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He could see glimpses of Hannah’s red hair before they hauled him away. Would she meet him at the hospital too? He lifted his hand in a fist as they exited the building, and the crowd cheered him on. Finn climbed into the back of the ambulance and rode with him to the hospital.
But who had won the fight? It was clear Parker’s last move was a violation and probably cost him some points. Maybe that had been his plan all along. It wasn’t half bad.
At the hospital there was a flurry of activity, just like any time an officer was brought in. Once the doctors learned he’d been punched in a voluntary boxing match, they were less sympathetic but still thorough. The doctor specializing in head injuries gave him the typical lecture.
“Now, Sarge, I know it was for charity, but head injuries are highly likely anytime you step into a ring,” the neurologist on call said. “Maybe wrestling or beer pong next time.”
The man’s broad shoulders took over the space above Conner as he ordered a few tests and told Finn to sit tight. Next, the doctor did a quick test with a penlight in Conner’s eyes and said everything seemed fine, but he’d be back after the test results proved his brain wasn’t bleeding or swelling.
“Super,” Conner said, as a bout of nausea struck him.
Conner had an x-ray and brain scan before the doctor would agree to take the neck brace off. Finn stayed with him the entire time. Just after being given the all clear on his scans, his mom and dad walked into his room, followed by Hannah. She looked distraught. For the second surprise that night, she walked right into his arms where he sat on the side of the hospital bed.
“Maybe I better put that neck brace back on and really milk this situation. In fact, the doctor was just saying it would be best if I had an experienced paramedic give me twenty-four-hour attention.”
Finn laughed and patted his arm. “Love you, brother. I’m glad you’re fine. I’ll see you Sunday at Mom and Dad’s.” Finn hugged their parents and then was gone.
“Son, you know better than to let your guard down in a boxing ring, especially when your opponent is still in the ring,” his dad said with a worried tone.
Hannah stayed tucked into his side but was quiet while his parents moved in closer.
“Dad, can we do the lecture later? You can see my girl is upset. She thought she was going to lose the chance to yell at me the rest of my life.” He gave her a squeeze and a big smile when her eyes finally met his. He could tell she’d been crying, but she was starting to look annoyed.
“Oh, Hannah, don’t you worry about this one. His head is as hard as a rock after all the fights with his brothers, falling off a trampoline as a kid, and remember that time in little league football when your teammate accidentally kicked your head instead of the ball?”
His mom embraced them both and kissed Conner’s cheek. It was a sweet motherly gesture, but he could feel Hannah stiffen.
“I’m sorry, Mr. and Mrs. Maguire. I’ll give you some privacy, I just felt so guilty since I agreed to let them fight. I needed to check on him.”
Hannah pulled away, but Conner was stronger and held onto her.
“The jig is up, babe. They know I’m crazy about you, and now that you raced over here to check on me, they suspect you can at least more than stand me,” he coaxed.
“But as you can see, my brother isn’t going to approve.”
“I don’t know. I feel like we made some progress tonight.” Conner said.
“Is that why you let him win the second round and only defended yourself in the third?” his dad asked.
Conner squinted at his father to let him know he didn’t appreciate him ratting him out. How obvious had it been that he wasn’t really trying to win?
“You threw the fight? Why? That’s probably why Parker punched you. He wouldn’t want to win if you weren’t trying to beat him.”
“The rules say not to go 100 percent, so I didn’t.”
His dad’s laugh boomed. “More like you gave 10 percent. Come on, son, you’re a Maguire. Your grandfather was a Golden Gloves boxer in the army. You could have mopped the floor with any of those guys tonight.”
“Alright,” his mom finally piped in. “It’s getting late. Conner is fine. Why don’t we let these young folks work this out. I hope we’ll see you both on Sunday for family dinner,” she added in her lawyerly tone. “Hannah, I would consider it a great favor if you would join us. I’m always outnumbered by so much testosterone.”
She squirmed. “I have the evening shift on Sunday, Mrs. Maguire.”
His mom continued to look at Hannah expectantly. “I’m making my famous peach cobbler.”
“I’ll see if I can swap my shift with another paramedic,” Hannah said.
“Wonderful, we’ll see you then.”
A moment later, his parents were gone, and they were alone. He pulled her back in for a hug, and she didn’t fight him.
