AFTER RETRIEVING THE PRELIMINARY RESULTS FROM Tucker’s X-rays and CT scan, she reviewed them and made her way back to his exam room. It was quiet in the ER tonight and nothing epic was going on. For that she was grateful.
She opened the door to find all of them watching a baseball game on TV.
They all stared at her. She saw genuine concern in the eyes of Tucker’s brothers. It warmed her.
“You have a concussion, Tucker. Your X-rays and CT scan are clear, though.”
“Good to know. Can I have some aspirin, now?”
She nodded. “Of course. I’ll make sure they give you some before you leave. They’ll also print out some post-release instructions for you. I’d really like to not see you back here again, Tucker.”
He gave her a look. “I didn’t do this on purpose. This was totally Grant’s fault.”
“Hey. How was it my fault? You’re the one who didn’t pay attention and fell over the big-ass rocks that, by the way, anyone with two eyes could see. You should have been able to spot that pile even without your glasses on.”
She looked at Barrett, who nodded and said, “This is true. Big-ass rocks.”
She shook her head. “Either way, this is three times now that I’ve had to treat you.”
Grant frowned. “Three times? You were here another time besides the stitches?”
Tucker scratched the side of his nose. “No. Just that one time.”
Aubry realized as soon as she’d said it, then saw the pleading look in Tucker’s eyes and knew he really didn’t want his brothers to know about that event that occurred in the wine cellar of her father’s house. She couldn’t blame him for that.
“My mistake. Twice. I’ll get your discharge on file and the nurse will provide you with instructions.”
“Hey . . . Aubry . . .”
She stopped. “Yes?”
He gave a look to his brothers.
“Uh, I’d really like some coffee,” Grant said.
“Not me. I’m good right here.”
Shaking his head, Grant grabbed Barrett by his shirt. “Coffee, Barrett. Now.”
“I miss all the juicy stuff.”
“Thanks for everything, Doc,” Grant said as they left the room.
“You’re welcome.”
They closed the door, leaving Aubry alone with Tucker.
“Is there something you want to discuss?”
“Yeah. First, thanks for not mentioning the first time we met.”
She laid the chart on the table next to his bed. “I can understand you not wanting your brothers to know about that. Besides, I promised you I wouldn’t ever tell anyone about that. I’m sorry for the slip.”
“Not a problem. It’s just that . . . you don’t have any brothers or sisters, do you?”
“No. But I still understand. It wasn’t your finest moment. If they knew, they’d never let you live it down.”
“Understatement.”
She paused, waiting, wishing she could make him feel better. She knew his head was fuzzy and likely hurting—bad. “Is there anything else? You really should get some rest.”
He looked up at her. “Yeah. There is something else. Can I get your phone number? I’d like to not come here again as a way to see you.”
She laughed. “I think we went through this before. There are so many reasons why the two of us shouldn’t see each other—either professionally or personally. One, because you have to stop getting hurt. Two, because I lead a very busy life.”
“So do I. Which doesn’t mean you never have any downtime. You should get out and have some fun. You are allowed to do that, aren’t you?”
“On occasion. But not often.”
“So on the ‘occasion’ that we both have, I’d like to take you out. At least to thank you for being so concerned about the well-being of my testicles.”
“I don’t think I’ve ever been asked out quite that way before.”
He grinned. “I’m nothing if not unique, Doc. So is that a yes?” He pulled out his phone.
She sighed. “I have a terrible feeling if I say no that you’re going to end up in my ER again.”
“I’ll take a pity yes for now. And then I’ll convince you I’m worth it.”
She gave him her number and he entered it in his phone. Then he gave her his number. “So you don’t think I’m some random spammer when I call you.”
“Okay. Now that we’ve done that, I need to explain your aftercare, which I want you to take seriously.”
She told him everything he needed to know about his concussion. “We’ll get you a printout before you leave.”
“I’m due to pitch in three days, Doc.”
“You need to take that up with your team physician. I’d like him to examine you and he can assess your readiness to pitch. You might have to sit out a game.”
He heaved a big sigh. “That’s not what I want to hear.”
“I’m sorry, but the last thing you need is to get dizzy and drop to the ground while you’re on the mound. Your health is the most important thing.”
He looked down at the paper she gave him. She knew he was disappointed, so she reached down and grasped his wrist.