doing okay -- had made money in an event, and Adrian was rocking, taking runner-up and winning yesterday's go-round. Packer'd sent one text, too.
It had been a wee bit more... graphic than Ades'. "Miss fucking you," it had said.
Calleigh chuckled, going for the registration desk when Adrian's ring tone sounded and she frowned. He didn't call during events. Adrian always wanted to focus, to wait until after to talk to her.
"Hey, Ades."
"Hey, baby girl." Oh, no. Adrian sounded like hell. She knew every nuance of his voice, and this was not good, with a side order of 'eek'.
"What can I do?" She turned around, headed for the truck, trying to remember where they were riding.
"Pack is hurt, baby. I don't know how bad; they've taken him to the hospital already, and I got to ride yet."
"Okay. You're in... Shreveport?" She could be there in thirteen hours, twelve if she pushed it.
"Yeah. Yeah, it's kind of stinky here." Adrian laughed, and it sounded a little hysterical. "I don't even know the name of the hospital."
"I'll figure it. Hospitals I know. You get your mind on the work. I'll be there as soon as I can." She hopped in the truck. "Love you, Ades."
"Love you, baby. I'm at the Sheraton. I'll have my cell and Pack's."
"All right. I'll call." She hung up, put Shreveport in the GPS and kept her eyes peeled for a Starbucks. Time to go to her boys.
***
God, hospitals stank.
Packer was in surgery. Adrian had stuck it out through the night at the event, taking third in the round, but then he'd high-tailed it to the medical center. He needed to be there when Pack came out of it and woke up.
The coffee sucked hairy donkey balls.
"Hey, dude. How goes?" A huge Starbucks coffee was pushed into his hands, along with a bag of Burger King. Cotton was standing there, along with Fred and Kynan and Garrett. Some of his best friends in the whole league, thank fuck.
"Oh, hey guys." Adrian smiled, blinking grit out of his eyes. "He's in surgery."
"Damn."
"Fuck."
"Fucking hell."
Fred sighed. "Is it bad, mate?" Fred was another Aussie, and he understood things the other guys didn’t about visas and working and shit.
"His leg is all broken, I guess. Collarbone, too, so crutches will be a bear." So would Packer.
"Damn." Cotton was a little one-note sometimes, but he cared.
"He gonna have to stay here long?" Kynan asked.
"I don't know." The coffee hand started to shake a little, the food hand clenching in the bag.
"Okay. Okay, mate. You look a little shell shocked." Fred eased him down into a chair. "You need us to call someone?"
"No. No, I called my wife. She's a nurse." He smiled. Dude. Fred knew that.
"Yeah, as in hello, nurse!"
He was going to kill Kynan.
"You leave my wife alone,” Adrian mumbled, needing Kynan to back off.
Fred clapped him on the shoulder. "Here, let me open your food, huh? Cotton, pull up that little table."
"You got it, man."
He sat there, and his phone rang. Calleigh.
"I'll be right back." He pushed past the guys, knowing his phone was supposed to be off. He headed to the nearest exit, pushing the answer button. "Hey, baby girl."
"Hey, you. I'm going to be there soon -- an hour and a half, maybe less. How's it going?"
Shit, she must be flying down the road.
"Pack's in surgery. I'm not sure what kind of progress they're making." He bit his thumbnail.
"I'll be able to find out. Quit chewing on your nails. What have they said so far?"
"Doc said that they he was shocky, and they had to wait to do the surgery until he was more stable. Then they told me they were taking him in."
"Okay, Ades. Hold it together. I'm going to be there. I can stay with him when you have to move on."
"I'm trying, baby. The guys brought me food." He just... God, he wanted to know that Pack was okay and have Calleigh there.
"Good deal. Go eat, talk to them. I'll be there before you know it." Solid as a rock, his Calleigh.
"Love you, baby. Glad you're on my side."
"Always." She meant it, too, damn it.
"I
It had been a wee bit more... graphic than Ades'. "Miss fucking you," it had said.
Calleigh chuckled, going for the registration desk when Adrian's ring tone sounded and she frowned. He didn't call during events. Adrian always wanted to focus, to wait until after to talk to her.
"Hey, Ades."
"Hey, baby girl." Oh, no. Adrian sounded like hell. She knew every nuance of his voice, and this was not good, with a side order of 'eek'.
"What can I do?" She turned around, headed for the truck, trying to remember where they were riding.
"Pack is hurt, baby. I don't know how bad; they've taken him to the hospital already, and I got to ride yet."
"Okay. You're in... Shreveport?" She could be there in thirteen hours, twelve if she pushed it.
"Yeah. Yeah, it's kind of stinky here." Adrian laughed, and it sounded a little hysterical. "I don't even know the name of the hospital."
"I'll figure it. Hospitals I know. You get your mind on the work. I'll be there as soon as I can." She hopped in the truck. "Love you, Ades."
"Love you, baby. I'm at the Sheraton. I'll have my cell and Pack's."
"All right. I'll call." She hung up, put Shreveport in the GPS and kept her eyes peeled for a Starbucks. Time to go to her boys.
***
God, hospitals stank.
Packer was in surgery. Adrian had stuck it out through the night at the event, taking third in the round, but then he'd high-tailed it to the medical center. He needed to be there when Pack came out of it and woke up.
The coffee sucked hairy donkey balls.
"Hey, dude. How goes?" A huge Starbucks coffee was pushed into his hands, along with a bag of Burger King. Cotton was standing there, along with Fred and Kynan and Garrett. Some of his best friends in the whole league, thank fuck.
"Oh, hey guys." Adrian smiled, blinking grit out of his eyes. "He's in surgery."
"Damn."
"Fuck."
"Fucking hell."
Fred sighed. "Is it bad, mate?" Fred was another Aussie, and he understood things the other guys didn’t about visas and working and shit.
"His leg is all broken, I guess. Collarbone, too, so crutches will be a bear." So would Packer.
"Damn." Cotton was a little one-note sometimes, but he cared.
"He gonna have to stay here long?" Kynan asked.
"I don't know." The coffee hand started to shake a little, the food hand clenching in the bag.
"Okay. Okay, mate. You look a little shell shocked." Fred eased him down into a chair. "You need us to call someone?"
"No. No, I called my wife. She's a nurse." He smiled. Dude. Fred knew that.
"Yeah, as in hello, nurse!"
He was going to kill Kynan.
"You leave my wife alone,” Adrian mumbled, needing Kynan to back off.
Fred clapped him on the shoulder. "Here, let me open your food, huh? Cotton, pull up that little table."
"You got it, man."
He sat there, and his phone rang. Calleigh.
"I'll be right back." He pushed past the guys, knowing his phone was supposed to be off. He headed to the nearest exit, pushing the answer button. "Hey, baby girl."
"Hey, you. I'm going to be there soon -- an hour and a half, maybe less. How's it going?"
Shit, she must be flying down the road.
"Pack's in surgery. I'm not sure what kind of progress they're making." He bit his thumbnail.
"I'll be able to find out. Quit chewing on your nails. What have they said so far?"
"Doc said that they he was shocky, and they had to wait to do the surgery until he was more stable. Then they told me they were taking him in."
"Okay, Ades. Hold it together. I'm going to be there. I can stay with him when you have to move on."
"I'm trying, baby. The guys brought me food." He just... God, he wanted to know that Pack was okay and have Calleigh there.
"Good deal. Go eat, talk to them. I'll be there before you know it." Solid as a rock, his Calleigh.
"Love you, baby. Glad you're on my side."
"Always." She meant it, too, damn it.
"I
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