I ground my teeth, not liking the answer one bit. As much as I wanted to get better, the idea of being trapped in Florida sounded even worse. My life was back in Erie City. My team, my home—my girl. “Is there any way to lower that risk? No offense, Doc, but I want to go home.”
Dr. Cooper grimaced. “Not really, Mr. Ramos. The risk of continued damage is too high. Between the turbulence and the altitude, it could set back your recovery by months, if not years. You might never regain full function of your knee.”
I shook myhead, refusing to hear her. “It should be fine.”
“Should?” Brianna bit out, turning to face me with malice in her eyes. “We’re not risking any more damage for ashould.”
My mouth dropped open. “Bri, I can’t stay here. My team?—”
“Needs youbetter, Damien.”
“She’s right,” Mari added as she stood at Brianna’s side, reaching to take her hand.She glared at me, taking Brianna’s side. “They can handle a few games without you. But if you end your career because you’re being stubborn? No one will forgive you. Especially not me. You’ve sacrificed too much for that.”
Their concern meant a lot to me, and a part of me knew they were right. But right now, all I could focus on was the anger coursing through my veins—anger at the doctor for giving me that news, anger at myself for making such a stupid play, anger at the women in front of me for not listening to what I needed.
My entire world had shifted in less than twenty-four hours, and I needed some semblance of normalcy, to feel like my life hadn’t been completely upended. It was bad enough I couldn’t play ball right now—I’d fucked over my team so badly. Now, they expected me to stay in Florida while the rest of them returned home?
I shook my head, needing a moment to breathe without everyone’s waiting stares. “Give me a minute?” I asked the room. Mari ushered the doctor outside, giving me one last frown before shutting the door behind her.
Brianna stood at my side, fidgeting with her fingers. “Damien, I?—”
“You too,Brianna.”
Her mouth fell open. “What?”
“I need a minute.” I forced my eyes up to meet hers, hating the shock and pain written across her delicate features. “Alone.”
Brianna swallowed and then nodded. Each of her steps toward the door tore at my heart, as if she was dragging it out of the room with her. When she reached the doorway, she turned back to face me. “Take all the time you need, Damien, but you’re not alone in this. We’re all here with you.”
When the door closed behind her, silence finally filled the room, leaving me to wonder if that was true.
THIRTY-FOUR
“I’m going to kill him.”
The sound of scissors slicing through tape only amplified Ollie’s threat. She shook her head as she attempted to break down one of my boxes, only to give up and slam it on the floor instead. I arched a brow at her, and Ollie smiled innocently back at me. “What? I have some aggression to work out, and it refused to cooperate.”
“I get it,” I bit out as I opened another box, digging out some of my teacher manuals. Even though I’d had the same office space for years, every summer, I had to pack everything up, spending the last week of my vacation trying to recreate the room from memory. Most years, I loved this reset, getting to build up my excitement for the incoming students.
But this year, my mood was rotten.
My phone chimed in my purse, and I leaped across the room to grab it, only for the last of my hope to drain away when I saw it was a message from my mother. She wanted a reason for why I missed church this week, but I couldn’t quite tell her the truth, especially knowing the accompanying judgment. Thank goodness I skipped it. My mother never mentioned it, but, my brother, Jason, texted me, letting me know Todd and his fiancée had shown up as well. When his fiancée left the room, Todd cornered Jason, asking him about my whereabouts. Luckily, my brother never cared for my ex-husband and told him to mind his own business.
“Becareful, Bri,” Jason warned in his last message. “There’s something off about him.”
I shook my head, pushing away any thoughts about Todd. With everything going on with Damien, I was already struggling with self-doubt, and I didn’t want the memories of Todd to drag me down even deeper. His voice was already the one in my head, making me feel like I’d never be enough for anyone. Only now, it was so much worse, because Damien was the one who’d walked away.
Reading the disappointment in my expression, Ollie tried to smile at me, but it came out flat. “Anything?”
“Nope.” Returning to my desk, I dumped some papers inside before slamming it closed. “My mother again. She’s pissed I haven’t returned any of her phone calls since Sunday.”
“Still nothing from Damien?”
“Nope,” I said, popping the ‘p’. The mention of his name soured my mood even more, and I darted my eyes back to the bookcase, looking for anything to distract me.
Ollie cursed under her breath. “How long has it been?”
“Almost two weeks.”
