One Life ✓

Chapter 26: The Rewind Shift

Another month later

Paul—San Antonio Memorial Hospital, San Antonio, TX

Today, I walk into work, and the pristine ER is decked out with swathes of blue cloth.

It's actually a laugh, to be honest. Mollie shrugs at my expression while bedazzling her board with aquamarine colored rhinestones. "Hey, it's all we could do without getting coded."

"What else did 'we' do?" I ask, referring to the illegal tailgate.

"We might have made it into all scented candles and romantic getaway," Shannon calls from Trauma 3. "We've been waiting for an empty hospital to do this for a while."

"Oh, God." I start walking to the surgery wing. "Hope you didn't trash everything there too."

"We did not," Mollie says. "That place can stay boring as you and Delaney like it."

I roll my eyes and feign insult, turning back anyways.

Just after that, TC and Grace walk through the auto doors. They look really, really shocked.

"Aww, you didn't have to!" Grace fawns. "And it's even within regulation! I love the Joann's Fabrics look."

TC laughs.

"We have a condition," Bri begins.

"It only stays up if you sing a song for us," finishes Shannon.

Everyone oohs. Grace sweeps her hair to one side. "Really?"

We nod.

"Fine. Let's give you a little bit of Madonna. You like that?" Grace sighs, then starts to sing.

"Wait!" Shannon stops her. "Can you sing...I Will Always Love You?"

Grace snorts. "And you know anything about that how?"

"Well, I heard the songs in your lady-on-a-plane video. You know, the viral one on YouTube."

"Yes."

"And I have a request. Can you sing it? I liked that one," Shannon continues.

Grace is grinning. "I've rubbed off on you, haven't I? Fine."

She sings while everyone claps. Sure, it's not perfect by far, but it gets everyone grooving. The song stops short, though, when we hear sirens outside.

"Work calls," I announce, gesturing to the doors.

But, along with the sirens, we hear a car thunder into the staff parking. That's weird. No one's really late or not here yet.

The automatic doors slide open yet again. Everyone gasps as a woman in SAM scrubs, even with a badge, walks in. I vaguely recall her but can't place her face yet.

The familiar face smiles. "Wow. I've really missed this place."

Jordan—San Antonio Memorial Hospital, San Antonio, TX

Grace doesn't look at all moved by the sight of me. She smiles in that annoying, welcoming way, fingering the fat silver bangle on her right hand. She's in those specially developed future mom scrubs and has an anorak jacket over them. I do some math and come out with the conclusion that she's forging on with work even though she's very pregnant.

"Jordan, you're back!" TC exclaims, kind of awkwardly. "I thought—"

"I wasn't able to adjust, and Ms. Goodwin let me return." I shrug.

"Family first, huh?" Grace's face is impossibly bright.

"Yeah." As I look at her, happy and excited to welcome a new member to said family, I feel a twinge of something in my stomach. I shove it down before it can grow. "Sorry Scott didn't come. He's settled down in Chicago."

"Poo. We got Delaney instead," grumbles Shannon. "But we got Bri, too. Gotta love her."

Bri waves.

"I remember you," I say. I do, from the engagement gone ka-boom.

"Well, you're just in time, Jordan. We're excited to see you, but we do have to work. You're in 2 with Tee," Drew says to me. "Incoming is a little rough, so you're covering for Grace."

"Don't keep my girl out of the loop, Drew. She's our force to reckon with," TC jokes, hugging Grace from behind. She yelps and then gives him a mad expression. I can tell she's not really pissed, though. A smile plays at her face as she rests her head on his shoulder.

"A savage, if you will," Kenny adds.

Grace gives him a look and sticks her tongue out. TC mimics her. Kenny chuckles.

These two are adorable together, and also very, very deep in love. Grace kept TC here, kept him from going back to Aleppo. But I can't help thinking about how it's like she's a replacement Jordan. It's a replay of our relationship all over again, and I'm sorry if that sounds really bad, but it's true. I can't help wondering about the impending something that could happen. Especially because this hospital is not the place a pregnant woman should be working. At least Grace was smart enough to carefully maneuver herself through the first two months, and now wane off of her duties. I don't want to think about what would have happened if she didn't.

The little something pops up in my chest again. I don't shove it down this time. It's, you guessed it, good old jealousy. TC's found a replacement Jordan, all right. But she's not Jordan. Far from it. He might get closer to her than he ever did to me in broad daylight, and compliment her, and she might have their baby, but it's never going to be TC and Jordan. Because nothing else ever will.