“Can you walk?”
“No. Hop, yes.”
“Let’s not draw the attention of all those cell phone cameras.”
Oh hell.
Jake helped me pivot and head to the door. On the way out, he tugged on Rob’s sleeve. “Find the doc. We’re heading—”
“Hospital,” I gasped.
Both men shot me an alarmed look.
I gave them a weak smile back. This was my knee, and I already knew the drill. I was going to need an MRI, and we didn’t have the equipment here. Rob grabbed my other arm while cursing under his breath.
“The pennant race starts tomorrow,” he muttered.
Like I didn’t know it.
“It’ll be fine,” Jake countered. “The old man is just being dramatic.” He was teasing, trying to lighten the mood, but all three of us knew the truth.
My pennant dreams were toast. And likely, the rest of my career, too.
Chapter Sixteen
Gia
I saw it happen. Stevie was a big kid with wide elbows and no awareness of anyone else in the world, much less the multi-million-dollar catcher he’d half-tackled. The kid had grown fast and sometimes got so focused he didn’t notice anything else. Like who was in between him and the friend he was chasing. I saw Connor stumble and his face go white, and then stoic. It was the blank expression he used when he was keeping absolutely everything inside. Like excruciating pain.
Oh my God!
Rob and Jake got him out. I made up a lame excuse and grabbed the team doc. Cassie was already moving toward the door, her hands shaking. I grabbed her just as she was pulling out her car keys.
“Not a chance,” I said. “I’m driving you.”
She agreed with a jerky nod, and we headed to where the ambulance sirens were growing stronger.
Oh my God!
We needed to keep this quiet. I glared at Doc’s assistant, the one with his phone pressed to his ear.
“Tell them to turn off those sirens, now!”
The kid nodded and spoke into the phone. After far too much time, the lights and the sirens abruptly shut off. But not before more people had joined us at the team doors, Joe DeLuce included. I looked around, searching for Connor. He was braced between Jake and Rob, standing tall as they waited. I started to go to them but was jostled on one side by Heidi. Technically she was Rob’s girlfriend, but she was also a reporter with theIndianapolis Star.
“Is he okay?” she asked.
“Of course he’s fine!” I snapped, wondering if I was talking to her or to myself.
Oh my God!
Heidi’s startled expression softened as she looked at my face. “Of course he’s fine.” Then she squeezed my arm. “And of course, this is all off the record.”
I nodded, still gripped in panic. I started to move toward Connor again, but this time, I was stopped by Stevie’s foster father. His look of horror was stark and likely mirrored my own.
“We’re so sorry,” the man said. “Stevie didn’t see—”
“It’s fine,” I said. “It was an accident. And besides, he’ll be fine.”
