Page 50 of The Keeper and I

Their striker ran straight for him. The Stanmore defense struggled to catch him on tired legs. The striker had no support from his Wolves teammates either. He would have to take Jordan head on with no option to cross. Jordan came out to meet the ball.

The striker didn’t stop running.

The collision happened so fast, if Laci had blinked, she would have missed it. And yet, as she watched, it appeared to be in slow motion. Jordan secured the ball in his arms as the striker trampled over his head. She barely heard the grunts throughout the stadium as the sound of her blood roared in her ears.

The screech of the referee’s whistle brought Laci’s breathing back, but panic seized her chest the longer Jordan remained motionless on the grass. The striker turned around and was making his case to the ref holding a red card over his head. Jordan’s teammates surrounded him as Israel screamed for the physio.

“He’s bleeding!” he cried.

“Oh, God,” Laci whimpered.

She resisted the urge to leap over the boundary herself, desperate to be by his side, but that would only get her in trouble. The medical team blocked Jordan’s face, yet she saw he was limp. They struggled a bit with the size of his body though they got him sitting up. A splotch of bright red on his forehead made her bury her face in Tate’s shoulder. He put his arms around her and gave her a comforting squeeze.

“Laci?”

Laci looked up and saw a young woman in a Stanmore yellow hijab standing by their row. She was beautiful with expertly done makeup and a light frame. The kit and turtleneck she wore were tucked into a pair of wide leg trousers that made her appear taller than she was. After assessing her for a moment, Laci remembered where she had seen this woman before. At the gala.

“Hi,” Laci said. “Nadia, right? Osahar’s fiancée?”

“Wife now, mashallah,” Nadia replied with a grin, then wiggled her left hand to show off a gold wedding band beneath a stunning engagement ring. “We got married before the start of the season.”

“Right, sorry,” Laci said. She’d met so many of the wives, fiancées, and girlfriends that night, plus a few new faces at Coach Warren’s, it was difficult to keep everyone straight.

Nadia waved off the apology. “I understand. Listen, they’re going to take Jordan back. Do you want me to show you where?”

Laci stole a look back at the pitch. Jordan was still slumped against the physio examining his head. She nodded. “Please.” She looked between Tate and Jax. “I’ll be right back.”

“We’ll meet you outside,” Jax said. “If it takes longer, let us know, and we can head home.”

“Let us know how he is too,” Tate added.

“Yeah, that too.”

Laci tried to smile, but it probably looked more like a grimace. After giving them quick hugs, she followed Nadia up the stairs.

They reached the treatment room as the medical team brought Jordan in. They’d carried him on a stretcher, however, he was sitting up on his own. His glassy eyes found her behind the professionals. He reached out. Only then did the medics notice her.

She wasn’t sure if she was allowed to approach. With a nudge of encouragement from Nadia, she gave Jordan her hand and stepped up beside him. The team got right back to work.

Most of the blood was off his face, but Laci spotted a dried droplet on his cheek and wiped it off. The gash above his eyebrow made her wince, so she kept her gaze on his eyes. They were half-lidded and unfocused but locked on her. She stroked his clean cheek with her thumb.

“Jordan…” She sighed.

“Not to worry, miss, it’s not as bad as it looks,” one of the medics said. “Probably just a concussion.”

“Really?” she asked. “But what about all the blood?”

“That’s because it’s his head. It tends to bleed heavily. We may need you to step back for a moment to—”

Everyone paused as Jordan murmured something. His free hand came to rest atop Laci’s, sandwiching her hand between his palms. He cleared his throat.

“Caroline…” he said.

She snatched her hand away and drew back as if he’d swung at her. “Caroline?”

“Is that…is that not your name, miss?” the medic asked.

“No!” Laci cried, affronted.

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