Chapter 21
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
CATALINA
Dad came back a short time later, one of those big x-ray envelopes in his hand. His expression was grim.
"Go home and get some rest," he said to Shaw, leaving no room for argument. "You're no use to yourself or anyone if you're exhausted."
Shaw looked like he wanted to argue anyway, but eventually he nodded and leaned over to kiss my cheek. "I'll be back later."
I watched him leave, not sure what to think. He did have a cute ass, I'd give him that. Believing everything else— That was a different story.
Dad closed the door and sat on the edge of the bed, right where the player just vacated. "He seems nice."
"There's a few of them who do," I said dryly. I nodded to the envelope. "Do I want to know?"
"Cat…" He exhaled heavily.
"It's not good, is it?" I asked.
He looked like he wanted to tell me everything would be fine and kiss my leg better, but he couldn't lie to me. Not about this.
"No," he said finally. "It's not good. You're going to need surgery. I've spoken to the surgeon and he's fitting you in as soon as he's able to."
That was no surprise. It wasn't the first time I'd had surgery. I'd had it when I first injured my knee. I expected that might be the case this time too.
"Okay," I said lightly. "I have surgery and then work on recovering." I was trying very hard not to think about the very next thing on my mind. I had no choice when Dad went there first.
"You'll miss the trials. The Olympics." He set down the envelope beside me.
I swallowed back a ball of emotion. "I know, but there's another one in four years."
"Cat." His eyes were full of regret.
"No," I said firmly. "I'll miss this one, but I won't be too old the next. I'll just keep working hard and… And…" My emotions were getting the better of me.
"The surgeon said it's unlikely there will be a next," he said. "He said you'll walk again. Eventually, you'll be able to skate, but the damage is too extensive. Your leg won't take the pressure of intensive training."
Tears were pouring freely down my face. "He says that now." A sob escaped from between my lips.
"Sweetheart, he's an expert," Dad said. "I wouldn't let just anyone treat my baby girl. If he says you'll never compete again, chances are you won't."
"No no no no." I shook my head and dissolved into more tears and silent sobbing. "It can't be forever. They took that away from me."
I remembered thinking my attacker was going to take my life, but he might as well have.
He'd stolen my dream. The thing I'd spent my whole life working towards.
The first thing I thought about when I woke in the morning and the last when I went to sleep.
And for what? Because they were, like Shaw said, a spoilt toddler who couldn't share.
Dad wrapped his arms around me and pulled me to the comfort of his broad chest. He rubbed a hand up and down my back, speaking soothing words in my ear.
I didn't know how long I cried for. It didn't help to wash away the pain or the anger. All it did was leave me feeling exhausted and wrung out, like a limp dishrag. Not even having my father's arms around me helped. I'd never, in my entire life, felt as defeated as I did right then. Or as furious.
I let them touch me when I should have been kicking them in the balls. Whether it was Cruz or Easton, or one of the other players, I didn't give a shit. They knew what was going on and did nothing to stop it. As far as I was concerned, they could all get fucked.
Finally, the sobs subsided and Dad wiped my eyes with a tissue. "Selfishly, I'm glad you won't be leaving Opal Springs."
It was fortunate I'd just blown my nose, or my snort would have been messy. "I'm so glad there's an upside to this."
"The upside is that you have a good job you can still do. If ice racing was your career, your whole life would be in limbo."
"It was my passion," I said softly.
"Animals are your passion too," he reminded me. "You're in a much better position to train a cat army to chew on your attacker."
I wiped my eyes again. "I can't tell if you're trying to cheer me up or if you're serious about that." A cat army sounded perfect right about now. Maybe with a few puppies thrown in. And Leonard. The old Labrador could lick the crap out of them. No, he deserved better than that.
"A bit of both," Dad said. "The point is, it's not the end of the world. It's not even the end of your world. There's nothing stopping you from skating again when you've recovered. You could coach."
I heard the catch in his voice and looked at him steadily. "I'm sorry. Sometimes I forget you had to stop doing what you loved too."
"Under the circumstances, you're forgiven for forgetting about me," he said.
"Yes, I did have to give up speed skating too.
But I wouldn't change a thing. I love treating patients and I love being a father to you and your sister.
I wouldn't have missed any of that. And you won't regret having to focus on your career.
Skating is only one thing about my beautiful daughter. Not the whole picture."
"Yeah," I said on an exhale. "I just have to take time to accept what I've lost." What I had stolen from me.
If Cruz or Easton were in front of me right now, I'd punch them both.
They deserved to be dragged down to earth with a painful thud.
For the bet, as well as for the attack. What sort of asshole bets on fucking someone?
Who makes a game of getting someone to fall for them?
Did working full-time jobs and playing hockey leave them with so much time to be petty fucking asshole pricks from hell?
Evidently, it did. They'd regret all of this, I'd make sure of that. If I could get them both kicked off the team, that would be the sweetest revenge. Dean too.
I never hated anyone before, not like I hated them now. I wanted to ruin their lives. With or without an army of cats and puppies.
If I could trust Shaw, he could help me.
"It will take time," Dad agreed. "The police will want to talk to you too. Think about everything you saw and commit it to memory. Even the smallest detail could help find this asshole. He better hope the police find him before I do." His smile was brutal.
To protect me, there was nothing he wouldn't do. I wasn't sure if that extended to killing, but the look in his eyes suggested he was ready to do it.
"Is this where I tell you not to do anything rash?" I asked.
"I never do anything rash," he said. "I do things deliberately, carefully and with precision."
"I'm glad you're my father and not my enemy," I told him. "Because you're suddenly as scary as hell."
He gave me a squeeze. "No one hurts a woman I love and gets away with it. Especially my Kitty Cat."
I squeezed him back. "Thank you."
He leaned back and looked at me. "For what?"
"For being my dad." I kissed his stubbled cheek. "I couldn't have asked for better."
"I don't know." He looked regretful. "I could have tried to stop this before it happened. I could have kept you in Melbourne. If I had, this wouldn't have happened."
"It's not your fault," I said firmly. "They didn't have to do any of this.
We shouldn't have to live somewhere we don't want to because of some assholes.
Our lives are here in Opal Springs. You're a vital part of the community, everyone knows that.
The town is lucky to have you. If they had to decide between you and a hockey team, I know which one they'd choose. "
"The one that will contribute to the growth of the economy?" Dad said, looking accepting of that reality.
"The economy isn't important if you're dead," I pointed out. "How many lives do you save every week? How many times have you diagnosed an illness before it got too far? How many times have you cured people's constipation?" I couldn't help the slight tease. No one liked to be backed up, after all.
Dad chuckled. "People don't always have their priorities straight.
" He looked at me intently. "Obviously, or they would have used their time more productively than hurting my baby.
When I think of how scared you must have been, I want to tear the whole world apart.
" He went from amused to an angry growl in a handful of sentences.
I leaned my cheek against his chest. "I was terrified, but I kept thinking of you.
Even though you weren't there, you were still taking care of me.
" I was so convinced I'd never see him again, holding him now felt surreal.
I'd have to make more time to spend with him and appreciate him and the things he did for me.
Life was too short. The attack was a stark reminder of that.
"That's the best job I ever had," he said. "I'll do my best to do it better from now on. If anyone lays a hand on you without your permission, they'll live to fucking regret it."
"Get in line," I told him. "They have to deal with me first."
"And that Shaw guy," Dad added.
"You think he's genuine?" I asked. "I'm not sure I even know what genuine is any more." I thought I was a good judge of character, but clearly I was wrong. So fucking wrong.
"I don't know, but I saw the way he looked at you and stayed, keeping an eye on you when you slept. I thought he was going to punch the x-ray technician for going anywhere near you."
"That's both scary and sweet," I said. Easton would have done the same to Jason, so it gave me no firm conclusions. Just more questions that had no answers. But if Dad trusted Shaw, maybe I could too. If not, we'd add him to the list of people who'd regret fucking with us.
"The technician wasn't very impressed," Dad said. "You know as well as I do that medical staff don't go to work to get threatened. In the end, Shaw backed off for your sake, but he refused to leave. He might be almost as stubborn as you."
"Is that even possible?" I said jokingly.
"Probably not." He kissed my temple. "I have to speak to the specialist, but I'll be back in a few minutes, okay?" He stood and scooped up the envelope from the bed.
I nodded and leaned back against the pillows. It wasn't until he left that I let the tears overwhelm me again. I turned and curled up against the pillows to sob quietly.
Someday I'd come to terms with all of this, but it sure as fuck wasn't today. Today I just wanted to grieve the death of my dream. Later, I'd harden my heart.