Page 91 of Beneath the Scars
Zane and I are left on the bench to be substitutes when one of our teammates is ready to switch out.
“That man was absolutely picturing all the fun cardio he could do with you.” Zane grins at me.
“Zane! No, he wasn’t.”
“Oh, yes, he was.”
I shake my head at him. “There’s no way you could know that based on one interaction.”
“Hon, I have years of experience knowing when a man is interested in me. It’s the only way to keep from getting punched. Titus is definitely into you.”
“Whatever.”
He’s silent for a second, and then looks around the bench to see where our two girl subs are. Once he confirms they’re several feet away, he leans closer. “I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable. I shouldn’t have assumed you’d be interested in the attention. You have every right to tell me shut up when I’m being too forward.”
I breathe out a laugh. “I appreciate you saying that, but it’s fine. I’ve been shy my whole life, and I don’t think that will ever change. I also have no idea what to do with that kind of attention. It doesn’t seem to matter if it’s guys or girls.”
“So you like both?”
“I like the person, not the gender.”
“Ah. Understood. But the teasing was okay?”
“Yeah. I don’t notice when people are interested in me, so sometimes it’s helpful to have it pointed out.”
Before he can respond, my phone starts vibrating. I frown at the caller ID.John Francis Hospital.
“Hello?”
“Hi, is this Ryan Jackson?”
“It is.”
“I’m Sam, a nurse in labor and delivery at John Francis. Eliza has had her baby and is on our postpartum floor. She’s asked us to give you a call to see if you could come to the hospital.”
“Oh my gosh. Okay. I can be there in half an hour.”
Sam gives me instructions on how to find thelabor and delivery ward before we hang up. I turn to Zane. “Eliza’s asked me to come to the hospital. She’s had her baby.” Panic starts to tighten my chest. Of all people, why would she want me there? I don’t know the first thing about babies.
“Then let’s go.” Zane jumps off the bench and starts grabbing our stuff. We quickly update the team and run out to my car.
Zane calls my mom to let her know what’s going on. She tells us she’ll meet us at the hospital after she cleans up from working in the garden.
“Why would Eliza want me there? Why wouldn’t she call Mom?”
“I don’t know, Ry. Maybe she needs your calm demeanor to help keep her steady.”
“I guess we have gotten pretty close over the past few months. She’s become a good friend to me.”
“You’re pretty easy to love. If I were going through something stressful, I would absolutely want you by my side.”
I pull into the hospital’s parking lot a few minutes later. The walk into the building gives me time to get control of my nerves. This isn’t the first newborn I’ve been around, nor will it be the last. Maybe she needs me to tag in on taking care of the baby. I can handle that.
Following the directions Sam gave me, Zane and I find our way to the labor and delivery wing. At the counter in the waiting area, a young woman is working on her computer. She smiles at me in greeting. “How can I help you?”
“I’m Ryan Jackson. I’m here to see Eliza Hawthorn.”
“Okay. Have a seat there, and someone will be out to grab you.”
