“Don’t move too much,” Mari said, standing to help me get comfortable. “The doctor should be here soon to check in on you.”
I sighed, dropping my head back on the pillow. Mari tried to head back to the chair, but I grabbed her hand, needing her close. My throat tightened as I stared down at my leg, a thousand questions filling my mind. How long would I be out? How my team must hate me right now. I was the captain—the man on the field they could count on. Now, I didn’t know where I stood. Instead of facing that cold reality, I forced a bitter smile. “Thought you were supposed to be home by now.”
She shook her head. “Not happening, big brother. I was heading to the airport when Brianna called. Came right here instead and met you in the ER.”
My heart cracked a little at her words. My sister had a family and a thriving career, and she came here when I needed her the most. Thank fuck Brianna called her. Without a word, she knew I’d want my sister right now, and she made it happen. But as much as I loved having Mari here, I needed my girl just as much.
“Where is she?”
Mari’s face softened, nodding to a chair in the corner. Ihadn’t noticed it before, too distracted by the reality of my situation. But there she was, sleeping soundly. She’d curled up in the armchair and passed out like it was a queen sized-bed. She’d even tugged my jersey across her chest, using it like a makeshift blanket.
Mari sighed, leaning in closer to me. “She came in the ambulance with you. Hasn’t left for longer than ten minutes. We tried to get her to go back to the hotel to get some rest, but she refused. Finally passed out about an hour ago.”
She stayed.
I stared at her, and Brianna’s eyes slowly flickered, awareness trickling in as she took in the room. When she saw me staring back at her, she hopped up instantly, moving to my side. She paused at the edge of the bed, her hands fumbling as if she were unsure if she should touch me. I reached out and took her hand, tugging her closer until her chest pressed against mine. As we hugged, she let out a shuddered breath, running her hands along my face, searching for any signs of distress.
“I’m good, angel.” My words might not be true, but I needed them to be—needed to erase the worry lining her delicate features. Brianna had always been expressive, unable to hide much once I’d gotten past her walls. Fear and concern filled her hazel eyes, and I hated being the one who put it there. She clutched my hand, holding it between hers like a lifeline, and it took everything in me not to offer her empty platitudes.
Because as much as I wanted to assure her I was okay—I wasn’t.
A woman with long dark hair rushed into the room, smiling when she spotted me. “Oh good, you’re awake.” She moved over, checking the machines before turningback to face me. “My name is Dr. Cooper, and I’ll be monitoring you while you’re with us. How are you feeling, Mr. Ramos?”
“Fine,” I bit out, already tired of that question. “What’s going on with my leg?”
She smiled, not at all fazed by my sour attitude. “You did some damage with that landing. Ruptured your patellar tendon.” She turned her attention to her tablet, pulled up some images, and showed them to me. “If you look here, you can see it’s almost a complete tear, which means we’re going to need to operate to repair the damage.”
“And that will fix it?” Brianna asked from my side.
“It should. With surgery and physical therapy, most patients regain almost full function of their knee within 12 months.”
“A year?” Mari gasped, echoing the thoughts inside my mind.
Fuck.The color drained from my face. Twelve months? I didn’t have twelve fucking months. I didn’t have twelvedays. The playoffs were starting next week, and I needed to be on that field with my teammates.
Dr. Cooper’s face softened as she placed her hand on my shoulder. “I know this is a lot to take in, but we need to figure out next steps, Mr. Ramos. With an injury like this, the longer we wait, the more we’re risking long-term damage.”
Words sat on the tip of my tongue, but they refused to come out. The wordsurgeryrang out in my mind as my breathing became more labored. This was not how my day was supposed to go. We were supposed to take home the win and then I was supposed to celebrate with the team and spend the night with Brianna wrapped in my arms.
But that wasn’t my life anymore.
And it wouldn’t be for at least a year.
Fuck.
Shame and frustration crept back through me, making it hard to breathe. No one said a word, instead watching me as if I were about to break. Maybe I was. After more than a decade of playing baseball, my future was a giant question mark. It would be different if I’d retired. At least then, the decision would have been in my hands. But this? One wrong move, and everything I’d worked for was gone.
No playoffs. No championship. Nothing but pain and hard work ahead of me.
Brianna leaned down and cupped my chin. “You’re going to get through this, Damien.”
I chuffed, “Not so sure about that.”
Her hold tightened, and she lifted my chin to meet her gaze. “One step at a time. That’s all you can do. Let’s get you home, and you can tackle the next one.”
“Can I even fly?”
Brianna winced and looked over at the doctor. She hummed for a minute and peered at the images again. “I have to advise against it. Not only because time is of the essence, but also, with an injury like this, you’re more susceptible to blood clots, especially when flying. My advice—have the surgery first. The quicker we can repair the damage, the better it will be for your recovery.”
