Faking the Play (Hot Mess Harems #2)

35. Ryan

Chapter thirty-five

Ryan

T rying to wake up felt like swimming in cement. Not that I’d ever swum in cement, but it sounded like it would be hard, and getting my eyes to open now that I knew they were closed wasn’t easy. Instead of forcing it, I took a minute to think, because that seemed to be hard at the moment too, which was different than when I normally woke up…because I hadn’t fallen asleep.

Everything came rushing back all at once.

Hearing that asshole player from the other team say that he was going to take Logan down a peg or two.

Seeing my friend in pain after that asshole sacked him.

Ethan running to Logan’s side.

Me going to tell the ref what we heard and the ref saying he’d talk to the coach.

Then the solid thump and pain as something hit me from behind.

Pain that exploded across my back and made my legs go numb.

That memory sent a bright jolt of panic through me, giving me what I needed to open my eyes.

I grimaced at the light, blinking rapidly as I became aware of a loud beeping noise.

“Dude, relax. You’re okay.”

The familiar voice had me turning my head to see Ethan sitting in the corner of a room. A hospital room, I realized. I was in the hospital. He pushed himself up and came over to me. As he stepped out of the shadows, I realized he looked exhausted.

“Are you okay?” I asked, my voice rough.

Ethan nodded. “Here. Drink some water.”

“My mom?” I asked as he handed me a cup with a straw. I managed to flip him off before I took it, but he didn’t smile.

“She was in Florida visiting your grandparents,” Ethan reminded me. “They were watching the game.”

I winced. “Shit.”

“Yeah, well, I grabbed our phones before I came because I had a feeling I’d be keeping everyone updated. Good thing you never changed your password because she’d already texted three times about renting a car. I told her to stay put until we found out more because you wouldn’t want her trying to drive upset.”

“Thanks,” I said. “Once I talk to a doctor, I’ll call her.”

“I’ll go get someone.”

By the time I finished the whole cup of water, he came back with a skinny Asian guy in blue scrubs. When Ethan turned to go, I stopped him.

“Stick around. I might need help keeping shit straight.”

Ethan nodded, staying standing, but keeping out of the doctor’s way.

“I’m Dr. Chin,” the man introduced himself as he pulled a penlight from a pocket.

He quickly went through checking whatever he needed to check and asking me questions about how many fingers he was holding up and all that shit. I didn’t really care about any of it until he went to the end of the bed and asked me to wiggle my toes. Then I remembered how my legs had gone numb, and I zeroed in on my toes.

The relief that went through me when they moved had me sighing out loud. I did it again when the doctor started poking my feet and then up my legs and I felt every single thing.

“Everything looks good,” Dr. Chin said finally. “We’ll want to do a couple more tests before we discharge you, but I’m happy with the progress.”

I folded my arms, wincing as the movement pressed my back against the bed in a new way. “That’s good, but can you tell me what the hell actually happened?”

“What do you remember?” Ethan asked.

“I got hit from behind. My legs went numb.” I frowned as I thought. “Then it’s all bits and pieces. People shouting. Someone asking me questions. Then I think I was in an ambulance.” I started to run my hand through my hair and grimaced when a jerk to my hand reminded me I had an IV in. “I don’t really remember anything after that.”

“That asshole from the other team was gonna get kicked out because of what he did to Logan,” Ethan said with a scowl. “He saw you talking to the ref and went after you. His helmet hit you right in the middle of your back.”

“You were given medication in the ambulance,” Dr. Chin said. “That’s why your memories aren’t clear. The additional medicine you were given caused you to sleep for the past few hours.”

“My legs went numb because he hit my back,” I said. “But I can move my toes and feel shit, so I’m not gonna be paralyzed?”

My question sounded a hell of a lot calmer out loud than it had in my head.

“I don’t like giving certainties,” Dr. Chin said, “because strange things happen, but I would say that I’m as confident of your full recovery as I am of anything.”

That was good, but I wanted something more specific. “Why does my back hurt?”

“You have a rather large contusion on your back,” Dr. Chin explained. “It is a rather deep bruise, and that’s what caused the numbness in your legs initially. There was some swelling, which is why we gave you medication to reduce that. We’ll do some tests to make sure that’s gone down and that it wasn’t hiding an additional injury, but as long as that’s clear, you should be cleared to return to normal activities in a day or two.”

“I can keep playing football?”

That damn heart monitor betrayed how nervous I was, but I didn’t really care, not when my entire future hung on what the doctor said.

Dr. Chin raised an eyebrow. “As a doctor, I can’t in all good conscience encourage you to continue playing a game with that many physical risks, but I can say that, yes, barring any changes in your condition, you would be cleared to play again.”

I swallowed hard, nodding because I didn’t think I could speak. My chest felt tight enough that if I hadn’t been able to hear that steady beep-beep-beep on the monitor, I might’ve thought I was having a heart attack.

“Coach is gonna be glad to hear that,” Ethan said, smiling for the first time since I woke up. “He sent everyone home like an hour ago, but told me to text him as soon as I heard something.”

“I hope he’s that worried about me too.”

It wasn’t until Logan’s voice came from the other side of the curtain that I realized someone else was even in the room. Ethan pulled the curtain back, and all the happiness I’d felt at my news evaporated when I saw Logan.

Like me, he was hooked up to monitors, and I was sure I looked like shit too, but it was the leg that had my stomach sinking. He had all sorts of braces and shit clearly meant to keep it from moving, and I knew that was never a good sign.

“About time you woke up,” Ethan said. “You’ve been out of surgery for half an hour.”

“Surgery?”

“Let’s get you something to drink,” Dr. Chin said, moving from my bed to my friend’s. “Then we can talk privately about your condition.”

Logan shook his head even as he took the water from the doctor. “We’re family. And roommates, so if they’re going to have to help me shower or wipe my ass, they should probably know it now.”

“You should be fine in the ass-wiping department,” Dr. Chin said dryly. “As for showering, that’s going to be a no-go for a while. Sponge baths only.”

“Do you rent nurses for that?”

The fact that Logan was making jokes scared the shit out of me. Ethan was the one who used humor as a shield. Logan faced things head-on.

“Do you want me to sugarcoat things or tell it to you straight?” Dr. Chin asked after he’d done the basic check on Logan’s vitals.

“I’d rather have it all,” Logan said, visibly steeling himself.

“You cracked three bones in your ankle,” the doctor began. “We put in two metal pins for that. You also tore several muscles and tendons between your knee and your ankle. And your ACL was pretty much destroyed. We did the best we could, but there’s a lot of damage.”

“Long-term prognosis?” Logan asked quietly.

“Best-case scenario? A month or two of PT and you’ll be able to walk and probably run a bit without too much difficulty. Maybe a slight limp if you push yourself too hard. Worst-case, you need more surgery and you’ll have to walk with a cane.”

No one bothered to ask Dr. Chin about football. We all just sat in stunned silence as the doctor said to call for a nurse if we needed anything. Ethan looked like he was going to be sick, and I couldn’t even look at Logan. He was a brilliant quarterback. The kind who’d get signed to some big team and get endorsement deals and make millions before he turned thirty. And then he’d use it for charity and helping disadvantaged kids because that was the sort of guy he was.

And one jealous bastard had ended it all.

“Tell me the guy who did this isn’t getting away with it.”

Ethan raised his head to look at me. “Suspended for the rest of the season, but Coach said if you guys were hurt bad, he’d make sure that kid never plays again.”

“It’s not enough,” I said.

“It’s okay, Ryan,” Logan said quietly.

“No, it’s not okay,” I argued. “You’ve worked your ass off for years and it’s not even some stupid accident that ruins all of that! It’s some asshole who did it on purpose!”

“I’ll walk again,” Logan said. Despite his words, his expression was bleak. “Besides, after everything else we’ve already lost, this doesn’t seem like quite as big of a deal.”

After a long stretch of silence, I asked the question. “Did she text or call any of us?”

Ethan shook his head. “Let’s get real. She probably doesn’t even know what happened. I mean, would you be watching the game after that fight?”

I shook my head and tried not to let my disappointment show. I knew it was stupid after the way she’d played us, but a part of me had hoped that this changed things. That maybe, magically, all of that could’ve been erased.

A knock on the door had us all sitting up straight. We could see just a shadow from the hall, but it looked like it was under five and a half feet tall and slender, which meant it wasn’t my mom. Logan’s mom was who knew where and Ethan’s wouldn’t have come for this.

“Amelia?” Logan whispered her name.

But when the door opened, the young woman who came through was a blonde. And the last person I expected—or wanted—to see.

“What the hell are you doing here?” Ethan snapped.

Megan’s face was pale and her eyes were rimmed with red like she’d been crying. Not that I gave a damn. No matter what Amelia had done to us, unless Megan had been fucked over the same way by Amelia and Jason, I didn’t care why she was upset.

“I know my timing sucks, but I just can’t stay quiet any longer. Not when you guys are like this and she’s worried and all of this is my fault and—”

“Stop babbling and get to the damn point,” Logan said.

Megan nodded and took a deep breath. “There’s something you guys need to know.”