“Because she’s my girlfriend!”
“Is she though?”He narrows his eyes on me, pushing my buttons even more.
“Stop being a jerk, Wheeler.”Smithy places himself between us, knowing he’s only trying to push me to get angrier.
“Fine.Is she really your girlfriend when she’s keeping her phone off because she doesn’t want to hear from you?”He sits up and Charlie rolls her eyes before moving to the next table to help that player.She knows it’s useless to wait for Wheeler to be done.
“What did I do?I asked her if she was hurt and she said she was fine.But then she said she’d be in the hospital for a few days, which clearly means she’s not fine.I tried to call.I tried to visit and every time I get shut down.What did I do?”I thrust my hands through my hair and it’s taking everything in me not to scream with frustration.
“She had to have surgery, you idiot!”Wheeler stands from the table and gets right in my face.
“What?”I lose all my fight and my words come out as barely a whisper.“What happened?Is she ok?Why didn’t she tell me?”
“Because this is what Winnie does, man.She lets you in and makes you feel like you’re living out your dream… But then she gets scared and she runs away.”
“But what happened to scare her?Please, Wheeler, I can't lose her.I know this is a horrible thing to ask you to help with given I didn’t help you… But I need her.Tali cries every day for her.I don’t know how to comfort her when all she wants is Winnie.”
“Do you want her back because it will make Tali happy or because you love her?”
“I love her more than I ever thought possible.”I swallow hard, hating that I'm about to admit this out loud.“I love her more than I loved my wife.”
“Jeez,” Smithy mutters under his breath and shakes his head.
“She ruptured her spleen.It was bleeding a lot, she had to have surgery to stop it.They had to keep her in the hospital for a few days to make sure the bleeding stopped.She had to have a few blood transfusions.She’s in so much pain.”
“Are you kidding me?How did that happen?”I scrub my hands over my face.I'm seconds away from running out of here and banging on Wheeler’s door until she answers.
“They think it’s from when the paparazzi tried to grab Tali and she lost her footing.She slammed into a metal bench and was in a lot of pain, but she didn’t stop.She got right back up and kept the lowlife away from Tali.They don’t think it’s from the car accident.”
My mind spins in circles with the information Wheeler just dumped on me.Why didn’t she yell at me?Why didn’t she put me in my place and let me know exactly what happened?She took all of my angry words and accepted them.She never tried to defend herself once.
“I… She didn’t tell me any of that,” I whisper as my eyes fill with tears.“Why didn’t she tell me?I accused her of not protecting Tali.I told her she was careless and went out for no reason.I said she kept pushing me to do things I didn’t want with Tali.I even told her she wasn’t Tali’s mom and she had no say in what happens with her… I destroyed our relationship and it’s all my fault.”
Tears slip down my cheek and I do nothing to stop them.I don’t know how to fix this.I'm an idiot.I deserve whatever she decides to do.
“Wasn’t she waking up from surgery when you saw her in the hospital?Liliana said Winnie called her right after she called 9-1-1.Apparently, she was barely awake when the police and ambulance showed up.She was bleeding a decent amount and they had to rush her into surgery.She was lucky Derek Devine was on call and saved her life.”Smithy stares at me with a furrowed brow.
“Why did she call Liliana?Why didn’t she call me?”
“She said Tali needed someone with her.She knew Lils would protect Tali while she couldn’t.I think Winnie knew something was wrong with her and she held on strong until she knew Tali would be with someone who loved her.”
“She didn’t call you because you were in a different state.We were in the middle of the game when the accident happened.She didn’t want you flying home and being tortured the entire drive over wild thoughts about Tali and her.She was thinking about you even while she was bleeding out,” Wheeler says softly.“She’s in love with you, Schmidt.So much more than she ever loved me.I see that, but I'm not sure you can fix this.”
“Give me the keys to your house.”I hold out my hand and he shakes his head.
“Nah, man, I can't do that.”
“Please, Wheeler!I need to fix this!”
“You do need to fix it, but storming into my house while she’s still trying to heal isn't the way to do it.My house is her safe space.Nothing can touch her there and I'm not changing that.I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I love Winnie and I’ll always protect her.She needs time to recover.”
“What am I supposed to do?Do you really expect me to stand by and watch her slip through my fingers?”
“No, but you need to figure out something without stepping foot in my house.”
Without another word, I stomp out of the physical therapy room and straight to Owen’s office.I know he’s in a meeting with Levi, but I need to talk to both of them.
I knock on the door and wait for them to respond before I enter, shutting the door behind me.Owen watches me carefully with a sleeping Tali on his lap.Levi motions for me to take the empty seat next to him.
