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Everyone in the stadium quieted down quickly. Coaches Goodwin and Erickson rushed out onto the field, surrounding Collin. I ripped off my mascot head, horror filling my gut as the image of Collin lying there became clearer. He hadn’t moved yet. He wasn’t responding to their questions. And now the standby EMTs were being called out onto the field.
“Please move, please move, please move,” I whispered, biting my lower lip so savagely I could taste blood.
The EMTs secured his neck and moved him onto a stretcher. The crowd behind me had begun to mutter and groan. They loved their star quarterback. The thought of losing him was devastating. But not as devastating as it would be if I didn’t see him at least move a leg. Something to indicate he was all right.
Coach Goodwin leaned over Collin as they began to roll him off. He nodded, as if he were saying something to him. And finally, I saw Collin squeeze his hand into a fist. It wasn’t much, but it was something. Tears formed at the corner of my eyes. He was going to be all right.
He had to be.
Chapter Twenty
My hands trembled as I knocked on the Kingsley’s front door. I’d been a mess all night long. They’d announced at the end of the game yesterday that Collin had suffered a concussion and been taken to the ER for scans. I’d tried to text and call him about a million times since then, but he hadn’t replied. When I couldn’t take the silence any more, I’d hopped on the bus this morning and headed straight for his house.
“Audrey?” Gina opened the door, blinking at the brightness. “What are you doing here so early?”
I ducked my head, suddenly feeling guilty. It was 8:00 a.m. on a Saturday morning. Most sane people would still be in bed. Not knocking on their injured friend’s door.
“I’m sorry, but I had to see Collin. He’s not replying to any of my texts. Is he okay?”
Her face softened and she opened the door farther. “He left his phone in his locker last night, so he wasn’t able to call. Come on in. I was just getting his breakfast ready. He’s fine, but on bed rest today. Tripp’s orders.”
I sighed in relief as I stepped through the door and followed Gina to the kitchen. During the span of the last ten hours, my mind had come up with a million different reasons why he hadn’t returned my calls. Each one more horrible than the last.
“Why don’t you take this down to him?” Gina asked, picking up a tray from the island countertop. It held an egg omelet, orange juice, toast, and a muffin. “He’s probably starving. That boy eats more than any land mammal I know of.”
I took it from her and descended the stairs to the basement. Collin’s door was closed. The last time I’d been in there was for our kiss. Whenever we practiced for our performance, it was usually in the back yard or living room. I ignored the nervous grumbling of my stomach and walked right up to his door and knocked.
“What is it?” called out a sleepy voice.
“Collin, it’s me.” I cleared my throat. “It’s Audrey. I have your breakfast.”
There was a pause and then the distinct sound of someone scrambling around the room. I waited patiently by the doorframe, eager to see him for myself.
And then the door opened, and there stood Collin in a pair of athletic pants and a disheveled and wrinkled gray t-shirt. He was chewing on a piece of gum, the aroma of sweet mint filling the air. His hair was mussed and there were still pillow lines on his cheek. Regardless, the sight of him took my breath away. Even minutes out of bed, he still looked effortlessly sexy.
“Hi.” He smiled softly, his gaze meeting mine.
“Hi.” My eyes scanned him over, searching for some kind of physical injury. So far, all clear. “How are you feeling?
He rubbed his head and shrugged. “I’ve got a headache and a wicked bruise on my thigh, but that’s pretty much it. Doctors said it was just a mild concussion.”
I nodded, pressing my lips together and feeling an unexpected wave of emotion come over me. “That’s good. It’s just that...that when you collapsed on the field. Not moving. It looked like...like you were...” I turned my face away, tears forming in my eyes.
Dang it, I’d sworn to myself that I wasn’t going to let this happen. That I wasn’t going to become a blubbering mess in front of him. So not cool.
“Audrey.” He swiftly took the tray out of my hand and set it on the nearby desk before pulling me into a hug.
The scent of him filled my head and I couldn’t hold back a shuddering sob. All the emotion I’d been feeling last night was shooting back up like a geyser.
“I’m okay,” he said, his arms tightening around me. With his thumb, he caressed my cheek, making my skin burn. “That hit knocked me out for a second, but I woke up before they took me off the field. I’m fine. I promise.”
I swallowed and nodded, feeling l
ike a complete loser. I hadn’t come here to sob into his arms like a little kid. I’d come here to take care of him. To make sure he got better.
“You need to get back in bed,” I said, glancing over at his unmade bed. “You shouldn’t be up. Gina says you’re on bedrest. You’ve got breakfast here and I can get you anything else you need. If you want a movie to watch, I’ll go rent one. Or you can sleep. Or whatever. Anything you want, I’ll get it. We just need to get you better.”
He chuckled and tugged on my hand when I started to break away from him, giving me a serious look. “Audrey, I’m not going to break.”
