Page 84
“I love you.”
“I love you too.”
Cole was still talking when the nurse released the brake beneath Ford’s bed and Nadine took the phone from his hand.
By the time Ford could follow a conversation without losing pieces of it, he was home with an ice wrap secured around his hip and Nadine placing a glass of water beside the couch. The walker stood within reach. Charlotte was spending the night with Nadine’s sister, and the house felt wrong without either her or Cole.
“Your phone keeps buzzing,” Nadine said.
Ford found it beneath the blanket. Notifications crowded the screen, with Cole’s message above the rest.
Cole
Nadine says everything went well. How are you feeling? Call me when you’re awake.
Ford’s eyes burned and he couldn’t even blame the medication. He hadn’t realized how badly he’d wanted to hear from Cole, even as he reminded himself Cole might be busy.
Awake. Sore. Call me.
The phone rang immediately.
Nadine took the water glass before Ford could knock it over while answering. As Cole’s face filled the screen, she handed the glass back and squeezed Ford’s shoulder.
“I’ll be upstairs if you need me.”
She left them alone without waiting for Ford to tell her she could stay.
Cole was already dressed for the game. His tie sat slightly off-center, and a concrete wall behind him placed him somewhere inside Rockford’s arena.
“You look terrible,” Cole said.
“They cut holes in me.”
“Small holes. Nadine sent me the surgeon’s update.”
Cole’s smile disappeared as quickly as it came. “How bad does it hurt?”
“It’s managed.” Ford shifted the phone until Cole could see more than his forehead. “They had me meet with PT before they discharged me. Made me walk with this.” He angled the phone toward the walker and back again. “I thought they’d give me longer before putting me to work.”
Cole’s eyebrows drew together. “Was it bad?”
“It wasn’t fun. I’m supposed to keep working with a physical therapist at an office in Port Haven. For today, I use the walker. If everything goes well, I can move to crutches.” Ford glanced toward it. “The sooner the better. That thing makes me feel ninety.”
“Use it as long as they tell you to.”
“I will.” Ford settled deeper into the couch. The movement pulled along his hip, and he waited for it to ease before continuing. “Friedman said the procedure went the way he expected. That’s all we’ll know until follow-up.”
Cole rubbed a hand over the stubble along his jaw. “Do you believe him?”
Ford considered the question. “I believe he didn’t find anything worse. That’s enough for today.”
Voices passed behind him. One of their teammates called his name, and Cole looked over his shoulder.
Ford listened to the teammate call Cole again. Sitting out had never meant being separated from the team before. He had still traveled, watched from above the ice, and found Halsey afterward. Tonight the game would happen hours away, and Ford would see only what the livestream chose to show him.
“Go get ready,” he said.
Cole looked back at him. “You sure?”
