The first thing I noticed when I opened my eyes was that I wasn't in my cabin, nor my old bedroom. My eyelids were heavy as I tried keeping them open, but I managed. My throat was dry, and I tried my best to ignore the pain in my shoulder.
A nurse came into my room, greeting me and asking how I was feeling. Other than my shoulder, nothing was hurting much. I remembered why I was in there almost immediately, but I soon started to worry about Jordan.
What if Hunter had killed her? What was I supposed to do then?
Pushing aside the horrible thoughts, I tried assuring myself that Jordan was okay. I couldn't rush to conclusions, although that's what I usually did. A doctor was in my room sometime after, asking me about my shoulder. There wasn't much to say, but I answered every question. He left shortly after, leaving me to nothing but the silence in my room.
I had only been out for a few hours, but I felt like I missed so much. Jordan couldn't even be alive, and I wouldn't know. All I could do was sit and wait.
When the door flew open, I turned my head, expecting to see the doctor again. Instead, my eyes locked with brown ones, and I saw Jordan smile widely. I returned the smile, seeing that she was okay. "Jorda–"
Before I could finish the first word, Jordan was gently pushed out of the way, revealing my mother. I was told that she'd be coming to see me, but I wasn't expecting it to be so soon. Jordan stumbled, but kept her balance as my mother rushed over to me.
"Jesse, I'm so glad you're okay!" She sobbed, hugging me tightly. I wrapped one arm around her, due to the fact that my other one still hurt like hell. "I thought you were dead! We had a funeral and everything!"
"Alright, Ma," I wheezed, trying to get her off of me in the nicest way possible. "Okay, Ma, I understand. You missed me, I get it. Now get off, that hurts."
"I know you'd rather be hugged by your girlfriend," she smiled widely, and I felt my eyes widen. So they already met. I felt my cheeks start heating up. "But I thought you've been dead for the past month!"
"I understand, Ma," I nodded, hoping that the blush wasn't too visible. "I understand."
My mother turned toward Jordan with the same smile on her face, waiting for her to say something. "I'll give you two some time alone. I can tell how much you two just want to be together, so I'll go talk to the doctor and get everything situated."
She left the room, and I tried hiding the fact that I was completely flustered. I knew that they had met, but just how much had she told Jordan? I spilled to my mother about Jordan years ago, and I can only hope she didn't say anything to embarrassing.
"Jordan, come here," I told her, watching as she gave me a smile. She looked like she had been crying earlier, and I'm sure she had been. "Come on, Jordan."
Slowly, she took a few steps closer until she stood right next to my bed. I was expecting her to lean over and hug me, but she just stood there.
"I don't get a hug or anything?" I teased. "Fine then, be that way..."
"I don't want to hurt you," Jordan mumbled, looking up from the floor and facing me. My eyes widened when I realized that she was thinking of what happened earlier. Before I could say anything, she slipped her hand into mine. "It hurt you when your mom hugged you, so I don't want to take the chance of hurting you even more."
"I'm willing to get hurt if it's for you," I told her softly, gripping her hand and pulling her closer to me. I threw my arms over her shoulders as she started crying into my neck. Hushing her, I ran my fingers through her hair, whispering, "It's okay, Jordan... It's okay..."
"No it's not," she sobbed, holding me tighter. "It's all my fault that you're here. It's all my fault that you were shot. I thought you were dead, Jesse. I really thought you were dead..."
My fingers froze in her hair as I thought about how she felt the same way I did when she was unconscious in the hospital.
"I'm here, I'm fine," I assured her, petting the back of her head. I couldn't believe how lucky I had been to be alive. Jordan was alright, and so was I. "You don't have to cry anymore. I'm never going to leave you again. I promise you that, Jordan."
"Hunter's in jail," she sniffed, pulling away from me and sitting in the chair. I felt my eyes widen, even though I kind of expected him to be caught. "Or he's going to be, at least. But it's over, Jesse. Everything's over and we can be together out in the open and no one can stop us. My friends know and they're fine with it, and since Hunter's in jail, he can't do anything."
The pain in my shoulder returned, but I didn't want to show that I felt anything. If I did, she'd only blame herself. Instead, I smiled at her, placing a hand on her cheek. She leaned into my touch, and I wanted nothing more than to be closer.
"I love you, Jordan," I told her with a smile. "I love you more than anything."
She placed her hand on the back of mine, clutching it tightly and returning the smile. "And I love you more than anything, too."
"But what about Hunter's goons?" I couldn't help but ask, trying to readjust myself in the hospital bed. A sharp pain struck my shoulder, making me wince. "The whole reason we didn't turn Hunter in was because he would have sent his goons to come after us."
"We're going into protective custody for awhile," Jordan answered me with a nod, as if she was trying to remember. I frowned as she said this. "So will Alex, since he's pretty deep in this with us. Our friends and family are going to be watched a little bit as well, but not as much as we're going to be."
"How long are we going to have to be in protective custody?" I asked, not looking forward to it.
"I don't think very long," she shrugged, shaking her head as she spoke. "Erica was telling me how the Blazing Brothers were kind of dying out, so Hunter shouldn't have many followers."
My eyes widened, and I wasn't sure I heard her correctly. "You were talking with Erica?"
She nodded, smiling slightly, and I could tell she was getting ready to tell me the whole story.
"...And right before Hunter shot me, Erica shot him in the arm and handcuffed him to one of the poles in the room," she finished, and I couldn't stop myself from widening my eyes. I would've never thought that Erica would've done something to help Jordan or me. Without her, neither of us would be here.
"So, I see you met my mom," I chuckled nervously, changing the topic. "Sorry if she's kind of... wacky."
"You call her Ma," she pointed out, smiling as she did so. My cheeks began heating up once more. "I've never heard anyone else calling their mom by Ma."
"I had a speech impairment when I was a kid," I shrugged, trying to brush off the fact that my face was burning. "I couldn't pronounce mommy or mama or even mom, so I just called her Ma. I guess it just stuck, and that was what I've always called her."
"That's so cute!" Jordan gushed, making my blush darker. "Now I wish that I could have known you when we were kids!"
"My mom has a bunch of home videos back at our place," I shrugged, thinking about what would happen when we return back. Jordan smiled brighter, making me roll my eyes. "If we ever go over them, I'm sure she'll force us to watch them."
"Would she make us go through your baby pictures?" She asked with a sly smile. I made a face.
"She better not."
"What if I asked her to?"
"Oh, God."
Jordan let out a giggle, leaning forward and placing her lips on mine for a quick second. Although I had been out for the past few hours, I still missed her kiss. Not mentioning that before today, the last time I saw her was at the talent show.
"Why didn't you tell me you had good grades?" She asked, looking like she regretted it after she said it.
I let out a sigh, running a hand through my hair. I had really good grades, although, I never studied. I was actually at Cambridge on scholarship. If I wasn't, I wouldn't be able to afford to go there.
"I don't know," I shrugged. "I guess I just always assumed that you wouldn't believe me. You always thought I was a screw-up, didn't you?"
"No!" Jordan denied, but I knew she was lying. I wouldn't blame her for thinking that. She hated me. Even when we got together, she probably still thought I was a screw-up.
"I'm sure you've thought that I'm a lot of other things than just a screw-up, so I guess it's okay," I shrugged again, dropping my hands to my lap. Getting accused of being a screw-up by Jordan hurt, but I guess I deserved from the way I treated her for years.
"We're probably going to have to make up graduation," she spoke quickly, trying to change topics. "And you're going to be a part of it."
"What makes you say that?" I asked, furrowing my eyebrows.
Jordan shrugged now. "Erica told me. She says that we're both probably going to give the valedictorian speech since you're the real valedictorian and I already wrote a speech."
I just nodded, leaning back a little. "Okay, I guess. That sounds like a good plan. I'm sure that's not going to happen for awhile since I'm in here and everything..."
She gave me a sad smile. "I hope it's before I go off to Yale."
After Jordan said this, she froze, and I'm sure I did as well. I never thought about college much, beside the fact that Jordan was going to Yale. I had to ask her, and soon.
"Jesse... What am I supposed to do about Yale and us?" She turned to me with wide eyes and a scared look.
Taking her face in my hands, I ran my fingers over her cheeks. This was it. I never expected it to be in a hospital room, but I had to ask sooner or later. "Jordan, you know I want to spend the rest of my life with you, right? I've just never officially asked you. So, Jordan Emery, will you–"
"Hello, hello!"
I guess I'd have to wait until later. "You've always had the worst timing, Ma."
My mother blinked at the two of us, looking extremely confused. Her gaze shifted from both Jordan and I multiple times before she finally asked, "Did I interrupt something?"
"No," Jordan said quickly as I answered, "Kinda."
She gave me a sheepish smile before scratching the back of her head. "Sorry, sorry..."
Jordan turned back toward me, leaning closer and pressing her lips to mine. "I need to get back to the camp. Erica can't cover for me forever, and I'm sure I'm going to get questioned a whole lot. You should get some rest before they come to question you, too. I'll come back as soon as I can. I promise."
Her hand gripped mine tightly as I gave her a smile. "Alright," I whispered, brushing my lips over hers. "But come back as soon as possible."
She gave me a smile, squeezing tightly before letting go. "I will, I promise."
Although she was leaving, I wasn't worried one bit. Because I knew that we were now safe, and we could be together.
It's all I've ever wanted from the start.
(One more chapter)