“Yeah, well, everyone has been worried about you guys. The wreck was all over the news.”
“What happened with that? I can’t remember.”
“The guy who hit you wasn’t paying attention obviously. But he died on impact. It was his fault. He ran the light and hit you. You were both so lucky, Avery.”
I felt my face and found a couple of bandages but nothing too big. “What is this?” There was also a bandage on my arm and one on my thigh.
“Just some cuts and abrasions. You needed stitches on a few, but they were surprised it wasn’t so bad. They said you must have had time to look away. Or maybe the airbag stopped it. Seth said it’s because you were so tough. He’s been going on and on about how strong you are.”
“Did you tell him?” I wanted to send a message of my own and hoped he could be where I could call him. I needed to hear his voice.
She got a message back, and when she read it, she shook her head. “That was Dillon. He said he’s glad to hear it and he’ll be around later.”
I sighed. “Maybe Seth is just too busy to be around the phone. His coach is a lot stricter than mine.”
Clara nodded. “Probably.”
I sank down in the bed and looked around the room. I was stuck there for the next few days and hoped it would go by fast.
The soft rasp of knuckles sounded on the door.
“Come in,” Clara called.
I figured it was a nurse, but when I glanced up, I saw the biggest bouquet of flowers and Seth peeking over them with a black eye and a big smile.
I began to cry, and my tears were stinging my face. “Hey, you,” I said. “You look like you’ve been in a fight.”
“Yeah, well, you should try a mirror, pretty girl. You’re looking pretty tough yourself.” He hurried over and leaned down to kiss me, but I threw my arms around him and held him so tightly that I nearly busted a stitch.
“I missed you.”
“Well, I was already on the way when I got the message from Clara. Coach let us out of practice early to rest up for the game later. Thanks for that, by the way.” He and Clara exchanged a smile, which was really strange to see. It was like I had woken up to a dream, but the pain in my side let me know it was all real enough.
“You’re welcome,” she said. “And I think I’ll give you two a little time alone. I’m going downstairs if you need anything.”
“Just something to eat,” I said. “They will let me eat, won’t they?”
“You bet. That’s the one thing I can say about this place. They like it when you eat.” She left the room laughing, and Seth sat in the chair she’d been in, pulling it closer to the bed.
“It’s so good to see you awake. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve kissed your forehead this past week and wished I was a prince in a fairytale.”
“Sleeping Beauty, huh?”
“Something like that.” He looked into my eyes and brushed my hair back from my face. “I’m so sorry about everything. I wish I had been watching better, but the cop who witnessed everything said there was no time to react.”
“It’s not your fault. And I’m fine. I’m going to be fine. Especially with you here.”
He took my hand and held it. “I love you, Avery. I’ve wanted to tell you that all week. I was going to tell you after dinner with Clara and Dillon, but I didn’t have a chance. And when the wreck happened and I came to with you in surgery, I was so scared that I would never have a chance to tell you.”
“I love you too. I realized it a couple of days before that. I’m glad I had a chance to say it too. I guess we’re official. I hear everyone knows about us.”
“Yeah, official and most definitely exclusive.” He brought my hand to his lips and laid his head on the bed beside me. “It’s been such a hard week. I thought I was going to lose you too. All I want to do is hold you and sleep knowing you’re okay, but I know you’re probably ready to be awake.”
“I don’t know. Being held by you while I sleep sounds pretty good right now.” I didn’t care where I was as long as I was with him.
Chapter 20
Seth
The hardest thing I had done in a long time was leaving Avery in that hospital to go and play a game. Rugby had been everything to me until she came along, and now, it just didn’t mean as much. I still wanted my victory, but I was finding it hard to focus on much else.
After the first half of the game, we were down, and I was getting a lot of flak from Motor and Carver, which had me even more pissed off. Now wasn’t the time to fuck with me, but I told myself to imagine Avery in the stands cheering me on, and maybe things would be okay.
After I missed a kick for a score, I fell to my knees and punched the grass. It sure felt good to my anger but didn’t do much good for the game.
Coach caught me off the field. “This is why I said to leave the girl alone, son. You’re so mixed up with emotions about that accident that you can’t even kick a damn ball!”
“You screaming at me isn’t helping shit, either,” I said.
“Oh, it isn’t? Well, maybe I should put someone else in who isn’t so sensitive.”
“My head hurts,” I said, reminding him that I was playing his stupid game while barely recovered from a fucking concussion.
Coach took a deep breath. “I need you on that field, son, and I need you to focus. I know you’ve had a rough week, but you said she was awake now, so go out there and play that game for her.”
“Yes, sir, Coach!” I took a deep breath, knowing he was right. I had a job to do, and I had to put my emotions behind me no matter how hard it was to stop thinking about her being lonely in the hospital and put the other team out of their misery so I’d be out of mine.
I went back to the field, got into position, and ruled the next play. I scored a three-pointer and turned to look at my coach in the eye. He was busy clapping and returning the hard look.
But I would regret my smugness after the next play failed. I ended up missing again, this time an important pass, which made it all worse since I’d yelled at Carver and Motor for doing the same thing.
Coach pulled me off the field. “You better focus. We are so close to this opportunity being a reality, and you’re the one who is going to lose it for everyone.”
“I overdid it. I’m still sore from the wreck.”
“I don’t want your sob story, son. I told you not to get involved, and maybe if you had listened, she wouldn’t be in the hospital to begin with.”
I felt the sting of his words strike me so hard, it was as if my father had backhanded me, and coming from a man I loved and trusted, it was just too much. I went into defense mode and struck out, knocking my coach on his ass with the force of one punch to the jaw.
The rest of the team came crowding around to come to his aid and hold me off.
Paul pulled me away. “They just threw you out,” he said. I was too angry to know what was going on. “You’re done.”
I was more than done. I couldn’t believe someone I had actually respected could talk to me like that after all I’d been through.