Love Unmatched (Unexpected) Page 8

  Mrs. Kendrick was one of my three patients in the unit. She had been in and out of our unit because of her insulin problems, and she was also on weekly dialysis for her kidney problems.

  Two days ago she had been in the intensive care unit because her blood sugar had spiked up to dangerously high levels.

  Earlier she asked me what channel the football game was on, and because she was such a sweet lady, I disclosed to her that the quarterback for the Minnesota Fox was my fiancé. She screamed in delight at the revelation and requested that if Zander came to visit me that she wanted to meet him in person. I told her that if she had not been discharged yet she would.

  I was checking on her blood sugar when I happened to glance at the TV and saw Zander and his team walking towards the field. I was hoping I could watch it at my place, but my relief nurse was not here yet because she was running late. The charge nurse asked me to stay for two hours, and as much as I wanted to say no, they were all nice to me and we had a shortage of staff at the moment.

  I kept my eyes on the TV. Ms. Kendrick’s sugar was 170. It was high, but way better than the 280 from earlier.

  I saw the Minnesota Fox break from the huddle. Zander went under center, signaling the offense that an all-out blitz was probably going to happen. He snapped the ball. As he was stepped back to pass, the offensive line caved under the pressure of the defense, letting two defensemen through who both hit Zander simultaneously and slammed him into the ground. After the two defensemen got off of him, Zander laid motionless on the field. The sportscasters’ voices could be heard on the TV, and they were saying that it didn’t look good for Zander. The referee called for an injury timeout and the TV station went on a commercial break.

  My heart dropped to my stomach and it stayed there.

  I felt the walls closing in on me. My hands started shaking and my knees started to wobble.

  “Honey, come sit down here before you fall,” I heard Ms. Kendrick say. I pulled out my cell phone from my pocket. Cell phones were not allowed in the unit because the electromagnetic activity of the phones sometimes interfered with the medical equipment function, but this was an emergency. I dialed Raoul, our pilot, and told him to be ready. I would be at the airport in less than an hour.

  Panic and hysteria battled within me, but adrenaline was slowly taking over. I rushed out of the room and talked to the charge nurse. She must have sensed my desperation. She asked me to breathe into a paper bag because I was hyperventilating. I took in long, slow breaths. My co-workers gathered around me; worry and concern were etched on their faces. Someone told me that Zander was getting up, and that the Minnesota Fox medical team was in the middle of the field.

  There was no way for me to reach him. He wouldn’t have his cell phone on or even near him. John wouldn’t either. I called the number that Zander gave me for emergency purposes; Coach Benson’s cell phone. But he wasn’t picking up either.

  As soon as I reached our plane I tried calling again. Finally his coach answered.

  “This is Sedona calling for Zander. How is he? Is he okay?” My frantic voice could be heard across the plane. “I need to talk to him.”

  Coach Benson said, “He’s being evaluated by the medics. He’s alert and talking right now. I’ll give the phone to my assistant so he can give it to Zander after he’s done with the medics.”

  The game was still on, so his coach would have to be focused on the game.

  I waited for about twenty minutes. Our plane was still on the tarmac. When were we ever going to get the clearance to take off? It was taking too long. I needed to get to him.

  Relief rushed through me when I heard Zander’s voice on the line. “Hey babe, I’m okay.”

  I felt the hot sting of tears pour over me. I had been afraid for him. I couldn’t look at the TV for long when I saw him lying on the turf. I did not want to believe that it was him.

  “Baby,” I sniffed. “I was so scared…I’m flying over there right now.”

  He sighed and said, “I’m okay. You don’t have to come. They’re bringing me to Minneapolis General Hospital to be evaluated. I’m fine babe.” I heard the reassurance in his voice.

  “I don’t care if they said you’re okay,” I countered. “I need to see you. I’m going to be there in a few hours.”

  He must have heard the resolve in my voice, because he said, “Okay. Don’t be stressed though. It’s bad for the baby.”

  I felt the plane take off, slowly lifting away from the ground. “I love you so much Zander,” I cried. “I don’t know what I’d ever do without you.”

  He whispered into the phone, “I love you too. I’ll see you soon.”

  As soon as I got to Minnesota I went straight to the hospital. He was waiting on the results of the MRI and was waiting to be cleared.

  The sight of him in a hospital stretcher, wearing a blue hospital gown, brought another wave of tears to my eyes.

  When he saw me, he reached out his arms and cocooned me in them. I climbed onto the stretcher and I stayed in his embrace for the longest time.

  My voice was muffled against his chest as I said, “Don’t ever scare me like that.”

  He wiped the tears from my eyes and kissed the top of my head. “I think I’m going to have to serious talk with all the defenseman of the NFA and tell them my woman ordered them not to hit me like that.” Then he added, “I’m sorry that I scared you, and that you had to get off work for me.”

  I searched his face; his eyes were solemn, beseeching, and apologetic.

  “Zander,” I started in a serious tone, “No matter what happens, just remember,” I pressed onto his chest with my right hand, “you will always be my priority. It doesn’t matter where I am or what I’m doing or whatever is happening; I will always come to you. You’re my heart, remember? I can’t live without my heart. You’re the beat that runs through my veins and feeds my body.”

  He hugged me tightly and said, “I know babe, I know. I’m so happy that you’re here.”

  I savored the feeling of his body so close to mine. It frightened me to think just how close I was to losing him today. I would not know how to exist without him. I reached for his hand and pressed it on my stomach. “We need you with us, always. All of this stuff won’t matter without you.”

  I scooted up on the bed, reached up to his face, and said, “I love you,” again.

  The doctor came in and revealed that Zander was cleared for the next game, but that he would have to keep his shoulder immobilized for a few days.

  When the doctor left, I noticed that I was still wearing my scrubs and my nursing shoes. I didn’t even have time to change into anything. All that mattered was getting to Zander, reaching him, because in the end he was all that mattered to me.

  Chapter Thirteen

  ”I fight my own battles. With you at my side, I am impenetrable.”

  Zander

  Being a quarterback was tough.

  Being a rookie quarterback in the big leagues was ten times harder.

  Our last game was a loss by a touchdown. 21-28. That had been a tough pill to swallow. I hated losing. As a competitor, winning was always the goal. But I always managed to shake it off and move on.

  This time, however, it was different.

  During our last play, one of my wide receivers, Stock Vedder, was supposed to run left. Instead, he ran right. When he did that, I didn’t have any time to react because defensive end Shavon Tucker rushed and sacked the hell out of me. It wasn’t the first time that Vedder had done this. This was, however, the first time he did it during a game. He had done it a couple of times previously during practice. Coach Benson gave him grief about it. I didn’t say anything, because I thought he would fix it and run the route like he was supposed to.

  There were many mistakes that happened during the last game that have contributed to our loss. Vedder’s obvious disregard to the play was the one that stuck in my head, because it was straight in-my-face disrespect to me as a quarterback.

 
I meant to talk to him about it - alone.

  John and I were working out at the gym. He was spotting me as I bench pressed. It was still early, but the rest of my team would be coming in a few minutes.

  John wondered, “What’s wrong with Vedder?” John was a defensive back. He was standing on the sidelines at that time, so he must have seen my confusion on the field when Vedder changed the play.

  “I’ll talk to him,” I replied. “He needs to get his head straight and remember the plays.”

  A bunch of guys entered just then, and I heard Vedder’s voice as he said, “Pretty boy didn’t know who to throw it to. That was funny man. He looked lost and confused.”

  A guy, whom I recognized as Baron Trells, said, “Dude, it was during a game. You have to run the routes the way you’re supposed to.”

  Vedder snickered. “I just wanted to see what our hotshot quarterback was going to do. You got to admit, it was kind of funny.”

  Trells did not respond.

  John looked down at me. He heard everything, and I saw his fists clenching. I gave him a look that said I’ll take care of this.

  Vedder probably didn’t know we were around, because John and I were in a somewhat hidden corner. I did a couple more bench presses as John added more weights.

  I heard more guys enter the room. It was now eight o’clock in the morning. Everyone would be here by now.

  I stood up from the apparatus and walked across the room, stopping by Vedder and Trells. Vedder was presently lying on the bench, doing a set of reps.

  “So what happened on that play?” I asked, calmly.

  Vedder’s eyes showed surprise. He was in the process of gripping the bar and lifting it up from his chest when he saw me. I motioned Trells to leave his spot, signaling that I would be spotting for Vedder.

  Vedder spoke, “Look, if you can’t handle a last minute change of play, then you’re no good as a quarterback.”

  “Who changed the play?” I inquired, and my voice belied the anger that had been boiling since I heard him and Trells earlier. Vedder had done it on purpose.

  I added more weights to the rack.

  “I did,” he admitted.

  “Are you allowed to change the play?” My anger seeped through even more. Everyone was now looking at us.

  “If I wanted to,” he snorted, defiance reflecting in his eyes.

  Wrong answer.

  “Listen here and listen well. This is the first and last time I will say this to you.” I felt my jaw muscles ticking overtime, and my voice was laced with menace.

  He rolled his eyes and sneered, “Whatever.”

  I added ten more pounds of weights. This time his face was held in a grimace. He was not going to be able to hold this position for long. The muscles on his neck were tightening up, and he was feeling the pain of the added weights.

  “Listen here you fucker. Outside of that field I do not care what you do, or whatever shit you say about me. On that field I am your quarterback; I am your fucking god. If I say jump ten feet in the air to catch the ball, you will! You do not change plays on me. I don’t need your respect; you just need to fucking obey me, run the route, and catch the ball. If you don’t, I will fucking make sure that the ball never goes your way again, and we’ll see how your stats look after that. Do we understand each other?”

  His face was even tighter now; in a matter of minutes his shoulders would give out and his arms would not be able to hold the weights.

  He slowly nodded his head. His face was still pinched, but I made sure that he got my message: No fucking around with me, especially during a game.

  I removed the ten pounds of weights, but left the remaining ones on the rack. He would be able to move, slightly.

  My voice boomed across the room, addressing everyone. “This is my team, our team. I am your quarterback. If I make mistakes, it’s on me. You make mistakes, it’s still on me. On that field, we are one. We have one goal – to win. You better make damned sure that you bring your A-game every single fucking time or we’ll have a problem. Am I making myself clear?”

  I saw nods and heard ‘yes’ from my team.

  John and I left the room a short while after.

  Chapter Fourteen

  “You empty me of my want and fill my every need.”

  Zander

  I was going to kill Xavier and John.

  This gag had their imprints all over it.

  I could not believe they would do this to me.

  If Sedona heard about this, she would flip! I had specifically told them, "No lap dances!"

  Shit.

  I could not get out of these ties. They had me tied to this chair and I had no fucking idea how to untie myself. I thought that they had left me alone. I knew that I shouldn't have trusted those clowns when they easily said, "Alright," after I told them I was going to sleep. I couldn’t fathom how they managed to move me without waking me up. I must have been dead tired.

  I was drained from the day's activities. Last night’s game went into overtime. After catching the red eye to Vegas, I’d gotten a max of three hours of sleep. The guys started arriving and we went out for some golfing. I didn't golf. Apparently, Xavier and the rest of them did. I did not see the point in hitting a tiny ball up in the air to try to get it into a tiny hole. The guys seemed to enjoy it though. When they asked me what I wanted to do for this bachelor shindig I told them I just wanted to relax. I guessed that meant golfing, bar-hopping, chilling by the pool, and now this; a private lap dance.

  I tried to get loose from this rope that was tightly tied around my hands. What was this shit made of? Metal? I couldn't even loosen it. How would I explain this to Sedona? She knew I wasn't into this stuff. But if she heard about me getting a lap dance she would not be jumping for joy about it either.

  I scanned the room. I couldn’t see anything since it was so dark. If I was going to get a lap dance how the hell did I see the dancer? Was this one of those freaky nightclubs where they touched you in the dark and you could not see who was touching you? Fuck. I would definitely commit murder if someone else touched me. I should actually have a tattoo on my dick saying, ‘Sedona's property, no trespassing.’ Was that too long of a tattoo? Maybe just 'Sedona's property' then. It was true. My dick didn't stand up for anyone else but my girl.

  I heard the music playing. The sound of the riffs being played on the acoustic guitar filled the room. I recognized it as 'Pour Some Sugar on Me' by Def Leppard. My spit was the only thing that was going to be poured onto this chick or chicks if they touched me. Wait, I could just pay them off. That was a great idea. I'd just tell them that I would pay twice whatever the amount those clowns paid, as long as they untied me.

  *****

  Sedona

  I couldn’t believe that Tanya was seriously considering that I should do this.

  “No Tanya,” I protested for the nth time. “This is supposed to be his bachelor party. I am not going to ruin it for him.”

  Tanya sat on the king-sized bed of our hotel here in Vegas, pouting. Her red hair was shorter now. She was going for a more chic look. As soon as she arrived from the airport she had been trying to convince me to do this.

  “Look, this is the only way he’s even going to consider doing this,” she replied. “I called John already. He said that the club’s all reserved and ready to go. We just need you.”

  I shook my head again. Where was Nalee when I needed her? Oh, that’s right. She was arriving in two hours since her flight had been delayed.

  I turned my head to look at myself in the mirror. At five and a half months I looked like a balloon. How in the world was I supposed to dance like a stripper as Tanya was suggesting I should?

  Yes, my crazy friend was suggesting that I should stand in as the stripper for Zander’s lap dance.

  The guys had tried to convince him to go to a strip club, but he was vehemently against it. Even Kieran said that Zander was being such a killjoy. I had no problems with Zander going to a strip club. It was h
is bachelor party. But I could not force him to do it. And why would I? Just the thought of him being teased and grinded on by scantily-clad women was enough to bring back my morning sickness. I’ve had an easy pregnancy so far, aside from the anemia and the bouts of morning sickness during my first trimester that went into my four month mark. It was a struggle to do my internship at that time, but I had done it. Now there was no more morning sickness, just the constant feeling of being bloated and feeling like a whale.

  I eyed the outfit that Tanya set on the bed. It was a two-piece neon green, tiger print spandex bikini set. The top was a triangle bikini top that tied in the back, and the bottom was a G-string. I have never worn something like this outside of the pool. Actually, some of the two-piece bikini sets that I wore for Zander were probably skimpier than what Tanya had picked out. My reservation came from the glaring fact that I had a protruding tummy, that my thighs were twice their size, and that my legs were starting to stick together when I walked.