Page 30

THIRTY

SCOUT

T he doors slammed back as I charged through them.

I barely slowed to check which direction the hospital reception was, which in hindsight, I should have, seeing as I ran right past it. The nurse behind the desk gave me one of those withering looks only a nurse who has years of dealing with bullshit under her belt can deliver as I skidded to a halt and tried to catch my breath.

“Parker…King…brought…in…” I puffed, squeezing the stitch running down my left-hand side. I really needed to exercise more.

Without saying a word, and barely glancing at me, she typed into her computer and pointed behind her. “Second floor.”

“Thanks,” I cried, taking off again. At least the elevator forced me to stop running, allowed me to take a full breath, and gave me another chance to rub away the pain in my side.

I glanced down at my phone as it buzzed.

Alice: Where are you? Ava’s looking for you.

Yeah, I probably should have told someone I was leaving before I took off. But that would have required common sense and rational thinking, and after seeing Parker go down and get stretchered off the field, I was all out of that.

This wasn’t just a simple baseball injury.

I’d been out on the boardwalk watching on the big screen when he went down. I’d heard the ambulance red light him away, and after Pablo had told me he’d been taken to Columbia Pres, I’d flagged down a cab to get me there as quickly as possible.

Unfortunately it got caught in traffic around Madison Square Garden, so I hopped out and ran the rest of the way, forgetting it was nearly fifteen blocks.

But I didn’t matter, as long as I got to the hospital and could be with Parker. The only place I wanted to be.

As soon as the doors pinged I was back running again, only this time the reception was right in front of me, so I didn’t get far, and the nurse behind the desk was slightly less judge-y than the one downstairs, but only by a fraction.

“How can I help you?”

“I’m looking for Parker King. I was told he’s on this floor.”

One thick eyebrow raised at me, and her lips pursed. “Are you family?”

“I’m his…um, his…girlfriend.”

God, could I sound any less believable? They must have a dozen people in here every day trying to pull the girlfriend card. Columbia Pres was the number one hospital in New York for sports injuries, and the city’s teams certainly kept them busy.

“You’re going to need to sit and wait over there, I’m afraid.” She nodded to the chairs behind me.

“Can you tell me what’s happened?” I blurted, realizing I didn’t actually know, because flicking through different social media channels to find the answers hadn’t helped. About as helpful as the staff here.

“No, I cannot.”

“Can you just tell me if he’s going to be okay?”

She nodded. “No, I cannot.”

Cool. I thumbed behind me. “I’ll just be sitting over here then.”

I plodded over to the chairs. I had my pick, they were all empty.

I decided on one near the side, not in direct eyeline of the desk but close enough that I’d be able to tell if there was any news. I thought someone from the Lions might be here, too, at least one of the coaches, but maybe they’d be coming once the game was done.

I slumped down and checked my phone again.

Scout: I’m at the hospital, I came to check on Parker.

Alice: Is he okay?

Scout: They won’t let me in. I don’t know what happened. Do you?

Alice: On the slo-mo the commentators said it looks like a groin injury, but from the way he went down I think it’s a little further north

Scout: North? What does that mean?

Alice: *eggplant emoji*

Oh god. Poor Parker. The thought of how hard the hit must have been had my legs crossing.

Alice: He sure will appreciate having you to kiss his injury better *smirk emoji*

Scout: *eye roll emoji*

Scout: What did Ava want?

Alice: Don’t know, I told her you’d had an emergency and had to leave.

Scout: Thank you. I owe you.

I shut off my phone and rested my head back against the wall. The nurse didn’t look like she had any news, or knew any more. It was so quiet here it was hard to believe we were in a hospital, the windows were thick enough that I could barely hear the sirens or city traffic.

There weren’t even any TVs to muffle out the sound of silence, or the distant beeping of machines. If I listened carefully enough, I’d probably be able to make out the frantic beating in my chest, which sounded a lot like this was my fault.

I swiped a tear away, searching around for a tissue before I gave up and used my sleeve instead. What a mess. Picking up my phone again, I opened the Lion social app. From the last post on TikTok it appeared the Lions had won the first game against the Mets; Robson Barry had taken over as catcher, and the final score came in at 10–5 to the Lions. And a Lions win was always guaranteed to bring out the haters.

One of my favorite things to do when I needed cheering up was respond. Clicking into the last post, there were nearly three thousand comments already, and I scrolled through until I found exactly what I was looking for.

I was quietly giggling to myself, when the elevator pinged and out sprinted Tanner, almost as quickly as I had. He skidded to a stop in front of the desk, followed by Lux and Ace at a much more casual pace. From the grass stains on their pants, it was clear they’d come straight from the game.

“Hello? Nurse?” Tanner slapped the desk, hoping to get her attention, but her back was turned and she didn’t appear to be in any hurry to acknowledge new visitors. “Is Parker King here?”

“They won’t tell you anything unless you’re family,” I said, walking over to them.

The three of them spun around, Ace pulled me into a hug, which is when I noticed how pale he was.

“Scout, how long have you been here?”

“I dunno, an hour maybe. It took me a little while to get here.”

“Do you know how he is?”

I shook my head. “She wouldn’t tell me anything. Just said I had to sit down. I don’t think she’s a baseball fan.”

“Excuse me, Nurse,” started Lux, exuding way more calm than Ace and Tanner, who looked aghast at the possibility of someone not being a baseball fan. “Can you please tell us where we can find Parker King?”

The nurse pulled out her chair, her eyes scanning across the three boys.

I couldn’t tell if she recognized them or whether her nose was turned up purely because of how dirty they were in her clean hospital. To be fair, given half of Lux’s uniform was red from where he’d skidded on the diamond, she had a point.

“No, but the two who came in with Mr. King are in the private waiting room, down the hall to the right. They’ll be able to update you.”

My head shot up. “There’s another waiting room? Didn’t think to tell me that?”

“Hey, honey, you’re not the first girl coming in here claiming to be a girlfriend. You ain’t gonna be the last.”

I hoped the glare I fixed on her as I walked away told her exactly what I thought of her. Tanner burst through the doors of the waiting room the same way he’d exited the elevator, where we found one of the team doctors with an assistant coach.

“How is he? Can we see him? Why are you in here?”

“Easy, Simpson.” The doctor poured out some half-and-half into his coffee and stirred it. “He’s still in surgery.”

“SURGERY?” cried the four of us.

Any remaining blood drained out of Ace’s face and he dropped into the nearest chair, his face in his hands. Lux sat next to him and wrapped his arm around Ace’s shoulder.

“This isn’t your fault, man. Could have happened to anyone.”

“Can someone tell us what actually has happened?” asked Tanner.

The coach’s eyes flicked over to the doctor, clearly waiting for the expert to explain. In hindsight, he didn’t really want to speak the words.

“Ruptured testicle.”

All three boys winced. Tanner looked like he was about to puke. I have to say I felt pretty nauseous myself.

“Didn’t he wear a cup?” I asked in an attempt to break the silence.

“Yep, but the force of the ball had it bouncing off his glove, and he was squatting forward, which caused it to hit at the wrong angle. The cup is cracked, that should tell you all you need to know.”

I glanced at Ace, his head now between his knees.

“Does he need his balls amputated?” Tanner whispered, his face the same color as Ace’s.

Coach and the doctor shrugged in response. No one wanted to think about Parker and his balls, especially if he lost them.

“How long is he going to be in surgery for?”

“We don’t know.”

I was just about to ask if anyone wanted me to go and find snacks, if only for something to do, when the door burst open and in ran Radley, who immediately hugged Lux, followed by Holiday, looking as glamorous as ever in a pair of ripped jeans and a vintage Fleetwood Mac T-shirt.

“Hol? What are you doing here?”

“Came along for the ride. Radley and I were watching on TV; Lux messaged to say he was coming here, so we headed over. Any excuse to see that handsome agent of hers.”

Tanner’s eyes darted back to the door. “Is Millie with you?”

I swear he looked relieved when Holiday shook her head and took a seat next to me. “Are you doing okay?”

I nodded, slowly. It was the first time anyone had asked me, and the first time I’d even considered the notion that maybe I wasn’t, especially when my eyes filled with tears.

“I’ll be better once we hear about Parker.”

She patted my knee. “I’m sure he’s going to be okay. These boys are resilient. Tanner got into enough scrapes when we were little that made me believe they’re all part cat with nine lives.”

I sniffed, drawing my arm under my nose again because I was still missing tissues. “Yeah, I hope so.”

“He will, you’ll see.” She smiled. “And once he’s better, maybe you and I could have a coffee, there’s something I’d like to talk to you about.”

I was wondering what on earth Holiday Simpson would want to talk to me about when the door clattered open again.

“Doesn’t anyone walk in like a regular person,” someone behind me grumbled.

This time, we were joined by a woman I didn’t recognize, who immediately knelt in front of Ace, followed closely by one I did. One who had me sitting up straighter as the knots started twisting in my belly again.

“Scout?” asked Lowe, because obviously I was the first person she spotted. “What are you doing here?”

“Um…I…”

“She was filming with us, we brought her,” jumped in Tanner, before I stuttered any more, because there was no reason why I should be here, but Lowe seemed happy with his explanation and went over to join the rest of her friends.

The door was closing behind her, only for a set of fingers to grip the frame and push it back open. The knots in my belly became a ball, tangled and twisted. Tanner stiffened next to me. Of course, Coach would come, and of course he’d be accompanied by Penn Shepherd. I wasn’t the first person Coach spotted when he walked in, but I was a close second, and the glare of his eye told me I was exactly who he held accountable for Parker being in the hospital.

Fuck fuck fuck.

I was saved from my spiral of panic by the door once again opening, this time by the only person we wanted to see more than Parker.

“Doc.” Penn Shepherd crossed the room, his hand outstretched to shake. “How is he? What’s the verdict?”

“He’s out of surgery and in recovery. We need to monitor him for a little longer before he has visitors”—the surgeon peered around the room—“and I’d prefer you not all descend at once, but he’s going to be fine.”

The relief was as palpable as the sighs from everyone present. Parker was okay.

“Doc, was anything…um…removed?” asked Tanner.

She shook her head, and I swear I saw the tiniest hint of a smile. “No, Mr. King is still in one piece, but he’ll be out of any kind of action for six to eight weeks.”

I stayed as still as possible, praying none of the boys, Radley, or Holiday glanced in my direction.

“I’m going to check him in post-op, but I’ll send the nurse in if anyone has more questions.” There were murmurs of thanks, doc , and she was about to leave but turned back to the room. “Does anyone know if Mr. King volunteers with children, or any type of outdoor clubs?”

The boys all shook their heads.

“Hmm, strange, must have been the morphine. He kept babbling about how much he loves the Scouts,” she replied, before walking back out of the door.

There was absolutely zero chance that no one was looking at me; not the boys, not Coach, not my boss’s boss’s boss, not the owner of the New York Lions, or any of the other people in here I’d never met. I didn’t know if it was worse when Tanner tried to cover his laugh with a cough.

Probably, but I couldn’t see how.

Either way, getting up and walking out of the room to save face was the only viable option I had. I was barely down the hallway before the tears burst forth.

All the stress of the past few weeks—my job, the waiting, the sneaking around, the argument with Parker, his accident, the guilt, his drugged-up declaration of love—erupted out of me in huge, wrenching sobs. I sat there, crying until I thought I couldn’t cry anymore, and that I’d really need a tissue this time because there’s no way my sleeve would suffice, when a box of them was thrust under my nose.

Lowe shook it at me. “I think you need these.”

“Thank you.” I sniffed, pulling a bunch from the top. I was wondering if it was impolite to blow my nose in front of her before I decided I didn’t care.

“Are you okay?”

I shrugged. “I don’t know.”

“Is there anything I can do to help?”

That was it, that one simple question and my tears dried up. Before the day had swiftly gone south, I’d been planning to pull out of the interview process, and Lowe sitting presented a unique opportunity I was unlikely to get again.

“Yes.” I sniffed, wiping my nose again. “I appreciate this isn’t the time or the place, but I’ve decided to pull out of the social media role. It’s not the right time for me. I love my current job and I want to keep working at it until I’ve outgrown it. I’ve still got so much to learn. I’m really grateful for the opportunity you gave me, but I’d be even more grateful if you’d allow me to continue in my current position. Also, if you haven’t guessed from my being here and all, you should know I’m dating Parker King. I haven’t signed the HR form yet, but it was on my list of things to do today, but things got in the way, and then this happened…”

There. That should cover everything.

Lowe sat back, rolled her mouth together, and nodded. “I can’t say I’m not disappointed, but if you feel you’re not ready for the role, then I appreciate your honesty in telling me. I’ve said it before, but we’re lucky to have you here, and I stand by that. You might not feel you’re ready now, but when you feel like taking on a new challenge, you let me know, and we’ll talk.”

“Thank you.”

“And in regard to Parker…hey, I’m dating my boss.” She laughed, before her smile softened. “It’s not easy to have a work relationship, but that doesn’t mean it’s impossible. If he makes you happy, that’s all that matters.”

“He does make me happy.” I smiled, genuinely for what was probably the first time all day.

Lowe nodded, pausing like she was about to say something then changed her mind. “C’mon, let’s go back, I’m sure you’ll want to see him.”

Tanner was laughing at something on his phone when we walked into the waiting room. “That’s what your mom said…never not funny.”

Instead of taking my seat, I walked to where Coach was sitting and stopped in front of him. I’d been honest with Lowe, may as well rip the whole Band-Aid off.

Here goes nothing.

“Sir, you should know that it was me who asked Parker to wait until we told people about our relationship. He did it for me because I was scared it would jeopardize a job role I was interviewing for. If anyone should be punished for not following the rules, it should be me. All Parker wants to do is play well for you and this team. Please don’t take that away from him.”

Coach removed his reading glasses, which made his eyes seem even more piercing. I was tempted to ask him to put them back on.

“I think Parker’s saved me the job of punishing him, don’t you?”

I nodded.

“He’s going to be on the injured list for sixty days, perhaps you two could use the time to get your story straight.”

“Yes, sir.” I nodded again as Lowe walked over with Penn.

“We can talk more about this tomorrow,” Lowe announced, resting her hand on my shoulder. “It’s late, we should be going home. There’s another game against the Mets to win tomorrow, and you all need your rest. Parker will be out until the morning, and we can’t do any more tonight. He’s in good hands here.”

There were murmurs of agreement as everyone stood up and made their way to the elevators. Penn, Lowe, Coach, and the team doc all took the first elevator, while the rest of us waited back. I could tell they were all reluctant to leave Parker on his own, especially Ace, but I had no plans to go anywhere, and I didn’t need to be in top shape to play a game of baseball.

“Guys, you heard Lowe, you all need your sleep. Don’t worry about Parker, I’m staying. I’ll message you if there’s anything urgent, but I’m sure he’s going to be fine.”

“She’s right,” said Lux, his arm around Radley, who looked like she was about to fall asleep. “We’ll come back first thing.”

After a few quick goodbyes and the promise to meet Holiday for breakfast, I followed the nurse to Parker’s room and crept in.

The glow of the machine lights lit my way as I leaned over to kiss his cheek, taking extra care not to disturb the morphine drip in his arm, then pulled a blanket over me and hunkered down on the couch.