Page 33 of Run Game
“Alright,” the doctor says as he comes through thedoor, saving Dia from me making her admit that she misses me. “You’re okay to go. No phone or television for twenty-four hours, rest as much as you can, and come see me for Return-to-Play Protocol before your next workout.” He turns to Dia. “You must be the emergency contact.”
“Ummmm,” she says, unsure of what to say.
“Yes,” I answer, standing up and taking her hand. I feel weak and exhausted. I just want to get out of here and I know they won’t let me leave alone.
He nods before turning to her. “Make sure he gets plenty of rest. You can give him headache medicine for the first couple of days if he needs it, but please call us if it goes beyond that.”
“Okay,” she says, giving him a tight nod. I lead her from the room, putting a hand above my eyes to shield the bright lights. My headache is almost gone, but I don’t want to chance it.
We walk out of the building and I go to give her a kiss goodbye as we get to the door of her rental car, but she stops me. “What are you doing?”
I look around. “There’s nobody here to see us kiss. I just didn’t want to leave without giving you one.”
She gives me a bewildered look. “I’m not letting you drive home, Dalton. You have a head injury.”
I want to argue because I’m supposed to be the one taking care of her. I don’t want to put pressure on her to do things like this when she already has so much to worry about. I just want her to be able to lean on me. “Dia, I don’t even think I have a concussion. I’m sorry they called you. When we had to fill out new paperwork for the team, I put you down as my emergency contact because you’re closer than my parents. I really didn’t expect to get hurt at a non-contact workout. I’m fine.” I give her a reassuring look. Inever thought I’d want to watch her get in her car and drive away from me, but it’s better than her thinking she has to deal with helping me while I’m weak.
She narrows her eyes. “I’m driving you home, Dalton. Then, I’m getting you to your bed so you can rest while I make dinner. It’s not up for debate. So, how’d you say it back in Vegas?” The corners of her mouth turn up in a smug smile. “Be a good little husband and get in the car.”
Well, fuck.
DIA
“In you go,” I say to Dalton as I pull back the comforter on his bed. I can tell just by looking at him that his body is completely exhausted. Not that it helped much, but I made him throw his arm over my shoulder while we made our way to the elevator from the parking garage. I just feel so helpless right now. I want to do whatever I can to make him feel better. He’s always so happy and energetic, so seeing him being taken down like this is heartbreaking.
“I told you, I'm fine,” he says. “I’m already feeling a lot better. I just need to take some medicine for this throbbing in my head. I'm sure that will fix me right up. You don't need to do anything for me.”
“You’re always the first one to remind me that I’m your wife and it’s your responsibility to take care of me. So, doesn’t that go both ways? You need help right now and I’m here. Let me,” I plead.
He sighs, laying back on the pillow. He clearly doesn’t like looking vulnerable in front of me, but I really do want to be here for him. I’ve never been anyone’s emergency contact before. And even if it’s like he said, and he put me down not expecting to get hurt, it still makes me feel goodthat someone trusts me enough to make me their first call if something goes wrong. “Okay, fine,” he relents, looking completely defeated. But his spirits seem to lift a little when he looks back up at me through his lashes, eyes locking on his shirt that I’m wearing. One corner of his mouth turns up just slightly at the sight.
I’m glad he didn’t pry further when I told him it must’ve fallen into my stuff. I really don’t want to tell him the truth. That I took it out of his closet before I left to move in with Blaze and Mads. I can’t even really explain why I did it. I guess because going through this whole experience with Dalton has made me feel close to him. I knew I’d be sleeping alone, and I wanted to feel like I was still wrapped up in him, even when I wasn’t. So, I grabbed the first hoodie I could find and threw it in my tote bag before I left. I didn’t realize until I went to put it on that it has his last name across the back.
When I got dressed this morning, I wasn’t expecting to leave the house. I certainly wasn’t expecting to get a call from the Blizzard facility telling me that Dalton was injured and I needed to get there right away. I threw on Mads’ shoes that were in the closet, grabbed my keys, and flew out the door. They didn’t give me any information, so I drove well over the speed limit the entire way, expecting the worst. Thankfully, he’s going to be okay. But I still wish I could do more to make him feel better.
“Are you hungry?” I ask. I said I was going to cook for him, but I know his stomach was still upset when we left the exam room.
“Not yet,” he says. “Can we just cuddle for a while? I bet that would make my head feel better.” He gives me puppy eyes, and how can I say no?
“You’re really milking this,” I chide, already removingmy leggings. “I’ll lay with you, but no hands. You’re supposed to be resting. Deal?” I say, waiting for his response with my hands on my hips.
“Whatever it takes to get you in my bed, Wifey,” he replies with an adorable grin.
I climb in next to him, pulling the covers over my body. He loops his arm around my waist and slides me across the mattress, into his warm embrace. It takes no time at all for us to fall asleep, where we stay, holding each other until morning.
TWENTY-ONE
DIA
“You justlooklike a fuckboy,”I say to Dalton as I sip on my fancy latte in Blaze and Mads’ kitchen. They recently upgraded from his old, barely used coffee maker that he had when she moved in. My best friend loves coffee more than anyone, so his little machine was only going to cut it for so long.
The four of us have been sitting here for most of the morning, just talking and making jokes back and forth. Dalton still hasn’t been cleared by the team doctors to return to workouts, so Blaze has been skipping them this week to hang out with us. I love these moments. When there’s nowhere to be and nobody waiting around the corner to jump out and ruin our day. The guys came up from their light workout about an hour ago and plopped down at the kitchen table, where we’ve been sitting ever since.
Dalton turns his head, raising a brow. “What does that even mean?” he asks with a scoff.
“Look at you,” I reply, waving my hand vaguely. “Allleaned back, manspreading, taking up way too much room at the table. You’re…imposing.”
I’m obviously messing with him. I love our banter. Just because we’re married and Blaze and Mads know about it, doesn’t mean I’m going to stop picking on Dalton. If I’m being honest, he looks hot as fuck over there, with his short gym shorts, tight t-shirt, and backwards hat. If we weren’t in front of our best friends, I’d definitely consider hopping on and taking a ride. But we are, so I’ll just hurl some playful insults at him instead. God knows it’s like foreplay for him.
