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as they arrived at the ER, they were rushed into a waiting room and told the doctor would be with them shortly. Jordan didn’t have a good feeling about any of this but was afraid she’d only upset Lucas even more if she voiced her concerns. If ever there was a time to be quiet, it was now.
    An hour later, two young doctors in scrubs walked into the waiting room.
    “I’m sorry. Despite our best efforts, we weren’t able to save Mr. Morales,” one of them said, his expression full of sympathy.
    The sound that escaped from Lucas’s lips was heartbreaking, and he crumbled into Bella’s arms once again.
    “What happened to him?” He finally asked when the sobs quieted and he could speak.
    “We don’t know. It could have been a heart attack or stroke. We’ll have to wait for an autopsy.” The doctor turned to Jordan. “I was told you were with him when he collapsed. Is that correct?”
    “Yes.”
    He sat down beside her and flipped open a notebook. “Did you notice Mr. Morales acting strangely prior to his death?”
    “A few minutes before he had the seizure, he said hisentire face was numb,” she answered, wishing she didn’t have to relive it.
    “Whose idea was it to leave the ballroom?”
    “His. He said he needed a little air.”
    “Do you know of any underlying medical problems Mr. Morales had that might have brought on his death?”
    “I only met the guy less than four hours ago,” she explained. “I’m no medical expert. He could have had
anything
wrong with him, and I wouldn’t have known it. Why don’t you ask the two real doctors who tried to save him?”
    “We’ve got the EMT report,” he replied gently. “I just wondered if there was something you might have seen since you were there when he seized.”
    She shook her head.
    He stood up. “We’ll try to get answers for you as soon as we can.”
    When the doctors left, Jordan sat quietly with Lucas while Bella made arrangements with the hospital staff for the body to be transported to a Connor funeral home following the autopsy. Hearing her worst fear verbalized had left Jordan in shock. The sweet thoughtful man who had been so alive one minute was now dead. And she had been powerless to prevent it from happening.
    Finally, Bella returned. “There’s no need to stay here any longer, so we’re going to start back to Ranchero now, Jordan.”
    Jordan nodded, then stood up and followed them out to the car. Once settled, Lucas immediately reached for the Blue Label Johnnie Walker and poured two fingers into the glass. He downed the liquor in one swift motion. Visibly upset, he refilled the glass, his hands shaking. He took a sip before asking if either of them wanted a drink. Both Bella and Jordan nodded.
    “Could I have more of the champagne?” Jordan asked, knowing the Scotch would set her insides on fire.
    When he handed her a nearly full glass, she took a couple of big gulps, then leaned back against the seat to let the expensive Cristal do its thing by warming her insides and calming her emotions.
    Her mind raced back over the last few hours, searching her brain for any sign she might have missed before Rusty’s seizure. Other than the shortness of breath, he really hadn’t complained of anything inside the ballroom. Not until he sat on the bench did he mention his numb face and tongue. She’d watched her grandmother live through angina attacks before a major heart attack killed her. Nana always had chest pain but never complained of numbness around the face and mouth.
    And she’d never had a seizure.
    Jordan remembered how she’d panicked when Rusty went into convulsions. Could he have had epilepsy? She’d never been around anyone with the disorder, so she had no idea if the symptoms that precede an actual seizure matched Rusty’s.
    She caught Santana staring at her.
    “It would be nice if you’d come out to the ranch for the memorial service and the luncheon afterward,” he said, more as a statement than a