Page 118 of Wild Catch
I try to reason with myself. He’s just fainted because of breathing irregularly. He’s not dying. No one is really taking him away from me. He’s not going anywhere. He’s going to be fine. This isn’t a big deal.
I drop my face in my hands, sobbing.
“It’s okay, Rosie,” Hope says, now rubbing my back. “It’s nothing major.”
“Isn’t it?” I lift my face and spot Cade. He removes his cap to wipe the sweat off his forehead. “What kind of stress is he under that he collapsed like this?”
He shakes his head. “I don’t know. I would’ve never imagined thattheLogan Kim could pass out like this. It’s surreal.”
“Don’t you dare badmouth him,” I threaten through gritted teeth. “He’s your teammate. He deserves your compassion, not your judgement.”
Cade raises his hands. “I’m not judging. I’m just worried out of my damn mind about him, but I don’t know what I can do.”
Murmurs of agreement rise among the team. My shoulders droop a little.
“Come with me, Rose. I’ll give you a drink with electrolytes.” Hope tries to help me up.
“But, Logan—” I glance toward the hallway that leads to the gym and clinic.
“He’s in great hands,” a different voice says. Rob Beau, the manager for the team, crouches before me. “We’re going to take good care of Logan no matter what, okay?”
“Okay,” I parrot back, nodding even as my chin trembles.
I let Hope guide me to the trainers’s office, and she sits me down on a chair to rummage through some cabinets. “Be right back, I’m gonna get you some ice for this drink.”
Her words barely register, the adrenaline has left my body. I slouch back on the chair, my eyes lost among the restlessness I can see in the clubhouse through the door. There’s noise now, the guys talking over each other. I can only make out a few random words likewhat now,suspension,time out. Someone’s clapping and it gets the guys heading in the same direction—toward the tunnel.
Hope makes her way through them, hands busy with a half empty sports drink bottle and a reusable one on the other. “Here, this is sweet and will restore you right away.” She hands me the reusable bottle.
I take it with trembling hands and look up at her. “You were there on the field. How the—How did this even happen?”
“I’m not sure myself.” Hope’s face pinches with the first sign of worry she’s shown. “One second we’re there checking for injuries, the next Ben Williams opened his mouth and made Logan lose his ever loving mind.”
I almost choke on a sip. “Ben? What could he possibly say that…”
“It, um…” Hope wrings the sports drink bottle. “It was about you.”
I slam my bottle on the desk beside me and jump to my feet, towering over my shorter friend. “What did that piece of crap say?”
She presses her lips and shakes her head. “I don’t want to say it.”
“I probably got it recorded,” someone else says. We both turn to find Miguel poking through the threshold. He taps the black device on his chest. “I’ve been mic’ed up all night.”
“Bless you.” I side step around Hope, heading for the exit.
“Damn it, Machado,” Hope whines. “You’re just adding fuel to the fire.”
“Hey, hurry up!” someone calls out from the distance.
“One second,” Miguel says to the caller before returning to us. “Listen, the truth is that Kim is probably getting a suspension because he struck first, but I think that asshole Williams should get suspended for what he said too. So I know it’s gonna suck hearing it, but someone needs to do something.”
Hope and I exchange a glance.
“Wait,” I mumble. “Do you have beef against Ben too?”
“Do I?” Miguel snorts. “He’s one of the reasons I left my old team. I didn’t want to keep dealing with his toxic ass.”
A corner of my lips lifts. “You’re officially on my good books, Miguel Machado.” Cracking my knuckles, I set out to the broadcast team, who must have the recording that will bring about Ben Williams’s downfall, and maybe that will help Logan.
