I move to storm past him, but he catches my arm, his grip firm enough to make me pause. Any other guy touching me like that after just stepping out of the ring? I wouldn’t have hesitated to deck him.
“Grab your stuff from the locker room. We’re going to the hospital. Now,” he growls out.
“I don’t need to go.”
“Like hell you don’t.”
I weigh my options, knowing full well I’m not in any shape to argue with him. If it came to blows, Dallas would have me in a headlock in an instant and I’m not sure my pride can handleanymore defeat tonight.
“Fine.”
Forty minutes later, after a car ride so tense you could hear the summer cicadas outside in the dark, we’re rolling into the hospital parking lot in Lonestar Junction. Now that the adrenaline has fully drained from my system, the pain in my ribs is starting to throb, sharper with each breath.
I must admit—Dallas forcing me to call it early was probably the smartest thing he’s done tonight.
“You’re doing this on your own, because if I follow you in there right now, I’m going to lose it and say some shit that our friendship is never going to come back from,” he says as he unlocks the passenger door to his truck.
“Fine,” I grit out, unbuckling my seatbelt and concealing the wince that movement causes. I’m not a child. I’ve broken my leg, taken a few punches to the face and head before and was sure everything was fine with my ribs tonight.
“Hey, Clay!” Dallas shouts at me when I’m halfway to the Emergency Room doors, “You decide not to listen to me again, and I’ll tell your brothers what you’re up to. You got that? Ifanythingwere to ever happen to you in there, they’d never forgive me or you. I’m doing this for your own good.”
I give a curt nod, because despite being older now, everyone around me still looks at me like I need to be taken care of when I’ve been trying to tell them I can handle my shit on my own.
“Yeah man, I got it,” then walk the rest of the way into the hospital, wincing a little internally with each step I take.
Twenty minutes later, the triage nurse calls my name to see the doctor. Even though it’s a Friday night, the ER at Lonestar Junction Hospital is eerily quiet—a ghost town. Lucky for me, that means no long waits to be seen.
I follow her into the back as she takes my vitals, height, andweight.
“One hundred eighty-five pounds, six-foot-three,” she notes, jotting it down in my chart. “Wow, you’ve put on twenty pounds since your last visit.” Her eyes linger on my frame, taking in the tight rash guard I’d worn for the fight and the loose MMA shorts that are now molded to my thighs with dried sweat. She’s clearly checking me out, but I’m too exhausted to care and return the favor.
“Seems like it’s all gone to your muscles,”she murmurs under her breath as she looks away appreciatively, a flush covering her cheeks.
I’m still not used to the extra attention I get from women since I’ve hit a late growth spurt—grew four more inches and packed on lean, defined muscle. It’s strange. In a town where I’d always blended into the background, Wylie and Nash overshadowing me, people are finally starting to see me as more than just the easy-going kid. They see me as a man now, and apparently one that they all desire. That’s taken some getting used to.
“The doctor will be in to see you shortly. Is there anything I can get you to help you be more... comfortable?” she blushes again.
I shake my head, “I think I’m alright for now. Thank you, ma’am.”
She nods as I lay back in the bed, crossing my arms behind my head and trying not to think about whether something might actually be wrong with my sore ribs.
A few minutes later, the curtains open again to reveal an older gentleman I recognize from around town.
“I don’t think it’s a break, Mr. Cameron,” he says, giving me a reassuring nod. “But we’ll get some X-rays to be sure. The technician will be here shortly to take you for scans. Once we get the results, I’ll walk you through the next steps.”
He leaves, and soon after, the nurse from earlier returns with pain meds, some ice water, and another one of those borderlineunnecessary hand squeezes and a thumb stroke that feels a little too personal for comfort.
I close my eyes, letting the medication start to take the edge off of the searing pain, just as another knock sounds at the door. A petite woman with blonde hair steps inside, her voice professional yet warm.
“Good evening, Mr. Cameron. I’m McKenna Long, the X-ray technician on call tonight. I’ll be taking some scans of your ribs and back for Doctor Huntington.”
Before I can respond, another figure appears behind her—slightly taller, curvier, with wide brown eyes that freeze when they meet mine. The shock on her face mirrors my own, and for a moment, the air in the room seems to thicken with unspoken recognition.
“Clay?” Maggie asks, her voice full of concern, “What happened?”
Chapter 6 – Maggie
The X-ray tech I’m shadowing tonight looks between Clay’s imposing figure stretched out on the hospital bed and me before snapping shut the clipboard brimming with his medical records and intake paperwork.
