“Garrett?” He questioned as his legs began to give way. Before his weight caused them both to collapse Garrett was there, keeping Holt on his feet. “Come on buddy.”
“Garr-” he murmured and his head nodded forward as he once again slipped into unconsciousness and went limp.
“Take him to the mat,” Garrett ordered. “Easy, Em.”
With Garrett and the refs help they gently placed Holt on his back and waited as the medics moved in to tend to him. “We’ll assess him in the ambulance,” Dr. Andrews ordered. “Let’s get him on the gurney. They made quick work of strapping Holt to the backboard and sliding him out of the ring onto the gurney. “Go,” Dr. Andrew’s ordered and the group raced toward the back and the waiting ambulance.
I promise if you just shut off your brain and follow your heart it will all work out. Marissa’s words rattled around in Emma’s head as she walked beside the gurney toward the back. She’d already followed her heart by coming out here and right now it was screaming for her to go with him and to stay until she was sure he was safe. They’d no sooner emerged back stage when she heard Jill’s voice. “Emma, catch.”
Emma turned in time to see Jill launching her purse into the air. She caught it with one hand. “Thanks.” She loved that Jill could read her mind. It was part of what made them such a great team.
“What do I tell Mr. France?” Jill called after her. They both knew Emma’s responsibilities to the wrestlers ended the moment the ambulance doors closed. They both also knew she was going with Holt.
“I don’t care what you tell him,” Emma watched as they loaded Holt into the ambulance. “If he wants to fire me for breaking the rules, he’ll find me at the hospital.” With that she followed the medic’s instructions, raced around to the front of the vehicle and hopped into the passenger seat.
While Holt’s injuries were probably not serious, it didn’t change the fact that she couldn’t quite shake her fear. He wasn’t in danger of losing his life, but losing his career to injury was always a possibility. With siren’s wailing the ambulance pulled out of the underground garage and onto the packed street.
Twenty minute later Emma followed Holt’s stretcher through the emergency doors and was immediately accosted by a nurse. “I’m sorry Mrs. Hendricks but you can’t go with him.”
Emma’s eyes widened at the title, but didn’t bother to correct the nurse. If they thought she was Holt’s wife they’d share information she otherwise might not be told.
“Trust me when I tell you he’s in good hands.” The nurse guided her toward a small sitting area. “I know you’re probably a bit upset right now, but if you could fill out some paperwork on Mr. Hendricks it would help speed along the process.”
Absently Emma gave a nod. “I’ll do what I can.”
Forty five minutes later she looked up to see Garrett and Marissa standing in front of her. “Have you heard anything?”
Emma shook her head. “Nothing yet. Um…do either of you happen to know if Holt is allergic to anything other than Penicillin?”
A confused look crossed Garrett’s face. “Holt’s allergic to penicillin?”
“You didn’t know?”
He shook his head and sank into the chair next to her. “How did you know?”
“He told me one time during one of our marathon conversations at thirty thousand feet.”
Garrett took the forms from Emma and scanned the papers. “You filled all this out?”
Emma gave him a shrug. “Guess I know more about Holt that I thought huh?”
Marissa grinned. “What does that tell you?”
Chapter 5
“Mrs. Hendricks”
Emma looked up to see the nurse standing in the doorway and could immediately feel the stares of Garrett and Marissa. “How’s Holt?”
“Much better.” The nurse smiled. “However we have run into a small problem.”
“What would that be?”
“The doctor would like for him to stay the night for observation but he’s insisting on leaving.”
Naturally! “Can we see him?” Emma motioned to Marissa and Garrett.
“Generally it’s against policy to let non-family members in, but let me check with the doctor.” With that the nurse disappeared and Emma turned to face her friends.
Marissa folded her arms over her chest and leaned back in her chair. “Mrs. Hendricks?”
Emma rolled her eyes skyward. “Okay, before you go jumping to conclusions, the nurse assumed I was Holt’s wife and well, I didn’t do anything to make her think differently because I knew family members would be told more about his condition than friends.”
Garrett arched a brow. “Actually, that’s pretty damn smart thinking.”
“Thank you.”
Before Marissa could reply the nurse re-appeared “Okay. The doctor said you can all go back and see Mr. Hendricks. Come with me.”
With Garrett and Marissa in tow Emma followed the nurse down the hall. Within seconds she could hear why the doctor had probably agreed.
“I don’t give a damn what you think,” Holt bellowed. “I want to get out of here.”
Emma walked through the door and paused as a rush of relief fell over her. No longer bloody, Holt was sitting up in bed arguing with the doctor. A big improvement from what she’d seen just a short time ago. She rushed forward and stepped between Holt and the Doctor. “Would you keep your voice down,” she scolded Holt. “You’re disturbing the other patients.”
He looked from her to the doctor, then on to his friends and back. “He wants me to stay the night and I want to leave. Damn it, he can’t keep me if I don’t want to stay. I know my rights.”
Emma quickly turned to the doctor. “Is there a good reason why you want him to stay?”
“He has a slight concussion and some bruised ribs, but any time someone loses consciousness we like to take the precaution. Considering his line of work and what he’s been though we’d just like to monitor him for any delayed complications.”
Emma nodded. “Can you give me a minute alone with him?”
The doctor glanced from her to Holt and back. “Sure.”
She waited for the doctor to leave before she turned back to Holt.
“Don’t think you’re going to sweet talk me into staying,” he warned.
“I wouldn’t dream of it.”
He stared blankly at her for a moment before a dawning awareness lit in his eyes. “Wait, what are you doing here anyway?”
“I came in the ambulance with you.”
“But that’s against the rules. You’re going to get in trouble.”
She’d already been thinking about that fact, but worrying wouldn’t do her any good. Either Gene would understand or he wouldn’t. Either way she didn’t regret her decision. Not wanting him to worry either she gave his statement a shrug. “So, let Gene fire me. Making sure you were okay was more important than my job.”
“You came to the ring too?” He said as if he wasn’t sure.
“I did.” Tentatively, she reached forward and brushed lock of his hair out of his face revealing the bandage beneath.
He caught her forearm in his hand. “Why?”
Electricity zinged up her arm and threatened to scramble her brain. “B-because you were hurt and needed help.”
“Lots of wrestlers have been hurt and you never went to the ring. Now what’s the real reason, Em?”
This wasn’t the time or place to be having such an intimate conversation. Pretending to be indignant she yanked her arm out of his hand. “That is the real reason.”
“Uh huh. Have dinner with me.”
A small smile claimed her features and she sighed. “You really don’t give up do you?”
Her question met an arched brow and silence.
His invitation meant he’d not only forgiven her, but was giving her another chance and she was going to do something she’d never done before. “Fine, I’ll have dinner with you.” A smile immediately lit his face and sh
e held up a hand as she added her stipulation. “On one condition…” She did her best to suppress her own grin as she realized she had the upper hand.
Wary, he sank down into the pillow just a little. “What would that be?”
“Stay the night like the doctor wants.”
Defiance returned to his handsome and slightly bruised face. “No.”
“Then no dinner.”
He narrowed his gaze. “You’d really do that wouldn’t you?”
“Damn straight.” She folded her arms over her chest.
“I’m fine, Emma. I don’t need to stay in the hospital.”
Okay, so maybe he wasn’t going to make this as easy as she’d hoped. Time to try another tactic. “I understand you think you don’t need a hospital, but you passed out in my arms less than two hours ago. I’d sleep better if I knew that you were here being watched by professionals. Will you do this for me?” She met his gaze and held it.
After several long seconds he sighed. “Fine. I’ll stay, but you owe me a dinner date tomorrow night.”
Feeling better about where the situation was heading she leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss just below the bandage on his forehead. “Deal.”
* * *
It was after midnight by the time Emma returned to the hotel. She slid her keycard in the slot and squeaked in surprise when the door opened. With a hand on her heart she looked up into a pair of angry eyes and her stomach sank. Obviously Derek had seen her little stunt back at the arena and if the look on his face were any indication he was pissed.
Steeling her resolve, she squared her shoulders and pushed past him. “What are you doing in my room?”
He let the door slam closed behind him. “I wanted to talk to you about that little scene back at the arena.”
She set her purse on the desk. “I think that scene was pretty self-explanatory, so as far as I’m concerned there isn’t anything to talk about.”
“Really?” He folded his arms across his chest.
“Yes, really.” She mimicked his action.
“What the hell, Emma? Why did you go out to the ring tonight?”
“Weren’t you watching the same match as the rest of us?” she shot back. “William was destroying Holt even after the bell rang. Somebody had to stop it.”
“You’re right, somebody did have to stop it. Somebody like, Garrett, or Mark or the refs, not you, Emma. It’s not your job and you could have gotten hurt. You had no reason to go down there tonight so why did you?”
He was the second person tonight who had questioned her decision and she was getting damn tired of having to explain herself. “I don’t owe you an explanation, Derek. My decision didn’t affect you in any way and honestly it’s none of your business.”
“None of my business?” He arched a brow. “None of my business? You getting hurt is my business.”
“I didn’t get hurt,” she shouted as her anger grew.
“No, but you’re going to,” he retorted.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means you’re treading into dangerous territory. You know that by putting yourself out there like that Gene is going to find a way to capitalize. What if he decides to write you into a storyline? You’ve never wanted to be in front of a crowd which is why you didn’t become a Vixen wrestler. So how are you going to handle it if Gene forces you in front of the camera now?”
She hadn’t even considered that angle when she’d burst into the arena earlier that night. Her only thoughts had been on helping Holt. However, Derek was right. Gene could and probably would use her emergence as some sort of story angle. “If that happens I’ll deal with it.” At this point what other choice did she have?
“What about you and Holt?” Derek challenged.
“What about us?”
“You know how I feel about him, so why are you going against my wishes?”
She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. While he was all but demanding her compliance, he had no regard for her feelings or her wishes. It didn’t matter to him if she were happy, only that she conform to what he wanted. “I am not going against your wishes, but-” She poked a finger at his chest. “I also don’t appreciate you dismissing my feelings as if I don’t matter.”
His brow knit and confusion claimed his features. “You do matter to me. That’s why I’m so concerned.”
“No.” She shook her head. “You’re concerned because I’m not blindly following you, not because you care about my feelings.”
“That’s not true.”
“It is true,” she slammed her fist against the table as her anger threatened to boil over. “You’re not the least bit concerned about my happiness. All you want is for me to blindly conform to your beliefs. Well what about my feelings, Derek? What about my wants and needs?”
For a moment he said nothing as he stared at her. “I don’t care who you date, Emma. I just don’t want you getting hurt.”
“Again that’s not true.” She dropped down to sit on the edge of the bed. “You don’t care who I date as long as it’s somebody you approve of, somebody who fits within your criteria.” She looked up at him. “And it’s about damn time that situation changed.”
* * *
“I don’t need a damn wheelchair.” Holt pushed at the contraption in front of him and shot the nurse an evil look. “I’m not an invalid.”
Despite his protest the pretty brunette stood her ground. “I never said you were, Mr. Hendricks, but hospital policy states that patients are to ride in wheelchairs until they leave the building.”
He’d been down this road before and he knew the damn policy and none of it mattered. Being pushed around by some woman half his size made him feel like a weakling, like he was less than the man he strived to be. He cast an imploring look at Garrett who simply shrugged. Apparently the big man could take on the toughest competition wrestling could throw at him, but he wasn’t willing to take on this nurse.
The nurse placed a hand on her hip and gave Holt an impatient look. “You could have already been out of here and on your way home by now. Instead, you’re sitting here acting like a child, holding up your friend and preventing me from seeing to patients who really do need my help…unlike you.”
“Just get in the damn chair,” Garrett urged. “Take your humiliation like a man and get it over with will ya? At this rate we’re going to miss our flight and then Gene is gonna be pissed cause I’ll miss the strategy meeting and the run through.”
“Fine.” Feeling more like a petulant child than a wrestling superstar he climbed from the bed and eased down into the wheelchair. How in the hell had he allowed Emma to talk him into staying in the hospital for the night he’d never know. All night he’d been poked and prodded, asked a bunch of stupid questions and allowed very little rest. If the lack of sleep and the continual interruptions hadn’t been enough, he’d awoken this morning to learn that Emma wasn’t coming to the hospital. Instead she’d already left for St. Louis and immediately his moon turned sour. His brain had been a bit fuzzy last night in the emergency room and he couldn’t formulate the questions he’d wanted to ask. After a long night of restless sleep and lots of thinking he desperately wanted to talk to her.
While he’d been more than a little hurt by her insinuations that he was trying to use her to get to Derek, after thinking about their conversation in more detail, he now understood why she might think that way. He and Derek hated each other with a passion, but her being Derek’s sister hadn’t entered his mind. All he’d known was a deep unexplainable attraction he couldn’t ignore. She was like a beacon in the night, a ray of sunlight in the middle of a raging storm. He wanted her for her, not for any sort of revenge but to hold and worship and love like he’d never loved anyone before.
Holt frowned as the nurse wheeled him into the elevator.
“What’s the scowl for?” Garrett asked.
“I was just thinking about Emma.”
“And you’re frowning? That’s unusu
al.”
Ignoring his friend he continued. “She came to the ring last night and crawled right into the mayhem to check on me.”
Garrett chuckled. “And you damn near threw her across the mat when you came to.”
Holt cringed at Garrett’s statement. “I’m slowly remembering bits and pieces of what happened. I guess I was in my own world, huh?”
“That you were, my friend. You were running on instinct, adrenaline, and fear,” Garrett corrected as the elevator doors opened and the nurse wheeled him toward the exit.
Holt looked up at him. “Exactly. You, the refs, and the other wrestlers were all yelling at me trying to get me to stop and I wasn’t listening. Yet, the moment I heard her voice somehow I knew it was going to be okay.”
Garrett shook his head. “Man you have it bad for her.”
They reached the door and the nurse stopped. “Mr. Patrick, if you’ll go get your vehicle we’ll wait here.
Five long minutes later and Holt was finally free as he sat in the passenger seat of the rental car. “Who took care of my stuff?”
The traffic light went green and Garrett turned onto the main road. “Emma. She said since I was staying behind for you, she’d take care of your gear.”
Holt shook his head and turned to look out the window. “Figures. You know, Garrett, I just can’t get a read on her. She risked losing her job to come to the hospital with me last night and when I asked her about it, she said that I was more important than her job.”
Garrett glanced over at him. “Really? She said that?”
Holt nodded. “Yeah. Which makes me think on some level she does have feelings for me, yet she continues to reject me at every turn.”
“She’s afraid.”
Holt glanced over at his friend. “Afraid of me?”
Garrett shook his head. “Marissa says that Emma’s afraid of a few things. Mainly of how Derek will react, but there’s also her position with the company and your reputation as a ladies man.”
Holt smirked. “Yeah, my reputation is over inflated much like my on-stage ego.”
Wrestling Desire Page 4