Page 79 of Nights at Seaside
Sawyer wrapped his arms around her. “Okay. It’s okay. I only have one more fight, and you don’t have to watch.”
The doctor came back into the room. He was a tall, older man with salt-and-pepper hair and serious eyes behind wire frames.
“I just got off the phone with your doctor.” He shifted his eyes to Sawyer. “He says he’s already told you not to fight.”
Told you not to fight?
Sawyer’s dark eyes held the doctor’s gaze. “Dr. Malen gave me the same warning every doctor gives every fighter.”
“Sawyer,” Roach said in a husky voice.
Sky looked up at him as Sawyer released her. His eyes narrowed. “This ismyfight, Roach.”
Sky had never heard his voice so cold before.
“Perhaps there was some miscommunication,” the doctor suggested. He folded his hands in front of him and said, “Although I know Dr. Malen well, and he’s meticulously precise.”
Sawyer’s jaw clenched.
“Can he fight or not?” Roach asked.
Canhe fight?
“Is he physically able? Yes,” the doctor said. “Is it advisable? No. I would not send my own son into a ring after being concussed as Sawyer was. Nor would I have let him into the ring after having endured so many concussions prior to this one.” He turned stern eyes to Sawyer. “It took you too long to come out of it, Sawyer. You got lucky. You’re playing with fire. As Dr. Malen told you, you’ve had numerous concussions, and the next one could leave you permanently brain damaged or worse.”
“Wait. What?” Sky looked at Sawyer. “You’ve had numerous concussions? Your doctor told you that already and you still fought?”
“Sky, all fighters get concussed. It’s not as bad as it sounds. They’ve said that for as long as I can remember.”
Her heart lodged in her throat, and it took all of her focus not to yell as she turned to the doctor and asked as calmly as she was able—which wasn’t calmly at all—“Are you saying that his doctoralreadytold him that he could get brain damaged, or worse, if he got knocked out again?”
“No,” the doctor replied.
Sky let out a relieved breath.
“I’m saying that, according to Dr. Malen, he’s told Sawyer that he could suffer brain damage or worsewithoutlosing consciousness. A simple blow to the head could be enough.”
A simple blow to the head.Simpleblow. What on earth did that even mean? Her legs went weak, and she held on to the side of the bed, her whole body trembling, her mind reeling.
“Sky?” Sawyer’s voice was muted through the rush of blood in her ears.
“Doctor, can you please give us a minute?” Sawyer sat up and swung his legs off the bed.
The doctor put a hand on his shoulder. “Do not get up. Try not to get riled up. I’ll be back in a few minutes.”
The doctor walked out the door, and Sawyer shifted his eyes to Roach. “Do you mind, Roach?”
“Remember what I told you, Sawyer. I’m not making that phone call to your mother.” Roach laid a supportive hand on Sky’s shoulder before turning and walking out of the room, leaving them alone.
“Sky.” He reached for her, but her body was too shaky, her mind too chaotic, to be touched. She turned away.
SAWYER’S HEAD WAS pounding and his body ached from slamming into the floor when he fell, but nothing hurt as badly as the devastated look in Sky’s eyes.
“Sky, listen to me. I have to fight. I have to do this for my father. He’s not doing well. I don’t have much time.”
Tears streamed down her cheeks. “If you fight, you might be more right than you know, Sawyer, about not having much time. How can you even think about going back in a ring after what the doctor just said?”
He steeled himself against her words, as he’d done with Roach so many times in the past. “My parents need this win, Sky.”
