by Teague, AS
“Aiden will be okay,” she mumbled again, and I nodded silently. After Griffin finished talking to Quinn, he stalked over to the coffee table and snatched the remote before turning off the television and tossing the control back on the couch. “That stupid motherfucker!” Griff shouted.
Brooke pulled away from me and went to her husband, and he engulfed her in his arms as his body began to shake. He wasn’t mad at Aiden, not really.
He was fucking heartbroken for him.
Because when you were a football player in the league, an injury like this could ruin a career. And Aiden was at the very prime of his.
“If I thought for a second that you needed me, I’d drop everything to be there for you.” Aiden’s voice filled my ears as I remembered the way he’d said those very words, just two weeks ago, on the phone, the sincerity unlike anything I’d ever heard before. I hadn’t truly believed it then, but now it was the only thought in my head.
It didn’t matter that we’d spent years with a connection that never worked out for us. It didn’t matter that he’d blown me off more times than I could count, that I was furious at him for not trusting me enough to just tell me the truth. It didn’t matter that just two hours ago, I’d sworn to never see him again.
Aiden Shaw would have dropped everything to come to me.
There was only one thing I could do.
“I have to go,” I managed to croak out as I cleared my throat.
Brooke turned but didn’t let Griff out of her grasp. “Go where?”
“To Aiden. I have to go to Aiden.”
Chapter Eleven
Aiden
I was too damn proud and arrogant for my own good. And now, I was paying the price for that big ego. The moment the center snapped the ball, I’d known that something bad was going to happen. I hadn’t ever been superstitious, never wore a lucky pair of socks or thought that I needed to eat a special meal before a game in order to win.
I didn’t believe in premonitions or even luck, really. I was an incredible player. Bottom line. The reason that I was so good was because I worked hard and had talent.
But as I’d watched the ball sail toward me, wobbling the whole way, a chill raced down my spine. I’d known instantly that I was going to regret ignoring Coach’s pleas to let the backup take over.
And now, here I lay, just a few hours after surgery to fix my broken tibia and fibula, along with my torn ACL and MCL. The pain had been searing and instant, and I as I’d lain on the field while the trainers tried to assess what was so obviously a horrific injury, I thought I would be sick or pass out or both from the sheer agony.
But the pain wasn’t just physical. Because I knew that no matter the outcome, nothing would ever be the same again.
“Mr. Shaw,” the doctor interrupted my thoughts. “How are you feelin’?”
I grimaced. What a stupid question to ask a man who had just come out of an intense surgical procedure. “I’m feeling great. As a matter of fact, if we hurry, I can probably play the last few minutes of the game.”
“Yeah, don’t think you’re going to be playing anytime soon.”
I smirked through the pain. “You obviously don’t know me very well, Dr. Reed.”
“Hampton. You can call me Hampton. You know, I’m a big fan. My dad played football with your dad.”
Dr. Hampton Reed was the best orthopedic surgeon in the Southeast. He had come from a long line of professional football players, just like I had. The irony of the fact that I was injured in his home town was not lost on me. But even if I had been on the North Pole, I would have made sure that it was him who performed my surgery.
“I’d sign an autograph for you, but these pain meds have my vision a little blurry.”
Dr. Reed grinned. “No worries. So, let’s talk about prognosis.”
I shook my head. “No thanks, Doc. I’ll pass on that conversation right now.”
His grin slipped, and even though he tried to hide it, I could see the concern in his eyes. I knew what that look meant. I knew what he was going to tell me. And I wasn’t interested in hearing it.
Quinn had been quietly sitting in the corner of the room, watching the exchange between the doctor and me, but when I refused to hear what should be said, he cleared his throat and stood.
“Dr. Reed, I’m Quinn Miller, Aiden’s friend.”
Dr. Reed smiled broadly, like it was the best day of his life and not the worst day of mine, and said, “I know who you are. I’ve been following you since college.”
“Hey,” I mumbled, slightly annoyed, “I thought I was the one who was hurt here. Shouldn’t you be fawning over me?”
Dr. Reed’s eyes didn’t budge from Quinn as he stuck his hand out. “Nice to meet you.”
Quinn took it and cut his eyes at me before asking, “How bad is it?”
The good doctor had the decency to lose the smile and drop Quinn’s hand before replying. “It’s not good. Is it okay if I talk about it in front of your friend here?”
I’d just nodded, even though I wasn’t interested in hearing what he had to say, when the door opened and a nurse stuck her head in. She was cute, and it took Quinn exactly one second to zero in on her. “I’m so sorry to interrupt, Dr. Reed, but there’s a woman at the desk who is insisting she be let in here.”
The nurse’s bright eyes traveled to where I was lying in bed, and the fake smile she had melted into a frown that was full of pity. No doubt she knew who I was and what the hell had happened to me and felt sorry for me. But I didn’t need her sympathy. What I needed was for someone to shake me and wake me up from this nightmare.
“She says that she’s a friend of yours. That you’ll want to see her.” Her frown stayed firmly in place.
“Is it Shay?” Quinn asked, his brows raised. I groaned. Shay was the last person I wanted to see right now. “She by herself?”
The nurse nodded. “Yeah, it’s just her. But she says her name is Melanie.”
I take that back. Melanie Holstein was the last person I wanted to see.
Quinn barked a laugh before he said, “Let her in.”
“Tell her I’m sleeping.”
The nurse’s head swung between myself and Quinn, and he looked at me. “Don’t be an asshole.”
I scrubbed a hand down my face and squeezed my eyes shut.
I was lying to myself thinking that I didn’t want to see Mel. I did. I’d wanted to see her every day for the last two weeks. Hell, if we were being perfectly honest, I’d wanted to see her every day for the last seven fucking years.
But I didn’t want to see her now.
Like this.
Laid up in a hospital bed.
Broken.
“Uhm, Mister Shaw?” the nurse’s sweet voice asked hesitantly. “Yes or no?”
I sighed. “Yes.”
She nodded and slipped back through the door, and less than ten seconds later, Mel slammed through the door, her wild hair flying, her face angry.
“You are one stubborn son of a bitch,” she greeted.
I put on a saccharine smile. “So very nice to see you again, Mel.”
“Nope. Don’t pull that shit with me, Shaw.”
So, we were back to me being Shaw again. Okay. I could deal with that. “Don’t know what shit you’re referring to, but in case you haven’t realized where you are, I’m hurt and the last thing I need is you flying in here like a bat out of hell to give me shit.”
She crossed the room in a few strides, her long legs that I’d wanted so desperately wrapped around me a few days ago eating up the space between us. She got right in my face and dropped her voice, all pretenses of being angry evaporating. “Are you okay?” she whispered, her lower lip quivering.
I swear to God, if the pain meds had been any less strong, I would have grabbed her by the back of her head and pulled her into my lap. But, unfortunately, I was in no position to do anything other than push the button on my pain pump every fifteen minutes.
“Never been better.
You wasted your airline miles flying down here though. I didn’t need you to come.”
Her eyes flashed, my words hitting their target. But instead of retreating the way I hoped she would, in order to give me a moment to have a pity party, she straightened her back and then pivoted on her heel. I was being a surly dick and I knew it, but I couldn’t stop the words from spewing from my mouth like I was Linda Blair in The Exorcist.
“Hampton.” She beamed. “You look great!”
Dr. Reed beamed and waggled his brows. “Good genetics. I never age. Neither, apparently, do you.”
He wasn’t wrong. Mel still looked exactly the same as she had when we’d met all those years ago.
Mel threw her head back and laughed. “God, you are so smooth.” She hooked a finger over her shoulder in my direction and continued, “I thought this one was smooth, but I think you’ve got him beat.”
She crossed to where he was standing and threw her arms around his neck. He returned the gesture by squeezing her slender frame tight in his bulky one, and jealousy raced through my veins.
“Excuse me. Hate to break up whatever reunion this is, but we were in the middle of talking about what the hell I was going to do next,” I grumbled, the words having a little too much slur to them to convey the irritation I was feeling.
“Oh, yeah? Thought you didn’t want to talk about it right now,” Quinn piped up, a knowing grin spread wide on his face.
That asshole. When I could fucking walk again, I was going to kick his ass. “Changed my mind.”
Dr. Reed and Mel broke their embrace, and Mel made her way back to my side, grabbing a chair and scooting it close to the bed. When she settled in, she laced her fingers through mine. I took a second to pretend that I wasn’t hurt, that she hadn’t flown here because of worry, but instead that we were lying in bed together, where we belonged, and she was holding my hand. Then I pulled my hand from hers and laced my own fingers together.
She glanced up to my face and the crease in her forehead deepened, but she didn’t say anything.
After turning back to the doctor, she replaced the frown with optimism and said, “Alright, Hampton. Give it to us. What recovery time are we looking at?”
The doctor grabbed the extra chair in the room and settled his large frame into it, his forehead creased with worry. He looked between me and my friends and then said, “You want the sugar-coated version, or you want me to give it to you straight?”
I shook my head. “Lay it on me, Doc.”
I knew what he was going to say long before the words ever slipped through his lips, but it didn’t make the blow any softer when he actually said the words. “Aiden, man, I am a football lover. As you know, my dad and my dad’s dad played pro ball. I played in college until I decided that medicine was the right path for me. This isn’t something I relish in saying, and I don’t say it lightly, but I have to say it all the same. Aiden, it looks like your football days may be over.”
He couldn’t be right. This was a bad break, yeah, a devastating injury, but I couldn’t believe that this was it for me. I shook my head and forced myself to suck in a breath, my lungs screaming for oxygen.
Quinn’s head shook back and forth. “No fucking way.”
Dr. Reed looked to where my friend was standing beside me, his hands clenched in fists.
Quinn was angry.
I was angry too.
This wasn’t supposed to happen to me.
“You’re young, you’re healthy, you’ve never had any major injuries. All things that are in your favor. But you had what is probably—” He stopped and squeezed the back of his neck. He wasn’t enjoying delivering this news anymore than I was enjoying hearing it. “It’s definitely the worst injury I’ve ever seen. I’ll be quite honest. I don’t even know how it happened. I’ve never seen anything like it.”
He stopped and looked around the room. “I’m sorry. Your days of being on the field are over. It’s going to take weeks for you to even be able to walk on it again, much less getting back to the level you were playing at.”
I couldn’t be mad at him. He was a doctor and it was his job to be upfront and honest with me.
But he was fucking wrong.
“Sorry. I’m not buying it. I’ll be back on the field next season.” My voice was rough, and I swallowed hard, the lump that had formed staying firmly in place.
Mel reached for my hand and yanked it free before her fingers laced through mine. “Aiden, Hampton’s the expert in lower body injuries. If he says you’re—”
I didn’t let her finish. “No.”
“Mel, maybe we should give Aiden a minute alone with the doctor,” Quinn piped up.
I loved the dude, I really did, but I was not in the mood for his patronizing. I didn’t need time alone with the doctor so that he could convince me that my career was over. What I needed was a beer, another hit of the pain meds, and for everyone to leave me the fuck alone.
“Quinn, I’m good. Really.” I looked to where Dr. Reed was eying me warily. I could only imagine the number of people he’d delivered bad news to who had my exact same reaction. But the difference was, I was Aiden fucking Shaw. I wasn’t going to just lie in this hospital bed and accept what the hell he was telling me.
“Okay,” Mel said softly. I looked to where she watched me intently. Her eyes were wet with unshed tears, and I wanted to wipe them away. Instead, I said, “I’m the one hurt, and you’re the one crying… That makes sense.”
She nodded and said, “What’s the plan?”
Dr. Reed cleared his throat. “Well, I mean, right now, we’re just trying to manage his pain.”
Mel dropped my hand and pushed to her feet. “Nope. We need a rehab plan if Aiden’s gonna be back on the field next season.”
“Mel,” Dr. Reed murmured, “you know as well as I do that’s not going to happen.”
She looked over her shoulder at me and winked. “Aiden Shaw is the best quarterback there’s ever been, and he’s not done yet. If he says he’s going to play again, then he’s going to play again.”
She looped her arm through Hampton’s and said, “Let’s go get to work on that plan of care.”
Dr. Reed stuck out his free hand and robotically, I took it and shook. “You’re in good hands with this one.”
I watched as they walked through the door and then looked to where Quinn stood silently eyeing me. “Can you give me a minute?”
His eyes darkened, and I knew he wanted to argue, but instead he jerked his chin and left the room without another word.
With no one in the room, it was eerily silent, and for the first time in a long time, I was afraid.
Chapter Twelve
Mel
“What are you doing here?” Aiden growled when I slipped back through the door half an hour later. Quinn was nowhere to be found, and I sighed in relief. I didn’t want him here while I talked to Aiden about his recovery.
“Nice to see you too,” I smarted.
His mouth was curved in a deep frown, but it didn’t detract from his handsome features. Even in pain, which I knew he was, despite his protests otherwise, he was still the most handsome man I’d ever seen.
Celebrities all over the world didn’t hold a candle to the jaw and cheekbones of the man who had winked at me across a smoky casino. And little did he know that when he frowned, it only enhanced the sexiness of his jawline.
“I didn’t say it was nice to see you. I asked what you were doing here.”
I ignored his jab and made my way back to the chair next to his bed. I didn’t respond while I settled into the firm cushion and crossed my legs at the ankle. He watched me warily the whole time, no doubt trying to formulate the next insult he would sling my way. But I was ready for it.
“I’m here because you need me.”
It was as simple as that. He was going to need someone to help him, whether he liked it or wanted to admit it or not.
“What I need is to get out of this hospital and back on the field
.”
I nodded. “Which means you need me.”
His eyes narrowed. “I’ve spent the last four months texting you. Almost weekly since Vegas and you haven’t responded a single time. I had to hunt you down at a party to get you to even talk to me two weeks ago. Now, suddenly, you want to be here for me? I don’t buy it. And more than that, I don’t fucking want it. I don’t want you here.”
If I had been a weak woman, his words would have cut me like a hot knife through butter. But I was anything but weak, and more than that, I knew that he was only lashing out at me because he was scared. Of course, he would never admit that either.
“Your texts for the last few months, hell, the last few years, say otherwise. You do want me. But that’s not what I’m here to talk about.”
“Okay, I do want you, you caught me. So, you here to fuck me? Can I still fuck with a banged-up knee?”
“Crude doesn’t become you, Aiden, and you know it.” I leaned in close and dropped my voice. “But, yes, you can still fuck with one leg. And once you’re off those pain meds, maybe I’ll show you how.”
His breath hitched as his blue eyes met mine and held them. “I don’t need your help, Melanie. Get out.”
I leaned in close to his side and dropped my voice. “If I thought for a second that you needed me, I’d drop everything to be there for you.”
Aiden’s eyes flashed wide, and I swear for a second I saw his lip begin to quiver, but he recovered almost instantly. “Sorry to be the one to tell you this, but you thought wrong.”
I leaned back and crossed my arms over my chest and nodded. “Okay, fine. You don’t need me.”
“Aiden Shaw, quarterback for the Green Bay Packers, was injured last night…” Aiden’s leg may have been broken, but his reflexes were still on point, because he snatched the remote from the bedside table and turned the TV off before I had the chance to think about it and then threw the remote across the room. The plastic broke apart into pieces, the sound filling the silence.
His chest was heaving as he stared at the spot where the remote had hit the wall, a dent in the sheetrock.