Blindsided

33

A/N: I know, this chapter is so long overdue I'm scared to even publish it. Thank you so much for being so, so patient.

...

It had been more than two hours since I had seen Simon, and god, did I wish he had stayed. The doctor just pulled my dad and I into a room down the hall from the emergency room. Walking away from Moira and Ashlee, I could see their faces full of fear for my family.

When Simon and I were driving here in his truck, when he held my hand while we waited for my dad to get here, when he held me when my body finally felt like it was going to break apart into a million pieces; that entire time, I almost felt like I could handle whatever life was about to throw at me. But looking into the doctor's eyes, without any clue about where Simon went, I knew that I wasn't going to make it through this.

I was never going to be whole again, never going to be happy. Boston was going to make me take a year off, which would probably be a year that I wouldn't train. I would lose my scholarship and my spot on the team. All of my friends were going to leave for school and all that would be left would be that enormous house and a town that used to be the happiest place in the world for me.

"Paige, just breathe. It's going to be okay," my dad spoke softly, rubbing my back between my shoulders. We shared a look, and somehow, I found strength in his touch. I knew that he was scared, probably even more scared than I was. I couldn't imagine losing my best friend.

"The Millers...I was hoping I wouldn't have to see you again, Paige," the doctor spoke softly, his words pouring out of his mouth like syrup. I had no idea why, but just listening to him made my nerves evaporate. I felt like I could trust him, and I had no idea why.

"Dr. Levend, god, I barely recognized you!" my dad chuckled, extending his hand. Dr Levend returned the gesture with a surprisingly happy smile. Someone giving bad news couldn't possibly smile like that.

"I'm sorry I haven't been here to talk to you sooner. I've been watching over Tessa's operation, but I hope my interns kept you informed?" he explained. He talked as though he knew us, and he was being very friendly, but for the life of me, I had no idea where we had met before. "Paige, you probably don't even remember me."

My dad chuckled. "She was pretty out of it when we brought her in."

Doctor Levend laughed and nodded in agreement. "That might be one of the worst concussions I've ever seen come through here. And I had to treat you when you were still in the big leagues." My dad shook his head and shrugged.

"What can I say? The Millers like to play rough," he smiled. I was still rooted in spot, scared for my mom, and having no idea why my dad was all of a sudden catching up with the doctor like they were lifelong pals. "Paige, Dr. Levend was the one that treated your concussion your second year of Peewee."

"Mom," I croaked, praying that my dad would come back to reality soon. His expression softened and his grin turned into a sad smile.

"Hey, hey it's okay. Your mom is stable, her vitals haven't shown any cause for concern. We're just bringing her out of anesthetic now, but I will get you guys in there as soon as I can," Doctor Levend told me, his eyes focusing solely on me. I felt my dad's hand squeeze my shoulder and when I looked over at him, he was fighting the tears pooling in his eyes.

"It sounds like there's a 'but' coming, Henry," my dad muttered, his voice barely a rasp. My dad didn't cry, except for when I painted his authentic Calgary Flames jersey signed by his entire team the year he retired. I only heard the part about my mom being stable, so when Doctor Levend's face fell, it was like I was being punched in the stomach.