Chapter 18 #2
Miles whooped. “Fucking finally.” And the assholes around me clapped.
I couldn’t hold back my grin. “You fuckers. Coming off a loss and you’re celebrating like you’re all fucking winners.” I didn’t conceal the warmth in my tone.
“With Cass picking up the bill tonight, you bet your ass we’re all celebrating.” Miles high-fived Wilkes.
“For fuck’s sake.” Cassius shook his head. “Malcolm, you couldn’t have waited one more week?” He launched his sweaty shorts at me.
“I don’t get it,” I admitted, making my way to the shower. These guys were too distracting with their motivational love talk.
Miles answered for him, “Cass decided to make a new wager. He was the one who made the stakes a night out for the team.”
“I don’t even want to know.” I flipped Cassius off, shouting, “Serves you damn right, alligator dick. But…,” I stretched out the word, “I’m not actually confirming anything either.”
Cassius seemed happy. The others not so much.
I washed quickly, spoke to Coach, then hightailed it out of the arena. Bronwyn, one of the Eagles’s all-round miracle workers, was able to organize me a car and a way out, away from the crowd, so I could head out without fanfare.
While I still had no idea how I’d get into the hospital without causing a fuss, the important thing was I was going, and not for me. Well, not just for me. Eddie and Lottie were my priority.
My cell rang. I answered immediately. “Hey, Bron.”
“Ask the driver to take you to the east-side emergency exit. There’s someone from security there waiting to greet you. They’ll get you to Eddie,” she explained in her no-nonsense voice.
“You’re amazing, Bron. Thank you.”
“Uh-huh. Just remember this next time you even think of a prank anywhere near my vicinity.”
I chuckled. “You’ve got it.”
“And don’t forget your sit-down with the team on Saturday night, okay?”
I cracked my neck, having completely forgotten our official end-of-season meal with the team.
We’d all been hoping it wouldn’t happen for another two and a half weeks.
“Yeah,” I responded, sobered by the reality of tonight’s loss and being out of this year’s playoffs. The reminder was a sucker punch.
Bronwyn’s sigh preceded her. “Just try to relax the next couple of nights, okay? You guys did amazing to get this far.”
“Yeah, thanks, Bron. I best speak to the driver, as we’re getting close.” I said goodbye, disappointment and failure threatening to overwhelm me. Truth was, I was devastated by tonight’s loss. Add in how poorly we’d played, it made the loss even more cutting.
We should have done better. The fact that every single player was able to pinpoint so easily something that went wrong, or what we should have done better at, made that crystal clear. Losing sucked majorly.
I tried to shake off my funk as I spoke to Mark, the driver, and worked hard at reining in my pity party so I could be there for Eddie. This grown-up shit, behaving all responsible and less of a selfish asshole, took a lot of energy. The thought made me want to slap myself.
I hadn’t eaten, and I could feel my energy flagging as quickly as a spent dick. Jesus. And there I’d been on the phone to Eddie earlier, acting like I could handle it all and be responsible, implying I could look after myself perfectly fine as well as him.
“I don’t suppose there’s a drive-through we pass before we get there?” I asked Mark, trying to salvage some of my self-respect. Food was food, right?
Mark met my gaze through the rearview mirror. “I can make that happen. Anything in particular?”
“What’s good around here?” I asked.
“There’s a Susie’s just ahead. Their chicken cheese fry bowl is pretty good. Add in some extra chicken and it hits the spot.”
I smiled, relieved. “Sounds great, thank you. Will you order three and shakes, and whatever you want for yourself?”
Mark bobbed his head and grinned back. “I sure can.”
“Thanks. You’re a lifesaver.”
It didn’t take long for our food to arrive, and we continued on to the hospital.
The fried tortilla shell filled with fries, cheese, chicken, and veggies made my tastebuds sing.
I devoured the food and made far too much of a mess.
Mark simply laughed and handed me a supply of napkins and some wet wipes.
“Good, right?” he asked as he pulled over to the side of the hospital while I frantically tried to clean up my mess.
“Hell yes. Good choice. Thanks, man.”
He indicated toward the hospital door that opened, a security guard appearing. “You need extra help getting in there safely or you good?”
I reached out and shook his hand. “I’ll be fine. Thanks, though.” I opened the door. “You got Venmo?”
“Yeah, man. Thanks.”
After I sent him a healthy tip, I stepped out of the car and went directly to the waiting security guard.
“Right this way, Mr. Malcolm. Mr. Phelps is in a private room with his daughter. I’ll take you right there.”
“Thanks.” With food and drinks tray in hand, I followed him along corridors, cap in place. Though with my height, Joel had been right about me not really blending in.
“Here we are, room 408. I’ve been requested to wait out here until you’re ready to leave.”
I smiled at the security guard, taking note of his name tag. “Thanks, Terry.” I shook his hand before knocking lightly on the door.
Hearing Eddie’s familiar voice, I entered. My gaze snagged his immediately, and seeing the flicker of emotions on his face confirmed I’d made the right decision by coming here. He stood immediately, then hesitated, looking toward an internal door I assumed was a bathroom.
“Where’s Lottie?” I asked.
Eddie indicated toward the door. “She’ll be out in a minute.”
With that knowledge, I didn’t let his initial hesitation stop me. After placing my goodies on the table, I was in his space, holding him tight, lips pressing against his warm neck. When he sagged in my arms, I squeezed, allowing relief to trickle into me, loosening the grip on my heart.
“She’s really okay?” I asked, easing back just enough to read his face.
“Yeah.” A sweet smile followed. “Hopefully we won’t be much longer, then we’ll be out of here.”
“That’s great. How’d it happen?”
He sighed and rolled his eyes. “Swinging on a chair of all things. I swear I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve asked her not to do it.”
I winced and rubbed circles on his back with my thumb. I wasn’t ready to let him go just yet. “Shit happens. The important thing is she’s going to be fine. A break sucks, especially as it’s almost her summer vacation, but it could have been a whole lot worse, right?”
“Yeah.” A frown appeared, drawing his brows low. “It just made my heart stop there for a moment.” He swallowed. “Her being hurt like that, in more pain…” He shook his head. “This year’s been one for it.”
Rather than respond with words, I pulled him close, dotted a brief kiss on his mouth, and hugged him again. He embraced me back, tighter than before, and then we heard the bathroom door snick open.
With one last squeeze that made my heart sigh in welcome relief, Eddie stepped out of my hold. He looked over my shoulder, saying, “Look who I found roaming the hospital.”
I turned to Lottie. Her arm was currently in a sling. She also shot me a wide grin.
“You came.” She stepped toward us, her smile never dipping.
“Of course I did, kiddo.” When she reached me, I dropped a kiss to the top of her head, too anxious to hug her like I wanted in case I hurt her. “I needed to make sure I was the first person to sign your cast. I get dibs since I’m your favorite.”
“Cool. Perhaps you can write a limerick.”
“Uhm…”
“We’ve been working on them in class, and there’s some really fun ones. Lester at school told me a rude one.”
“He did, did he?”
We both looked at Eddie, who didn’t appear especially happy with that new piece of information.
With an exasperated sigh, Lottie said, “It only had the word ‘ass,’ Dad.”
I snorted. “I’ll see what I can come up with, okay?”
Her expression sobered. “I’m sorry about the game.”
The sadness in her tone made my gut clench. “It’s just the way it goes, right? Getting all the way through to the third round was pretty cool.”
While Lottie nodded solemnly, I side-eyed Eddie. His expression was shuttered, lips a little pinched, and he seemed to be looking anywhere but at me. Before I could think about it further, a knock on the door preceded it opening.
A doctor headed inside the room, alongside a nurse pushing a metal cart filled with supplies.
When the doctor’s gaze landed on me, it widened slightly before she refocused on Lottie.
“Right, Lottie, let’s get your arm supported so you can get going home.
It’s pretty late so I’m sure you’re ready for bed. ”
Lottie bobbed her head. “Okay.” She then looked at me. “Is that milkshake for me?”
“It sure is. There’s food too. I thought the two of you might be hungry.”
Returning her attention to the doctor, she asked, “Can I eat and have my shake while you’re doing my arm? My stomach is going to eat itself.”
The young doctor chuckled. “You definitely can.”
“Thank you.”
While the nurse and doctor got Lottie set up where they wanted, I dished out the food, offering the doc and nurse some fries. They refused politely and started work on Lottie’s arm.
Once they were focused, I dragged a chair over to the corner of the room next to a second chair, and the furthest point away from the doc and nurse, attempting some semblance of privacy.
“Come and eat,” I ordered Eddie.
He raked his gaze over my face before offering me a small smile. Once he sat, I placed the taco-like shell in his hands. “Have you already eaten?” he asked.
“Yep. It’s amazing but messy. Like all good things in life.” My wink earned me a blush.
“Thanks for the food,” he said, and took a bite. His moan was sinful. “What?” he asked around a mouthful when our gazes met.
Lifting my brow, I said, “You know exactly what. Noises like that in public should not be allowed.”