Page 200 of Scrimmage

“What did he say?”

“Cried, actually. I may have told him you died without adding the fact that you were brought back for a while.”

“You’re terrible.”

“He felt worse when I told him Damien used his name to get you a letter.”

“Do you believe him?”

“I do, actually. I think he’s full of regret, and I hope he is. Doesn’t fix anything though. Asked me to ask you to let him call you when you woke up.”

I think about the last time I saw our older brother. I can tell Sinclair wants me to say no, and I’m not ready to face Memphis yet. I’m surprised he was able to. “Messaged received.”

“Damien is still locked up.” Penny’s faces scrunches up in distaste. “Turns out he’s been in solitary for the last two years.”

I sigh with relief. “Does he know what happened?”

“They told him you're dead. Get him to let it go. Hopefully, he’ll be pushed over the edge and try to join you,” she laughs angrily.

The doctor comes in and reads my stupid chart. “The two of you need to let her rest.”

I try to keep it light. “What’s the damage?”

Doc doesn’t find it funny. “Shot three times, stitches in your occipital, and a broken wrist. You had a lot of blood loss, but we managed to keep you stable. You’re not out of the woods yet, Ms. Bradshaw. You need to eat andrest.”

“I guess I should tell Koda and Alexi she’s awake.” Penny purses her lips.

“They’re here?” I ask.

Sinclair sighs, moving to sit in the chair. “Refused to leave.”

“Want me to have Alexi say hi?” she asks.

I nod. The thought of his goofy grin makes me smile, even if it’ll be one of the last times I get to see it. As soon as Jeremy can do it, I’m sure we’ll be moved.

“I should go call the blokes. Let everyone know that Sweetheart lives. I’ll tell the handballers she’s awake.” Sinclair hugs me and plants a wet kiss on my cheek. “Love you, Yinny.”

“Love you, too. Tell them I love them all, too, and to stop worrying.”

When Sinclair is gone, Penny sits in the chair next to me. Even though she’s exhausted, she glows.

“What day is it? Actually, how long have I been here?”

She picks at her fingernails. “Three weeks.”

“The internship!”

“It’s fine.” She waves me away. “They’re going to extend it into the summer. Dire situation and all.”

“Fuck. I’m so sorry.”

Her eyes narrow and she scowls. “Sorry? Are you fucking kidding me? Cole came into our house and almost killed you. A few hours later and I could have done something about it.”

“He was going to kill you,” I whisper the admission. “He was going to make us wait, and kill you when you came through the door.”

“So you threw yourself in front of it? I can’t navigate without you, you stupid bitch.” Tears spring in her eyes. “Don’t ever do that again. Twice now. I owe you my life twice.”

“You’ve saved me more times than I can count. I didn’t think we were supposed to keep score.”

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