He rose from the bed and walked across the tiny room to a chair in the corner. She followed him with her eyes wishing he would stay next to her but glad that he was a fairly safe distance away. She was not sure she was ready to deal with her feelings for Andy just yet especially when she had already been attacked twice. She was not sure who to trust any more nor was she sure that trust was possible at this point in her life. He settled in the chair with a pillow and extra blanket that he had found in the closet. "What are you doing?" shocked at the realization that he fully intended to spend the rest of the night in that chair. He looked at her and gave her a heart-stopping smile through the darkness. "I intend to stay right here till you leave this hospital." "But I..." Jordan started to object but at that moment the next shift nurse was tapping lightly on the door. She lay back down and closed her eyes trying to block out the image of Andy sleeping only a few feet from her; a fact which thrilled, and frightened her at the same time. The nurse quietly walked to Jordan's side and checked her IV drip. Touching her gently on the arm in an attempt to wake her, she called to her softly. "Ms. Mackenzie." "Yes." She replied sleepily. "I need to check your temperature and take your blood pressure so I'm going to turn the light on okay." "Okay." She was not sure what kind of reaction the nurse was going to have when she realized that Andy was in the room but she could imagine that it was not going to be good. The light came on and Jordan covered her eyes till they could adjust. Andy seemed to be doing the exact same thing. "Can I get your name and date of birth please?" Jordan Makenzie, January 2, 1975. The nurse immediately held the thermometer up for Jordan to put in her mouth and then grabbed her arm to get her blood pressure. Finishing up she flipped the light off and told Jordan a hasty goodnight on her way out the door.
Andy had watched very quietly from the corner of the room and when the nurse left he spoke startling her. Apparently she was deep in thought about something. This time he turned on the light. "Jordan." "Yes." She said turning her full attention to him. "I haven't asked you what happened tonight or in the past for a very good reason. I care about you a lot." He grew silent for a moment to choose his words very carefully so as not to scare her or make her feel obligated to say or do anything that she really didn't want to. "Go on." she urged him. Her blue gaze was intent on his and he found it hard to concentrate when all he wanted to do was loose himself in her soft sweet innocence. "What I'm trying to say is that I don't want you to feel like you can't come and talk if you need to. Hastily he added; "When you're ready of course. I will be here if you need anything." Jordan smiled as much to herself as to Andy. He was a wonderful kindhearted man whom under different circumstances she might even have fallen head over heels for. His smile made her heart skip a beat and her breathing fade away. He was devastatingly handsome and she wished that things were different, that she was different. "Thank you Andy. I really appreciate all that you've done for me and I hope that one day I can repay you for all your kindness." He noticed that she had gone from calling him Mr. Nichols to Andy. His voice took on a sudden shrill as his face lit up like a Christmas tree. "Actually there is something that you can do for me." Jordan didn't like the sound of this and she knew that she was not going to like it but she let him continue. "Okay. What?" She asked hesitantly. "There is this charity event in Chicago in a few days and I don't have a date yet, so would you like to accompany me?" Andy felt like a sixteen-year-old boy asking a girl out on a first date. Something flashed in Jordan's eyes but was carefully concealed before Andy had even a glimpse of the emotion. "I really don't think I should. I don't have anything to wear and I would not fit in." Shocked he laughed slightly. "What are you kidding you will be the queen of the ball with those big blue eyes and golden mane. What man would not go crazy over you and what woman would not be envious." She batted her long blonde lashes at him. "Sweet talk will get you nowhere with me Andy." He looked wounded but quickly put a smile on his face to show he enjoyed her teasing thoroughly. They laughed at her joke.