Page 100 of My Secret Bandit

“Not necessary. I’m good.” He tried to swing his legs over the bed only to be stopped by the doctor.

“How about you stay lying down? Are you comfortable with me discussing your care with her present?”

“Obviously,” he said, holding up our interlocked fingers.

“Okay, I’ll just cut right to it. You have a slight tear of your MCL. That’ll heal on its own. The more concerning issue is the complete tear of the ACL.”

The smile Mateo wore turned sour as we listened. He squeezed my hand so hard I winced, sucking in the sting, not wanting him to feel any worse than he already did.

“You’ll need reconstructive surgery. You know that will put you out the rest of the season, but you’re young, and in great shape. With the right treatment plan, you’ll be good as new.” The doctor finished with a professionally courteous smile that never met his eyes.

I couldn’t stand to look at it anymore and turned to Mateo.

“Jameson.” The worry in his voice broke my heart.

“I’m so sorry,” I whispered, unsure of anything I could say or do to make the situation easier for him.

“No!” he said with more aggression, tears forming in the corners of his eyes. “No. This is not happening.” He swatted away my attempts to keep him laying down and stood only to collapse into my arms on the side of the bed with a heart-wrenching groan.

“No, no, no, no, no,” he continued whispering, the tears slipping down as I helped him back onto the bed.

I wanted to redo this day. Do something different in the hope it altered the reality we lived in right now.

No. No what-ifs, could haves or should haves. This is happening.

Be strong.

He needs you to be strong.

Listening to the voice that encouraged me to pull my shit together, I drew in a lung full of air and took his hands into mine.

“You’re going to get through this.”

His eyes shifted away from mine.

“Hey.” I pulled his chin back toward me. “Listen to me. You’re strong. You’re determined. There isn’t anything you can’t do. You’re going to get through this and end up even stronger at the end. I promise you, baby. Everything will work out. I’ll be with you every step of the way.”

Taking a deep breath, he nodded and relaxed a little. Not as much as I would’ve hoped for but some was better than none when your life just got flipped upside down, carelessly determined by another.

“Everyone is out in the waiting room,” I told him. “You want me to get your mom?”

“How much longer?” he asked over my shoulder.

“Not long. I can get your discharge papers ready and have you out in thirty minutes. Your team’s surgeon is getting you set up for surgery. I’ll know when before you leave.” He left without waiting for a reply.

I stood to leave, but he grabbed my hand. “Don’t leave.” He shifted over and patted the spot next to him. “Just call Xander. Tell everyone they can go to the house, please.”

I took my place next to him, sitting so he could lay his head in my lap and his arm wrapped around my hips. With one hand, I ran my fingers through his hair as the other worked to call Xander.

“What’s happening?” he asked.

As I relayed the information, Mateo tensed against me. “The doctor is getting his discharge papers. Everyone can go to the house if they want.”

“On it,” he said, hanging up with no real instructions.

“What happened today?” I asked so softly I wasn’t sure if he heard me until he blew out a strangled puff of air and I flashed back to that stomach meeting ass sensation from the press box.

“Mateo. What happened?” I asked again.

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