A soft tap had her looking up.There, on the other side of the glass, were Brantley and Reese.
“Uncle B and Uncle Reese are here,” she whispered.“I promise, one of these days you’ll get to meet them.Aside from your daddy, they’re the best men I know.Oh, and Tesha.You’ll love her and she’ll love you.You get stronger, and you’ll get to hang out with them sometime.”
Offering a small wave so Brantley and Reese knew she saw them, JJ turned her attention back to her daughter.Her time was quickly running out, and she wanted to cherish every single second.In a week, maybe two—she hoped—they would be strong enough to go home.According to the doctor, they would stay for the better part of ten days—based on their current assessment—but they were already getting stronger.The fact that they were eating well went a long way toward proving they were thriving.JJ took that as a good sign.As much as she wanted them home, she wanted them healthy more, so she would be patient.
Ten minutes passed in the blink of an eye.Because they were sticking to a schedule, JJ didn’t want to disrupt that, so she passed her daughter over when the nurse came by.She stopped by her son’s bed, peered down at the sleeping baby.He was hooked up to a bilirubin light due to his jaundice, and tiny goggles protected his eyes.JJ bent down and pressed a gentle kiss to his head before rubbing his little fingers.
“Good night, peanuts,” she said, the same as she’d said every night.
With a heavy but hopeful heart, she made her way out into the hall where Brantley and Reese were waiting.
“Hey, Mama,” Brantley greeted.“How are they?”
“Good.”She couldn’t stop smiling.“They’re perfect.”
“I bet they are.You want me to get you some wheels?”he offered, pointing toward a wheelchair.
“I’d rather walk, but we’re takin’ it slow.”
Brantley linked her arm to his and moved at her pace.It took some time, but it allowed them to give her an update on their day.
“Do you think there’s any truth to it?”she asked when Brantley finished.“A conspiracy?Really?”
“It’s got merit,” he admitted.
“What about you?”she asked Reese.
“I think it’s worth lookin’ into.”
“So that’s what we do now?Chase conspiracy theories?”
JJ felt Brantley’s mood shift as he slid his arm back and opened her hospital room door.
“You tell me.”His tone had an edge.“The information you held back seems to plug right into this one.”
JJ shot a look at Reese.
“We had to keep it from you,” she told Brantley.“It was too close to the wedding.”
“That’s what I hear,” he said, his jaw ticking.
“Come on, B.You know we wouldn’t’ve kept it from you otherwise.At the time, we didn’t know whether the information meant anything.”She looked at Reese again.“We still don’t.Do we?”
“Not yet.We need to map it out first.”
JJ eased into bed, watching Brantley pace in frustration.
“What’re the next steps?”she asked.
Brantley didn’t respond, but Reese finally did.
“Darius is digitizing the information Holt has.Once we have a chance to review it, we’ll map it out on a timeline, see what it tells us.”
“Okay, good.”JJ felt a flutter of excitement.She liked the idea of something to dig into.“How can I help?”
Brantley stopped pacing.“We need to bring the team in first.Get their input.See if they want to take on something like this.”
She watched her best friend, admiring how much he’d grown in the past couple of years.Back in high school, he was so gung-ho, plowing ahead without considering the consequences.Time, maturity, and likely the structure of the military had changed him.He was a strategic thinker now, and she found it fascinating.
