Jack Who?

CHAPTER 14

 ♪♫••════════CHAPTER 14════════••♬ ♭

JACK STAYED ALL day. When Tristan woke, he waited while she saw him, and she didn’t try to read anything into the decision. It seemed sound. Tristan would only be confused if some strange man was with her.

     Her steps were much lighter after seeing her son alert, even though his eyes were bleary instead of alight with his latest mischief. Bravely, he even smiled upon seeing her and talked some between Jell-O bites. The oxygen had been removed. The tubes hung discarded over his bed, and she watched in relief as his small chest expanded and contracted beneath the hospital gown. Beneath the covers was a miracle of modern science. She had peeked at the bandages in her last bedside visit while Tristan was sleeping, and although there was no visible change in his tiny legs, she knew there was a big difference. The pain medication caused him to fall quickly asleep after eating, and eventually, a nurse ran her out of the room.

     Jack seemed to hang on every detail, even asking what flavor Jell-O and inquiring if Tristan liked that flavor the best.

     She felt good about their son’s prognosis and eagerly nodded when Jack offered to hunt down the cafeteria and bring some food back.

     While watching him walk away, her eyes honed in on the fit of his jeans, and her fingers unconsciously curled into the gel case of her phone. When he disappeared from her line of vision, she stared at her hands and wondered what exactly was going on between the two of them. Was he feeling this same closeness, as if they were inherently joined by more than one night of sex and a son?

     From her pocket, her phone pounded his ring tone. People all around rubbernecked. Some frowned with disapproval, and some smiled in amusement at the screeching guitar riff and rowdy scream. Quickly fishing it out, she jabbed at the screen and spoke, “Hey, what’s up?”

     Considerately, Jack gave her a rundown of the food choices, and she found it difficult to select while being too engaged by the sound of his voice.

     “Cool,” was his acknowledgment when she finally spoke. Then, “What to drink?”

     “Tea,” she chimed while happily imagining the icy caffeine drink after doing carbonated canned caffeine and hot coffee all day. “Unsweet.”

     “Unsweet?” His exclamation rebounded without pause.

     “Yes please, if they have it.”

     “You sure you are a southern girl?”

     Her already growling stomach rumbled for reasons non hunger related at that husky barb. “Last time I checked, I cud still get a y’all on better’n any gurl in this neck o’ the woods.”

     The stress over Tristan was obviously compounding with nerves due to Jack’s presence and what seemed mild flirtation between them. Before she could blurt anything else equally ridiculous, she bit her lip.

     His response was not disappointing; his voice dropped another pitch and decibel. “That’s for damn sure, Mariss.”

     Her stomach lurched again. Although she was not sure what he meant, or if he even meant anything, his comment seemed sexy and flattering.

     And until now, the last time she had heard him say Mariss had been five years ago…

     In the pause that followed, the sounds of the cafeteria filtered through. She heard him phrase a polite a thank you to someone and then he spoke back into the phone, “Want dessert? Never mind. Stupid question. Everyone wants dessert. See you in a sec.” And with that sweet promise, he dropped the call before she could refuse whatever sweet delectable goodness he was looking at.