Page 29 of The Hookup (Firsts and Forever #13)

Ryder

My spontaneous visit to San Francisco seemed to ignite something in Hal.

Over the next three weeks, he threw himself into his nature-themed collection.

I liked to think I’d helped him get there, but all I’d done was give him a chance to relax and take a breath.

As soon as he did that, the ideas started flowing.

The outfits were intricate and a huge amount of work, but he seemed happy and inspired. By the beginning of June, he’d finished the new collection. Each piece was an ethereal, dreamy work of art. The colors were mostly soft greens and delicate pinks, very much the woodland fantasy he’d described.

He really went for it with the piece that would close his part of the show, a hand-dyed and painted sage green wedding gown with pale pink accents. It was sleeveless with a layered, wrap-around collar, and short in the front with a long, full skirt and train in back.

Most of the outfits included small headpieces, but to go with that one he’d made an elaborate crown out of handmade silk flowers, bits of grapevine, and iridescent baubles. It completed the look beautifully and helped make it an absolute showstopper.

The year-end fashion show was set to be held on a Monday. Hal video called me the Saturday before the show, so I could see how it all had turned out. The collection was both earthy and regal, rough and refined. I had no idea how he’d pulled that off.

He and Kit had gathered their models to finalize their hair and makeup and do a final fitting. They were also doing a photo shoot in a local park. They’d brought in a photography student to help them, so she and both designers would end up with pictures for their portfolios.

Hal panned the phone so I could see what was happening.

His models were volunteers from the LGBTQ community center where he donated the prom dresses every year.

It happened to work out that two of his models were nonbinary, two were gay men, and the last two were a pair of adorable nineteen-year-old trans girls who were also a couple.

All of them looked amazing. When the photographer gathered them for a group shot, I told Hal, “Look at that. You did that, baby. It’s so stunningly beautiful that it takes my breath away.” They were gathered in front of a grove of trees, and it looked like a painting come to life.

He sounded wistful when he said, “It really is beautiful, isn’t it?”

“No question. I’m so proud of you, Hal. I hope you’re proud of yourself, too.”

“You know what? I really am. No matter what happens on Monday, whether people love it or hate it or think it’s too costumey, this is the best work I’ve ever done. It makes me happy, and it’s reminded me why I love to do this. I mean, just look at my models.”

He gestured at the group of six who were a few yards away, confidently posing for the photographer.

“One of my nineteen-year-olds told me she’s never felt more beautiful.

And her girlfriend, who’s normally very shy, is holding her head high and walking with more confidence than I’ve ever seen from her.

I can’t even tell you how much that means to me. ”

“I totally get it.”

Hal smiled at me. “I know you do. I’m dedicating this collection to you, by the way.”

“Oh wow, I’m flattered. Why are you doing that?”

“Because you opened up my world and let me see things from a fresh perspective. You also came here and helped me and offered me moral support when I needed it most. If I hadn’t been able to take a breath and get out from under all that stress, this collection never would have happened.”

“You’re giving me way too much credit, but thank you.” The photographer called Hal over, so I said, “I know you need to go, but I’ll talk to you this afternoon.”

“For sure. Kit and I are going to work on cleaning out our studio after this, but I should be home by six. Good luck with your rugby match!”

After we ended the call, I grinned at the picture on my home screen. It was a selfie of the two of us, taken when I’d visited him in San Francisco. Then I picked up my gym bag, tucked the phone inside it, and climbed out of my truck.

The summer rugby league was starting up, and we were about to play the first game of the season.

I’d been driving into town one night a week for practice.

Even without Tank, who was still in the UK, I felt like we were ready for this.

My team had been playing together for a long time, and by now, we knew what we were doing.

As I stepped onto the curb, a white BMW pulled up. I stuck a smile on my face and waited for Greg and Craig to get out of the car. This would probably always be a bit awkward, but seeing my ex and my former best friend together didn’t sting anymore.

“Hey, Rock,” Greg called. “You ready for this?”

We were in teammate mode now, which made this even easier. “Hell yeah,” I said. “Let’s do this thing.”

Within the hour, my team was on the field, working up a sweat. It felt great to be out here, surrounded by my friends, working toward a common goal. I’d missed this in the off-season.

We were playing a newly formed, aggressive, and pretty intense team. While their players were younger overall and full of energy, we had a lot more experience. They were fouling a lot, but we just kept running our plays and ended up scoring early on.

Everything was great, until it wasn’t.

At the top of the second half, we started to run a play we used so often it was nicknamed Old Faithful. But about five seconds into it, I took an incredibly hard hit and ended up twisting my body as I went down.

I rolled onto my back and was overcome by a massive jolt of pain. It was so intense that a yell tore from me.

Something was very wrong. I’d never felt anything like this in my life. Was it my leg? My back? I had no idea, and that was terrifying.

I was vaguely aware of the concern on my friends’ faces as they gathered around me. My mind was racing. I couldn’t form a coherent thought or answer their questions.

At some point, paramedics showed up and asked more questions. I still couldn’t answer. I was too focused on trying to breathe through the agony.

One of them gave me a shot. I remembered feeling grateful as I slipped into blackness.

Sometime later, I woke up in a hospital. Greg, Craig, and several more of my teammates were at my bedside, looking extremely worried. One of them announced, “He’s awake.”

Another said, “I’ll go get the doctor.”

I managed to mutter, “What happened?” All of them took turns answering.

“You broke your hip.”

“Your hip socket, specifically. They took x-rays. Do you remember?” I shook my head.

“The doctor says it was totally a freak thing. The chances of a break like that are incredibly slim. You must have landed exactly wrong.”

“We’re so sorry, Rock. Our defense sucked. That big behemoth from the other team never should have been able to slam you like that.”

“He also should have known better than to take you down that hard, but that whole team is so fucking green.”

My voice rose in alarm when I told them, “I can’t move my leg.”

“Don’t try to move. They’ve got you in a brace to stabilize your hip, but that’s just until they can perform surgery. The doctor is going to talk to you about that.”

“They gave you super hardcore pain meds. I bet you’re flying right now.”

I shut my eyes, and someone said, “Don’t worry, buddy, you’re going to be okay.”

“Don’t worry about your animals, either. We called Dwight, and he’s going to stay at the ranch until you get out of the hospital. He’s bringing in his cousin to help him. All of us can help, too. Just tell us what you need.” I was pretty sure Greg said that.

I muttered, “I have no idea what I need.” This all felt surreal, and even through the fog of pain meds, my hip was throbbing.

“No, of course. Tell us later, when you’re not so out of it.”

“We’ll keep your truck at our house, and we brought you your gym bag. Your phone is on the side table. Is there anyone you want us to call?”

I managed, “Not right now,” and made the mistake of shifting slightly. Pain shot through my body, and I drew a sharp breath.

The doctor came in just then and immediately took charge of the situation. “All of you, out,” she snapped. “Your friend needs to rest. Don’t come back until tomorrow, after his surgery. When you do, I want no more than two of you in here at a time. Is that clear?”

They filed out to a chorus of, “Yes, ma’am,” and one of them called, “Hang in there, Rock. We love you, buddy!”

Once they were gone, the doctor introduced herself and asked me, “How are you feeling?”

“Not great.”

“As expected. Let’s talk about your hip, and about what’s going to happen.” She went on to tell me far too much about hip sockets, the type of injury I’d sustained, and what they were going to do to repair it.

Then she said, “I’ve scheduled you for surgery first thing tomorrow morning.

Your surgeon will meet with you this afternoon and will be able to answer any questions you have about the procedure.

You’ll be in the hospital for several days.

After that, you’ll be under orders to refrain from walking without crutches or putting any weight on your hip for six to ten weeks. ”

I muttered, “Oh god,” but she wasn’t done with the bad news yet.

“Your recovery will obviously include physical therapy. It’s going to be a very long process, but you’re young and healthy, so there’s every reason to believe you’ll make a full recovery.

Just don’t expect it to happen overnight.

It’ll be four to six months before you’ll be cleared to engage in any form of strenuous physical activity, assuming there aren’t any complications. ”

“Why so long?”

“You’ve sustained a very serious injury, Mr. Woods. Your body will need time to heal. If you try to rush the process, you could do irreparable damage.”

“What counts as strenuous activity?”

“Sports, manual labor?—”

“But I have to work.” How the hell would I be able to look after my animals and keep up the ranch?

“Don’t worry about that now. Just take it one day at a time, and make sure to line up plenty of help for when you get home.

Your mobility will be severely hampered, so everyday tasks like bathing and cooking may require assistance for the first few weeks.

My staff and your physical therapist will obviously give you a lot more information later and help you obtain any accommodations you may need, like handrails for your toilet, or a walker. ”

I muttered, mostly under my breath, “Sounds like a freakin’ nightmare.”

When I shifted a fraction of an inch and grimaced in pain, she dialed up the dosage on my meds and told me, “A nurse will be in soon to replace your IV bag, and the surgeon will stop by in a couple of hours. In the meantime, try to get some rest.”

After she left, I was completely overwhelmed.

What the hell was I going to do? The last thing I wanted was to be a burden to my loved ones, especially Hal.

He was planning to come for a visit this next week, after the fashion show was done.

If he saw how broken and helpless I was, he’d want to stay until I was healed, so he could take care of me.

Every part of that was upsetting. I wanted to take care of him , not the other way around.

And what if staying with me ended up costing him his dream job?

He was definitely going to get offers after he showed his collection, but if he told them he couldn’t start for several months because I couldn’t take care of myself, those offers might go to someone else.

I’d never forgive myself if I cost him his big break.

Maybe if I hadn’t been scared, spiraling, in pain, and heavily drugged, what happened next could have been avoided. Instead, I was an absolute mess when Hal called.

As soon as I saw his name on the screen, I started crying. I didn’t want him to see that, so I turned off my camera before answering the video call.

“Hey, sweetie,” he said. “How was your rugby match?”

Instead of answering his question, I blurted, “We need to talk.”

“Sure. What do you want to talk about?”

“I don’t think you should come here next week. In fact, I think we should take a break. Not forever but maybe, like, six months. Or four. Something like that.”

“Why?”

“You have other things you need to focus on right now. Not me. You need to think about your career. You’ve been working so hard . You deserve to have your dreams come through. I mean, true.” Fuck, the stronger dose of whatever was in that IV bag was starting to hit. I could feel the fog closing in.

He asked, “Did you and the team go out and celebrate after the game? You sound like you’re drunk.”

“I’m not drunk, and I want to make sure you understand that I’m not breaking up with you.

We’re just gonna take a break for six months, but hopefully less.

Please don’t forget about me during that time.

Unless you want to. I don’t want you to, though.

You’re so great, and I love you so much, Hal.

You’re way out of my league. Like, way, way out.

Fuck, do you realize how amazing you are? ”

“Ryder—”

“Don’t call me for six months, okay? I don’t want to have to lie to you and tell you everything’s fine. Please take really good care of yourself, and kick ass at the fashion show, and say yes when they offer you a super amazing job. I need to go now. I love you.”

I was vaguely aware of my phone clattering to the floor, right before I passed out.