“You have every right to be,” I say softly. “And I’m here for it. For you. I know this is the worst-case scenario, and I will hold your hand every step of the way.”
Not just because I’m your wife. Also because I’m carrying your child.
I omit that last part. I can’t tell him now—not because I don’t want to, because I most certainly do. But because I need to get checked before I spring more news on him, especially when there isn’t anything he can do as he goes into surgery tomorrow. It’s just one more thing he doesn’t need to worry about until I have a chance to see a doctor.
“And as for your family, your brother showed up at the ER after the game,” I point out. “Wasn’t that support?”
He snorts in derision. “Hardly. He was just covering his own ass.”
“For what?” Is this it? Is he referencing this big secret they hold?
“Just making sure I’m keeping my mouth shut.”
“About what?” I press into the darkness.
“Let’s just get through this surgery. Once I’m on the other side of it, maybe we can revisit this conversation.”
I want to push harder. I want to fight for that secret. It’s been referenced too many times in my presence, and secrets have this way of coming out one way or another.
But I leave him be.
“So if you’re not feeling the fight...what comes next?”
“I guess maybe I set up a meeting with Phil.”
I remember meeting the Director of Player Engagement and Development at the Aces facility when Leah took me around to show me the ropes. “Are you leaning one way or another?”
“Maybe coaching,” he says dismissively. But then he adds, “I can get a feel for it from the sidelines the rest of this season since I won’t be able to suit up.”
“I’m so, so sorry, Luke.”
He squeezes my hand that’s still in his. “I know. Let’s get some rest now, okay?”
“Sure. Goodnight.”
Neither of us gets any rest, though.
We don’t talk, but I toss and turn. Luke is still since he doesn’t have much range of movement with his injury, but I can tell he lies awake, too.
When the light of morning dawns, I shift in his direction. His eyes are open as he stares up at the ceiling.
“Six hours until my knee is cut open,” he says.
“Good morning to you, too.”
He huffs out a little chuckle, and I lean over to kiss his cheek. He turns his head at the last second to catch my lips. “Thanks for our talk last night,” he says. “It meant a lot to me to know that you still want to be with me.”
My brows dip. “Of course I still want to be with you. I love you, Luke. Broken knee or not.”
“I love you, too,” he says softly. “Thanks for understanding.”
I just pray I can keep understanding as we fight together to get him healthy again.
CHAPTER 5
I stare at the clock on the wall as it seems to move backwards.
I’ve chewed off every fingernail.
I’ve been on my phone so much that I killed the battery.
I’m just sitting here now, biding my time in silence as I wait for some news. Any news. I’m desperate to know how he’s doing.
The surgery is only supposed to take a few hours. It’s been three hours and four minutes.
Nicki and Josh are here with me. It’s Josh’s day off, thankfully, so at least I don’t have to sit here alone. Nobody from Luke’s family is here, though.
A doctor walks into the waiting room, and every head in the room swings in his direction as we all wait for updates on our loved ones.
The doctor’s eyes land on Josh first and then me beside him. He’s an older gentleman with kind brown eyes and graying hair.
“Dr. Charles,” Josh says.
He nods at Josh then turns to me. “I assume you’re Luke’s wife?”
“Yes.”
“He’s out of surgery. It was a success and I’m confident he’ll have full range after physical therapy. He’s resting and still under general anesthesia but should be coming out of it any minute. He’s in the recovery room and nurses will be moving him to a room for the next two to three days for observation.”
“Thank you, Doctor,” I say, my voice shaking, and I can’t help when I start to weep.
He’s okay.
The surgery was a success.
He’ll have full range.
I let out a breath.
I feel an arm come around my shoulders, and I turn and cry into my brother’s chest. Nicki lightly rubs my back, and I can’t help but think what amazing parents these two are going to be.
When I finally compose myself and wipe away the tears, my brother lets out a soft chuckle. “Awfully attached for a fake marriage,” he whispers, and I give him a half-smile.
“Not so fake anymore,” I say wryly.
A short while later, a nurse pops in to let me know he’s awake. “Only the wife can come back to recovery,” she says to Josh and Nicki, who sit back down.
I follow her through the surgical recovery room, keeping my eyes on the floor as I feel a little faint. Curtains separate patients knocked out from anesthesia in their beds, and I feel a little queasy as heat creeps up my spine. I’ve never done well around blood or medical issues in general, so to be back here feels a little terrifying.
The nurse drops me into Luke’s bay, and his eyes are closed. Heat presses behind my eyes again as I stare at him. He’s pale, and this powerful, strong, lean man who I’ve seen running on a treadmill so many times looks weak as he lies there. It’s not my Luke, but it’s my job to help him get back there.
His eyes open and he’s groggy as he focuses on me. His lips don’t tip into a smile, but his eyes seem to fill with warmth as they land on me. “Hey good lookin’,” he croaks. “You come here often?”
I force that dizzy and queasy feeling away as I rush over and press a kiss to his cheek, relieved that the man I fell for is still in there. “How are you feeling?”
“Not great, but this little button that pumps in morphine helps.” He indicates a clicker in his hand.
“Can I get one of those?” I tease.
He chuckles. “Doubt it.”
He’s in better spirits than I would’ve expected, but he’s also high on painkillers.
The nurse comes to transfer him to his room, and she gives me the room number as I take a different route than the medics who wheel Luke’s bed through the hallways. I find Josh and Nicki still in the waiting room.
“He’s going to be fine,” I say, and Josh looks relieved to hear it from me in addition to Dr. Charles. “They’re transferring him to a room now. He was even making jokes back there.”
“Thank God,” Josh murmurs.
They come with me to Luke’s room. He’s sitting up as a nurse asks him questions while he sips water.
“What’s the prognosis, nurse? Is he gonna live?” Josh asks brightly.
She gives him a look like the joke was totally inappropriate, but Luke laughs. It’s a relief to hear his laughter again.
“He’ll be fine,” the nurse says sternly. She glances at her patient. “You need me to kick these jokesters out?”