Mom’s phone vibrates. “This is Claudia texting. She wants to come back to see you so I’m going to swap places with her.”
My nurse puts the call thing in my good hand. “I’m stepping out so push that button or have your girlfriend come to the desk if you need anything.”
“OK.” Wait. I don’t have a girlfriend. I open my eyes to correct her but she’s already gone from my room. Well, damn!
She’ll be back in a few minutes to get my vital signs. I’ll set her straight then. Unless I nod off again and miss her. Or forget.
Shit.
My sister pulls back the curtain and comes into my recovery room. “Hey. How is Coach Bliss feeling?”
“Claudia, you have to tell the nurse you’re not my girlfriend if I fall asleep.”
My sister’s head tilts as she smiles. “You always say the craziest shit after anesthesia. I should be recording this so I can put it on YouTube. Or send it in to that TV show where you can win ten thousand dollars for the funniest video.”
I’m not too sedated to give Claudia the finger. “I’m not talking crazy shit. My nurse thinks you’re my girlfriend.”
“So?”
“I don’t want her to think I’m unavailable.”
Claudia waddles over and sits in the chair next to my bed. “For real, Owen? You just woke up from surgery and you’re chasing a piece of ass?”
Yeah, I guess I am. “Come on. Do it for me, squirt. Ash will be back in a few minutes.”
She rolls her eyes. “OK. Whatever.”
Claudia’s phone vibrates and she smiles as she thumbs a reply. “This is Bram checking in on you. I can’t wait to see what he says about your hitting on your nurse two seconds after surgery.”
Bram and Claudia have been married six months. She’s eight months pregnant. I think the fucker knocked her up on purpose. And she let him.
I’m still pissed off that Bram was screwing with my baby sister behind my back but I guess I’m starting to get over it. Not like I really have a choice. They’re married with a baby on the way. My nephew, Abraham, will be making his debut in a few weeks.
I’m not ready to admit it to either of them but I actually like my best friend being married to my little sister. I know he’ll take care of her—he always has—so that means I don’t have to worry about other dicks screwing with her.
“Knock, knock,” my nurse says a moment before she pulls the curtain open. Sort of weird there’s only three walls and some hanging fabric separating all the patients. “Time for vitals again.”
I can tell the anesthesia is wearing off. Or maybe it’s just this beautiful woman making me more alert.
She looks at Claudia and her eyes immediately dart to her stomach. I clear my throat, the prompt for my sister to clear up the girlfriend confusion. “Hello. I’m Claudia, his sister.”
“Oh, hi.” Maybe I’m imagining it because I want it to be there, but I think I pick up on some kind of surprise-relief-happiness. “I’m Ashlyn.”
Damn. She said Ash before. I’m sure of it. I assumed it was short for Ashley. But Ashlyn? That name brings back some memories from long ago. The one that got away. Literally.
She pushes a button and the cuff on my arm squeezes again. “Still feeling all right?”
“Better than I have in weeks.” I’ve been in some motherfucking pain for a while. I shouldn’t have been showing off for my team. It was stupid. But I wanted my players to see my talent. Aspire to be like me. Know they were being coached by someone who knew what the hell he was doing. I didn’t play college baseball—and almost go pro—because I was no good at it.
This broke-down shoulder put an end to any hope I had for making it into the pros. I was forced to trade that life for one back in my hometown as a high school baseball coach.
I felt that fucking rotator cuff rip when I was showing the boys my speedball. I wanted to lie on the field and cry like a baby but I held it together in front of them. No way I’d let those kids see me like that.
“They put a block in your shoulder for pain control and immobilization.” Explains why it feels so good right after surgery.
“Which means it’s going to hurt like a motherfucker when it wears off, right?”
Claudia swats my leg. “Owen.”