Page 81 of Gridlocked on the Gridiron

Chapter thirty

Lucia

It was the first home game Lucia had worked since the fake relationship started where she wasn’t standing in the end zone, waiting for a kiss. Just the thought of Colton running out onto the field and not having someone there for him made her chest tighten painfully.

The stadium erupted with screaming and cheering as the Sabers ran out onto the field, Colton leading the charge as usual. The lights shut off momentarily as green, firework-like sparks leaped into the sky. The sounds of 80,000 fans doing the Sabers roar put a small smile on her face, and Blade the Sabertooth ran up and down the field, jumping for joy near the loudest sections.

Boos rang out when the Vipers came onto the field, and she had to ignore the looks from her colleagues when Max’s face appeared on the screen above their windows. Despite the allegations clearly being false, since she’d obviously been cleared to continue her work, they’d become cold toward her once again. Not that she was surprised. Nothing the men in her life did surprised her anymore.

After the national anthem, Colton went to the center of the field for the coin toss, a grim expression on his face. His glare was leveled at a grinning Max, who looked like he’d already gotten everything he’d ever wanted. A jolt of electricity shot up her spine as the corner of Colton’s mouth lifted a fraction when he won the toss, electing to defer.

Max’s first drive was sloppy, and the Sabers’ offense was on the field quickly. Unfortunately, they didn’t do much better.

The teams traded three and outs before each kicked a field goal. The game was much slower than everybody had hoped. Colton and the offense went back onto the field for a final drive before the end of the half, with a minute and a half and two timeouts left. They’d been able to accomplish much wilder feats, so she had faith that they could do it.

On first down, TJ, the Sabers’ first-string running back, got three yards. On second down, Colton faked to TJ and then ran the ball another three. She could see Coach Turner gesturing at Colton from the sidelines, likely changing the play call. They wouldn’t get the remaining four yards they needed if they kept rushing.

On third down, Chris hiked the ball to Colton, who looked downfield for an open receiver. Two defensive backs were covering Cooper, and Devin’s route looked busted. The offensive line was struggling to keep the Vipers at bay, and in the blink of an eye, two of them were on Colton. He tried to evade, but there was nothing he could do, and then he went down. Hard.

She hadn’t realized the gasp had left her mouth until her coworkers looked at her. She stood, walking toward the tall, glass windows of the box as if getting closer would provide him the support he needed to get up.

Get up. Get up. Get up. Why wasn’t he getting up? The Vipers’ linemen were already standing, high-fiving each other and gesturing at the crowd, but Colton remained on the ground. Lucia didn’t so much as breathe as her eyes flicked from the field below to the screen, trying to make out if Colton was moving at all.

“Come on, Colt. Get up,” she whispered pleadingly. “Please, get up.” Her eyes began filling with tears as trainers came out onto the field and rolled him over. He moved a little, but needed help getting up.

A golf cart came out onto the field, and the trainers loaded him onto it, something clearly wrong with his leg. Lucia’s heart beat in her ears as her eyes followed him until he disappeared inside the tunnels. Was she allowed to go see him? Would she get in trouble for leaving the box? Did he even want to see her?

She stood still, body pressed close to the glass of the box, ignoring the odd looks she was getting. Elijah went out onto the field and tried to gain more yardage, but only brought them close enough for another field goal.

The moment the half was over, Lucia ran out of the analyst box, her lungs on the verge of collapse as the walls began closing in on her. She didn’t care what the rest of the analysts thought of her, everything was getting to be a bit too much.

She paced the hallway outside the box, warmth licking down her cheeks. She realized she had been crying when her face grew tight as the tears dried. She walked into the bathroom, splashing water on her face as she tried to breathe through her anxiety.

She was sure he would be okay. Being taken off on a cart didn’t necessarily mean anything was wrong. He could’ve just been in shock or rolled his ankle a little. He might have already been up and moving. She needed to stay positive or she would lose her mind.

Still, her thoughts kept straying to the moment he’d gone down, trying to figure out what might have been wrong. Why hadn’t he moved? Why hadn’t he been able to get up on his own? She rolled her shoulders to loosen the tension building there.

When she walked out of the bathroom, she was surprised to see Isa standing outside the analyst box, eyes scanning the hallway.

“Isa?” she asked like she wasn’t sure if it was a dream, like she needed someone to pinch her hard to confirm everything was real.

The moment Isa’s eyes locked on hers, a look of sympathy washed over Isa’s face, and she rushed over, throwing her arms around Lucia. Lucia melted into the embrace, resting her head on her friend’s shoulder.

“Hi, mi cielo. It’s okay, it’s gonna be okay.”

At the words laced with comfort, Lucia began sobbing again. “What if something is seriously wrong with him? What if he can never stand again? What if he can never play football, or do anything he loves, ever again?” Her words were smashed together, and it was a wonder Isa could understand anything that came out of her mouth.

But it was her best friend, so of course she did. “I saw him. I wanted to check on him before I came up to see you because I knew you were going to be worried. He’s okay, osita. I promise. He’s banged up, and they’re doing some x-rays on his left knee and ankle, but it’ll take an entire legion of soldiers to keep him from getting back on that field. He’s a fighter.”

For the first time in ten minutes, Lucia let out a relieved breath. Then another, and another. She pulled away from Isa, searching her friend’s face to confirm that the words were true. Her tears stopped as she wrapped her arms around her torso, looking away from Isa.

“I know what you’re going to say. I did what you told me not to. I got attached. And I know it was—”

“Luc, no. I would never say that.” Isa sighed, pulling Lucia by the hand until they were against the wall. Only when her friend lowered her voice did Lucia realize how many other staff members filled the hallway around them.

“He cares about you, Luc. It’s about time you find someone who’ll treat you right, and Colton will.”

A harsh breath left Lucia. “It doesn’t matter how we feel. He’s upset with me after the shit with Max, and even if that weren’t true, I can’t do this again, Isa. I can’t.”

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