Chapter 36 Oliver
OLIVER
The door clicked shut behind her, and the quiet that followed felt heavier than anything I’d ever worn on the field.
I stared at the ceiling, every inch of my body sore, my chest still tight, the monitor above me humming out the truth in real time—one beat after another. Fragile. I’d been running on a failing circuit, pretending I was fine, and now the lie had collapsed in the middle of a sold-out stadium.
Sloane had ridden in the ambulance. She’d held my hand in front of everyone. She’d fought to be the one beside me while I laid there, unconscious and soaked in sweat, strapped to a board like a fucking corpse.
She hadn’t even hesitated.
That image wouldn’t leave my mind—her voice cracking, her hand on my cheek, her whisper in my ear before I faded completely.
And then the way she sobbed in front of me.
I’d never seen her like that. Not once. Not in all the months we’d danced around rules and pressure and tension. She always held it in. She always kept it together. But not today.
And now she was out there. Alone. After defending me. After risking everything.
“Fuck,” I muttered, trying to sit up straighter. My ribs pulled tight, and the wires clipped to my chest tugged back. The heart monitor spiked a few beats. I stilled, breathing slow, trying to force the number back down.
A knock came a second later, light and unsure.
Then the door opened, and Rachel stepped in.
She looked like a mess. Mascara smudged. Hair pulled into a messy knot. Rampage hoodie zipped halfway. The second our eyes met, she froze in the doorway.
“Hey,” I said, barely louder than a whisper.
Her bottom lip trembled. “Hey.”
She moved slowly, her nerves rolling off her.
Ivy followed behind her, quiet, reading something on a tablet.
She didn’t speak—just nodded at me once and stood by the window.
Ivy had always been a calm presence in my life.
She knew my parents, my sister, and I didn’t think it mattered how much time went by—Ivy was a lifelong friend.
Despite the chaos in my gut, I was glad she was here.
Rachel sat at the edge of the bed, her hands in her lap, curled tight.
The air was thick with all the unsaid things, the anger and hurt and glaring issue that my body shut down on me.
I bit the inside of my cheek, waiting for her to yell at me.
I deserved it. She was right. She didn’t want this to happen, and the first game she came to, I passed the hell out.
I should open up with an apology. It’d be easier. “Look, Rachel—"
“Goddamn it, Oli. Why are you so dramatic? I’m the second child and the daughter. I get to have the dramatic exits.” She laughed, and just like that, the air settled.
I cackled and opened up my arms. She dove in, a little too aggressively, and we hugged for the first time in a year. “I missed you, Orange Slice.”
“Don’t call me that, Jesus. I’m twenty-one now.”
“Yeah, so much older and wiser.” I messed up her hair, and she slapped my hand. “And here I was, worried things would be awkward.”
“Oh, what makes you say that? The fact I yelled at you because I didn’t want you to get hurt playing this stupid asinine sport? And the game I go to you pass out and are taken out on a stretcher?”
“So glad you haven’t changed.” I grinned, truly, meaning every word. “You should probably be nicer to me though. I’m in a hospital.”
“Eh, I’ll take it into consideration.” My sister hugged me again, this time whispering. “I love you, you complete baboon.”
“Love you too.” I squeezed her back, something deep in my chest righting itself after all this time. “Hey, can one of you check on Sloane? She ran out of here in tears, and I’m worried about her.”
“Yeah, you should be.” Ivy pushed off the wall, her usual calm face twisted with worry. “Everyone knows you two crossed a line, and I’m sure there’s going to be backlash.” Ivy ran a hand over her forehead, a sure sign she was stressed. “I’ll go get her, see if we can game plan of what to do.”
“Ivy, she won’t… they won’t fire her, will they?”
“There’s a clause that says they can.” Ivy walked out the hospital door, and my gut sank.
Rachel’s brows furrowed as Ivy disappeared into the hall. “Sloane?” she asked carefully. “You mean—the woman I met in the hall?”
I nodded.
Her eyes widened. “Holy shit, dude.”
“Yeah,” I said, breath shaky. “She’s not just someone I’m dating. She’s the one, Rachel. I—I didn’t even know I was capable of feeling like this until her.”
Rachel blinked. Her entire expression shifted. Not judgment, but something stunned and tender. “Oli…”
“She is the most brilliant, fascinating woman. Spent all her life taking care of people, building them up, being their voice of reason. She’s so fucking kind and intentional and smart, and God, once you get her to laugh and see her watch the Cubs…
She’s wild. Rachel, I fucking love her.” I exhaled hard, wiping my face.
“And today, she rode in that ambulance with me. She could’ve been fired on the spot, and she still fucking climbed in without blinking. ”
Rachel’s face softened, brows pinching. “You really love her.”
“Yeah. I do.” I looked down at the IV in my arm, the monitors, the hospital gown that replaced my jersey. “I’ve had everything ripped away from me before, Rachel. My shot at the draft. My relationship with you. Control of my own body.” I looked up. “I’m not letting them take her too.”
“But what if—”
“I’ll walk,” I said, voice firm now. “If it comes to that, I’ll quit. I’ll take the hit and retire. I’ll go out on my terms. But I won’t let them destroy her. Not professionally or personally.”
Rachel looked at me like she didn’t know whether to hug me or shake me.
“I’ll take an analyst job. Be a coach. I don’t care.” I shook my head. “I want her in my life. That’s the nonnegotiable. The rest is noise.”
She leaned back and exhaled, visibly overwhelmed. “Jesus, Oli.”
“Yeah,” I said, closing my eyes. “I’m down bad.”
That earned me a watery laugh. “You’re a dumbass. But a noble dumbass.”
I nodded. “That’s fair.”
She leaned forward again, quieter this time. “Then fight for her. Whatever comes next, whatever blows up—you two better be on the same side. I love that you have these feelings, but you should talk to her about this before you do anything.”
“Sure, but do you have your phone? I want to call my agent, tell him what could happen.”
Rachel chewed her lip, shaking her head.
“No, I’m not doing that. Ask for Sloane’s phone.
I love you, but don’t be an idiot. You never make this large of a choice without talking to her.
Honestly, there is no way that is an immediate firing.
One of my roommates is studying for the bar, and she was rambling on about clauses and shit.
I bet… you should look at your contracts and see what options are real. Promise me you’ll pause.”
“Okay, shit, maybe you have grown up. That was actually helpful.”
“Not loving the use of actually in that sentence. I can be helpful.” Rachel shook my forearm, a half-smile on her face. “Oh, hey, I forgot to ask. I didn’t book a place to stay when in the city so like… I need to crash at your place.”
“Rachel.” I closed my eyes, almost laughing. “Why are you this way?”
She didn’t get to answer before Sloane appeared at the door, arms crossed over her chest. Her eyes were red, but no active tears were on her face.
She seemed better, which helped the mountain of emotion in my chest. It physically ached, and it wasn’t from collapsing on the field.
I was sure of that. “Are you okay? Please, stay with me.” I didn’t care that I sounded pathetic.
I couldn’t chase her, and I didn’t want her to leave.
Rachel stood and held out her hand, a blush covering her cheeks. “Hi, hi, I didn’t realize… it’s really nice meeting you. Had no idea my brother was a sad simp in love with you. Can’t wait to get to know you more, but you two should talk. He’s plotting to do something stupid.”
Sloane smiled and shook my sister’s hand. “I really can’t wait to get to know you too, Rachel. And yeah, I can already see his plotting face.”
“Stop him. It’s stupid.” Rachel grinned again, then patted my leg. “I’ll check in with you in a bit. I’m sure I’ll see you again.”
“Yeah, because she didn’t get a hotel. She assumed she’d crash with me.”
Sloane blinked before reaching into her pocket and taking a key off a ring. “Here, if you want to use my place, I have extra clothes, a clean shower. I’ll text you the address.”
“Sloane, that’s really nice. Thank you.” Rachel shook her head. “I couldn’t… are you sure?”
“Your brother and I are neighbors, so we can get you once he’s released.”
“Got ya. Well, thank you.” Rachel took the key then stared at me. “I’m glad you’re okay, Oli. Once you get a moment, let Mom and Dad know, okay?”
I gave her a curt nod. Mom and Dad were so not on my mind right now. Not with Sloane standing a foot too far away from me. I couldn’t touch her, and that wouldn’t do. I tried grabbing her hand and groaned.
“What are you doing?” Sloane asked, putting hands on her hips. “What’s wrong?”
“Trying to touch you. Can’t reach.”
She snorted, which was a good sign. She sighed as she neared the side of my bed and scooted the chair so she was right next to me. She took my hand in both of hers and rested it against her cheek, her eyes closing as she took a few breaths.
“Are you okay?” I whispered, my chest fluttering with worry. “You ran out of here…you’ve been crying.”
“I think it all hit me at once. I kept it together since seeing you on the field, then once you were safe, your sister was with you, all those emotions and the adrenaline crashed hard. I’m okay now, thank you.
” Her soft brown eyes moved from my head to my chest, to the wires, then to my face again.
“How are you? What’s going through your head? ”
“You.”
Her eyebrows crinkled together. “What do you mean you?”