AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Myfault?”
Van sits down on the end of my bed and gives my foot a squeeze. “Don’t worry, cowboy. You were just defending your wife’s honor.”
Before I can ask another question, Alec jumps in, explaining how I was in a bad mood today, though no one could figure outwhy, and Wyatt got on the wrong side of the other team’s right winger, who then made a comment to me about Bailey and?—
“What did he say about her?” I growl, trying to sit up even though it makes the throbbing ache in my head more of a slamming chisel to the skull.
The reminder of Bailey has me suddenly feeling an urgent tug in my chest. And an ache of longing. It’s as nice as it is annoying to have all the guys here, but they’re not the ones I want.
No—the one person whose face I’d like to see—needto see—is across the country.
“Calm down, big boy,” Van says, lightly pushing me in the chest. “No need to get testy.”
“We took care of the guy,” Logan says, and Parker rolls her eyes.
“You’re all a bunch of idiots,” she says, and then when Logan bats his lashes at her, she adds, “Lovable idiots. But still.”
“How did I wind up with a concussion?” I ask, settling down again with a scowl.
Though I have some memories ofafterfiltering in, I can’t rememberbefore. The last memory I have is … gearing up? Or maybe skating out from the tunnel? Trying to remember makes my head throb.
“Your helmet came off in the fray, and you took a knock to the head, then hit your head again when you went down on the ice,” Felix explains.
“Good thing you’ve got a thick skull,” Alec says.
“Where’s my phone?”
I need to call Bailey. Especially if she happened to be watching. Does she know I’m okay?
Also: I missed our talk last night. The one when I was planning to actually tell her how I feel and hopefully get confirmation she feels the same way. It feels oddly ironic theway I finally planned to stop holding back—and then got held back by things outside of my control.
If anything, absence has made my heart surer. More sure? Whatever. I know Bailey is the woman I want, and I know I want to tell her.
“You’re not allowed to be on screens for a while. Doctor’s orders,” Logan says.
“Someone get me a phone,” I seethe. “I need to check in with Bailey.”
“I sent her a message,” Parker says. Then her smile tightens. “But I didn’t hear back from her.”
I clench my jaw, then groan and stretch it. Every little movement hurts right now. But I need to talk to Bailey. I need to?—
There’s a commotion out in the hallway. Some shouting and a scuffle.
“Sounds like you’re not the only troublesome patient,” Van says, patting my foot again. I give him a little kick in response.
“You can’t go in there!” The voices are getting louder now, and that one definitely belongs to a tired member of the hospital staff. She sounds like she’s about half a second from calling security.
A male voice, getting closer now says, “Ma’am. Stop. I don’t want to forcibly remove you.”
Or … maybe she already called security.
All the heads in our room swivel toward the door as the first woman yells again, “He already has too many visitors in the room, and you can’t just?—”
“I am his wife.”
The grin stretching across my facehurts, but I don’t pull it back. Because I know that voice. And as Bailey appears in the doorway looking like some kind of warrior, ready to take on the evils of the hospital staff with her bare hands, warmth spreadsthrough my chest, gliding right to the tips of my fingers and even my toes.
Doesn’t dull the headache at all, though, which is going to really make it a challenge to kiss Bailey the way I want to. I can’t even get myself out of the bed right now.
