Page 64 of Hutch (Minnesota Raptors #2)

Hutch

“Good practice today,” Coach Baptists, the Raptors head coach, says as I finish up my work with Coach Bennedict, the center position coach. “I was afraid three weeks away from the ice might slow you down, but that isn’t the case.”

“I appreciate you guys allowing me time to make sure my girl was okay, and the fucker wasn’t getting out of jail to harass her any time soon.”

“How is she?”

“Coming home today. I’m going to pick her up at the hospital as soon as I shower.”

He smiles. “Go on then. I know you’ll feel better when you have her home and away from the press.”

“Fuckers,” I mutter. “They have hounded the hospital staff and if it wasn’t for the private security stationed on her floor, they might have gotten to her. She doesn’t need any of that shit right now. She has enough PTSD from the attack.”

Coach nods sympathetically. “Best get your ass in gear then.”

I waste no time in going to the locker room, taking off my gear and then hurrying through a shower. Collin’s waiting impatiently by my locker as I dress. He’s as excited as I am to get her home.

“Hurry. She’s gonna be sitting there with two guards who won’t talk to her, and it’ll make her uncomfortable.”

I finish tying my shoe laces and grab my stuff. Collin follows me out to the Jeep and it’s not long before we’re pulling into the parking garage of the hospital. I text Cora who promised to come to bring us up through the staff entrance to escape the reporters.

It’s not long before I see her and Collin and I get out of the car.

I have my girl roses and a new phone, but I left those in her room at the house.

She hates crowds and I warned Jenny to not let the entire campus come.

The roommates and their boyfriends. That’s all.

And Will if he can manage to stand up without puking.

His concussion was nearly as severe as Daisy’s.

“She’s ready to bust out of here.” Cora smiles and waves us over to the staff elevator. “She’s been complaining for the last hour.”

“Is she puking again?” Collin asks, looking down at his sneakers. She’ threw up all over him a few days ago when she sat up too fast.

“No puking for the last forty-eight hours or she wouldn’t be cleared to go home.”

“But she can still puke on me?”

“Yes, Collin, if she gets too dizzy, she can still puke on you.” She sighs. “You’re a grown ass man. You can deal with a little puke for your sister. Robbie’s been puked on several times and he’s not complaining.”

“You stay back, I’ll deal with moving her.”

“Thanks man.”

“I got you, bro.”

Cora just shakes her head as we ride up the elevator and get off on Daisy’s floor.

The security detail will be leaving once we leave.

They stayed through today to ensure no one from asswipe’s family could get near her.

We don’t have to worry about him getting out before his trial either.

He was caught with a contraband cellphone in jail.

It contained messages he’d been sending to Daisy’s cell threatening to finish the job once he got out on bail.

Thank God neither of us saw that. Cherese informed us about it.

The prosecutor went back to court and got any chance of bail denied.

The evidence was right there in black and white.

The judge ordered him held until trial. One more worry off her plate.

She’s woken up screaming every night from nightmares of him getting out and coming for her.

Hopefully those particular nightmares will go away or lessen now that he’s got no shot at bail.

I nod to them as we go in, grateful for them.

Barry had paid the bill. These guys were insanely expensive and both Collin and I are on rookie salaries.

Daisy doesn’t have any money either, so the Raptors owner footed the costs of a security detail twenty-four seven.

I’m so grateful to Barry, there are no words to even describe it.

Hell, I’m grateful to the whole team. They’ve all been by the hospital to check on me and Daisy several times.

They’ve kept us up in food and laughter.

They’re a good bunch of guys and I’m looking forward to getting to know them outside of a crisis.

“When are they getting here?”

I hear her even before we reach the nurses’ station. She sounds grumpy.

“Soon.”

“Can’t you just take me?”

“No,” Robbie rebuffs. “You asked Hutch to pick you up and not waiting for him is rude. What would Nana say?”

“Fine.”

“So impatient.” Collin sighs as he comes into the room. “Really, Red? You didn’t want to wait on me? I’m hurt.”

“It’s not you that has been poked, prodded, and woken up every hour on the hour for three weeks.”

Her tone is surly, but her green eyes are full of laughter. And she’s not flushed from fever, her voice is back to normal, even if her hearing is not. They put a patch in her left ear yesterday to help close the hole. If this doesn’t work, she may need another surgery to fix it.

“Hey, sweetheart.” I go over and drop a light kiss on her lips. She’s still mad she hasn’t gotten a proper kiss, but I refused to stand in the way of her healing. And she smelled like vomit a lot from all the throw up due to the severe concussion.

“Can we go? I just want my own bed.”

We made the hospital room as comfy as we could, going so far as to bring her comforter and favorite throw from her bed so she’d have it here. But if it were me, I’d want my own bed too.

Cora comes in with a wheelchair. “Yes, you are ready to go. Stand up slowly and get in the chair.”

The fact she doesn’t argue gives me pause for concern. Is she dizzy? Ready to hurl and not telling anyone so she can go home…

“I’m fine. Stop freaking out. Cora explained earlier that they won’t let me leave unless I’m wheeled out and I want out so I’m not complaining.”

A knot inside loosens. I’m terrified to bring her home away from the hospital.

What if something happens and she stops breathing on me?

I know that’s not possible since her lung is healing nicely as well as her ribs.

But the fear is still there. You don’t find the woman you love on the floor literally dead and walk away without scars.

That fear will probably always be with me.

We have to go out of town right after Thanksgiving for a two-week span of away games. I don’t know how I’m going to handle it.

“Then let’s spring you.” Robbie stands and gathers her comforter, blanket, and pillow while Collin gets her other things she’s stuffed into plastic bags.

Cora hands me her discharge papers. “If the nausea comes back, and I mean she’s constantly vomiting like she was before, then bring her back.

A little vomit here or there is to be expected for a while.

You’ve had a concussion before, so you know what to expect.

She needs to be back in three weeks to get the casts off as well.

Her appointment with Dr. Williams is on the discharge paper. ”

“Thanks so much for everything you’ve done, Cora. I appreciate it more than I can say.”

She smiles widely. “No worries. Let me know if you need anything.”

And with that, she starts wheeling Cora out to the staff elevator.

The one that requires a key. Robbie went ahead to pull his car around.

We decided to switch vehicles earlier when he called to say the press was camped outside.

They’ve been there since the story broke about asswipe’s possibility of bail being revoked and the reasons for it.

At least at the house she’ll be safe from the fuckers.

The car is waiting with the back door open when we reach the parking garage.

Daisy is bustled into the backseat and given very dark sunglasses.

It’s to protect her eyes from the sunlight as much as it is to protect her from the press snapping photos of her.

She still has bruises on her body after three weeks.

They went so deep, they’re only just now starting to fade.

Robbie and I exchange keys and I slide in the driver’s seat as Collin piles in the front passenger seat. Robbie will follow us back to the house.

“Whew,” Daisy says with a sigh. “I was afraid someone was going to come in and say I couldn’t go home. I’m so over that place.”

“What kind of real food do you want?” Collin is already on his phone looking at all his fast food apps.

“Honestly, I just want to go home and lay down. We can order food later. I wish I could cook, but…” She holds up her arms, both encased in a cast.

Just seeing that sets my rage off, but I tramp it down. She doesn’t need to see anger of any kind.

“My manager called and told me when the doctors clear me to go back to work, I’ll have a job waiting. That’s one less thing to stress about.”

I doubt she’ll be cleared to go back to work for a good long while with all the recovery she needs.

She has broken bones, torn ligaments in her legs, and a serious concussion.

Which is why I’m glad she agreed to let Cherese file a suit against the hotel for not having working cameras in the parking garage.

Cherese filed for twenty million each for Daisy, Lucy, and Will.

I doubt they’ll get even half of that, but hopefully, they’ll get enough so they won’t have to worry about working any time soon.

And the hotel will have to cover medical bills.

It’s the one thing I insisted on when Cherese filed the civil lawsuit.

“You’re going to be pissed, but I need to tell you something.”

Her eyes meet mine in the rear-view mirror. “What did you do?”

“I paid your rent at the house for the next six months.” She opens her mouth and I keep talking. “Jenny said I could stay there with you and Collin will be sleeping on the couch downstairs. It’s only fair we pay our share of the rent.”

Her mouth snaps shut. “You’re staying at the house with me? I thought you two would get an apartment or something.”

“You don’t want me staying there?”

“No, I do. I was dreading you leaving.”