“Jordan, hey, I’ll be back in a little bit. Joey is buggin. He wants me to go rent him and Justin an SUV. They just want to drive me nuts, I swear!”
Jordan laughed, “okay,” she said and then stood up to give him a kiss.
Just as JC was walking out of the house, Krista pulled up. She got out of the car and headed up the stepping stones and stopped to say hi to JC. “Well hey girly,” he said.
“What’s up?”
“Going to go rent an SUV for YOUR boyfriend and his loser friend.”
“Joey? Isn’t he YOUR friend too,” she said with a laugh.
“How did you know I was talking about Joey?”
She laughed and said, “because Justin called me and tried to get me to do the same thing.”
“And you told him no?”
“Hell yeah, I’m not puttin’ something those crazy fools are driving under MY name.”
“Valid point,” JC said and thought for a second. “Oh well, I’ll just have to hurt them if they hurt that car!”
Both of them laughed and then JC told her that he would catch her later. JC got into his car and drove off. Krista on the other hand, continued to walk up the path to the door. She got to the door and knocked on it.
“Come on in,” Jordan yelled from the kitchen.
Krista turned the knob and walked inside. She shut the door behind her and then went into the kitchen where Jordan was. “Hey chic!”
“Hey girl,” she said back and chugged her water after taking her pill. “I think it’s starting,” Jordan said.
“What do you mean?”
“I don’t feel so hot Kris. My stomach is tossing and my head is heavy.”
Krista almost didn’t want to hear it. They had just spent an amazing month with the guys and she was fine. She had almost forgotten that Jordan was sick to begin with. “Is there anything you want me to do?” Krista finally managed to say.
“Nah, I am fine for now.”
“If, you’re sure,” she said.
“I am.”
“Did you tell JC that you weren’t feeling well?”
“Not yet. He has been so great with me lately, I don’t want to hurt him right now.”
“But Jordan, you need to prepare him. You can’t just all of a sudden tell him that you don’t feel well. You already told him that you’d be sick for at least a week. How long have you been like this?” Jordan just looked down. “Jordan?”
“About four days,” she said with her head still down.
“You need to tell HIM that.”
“I know. I will. When he gets back.”
JC walked inside and shut the door rather loudly. “Ugh those guys are driving me nuts.”
“What happened?” Krista asked.
“We get there and I was like, okay you guys let’s go. So we get up there and we wait in a line for almost ten minutes and then they decide they want to go to a different dealership. We went another fifteen miles just to get them a damn SUV for them to goof off in.
The girls couldn’t help but laugh. “Well, I’m gonna go round up my loser and see if he’ll take me out tonight,” Krista said and then gave Jordan a look. Jordan knew exactly what the look was for too.
“I’ll talk to you tomorrow okay,” Jordan said.
“Call me, we’ll hang out,” she said and then left.
“So baby, how was your afternoon?” JC asked as he pulled her close to him and kissed her.
“Not too shabby,” she said. “Uhm, JC. Can we talk?”
“Sure, what’s the matter,” he said and then pulled her onto his lap as he sat on the couch.
“Well, I haven’t been feeling so well lately. I have been taking a lot of pain stuff and meds.”
“Jordan I have been with you the whole time. Why didn’t I notice that you were getting sick?”
Jordan once again lowered her head. “Because I have been hiding it from you,” she mummbled.
JC took his hand to her chin and raised it so that he could look at her. “Look at me,” he said. Her eyes still looked down. “Jordan, sweetie, looking into my eyes.” Jordan looked up and a small tear dripped from her eye. “Baby you can’t hide things from me. We are in this together.”
“JC, I’m scared.”
JC pulled her head close to his chest and wrapped his hands around it. He slowly ran his hands through her hair. “It’s going to be okay Jordan,” he said. A tear fell from his eye and landed on his hand, which rested on a crying girls head. “Everything is going to be okay,” he said again as he was trying to convince himself of the words he spoke.
The next day seemed to fly by. JC hung around the house with Jordan the whole day. She had gotten worse over night and was starting to get a small fever. JC was frightened to no end, but he knew that he had to be strong for her. Justin and Krista had came over and they all played a game of Scrabble. They also played a few hands of cards. Krista and Justin left around nine that night because they knew they Jordan was getting tired. They said that they would stop over the next day around noon to see her again.
Justin took some time with JC before him and Krista had left. He wanted to make sure that JC was doing alright. He knew how hard it had to be on him, watching the woman he fell in love with, going through all of this. Justin told him that whenever he needed him just to call. Justin didn’t know that the call of help would come so soon.
The following morning JC woke up next to Jordan and saw that her face was fire engine red. He placed his hand on her forehead and felt it burning up. “Jordan baby,” he said. “Jordan wake up.”
Jordan slowly opened her eyes and said, “JC I don’t feel well.”
“Baby hold on for me. Hold on and I’ll get you to the hospital.” JC rolled over and picked up the phone. He dialed the hotel number that Justin was staying at. No one answered. “Shit,” he cursed. He dialed his cell phone number and after five rings, which seemed like an eternity, Justin answered.
“Hello.”
“Justin, it’s C. I’m taking Jordan to the hospital. Something isn’t right.”
Justin shot up and said, “Ok, we’ll be right there.”
“Call the other guys and get ahold of her mom.”
“Hold it together C,” Justin said because he could hear the soft sobs coming from JC’s line. “We’ll be there soon.” Justin rolled over and said, “Krista, something isn’t right. JC is on the way to the hospital now with Jordan. Get up and call her mom or something. I gotta get ahold of the other guys.”
“Oh my God,” she finally uttered.
“Baby, I’m sorry. I.... It’s gonna okay,” he said and pulled her in for comfort. Justin was so caught up in the feeling of what JC was going through that he forgot what Krista must have felt. Krista was her best friend ... she was terrified.
JC rushed Jordan to the ER and they admitted her immediately. Everyone got the hospital within fifteen minutes. After the doctor’s had Jordan settled in a room and have fluids going into her body with IV’s, everyone was allowed to go in one at a time to see her.
Her mother went in first and spent some time with ‘her baby’. She told her that she was so proud of the lady that she had grown to be and that she had never been disappointed in her. Krista then went in and talked to her. She cried with her and told her that she loved her very much and that she would never ever forget her. Each of the guys went in and sat with her for a little while. They vowed to her to take care of JC and to help him through the rough times that would soon follow. Jordan knew that she was dying.
Almost an hour later, JC sat next to Jordan’s bed and held her hand within his. Her eyes were closed and her breathing pattern was soft and slow. He stared at her and remembered all the time that they had spent together. He remembered the first time that he saw her. She was dancing in the back of the club. Jordan had looked so beautiful that night. She looked beautiful every day after that too.
Jordan fluttered her eyes open slowly. She turned her head a little and said, “JC?”
“I’m here baby. Don’t speak. Just rest.”
She looked at him and tightened her hand a little. She saw the tears in JC’s eyes. “JC, you have to be strong.”
JC couldn’t hold back the tears. “I’m being as strong as I can Jordan.”
“I’m never going to leave you. I will always be right there when you need me,” she said in a faint voice.
“I need you now. You can’t leave me.”
“I’m here now. I will always be here... just not in the flesh. JC you have my heart. You’ve been taking bits and pieces of it since we met, but right now I give it all to you. You will always have me with you.”
“Jordan,” he began to say.
“I’ll always remember you JC and I’ll look down on you every day. I don’t regret the life that I have lived. I’ve lived it to the fullest and I’m ready to go.”
“Jordan please... how do I go on without you?”
“Be strong for me JC. Be strong for the both of us, please. I can’t leave until I know you will be okay,” she paused. “Sing me something?” she finally said.
JC squeezed her hand and held it all in. “For you, anything.” Tears filled his eyes.
If every word I said could make you laugh, I’d talk forever
I asked the sky just what we had, it shone forever
If the song I sing to you could fill your heart with joy, I’d sing forever
I’ve been so happy loving you
Let the love I have for you, live in your heart, and be forever
I’ve been so happy loving you
If every word I said could make you laugh, I’d talk forever
I’ll be so happy loving you
“Leave in peace my dear. Know that I will always love you Jordan Elise. Always and forever.”
“I love you too JC,” she said and blinked her eyes heavily. “I love you too,” she said. Her eyes shut and her grip loosened. JC tightened the grip he had on her hand and tears gushed down his face. His blue eyes were no longer surrounded by white, his eyes were red and puffy instead.
JC put his head down and listened to the sound of the alarm on flat line. It rang a steady hum. The doctor came to rush in but just stood in the doorway when he realized that she had given up her and that JC needed to be alone with her. The doctor reached over and shut off the machine so that the noise would stop, and then he walked out.
JC grabbed her hand again and then got up and was preparing to leave. Before, he knew that he had to hold her once more. He grabbed a hold of both of her hands, but in her right hand he felt something. He opened her hand and found a folded piece of paper. He unfolded it and the necklace her father gave her fell into his hand. Tears filled his eyes once again and then he began to read.
JC,
I love you so much. You know that right? Well, I want you to have this. Take care of it for me for a little while. I planned on giving it to my daughter someday, but now I want you to give it to yours. You gave me the world JC, and I will love you eternally for it. You stuck by me when things got rough and it takes a strong man to do that. I pray that I haven’t shattered any of your dreams. Remember, I’ll always be with you...
Yours for an eternity,
~Jordan Elise
A tear fell from JC’s eye and landed on the letter. He looked at the necklace and licked both his lips. He clutched his hand around the necklace and leaned over Jordan. He kissed her softly on the forehead and said, “I promise to take care of it for you.” JC was in no shape to go out there and face everyone yet, so he sat back down next to her and bent his head down beside her and held on to her fragile hand.
The doctor walked down the hall and bowed his head when he reached the waiting room where everyone sat waiting. Jordan’s mother leaned forward in her chair and covered her face with her hands and wept within them. Lance went to her side and tried to comfort her. Krista hit the floor and screamed, “no,” in a quite yell. Tears filled her eyes and her hands covered her face. Justin went to her side and held her close.
“I’m so sorry,” he said as tears also became visible in his own eyes. “I’m so sorry,” he repeated as he rocked Krista and tried to calm her tears. The rest of the guys held it up and did their best not to cry. They had all become close to Jordan and knew why JC loved her so much.
About fifteen minutes later JC walked out of the room. His face was red and blotchy and his shirt was stained with tears. He walked into the waiting room and looked at everyone. He promised Jordan that he would be strong. He figured that she would forgive him this once for letting his emotions fall through. He promised himself that after that day, he would hold his manner and look at each day as it came.
Krista stood up and ran to JC and he opened his arms and took her within them. She cried on his shoulder and JC’s tears fell into her hair. The other guys felt their eyes water up as they watched their best friend cry. Justin walked over there and took Krista from JC’s arms to allow him to move. JC had a quick flashback of him and Jordan running through the park, and then he fell on his knees.
Lance walked over to him and knelt down next to him, and rubbed his back. “You’re gonna get through this man. It’s gonna be okay,” Lance said as he tried to comfort his friend. “She’s in a better place now C.”
“But she’s not with me,” JC said. He felt a tug at his heart and remembered what she had just told him. ‘I’ll always be with you... You have my heart.’