Page 43

LUKAS

“ H airline fracture.”

The team doctor—a thin, gray-haired human Lukas knew only as Doc— pointed at the illuminated screen that displayed the X-ray’s bad news.

“But…” Doc flipped on the overhead lights. “I’m going to need an MRI to know for sure what’s going on with the soft tissue. I have a bad feeling the tendon is completely detached.”

Lukas had more than a bad feeling. He’d heard the pop. The mere memory of it raised the small hairs on the back of his neck.

“I’m sure it’s fine, ” Lukas lied while gripping the vinyl upholstery on the examination table. “Nothing a cold plunge can’t cure.”

Doc made brief eye contact with the young, dark-haired PT intern who stood to Lukas’s side, opening a new package of medical tape. Neither she nor Doc looked convinced by his false optimism. Clearly, this wasn’t the first time they’d heard a player claim good-to-go status.

“Lukas,” Doc said sympathetically, “you don’t seriously believe cold water will heal a fracture. Just be glad you’re a berserker. I’d be looking at a six week recovery. For you…conservatively…I’m thinking half that.”

The intern frowned as she focused on anchoring the first strip of tape to the front of Lukas’s shoulder, then gently gripped his wrist in her cool fingertips.

“But I can still play, right?” Lukas asked through clenched teeth. “It’s not like it’s a complete break.”

Uff . Lukas masked his wince as the intern lifted his hand and temporarily positioned it against his chest. That little bit of movement triggered a lightning bolt of pain.

The intern stretched the tape across and around his shoulder, securing the other end at his back.

Lukas shifted his weight, crinkling the thin sheet of paper that covered the table.

“And if the tendon’s detached as well?” Doc folded his arms in another posture that said he’d patiently endured many conversations just like this one.

“It’s not detached,” Lukas assured him. It was so totally detached .

The intern lifted Lukas’s arm, extending it straight out from his body and causing Lukas’s wolf to let out a low, menacing growl that slipped past his lips.

The intern flinched, but Doc did not. He nodded at her to continue taping, and her hand shook as she secured a second strip from the back of Lukas’s arm to the back of his neck.

“Let’s wait for the MRI results,” Doc said, “but if I’m right, for you , that’ll take another three months to heal.”

“Three months?! ” Lukas’s whole body went taut, and his fists clenched. That was half of the season.

The intern’s face went red. She grabbed a medical drape from the shelf behind her and flung it across Lukas’s lap .

Lukas looked down at his body. God damn it .

For a berserker, thoughts of battle were more arousing than the best sexual fantasy. And with the way Doc was talking, Lukas was rock hard and ready for a fight.

“That’s insane,” he growled. “I’ve played hurt before. I’ll work around it.”

Doc frowned, pushed himself off the wall, and pulled a small flashlight from his pocket. He flashed it in Lukas’s right eye, then his left.

It was so bright, Lukas jerked his head away and claws sprang out from his fingertips, puncturing the vinyl upholstery.

“Your pupils are dilated,” Doc said.

“Because I’m pissed!” Lukas roared.

The intern backed herself into the nearest corner.

Doc held his ground. “Maybe,” he said in a sympathetic tone that set Lukas’s teeth on edge. “Or maybe you have a concussion on top of everything else.”

“I’ve had one before. It’s no big deal.”

“Wrong. It is a big deal. Let me know if you experience dizziness, headaches, or any sensory changes. I’ll get that MRI scheduled for tomorrow.”

Lukas shook his head. “We play the Kansas City Kelpies tomorrow. The plane leaves at nine a.m.”

“Apparently, I’m not making myself clear,” Doc said. “You’re not going to KC. You’re out for at least three weeks, maybe more.”

Lukas dug his claws deeper into the upholstery, making popping sounds in the vinyl. “I can’t be.”

“It’s not a choice,” Doc said. “You’re hurt. Badly. You berserkers think you can fight through anything, but if you put more stress on your body right now, you won’t put pause on your season, you’ll end your career. ”

“You don’t get it, Doc. Pausing my season is ending my career.”

Doc smiled. “I’d heard you could bring some drama.”

“This is not me being dramatic!”

“I’ll notify Coach Erikson.”

“No!”

“Wrap him, too,” Doc said to the intern, then he walked out of the examination room.

Lukas exhaled slowly. When his lungs were emptied of air, he turned over his shoulder to see the young woman still standing in the corner, her horrified gaze locked on the door. Obviously, she couldn’t believe Doc had abandoned her in a small room with an angry berserker.

“Relax,” Lukas said with an embarrassed shake of his head. “I may be a berserker, but I’m not going berserk.”

“I’m relaxed,” she said but with a trembling voice.

“Sorry if I scared you.” He was such an ass .

She swallowed hard. “You didn’t.”

“Uh-huh.” Lukas totally understood the need to convince oneself of a lie. “I didn’t get your name.”

“It’s Ginny. I should… I should probably…” She gestured toward his shoulder. “Wrap you, like Doc said.”

“Go ahead. I’ll be a statue.”

She opened a drawer and pulled out a roll of wide bandages and a smaller roll of narrow white tape.

“So…” She reached out. Gingerly touched him. Then pulled back her hand as if expecting him to bite.

When he didn’t, she laid her hand on his bicep and positioned the end of the bandage. “How does that feel?”

“Like your hands are cold.”

“Sorry.” She gently moved his hand to his lower back, then wrapped the bandage around his bicep twice.

“It’s all right,” he said .

“Uh-huh. So, um… Got any plans for the rest of the day?”

The corners of Lukas’s mouth quirked. He had the strong suspicion she was practicing a classroom lesson on distracting your patient with small talk.

“Thought about going bowling.”

She looked up at his face, and frowned.

“Kidding,” he said, and though he tried to smile, it probably came off as a grimace.

She pulled the bandage across his chest and under his opposite arm. “Can I ask you something?”

“You can ask. Not sure if I’ll answer.”

“Do you really cook, or was that all staged?”

“Was what all—? Oh.” She meant Elliette’s social media campaign. “A little of both, I guess.”

“Thought so.” She wrapped the bandage around his back and over his bicep. “A friend of mine swears that all the best men can cook.”

Lukas didn’t respond, other than to close his eyes and ignore what felt like shards of glass cutting through his shoulder.

He wasn’t one of the best men. He wasn’t even a good man. He still couldn’t shake the hurt look in Elliette’s eyes and the fact he’d intentionally put it there in his cruel attempt to push her away.

“And clean house,” the intern added, wrapping the bandage across his chest and around his back again. “Do you clean, too?”

Lukas shrugged his unwrapped shoulder. “I’m not a slob.”

She repeated the wrapping process, circling his body until she reached the end of the roll.

“I’m sorry you got hurt.” She ripped off a piece of tape to secure the end of the bandage. “There. That should do it. How does it feel?”

“Tight.”

“Good. Now…bowling’s out, so, what are you going to do with all your free time?”

Lukas didn’t respond to that either. There was only one answer to her question, and it wasn’t something he wanted to think about, much less share with a virtual stranger.

His father would get wind of this, and he wouldn’t just be telling Lukas to come home, he’d be sending a squadron to drag him back to Montana.

This time next week, he’d be ensconced in his den, lounging on red velvet cushions.

He wouldn’t put it past his father to have commissioned an alpha-male version of Princess Leia’s gold bikini for him to wear.

Or maybe Lukas’s imagination had veered into the ridiculous. Blame the years of bitterness.

When the silence drew on, the intern must have second-guessed her question, because her face suddenly went red, and she blurted out a quick, “I’m so sorry! I wasn’t asking for myself or hinting around at anything when I asked about your free time.”

“Relax,” Lukas said. “I didn’t think you were.”

In fact, beyond the torture she’d inflicted on his shoulder, he hadn’t given the woman a second thought.

She did relax, but only by a little. “Good. Because I heard some of the players say you were seeing Evan Rogan’s sister, so there’s no way I’d suggest?—”

“They said that?” Lukas hadn’t realized anyone had assumed there was anything serious between them. He’d barely acknowledged it for himself.

The intern’s eyebrows shot up. “Was it supposed to be a secret? ”

“It’s just…I wouldn’t have put it that way.”

Her lips tipped up at the corners, and she held his shirt for him to put it on. “Well, however you’d put it, she’s very lucky if you’re cooking for her. My last boyfriend liked to call himself a chef, but the best thing he ever made was Macaroni Surprise.”

“What was the surprise?” Lukas slipped his uninjured arm into the sleeve.

She draped the shirt over his wrapped shoulder, letting the sleeve hang empty. “He mixed a little spaghetti sauce in with the cheese sauce. Do you need help with the buttons?”

Lukas frowned, unaccustomed to accepting help from anyone. “I got it. And that recipe doesn’t sound horrible.”

“I guess it wasn’t. Anyway. Doc probably has some news by now on your MRI appointment.”

Lukas didn’t bother to tell her he wouldn’t be showing up for that appointment. He knew what the results would be, and he knew what that meant. His time had run out.

She left the examination room.

Lukas struggled to button his shirt and pull on his jeans one-handed, but he eventually got it. He left the examination room and picked up the appointment slip from the intern.

By the time he got outside, the parking lot had mostly cleared, though he spotted Rogue, Tuttle, and Petey fifty feet away, standing by Rogue’s truck. They seemed to be arguing.

Petey slapped Rogue’s arm and jerked his chin in Lukas’s direction. The other two turned to look.

“How’s the shoulder?” Rogue called out to him.

“Nothing an ice bath can’t fix,” Lukas said.

“That’s a relief,” Rogue said. “We’ll kill it tomorrow.”

“No doubt,” Lukas said, remembering Rogue’s dumb- ass penalty. There was no way he should have made a mistake like that, and if it had just been the two of them in the parking lot, Lukas would have demanded to know what was in his head.

The real question was whether Rogue would answer him honestly. Their friendship hadn’t exactly picked up where they’d left it. Lukas had let too much time slip by.

It made him wonder if maybe it wasn’t just Elliette he was pushing away. Maybe he’d been doing the same thing to Rogue, only slower. Less direct.

He still thought it was for the best—for everyone. Didn’t mean it didn’t hurt.

“See you in the morning,” Petey added.

Lukas started to raise his hand in acknowledgment, felt the bandages go tight, then raised his other hand instead.

Gingerly, he slipped behind the wheel of his Lotus and headed out of the parking lot. He’d just made it to the highway entrance when his phone rang.