Page 53 of You Are Cordially Invited

He waggled his brows. “Cross my heart.”

* * *

I took a minute to peer unseen through the small window into the private ER waiting room. It was jam-packed with well over a dozen people, including the North Harbour coach, the Blues’ PR man, and an assistant All Blacks’ coach as well.

Dad and Mathew sat in one corner looking grim, while my mother was presumably still with Cory. Georgie’s pale face was turned to the ceiling, her eyes closed. She had an arm looped through Craig’s while he glared at his phone looking like he’d been hit by a truck. And Tom MacDonald leaned forward on his knees, his brow furrowed, staring at the floor like it would offer all the answers he sought. Reuben had landed a good new friend in the big All Black lock.

Then there was Jake and Sandy and Miller in quiet conversation; Josh with his arm around Katie; and Ed and Mark leaning into each other. And almost hidden from view in the far corner sat... Colleen?

I jolted at seeing her there, my gaze lingering on her pained expression. We should’ve been with them now, almost to the minute, but there was no answer we could give Stella anymore, not until we knew something. And that could be days, weeks if things turned to shit.

Fucking, fuck, fuck.

“You ready?” Michael’s hand landed on my back.

“No.” I drew a deep breath, straightened my shoulders, and pushed open the door.

Everyone turned at once and I stared at the expectant faces, my heart clenching. My gaze landed on Miller in his chair and I almost fucking cried while shame hit me at the exact same time.

Stop it.

If that was in any way to be a part of Reuben’s future, so what? He was still Reuben. We were still us. It wouldn’t change a thing, at least not about what really mattered. The rest we’d deal with one day at a time.

“Cam?” Georgie shot to her feet, but I waved her back down as Sandy set a chair out in front so I could sit and face everyone.

I looked to Michael and he raised a brow that said, ‘You want me to do it?’

Yes. I shook my head, took a deep breath, and began with the fact that Reuben had woken, and I’d talked to him. That he was lucid and even joking. Strangely enough, getting that out helped soothe my own fears as well. Traumatic brain injury was a real risk, and that seemed less likely now.

Every held breath in the room gushed out in a single sigh.

“Oh, thank God.” Sandy sagged with relief.

The news of possible transient quadriplegia, the uncertainty surrounding it, and how long we might have to wait was received with solemn expressions, a mountain of concern, and a lot of questions. I answered them as well as I could, but in the end, I let Michael take over and caught my breath.

Miller wheeled alongside and silently took my hand. He didn’t have to say a word. Of all the people in the room, he understood most about the open-ended nature and stress of waiting for a diagnosis for something like this, not to mention the fear of the word quadriplegia. We sat hand in hand until Michael was done.

“If anyone desperately needs an update, you can text me,” Michael finished, and I wanted to hug him. “Leave Cam alone, rugby powers included.” He eyeballed the coaches. “Cam will let you know as soon as there’s something to tell. Until then, assume there is no news and leave him be. Josh and I are bunking down in the hospital tonight,” he said with his arms around Josh who nodded and kissed his cheek.

My gaze jerked to them both. “You don’t need—”

“Like hell I don’t.” Michael smiled. “You didn’t really think I was going to leave you here unsupervised, did you? Good Lord. Chances are good I’d come back tomorrow and find the entire hospital reorganised and sparkling clean and you an exhausted bag of bones. Remember what happened when you and Reuben were doing your ridiculous dance around each other before you got some sense? The damn ER sluice room gleamed bright enough to land a plane, and I couldn’t find a sterile dressing or suture in the size I needed for weeks.”

Everyone snickered and I rolled my eyes because he was right. I stress cleaned, so sue me.

“And Josh is taking paparazzi patrol to ensure no one sneaks into the orthopaedic ward or Reuben’s room—the vultures are already circling ER reception and clogging up the car park, and a TV crew just pulled up. We all remember last time they got into Craig’s hospital room where you two were holed up. It resulted in the most spectacular outing of a certain up-and-coming rugby star. It won’t happen again.”

“Thank you.” I teared up again but couldn’t find a fuck left to give. These people knew us, knew me. I was safe. And Josh taking on the media meant damn near everything. Outrunning those fuckers had become a dismal part of our lives for so long, I barely remembered what life was like before.

My thoughts went again to Stella and the baby, and I cringed. How the hell could we bring that shit down on anyone else?

When Michael was done, the room cleared with much hugging of my body, which felt good, if a little weird. It was getting easier to accept, but I wasn’t sure I’d ever be truly comfortable. Dad damn near squeezed my lungs out of my chest and told me to call my mother, like I needed the reminder—I appreciated my balls exactly where they were.

Josh headed off to read the riot act to the gathered media with accompanying threats and much police posturing, while Michael headed back into the ER with a promise to call X-ray and see how Reuben was doing.

When he was gone, I made my way across to where Georgie was still sitting with Reuben’s brother.

Craig looked devastated.

---