by S. J. Bishop
"I told you Caden was gonna kick some fucking ass tonight!" Jax cried. Treena elbowed him. "What?" he asked. "I only have to stick to baby talk when there's actually a baby around."
Treena smiled. "Sorry. Habit." She leaned over to me and said, "I won't let him swear in the house anymore. I get enough of that at the station and don't want our kid growing up around it."
"Station?" I asked.
"I'm a homicide detective."
"You are?" I asked. She looked about my age. And she was a woman. And she had a kid.
"I work for the burglary and theft division but want to get into homicide. How'd you do it? Isn't it hard with your family?"
Treena shrugged. "It was hard at first, sure. But it's better now. My dad watches our daughter when he can. She's with him now. As for the guys at the station, they're a good group."
My mind was getting blown. The crowd cheered, and I looked out at the field to see Caden nail a pass. I grinned and cheered along with everyone. I still couldn't imagine having a kid with him, but if Treena could do it, maybe it was possible. Maybe I hadn't given Caden enough of a chance.
"You like him, don't you?" Treena asked, following my gaze.
"What?" I blushed. "I mean, yes, of course. Caden and I grew up together." I shot Eli a look, but he was sitting on the other side of Harper, and neither of them were paying any attention to me. Natalie, thankfully, had stayed at their hotel to make use of the spa.
"Hey, I won't tell anyone," Treena said. I looked worriedly at Jax. Treena was talking rather loudly. She nodded toward him. "A helicopter could land on the field right now, and as long as the football's in motion, he'd never notice. Believe me."
She turned to him to illustrate her point, "Hey, guess what? I'm pregnant again." She said it loudly and clearly. Jax's eyes never left the field.
"That's nice," he muttered, and Treena and I laughed.
"You're not really, are you?" I asked. She nodded happily.
"A couple months. I'm gonna tell him this weekend. I hope this one's a boy. It would be nice to have one of each, I think."
She pulled her phone out and brought up some pictures. "Here's our little girl," she said, showing me several pictures of a tiny baby crawling around on the floor and smiling into the camera. Harper caught a glance and leaned over, looking at them too. Baby photos had a way of drawing women together. I just wished they weren't freaking me out.
"Cute," I muttered, my stomach rumbling nervously.
The crowd cheered again. I used the distraction to look away from the photos and at the field. My nerves eased once again, and I turned back to Treena.
"So, it doesn't interfere with your work? I mean, they're not looking for a way to kick you off homicide?"
"Hell, no," Treena said. "I'm damned good at my job. Those bastards need me, and they know it."
My heart lightened. Suddenly, I couldn't wait to tell Caden. I still had no idea how he would react, but maybe it wouldn't be as bad as I'd been thinking.
I watched Caden as he lifted the ball into the air, getting ready to throw it. Someone tackled him at the knees, and Caden toppled over the guy, somersaulting in the air before he hit the ground. I cringed as a few more guys landed on top of him. The whistle blew, and the players peeled off each other one by one. Caden didn't move.
I leaned forward in my seat. "What's wrong?" I asked. "Why isn't he getting up?"
The stadium got quiet.
"I'm sure he's okay," Eli said, turning to me. "He's tough as nails. Always has been. You know that."
But when they brought the stretcher onto the field, I freaked out. I jumped out of my seat, pushed past anyone who tried to stop me, and made it to Caden's side in what I imagined was record time.
"Whoa, who are you!?" his coach asked.
"I'm his girlf—" I hesitated. "His friend." I knelt at his side. His coach was watching me carefully, but when he saw my eyes fill with tears, he didn't question me again.
"Caden?" I said. "Caden!" I looked at the doctor who was examining him. "Why isn't he moving?" I asked.
The doctor shook his head. "Not sure yet. Could be spinal. We need to get him inside."
Several men lifted Caden onto the stretcher. I prayed for his eyes to open and look at me.
Please let him wake up. Please let him be okay. I don't care who knows about us. I don't care if I am pregnant. Nothing matters. Just let him be okay.
But Caden's eyes remained closed as they carried him off the field.
26
Caden
When I opened my eyes, I was back in the locker room. The lights hanging from the ceiling hurt my head. It was much worse when the doctor shined a flashlight at me.
"Stop that!" I yelled and pushed Doc Hansen's hand away. He narrowed his eyes and pushed me back down on the table.
"Don't move," he ordered.
"What happened to me?"
"You lost consciousness."
"So what? It's not the first time that's happened in a game."
I'd been playing football for over a decade, counting high school and before that. I'd been hit a thousand times, hell, probably a million times, and sometimes your mind just went black for a second. It was part of the game. There was no reason to make a big deal out of it.
"Anything broken?" I asked.
"Doesn't look like it," Doc Hansen said.
"Good, then let me back out there."
I'd just been starting to make some progress on the field today. Knowing that Raina was out there had put sort of "bee in my bonnet," as my mother used to say growing up. I'd finally started feeling like everything I was doing didn't suck. I'd completed more passes than not. I'd even scored.
"You're not going anywhere just yet," Doc Hansen said. "Now just lay there and let me look at you."
"Just do what he says, Caden. You could be seriously injured."
I looked around the room for the one voice that stood out among a dozen. Raina was standing in a corner, trying not to get in the way from the looks of things. I'd never seen her look so scared. Well, not since that night when her mother had been killed. She was twiddling her thumbs together. Her eyes were red. Had she been crying?
"Raina, hey, I'm okay," I tried to reassure her. But it was just then that the room began to spin. I reached out a hand for her, trying to get off the table so I could touch her. I didn't make it very far. My hand grabbed ahold of air instead of flesh, and I almost fell off the table.
I was saved by the assistant coach and some medical staff. They stopped me from rolling off and hitting the floor.
"Caden?" Doc Hansen said. "Talk to me. What's happening? How do you feel?"
"I'm okay," I said again. "I just got dizzy for a second."
This time, I didn't fight it when they forced me back down. I lay there, the room growing dark. "Raina," I said, calling to her. I held my hand out for hers. A second later, I felt the softness of her skin as she gripped my hand in hers. The room stopped spinning, and when I looked up, I saw her blue eyes smiling at me.
She was the only woman in the room. The rest of the guys looked at each other. I knew what they were wondering—who was this girl?
"Er, Miss," our assistant coach, Paul Krane, said, placing a hand on her shoulder. "You might want to get out of here now. The doctor here needs to examine Caden more closely."
"No," I said. "I want her to stay."
"Yeah, but Caden..." Paul said.
"She's not just another girl," I said, catching Raina's eye. I hoped that didn't sound bad. I'd meant it as a compliment. My history with women was out there for anyone to see. Raina had once said I had a girl for every day of the week. She knew what my life had been like up ‘til her.
"I understand," Paul said, "but the doctor needs to do his work. We can't have some woman around hanging onto you, interfering."
Raina drew her badge from her purse and flashed it to everyone in the room. "I'm not going anywhere," she said.
Her voice was low but clear. They backed of
f when they realized she was a cop. I had to smile. It wasn't like she was about to arrest them, but a police badge had a funny way of shutting people up.
"Oh," Paul said. "Sure. Sorry for any misunderstanding." He looked quizzically at me. I was sure that by this time tomorrow, word would spread around the team that I was dating a cop. Not a model or an actress, like I was normally seen with, but a cop. How would they react to that?
"Caden," Doc Hansen said, drawing my attention back to him. "I need to run some scans on you."
"I feel fine," I told him. He looked a little fuzzy, though. They all did.
"How many fingers am I holding up?"
I stared at the outline of his hand. "Four."
His head turned, and he looked significantly at the others in the room.
"What?" I asked.
"You're experiencing double vision. It's probably just temporary, but I'm going to have to rule out a few other things first."
"Like what?" I asked, finally getting worried. "What does this mean?"
"It means you may not be able to play in the next game," Doc Hansen said.
I closed my eyes and let go of Raina's hand. Deep breaths, I told myself, but it didn't work. I balled my hand up into a fist and sat up, slamming my hand onto the table where I'd been lying.
"Fuck that," I said. "I'm playing in the next game."
"Caden," Paul said, trying to calm me down, "the important thing is to make sure you're okay."
"Goddammit, I'm fine."
"If you're fine," Doc Hansen said, "then there's no reason not to run a few tests down at the hospital."
Raina spoke up, "I'll go with you."
The room began to spin again. "Fine," I said, lying back down. "As long as you're there, I'll go."
27
Raina
The hospital waiting room was packed. Several of the guys from the team had shown up, as well as several reporters. They all hung around, either waiting for a scoop or hoping to hear good news.
I sat between Harper and Treena. Jax and Eli were conversing off in a corner. They seemed less worried than I did. Probably because they were football players. At least, Jax was. Eli had been at one time. They were used to people get knocked down and injured. It was part and parcel for the course.
"I know how you feel," Treena said, patting my hand. "Whenever Jax gets injured, I freak out. Of course, he worries about me being a cop. So I guess we're even."
I tried to smile at her, but my stomach was all butterflies.
A reporter looked at us and walked over. "Hello," he said. "Herman Becker. I'm with The Globe. I was wondering who you girls might be?" He looked at us as if he expected us to be excited a reporter had shown interest in us.
Harper didn't seem to mind. "Harper Vance. I'm with Eli."
"Eli Granger?" the reporter asked excitedly, referring to a prominent player for the Forty-Niners. Harper shook her head. "No, Eli Parker."
"Who's he?"y
"My fiancé," she said. The reporter looked disappointed.
"Oh, I see." He turned to me next. "Can I get your name for the record?"
"I don't think reporters are allowed in hospital waiting rooms," I said.
He smiled indulgently, like I was a child making a cute joke. "Not technically, no, but there are ways around these things. I'm not hurting anyone by being here, now am I?"
He held his pad and pen poised, still waiting for my name. I held my badge up, and his smile faded.
"I'm pretty sure there are no technicalities that allow you to harass hospital patrons."
"Now, hold on a second," he said. "I'm not the only reporter here."
Treena looked at me and produced her badge, too. She held it up for the reporter to see.
"What is this?" he asked.
"I think my friend here makes a good point," Treena said. "Reporters aren't allowed to roam around hospitals like this."
I stood up, walked to the front desk, and spoke with the head nurse. A moment later, hospital security appeared and began rounding up the reporters, escorting them from the premises. Herman Becker sneered at me. I smiled back at him.
"Wow," Harper said. "Where can I get a badge?" We all laughed. "I'm going to find the bathroom."
"I'll go with you," I said.
"I'm gonna sit here and do nothing," Treena said, smiling at us. She had her phone out and was looking back through her baby's pictures, posting them to her Facebook page.
Inside the bathroom, Harper and I freshened up.
"Treena seems nice," she said.
"Yeah, she does."
"She's got an awful lot of baby pictures. Cute kid, though."
"Yeah, but aren't all babies cute?"
"Not all of them," Harper said. "I've seen some real doozies in my time."
I laughed. "Doozies? You're talking about them like they were pets or something instead of babies."
"No, don't get me wrong. I love kids. I can't wait to have some. I'm just saying that all parents think their kid is the cutest kid. They can't all be right."
"That's true, I guess. Caden and I will probably be the same way. It seems inevitable."
I stopped talking and clapped my hand over my mouth.
Did I just say that out loud? What the fuck was wrong with me?
Harper was staring at me, her mouth hanging open. "Did you just say... are you pregnant?"
"Sssh!" I looked nervously around the bathroom, checking under the stalls to make sure we were alone. "Look, you can't tell anyone."
Harper's eyes widened. "I won't," she said. "How long have you known?"
"I just found out a few days ago."
"Does Caden know?"
"No. I haven't quite found the right time to tell him." I hesitated a moment. "To be honest, I wasn't quite sure I wanted to keep the baby at first."
"And now?"
"Now... I'm still not sure. But I'm getting used to the idea."
"Oh my God!" Harper suddenly squealed, her eyes lighting up. "Do you know what this means? This means that when Eli and I get married, I'll be an aunt!"
Her enthusiasm was catching. I couldn't help smiling along with her. "Please promise me you won't tell Eli. Not until I've told Caden."
"I promise," she said, holding her hand up in some sort of Girl Scout salute.
"Only..."
"Only what?" I asked, narrowing my eyes at her.
"Nothing. I can keep a secret. I was just going to say that you should tell Caden soon, but not too soon."
"What do you mean? You think he'll freak out?"
"I have no idea, but you don't want him to suddenly propose or something just because you're pregnant, right? I mean, make sure you know how he feels about you first, then tell him. Pregnancy has a way of clouding people's true feelings."
"I see your point."
Treena came walking into the bathroom. "There you two are. You're taking forever. The doctor's out in the waiting room. It's good news. Caden can go home."
28
Caden
"I told them there was nothing wrong with me," I complained as Eli, Harper, and Raina drove me home. My car was still at the stadium, but that was okay. There was no money left in the trunk, so it didn't much matter. I could get it anytime.
"Yes, but they had to make sure," Raina said.
I saw Eli look at us in the rearview mirror. Raina was sitting in the back with me. She had one hand resting on my leg; her other was on the arm rest. Eli was looking back and forth between us when Treena finally said, "Pay attention to the road."
His eyes shifted away from the mirror and back to the highway we were driving down. We got to my house, and there were reporters lining the sidewalk.
"Shit," I muttered. They were tapping on the windows.
"All this because you got hurt during a game?" Raina asked.
"I don't know," I told her. One of the reporters ran in front of the car and held out his hand like a traffic cop telling us to stop. Eli had no choice but to slam on the breaks or
run him over. He came over to the window and started screaming through the glass.
"Is it true you were arrested on your way to the stadium?"
Another reporter shoved him out of the way. "Is it true you were drinking during the game tonight?"
My mind raced. I suddenly realized what was happening. I pulled out my phone and brought up YouTube. Sure enough, a dozen videos had posted showing me doing the drunk test for that idiot cop who'd pulled me over earlier today.
"Fucking shit!" I yelled and jumped out of the car.
Flashes went off.
"Caden! What are you doing?" Raina screamed at me. She jumped out behind me.
I grabbed the first camera I saw and smashed it on the ground. "You want a story?" I asked. "How's this for a story? Caden Scott rips reporters apart outside his home."
I grabbed another camera and threw it at a reporter. They started running off.
"I'll sue you for that!" one of them said.
"Go ahead," I told him.
Eli put the car in park and jumped out, pushing me back toward it with Raina's help. I let them get me back in, and Eli slammed on the gas, getting me out of there before I could do any more damage.
"Man," Eli said when we got inside my house. "That was pretty stupid."
I shrugged. "I don't give a shit."
Harper chimed in, trying to be helpful. "You could always say that you were doped up on the drugs they gave you at the hospital. That you didn't even know what you were doing."
"I'm not scared of those assholes," I told her.
"Caden, you have to calm down," Raina said. She put one soft hand on my arm. I was wearing short sleeves, and when her skin touched mine, I felt a surge of electricity. She felt it too; I could see it in her eyes.
Eli and Harper got quiet. Finally, Eli suggested I get to bed.
"I'm not tired," I told him.
"Yeah, but I am," he said.
"So stay the night, then. All of you." I looked pointedly at Raina. "I've got plenty of room."