She reached for her phone and wondered if she should, but before she could second guess herself, she typed up the text and hit SEND.
Jordon:You awake?
She stared at the screen for a few seconds, then felt like an idiot.It would vibrate and let her know if he responded.Plus, it wouldn’t be instant.She might as well close her eyes and try to doze off while she waited.She didn’t have to wait long.She was just starting to relax when her phone vibrated.She picked it up and opened her eyes, eager to see what he had to say.
Spider:of course.Having trouble sleeping wildcat?
Something in her warmed when she realized the wildcat was a term of endearment.She liked it.It fit her way better than some she’d heard, at least for her.She couldn’t see herself answering to something like dove or angel.They just didn’t fit her.But wildcat?She could get used to that.
Jordon:A little.What’s got you up this late?
She glanced at the clock.11:27 PM.She had to get up in about five hours, and she really should be sleeping, but she couldn’t get her brain to slow down enough to let her sleep.
Spider:Pain, brain won’t stop, the lights are loud, the nurses keep bugging me.You name it.
Jordon smiled to herself, despite the near darkness in her room.She could hear his voice as she read each of his complaints.She wasn’t sure if he was exaggerating to amuse her or if he was being honest.
Jordon:But you’re getting out of there soon, right?Didn’t they tell you in the next couple of days?
She hit SEND on the last message and ignored the stab of sadness that went through her.She’d come to enjoy their visits.She would miss him once he went home.
Spider:yes and no.I’ll get out of here soon, but I don’t get to go home, not yet.Probably not for months yet.At least not for more than a day or two.
Jordon frowned.
Jordon:Why not?
Spider:Because I’ll still need PT.I’ll be in PT nearly every day.Going back and forth every day will be a lot, especially in the beginning.After I’ve been at it a while, we’ll re-evaluate.
She’d just finished reading his message and was trying to decide what to say when her screen changed.It vibrated and showed she had an incoming call.From Spider.
Jordon slid her thumb across the screen and hit the speaker button.There was enough insulation in the old house she didn’t have to worry about waking her parents or her brothers, especially with her speaker turned down low like she kept it.
“I decided it would be easier to talk.My thumbs are getting tired.”
She laughed.His hands weren’t getting tired—she saw how much he lifted and had seen him work for an hour or more.But she wouldn’t complain because she’d rather hear his voice.
“I like hearing your voice,” she said, her voice soft.“I was thinking about something.”She hesitated to say it, because she didn’t know how he would react.She wished she could see him, could watch his face and gauge his reaction.“But I’d like to see your face when I tell you about it.Can we switch the call over to video or are you not decent?”
“Give me a sec.I’ve done this before, I just have to remember how,” Spider said.
Jordon tugged her sheet up and tucked it under her arms.She had on pajamas but her pajamas leaned heavily to tank tops and shorts, and since she never wore a bra to bed, the sheet was just for good measure.
“What are you thinking, wildcat?”The crinkles at the corners of his eyes, especially in the dim lighting of his room, told her he was amused.She just hoped this didn’t piss him off.
“I’ve been thinking about that thing you told me, that you’ve always wanted to ride to Alaska and how that’s out now.What if it wasn’t?”
“What do you mean?I can’t ride.I can’t do it.”
“Well, you can’t do it like you’d been thinking, at least not right now.I’m not convinced you’ll never ride again.”
“Yeah, you wouldn’t be.”
Jordon let that go.He was still recovering.He was still bed or wheelchair-bound.That reminded her, when she saw him tomorrow, she’d be sure to get him into the chair and take him out for a walk.He’d been inside, or mostly inside, way too much.Especially for someone like him.
“I know you’re in PT now, rebuilding the muscle you lost right after the accident and strengthening your upper body.But there’s going to be some time when they’re just waiting for things to heal, where you don’t have appointments all the time.They’ll come back, though, as you heal.You’ll have fittings and PT to learn to use your prosthetics ...but what if we took some of that break, that window, to take that trip you’ve been dreaming of.”
“We?What do you mean?”he frowned.
