Chapter 10
Chapter Ten
Rocky
The wind blew snowflakes around her as she stood frozen in place.
A piece of paper under her wiper flapped in the wind.
Shit. Her stalker was back. It had been a couple of weeks since Butch had convinced her to report the notes to the police.
She thought they’d stopped but now, here was another one.
Grabbing the pepper spray her father had insisted she carry, she slowly walked toward her car, her eyes scanning the almost empty parking lot.
The parking lot lights flickered on, the low, dark clouds bringing dusk on early.
Relaxing slightly when she didn’t see anything else amiss, she pocketed her pepper spray and plucked the paper from underneath the wiper.
‘You didn’t listen,’ was scrawled across the paper in the same handwriting as the other notes. Focused on the note, she didn’t see the person slink around her car and come up behind her.
“I warned you but you didn’t listen. You should have quit, the Legends don’t need you,” a gravelly voice said in her ear as arms wrapped around her. Opening her mouth to scream, her assailant covered her mouth with his gloved hand. The glove smelled of gasoline, making her gag.
She twisted, trying to get her arm free so she could grab her pepper spray. The hand over her mouth moved and she bit down on it.
“Motherfucker!”
Her assailant punched her in the stomach and she doubled over from the pain.
Wrapping her fingers around the pepper spray in her pocket she turned and tried to get it out of her pocket.
Struggling to pull it out and bring it up, she felt a hand grip her wrist, so tight it felt like her bones were rubbing together.
“Nope, not gonna happen,” her assailant growled out. He squeezed her wrist harder until she dropped the spray. “Can’t have you using that now, can we?”
“Let me go, asshole,” she screeched as she fought against his hold.
He dragged her across the parking lot. She wished she’d worn something other than her chucks, the soles were slick and gave her no traction in the snow.
Her feet skittered across the snow-covered concrete, not giving her any hope of getting away from him.
“What do you want from me?” she asked trying to buy herself some time as he fumbled for his keys.
Somehow, his arm loosened around her and she broke free. She took one step and he grabbed her by the hair, yanking her back toward him. It felt like her hair was ripped out by the roots.
“You’re not getting away that easy,” he said as he shoved her toward his vehicle. He shoved her again and her feet slid out from under her. With a bang, her face hit the fender and her vision went grey as she heard someone yelling her name.
“Rocky, can you hear me?” She focused on the voice, clawing her way back to consciousness.
She raised her hand to try and rub her forehead to relieve the pain. She felt something sticky. She looked at her fingers. They were covered in red. Was she bleeding?
“You’re okay, we’ve got you.”
She opened her eyes and found Trey on his knees next to her. A groan and then a crunching sound. “Told you not to move, fucker!” she heard Butch say.
“What?” she asked, trying to sit up.
“You stay put, you might have a concussion,” Trey said. “I can hear sirens, the ambulance should be her soon.”
Butch stared down at her, shaking his hand.
“Damn, Butch, did you break your hand?” Trey asked him.
“I don’t think so. Would have been totally worth it though,” Butch growled.
Butch
Looking down at her, his stomach twisted and the urge to go beat her stalker until he was unrecognizable washed over him. The right side of her face was swollen and blood had run from a cut in her eyebrow down her cheek.
Rocky shivered from the cold and probably shock. Butch shrugged out of his coat and laid it over her on top of Trey’s. Where the fuck was that ambulance?
“Did he get away?” she asked, her eyes filled with pain.
Why did that make him want to wrap her up and keep her safe from the world? “Don’t worry, he’s not going to hurt you anymore,” he said as he took her hand. God, it was freezing.
“Is he dead?” she asked, her eyes wide.
“No, but he’s going to wish he was. I know I broke his nose and I might have broken his jaw,” he said with a grin. “Fucker hurt you, you’re bleeding.” Where had that urge to protect her come from. That was new.
He saw the firetruck turning into the parking lot. About time they got here.
With a final whoop, the firetruck pulled up and screeched to a halt. Three firemen jumped off and grabbed their kits, hurrying over to Rocky. Trey sent one to check on the stalker.
The cops pulled up seconds later. “Who is the victim?” they asked looking from Rocky to the stalker. Butch was relieved when Trey went to talk to the cops, he wanted to be with Rocky. He knew he would eventually have to talk to them. Hopefully the creep wouldn’t press charges against him.
Butch stepped back as the fireman assessed Rocky’s injuries. One looked up at Butch and saw him clenching and unclenching his hand.
“I want to take a look at that hand, you might have broken…”
“Just worry about her. I’ll be fine,” Butch growled. “Just take care of her.”
“Jim’s got it under control. Let me at least get you an ice pack.” He pulled a pack out of his kit and activated it.
Butch winced when the EMT took his hand and placed the ice pack on the back of it. “Hold that there. I suggest you get an x-ray.”
“Fuck,” he ground out. He didn’t need to be sidelined by a broken hand. Not when they start the playoffs this Saturday.
“What about Rocky? Is she okay?”
The ambulance drove up and stopped.
“She needs to go get checked out and maybe get an x-ray of that cheekbone.” He closed his kit as the other EMT conferred with the ambulance crew.
He walked up and stood by as they loaded Rocky onto a gurney. Rocky protested, “I’m fine, I’m sure I don’t need…”
“Go get checked out, we need our kicker for Saturday’s game.”
“I hate this,” she grumbled. “I’m okay.”
He brushed the hair off her forehead, frowning at the bandage. “Coach won’t let you play until your cleared by a doctor.”
“But…”
“You might have a concussion; that’s nothing to fool with.”
“Okay. I’ll go if you promise you’ll get an x-ray of that hand.” Her eyes searched his.
He sighed. If it meant Rocky would let them take her to the hospital he’d do it. “Okay. We’ll follow the ambulance. Do you want us to call anyone for you?”
She frowned. “I’ll take care of that later.”
Fifteen minutes later, Butch rushed into the Emergency Department. He walked up to the desk and the receptionist handed him a clipboard. “Fill this out and bring it back. What is your name and why are you here?”
“I need an x-ray on my hand. But more importantly, where is Rocky, er, Rochelle Masterson? She was just brought in by ambulance.”
No emotion on her face, the receptionist tapped some keys as she stared at her monitor. She eyed his hand as she reached for the phone.
“Oh, it wasn’t me, I did this on that creep’s face.”
That got him a small smile. “Okay then. What’s your name? I’ll have someone check that the patient wants you with her.”
It wasn’t long before someone walked up to him. “You’re Butch Sutton?”
He went to give the clipboard back to the receptionist. “You can fill that out while your back there since you need an x-ray. I’ll let the doctor know.”
“Thank you,” he said with a smile. Following the nurse through the chaos of the Emergency Department he heard a lot of moans and crying.
The nurse motioned him to a room and he stepped in, relieved to find Rocky sitting up in the bed talking with a doctor as he examined her.
“Butch,” Rocky said when she saw him standing just inside the door. “Doc, this is Butch, my hero.”
“Butch, good to meet you. Wait, you’re Butch Sutton.” He held out his hand and stopped when he saw the bruising on Butch’s hand. “Looks like you should be a patient also.”
“You did promise,” Rocky said.
“I did, and I will.” He motioned to the clipboard. “I got the paperwork and everything.”
Butch set the clipboard on the chair and then shook the doctor’s hand. “How’s our girl doing? We need her for this Sunday’s game.”
The doctor smiled. “I didn’t realize you were that Rocky. I saw your game last weekend. You guys are looking good going into the playoffs.”
“As long as Rocky’s cleared to play.”
The doc added, “And you. They couldn’t do it without your blocking.”
“What are the chances she’ll be able to play?”
After a nod from Rocky he said, “Everything looks good, no sign of concussion, she just needs an x-ray to rule out a cheek fracture. As do you on that hand.”
“I guess I better get this paperwork filled out then.” He winced when the doctor took his injured hand and pressed on it.
“Yep, definitely need an x-ray.” He checked the computer. “Alice did get you in the system so I’ll put in the order. You can stay here with Rocky until they’re ready for her.”
The doctor left and Butch slouched in the chair, looking up when the nurse brought Trey into the room.
“How is the patient?”
“I’m good, just waiting on an x-ray. Butch is getting one too.”
Trey looked from Rocky to Butch. “I called Coach. He’s not happy.”
Butch grimaced. If either one or both of them were sidelines there’d be hell to pay.
“Don’t worry, Butch, I’ll tell him how you saved me from that creep,” Rocky said as an orderly came into the room.
“I’m here to take you to x-ray.” He frowned when he saw Butch’s hand.
Butch sighed, this was getting old. “Wasn’t me.”
Rocky chimed in, “He’s the one that saved me.”
“Okay then. Let’s get you down to x-ray.”
He wheeled Rocky out of the room.
The nurse returned and Rocky gave her his completed paperwork. “You’ll need to go down the imaging waiting area.” She handed him the order and gave him directions.
Trey took the chair. “I’ll wait for Rocky and let her know where you are.”
Butch nodded and trudged out of the room. Now that he knew Rocky should be okay, the adrenaline that had surged through him was wearing off and he was exhausted. His hand ached and he felt the beginning of a headache at the back of his head. God, he needed some pain reliever and beer.
A few minutes later, he was slouched in a waiting room chair. At least this chair was padded. His injured hand in his lap, he leaned his head back to rest against the wall.
Jolting awake at someone calling his name, he pushed himself up. “Call me Butch.”
The nurse smiled at him. “Oh, I know who you are,” she said as she batted her eyelashes at him. Seriously, he was in pain and she was flirting? He just wanted to get the x-ray over with and to get back to Rocky.
After they took multiple x-rays of his hand, he headed back to the Emergency Department.
Rocky was sitting up in the bed, her cheek red and puffy.
“There you are,” she said when she saw him in the doorway. “This is my dad, James Masterson. Dad, this is Butch Sutton.”
“I want to thank you, Butch. If you hadn’t been there, I don’t want to think what would have happened.”
Butch shook his hand. “Thank you, sir. I remember watching you play when I was in just starting with the Legends.”
“Call me Jim. That was a long time ago, Rocky was five when I quit.”
Just thinking about that made Butch’s stomach roll. Was he really that much older than Rocky? Fuck, he was eighteen years older than she was. Made him feel like a dirty old man.
“Where’s Trey?” he asked.
“He’s out in the waiting area waiting for you.”
The doctor stepped into the room. “I’ve got both of your x-rays. I’m glad to say you’re both in the clear, no signs of fractures.”
“That’s great!” Rocky exclaimed as her father hugged her.
“Since your dad is here, I’ll be going,” Butch said as he backed out of the room.
“I’ve got your discharge paperwork,” the doctor said. “He handed a sheaf of papers to Butch. “Just sign the top one, the rest are for you with your care instructions.”
Butch shifted his weight from foot to foot, anxious to get out of the hospital. He took the pen and scrawled his name. Now he could finally get home and try to get rid of this headache.