Page 95 of Replay

Silence on the other end. Then, “The odds are in his favor, but there aren’t any guarantees, Katie.”

If he couldn’t play hockey…this would devastate him. I thought he’d been smart with his money, so at least he’d be good financially and not desperate for a job. I didn’t know for sure; since that wasn’t why I was with him, I hadn’t pried. But I knew Josh. Hockey was his thing. The thing that gave him his sense of worth. I’d been telling him, in high school and now, that there was more to him than that, but he didn’t really believe me. What would he do if he was done?

This could be bad. Really bad.

“I need to see him.”

“I’m not sure what I can do, but I’ll try to get you in. I know he’d want you there. I’ll contact you when I work something out.” Then he was gone.

I looked around the condo. If Daniel could get me to Josh, I needed to take some things.

My tablet, with all the Star Wars material I could put on it, for a distraction when he woke up because he was not a good patient. The hospital would feed and hydrate him, but I’d need a water bottle and some energy bars. Some of my assignments, because there’d probably be a lot of time to wait, and I’d be calling in a couple of sick days. I’d have a lot to catch up on.

It was two in the morning when I got the call from Daniel. He’d somehow wrangled permission for me to stay with Josh. I had explicit instructions to follow to get into his very private room, and a message he texted me to get past security.

“Thank you. Thank you so much.”

“I’m doing this for Ducky as much as for you.”

“Still, thank you.”

“Just help him. That will be enough thanks.”

I’d do everything I could.

I didn’t remember much about the ride to the hospital. I was exhausted and wired, resulting in everything feeling both removed and immediate. I five-starred the driver and tipped her well before making my way through the corridors, following Daniel’s instructions.

I didn’t get through easily. Security was tight for a celebrity athlete. I saw people around who I assumed were reporters, so a lot of the checks they made were to make sure I wasn’t a member of the press. There were a couple of phone calls to someone higher up to verify I was allowed through, but finally I was in his room.

He was out of recovery, but he was still hooked up to a lot of machines. His knee was in a weird brace/cast, the rest of him under the covers, in a hospital gown. He looked so defenseless, so vulnerable. I dropped my bag in a chair and stood beside the bed.

There were shadows under his eyes and his mouth was pinched, as if the pain under all the drugs was still bothering him. He was breathing on his own, which shot relief through me. No reason a knee injury should be fatal, but my fears had not been logical.

As long as he was alive, we could get through anything else. I ran my fingertips over his forearm and hand, the one not hooked up to the IV. He twitched.

Exhaustion wrapped over me. There was nothing I could do right now, not until he woke up, so I might as well try to get some sleep too. I pulled out my tablet and set it on the rolling table at the side of the bed. Not that he was likely to wake up and want a distraction immediately, but once he was back to himself…

I pulled the chair up beside the bed. I tried curling up in the chair, then leaning back, and finally resting my feet on the side of his bed. A nurse came in and nodded to me. Guess word had gone out that I was okay to stay. Once she’d checked Josh’s vitals, she left again.

I watched him breathing, lashes occasionally twitching as his eyes moved behind his eyelids, until my own lids drooped and I slept.

I woke up partially, some indeterminate time later when a nurse came in, but I was tired and not even the uncomfortable chair could keep me awake. I squirmed around, this time leaning forward, head on the bed near Josh’s hand, hoping I’d sense it if he came to. I wanted him to see me first thing when he opened his eyes.

That wasn’t what woke me up.

“What are you doing here?” The voice in my ear broke through the bonds of sleep.

I jerked, and my back and neck let me know they were very unhappy with the way I’d been treating them.

I shook my head and sat up, looking around, and saw the furious face of Mrs. Middleton.

I blinked to make sure I wasn’t in some kind of nightmare. When had Josh’s mother gotten here?

I was rumpled and groggy and probably looked like shit. She looked like she’d had a shower recently, and fresh clothes. Her makeup was perfect, but her expression? Pissed.

“Hi, Mrs. Middleton.” I stretched my neck and tried to corral any awake brain cells. I desperately needed coffee for this.

“What are you doing here?”

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