Blindsided: Renegades 7 (The Renegades Series)

by Melody Heck Gatto

  Sam must’ve dozed off or passed out from the pain, because he woke to someone pounding on the door.

  “Oh my God, go the hell away!”

  “Sam, it’s Tyler.”

  “I said go away.” It didn’t matter who it was. He needed sleep. Being awake was miserable. Sleep was the only thing that kept the pain at bay.

  “Sam, let me in.”

  “Go. Away.” I don’t want to talk to anyone. He pulled the pillow over his head.

  “Trina sent me.”

  Knowing Ty wasn’t going to go away, Sam rolled off the bed and dragged himself through the dark room. Unlocking the door, he swung it partly open and moved back to the bed, returning to his position with his face buried in the pillow.

  Bright light from the hallway streamed in through the open doorway, catching the corner of his eye. “Fuck.” The click of the door latching made him flinch.

  “You okay?” Tyler let himself in. “What’s going on with you, Morris?” Tyler asked, making himself at home in Sam’s hotel room. “And before you say your head hurts, I know that. I know what concussions can do. But I also know that you haven’t been the Morris that we all know. And, I’m worried as your captain and your friend.”

  Sam looked back at his captain. The pain was now a dull throbbing. He just wanted it to go away. “I’m dealing with it.”

  “How are you dealing with it? Did you follow up with a doctor yet? Did you get a diagnosis?”

  “I’ve been resting,” Sam snipped. He didn’t mean it rudely, but that’s how it came out.

  “How’re the headaches? You eating?”

  Tyler was his brother-in-law, and Sam knew why he was here—because of Trina. “Just tell her I’m okay.” He was sure she’d been trying to get hold of him, which was why he’d shut off his cell phone. He didn’t want to risk saying something else he’d regret.

  “I can see that you’re okay, kind of. But are you eating? Or are you too nauseous to eat? What about fluids? And the lights aren’t on, so I guess you’re not doing well with light, at least today. Sam, don’t insult me by acting like I don’t know what you’re going through.”

  “What do you know?” Sam barked.

  “I know that this”—Tyler motioned with his hand to Sam—“isn’t you. That you’re not feeling like yourself, and you probably aren’t sleeping. Not without some sort of a sleeping aide or medication. If your ears aren’t constantly ringing, you’re lucky. I also know that I can take you snapping at me like a fucking asshole, but your wife, she can’t handle that. And she certainly doesn’t deserve that.”

  Tyler wasn’t wrong about any of it. Sam sat down in a chair and bowed his head. With a heavy sigh, he spoke. “I didn’t mean what I said—”

  “I know. And believe it or not, she knows too. Maybe if Willow wasn’t part of the equation, she’d be able to handle your salty ass, because I’m pretty sure you know that if you push my sister far enough, she will push back. But exposing that little girl to you, like this? She was right to toss you out.”

  “Harsh, but yes, I know she was right.”

  “But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be doing whatever it takes to get better. So, your brain is a little scrambled. You probably feel like shit half the time, if you’re lucky.” Tyler looked at the television that wasn’t on. Nodding to it, he added, “If I had to guess, the television makes your head spin? Maybe nauseous?”

  “Yeah. So?” Sam snapped. He was already tired of Tyler’s face. Taking a few deep breaths, he tried to get ahold of his emotions. He had known Tyler for a long time; they’d played together in juniors. He should feel lucky that Tyler was sitting here taking his shit and not beating his ass for being a jerk to his sister. Trying very hard to bite back the angry words that wanted to come out, because there was no reason for them, he repeated, “Yes.”

  “Dude, I know. And I’m not here to judge. If I didn’t know you as well as I do, I’d be beating your ass for being a fucking jerk to my sister. And I think you know that. But, we go way back, and I know you’re a good guy. Trina knows it too.”

  “Is she okay? And Willow? She was sick. I think Tri said an ear infection. Is she okay?”

  “They’re fine, and they miss you. Yes, she had an ear infection, but she’s fine. Little ones are resilient when it comes to those things. They’ve been over at the house, and Paige is helping take some of the stress off Trina. And I’m pretty sure Talia will be in soon, if I know my sister.”

  At least with having Talia helping Trina, Sam wouldn’t feel like so much of a loser for leaving his wife alone. Even though that was exactly how he felt. Sam sighed. “Is your wife going to kick my ass next time she sees me?” Paige was the team’s assistant PR person, and could be a bitch when necessary. He wouldn’t disagree if she thought this was one of those times. Maybe he deserved a good ass-whooping.

  “Nah. At least, I don’t think so. I do think you’re lucky she didn’t do it the night this all happened.” Tyler chuckled. “Look, I think you should see Robert. You’re not right, and it’s scaring Tri. She’s worried. Honestly, the team is, too. We all want to see you come back better than ever, but you need to take care of yourself for that to happen. Just remember, your family needs you.”

  Talk of Trina made his stomach flop, and he considered making a run for the bathroom, before it settled again.

  At the mention of his family, Sam pushed up on one elbow. Squinting, a dull light illuminated a corner of the room. It didn’t hurt as much as he thought it would slowly opening one eye. “Trina?”

  “Yeah. Your wife is worried sick about you.” Tyler slid the wooden chair out from the table set and straddled it. A shopping bag dropped to the floor beside him. “Sam, you know numbing the pain and getting back out on the ice was a dumb move, right?”

  A groan was all Sam could manage. Speaking took too much effort and was too painful.

  “C’mon man, I’m here to help. But you weren’t helping yourself or your family by pulling that shit. You’re damn lucky you had a prescription for that. It was old, and from your dentist, but still.”

  So, the team all knew. Not that it put him in any better of a light in their eyes. He fucked up. Prescription or not. Not that he even cared anymore.

  Sam nodded to the bag on the floor. “What’s that?”

  Tyler shook his head with a sigh. “I wanted to see what I could do to help.”

  “I’m not sure anything you have in that bag will help.”

  “Dude, do you forget how long we’ve known each other? How many seasons we played together? How many injuries we’ve both seen?”

  “Is there a point?” Sam snapped. He closed his eyes to stop the throbbing that started as soon as Tyler began talking.

  “Yes, jerk, there’s a point. I’ve had injury issues before, and I’ve had teammates who had concussion issues. I brought a few things to help you. And I wanted to let you know—”

  Pinching the bridge of his nose, Sam sighed heavily. “Shut. Up.”

  “Dude, just listen. I know you’re in pain, so I’ll make it short and sweet. Rob is stopping by tomorrow to check you out. Some of the things I’m sure he’ll suggest are in this bag. They can start helping you now. Try heat first, on your head and neck. One of those weird little eye masks to help keep the light out when you’re trying to rest with the heating pad on.”

  “So just use heat, and like magic I’ll be all better?” The bitterness in Sam’s words made even him cringe. He was beginning to hate himself for how he talked to people that he held dear.

  Tyler shook his head with a scoff. “No, sunshine, you won’t be all better. Smart-ass. But it should help, at least to take the edge off, if nothing else. This,” Tyler said, as he dug into the bag, “is peppermint oil. The claim is, if you dab a little on your temples, it’ll help with the headache. Paige uses it and swears by it. So give it a try.”

  “Candy cane oil and heat. Got it.” Talking created a burning sensation that made Sam’s skull seem like it was on
fire.

  “There’s a cold pack, too, in case Rob suggests ice, a neck pillow to help if your head feels too heavy for your neck to hold up, some over-the-counter meds, too. If you need something else, let me know.” Tyler stared at him as if he were waiting for some sort of response.

  “And?” This short and sweet visit was sure dragging on.

  Tyler shook his head. “Do you need anything else?”

  “How is she?”

  “She misses you, man. If it was up to her, she’d already be here with you.”

  “So, she doesn’t hate me now?” He had been so horrible to her. Just the thought of it made Sam sick to his stomach.

  “Hate you? Are you for real with that shit? You hurt her, but she knows that wasn’t you. She’s past it enough to be sick with worry.”

  “I should go to her.” Sam stood up, but the room spun, and he tumbled back onto the bed.

  “Dizzy, eh? You’re not ready to be running to her. Willow doesn’t need your cranky ass there, either.” Sighing, Tyler got up and walked towards him. Squatting down, he looked Sam in the eyes. He spoke quietly. “I think you’ll find this intense misery won’t last long. Let Rob look at you. Do what he says. And try the heat.”

  “Yeah. I hope you’re right.”

  “I’m sure I am.”

  “Ty, tell Tri I miss her. Tell her that I’m okay, I’m fighting hard to be myself again, and I’ll do whatever Rob tells me. I swear I’ll do whatever I need to get back to her and Willow.”

  “She knows, but I’ll tell her anyway.” Tyler stood up and made his way to the door. “Try the heat and the neck pillow today. Call me if you need anything else. I mean it, dude. Sam, you should really call Dr. Dash.”

  Doctor Doug Dash was a local neurologist. He specialized in the sports field with concussions. Sam knew of people who came in from other cities to see him. He was good at what he did, and Tyler was probably right.

  “I’m sort of shocked it’s you and not Mel here trying to get me to see Dr. Dash.” Tyler was quiet, so he continued. “Or did she already make the appointment?” Melanie was the team’s PR person. She was persistent, and she cared about the guys on the team. They were like family. Mel had been known to throw her weight around when it came to Tyler and his off-ice issues, so there was no reason she wouldn’t in Sam’s case, as well.

  “You have an appointment in two days. He’ll meet us in his office.”

  Sam shook his head. He wasn’t surprised. However, he was surprised at what Tyler said. “Us?”

  “Absolutely. I’m going with you.”

  “As my captain?”

  “Sure, and as your brother-in-law and friend. No argument. I figured driving might cause you some issues. And what if you get light or sound sensitivity while you’re out?”

  Tyler was right, as always. And he could report back to Trina what the doctor said, maybe quicker than Sam could.

  “Okay, thanks.”

  “See, you’re a little nicer already. So, how long you think you’ll be staying here?”

  He hadn’t really thought that far ahead. “I dunno. I guess I was just going to see how things went. I don’t want to flip out on Tri again.” I still feel like shit for treating her the way I did.

  “Not a bad idea, because I don’t think she can take much more right now.”

  “Why? What do you mean by that?” Can’t take much more right now? Why? What else was wrong?

  “Oh, I don’t know. Shit. Forget I said anything. She just looked a little green when she was over. Maybe she was coming down with a bug or something. I’m sure she’ll be fine.”

  Now worrying about his wife, Sam felt the pain increase around his eyes. Closing them tight, he willed for the shooting pains to stop.

  “Okay, that’s my cue. Didn’t mean to make things worse. Try the heat. Please. I’ll talk to you later, Morris.” The door closed softly behind Tyler as he left.

  Sam lay on the bed for a long time once Ty was gone. Finally, he decided to try the heating pad. What did he have to lose at this point?

  It didn’t help right away, so he put on the goofy eye mask Ty had brought and lay down in the quiet, dark room. He must’ve dozed off, because a noise in the hallway shook him awake. Jumping out of bed, he pulled off the eye mask and set the heating pad on the bed.

  Peering out the peephole, he could see no one in the bright hallway. “Stupid kids—” Sam stopped dead in his tracks. Wait. Grabbing his head, he realized there was no pain shooting through his temples, no stabbing pain in his eyes. The only pain that remained was in his neck and at the base of his skull. The light in the hallway didn’t bother him, either. Tyler was right, the heating pad worked.

  Suddenly he was looking forward to getting started on some physical therapy.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  Trina

  Trina sat down on the couch and pulled her knees to her chest. She had just got Willow down for a nap after a morning of toddler-tantrums. Out of despair, she called her brother. “Ty, do you know where he is? He’s not answering his phone.” She’d been calling Sam since yesterday. “I just need to know he’s okay.”

  “Tri, he’s fine. He’s a big boy, and he’s not stupid. He loves you and Willow more than anything. You know he’d never do anything to hurt you.”

  Deep down, she knew that he’d never purposely talk to her like that. He hadn’t had any control over what was coming out of his mouth that night. The pain meds had worn off, and he’d given them up cold turkey. Partly for his career, but mainly for their family.

  “But did you find him? Is he okay?”

  “Yes. He’s fine. Just where I thought he’d be, at the hotel in town. He was originally at Luc’s, but things took a bad turn. I don’t know the details; Luc wouldn’t elaborate. He said that Sam wasn’t himself, that he kind of lost it, and that nothing Luc said defused the already tense situation. Luc never said he couldn’t stay there, but Sam blew up for no reason and took off.”

  “So why isn’t he answering my calls?”

  “He probably has his phone off. Yesterday he was still in a lot of pain. I brought him a few things to help. Plus, the hotel is a good place for him to be. I know the owner. He’s going to make sure Sam’s okay and has anything he needs.”

  “I should go to him. Maybe he’d want to come home.”

  “Tri—don’t. I know that you just want to be there for him, but right now he needs a little space. I’ll check on him, if it makes you feel better.”

  “Really? Thank you, Ty.”

  “But you need to realize that if it’s space he needs, my checking up on him might not be much help. He was a little snippy with me, but he’s good, and he misses you.”

  “He does?”

  “Of course he does. Tri, the man loves you more than anything. He just needs this right now. Let him heal.”

  “Okay. I know you’re right.” She didn’t like it, but he was right. “I just wondered…”

  “If he’s dealing with the issue and not just using the pain pills?”

  Trina dropped her eyes to the floor. “Yeah.”

  “Considering the amount of pain he was in, I’m confident in saying he hasn’t been using the pills. Tri, you know he needs to get his head straight, right? That kind of pain doesn’t just go away overnight. It’s hard to explain, but that kind of aching can almost paralyze you. I’m positive he had no control over what he was saying, that he was just reacting to the excruciating pain. And knowing him like I do, if he told you he was quitting the pills, then he quit them.” Tyler’s brotherly concern for her showed in his words. “That’s the only reason I didn’t kick his ass when you two got together. Because I knew he’d never hurt you. And I still believe that.”

  She had to believe Ty’s words. Her trust in her husband had never been tested before, and she wasn’t about to let it waver right now.

  Her stomach twisted after she hung up with her brother. Nausea played at the back of her throat. She had forgotten to eat this morni
ng. Surviving on coffee alone wasn’t healthy, and she knew that.

  While Willow was still sound asleep, she made herself a sandwich, but it didn’t sit well in her stomach. Her nerves were getting the better of her.

  Dumping the remainder of her sandwich in the garbage, she turned to get a drink of water, and the room spun. She grabbed the counter to steady herself, just as her cell phone vibrated on the table with a text message.

  Shaking off the dizzy spell, she settled into a chair and took a few deep breaths to calm her stomach. Her lunch was still jumping around.

  Sam’s name highlighted the front of her phone. Trina’s chest clenched with excitement, and her heart soared.

  Sam: Baby, sorry I haven’t been myself. Just wanted to tell you that I love you. I’m going to do whatever I need to so that I can get back home with you and our daughter.

  Trina: I love you too. I just want you to get better.

  Sam: I met with Rob today. I’m going to see a specialist tomorrow. He’s confident he knows what’s going on and that he can help me.

  Sam: I can’t wait to get home to you. I look forward to working on growing our family. I love you baby.

  Her heart warmed at hearing from her husband. She wanted to respond with something clingy, like an overbearing wife might, but she remembered Tyler’s words. He needed his space. Just knowing he was okay and feeling better was enough for her for now. Hearing that the neurologist was sure he knew what was going on with her husband gave her a sense of calm. Every one of those things made her spirits soar.

  But she couldn’t let go of one thing he said. I look forward to working on growing our family. They had been trying for a new baby before this happened, when she didn’t know that he was using the pain pills.

  Trina hadn’t given that much thought, even with all the weird ways she’d been feeling. The nausea, the dizziness, she’d chalked them all up to the stress. She had bought a few tests already, and they were upstairs in their bathroom. Maybe I should check, just to be sure. I can’t possibly be… We didn’t try for that long.