Page 32 of Defensive Zone

Blinking the tiredness away, I shake my head. When I look up, the waiting room is now filled with some of the Thunder boys—Blaine, Jackson, Peyton, Kendrick—but when my eyes land on Elliot, it only takes one look at his face and I’m on my feet, bringing him into my arms. He looks like he’s seen a ghost, staring at the doors that Zach disappeared behind I don’t know how long ago.

“Hey, it’s all right. He’s going to be all right.” I don’t know whether I’m reassuring him or myself.

Elliott shivers. He rests his head on my shoulder, and his voice is so quiet when he says, “I was so fucking scared, Carter. He wasn’t moving.”

“He’s strong, and you were there for him. He’ll really appreciate that you were looking out for him.”

There are hushed whispers around us, and when I look up, Dr. Bradley is standing by the door.

My heart plummets into my stomach when she says, “Mr. Lockwood? Would you come with me, please?”

Chapter Eleven

Zach

“There is some swelling that we will need to monitor closely,” the doctor says to Carter. I think her name is Dr. Bradley, but I can’t remember for sure. “His neck and spine are OK, so we’ve removed the C collar; however, there may be some residual pain, which we’ll manage with pain relief.”

I’m struggling to stay awake. The room is swimming a little, but I force my eyes to stay open because I think they’re talking about me.

“We’ll need to wait for the swelling to go down before we operate on the break in his wrist. We’ve put a splint on it for the time being.”

The lights in the room are off, but when I glance down at my wrist, I can just make out the black splint. When did I break it?

“The scans showed it was a clean break, so we should be able to operate within the next few days, and then we’ll need to discuss recovery.”

Oh, yeah. I had some scans, I remember now. It was kinda loud, it made my head hurt.

“I live with him, so I will be able to help with anything he needs,” Carter adds quickly. “I won’t be leaving his side.”

Good, don’t leave me, Carter.

I think I say the words aloud. I can’t remember when Carter got here, but I’m glad he isn’t leaving. I’ve really missed him.

She gives a small nod, her gaze going to the door. “Great. I would recommend limiting the number of people in his room at one time. He may be easily confused and will be highly sensitive to sounds and light, so I would suggest no more than three people at a time. It can be overwhelming, and don’t be surprised if there’s a level of agitation.”

I want to ask who’s confused, but the words don’t come.

Shit, I’m so tired and my head hurts. A lot. Damn, who put my head in a vise?

“No problem, I’ll make sure they understand.” Carter nods.

She gives him a small smile, and when she opens the door, I groan as light floods the room. She quickly shuts it behind her, and Carter rushes over to me. He combs his fingers through my hair, pushing it off my face. My eyes close instantly, enjoying the soothing motion. I love when he does that.

“My head hurts,” I murmur.

“I know. It’s going to hurt for a while, but it’ll be okay.” His voice is so quiet, but I’m grateful.

Everything seems to make my brain hurt. Noises and lights make it feel like it’s churning like a mixer.

“The boys want to see you, but they won’t stay for long because you need to rest.”

I open my eyes and look up at him. “Why are they here?”

“They just want to say hi and make sure you’re okay. You scared them tonight.”

“Heh,” I snort under my breath.

“It’s not funny, Zach,” he chides, but his tone is light.

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