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***
“Everything is fine.” The emergency room doctor assured Cade. To me she added, “There will be some soreness and a sizable bump, but you have no signs of a concussion.”
“Thank you.” Cade stood up and extended his hand for the doctor.
“Have a good evening,” she said before exiting the room.
A nurse came in a few minutes later with some papers for me to sign. Once that was done we were free to go.
Cade kept a hand on the small of my back as we headed for his car. It was like he was still afraid I might fall over.
I climbed into the big vehicle and exhaustion flooded my body. I wanted nothing more than to sleep for the next three days.
“Do you want to go back to your dorm or mine?” He asked, pulling out of the hospital parking lot. An ambulance zoomed past us, illuminating the car with its flashing lights.
“Mine,” I mumbled, fighting the urge to close my eyes.
“Are you mad at me?” He asked softly.
“No,” I gasped, “why would you think that?”
“You said you didn’t want to come back to my dorm,” he shrugged, “so I thought maybe you were mad at me.”
I wanted to go to my dorm, because frankly I wanted my own bed right now and I was seeing my new therapist early in the morning. I hadn’t told Cade about it yet. I wasn’t sure what he’d think and I was a bit scared to say anything to him.
“Nope, I just want my own bed,” I assured him. He looked at me doubtfully so I added, “I swear, Cade. I’m not mad. Trust me, if I was mad you’d know.”
He chuckled. “Okay, I believe you.”
“What’s Eric’s problem?” I asked, suddenly. I’d wanted to ask before, because there was obviously more there than I knew, but there hadn’t been a good opportunity.
Cade pinched the bridge of his nose, the red of the stoplight illuminating his face.
“Eric’s just a fucking asshole,” he spat. “He wanted to mess with you to piss me off. He’s jealous because scouts are interested in me and not him, and of course the whole team knows I have no desire to join the NFL, so that only pisses him off even more.” He sighed heavily. “I shouldn’t have gone to the party. I only went because Adam and Brady were supposed to be there and guess what?” He laughed humorlessly. “Neither of the fuckers showed up, so it was pointless for me to even go.?
? He looked at me sadly. “I promise not all of the guys on my team are like that.”
“I believe you.” I forced a smile because I was too tired to offer a real one. “You’re not like Eric and neither is Xander.”
He reached for my hand, entwining our fingers together. “I really am sorry about tonight.”
“Cade,” I said his name warningly, “you don’t have to keep apologizing to me.”
“I know,” he glanced at me, “but I want you to know I mean it.”
“I do,” I promised. “Please, don’t beat yourself up over this. Eric is just a shitty guy and that’s not your fault.”
“It’s my fault for leaving you,” he countered.
“And I told you to leave,” I reminded him. “It happened and it’s over with, okay?”
He sighed, tapping his fingers against the steering wheel to the beat of the song. “No promises.”
I was too tired to argue anymore and drifted to sleep. When I woke up the next morning I was in my bed and Cade’s scent lingered in the air.
twenty-three
I stood outside the therapist’s door. It was my turn to go back but I was frozen. I was tempted to turn around and run out the door screaming, “I can’t do this!”
