A Million Miles Apart (Wish 4)

17 - Bad break

The pain was excruciating. Ben knew the minute the ball struck him it would not be good. Everything was in slow motion as the pain took him to the ground. He remembered the sound of applause when the trainers led him off the field. Before he knew what was happening, he was in an ambulance for the short ride up Brookline Avenue.

The last place he wanted to go was the emergency room, however they escorted him directly to a room with the privacy curtain pulled so no one could see in.

A nurse came and took his blood pressure and blood oxygen level and a doctor followed.

"Mr. Lynch, I'm Dr. Gentry. We'll get you to x-ray in a moment, but aside from the wrist, do you have any other injuries?" He shook his head and winced as his arm and hand throbbed. "Dr. Edwards is on his way, but would you like me to help with the pain?"

He shook his head. He hated pills. He rarely even took ibuprofen. He trusted Dr. Edwards, as the team's orthopedic and sports medicine specialist, the doc took care of a lot of injuries and his reputation was stellar.

Ben looked at his hand. It was swollen and throbbing. He thought about calling or texting someone, his father, Kenzie or even Jett, but he didn't know what to tell them other than it hurt like hell.

A woman in scrubs explained she would take him for his x-ray. She pointed to a wheelchair.

"I can walk." Looking down at his uniform, he frowned. "I don't need pictures online of me in a wheelchair."

"The hallway is clear. Security is outside the door." It relieved him to know the hospital had taken precautions to protect his privacy. "You're not the first athlete and you won't be the last." Her response was matter of fact, as if he didn't impress her at all. At least she wasn't a crazy fan.

It didn't take long for the x-ray, but it hurt like hell as they tried to get different angles. He breathed a sigh of relief when he was back behind the curtain with the security guard at the door.

The same doctor returned. He looked at him with a concerned face. "Are you sure you don't want something for the pain?"

He shook his head. There was no way he would put those chemicals in his body. His mind flashed to Kimmy as he shut his eyes.

"My sister-in-law texted me. It seems her boyfriend's sister is a friend of yours and is worried."

"Really?" He didn't have many friends who weren't in the game.

The doctor nodded. "She's dating Ted Calhoun."

"Ted?" Ben wondered if he was a brother.

"Oh, you may know him as Edward."

"I thought he was married. I met his wife."

"Must have been his ex-wife, because he and Mia are really serious."

If he was serious with the doctor's sister, why was he with Sloane? "What's his sister's name?"

"I haven't met her. Let me see." He took his phone out of his pocket. "Sloane, she texted that Sloane is concerned."

"Sloane! Edward Calhoun's sister is Sloane. I never knew her last name." His voice trailed off as he shut his eyes. He heard the doctor asked him again about the pain, but he shook him off like a pitcher would a catcher.

Sloane was Edward's sister. He had said she was his fan. She was the one who gave up her condo so he could have it. He had accused her of stalking him at the gallery, but she had every right to be there. She was probably with Edward's girlfriend. Kenzie had sensed she came from money, but he just thought her father had a good job. He assumed she lived in a house with an upstairs and went to ballet lessons to learn to walk gracefully. He never thought it meant she grew up in a mansion or wherever it was people with money going back to their grandfather lived. He wondered where he had dropped her off. She had said it was her brother's, but it didn't seem like the type of house a man whose company converted old mills into modern condos would live.