I swap my loose shorts and t-shirt for the dark suit I have hanging in the closet of the office. Izzy always said I had to look the part. Damn if that didn’t become second nature. It’s an odd reflection staring back at me in the full-length mirror hanging on the closet door.
I try to make it look less gloomy, but I can’t manage to wipe the worry from my face. I slip on my watch, pocket my cell phone, and head back to the living room where Izzy is undoubtedly waiting for me to say something.
I suck in a deep breath. “Hey, Izzy, I need to go to the hospital.”
“Okay,” she says, I can hear the empathy in her voice. She knows how much Bean means to me. Hell, us. “I’ll go with you,” she declares, pushing herself up and off the couch.
“No!” I snap. Shit. There I go again. “I really don’t want you in the emergency room with all those sick people.” Involuntarily my eyes drop to her belly. Our peanut isn’t visible yet, but I don’t know what I’d do if something happened to either of them. “No risks right now, okay?” My tone is a little softer and my eyes are pleading my case for me.
“Okay, then.” I hear the defeat in her voice. “Will you give Bean my love? And keep me updated?” Crap. That crack in her voice tells me she’s upset, but she’s my Izzy and she tamps down her feelings, so they don’t weigh on mine.
“Of course, Izzy.” The sadness has crept back into my voice. I lean down to kiss my spot, the space between her temple and the corner of her. It’s in that space that I learned the most about mi bella preciosa. Even when she’s crafting a mirage over her feelings, if I pay close attention to those spaces, I can tell when the mask she’s wearing is genuine or simply there to placate others.
Ken’s waiting in the car for me. When I get in, I explain the situation and direct him to go to the hospital. I’m grateful for Ken at this moment. I’ve been here for nearly three months and I still get turned around sometimes. In my current state of being, I’m not sure I could find my way to the end of our street.
As I had suspected, the hospital parking lot is filled with news stations and paparazzi. Everyone wants a piece of this story. The implications of Bean’s situation make Sasha the first female acting owner in the history of the Queen’s Premiere League. While hospital rules and regulations keep the media from being inside, there’s nothing regulating the space they take up outside. Ken helps me push through the sea of flashing lights and microphones.
Entering through inner sliding doors, I see Sasha with a couple of other teammates half-circled around her. When she sees me, she’s up on her feet and headed straight to me. Something doesn’t seem right, but she’s dragging me back to where she was sitting before I can analyze it further.
“Diego,” her voice is almost chirpy. “They said we can see Daddy soon. It’ll be awhile longer for the results.” I think I saw her pout, but I don’t give it another thought when what appears to be a nurse is here to speak with Sasha. If I had to guess, it’s been a long night for—Nurse Emma. She’s looking a bit frazzled.
“You all here to see Mr. Stafford?” she asks nervously.
There’s a collective chant of yeses, yups, and uh-huhs.
I think the chorus of affirmatives riles up Nurse Emma even more. She lets out a sigh, “Mr. Stafford is insisting that he be able to see his visitors now.”
Ahhhh. I have to chuckle a little. The poor thing is taking commands from Bean. He’s probably flirted with her as much as he’s insisted on seeing his visitors.
“There’s just one thing,” she squeaks.
Instantly, the waiting room is hushed. All our eyes are trained on Nurse Emma. I think I saw her jump when she realized we were all staring. “Well, Mr. Stafford needs to keep calm.” She tells us fiddling with her badge hanging from her hip. “He insists that you all be let in at once, but the doctor insists that it be one or two of you at a time.” She’s taken to chewing the inside of her cheek anticipating a backlash from the group.
“Okay,” I declare speaking for everyone. Nurse Emma visibly relaxes with my answer. I turn to Sasha. “You should go in there now. The guys and I will take turns when you’re done.”
“Diego, do you think you could come with me?” She looks up at me with tears in her eyes. I want to say no, but I don’t.
“Why don’t I give you a few moments with him and then I’ll come in. I need to update Izzy anyway.”
She just stares at me for a bit. I don’t know what she’s waiting for and she doesn’t have a chance to ask when Nurse Emma is back. “Are you Mr. Stafford’s daughter?” she’s directing her attention to Sasha.
Sasha must lack the words because she just nods her answer.
“Mr. Stafford is specifically asking for you.” She turns to go.
“You’ll come as soon as you talk to Izzy?”
“Of course,” I assure her.
The rest of the guys have returned to the uncomfortable chairs in the waiting room discussing our last game.
I press Izzy’s number on speed dial. I barely have the phone to my ear when she frantically answers. “Diego? How is he? Is Bean okay?”
“Bella, please don’t get yourself so worked up. He seems to be doing fine by all accounts of his nurse.” I can hear the amusement in my voice. “He’s barking his commands like only Bean could. I don’t know if the doctor agreed to this, but they’re letting visitors in to see him. Pretty sure he demanded it. I don’t doubt he threatened them.”
“That’s good to hear. Any news about his condition?”
“We won’t until his test results are back.”
“How’s Sasha?” I can hear the slight bite in her tone.
“I don’t know Iz. It’s weird. One minute she looks so sad. The next she looks like nothing’s wrong. And not like you cover your feelings, but…well, if I didn’t know any better it seems like an act,” I finish with a shrug even though I know she can’t see me.
Her only response was a “hmmm.” I know Izzy doesn’t trust her, but I’ve yet to see a reason why I shouldn’t. I’m just lucky enough that Izzy trusts me implicitly, so she doesn’t make a bigger deal about it.
“It’s almost my turn to go see Bean. I’ll message you after I’ve seen him, okay?”
“Okay. Give Bean a kiss for me.” Is that disappointment I hear?
“And make sure you eat, mi bella preciosa.” If I don’t keep on her about eating she’ll go through two-thirds of the day on just a banana. “I’ll talk to you soon. Love you so much, so much.”
“Love you so much, so much,” she returns and hangs up.
I get the attention of the nurse at the desk. Nurse Vicki “Mr. Stafford’s room number?” I ask.
I see the moment she registers who I am. Normally, I’d at least fake a smile at the recognition, but these are not remotely normal circumstances. She fusses with some papers in front of her and turns her attention to the computer screen. After punching in his name, she’s able to give me the number.
I immediately walk down the hallway in the direction Nurse Vicki instructed. I follow it around a corner and I can hear Bean chatting up a nurse before I’m even near his door.
I step into the room and I’m shocked that Sasha’s not in there. “Hey, Bean. How are you feeling?”
When he frowns at me, I involuntarily hold my breath. “Son, you don’t need to be worrying about me. Only reason I’m still in this bed are the cute nurses.” He winks at the one currently checking his vitals.
We carry on with our light-hearted conversation. Clearly, he’s not in the mood to discuss what led to him being laid up in a hospital bed. It was just Bean and me for some time when I remembered there was a waiting room half-full of other players that would like to see him. “I think I’ve occupied enough of your time, I should let the other guys in to see you.” The curiosity getting the better of me, I ask
, “Have you seen Sasha?”
“She popped in for a minute but had to take a phone call. That girl and her phone. If she’s not careful she’ll end up in the room next to me.” I see the concern in his eyes. He shakes his head and continues, “She’s been waiting for me to slip up, so she could take over. I hope the lass remembers that it’s not all about the image.”
“What image?” I hear Sasha question from the doorway. Bean and I both turn to look at her.
Bean answers her question while I step out to message Izzy.
Hey Izzy
Got to see Bean
Will update you when I hear more
I don’t wait for her to reply before I remember what Izzy asked. “Hey Bean, I’m gonna let some of the other guys come in, but I promised Izzy something.” Bean’s eyes light up with the mention of my wife’s name.
“What is it, son?”
“Well, she asked me to give you a kiss for her.” I can feel my cheeks redden.
“Well?” he asks. Before I can bring myself to do it, he saves me. “Why don’t we tell her you did? It’ll be our little secret.” He’s laughing at me. Laughing like he’s not stuck in a hospital after suffering a heart attack.
“Daddy,” Sasha interrupts, “I’m going to go out to the waiting room, too. Is there anything I can ask the nurses to bring you?” Mirth plays in his eyes.
“Their phone numbers.”
Sasha lets out an exasperated groan.
“Sasha, my dear. Lighten up. Let your old dad have some fun.” I can’t stop the soft laugh when he waggles his eyebrows at me.
“Diego,” she pleads, “don’t encourage the man. He just had a heart attack.”
“I’m not dead yet,” he retorts. “Now get out and let the other blokes come in.”
They have an interesting relationship. I hope that my little peanut and I are this close.
Sasha and I walk out of Bean’s room together. While I feel a little better having seen Bean with my own eyes, I can tell that he’s overcompensating with his super happy—super flirty—disposition. I can’t remember how long they said the results would take to come back. “Sasha, I’m going to stop at the nurse’s station. I want to see how much longer for the test results.”
She puts her hand on my forearm. “You really do care about him, don’t you?”
“Of course, I do,” I exclaim.
The nurse at the station informed us that it would be a couple more hours before we’d have any results. We head back to the waiting area and a couple of the guys leave to visit with Bean. The signs in the waiting room say visiting hours ends in five minutes, but I don’t think anyone will be telling Bean he can’t finish seeing his lads.
I’m startled by the vibration coming from my phone alerting me I have a message. Wiping my eyes, I realize I must have dozed off. I check the time on the clock in the waiting room and it’s nearly ten o’clock. I look to see that it’s Izzy.
Hey lover. Can’t keep my eyes open any longer.
Mi bella preciosa did u eat
What I could. How’s Bean?
Theyre waiting for the results
It might b worse than they thought
Are you okay?
“Ms. Stafford,” a new nurse addresses Sasha, “the doctor is in with your father now.”
“Thank you.” Sasha turns to me, “Do you think you could come with? I don’t know if I can handle Daddy acting like none of this is a big deal on my own.”
I give her a nod as a finish my next message to Izzy. “I’ll be right in,” I tell her not bothering to look up from my phone.
Im fine just worried
He took a chance on me Iz
I know, lover. I’m glad you’re there for him. Come home soon.
I will
Hey Izzy
Yeah?
U know I love u right
I do. How much do you love me?
So much so much
With Izzy home and in bed, there’s one less thing to worry about. I know her doctor said Izzy wasn’t at risk, but I can never forget the way she looked when she passed out in my arms her first day here in London. My stomach turns just thinking about that. I can feel the bile rise in my throat.
I know I told Sasha I’d be right there, but I need to get some fresh air. It’s been years since I’ve spent more than an hour in a hospital. I forgot how stifling the sterile hospital air can be. I see Ken just outside the sliding doors along with Bean’s team of security. I suppose the hospital must be grateful for them. They’re not exactly equipped to handle the media.
Ken moves in my direction when he sees me. “Should I pull the car around?” he asks once he’s within earshot of me.
With a shake of my head, I tell him that I just needed a moment to clear my head and get some real air. I’m grateful that he’s here. I’m able to sneak off to the side of all the news reporters and paparazzi.
My heart sinks a little when my phone vibrates in my coat pocket. I just spoke with Izzy. Something’s wrong. Ken must see the concern on my face because he asks, “Do we need to leave?”
Pulling out my phone, I’m relieved that it’s just Sasha. I breathe a sigh of relief and tell Ken that I’m headed in to hear what the doctor has to say about Bean’s condition. I thank him for helping with the media circus.
“Mr. Stafford, I’m aware that you think,” I detect sarcasm and frustration in the speaker’s voice, “you can keep working, but—like I said, you’ll need to take it easy for a bit. If you follow the diet and exercise plan provided by the nutritionist, you could be back working in four to six months.”
As I step into the room, I hear Bean groaning and Sasha chirping that she’ll handle everything while he’s recovering. If I didn’t know better, I’d say she was a bit excited to be running things even though it’s a result of her dad’s depleted health.
“Diego, tell Daddy he has to listen to the doctors.”
“I can’t argue with Sasha, Bean. If you were my Izzy or my abueLito, I might quit my job just to be sure you were following doctor’s orders.” I give Sasha a questioning look, waiting for her to agree with me. Instead, she lets out a bit of a huff. Shrugging off the unexpected, I redirect my attention back to Bean. “Bean, if I have to, I’ll drag you to my house and let Izzy handle you. She might look like she’d be the cute, sweet nurse, but looks can be deceiving.” That gets me a chuckle. “Let’s just say the few times I’ve been less than one hundred percent, Izzy was not so cute nor so sweet.”
“I hardly believe that, son.” He chuckles. “However, I don’t want to impede on you newlyweds, so I’ll agree to the terms, but not the time frame. Now,” he turns his attention to the doctor in the room, “when the hell can I get out of here?”
“I’m afraid you’re not going to like this, sir.” The young doctor hesitates. “While we’ve gotten your test results, we do need to monitor you until tomorrow afternoon.” It’s a bit amusing how intimidating Bean is to the doctors and nurses here.
Bean didn’t give him any more grief about his stay, but he attempted to bully his way into “something that actually has flavor” for dinner. He wasn’t very happy when they insisted on grilled chicken and mixed veggies with no seasoning.
The group of us remaining said our goodbyes to Bean and agreed a drink was needed. We didn’t have to do as much dodging leaving as we did arriving. Ken handled most of it for us while Bean’s guys stayed put.
When we’re clear of the small crowd, I tell Ken where we’re headed next. Jay and Leo hitch a ride with us to the Ace of Spades. At this hour, traffic is light. We’re parked and inside in no time.
Lucky for us the place is mildly busy and mostly filled with suits. We found a table at the back while Jay ordered us a round.
“Redbreast Fifteen Year Old Whiskey,” Jay says, placing the round of drinks in the center of the table. We toast to Bean and start in on the small talk. We take turns buying rounds and I’ve lost track. I appreciate the numbing effect the alcohol has on my mind.
After a bit, a few more of the guys from the team show up. We become that rowdy crowd arguing sports when a couple of them are debating future match-ups. Of course, Jay mentions Greenwich Palace Football Club and my mind flashes to that asshole Bastos. I know Jay realizes it when he starts retelling the story of how Izzy humiliated the shit out of Bastos at his party.
“Your girl is a ten and she’s funny as fuck,” Matt says. “How’d you land something so hot?”
“It wasn’t luck,” I say with a smirk. “I don’t mind admitting it, I chased her.” I nod. “Then, I chased her away, lost her, and chased her again.” Did I just say that? Fuck. “Let’s call it fate,” I say holding up my glass in a toast.
“Oh, shit!” says Jay. It’s not quite the response to my toast I was expecting.
“Reall—” I start to question him but follow his gaze instead. The soft buzz of quiet conversations that once filled the bar has turned down to nothing, because Sasha Stafford, the new acting owner of the London United, just walked in.
“Oh, shit is right. Goddamn, what I wouldn’t do to break off some of that,” says Gabriel.
“Which one of you fucks told her where we were?” Jay inquires.
When more than one of them blushes, it’s impossible to determine who the horny-hoping-to-get-lucky bastard is. I turn around and continue to sip this perfect whiskey. Without even moving to confirm, it’s obvious when Sasha is at our table, the bar returns to the soft buzz noise level and our table is filled with silence and dropped jaws, with the exception of Jay. I get the feeling he’s not a fan.
Love Needs Another Chance (Truth About Love #3) Page 12
