Chapter Twenty-Four #2
“I’m her mom.” I tugged out of Flint’s grip.
“She’s breathing fine, but we’re going to take her to the hospital to have her checked out. You can ride with her.”
I nodded.
“Lake …”
I didn’t look back at Flint. He saved her life and for that I would always be grateful, even indebted to him, but I didn’t want to hear any bullshit about photographers, media, or how events of the day might tarnish anyone’s reputation.
Shayna was smiling by the time we made it to the hospital. I was still a wreck. On the way, I texted Jamie. He was technically the one in charge of her while Everson was at training camp. He had her medical and insurance information.
“Hey.” Jamie hugged me as they took Shayna back to be examined.
I lost it again. A new round of tears released from the flood gates.
“I-I-I’m so sorry. Sh-she almost died.”
“Shh …” Jamie rested his cheek against my head as sobs wracked my body.
The guilt and “what if” was so damn painful.
“She’s going to be fine. Did you see the grin on her face?”
“But she could have—”
“It doesn’t matter now. She didn’t and she’s fine. You’re fine. It’s fine, doll.”
“Are you Shayna’s parents?” A nurse interrupted.
Jamie released me and I wiped my face and eyes.
“I’m her nanny.”
“I need to go over some medical information with you.”
Jamie nodded, glancing at me with a tense brow.
I shook my head. “I’m fine. Go. They need you. She needs you.”
When I turned, my body slammed into Flint. I sucked in a breath. “God! You scared me.”
“I called Everson. He knows what happened and that Shayna will be fine.”
“And Cage?”
Flint shook his head. “Everson won’t say anything to him either.”
“I’m calling him.”
“He’ll leave to come back here for you. Is that what’s really best for everyone?”
“You mean for Cage.”
“I do.” Flint’s tone held no regret. “After you see her, I’m taking you home. Jamie will take Shayna home and life will go back to being uneventful—not newsworthy.”
Blink. Blink. Blink.
I just stared at him. Everything inside of me felt numb, including my tongue.
“We can see her.”
My head jerked to Jamie. I nodded and followed him to the exam room.
“Hi, I’m Dr. Brody.”
Jamie shook his hand.
“Lake!” Shayna jumped off the table and hugged me like she didn’t nearly die an hour earlier.
I blinked back the third round of tears.
“She’s fine. Her vitals are normal and you can take her home.”
“Thank you,” Jamie said to the doctor.
“My pleasure.” He ruffled Shayna’s hair a bit. “Maybe find a new flavor of ice cream next time.”
She grinned.
Me? My heart ached and my gut churned with too much nausea to smile.
“Let’s go, Shay.” Jamie picked her up. I followed them out to the front.
“I want to ride with Lake.”
That precious little girl had no idea that she almost died because I froze when she needed me most. Her innocence and unconditional love nearly shattered my hurting heart.
“Hi, Shayna. Lake’s car is not here. I’m taking her home. You can see her tomorrow.” Flint smiled at her. I wasn’t used to seeing Flint smile. Maybe Shayna brought the best out of everyone.
“Sweetie, do you remember Flint?” I asked.
She nodded.
“Well, he got that gumball out of your throat. Flint’s your hero today.” I found a small smile.
Shayna’s eyes grew big as she looked at Flint. “You did?”
Flint shrugged, like saving little girls from gumballs lodged in their throat was a daily occurrence for him.
“What do you say, Shay?” Jamie prompted.
“Thank you.” Even Shayna wasn’t immune to the aura of importance and authority that always seemed to envelope the space around Flint Hopkins. Her eyes stayed glued to him.
“You’re welcome.”
“I’m so relieved you’re okay.” I hugged her. “I’ll see you at home.”
She nodded as Jamie waved and took her to the exit.
“Shall we?”
I nodded, giving Flint a blank stare. The man was an enigma—a hard-ass with a million layers, and I had no idea what he kept hidden beneath them. I wasn’t sure I really wanted to know.
Flint escorted me to my apartment. I must have been in really bad shape.
“My car—”
“I already have someone bringing it.”
“My key—”
“I took it from your purse.”
My eyes narrowed.
“You were a bit distracted.”
I opened my door. “Did you steal my wallet too?”
“No, but I thought about taking your phone so you wouldn’t be tempted to call our boy.”
Needing Cage so desperately and feeling cut off from him held a special kind of pain. “How bad does it have to get?”
“What do you mean?” Flint stayed at the threshold to my apartment as I tossed my bag on the counter and picked up Trzy.
“If Shayna almost dying doesn’t warrant bothering Cage, then what does?”
“Had she died, I would have called him myself.”
“Fuck you.” I glared at him. I didn’t know if that was his messed-up version of trying to be funny, but I found no humor in it. I just needed Cage so badly it hurt all over.
“Ask any NFL wife and she’ll tell you this is the life. Sacrifice. Sacrifice. Sacrifice.”
“I’m not his wife.”
“All the more reason to not call him.”
“He might call me. He hasn’t in a couple of days.”
“I’m not doing this with you, Lake. You know what’s best. Just go take a bath, have a glass of wine, whatever you need to do to let the day go.” He went to shut the door.
“Flint?”
He turned.
“Thank you.”
I didn’t anticipate the pause, the diversion of his eyes to the ground between us, the wrinkle of pain on his forehead. “I drank.”
Was it a statement or a confession?
My body froze. I feared a single move would scare him and he’d swallow back the words that I knew he needed to say.
“I had a wife … and a drinking problem. I had a son … and a drinking problem. It was my birthday. We went to dinner. I always drank. She tried to take the keys. I didn’t let her.
Told her I was fine … I wasn’t fine. Do you know how deafening screeching tires are to your ears?
” He stared at the floor or into his past. “Do you know how the sound of bending metal embeds itself so deep into your mind you can never ever forget it?”
I did. I knew exactly what that sounded like and how it never went away.
“Cage was driving home behind us. She was trapped.”
I gasped. I was trapped.
“The car was on fire. Cage got our son out. He got me out … he couldn’t get her out. She was trapped.” He looked up. “Cage saved me and my son. I owe him. I’ll always owe him. Football is his dream. I want to give him his dream.”
I tried to nod. Maybe I did. From halfway across the country, Flint rescued me from the beach with just a phone call. He appeared like a guardian angel when Shayna wasn’t breathing. And I knew if I asked him why, he would have said he did it for Cage. I finally knew why.
“Today you gave Shayna a second chance at life. I think your talent extends beyond sports stars and diffusing headline scandals.”
Flint nodded once, still holding a world of confusion in his expression.
“Good night.”
“Night, Flint.”