Page 4 of Protecting Salvation

Chapter1

The first matchwas against Fortis and was pretty evenly matched for skill. Smithy scored a try and Jace converted it. Then Bein followed it up with two more tries, which Bás converted. Hurricane blinked hard, trying to clear the fog and the sudden dizziness, silently chanting not now in his head. They were halfway through the first half and it was neck and neck, eighteen points each. Running, he saw the ball go up from a throw made by Reaper. Jumping, he went to catch it and the world seemed to go dark around him. His body tingled, his vision blurred, and he couldn’t control his limbs as he sank to the ground, out cold.

Hurricane blinked and tried to move as concerned voices surrounded him. He opened his eyes and closed them before trying again.

“Hurricane, can you hear me?”

He recognised that voice, it was Decker’s wife Savannah. “Yeah.”

He heard more voices, hushed but close, his boss and Val, and knew that Bás would be revealing his secret to the doc beside him. “No.”

He opened his eyes and tried to sit, up but Savannah kept a firm hand on his shoulder.

“Give yourself a second. You passed out and I don’t want you going down again.”

Hurricane felt a wave of dizziness overwhelm him, and it was the only thing that made him listen and do as he was told instead of running from the questions he knew were coming.

He spied his teammates and the other two teams on the other side of the field. Thankfully, only Bás and Val remained and it gave him hope that he could keep this a secret for longer. He wasn’t ready for people to look at him differently. Not yet.

“How you feeling?”

Savannah was crouched beside him, watching his reaction closely. As a neuro doc, she didn’t miss a fucking trick. “I’m fine.” She gave him a stop with the bullshit look and he sighed. “I got dizzy.”

“You more than got dizzy, big guy. You hit the ground like a sack of potatoes.”

“He told you didn’t he?”

To her credit, she didn’t even pretend like she didn’t know what he meant. “Yes. A benign brain tumour pressing on your optic nerve.”

Hurricane nodded and moved to stand. Savannah stepped back knowing he wouldn’t accept her help, and Bás moved to grip his shoulder.

“You okay? You hit the ground hard. Might have to charge you for the dent in my fucking lawn.”

Hurricane smiled at his boss and friend for trying to make light of an embarrassing situation. “If this is a fucking lawn, I’m glad I don’t have to mow the thing.”

Bás quirked his lips and Val settled in under his arm, their bodies pressed close. He loved that these two had finally got their shit together.

“Seriously, though, you good?”

Hurricane nodded. He still felt a little wobbly, but he knew it would pass. “Yeah, I just need to sit this one out.” He scratched the back of his head. “Does the team know?”

Bás shook his head. “No, but you need to tell them. They’re worried and, honestly, I’m not sure how much more they can take right now. Knowing will be better than whatever they might make up in their over-active brains.”

“Yeah, I guess.”

“It’s nothing to be ashamed of, Hurricane.”

He smiled at Val but didn’t respond. He loved her like a sister but she didn’t get it. Everyone knowing would make them look at him differently and this team was the first time in his life when he’d felt completely accepted for who he was. “I know.”

“Can I have a minute of your time alone?”

He nodded at Savannah and tried a half smile that just wouldn’t come.

“Thanks, but can we go inside and grab a hot chocolate or something? Freezing my lady balls off is not my idea of fun.”

This time his grin was real as he followed her up to the house Bás and Val shared. It was warm and homey inside with a bright, open living area and large windows and a million miles from the base where they spent so much of their time. Savannah poured two hot chocolates from a large carafe that was already made up and ready for halftime and came to sit opposite him at the large oak kitchen table.

He took the drink and sipped it, knowing the sugar would be good for him.