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Ruby’s forearm is broken so badly it’s al near her elbow

Nausea hits me so hard I almost lose my postworkout protein shake, but my hand immediately comes up to the side of Ruby’s face to shield the view froain

Over the next thirty hter An IV is started and she’s given pain rateful for There’s no rubbing dirt in an injury like that X-rays are done, but they only confir to require surgery

He puts a request into the pediatric orthopedic surgeon on call and estimates that they could book an OR for late afternoon, but that the ortho would ements Before he leaves the curtained rooaotten about it, and as I glance at my watch, I see that I’m supposed to be at the arena in a little less than an hour

A quick glance over at Ruby, and I see she’s sleeping I step out of the curtained room, take a deep breath, and make a phone call to Coach Pretore He doesn’t answer, so I leave hihon I can’t reach our assistant coach or even Alex, although I do reach Sutton Notto reach Alex and would let Kate know so she could handle Violet

Finally, I call the one person I really don’t want to talk to

Our assistant GM, Frank Lessier I’d much prefer to call Gray, because not only is she just nicer to deal with, for some reason I know the sound of her voice would comfort me But she’s at the MIT conference and can’t be bothered

I gri "Lessier"

"Frank…it’s Ryker Evans"

"What’s up?" he asks in a clipped tone For some reason, he doesn’t like hter has a broken arery in a few hours I’ame"

I don’t knohy I expect it, but I do I expect the fucker to show an ounce of sympathy I expect him to ask details of what happened, and offer to help in any way Instead, he’s grouchy when he says, "You can’t get so?"

"Are you fucking kiddinga shit that he’s one of my superiors "Are you seriously that ood thing No telling what else I’d say to hiive hi up the phone, stuff it into my pocket, and scrub my hands over my face with exhaustion Did Frank just now represent to anization? That a win isency room There’s no way I knoithout a doubt Gray wouldn’t expect ame of the cha of Gray…

I send her a quick text Ruby broke her arery Max will be in for me

I know she’ll text me back as soon as she can Or call Yeah, she’ll probably call

I know this because over the past s have actually sort of progressed with us I’h to think I char this a real chance But I do think she’s taken with the feelings that co it between the sheets The intimacy is new to her, scary at times, but mostly she’s entranced by it

She’s an honest and up-front woman She told me as much

While we still very much need to hide our relationship, we strive to see each other as h it’s risky for her to coames, we still do it And it’s not just to have sex There have been a few nights we’ve been so tired because of our schedule we merely lie in bed, cuddle, and talk until one of us falls asleep It’s always nerve-racking, though, when it’s time for Gray to ether has been Gray coirls are at school I ht fix us lunch and we’ll sit and talk, or sometieet a copy of a product-endorsement contract and I stopped in briefly just to see Gray I only intended to say hello, but she beckoned me in and I shut the door behind me

That led to a quickitchy and unsatisfied

Past that, we talk on the phone a lot Or text It’s a daily thing now, and it’s not only habit to include her inalmost a necessity I think the mere fact that I see Gray as a source of comfort today speaks voluht now We can’t go out in public, so I can’t take her out on a date We can’t see each other on the weekends because I have the girls While these are things I would do in a heartbeat and say fuck the consequences, I will never push Gray to givethat could harm her or her career in any way