Page 59 of The Player I Can’t Pick

She stares back at me, unconcerned. “Are you family?”

I hesitate and shake my head. “No.”

She goes back to looking at her computer, already dismissing me. “I’m sorry, but I can’t give you any information.”

“Please… he’s my boyfriend and⁠—”

She looks at me up and down and then shakes her head. “I’m sorry.”

I close my eyes and slowly back away from the desk. I move to the chairs and sit down. I keep checking my phone, but there’s nothing from my dad. I send him a text. Have you heard anything? I’m here and they won’t let me back.

I check my phone every thirty seconds, but nothing comes through. I try searching online, and all I can find are videos of the hit and word that Guy was taken to the hospital. An hour passes before my phone dings with another text from my dad.

Room 814. The trainer says concussion and they are checking the eye.

I’m on my feet before I finish the text. The nurse at the registration desk is talking to someone with her back to me. I move to the opposite wall and stand next to the door that has been opening and closing since I’ve been sitting here. I wait for my move, and as soon as the door opens and someone walks through, I slip into the back. With my head down, I walk down the hall, and when I find an elevator, I push the up button. It opens almost immediately, and I push the button for the eighth floor. When the doors open, I step out and look up and down the hall. I see one of the trainers down the hall talking to a doctor, and I tip-toe closer, looking at the room numbers.

I stop outside room 814, and then as quietly as possible, I push open the door. The room is dim, and I see Guy, but he’s not alone.

Guy is lying completely still with his eyes closed, and a woman is standing next to the bed.

I walk closer. A machine is beeping in the corner, and I stop when the woman moves. She lifts one finger to her mouth as if she’s telling me to be quiet, and it hits me, she’s not a nurse. She picks up Guy’s hand that she is holding and brings it to her mouth. I’m stunned when she kisses his knuckles and then gently lays his hand down on his stomach.

She comes around the bed and stands between Guy and me. “Can I help you?”

It’s then I realize that I’ve seen this woman before. When I searched Guy online, this is the model that he was seeing before me. It’s like a gallery of pictures go through my head. The two of them at a charity benefit. Walking out of a hotel. Sunbathing by the pool. My chest tightens. Why is she here?

I look past her to Guy, and he still hasn’t moved. “Is he going to be okay?” I ask.

She looks me and up and down, and she doesn’t even try to hide the disgust on her face. “Who are you?”

I ignore the question and ask her again, “Is he going to be okay?”

She crosses her arms over her chest and stares at me. She must realize I’m not leaving until I know something because she tilts her head and says, “The doctor said he has a concussion and needs time to heal, but he’s fine.”

I blow out a breath and search over what I can see of Guy. He has bandages over his left eye. “And his eye?”

She huffs impatiently. “No internal bleeding. It should be fine. Who are you?”

I wrap my arms around myself. I feel unsteady like the shock of it all is just now fully hitting me. “I’m… a friend.”

She holds her hand out and looks at her nails like she’s bored. “Well, I’m Katelyn. It was lucky I was at the game so I can be here for him.”

I’m clutching at straws, trying to figure out what she’s doing here. “Okay, well⁠—”

But before I can get anything else out, she says, “Yeah, we had arranged to get together after the game.”

My mouth drops open. “Oh.”

She doesn’t seem to notice that my world just tilted on its axis. “But seriously, he doesn’t need to be bothered right now.”

I nod. I should tell her something, maybe say who I am and why I’m here. Heck, I could tell her that Guy told me he loved me just yesterday, but I don’t do any of that. I look at Guy lying on the bed, and it feels as if my heart is being ripped from my chest. It’s too late. I should have confessed to him how I felt. But now I’m wondering if it would have made a difference. Was he planning to meet her before yesterday?

I start to sweat and feel hot all over. I cannot pass out here. How embarrassing would that be? This is exactly what I was afraid of. I knew that Guy Brody could break my heart, but I didn’t know it would be like this.

I take a step back. I look at Guy one more time and then take another step backward. Katelyn smiles at me, and I can’t take it. I leave before Guy even knows I’m here.

CHAPTER 23