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“They think it’s a bacterial infection,” she says, worry etched into her features. “Her brain is swelling. It’s right at the point where they may have to operate and cut into her skull to alleviate the pressure on her brain.”
“I can’t,” Kylie says against my chest, sobbing. “I can’t lose her.”
“Hey.” I pull back and place my hands on her shoulders. “Whatever it takes to get her better, that’s what the doctors will do. Don’t fall apart, okay? She needs you beside her, holding her hand, telling her what a fighter she is.”
Kylie nods, her eyes rimmed in red and swollen from crying. “You’re right. She needs me.”
“We’ll get through this together,” I assure her. “One step at a time.”
She nods again, and Mom hands her a tissue.
“The doctor said we can go in and see her soon,” Mom says. “They’re going to come in and let us know.”
“What do you guys need?” I ask, setting my bag in an empty chair. “Water? Food?”
“A really big bottle of water would be good,” Kylie says.
“I’ll go get some water,” Mom offers. “I could use a break from this room.”
Alone, Kylie and I sit down in two chairs along the wall of the plain gray waiting room. On the wall across from us, there’s a picture of a mountain range surrounded by mist. I guess it’s supposed to be soothing, but nothing can calm the worry churning in my gut.
There’s nothing I can say that will make Kylie feel any better, either. So instead, I wrap my hand around hers in a silent reminder that no matter what happens, I’m here.
Chapter Twenty-One
Indie
* * *
“Read it again,” I tell Rue, frowning.
She looks down at her phone screen and recites a few lines from an article she found online about the Las Vegas Saints.
“But most of Morgan’s and Bryant’s bets aren’t hockey related, a team source says. They make bets on everything, ranging from who can do more shots during nights out to who can seduce women the fastest.”
I feel the same desire to hurl as I felt the first time Rue read that part of the article for me.
“That could have been something that happened a long time ago,” I suggest weakly.
“It’s possible,” Rue agrees. “But this is only their second year as a team. I just felt like you should know about it. And I promise not to bring it up again.”
I lower my brows in question. “But how did you see this? Are you searching for articles about him, trying to dig up information?”
She shrugs. “We have a private investigator at the firm, remember? I asked him to put Pike’s name into his Google alerts so he can keep tabs on him.”
“Rue—”
“Don’t even start hating on the messenger,” she says, waving me off. “Whether you like it or not, after what Dean did, I’m looking out for you. And like I said, it’s just something I wanted to tell you. I won’t harp on it.” She walks over to the refrigerator, opens it, and sighs. “It’s my turn to cook dinner tonight and I’m not feeling it. Is it cool if I order from Asian Express?”
“Sure. You know what Nolan and I like.”
She looks up from her phone screen. “Crab Rangoon, small order of white rice, and a General Tso’s chicken?”
“Right.”
I grab my wineglass and walk into the living room, sitting down next to Nolan on the couch. He’s engrossed in watching Toy Story, so I enjoy a rare opportunity to relax and pull the handle on the side of the couch that kicks out the footrest, making it into a recliner.
“Mommy, that’s Buzz Lightyear,” Nolan says, his tone reverential.
“He wants to go to infinity, but no further than that, right?” I quip.
Nolan gives me a puzzled look. “Infiny and beyond.”
“Oh, that’s right.” I pat his leg, wishing he could remain my little guy and mispronounce his words forever.
I keep trying to get comfy and just stop thinking for two minutes, but with no distractions, I can’t stop thinking about what Rue told me about Pike. He’s talked about Kingston being his closest friend on the team, so the fact that he’s the teammate Pike makes bets with has a ring of truth.
Bets on who can seduce women the fastest, though? That doesn’t sound anything like the man I’ve started falling for. Pro athletes do have reputations as womanizers. And it’s not like we’re in a relationship. But this whole time I’ve been thinking that Pike has been falling for me, too, has he really been sleeping with women on road trips? And are all of us just notches in his bedpost to help him win bets with a teammate?
The thought alone makes me feel sick. Rue keeps telling me I have terrible judgment when it comes to men. Example, my ex-husband. I was blindly sitting at home with our son as he defrauded his customers and planned to leave me.
