Stitches in my lip.
Bruised ribs.
And one pissed-off quarterback.
That summed up my Sunday night football experience.
“I’m quitting.” Those were the first two words I heard when I opened my eyes and my first clue that I was dealing with a pissed-off quarterback.
My head eased side to side.
He rested his forehead gently on my stomach.
My hand eased to his head. I wanted to comfort him with a witty reply, but as my tongue grazed the jagged edges of the remaining stubs of my front teeth, I decided I would never speak or smile again.
He turned his head, looking up at me. “You can’t talk, huh?”
I lifted my shoulders a fraction, feeling a twinge in my ribs.
“You have stitches in your lip.”
I nodded.
He grimaced. “Your two front teeth are fractured.
I nodded.
“Your ribs are bruised.”
That explained the twinge. I nodded.
“Jamie was arrested.”
My eyes widened.
Cage sat up and rubbed his face. “I fired Flint, so I called my attorney to deal with getting Jamie out.”
He fired Flint. My heart broke. Flint was his friend. What happened to me had nothing to do with Flint.
I tried to speak, but my first word ended in a grimace that only made the pain worse when it pulled at the stitches in my lip.
“Don’t.” Cage shook his head. “Everything is fine. Shayna is with Penny until Everson gets home. I called your parents. They’re waiting to hear back from me. I said I’d call again when you woke. From the panic that was in your mom’s voice, I’m guessing she’s already on a plane.”
Hearing voices close by, I scanned the room, realizing we weren’t actually in a room. It was nothing more than a hospital bed and a chair enclosed by a wall of machines to my back and a sliding curtain on the other three sides.
“Lake.”
My eyes shifted to the brunette in navy scrubs sliding open the curtain.
“How’s your pain level? Do you need more pain management?”
I shook my head. Yes, I felt pain, but nothing unbearable.
“Okay. No concussion. You’re free to go. You can thank this young man for your lip.”
My eyes narrowed.
“He insisted we have a plastic surgeon come down to stitch up your lip instead of the oral surgeon on-call.” She gave Cage a smirk.
