7. Chapter Seven
Chapter Seven
Ivy
M y feet pause outside the exam room. Reggie stands two inches behind me, the warmth of his breath on the back of my neck.
“He’s on pain meds. May be groggy—don’t be surprised if he’s disoriented. We’re monitoring him closely.”
I nod and reach for the curtain, Reggie’s words from earlier echoing in my head. We got you, all of you.
I’m responsible for Griffin, Dahlia, Chelsea, all of them. And they’re injured because I pushed for this trip. Convinced them all to give up their winter break to play in a holiday tournament.
I’m next to Griffin’s bed in two strides, my heart racing at the sight of him. He’s dressed in a standard-issue hospital gown, his face clean, freshly scrubbed, his signature shaggy brown hair hanging across his forehead. On anyone else, the black and purple bruises would have me concerned, but with him, I know the girls will find it just another attractive feature on his handsome face. With his eyes closed, he looks peaceful.
I glance over my shoulder at Dr. Morgan, who has taken up position by the entranceway. He nods consent for me to touch him, and I do. I rest my hand on Griffin’s forearm. “Griff?” I call him by his nickname, the one every girl on the team teases when they want to extract a smirk from him.
His eyes snap open as if I’ve woken him from a deep dream. His eyes flash wide with a look of confusion that disappears the moment he takes me in. “Coach? Are you…?”
“I’m fine. I’m more concerned about you.” I slip my hand into his and give him a tight squeeze. He struggles to push up on his elbows, his face tightening in discomfort even with the pain meds. I turn to Reggie to question whether he should be experiencing this.
“You shouldn’t try to move too much,” he says from across the room, striding to the other side of the bed.
“Griff, this is Dr. Morgan,” I say, tipping my chin in Reggie’s direction.
His eyes take him in, his brow pinching. “You were in earlier?”
He nods, his gaze moving from Griffin to the monitors above his bed. “Yes, I was checking on you.”
“I ordered him to. I needed to know how my brave volunteer was doing.” I give him a reassuring smile to let him know everything is going to be okay. With him awake, seeing him talking, lucid, I allow myself to believe what the doctors have been telling me. He’s going to be fine.
Griffin’s glance rises to meet Reggie’s gaze and short head nod. “No one says no to Coach.”
His words cause me to laugh. Yeah, he’s going to be all right. Humor. It’s one of the most under-used tools we possess. Griffin has been taking notes.
“Certainly not me,” Reggie adds, shooting me a quick wink when Griffin turns his head. His smile lingers on me for a long beat, and I wonder if this is part of his charm package.
“How is everyone else? The other doctor didn’t have any information. Then they gave me a shot, and I was out.” Griffin twists his neck to flip the hair from his light brown eyes, which I’ve caught whispers of the girls in the back of the van obsessing over during a rest stop yesterday, filled with concern. He cares for the team.
I wait to see if Reggie wants to take the lead. His curt nod is appreciated. He lets me lead. “Everyone, for the most part, is doing okay. Shaken, not stirred.” I use humor to appease his concerns. “Everyone’s been checked out and released except for three. Dalia, Chelsea, and Victoria are being admitted.”
“Chels?” Griffin calls out the one girl on the team who has put him in the friend zone. She appears immune to his charming ways, and I can tell it drives him insane.
“Broken ankle, from what I understand.” I look to Reggie to elaborate.
His hand lands on the bed frame. “We’re just being careful. Nothing to worry about.”
“I’m going to have them put all of you together on the same floor,” I say without consulting with anyone. I have no idea if that’s something the hospital will allow. But I’m sure they’re scared, and being near one another should help. “I’m going to be staying too. I can’t leave my team when they need me most.”
“So we’re out of the tournament?” Griffin jokes.
I throw back my head in laughter. An unrestrained laugh. He’s going to be fine. We all will. “Oh my god, I hadn’t even thought about the tournament. We are so out. Undefeated, but out. Maybe they’ll send us a medal.”
Griffin lowers his hand to his ribs. “That would be kinda cool. The undefeated underdogs. I like the sound of that.”
Reggie leans forward, his fingers flying across the screen. “I can do better than getting you guys on the same floor. I can get you in the same rooms. Two to a room, any preference?” He directs his question to Griffin, who turns to face me. His eyes lock with mine as we both speak at the same time.
“Not Chelsea,” he says.
“Chelsea,” I say, and we both fall into laughs. I turn to a confused Reggie. “Dalia and Victoria have insane crushes on Griffin, and this young man”—I give his forearm a playful smack—“knows it and feeds it like nobody’s business. If you put either in his room, we’d need a twenty-four-hour chaperone.”
“We’re all adults,” Griffin reminds me. Not every girl on the team has reached twenty-one, but these three have. Doesn’t matter, they are still my responsibility.
“With his injury, I think you both are overestimating his abilities.” Reggie gives a smirk while tapping on the screen. “Chelsea it is.”
“Coach?” Griffin’s plea is a validation song to my soul.
“Done.” Reggie gives me the out I didn’t really need.
“Sorry, not sorry.” I shrug. “Did you speak to your parents?”
He nods, his expression shifting. “I told them they didn’t have to come. They have a house full of relatives up for the holiday. That’s another reason I volunteered.” He shoots a quick glance toward Dr. Morgan and leans in my direction, his voice lowering. “Did the police ask you any questions?”
I recall their visit. Thankfully, I had collected myself after my meltdown in Reggie’s arms. They were in and out in less than five minutes. “Yeah, for the police report. Why?”
His brow furrows. “I was telling them about how we avoided the initial accident, and then the truck was headed our way. You shouted something to the girls right before you jumped on me, but I couldn’t recall what it was. What did you say?”
Of all the things for him to ask. And in front of the good doctor. A light chuckle escapes my lips as I try to push down the embarrassing statement. I might as well rip off the Band-Aid and get it over with as quickly as possible. That he brought it up means it’s been on his mind, and he won’t let it go easily.
“I’m not sure how I thought of it at the moment.” My giggle pulls Reggie’s attention away from his tablet. “It was a split-second statement; the truck was going to smack into us. I said, ‘Girls, grab your balls’.”
Griffin grabs his side, laughing. The joy is worth the pain.
“You can never have enough… you know, quick thinking,” Reggie teases from across the bed and gives me a wink. “The ER driver said the balls acted like air bags for those in the back. Prevented some serious injuries.”
His appreciative words warm my heart. In the heat of the moment, I did something right. Griffin looks up at me with a smile on his face as if I’m a superhero. It’s a wonderful feeling, and I lean into it. “I’ve always been a fan of having a lot of balls around. Figured they’d come in handy someday.” I say the words before he does.
“And today was that day.” Reggie hides his smirk from Griffin.
“Always quick on your feet, Coach,” Griffin says between shallow breaths.
“Always am,” I return like a volley. “Listen, you get some rest. I’m going to check on the rest of the team. I’m going to get them settled back at the hotel, and I’ll check in on you in the morning.”
“Can I get you anything?” Reggie says, and when Griffin doesn’t react, I look over and see that he’s directed his question to me. My hand lifts to my chest with his concern.
I lay my other hand on Griffin’s arm. “You told me we were in good hands. That we’ll be good. You’ve given me all I could ever ask. Thank you.”
“Don’t mention it. Let’s get you in to see the other girls before they are moved.” He waves a hand for me to take the lead once again, and I pause.
“I know you have other priorities, an entire emergency room to manage. You don’t have to babysit me all night long.” I offer him an out. He’s given me so much of himself.
“Are you trying to get rid of me, Coach Springwood?” His voice fills with a light playfulness I expect. “Don’t you realize what I’m doing? I’m no different from Dalia and Victoria—haven’t you realized you’re my Griffin? I’m developing a condition known as resting crush syndrome. It only has one cure.”
His words force me to put away for a minute all the responsibilities I carry, all the things I must attend to between now and the morning. “And what is that?”
“Constant attention. I think”—he drums his finger against the tip of his chin, his blue-gray eyes locking on me like I’m the only person on the planet—“at least once every waking hour.”
“What about the non-waking hours?”
“Don’t worry about those. My dreams will take care of it then.”
I bite my lower lip to prevent from bursting into a fit of giggles that Griffin will definitely never forget. I see how he’s earned his moniker.
I tilt my head and pop my hip; fully confident his eyes will snap to my enticing shorts. The same ones I’ve caught him stealing glances at when he thought I wasn’t looking. I give Reggie a bright I don’t mind you admiring my assets smile. “I guess that makes me a virus because I’ve been infecting men since 2010.” I remind Reggie he’s not the only one with a dangerously sexy moniker.
In so many ways, we are a match. But I won’t lose my head. I’m just another pretty woman passing through his emergency room. Yes, he’s hitting on me, and I’m loving every minute. But a week from now, there will be another pretty woman here, or a visiting doctor, or a sales rep from a pharmacy company standing next to him, receiving cute phrases dipped in innuendo and empty promises.
I see him for what he is. I’ll enjoy the moments but won’t fall for the man.