Page 96 of Mad As Hell

And waited.

Finally, I heard voices toward the back and stood up. I moved forward, gently nudging open the door until I saw several people crowded around an exam table. I could make out dirty cleats hanging off the end facing me.

“You’ve got to lie down,” one voice insisted.

“No, I’ve got to get back out there.” That sounded like Ryan. A very pissed off Ryan.

An aggrieved voice barked out, “You know you can’t do that until you’re cleared.”

“If he’s cleared,” a third, more subdued voice added.

“I’m fucking fine.”

“Until I’ve cleared you for a potential concussion, you aren’t, so lie the fuck down, Cain!”

Standing in the doorway, I watched Ryan glower at the three men trying to hold him back. But then his eyes moved to me and widened, causing everyone else to turn.

“Are you okay?” It seemed stupid to ask, but it’s all my brain could think up.

His dark-blonde hair was sweaty and sticking up in places, but his face was pale. He was probably in a lot of pain but trying to hide it.

“Miss, you can’t be in here,” the more timid of the three men said, glancing up from his clipboard to squint at me.

“She’s my fiancée,” Ryan replied in a voice that left zero room for argument.

“Is he okay?” I repeated my question to the men around him.

“I’m fine, Maddie,” Ryan began.

I held up a hand to stop him. “Thanks, but I think I’ll listen to what the doctors have to say.”

“It doesn’t look like a concussion,” the oldest man with silver hair and a stethoscope around his neck told me. “I’m Dr. Travers.”

“Maddie,” I murmured in response as I edged closer to Ryan’s side. “And are you sure? I mean, concussions and football can be catastrophic, even if it’s minor now.”

Dr. Travers’s mouth hitched up. “Pretty certain. But I only graduated top of my class at med school. We can find another opinion if needed.”

“Sorry.” I didn’t mean to step on any toes. But I’d seen a lot of nasty concussions, and back in Michigan, they usually hadn’t been monitored.

Dr. Travers just smiled. “Don’t be.” He tapped a hand on Ryan’s shin. “She’s a keeper.”

“Yeah,” Ryan agreed softly, his dark blue eyes drawing me closer still. “What are you doing here?”

I leaned a hip against the edge of the exam table while the others stepped away to discuss his condition. “If you’re not sure why I’m here, you definitely hit your head harder than you thought.”

“Aw, honey, you care.” The teasing in his voice almost hid the small note of vulnerability that slipped through a crack in his armor.

I trailed a finger down his bare arm. “Of course I care.”

His hand shot out and grabbed the bottom of my shirt. “Did you steal this from my room?”

“Borrowed,” I corrected. “I wanted to show my school spirit.”

“My spirit definitely feels… moved.” Ryan gave me a dazzling smile, and I almost forgot that there were other people in the room.

“Okay, Cain,” Dr. Travers announced, coming back over. “No concussion.”

Ryan smirked at him. “I told you.”

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