A Million Miles Apart (Wish 4)

17 - Bad break

He had taken Sloane's condo. The pain in his hand was making it hard to concentrate. Had Calhoun told him his sister found another place to live? He had treated her as poorly as he had Kimmy. Sloane was not as vulnerable, but he hurt her feelings. She was crying when she went into the man's arms. Had she done something stupid like Kimmy? Kimmy was hardly an adult, but Sloane was far from a child. She should hate him, yet she was concerned for him.

The doctor had been talking to him, but he hadn't heard him. "Are you sure that ball didn't hit your head? You were in a daze for a moment." Ben shook his head. "I can't answer Mia without your permission. I understand you want your privacy."

"No, Sloane can know. I trust her."

The doctor tapped on his tablet. "Well, I'm not a radiologist or an orthopedic, but I can recognize a break. Given that the season is only about seven weeks if the team goes all the way in the playoffs, I doubt you'll be playing until spring. Obviously, Dr. Edwards will set me straight if I'm wrong."

"I doubt you're wrong. You can send the message on." Sloane deserved some inside information. Maybe it would ease his guilt over the way he treated her.

Dr. Gentry left, and Ben sent a text to his family. They had each tried to reach him, so he needed to ease their concerns. The game was long over and he should have boarded a plane. He thought of his father with his career ending injury. Ben kept reminding himself he would recover from a broken wrist.

Dr. Edwards arrived and went into a long explanation about his break. "We'll splint it until the swelling goes down and then I'll cast it. The good news is it doesn't require resetting or surgery. You should recover nicely."

"How long, doc?"

"How long what?"

"How long until I can hold a bat and catch a ball?" He was looking forward to some off season workouts with his father since he had planned to stick around.

"Let's see how things mend once it's in the cast. I'll want the cast on at least six weeks if not longer. You'll have rehab after. I'll work closely with the trainers."

Dr. Edwards put the splint on him and explained he'd have pain until the swelling went down.

"What do I do now? My team's headed out to the west coast."

"I need you home until the swelling goes down. Once I cast it, you can travel with the team."

"Can I work out at all?"

"Again after the swell you can ride the bike to keep your lower body in shape. I wouldn't advise any running. You don't want to trip and fall. I want you taking ibuprofen around the clock. It will help with the inflammation. Any questions?"

Ben shook his head, which felt like it was spinning. He wanted to go home and wished he had already moved into his condo, the one he had stolen from Sloane. He had thought awful things about her and Edward. When he accused her of adultery, she smiled at him. Calhoun was her brother, and Sloane had stepped aside when the woman who was the CFO took her place in Edward's arms.

Not one to feel helpless, but he had no choice since left his own car at the ballpark. He order a ride, as Dr. Gentry signed his discharge. "What does your sister-in-law do?"

He caught the doctor off guard by his question. "She's the accountant for The Whitby Foundation."

"I saw her last night."

"My wife saw you Thursday night. She came home and told me."

He nodded. "Which one was she?"

"The beautiful pregnant one." Ben was about to mention two were pregnant. "The taller one." Ben remembered thinking she looked similar to Sloane. "Take care of that wrist." His smile was warm.

The security guard escorted him out a back entrance to the waiting car. He was thankful to get out of the hospital without being seen. As they drove towards his hotel, he saw some press camped out in front of the emergency room. When they reached his hotel, there were reporters waiting for him.

"Drive around to the service entrance."

Luckily, an employee he knew was smoking outside and let him in. He took Ben upstairs without being seen using the service elevator and let him in his room. Once behind closed doors, he breathed a sigh of relief. After struggling to get out of his uniform and dressed one handed, he crashed on the couch. Ben wanted to watch Sports Center, but couldn't stand to watch the ball hitting him repeatedly, so he turned it off. His arm still hurt and every time he shut his eyes he saw the rich guy wiping her tears. He accused her of using him, but he had stolen her condo. It would be a long night.

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