Page 136 of Forever Offsides

We exchange numbers, then she leaves, and I’m all alone in a hospital room when the only place I want to be right now is down the hall with my girl.

42

QUINN

Ican’t move. I can’t speak. I don’t feel anything either. Maybe a dull ache in my stomach. And a slight throbbing in my head. Otherwise it’s vapid darkness. Oh, and an incessant beeping sound that is annoyingly loud.

“We need to turn down the monitor noise,” a female voice says, and sweet merciful Jesus, the beeping is no longer pounding through my head like a drum. “I’m sorry. I know it’s reassuring to hear her heartbeat, but it can be disturbing to other patients and families. Would you like to step out while the doctor rounds?”

“No. We’d like to stay.”

“All right.”

I miss something. Time maybe. Seconds. Minutes. But now there are more voices. More people.

“Sorry,” my mother says, though she doesn’t sound sorry at all. “How long will she be unconscious?”

“There’s no way to know for sure, Dr. Reyes. She suffered a bad hit to the head and has a severe concussion as a result. We’re monitoring her ICP since it went up a little in the OR, which, as you know, isn’t uncommon with people like Quinn who sustained the injuries she did. We gave her isotonic saline to help. All things considered, she’s doing well. Her vitals are stable, and she only required one unit of blood.”

My father curses, and I feel his hand on mine. “I don’t see how the fact that she isn’t waking up as good.”

“So far, all of her neuro tests have been very reassuring. Give her time. We just weaned her sedation. It can take hours. The brain is a mysterious thing with how it works and heals. It doesn’t always go on the timetable we’d like it to”

“Wait. Look. Her heart rate went up. I touched her hand, and her heart rate went up.”

“That’s good,” the doctor tells my father. “She’s responsive to touch and can hear your voices and likely knows you’re in the room with her.”

“Quinn, can you hear me, sweetie?”

I can’t respond and am pulled under by the darkness.

“Uno out,” Crew declares victoriously.

“Fuck you and your Uno out,” Mason barks back. “What? Because Quinn can’t play, you have to take her place by always winning?”

“Something like that. Dude, finally, Roman is texting back.”

“What time is it for him?”

“No clue. Early. I’m telling him not to fly back. There’s nothing he can do here anyway. He might as well stay and finish up his restaurant.”

A loud crackly sound tickles my ears, and Mason snorts a laugh. “Chuck a cracker at Forest, will you? He’s snoring again.”

“Hey!” Forest gripes. “What the hell?”

“You’re snoring,” Crew explains.

“You try sleeping on a chair like this and not snore. Damn. What time is it?”

“Two,” Mason tells him.

Forest makes a grunting and groaning stretching sound. “I’m going to get coffee from the waiting room and check on the others. Fuck, I missed texts from Sky.”

“I texted with her and told her to sleep,” Crew reassures. “She has to take care of herself. It’s only been like ten or something days since she had Valentine. Quinn would be pissed that none of us are sleeping. Other than you of course.” Crew laughs.

“Har,” Forest retorts. “Not sleeping now, am I? But truth, you both should get some sleep. Quinn wouldn’t like you up all night when you have practice and a game on Sunday.”

“Then Quinn can wake up and yell at us,” Mason bites out, and I’m back under.