me. Like, some asshole…attackedher.”
“No. He raped her.” Words matter in these types of situations. Doctors are encouraged to use explicit language with their patients so we don’t accidentally confuse them about what happened to them or create the impression that the patient shouldn’t talk about their experiences.Words matter.
