“Kayla, you look really nice.” Adam stepped up beside me and grasped my forearm. I could feel my skin heat up from his words. My color deepened when I noticed not only his eyes, but those of another doctor’s eyes travel the length of my body.
“I agree, Adam. She certainly is beautiful.” His eyes twinkled, and I experienced the overwhelming urge to find a hole to crawl into. Having a perfect stranger call me beautiful was so out of my comfort zone that I didn’t know what to do with it. Did I say thank you? Did I ignore it? Maybe just nod my head?
His hand reached for mine, pulling it up towards his lips. “Since Adam doesn’t seem inclined to introduce us, I will. My name’s Ken, and I’m a resident like Adam.” He placed a kiss on my knuckles, and I struggled to keep from laughing. Not only did the sensation tickle, but the air Ken gave off was more of a prankster than a romantic.
Out of the corner of my eye I saw Adam frown but lift his lips when he saw me watching. I wiggled my eyebrows at him, coaxing a larger smile onto his face, before turning back to Ken. “It’s nice to meet you, too. My sister is in the NICU with Adam.”
Adam’s fingers slid down my arm to grasp my own briefly before letting go. He shoved his hands into the front pockets of his jeans after motioning for us to walk toward the door. “What Kayla’s not saying is that she has been the primary caregiver to her sister since her stepmother is too sick to be here.”
“Really? That’s an amazing thing that you are doing. I have a few patients on the ward that are too sick to go home but have been here so long that their parents had to resume some portion of a normal life. It means that the babies are left with only volunteers and staff as visitors most of the time. The situation isn’t the best, but what else can you do when you have other children that need you as well.” He shrugged his shoulders and then pushed open the door, allowing us all to step outside into the humid nighttime air.
I understood where he was coming from. It was the same argument I used whenever I got mad at my father for abandoning me at the hospital. But with my stepmother still sick—or at least that was what I thought since I hadn’t heard anything different—and my younger siblings at home, I understood that I was needed to care for Chloe.
We met up with a group of people outside the main doors, discussing where the group should head. When it looked like they were settling on a bar, one of the younger nurses from the NICU informed the group that a bar was out of the question due to there being a baby in the group. I stiffened under the bitchy tone of her voice, but felt Adam’s hand brushing along my spine as he chanted under his breath, “Ignore her, Kayla. She’s jealous.”
With a smile to Adam and to me, Ken suggested a British pub down the road telling everyone how hungry he was. He soon had the group agreeing with his suggestion.
By the time the meals arrived at the table, I’d met those sitting around me. They all seemed nice and no one treated me like a child, for which I was grateful.
Around a spoonful of food, I heard Ken ask the table’s thoughts on the Toronto trade that had been announced earlier in the day.
“I missed it. Who was traded?” My fingers clenched around my fork until they were white as I waited for his answer.
A sigh of relief escaped me when he mentioned the players involved were from Toronto and Los Angeles. I continued to eat as I listened to the guys around the table weighed in on the merits of the trade for the home team. But soon I couldn’t resist adding my own thoughts. “You’re right it is a great trade but for Los Angeles. Toronto was suckered in this deal.”
“How do you figure?” Ken leaned back in his chair with a smirk on his face.
Glancing around I noticed some of the other males and females watching me. Taking in a deep breath, I steadied myself. If there was one subject I felt completely confident on and couldn’t care less about the ages of those around me, it was hockey. Grinning, I explained exactly why I felt the trade was better for the other city and what holes Toronto now had to deal with.
“Really?” Ken raised an eyebrow in challenge. “And how would you know that?”
“My father has some stakes in one of the local Junior teams, and I know a number of current professional players. I’ve been around hockey almost all my life.”
The guy sitting next to Ken leaned forward. “That’s so cool. Which players do you know?”
I should have been expecting the question, but I hadn’t. Hearing him ask who I knew had my legs shaking under the table while my heart raced. Talking hockey in the abstract was hard enough but familiar ground, talking about Kris or Ryan and anyone associated with them… I just couldn’t do it.
My mouth opened and closed like a fish. Before I could embarrass myself, Adam jumped in, asking if I knew a few players that had gone pro over the previous few years that played on my local OHL team. All of them had attended my school, so I was able to affirm that I knew them.
Praying that would be the end, I lifted my glass with shaky hands and took a sip.
“About two weeks ago, we ran into a group of players at the bar,” a doctor further down the table said loudly as he nudged the guy next to him.
“Yeah and you should have seen all the girls hanging off them. That’s the life,” his buddy continued.
“Agreed. And it sucked because one of them was the new Florida player drafted this year. Kris, no Ryan, no.” The guy looked around the table, but I couldn’t meet his eyes. Nor could I confirm the names. Instead I struggled to breath, my chest on fire. Here, I was sitting in the hospital, taking care of my baby sister, while Kris and Ryan, who left me in the middle of the night without a word, were partying it up with other women. How could they have done that to me? Didn’t I mean anything to them?
I finished my food and drink mechanically, not paying attention to the conversations around me. A nudge to my arm had me lifting my eyes to meet Adam’s worried gaze.
“Are you okay? Is anything wrong?”
Of course something was wrong. From the sounds of it, my boyfriends were either cheating on me or had broken up with me without saying a word. But I couldn’t tell him that. I couldn’t tell anyone. After all, who would believe me? Who would believe that I, as a seventeen year old, snagged the two hottest younger pro hockey players? I didn’t even think anyone would believe me if I said I was dating one of them, let alone both of them.
“I, uh, just a lot on my mind.”
He cocked a single eyebrow and grinned. “Pray tell me… I’m dying to know what you’re thinking about.”
Somehow, despite all my fear, confusion, anger, and anxiety, Adam’s expression coaxed a small smile from me. I just couldn’t resist him when he looked at me that way. But I still couldn’t tell him the truth, so…
I lied.
“All this talk about preseason had me realizing that school starts in a week.” Well it wasn’t really a lie. I had been thinking lightly on the subject the previous few days.
He nodded in understanding. Concern filled his eyes before I saw the wheels spinning in his mind. With a new problem to work on, I knew he wouldn’t question me further.
I should have been relieved. But that wasn’t the unnamed emotion running through me.
Chapter Seventeen
I slammed my fists into the bed and squeezed my eyes to keep my tears from escaping. I would not allow my father the satisfaction of making me cry even if he wasn’t here.
It had been four days since my evening out with Adam and his friends. With still no word from my father as to what was to happen when school started in four days, I broke down and called him from the cell phone Desiree had sent me.
Our conversation had been short but definitely not sweet. And no matter how much I needed to say, it ended quickly after he told me to stay with Chloe. “After all, I could always get my GED later.”
GED! Really? I had one of the highest averages the previous year. My guidance counselor already had a list of big name scholarships they wanted me to apply to, so a GED was out of the question.
; Gripping my pillow, I held it over my mouth and screamed. Wasn’t it enough that I lost my boyfriends? That I gave up my summer? That I only survived on the charity of others as I took care of Chloe? Did I really have to give up my future as well?
A knock on my door had me dropping my pillow and swiping at my face in case any tears escaped. The knock sounded again which had me scurrying to the door. Adam was in class and the nurses tended to knock and then walk in.
“Hi,” I said while opening the door to reveal a smiling Ann. Since setting me up with the room, she’d stopped by at once a week to check up, but usually they occurred while she was checking in on Chloe, so it was a surprise to see her at my door.
“Do you have a few minutes to come with me before you head back to Chloe?”
The smile was tight on my face, but I nodded and followed her out of the NICU to the elevators. I didn’t know what she wanted, but that didn’t stop my anxiety from growing. She’d promised not to say anything, and I trusted her, but this summons was too mysterious.
We stepped off the elevator onto a floor I’d never visited before. Not that that was too difficult as I didn’t think I’d been on any other floor but the entrance and the NICU. She led me down a corridor. The sound of her heels making a soft click-clack on the floor with each step. A wild sense of hysteria grew as I imagined the sound leading me to my certain doom, but as with all horror flicks, I blindly followed along.
She pushed open a door and ushered me into a room filled with computer workstations. A middle aged woman sat at the desk with a stack of papers in front of her. “Kayla, I’d like you to meet Mrs. Grant. She’s one of the teachers the hospital employs to help patients keep up with their school work.”
Mrs. Grant raised her eyes and smiled. The warmth of it made her face glow. Holding out her hand, I shook it. “It’s nice to meet you, Kayla. Dr. Johnson and Ann have both explained the complexities of your case to me, and I’m excited to say that we’ve found a way to help you.”
I sucked in some air and choked. They both waited patiently as I attempted to subdue my coughing. Finally, Mrs. Grant passed me a bottle of water, her eyes full of sympathy and understanding.
As the coughing subsided, I thanked the two of them. “What? How?” I didn’t know where to start.
A chuckle escaped Mrs. Grant. “We have a deal with the school board and are allowed to enroll students into online classes as needed. We contacted your high school and spoke to your guidance counselor. We have you signed up for non-laboratory science courses for this semester. Once your sister and stepmother are doing better and you are able to attend school regularly, you will be allowed to attend the same classes while completing your work online.”
“And since we know that you will still need to spend most of your time with Chloe, we’ve arranged for you to have use of a laptop for all your school work.”
My eyes darted between these two kind women. How could I ever repay them for the kindness they’d shown me? I didn’t even know if I could adequately explain to them what this meant to me, but I was willing to give it a shot. “Thank you both so much. I-I spoke to my dad today, and”—I used the tip of my finger to wipe away the single tear escaping—“he told me to get my GED later.”
Ann’s arm wrapped around my shoulder, drawing me close. “Aww, sweetie. I’m glad we could help. You should have come directly to us, but make sure you thank Dr. Johnson as well.”
I gave her a little squeeze before righting myself. “I will.” I couldn’t keep the smile off my face as relief poured in. Less than an hour ago, my entire future had been wiped out, but now it was back with all the same opportunities for me to use to escape my stepmother and even my father.
Mrs. Grant handed me the laptop and all the information I needed for logging on to the distance classes. And before I could catch my breath, Ann was shooing me back to the NICU and Chloe.
An hour later, I settled into the recliner with Chloe tucked up against my bare chest for another kangaroo care session. Medical rounds would begin shortly and I couldn’t wait to thank Adam for the schooling.
Between the warm blankets and Chloe’s body snuggled into me, I found myself yawning. And soon the world turned black.
“Kayla.” A hand stroked the hair off my face, rousing me. “Kayla.” Adam’s voice sounded again in my ear.
“Hmmm.” I shifted in the seat. While I may have been sleepy, my arms never left Chloe who was wrapped up and held against me with a blanket.
Popping my eyes open, I found the rest of the medical team arriving to stand in front of me. “Thanks for waking me, Adam.”
He smiled and straightened as the group of multidisciplinary staff settled in to discuss Chloe’s progress. She was now four weeks old and things had settled down, but the staff worried about the next few hurdles she would face. The best news was that they decided to change out her breathing apparatus to one that pushed a positive flow of air to her, allowing her to breathe completely on her own instead of having a machine do it.
The committee made sure that I understood everything and agreed with their plans. They relayed the fact that while they phoned my father and stepmother twice a week about Chloe’s condition, my father had given me the medical directive to make her medical decisions. I wasn’t sure how comfortable I felt with it, but I nodded in agreement. In principle I knew it would make things easier during an emergency, but if anything went wrong, I worried what my stepmother would say.
The group moved on to the next preemie on their list, but Adam lingered behind. “Don’t worry about making the decisions. We’ll always help to steer you in the right direction, okay?” He smoothed my hair back from my forehead as he stared into my eyes, willing me to trust him.
I nodded, knowing he wouldn’t let me go wrong.
He placed a swift kiss on my forehead and then backed away. “I need to run and catch up, but I’ll be by later.” He turned and strutted away before I could say anything. My mind still stuck on the second kiss he’d surprised me with.
Time didn’t stand still. It moved swiftly even though most of it was spent sitting in a recliner with Chloe on my chest while I tried to squeeze in some studying. September flowed smoothly into October. The only time it slowed and came close to a standstill was when Chloe developed an infection in her gut. The doctors had hoped that antibiotics would work and they did for a bit. But then her symptoms worsened and the only option was surgery.
I waited for her alone, like I did with every procedure she had, while Adam watched over her in the OR for me. She may have been two months old, but her body was still similar to that of a thirty-two week pregnancy. The fear of something going wrong coursed through me, refusing to allow me to sit.
Every time footsteps came close, I looked up, expecting my father and stepmother to arrive, but they never did. In my eyes, they’d sunk to a new low. It didn’t take long for me to figure out that the staff felt the same.
Relief flooded through me when Adam emerged to assure me everything had gone perfectly during the surgery and that they anticipated a perfect recovery for her. He took my hand in his, but I needed more. Stepping up, I wrapped my arms around him, plastering my body to his. I didn’t think I would have made it through without him as a support. Not even Kris or Ryan would have been able to do what he did, especially with both of them currently completing pre-season games.
His hands stroked down my back, absorbing and calming my sobs of relief. Chloe had experienced a few setbacks, which I’d taken in stride, but none of them compared to surgery. At seventeen, I didn’t feel old enough or mature enough to be the person in charge. As my tears dried and my shaking stopped, Adam placed a kiss on the top of my head. Tilting my head back to look up at him, his lips descended to my forehead and then my nose. I held my breath, but he stepped back, dropping his arms from my back. He weaved his fingers with mine. “Let me walk you back. Chloe should be there shortly.”
I nodded and followed his lead, but there was an emptiness in my ches
t. Chewing on my lip, I glanced up at him, catching his eyes on me. Their green color darkened. Could he have wanted to kiss me? The thought wasn’t a new one. I’d been thinking about it ever since he’d first kissed my forehead, but I’d assumed I’d been reading into things. Maybe I wasn’t? Maybe I’d wanted the kiss as well?
My feet stumbled and Adam let go of my hand to wrap his arm around my waist. The touch so familiar and comforting that I sunk into it, drawing comfort and strength as I examined my feelings. Had I wanted him to kiss me? I didn’t know and that fact alone worried me. It should have been an automatic no. Besides, I was still in love with Kris and Ryan. Even if I wanted him to kiss me, I wouldn’t do that to the two of them without talking to them first.
He led me back to Chloe’s little area, helping me to settle into the recliner with a warm blanket. Pulling over a chair, he settled in beside me, weaving his fingers with mine. His thumb slid over mine in a soothing rhythm, calming my wayward thoughts. I didn’t need to deal with or even think about boys at the moment. Sitting there, looking at Chloe’s empty Isolette, my answer was clear. She needed to be my priority.
“I was going to tell you this tomorrow, but with everything going on, I think you could use a little cheering up.”
Adam’s words had me sitting straighter. My heart started to race in anticipation. What did he do now? I bit my bottom lip and my toes wiggled as I waited for him to continue.
Instead, he sat back and smirked. Although he continued to hold my hand, I swatted him with my other one. “What? You can’t just drop a bombshell like that and then not explain.”
He chuckled and the sound sent a comforting heat through me. Whatever it was, I knew that he had my best interests at heart. “Well, I may have made a case to the patient comfort fund.” He stretched out his legs in front of him, crossing them at the ankles.
“And?”
“And they agreed.”
I waited, but he leaned his head back and closed his eyes. What? He can’t leave me hanging like this! “Agreed to what?”
Hers From The Start: A Collection of First In Series Reverse Harem Page 86