“I guess you haven’t heard from her?”
I shook my head. “No, what did she want to talk to you about?”
“I’ve avoided her calls. But I’m sure it has to do with Wes’s hand.”
I stopped stirring my coffee and looked at my older colleague. “Wha
t would she want to know about his hand?”
Dr. Evans eyed me. “I don’t think we should discuss it. It’s better for both of us if we don’t.”
“You brought it up, Dr. Evans. And really, I’m in the dark. What does Jenny Nichols want?”
“Let’s just say that someone might have tipped off the press as to the seriousness of Wes’s injuries and that his recovery was lightning fast.” His bushy mustache twitched.
I peered at him, trying to piece it all together. “We didn’t release any information on his medical status.”
“No, but you and I are not the only ones who knew he had surgery. The team said it was a severe sprain.”
“Oh, God.” I covered my mouth. Was there someone in our hospital who had leaked Wes’s medical information?
Dr. Evans tapped my wrist for comfort. “I don’t think there’s anything to worry about. It’s only my curiosity. The team doesn’t distribute illegal substances. Neither do you or I. So, his recovery is truly a testament to what an amazing surgeon you are and his capacity to heal. Nothing more. We followed and upheld our medical ethics.”
But I knew there was more. I had known for weeks. Wes didn’t heal on his own.
“Thanks for letting me know.” I smiled weakly, feeling the nausea hit me in a gigantic wave.
“I shouldn’t have even mentioned it.”
I looked down at my coffee as he walked out of the room. The nausea rolled again in my stomach and I ran for the trashcan. This couldn’t be happening. There was a reporter digging into Wes’s recovery. I didn’t know whether to tell him or keep it to myself.
Would it keep him out of the Super Bowl? Would he be so distracted he’d screw up? Would she actually uncover something I didn’t want to know?
I sat on the bench, clutching my thermos. I had almost forgotten this part of Wes existed. These past few weeks, I had seen the sweet and sexy side. The side that had turned into a one-woman man. The side that told me he loved me.
I had forgotten that before me, he drank and gambled and slept with a different woman every night. Winning was his everything. He told me. He told me he crossed a line to repair his hand. God, why didn’t I find out more? Why didn’t I try to stop him?
The pit in my stomach grew. What if he still was that man?
25
Wes
I smiled in front of the cameras. My cheeks hurt from smiling so damn much. I was tired and cranky. This was supposed to be the best week of my life, but all I could do was countdown to Friday.
Coach Howell sat next to me while the press fired questions, and Sam Hickson was on my right. I’d give Stubbs a hard time when I saw him for bowing out of this one.
A reporter in the front row raised his hand. “How are you feeling about going up against the best scoring team in the league?”
Howell fielded the question. It wasn’t like it hadn’t been asked fifty times this week. “Our defense has studied. They’re trained. We’re ready for what they have. We don’t plan on letting them be the highest-scoring team on Sunday.”
Everyone in the room chuckled. It was easy to get a laugh out of the press.
A nerdy type next to him asked the next question. “Wes, what has been your training regimen this week?”
I pulled the mic closer to my chin. “I work with the trainers on my diet and I try to get a workout in in between press events. Standard stuff we do on the road. Nothing special this week.”
“Wes, Wes!” I pointed to the man in the back row. “Do you think Jenny Nichols is going to get any traction on her story?”