Page 121 of Slew Foot
He might be in charge in certain areas of his life, but he was smart enough to know when he wasn’t the one running the show. Right now, that was certainly the strawberry blonde woman with the determined expression sitting behind the wheel.
“My motherwouldappreciate it,” he admitted as he put on his seatbelt. “A few days ago, she sent me a very unhappy message about the fight and how worried she is about me.”
His sisters had freaked out too. His father had been more pragmatic about it, as a former pro football player, but he too had been concerned. Mickey had tried to reassure them all he’d be fine, but it didn’t seem to be helping.
“It must be difficult when she’s so far away,” Catherine said, pulling away from the curb.
“Well, yes,” Mickey agreed. “But also, she’s mad I didn’t warn her about the injury. She saw a video of it online and …”
Catherine winced. “Yes, you absolutely should have texted her to warn her. That’s what my boys do.”
Mickey shrugged. “I didn’t think it was that big of a deal. I didn’t even think she’d see it.”
“It lookedbad,” Catherine said. “And I think the storyline around Rafe and his ex made the story grow. There was no chance of her avoiding it.”
Mickey sighed. He was aware of the talk online and how many people seemed to have rightly concluded he and Rafe were dating now. It, along with the little altercation with Logan in the hotel lobby, had even made it onto that horrid site,JockGossip. Lucky him.
“Yes, there is that,” Mickey agreed.
“So, in the future, what will you do?”
“Well, I don’t have any plans to?—”
“None of you everplanto get hurt,” she pointed out. “And yet you do. You have no idea how many messages I’ve gotten from my husband and sons over the years warning me about a video of a fight or injury. Imagine how it feels when you have fiveplayers in the family! It’s a wonder I haven’t torn my hair out completely.”
“That does sound stressful,” Mickey admitted. “But I’m not a fighter.”
She grinned. “Yes, I think you’re a bit more peaceful than the men in my family. With a longer fuse—except when it comes to Rafe. You do realize that now that you and Rafe are together though, your opponents will exploit that and use it to their advantage, right?”
Mickey cursed because no, he hadn’t considered that.
“Itwillhappen,” she said calmly. “So, you’d best be prepared for it.”
“I will be,” Mickey said. “Assuming I ever play again.”
She clucked her tongue, then pursed her lips. “There will be none of that defeatist attitude. You didn’t get where you are without some spark in you. Nowuseit.”
“But what if the results are …” He trailed off, voice thick, not even wanting to say it aloud.
“Then you’ll have a starting point to work from. Right now, it’s only speculation. You can’t begin to heal until you know what you’re dealing with.”
“You don’t think it’s a concussion?” Mickey asked, surprised.
She shrugged. “I have no idea. I’m not a doctor. But my father and brothers were hockey players and I’m a daughter and wife and a mother who’s spent my life watching the men I love struggle through all sorts of injuries. Concussions are nasty and I hate them. I want to wrap you all in bubble wrap and not letyou out on the ice ever again. But you’d be miserable. Shying away from danger is not who you are. So, if you’re insistent on playing, then you and your loved ones will have to deal with the consequences.”
Mickey winced. “I’m sorry …”
“Don’t apologize,” she said, her expression softening. “You’re very talented and you love what you do. That’s something to be proud of. All I’m saying is that whatever happens in your appointments today, you won’t be facing italone, Mickey.”
“But I canhandleit on my own,” he protested.
“I’m sure you can. But you don’tneedto. People are offering to help, and you should take them up on that.”
He opened his mouth to argue, then thought about something his mother had said recently, and realized she was right. “I suppose you’re right.” He sighed.
“I usually am.” She shot him a little grin. “So. I’m going to keep you company during your testing today whether you like it or not.”
The touch of humor in her voice made him smile. “Thank you. I appreciate that.”
