Page 30 of Fierce-Jax (Fierce Matchmaking #18)

A PANIC MOMENT

“ J ax, there is a Dr. Patrick on the line for you and she asked to interrupt you.”

He jumped up from the chair he was in while doing supervision with one of his managers and walked to his desk.

“What’s going on?” he asked quickly. If his employee thought it was odd that he answered a call from a doctor that way, he didn’t care.

For a guy whose heart rarely raced in an emergency, it was now.

“I’m so sorry, Jax,” she said. “I’m in a bind. One of my PAs went home sick and my patients are piling up and I’ve got an emergency. I can’t get out to get Gianna by four. Is there any way possible you can get her for me? At any time between now and four?”

He looked at his watch and saw it was two. He would finish with Kent in under thirty minutes. Plenty enough time to run out and grab his girlfriend’s daughter since her parents were still on their Greenland vacation and not returning until Sunday night.

Dillion had been struggling to do it alone this week, even admitting to being pulled over for speeding two days ago.

He’d told her he could help out but didn’t think Ms. Independent would take him up on it.

He was more than thrilled she was and wouldn’t say no.

“Sure,” he said. “Not a problem.”

“Thank you so much,” she said. “If you can run down to grab my key, you can take my car because of the car seat. Text me when you’re on the way to get them. I’m going to call her daycare center now and let them know you’ll pick her up.”

He hung up a minute later and returned to his chair.

“Everything okay?” Kent asked him.

“Yeah,” he said. “Just need to run out by two thirty. We are almost done.”

“I don’t have much more to go over,” Kent said.

He talked with Kent for fifteen more minutes, then texted Dillion to say he could get her key whenever she wanted him to come down. She said she’d meet him in the hall in five minutes.

He took that as she didn’t want her staff to know what was going on, but then he didn’t know what he was supposed to do with Gianna once he had her.

He left his office and walked to the elevator to go down to Dillion’s floor. He’d been waiting for her to come give him the key.

She was all but speed walking out the door and marching toward him.

“Slow down,” he said. “You might get another ticket. Everything okay?”

She batted his arm. “I said I was getting a drink quickly. I’ve got a patient waiting to be numbed now. It was too late to call and start canceling appointments so Noelle and I are hoping to cover Marcy’s patients this afternoon. I said I’d do it before I realized I had to get Gianna.”

He was walking with her down the stairs to the first floor vending machines. “I’m glad you called me.”

“I had a panic moment. I didn’t even have staff to send. We all have patients. I’m not sure what I would have done. I don’t even have numbers for her friends’ mothers. How stupid is that?”

“Relax,” he said, reaching for her hand. “Take a deep breath. I’m doing it. And if for some reason I couldn’t, I would have called Roni or my mother. Even though they haven’t met Gianna, your daughter wouldn’t have been stuck there.”

“I know,” she said. “Thank you so much for this.”

She pulled her key out of her pocket and handed it over. They got to the vending machines and she put her credit card in, then hit the button for iced tea.

“Do you want me to bring her back to your office or mine?”

She pushed her card into the other vending machine and got two candy bars and two bags of chips.

“You can bring her to mine,” she said. “I’ll have her stay in the reception area and she can have a snack.”

“Phew,” he said. “For a minute I thought you were going to eat all of that.”

“Just one candy bar for now,” she said. “I’m starving. I had half a sandwich for lunch between patients by taking bites and running to another room.”

“Not healthy,” he said.

“Then you can make it up to me and cook dinner for us tonight while I put my feet up.”

She was all but running back up the stairs with her arms full of loot. She was walking away from him when they got to her floor. “Your drink.”

“Crap,” she said. “Put it on top and give me a kiss.”

He smiled over that. Not that anyone was around, but there would be questions soon enough when he returned with Gianna. Someone was bound to recognize him as a patient.

Even if they didn’t, they’d know Dillion had a man in her life picking up her child.

He returned to his office, took care of a few emails, and then left and told the front desk he’d be back in about forty minutes.

No one questioned him. Though his calendar was always updated where he was and what he was doing, he’d been known to run out for all sorts of things, even checking on one of his other sites if there was a problem.

He worked enough in his eyes. An hour early most mornings, he stayed late a lot, worked through his lunch, and took care of calls and emergencies at night and on the weekends.

He might have made his job look easy, but it took a lot of hard work for that to happen.

When he got to the Pre-K school a little before three, he walked to the front door to see if Gianna would be ready.

“Can I help you?” the woman at the desk asked.

“Jax Hollister to pick up Gianna Pa—Cannon. Gianna Cannon.” He’d almost said Patrick before he caught himself and remembered Gianna had her father’s last name.

“Yes,” the woman said. “Dr. Patrick called to clear it. If you want to wait here I’ll go get Gianna for you.”

“Thanks,” he said. He liked that there was security here. No one could just walk in off the street and get in where the kids were.

Not that he expected anything different.

“Jax,” Gianna said, running over to him with her arms up in the air. “I didn’t know you were coming. I thought Mommy was getting me.”

“Mommy is stuck with a patient and didn’t think she could get out in time, but she called me.”

Gianna hugged him. Another woman walked in and said, “Hi, Gianna.”

“Hi, Maddy’s Mom,” Gianna said.

He thought that was funny but cute in a way too.

“And who is this?” the woman said. “I’m Sophie, Maddy’s Mom.”

She put her hand out so he shook it. “This is Mommy’s friend, Jax. He cooks the best pancakes ever for breakfast.”

“Nice to meet you,” he said. “Time to go, Gianna.”

He’d have to let Dillion know her daughter was gabbing information again.

He didn’t care all that much. Not even the once over the woman gave him with a wide grin.

“Can you carry me to the car?” Gianna asked.

“If you want me to,” he said. “Did you get tired out at school today?”

“No,” Gianna said. “I just like it when you hold me. I like being up high like this. It’s higher than when Grandpa does it.”

He laughed. “Remember, you’re not supposed to say that to your grandfather.”

“Mommy told me,” Gianna said, giggling. “I’m hungry. Can we get some food?”

“Your mother has some snacks for you at her office. We are going back there until she’s done.”

“Are you staying too?” Gianna asked.

“No,” he said. “I’ve got to go back to work, but I’ll only be a few floors above you.”

“Can I see where you work?” Gianna asked.

He supposed there was no reason she couldn’t. Might as well pull the tape off the mouth fast.

“If you want to,” he said.

He put her in the booster seat in the back, drove the ten minutes back to his office with Gianna chattering about her day in the back and him nodding his head and answering everything she asked.

He couldn’t even remember half of it, but it was keeping Gianna entertained.

“I’ve been to Mommy’s office before,” Gianna said. “It’s not fun. Is it fun in your office?”

“I’m sure you’re not going to think so,” he said. “But maybe we can find you something fun to do while you wait for your mother.”

He’d pop his head into Tori’s office to see if she had anything to give him.

The programs she oversaw dealt with kids so there were coloring books and learning tools or toys she might be able to hand off.

He parked Dillion’s car, got Gianna out of the back, held her hand, and walked into the building.

He passed a few of his employees leaving, which he figured could happen with them coming in and out and doing services in the community.

A few heads swiveled as they waved to him. It was probably a good thing he was bringing her to his office first anyway.

“I don’t like the elevator,” Gianna said. “Can you hold me?”

He picked her up while they waited and then he stepped in, hit the button to his floor, and waited to get to the top.

When the doors opened there, he put her down and she ran in front of him. Karina at the front desk had the same reaction as the employees he’d passed.

Jaw open, eyes wide. “Hey, Jax. Who do we have here?”

“I’m Gianna. What’s your name?”

“Karina,” his employee said. “You’re very pretty.”

“Thank you,” Gianna said. “Everyone says I look like my mommy. Right, Jax?”

He cleared his throat. “Yes, you look like your mother. Let’s go see my office quickly and then we’ll get your mother.”

He felt eyes on his back as he walked down the hall toward Tori’s office. She was at her desk so he stepped in.

“Jax,” Tori said, her eyes landing on Gianna. “Oh, they did get you too.”

He knew what Tori was saying. She was referring to the Fierces. “You knew they would,” he said.

“I did, but not this fast. I’m Tori. What’s your name?”

“Gianna. And you’re pretty too. Everyone is pretty here, Jax.”

He rolled his eyes. He couldn’t agree with that statement. It’d be inappropriate. “Do you have anything to occupy her while I bring her down to Dillion’s office? Gianna wanted to see where I worked first.”

“I’ve got lots of things,” Tori said. “Come on, Gianna, let’s go to the storage room and look at the books and toys and you can pick a few out.”

“Yay,” Gianna said, jumping up and making a fist like a superhero ready to launch into space.

He went to his office and texted Dillion what was going on and that he’d bring Gianna when she was ready.

He hadn’t expected a reply but laughed when his girlfriend replied with a shocked face and then a laughing emoji.

“I’m ready,” Gianna said five minutes later as she ran into his office with Tori behind her. Her backpack was open and things were spilling out of it.

“Did she load up?” he asked.

“Lots of things to keep her busy,” Tori said. “Have fun. Want me to deflect for you?”

He knew once he walked back out many were going to run to Tori for answers.

“I’ll take care of it,” he said. “No worries, no secrets.” He put his hand out and Gianna placed her small one against his palm. “Ready to go see Mommy?”

“Let’s go,” Gianna said all but skipping down the hall.

He knew the routine when the elevator doors opened and picked her up, then put her down on the third floor and made his way to Dillion’s office.

He opened the door and saw Dillion’s receptionist, Addy’s face mirrored the same as everyone else had been doing in the past thirty minutes.

“Hi, Gianna,” Addy said. “Mommy told me you were coming in. I just didn’t know who was going to be bringing you.”

“This is Mommy’s friend, Jax,” Gianna said.

“I remember,” Addy said, looking at him with a wide grin.

So much for hoping he had a face that wasn’t remembered.

“Nice to see you again,” he said.

“Gianna,” Addy said. “Come back here with me.”

He pulled the door open for Gianna to go around and Addy got up to open another one to let Gianna in that room.

“Bye, Jax,” Gianna yelled. “See you tonight. Are you cooking?”

He smiled and rolled his eyes.

Yep, it was out there.