by Lolita Lopez
“Sure,” Lexi agreed halfheartedly. “Have your people call mine.”
“Will do, sweetness.”
Tom shot Billy a warning look at the pet name. Frank hadn’t been impressed with the remark either. Tom dropped his gaze to Lexi. “Would you get me a drink? One of the blue sports drinks,” he clarified.
“Of course.” She smiled and lovingly rubbed his arm before leaving his side.
“The big accounts are going crazy, Tom.” Billy stepped aside so Jacko could remove Tom’s gloves and cut away the tape. “I mean, wild. This tournament was more successful than we’d hoped. The pay per view numbers were huge. I can’t even begin to explain to you how awesome this is for us.”
“Us?” Frank couldn’t help himself. He forced his way into the conversation. “I understood Tom’s contract with you was just for this one tournament.”
“It is.” Billy grinned at Tom. “But, come on, buddy. You know you want to do this again. This format is fucking awesome, right? I know your contract with the league is about to end in December. Why not join me? Can you imagine another one of these around New Year’s Eve? We’ll make money hand over fist.”
Frank swallowed nervously as he waited for Tom to speak. Was he really considering it?
“Billy,” Tom said carefully, “this was me making right on a favor I owed you. That’s it, man. I’m done.”
“Done?” Billy scoffed. “You’ve said that before and you always come back.”
“Not this time, Billy.”
“What’s so different this time?”
Tom’s gaze drifted from Frank’s face to Lexi’s as she approached with an ice cold bottle of blue sports drink. He returned his attention to Billy. “You wouldn’t understand.”
Billy dropped his gaze to Lexi as she pressed the bottle into Tom’s hand. “You’re not serious, Tom. You’re going to give it up for a woman? Shit, man, there’s a reason they say they’re a dime a dozen.”
Before Tom or Frank could snap at Billy, Lexi did. “You know what, Billy? I’ve had enough of your bullshit. Out!”
Billy’s eyes widened as she pointed at the door. “You can’t throw me out.”
“Want to bet?” Lexi took a step forward and forced him to retreat. “You don’t want to push me. You know who I am, right? One phone call and I’ll own this league of yours by the morning.”
Billy blanched. Stupidly, he addressed Tom one last time. “Seriously, dude, think about what I said. We’re talking millions here. Millions!”
“Really?” Lexi shook her head in disgust and planted two hands on Billy’s chest. She practically shoved him out the door. Turning around, she exhaled loudly. “What an asshole!”
Frank snorted and Tom laughed. Even Jacko and Benson looked amused.
“Were you serious, man?” Jacko asked. “Was this it?”
Tom shrugged. “Probably.”
Jacko smiled but looked a little sad. “We had a good run, huh?”
“The best.” Tom sipped his drink slowly.
Lexi slid her arm around his waist and kissed his arm. “Boy, you’re blazing hot.”
“Feel hot,” Tom said, his words slow. Frank frowned as Tom seemed to be blinking more rapidly than normal. “Take this.”
Lexi accepted the hastily shoved bottle. Blue fluid sloshed over her arm but she didn’t even seem to notice. “Tom, baby? Are you okay?”
“Just…uh…wait….”
Frank didn’t like this at all. He shot a look at Benson. “Get a doctor in here now.”
Benson nodded and raced from the room. The league kept doctors on retainer. Hopefully one of them was still loitering around the place. If not, they’d probably need an ambulance.
“Tom?” Lexi grasped his arm with her free hand. “Baby, look at me. Let me see your eyes.”
Tom shrugged her off. “I’m fine.”
“The hell you are,” Frank said and took a step toward them. Lexi chose that moment to turn and place the bottle on the bench behind her. Frank had a split-second of warning before Tom went totally slack and started to fall forward. Lexi never saw it coming. Neither Frank nor Jacko could reach Tom in time. “Shit!”
Tom slammed into Lexi and knocked her forward. Her face smacked the bench hard, the nasty sound ricocheting off the walls. The pair went down to the cold concrete floor. Neither moved. Blood began to pool under Lexi’s head. “Fuck! Get an ambulance, Jacko.”
Frank grabbed Tom and carefully rolled him off Lexi. Her smaller body had broken his fall. He placed Tom on his left side and hurried back to Lexi. He didn’t dare lift her head or move her neck. The way she’d gone down, she could have seriously injured herself. He snatched a clean towel from the stack on the bench and placed it near her head to soak up the blood.
It seemed like an hour but was probably only seven or eight minutes before the doors burst open and medics rushed into the room. Frank sat back and watched them working on the two people he loved most. Of all the ways he’d expected this trip to Atlantic City to end, it hadn’t been like this.
Praying for their safety, Frank trailed the medics and their gurneys out to the idling ambulances. He made sure they were both going to the same hospital before making a split-second decision and jumping in with Tom. He just hoped Lexi would understand if she woke first.
Chapter Eight
Frank chewed his thumb and tapped his feet. The uncomfortable waiting room chair only worsened his anxiety. He couldn’t think with all the noise of the emergency room waiting department. All around him were people experiencing varying degrees of misery. He glanced at a young mother rocking her sick child. Sadness welled inside him. He ached for her. He was worried sick over the two people he loved. He couldn’t even imagine if it was his child who needed medical care.
“Mr. Morello?” A male nurse in green scrubs stood in one of the ER doorways.
“That’s me.” Frank jumped to his feet and crossed the ER. The nurse waved him inside. “How is Tom? How is Lexi?”
“Mr. O’Brien is going to be moved up to a bed for observation. He’s awake and doing well. Miss Cortez is with the plastic surgeon right now. She’s stitching up her head.”
Frank’s knees threatened to give out. “Stitches?”
The nurse nodded. “Dr. Garza is one of our best. She does amazing work. Your friend won’t even have much of a scar.” He pointed to a room with a door slightly ajar. “Mr. O’Brien is in there.” He turned and pointed to the back hall where the wall was sectioned off into curtained stalls. “She’s in G.”
“Thanks.” Frank shot the nurse a quick smile before ducking into Tom’s room. He gulped at the sight of Tom in the hospital gown. There were IV tubes and heart monitor wires crisscrossing his body. His gaze skipped to Tom’s face. His man looked pissed off and frustrated. “Hey, Tommy.”
“Is it true, Frank? Did I hit Lexi?” Tom’s voice betrayed his guilt. “Did I hurt her?”
“Tommy.” Frank hurried to his side. He grasped Tom’s hand, careful not to dislodge the pulse oximeter squeezing his finger. “You didn’t hurt her on purpose. It couldn’t be helped. Jacko and I just weren’t fast enough.”
“The medic said she was passed out and bleeding. Is that true?”
“Yes,” Frank reluctantly answered. “She has a gash on her head. They’re repairing it now.”
Tom glanced away and blinked furiously. He clenched his other hand in a tight fist. “I can’t believe I hurt her.”
“Tom, stop.” Frank forced his face around and held his gaze. “It was an accident. I’m sure Lexi isn’t upset.”
“Have you seen her?”
He shook his head. “I rode with you in the ambulance. They sent me straight to the waiting room once I gave them what I knew of your medical history and Lexi’s.”
Tom frowned. “Why the hell did you ride with me? You should have been with Lexi.”
Frank bit back the angry reply burning his tongue. Instead, he calmly replied, “I made a split-second decision. I worried that y
our history of head injuries meant you might be having a stroke…or worse.”
Tom’s face fell. “Jesus, Frank. You thought I was going to die? It was a concussion.”
“It was one of many concussions you’ve had, Tom. How the hell was I supposed to know this wasn’t the big one?” Voice wavering, he admitted, “I could hardly breathe during the ambulance ride. I thought…I thought that might be it for us.”
Tom went silent. Only the reassuring beep of his heartbeat filled the room. Frank held tight to Tom’s hand. Finally, Tom spoke. “I asked the doctor to arrange for a specialist to see me tomorrow. I know you think I’m hard-headed but I’m not stupid, Frank. This,” he gestured to his head, “wasn’t right. I need to know.”
Frank expelled a noisy breath of relief. “Oh, thank god. I was so afraid you were going to brush this off.”
Tom gave a gentle shake of his head. “Passing out cold and hitting the woman I love like a ton of bricks? I can’t ever let that happen again.” He swallowed hard. “I could have killed her, Frank. If she’d hit the bench any differently…”
He couldn’t finish the thought and neither could Frank. “We were all very lucky tonight.”
Tom hummed in agreement. “They’re sending me up to a room for observation. I want you to take Lexi back to the hotel and make sure she gets some rest. You need to sleep, too. I can see it in your face.” He reached up and touched Frank’s jaw. “Don’t worry about me. I can look after myself for a night.”
Frank couldn’t help but smile at Tom’s overprotectiveness. The man was stuck in a hospital bed but couldn’t stop thinking about taking care of the two people he loved. “I’ll miss you.”
“Same here.” Tom eyed the open doorway. He grinned and snatched the front of Frank’s shirt to haul him closer. “Hurry up and give me a kiss.”
Chuckling, Frank pressed his lips to Tom’s. He wanted so much more than that lingering kiss but knew this wasn’t the place. He touched his forehead to Tom’s. “We’ll be back first thing in the morning.”
“Don’t rush it. You two get some rest. Make sure Lexi eats a good breakfast.” He made a face. “I know what it’s like to wake up the day after having your bell rung. It’s not a great feeling.”
Frank pulled back and smiled teasingly. “I’ll make sure to coddle her.”
Tom snorted. “You do that.”
They held hands for a bit longer before Frank finally worked up the courage to let go. “I’ll see you later.”
“Yep.”
Frank left the room without glancing behind him. Leaving Tom in this hospital wasn’t easy for him. Only the knowledge that Lexi needed him more right now kept his feet moving. Feeling torn between the two people he cared for most caused a deep ache in the pit of his stomach. He wondered if this was how Lexi had felt when she’d been in the middle. He and Tom definitely hadn’t made it easy on her when they were both stubbornly refusing to back down on the tournament issue.
He reached the curtained off area and knocked softly on the wall. “Lexi, it’s Frank. Is it okay if I come in?”
“Yes.” Her voice sounded scratchy and soft.
He slowly pulled back the curtain. His gut lurched at the sight of Lexi rolled onto her side with a blue surgical drape obscuring her face and shoulders. A female doctor in blue scrubs sat on an elevated stool next to Lexi. A nurse stood on the other side, ready to assist as the doctor expertly sutured the gash.
“Hang back a second,” the doctor instructed. “I’m almost finished.”
“Sure.” Frank remained in the corner of the small exam area. Generally he had a strong stomach but watching the doctor’s gloved hands moving up and down and seeing the length of suturing thread as it was pulled taut made his stomach heave. He glanced away from the site of the repair to Lexi’s feet. Her bare soles were dirty and bloodstained. The hem of her dress didn’t look much better.
“And just a little bit of glue and some Steri-Strips and you’ll be good to go,” the doctor said brightly.
“Glue?” Lexi’s anxiety pitched her voice a bit higher than usual. “You’re putting glue on my face?”
“It’s just to close this top layer. It will heal beautifully.”
Frank realized Lexi hadn’t seen the inside of Benson’s bag. Fighters like Tom often used skin glue to close up wounds quickly. It wasn’t at all uncommon in the sports world.
“All right,” the doctor said a few minutes later. “We’re all done.”
Frank remained in place as the doctor removed the drape and her gloves. She grasped Lexi’s hands and helped her sit up slowly. Lexi winced and touched her jaw. A splotch of bruising marred her soft skin. He battled the urge to rush toward her and kiss away those hurts.
“So I’ll write up your discharge orders and get you on your way,” the doctor said as she rose from the stool and pushed it into the far corner with her foot. The nurse gathered up the small pile of used supplies and smiled at Frank as she left the exam room.
The doctor paused on her way out and patted Frank’s arm. “She’ll be fine, but, maybe no more contact sports?”
Frank’s lips curved at her teasing remark. “We’ll see what we can do about that.”
Laughing, the doctor left the exam area. Frank crossed the small space to join Lexi. He carefully cupped her face. “Fuck,” he swore, his chest tightening at the bruising and swelling. “You look worse than Tom.”
She gripped his wrists. “How is he?”
“He’s fine, Lexi. They’re sending him up to a room for the night. I was able to talk to him for a few minutes. He’s back to his old self.”
“Can I see him?”
Frank shook his head. “They were about to take him up when I spoke to him. He’s probably already upstairs. When I was in the waiting room, I asked about visiting hours but they were pretty rigid.” He gingerly kissed her forehead. “You’ll have to wait until morning.”
“But he’s okay, right? I mean, he’s not having a stroke or anything?”
“No.” He kissed the tip of her nose. “I wouldn’t lie to you about something that serious. He’s really okay, Lexi.”
She relaxed a little. When she shivered, he realized how cold it was in this corner of the emergency room. He slid out of his suit jacket and placed it around her shoulders. The dress she wore, however sexy, offered little protection against a chill. She snuggled into his jacket and slipped her arms through the too long sleeves. She hissed at the jostling motion and reluctantly touched her head. “Ow.”
“Easy, baby,” Frank urged. He kissed a spot that wasn’t bruised. “We’ve got to take it slow, remember?”
She nodded carefully. “Is it really ugly?”
He shook his head. He considered the sutured area and the strips holding it closed. “It’s really not that bad, Lexi. That plastic surgeon did some great work.”
“I was just lucky to have gotten a minor concussion and a small gash. The way Tom fell on me! God!” She looked stricken. “It was like getting hit by a truck.”
Frank could still hear the sickening crack of her head against the bench echoing in his ears. He wrapped his arms around her, happy to have her burrow against his warmth. “I hope you’re not angry with me for not riding with you.”
Lexi pulled back and frowned up at him. “Why would I be angry?”
“You were bleeding. You were unconscious. I should have gone with you.”
Lexi placed her palm on his chest and smiled encouragingly. “I understand why you did it. If I’d been in your shoes, I would have made the same choice. Sure, I cracked my egg on that bench, but Tom’s injury was likely the more serious one. I mean, he was out cold. I came to before the ambulance even pulled away from the arena.”
“And I wasn’t there with you.” Frank brought her fingers to his lips and kissed them. “You must have been so scared.”
“I was more confused than anything. The medics were really great. They explained everything to me. It was fine. Really,” she added and brushed the
ir lips together. “Please don’t beat yourself up about this, Frank. We have much bigger problems than your spur of the moment decision to ride with Tom.”
He nodded finally. “Agreed.”
A nurse popped into the room. She took one last set of vital signs from Lexi before starting the discharge procedure. Frank listened intently and asked questions. Lexi signed her name where necessary and took the yellow copies of her instructions. Frank led her out of the curtained room and out of the emergency department.
“I wish we could go up to see Tom.” Her lower lip wobbled.
“Oh, sweetheart.” Frank gathered her close to his side. “I know it’s hard but we can’t see him until morning.” He kissed the top of her head and gestured to a sleek black car in the parking lot. “He’s resting. They’ll call if anything changes.”
She eyed the car and driver. “Your idea?”
Frank nodded. “I called the hotel concierge and had him arrange a private car for us. I didn’t want to deal with finding a taxi this late at night.”
The driver hopped out and opened one of the rear passenger doors. Lexi slid into place with Frank’s help. He walked around to the other side and joined her. Still frazzled and a bit confused from her knockout, she didn’t even realize he was waiting for her to fasten her seatbelt. He leaned across her and carefully pulled the belt into place. He kissed her cheek and caressed her jaw. “Let’s get you to bed.”
Frank slid as close to her as his seatbelt would allow and opened his arms. She curled up against him, resting the uninjured side of her face against his shoulder. The soft whir of the tires over pavement lulled her to sleep.
“Do you need to make any stops, sir? The pharmacy?”
“No, they told us to use over-the-counter painkillers. We have some in our room. Thank you for asking.”
“No problem, sir.”
They drove in silence. When they reached the hotel, the driver surprised him by going up to the rear of the massive structure. As if sensing Frank’s surprise, he glanced in the rearview mirror and explained, “There’s a private elevator in the rear. It’s used by the staff but we sometimes let the penthouse suite guests use it for privacy.”