Page 66 of Playing for Possession
The doctor’s face gave nothing away, but I braced myself for the worst.
“It all looks good.”
A cry of relief left my mouth. “It does?”
She nodded. “Your knee is a little bruised. The graft is still intact. Ice it for a couple of days, and you’ll be fine.”
I brushed the tears from my cheeks. “You’re sure?”
She nodded. “I’m sure.”
I eased down from the table with a beaming smile on my face. Another chance.Football had almost been snatched away from me in a heartbeat again, but I had another chance. I wouldn’t squander it.
Chapter 28
Kieran
I kept my gaze fixed on the door Joanie had been escorted through by the doctor. We’d been here for so long and seen so many different specialists. I wanted to be in there with her, but she’d asked for privacy. Agitation swirled through my body. I got up and paced. At least the place wasn’t filled with people like it was last time. I didn’t have it in me to pose for selfies.
Getting back to form after an injury took every scrap of will. I’d known guys who hadn’t made it back. Rehab was enough to crush your spirit. But Joanie had looked magnificent on that pitch. I’d never seen her so relaxed and in her element. You couldn’t give Mozart a piano and expect him not to make music. This woman was born to play football. She had to be OK. She had to be.
After everything she’d been through to get back to form, I couldn’t stand the thought that it could be another tear. She’d probably need to go home now regardless. This would be over. My heart ached. I didn’t want her to be hurting, and I didn’t want this to be over. I hadn’t felt like this about a woman before. I’d never seen anything more beautiful or impressive than Joanie speeding down that pitch as though she had winged feet.
The door to the doctor’s office swung open, and Joanie emerged. We approached each other across the waiting room. I searched her face for signs of news.
“Tell me.”
Dark circles hovered around her eyes. She gave me a tired smile. “Everything is OK.”
“It is?”
She nodded, and I wrapped her in my arms. My breath left me in an unsteady exhale. “Thank God. Do you need to go home?”
“No. I just need to ice it. I want to stay... if you still do?”
“Of course I do.”
I took her hand and led her through the door of the medical center. She shook her head and covered her face with her hands. “I fell on my face in front of my hero.”
“Me?”
She gave me a playful whack. “Carlos.”
“Oh, I wouldn’t worry.” I held the car door open for her. “We’ve all done it.”
Chapter 29
Joanie
The sun dipped low over the ocean, making it sparkle like molten gold. We lay on a picnic blanket watching the sky transform again, this time from light to dark.
Kieran’s eyes drifted to my knee. I pulled the hem of my dress down over the scar.
He turned on his side, propping his head on one elbow. “You don’t have to cover it.”
“It’s ugly.”
“It’s the opposite.”
