Page 79 of The Problem with Players

When she returned, she had a tray filled with goodies. Electrolytes, crackers, and an array of medicine. She set the tray on my nightstand and began collecting pills for me to take. “Now, I know you’re probably not hungry at all, but you need to eat a few crackers in order to take the medicine,” she ordered.

I grumbled and slightly pushed her approaching hand away.

She arched an eyebrow. “Nathaniel Grayson Pierce, open your mouth right now.”

I shook my head.

She arched her other brow. “Now,” she ordered.

I parted my lips slightly.

She shook her head. “No. More. Like this.” She unlocked her jaw and opened wide. “Aah!”

If I were feeling more alive, I would’ve probably made aninappropriate joke about stuffing her mouth with something tasty. Instead, I groaned like a sad puppy as I opened my jaw.

She placed the pills in my mouth and then fed me a sip of water. “Good job,” she whispered, wiping her finger right below my lip where a drip of water was falling. “Now, eat one cracker.”

“I can’t, Coach,” I muttered, shutting my eyes once more.

“Now,” she ordered once more.

Something about her orders made me obey right away. I didn’t know if it was her tone or the act of control that she had over me, but I opened my mouth once more and allowed her to feed me a few crackers.

“Good boy. I’m proud of you,” she said as she gently rubbed her hand over my head. It turned out I didn’t only have a shame kink but a praise one, too. “Now, rest,” she told me. “I’ll be back in a few to check on you.”

“Don’t you have to get to work?” I asked.

“I called in earlier when I heard you were sick. I notified the guys we wouldn’t have practice tonight, either.”

“What? No. They need?—”

“Nathan. Everything’s under control. You just rest.”

I wanted to argue, but the heaviness of my eyelids told me not to do so. I shut my eyes and fell asleep, feeling a bit of comfort knowing that Avery was there to take care of me.

I sleptfor over nine hours, only waking when Avery would come to give me vitamins and medicine, along with a few bites of bread. When I was fully awake, she came back and smiled my way. She held sheets in her hands.

“I think it’s about time I switched out your sheets, seeing how you probably soaked your way through them,” she said. “If you can sit in your chair in the corner, that is.”

With a few grumbles, I pulled myself up from the bed andmoved over to the chair. I plopped down and sighed, feeling beyond exhausted from the few steps that I’d taken.

Avery went to work to change out all my sheets. She removed the dirty ones, along with my comforter, and replaced them with new ones. She even changed out the pillowcases. I didn’t even know that I had extra pillowcases.

“Okay. You can come back. Unless you feel as if you can shower,” she said.

I shook my head. There was no way I could stand up in a shower.

She walked over to me and offered her hand to help me. I took it for two reasons. One—I needed her help. Two—I always wanted to hold her hand.

“Thanks,” I muttered as she led me back to the bed, only to tuck me in again.

She left the room for a second, getting rid of the sheets, and when she came back, she had a big bowl of soup in her hands.

I sat up on my bed with my back against the headboard. I could only breathe through my mouth, seeing how my nose was stuffed up. I closed my eyes as my breaths weaved in and out of my mouth.

“Why are you being so helpful?” I muttered, feeling the need to fall back to sleep.

“Because you deserve it. Open,” she ordered.

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