Nick
As I went back into the gym, after saying goodbye to Demi, I couldn't help but to feel like she was becoming a little too overbearing. I knew she was just worried about me, but I feel like she was going to keep trying to get me to give up fighting all together, because that's what she really wanted me to do. I didn't want it to come between us, so I was going to have to have a discussion with her, if I continued to feel this way.
I watched two guys in the cage, for a moment, wishing I could get in there with them. I knew I would be back in there, eventually, but I also knew Demi wouldn't like it.
I went over to the punching bags & put my gloves on, just as Jay & Ryan came over, bringing along another one of the guys who we hung out with, Juan.
"Did the ball & chain say it was okay to stay & play with us?" Jay teased as he poked me in the chest.
I smacked his arm & twisted his finger a little as I smirked at him. "Yes, she said it was okay as long as I don't miss curfew."
Jay smirked as Juan & Ryan laughed at my sarcasm & I went back to punching the bags. Jay & Ryan both put on gloves & started taking turns hitting the bag as one of us held it. "So you want to get in the cage for a round?" Jay asked me, as he held the bag.
I stopped throwing punches & looked at him. "I don't know if I should get in the cage, man. I have a head injury." I chuckled at him & he rolled his eyes.
"Yea, I would wait until after the doctor clears you." Ryan chimed in.
"We don't have to hit the head area." Jay remarked, with, yet another eye roll.
"I think I will play it safe." I said.
Jay snickered behind his hand & nodded. "Whatever you say. Or should I say whatever Demi says."
"Dude, fuck off. It's what my doctor said." I replied, starting to get annoyed.
"Right, right. But you know you got a ball & chain now. You gotta do what she says or you face the wrath." Jay was smirking behind the bag as he leaned on it.
"She doesn't control me." I stood up, straight & started pulling off one of my gloves with my teeth. I was getting pissed, so Ryan came over to help me. "Thanks." I muttered to him, then looked up to see Jay looking at me with a stupid grin on his face. "She doesn't. I can do what I want."
"Really? Well, I must be mistaken, then. You gonna come out with us tonight?" Jay asked, taking off his gloves.
"I told Demi I'd...." I started to say, then stopped when Jay was smirking at me with his 'I told you' face. "I'll send her a text to let her know I'm going out with you tonight & I don't know that I'll be over." I raised my eyebrows at him as I pulled my phone out.
"How about you don't even text her at all?" Jay suggested with his eyes wide, like he was taunting me.
"I don't want her to worry. It's rude to not let her know, man." I made a face then looked at my phone.
"This is why I don't commit to a woman. No need to check in. The freedom to do what I want. When I want. But I can still get laid whenever I want." Jay held his arms out like he was king of the world.
Ryan & I laughed as we rolled our eyes. "And this my friend is why you will be alone for the rest of your life." Ryan said with his lower lip out, making me laugh & nod my head in agreement.
"Listen. I will settle down when I'm ready. I am young. I have plenty of time. Right now, I am having a ton of fun." Jay gave us an evil laugh as he turned to walk away. Ryan & I watched him as he headed to the weight benches. "So did you text her?" Jay yelled out as he laid on the bench & Ryan stood behind it to spot him.
I put my phone on the window ledge nearby. "I sent her a text & just told her I was going to grab some drinks with you & Ryan after we left the gym." I shrugged my shoulders then sat at a different machine & started using it, to work out my arms. I heard Jay make a whipping sound & saw Ryan smirk at me. Ryan suffered the same abuse not too long ago when he had gotten serious with Lisa. Jay liked to give us shit & both of us knew it. With me, though, I was his brother & I lived with him, so I had to suffer more than Ryan had to.
The three of us left the gym, later that afternoon, after working out & catching up with some of the other fighters. We headed to the Knock Out in Ryan's car, since he would probably be the one to drink the least. Ryan wasn't a big drinker because a few years earlier he got shit faced drunk & got into a bar fight, almost killing a guy. So now, he doesn't drink too much. A beer or two here & there, but nothing harder, usually. Especially when he was at a bar with strangers. At our house, among friends, it was different.
It was nice unwinding with my brother & Ryan, just talking about whatever we wanted & playing darts or pool. I hadn't been able to do this in months, since I had been training so vigorously for my big fight. Jay stopped picking on me about being pussy whipped, thank God. He, instead, made me & Ryan laugh until our sides hurt.
Ryan drove me & Jay home after we left the bar & I was pretty drunk, as was Jay. I'm not sure who was more drunk, actually. Ryan had to help us both inside the house, because we kept laughing & falling over our own feet. When we got inside the house, Ryan said goodbye, then left. I headed to my bedroom & Jay headed to the bathroom. I opened my door & froze when I saw a curvy blond lying on my bed, on her stomach, with her ass raised up a little. At first, I thought I was seeing things, but I shook my head & she was still there when I looked again. I stood there, staring at this girl's ass, not exactly sure what to do. I was too drunk to think clearly & too afraid of falling, to move. I felt Jay come up beside me & heard him chuckle in my ear.
"Dude, there's a girl in my bed. I didn't order one. Did you?" I asked, smirking at Jay.
"That's Trisha.... Or Trixie..... Or Trina. No... wait... It's Tammy." Jay was whispering & laughing. "She's a girl that hangs out at the bar sometimes... she does drugs, I think & the other night I let her crash here because she was drunk & her friends left her at the bar. She must have needed a place again & got confused & thought this was my room." He shrugged & lifted his eyebrow, before he started licking his lips as he looked her way.
"Don't even think about fucking her in my bed. I'm sleeping in the guest room." I muttered before I headed down the hall. I couldn't get to the bed fast enough & took off my shirt as I walked toward it. Right before I got into bed, I took off my jeans. I was asleep moments after my head hit the pillow & didn't wake up until I heard yelling. I lifted my head up & blinked a few times.
I thought I heard my name & got out of bed, quickly. I almost fell reaching for the doorknob, because my foot got tangled in the jeans that were on the floor.
"Who the fuck are you?" I heard a familiar voice scream out when I opened the door. I walked down the hall & realized it was Demi. "Why are you in this bed?"
"I was sleeping." Tammy or whatever the fuck her name is, mumbled, in a groggy voice. "Is this your bed?" She asked in a high pitched tone.
"No, it's my boyfriend's bed & I want to know where he is!" Demi yelled at this poor girl.
I got to the room & saw Demi standing at the foot of the bed, while Tammy cowered under a sheet. Demi was dressed in her work outfit, so I guessed it was early in the morning. "Demi! Stop yelling at her." I said, wanting the yelling to stop, altogether, since my head was pounding from my impending hangover.
Demi's head snapped so she could turn her glare on me. "What the fuck, Nick?! We're back together like two days & you're cheating on me, already?"
I clicked my tongue & hung my head. "No. But please stop yelling."
"I will not stop yelling. You don't come home last night & I come here to find out where you were & I find some crack whore in your bed." Demi was still raising her voice.
"First of all, I need you to stop yelling because I have a headache. Second, THIS is my home, so I actually did come home last night. Third, I did not cheat on you."
"Okay, you know what I meant when I said come home. And there is a girl wearing her underwear in your bed, Nick. I'm not stupid." Demi rolled her eyes as she went from glaring at the girl to looking at me, with narrowed eyes.
I sighed & reached for Demi's wrist, which she snatched away as soon as I touched her. "Come with me, so I can explain."
"Explain right here." Demi said, her jaw clenched as she crossed her arms.
"I got home last night, pretty drunk, since I haven't been able to do that in a while & when I came to my room, she was in my bed passed out. Jay said she was a girl he knew from the KO & that she probably came here to crash again but got confused, thinking this was Jay's room."
"Confused? Really? Your room looks nothing like Jay's or the guest room." Demi's mouth was pursed & I wasn't sure she was going to believe me at any point.
"She was drunk when she was here the first night, Demi. So anyway, I went to sleep in the spare room & then didn't wake up until I heard you yelling." I had my hands on my hips letting her know I was done with my explanation.
Demi bit her lip, then looked back at Tammy, who was still looking out of it. "Please get out of my boyfriend's room." Demi said to her, in a calm voice.
The girl got out of the bed & slithered toward us. As Tammy stood between me & Demi, she looked at Demi & smirked, "I prefer former crack whore." She walked toward the front door & I watched her with my mouth hanging open. When I looked back at Demi, she was trying to hide a smile.
"Okay, she's a smart ass." Demi chuckled. I had my eyes focused on Demi's face, which now looked at me wearing a sweet smile. "I believe you. Sorry I got so mad. I missed you last night." She stepped toward me, reaching to put her hands on my waist.
"I don't want to rush things with us. I'm not gonna stay at your place during the week. Just on weekends maybe." I said in a serious tone. I knew if I stayed there during the week, it would just end up being all the time & I wasn't ready to move that fast. Especially, since Demi wanted me to stop fighting & I didn't. I knew that was going to be an issue with us.
Demi's lip came out as she moved closer to me. "Fine. I understand. We can take turns ya know? I can stay here once in a while."
"We'll see how things go." I smiled. "You better get to work, though. It's your first day back after your mini vacation so you don't want to be late."
"Actually, I have an hour, so...." She ran her hand down my stomach & slipped her fingers under the waistband of my boxers, while she moved to kiss me, softly. "What can we do until I have to go?" She asked before she started kissing my neck & her hand moved down into my boxers more, running down the length of my manhood. I closed my eyes, letting out a soft sigh.
"I have a killer headache, Demi." I said, wishing my head wasn't pounding so hard. I knew if I fucked her right now, my head would hurt even worse. Between the drinking & the head injury, my head was begging for a reprieve.
"Aww." Demi said as she looked into my eyes, while still stroking me in my boxers. "What can I do to make it feel better?" She was speaking in her sexy voice & even though I was fully erect, my pounding head was distracting me from fully enjoying Demi touching me.
"Actually, if you want to make me feel better, you can rub my shoulders. I'm really tense." I said, my eyes squinting because the sun started to shine through the blinds in my room.
"Seriously? You'd rather have a massage than have sex? Be sure to mention that to your doctor when you go for your first session." She chuckled as she sat on the bed. She pat the bed between her legs so I could sit & she could rub my shoulders. Once she started rubbing, I started groaning because it felt so amazing. After a few minutes, Demi got up on her knees & leaned down so her mouth was by my ear. "You're making me want to fuck you with all the groaning you're doing."
"Sorry. Maybe tonight, babe." I said then let her keep rubbing my shoulders. She stopped when I told her it helped, then I went to take some Tylenol before heading into the kitchen. Demi wrapped her arms around me from behind as I grabbed a coffee mug.
"Now, I gotta go to work all horny." She said as she pressed her her cheek against my back.
I turned around, laughing. "Are you really that horny?" I asked pulling her close to me. She nodded as she kissed me, quickly. "How much time before you have to leave for work?" I asked, leaning my head back a little. My headache was starting to go away, thank God.
Demi looked at her watch & sighed. "Twenty minutes."
I sucked in my bottom lip, put the mug on the counter & grabbed her hand to pull her to the bedroom. I closed the door & locked it, then grinned at her. "I can make you come in twenty minutes." I said in a sexy tone as I strutted toward her.
Demi pulled off her Tshirt, then laid on the bed. I grabbed her yoga pants by the waistband & tugged them down as quickly as I could. I wasted no time once I saw her p.ussy exposed & I started kissing & sucking on her c.lit. To speed the process along, I inserted two fingers while I lapped away at her, making her scream out as she writhed on the bed. It only took a few minutes before she was letting go & coming all over my fingers. I glanced up at the clock on my wall to make sure I had enough time & seeing as I had ten minutes to spare, I decided to slide my erection inside her soaking wet hole. She seemed so relieved as she let out a cry of passion. My headache was pretty much gone, so I pounded aggressively as Demi clung to me, gasping & panting, loudly in my ear. I tried not to hold back anything, as to not make my headache return. I didn't stifle my moans & groans & I got pretty loud since Demi was contracting around me & there was no feeling in the world quite as amazing. We came together, quickly, & as soon as our bodies stopped quivering, I slid out of her & stood up. I pulled my shorts back on, watching Demi smile as she laid on the bed, reeling from her plenitude of orgasms.
"Jesus, Nick. That was fucking amazing. And..." She turned to look at the clock & smiled even bigger. "in record time. I mean I think I lost count after the third orgasm that took over my body. In twenty minutes, though, you gave me so many orgasms, it was like one giant one." She lifted her head, then came up on her elbows.
"You're gonna be late, babe." I reached for her hands & pulled her up. She kissed me, then I gave her, her pants & waited while she put them on. Once we were both decent, we headed out & almost ran into Jay, who was smirking at us.
"Glad you're alive." He said, looking down at Demi, who looked confused as she glanced my way. "I thought he was killing you by the screams I heard." He chuckled then winked at her before he sauntered off.
Demi rolled her eyes, but I saw a hint of pink on her cheeks. I walked her to her car, then kissed her again. "I'm sorry for barging in here today accusing you of shit. You forgive me, right?"
I chuckled behind my smile & put my arms around her waist. "Of course. You trust me, right?"
Demi nodded & kissed me, once more, before she got in her car. I held her door open as I leaned into her car a little. "Have a great day at work. Call me or text me later, when you get a chance."
"Will you be at the gym?"
"Probably all day." I raised an eyebrow at her & she took a deep breath.
"Okay. I love you." Demi said, sounding a little sad, if I was being honest.
"I love you, too." I leaned in to kiss her mouth, softly, then closed the door. I waved at her as I watched her drive away, then headed back into the house to eat some breakfast before I went to the gym.
Jay & I got to the gym an hour or so later & got right back into the swing of things. Jay & Ryan got in the cage together & all I could do was watch from the side, itching to get in there again. I licked my lips as I fought the urge to go into the cage & join them. Instead, I shouted my support & suggestions to both of them, then when they finished I headed to another part of the gym.
I was on a bike, when I saw Wilmer walk in. He gave a few guys a nod, letting me know he had been there before. Ryan & Jay both glared at him, Jay looking like he wanted to punch him in the throat, while he held his arms down. I felt my blood boil as I watched him go into my dad's office & shake his hand. My dad gave him a pat on the back, then invited him to sit down, before he closed his office door. Not only was I angry that this dude was in my gym, on my turf, I was mad that my dad was treating him no different than he treats his own sons.
I tried to push it out of my mind that Wilmer was sitting with my dad, like they were old friends, as I worked out my frustration on this bike. When my dad's office door opened, I heard them both laughing & that pissed me off even more. I don't know if it bothered me because of what Wilmer had done or if it just bothered me because I craved attention from my dad. My dad was better now, but when Jay & I were younger, he didn't give us much attention unless we were doing something he loved to do. Like fighting. Even now, my dad & I weren't close unless we were discussing fighting or if we were in the gym together. My dad didn't visit me & Jay at our house & rarely invited us to his place.
I watched Wilmer walk out of the gym, trying not to notice how proudly my dad was smiling. Was he proud of Wilmer or of himself? It was hard to tell. He looked at me, once he realized I was nearby. "Hey, son. How's the head?" He asked.
I nodded as I slowed the pace on the bike. "It's fine."
"When do you go to the doctor?" He asked, crossing his arms & looking around. I almost felt like he was asking just so people would think he cared. He was speaking louder than he needed to & seemed to be making sure there were people within ear shot.
"Monday." I replied, getting off the bike.
"Wilmer being here isn't going to be a problem for you, is it?" Dad asked in a lower voice.
"I'm just gonna ignore him." I said then took a drink of my water. Dad was nodding his head, looking down at the ground. "Is he just working out here or are you actually training him to fight again?"
Dad shrugged, avoiding my gaze. "Just playing it by ear, right now. I mean I have fighters, already." He motioned with his hand toward me & smirked as I nodded, wiping the sweat off my neck with a towel. "Well, don't work too hard, son. You don't want to push it. I'll talk to ya later." He gave me a slight smile & headed back to his office. I couldn't help but be annoyed. For him to be helping the guy who, for the most part, tried to, at the very least, end my career, was kind of a slap in the face to me. Wilmer could have killed me & here he was being taken under my dad's wing. What the fuck was up with that?
I went over to the weight benches & took out some of my aggressions, for a while. I stopped when Ryan asked me if I wanted to come to the KO with him & I did. I wanted to unwind & get numb, if I had to be honest. I needed to forget the feeling I had when I thought about my dad helping Wilmer.
I sat at the KO, with Ryan & Lisa, while Jay worked. I got pretty buzzed & then realized how late it was when my phone started vibrating on the bar. I looked to see it was Demi calling & I sighed. She was gonna be pissed that I didn't answer her other calls earlier. I decided to suck it up & face the music, so I answered it.
"Hey. I've been calling you." Demi said, trying to hide her anger.
"Sorry. I had a rough afternoon, so I came to hang out with Lisa & Ryan."
"Are you drunk again?"
"Uh...."
"Is this what you're gonna do with your life now? Get drunk every night?" Demi's voice was raised a little.
I clicked my tongue & rolled my eyes when Ryan looked over at me, smirking. He knew who I was talking to. "It's two nights... not like it's been going on for weeks."
"I thought we could hang out tonight." Demi said, now sounding sad.
"We can. I just need to call a cab. I can be at your place within the hour." I took a swig of my beer, then smirked at Ryan, who was chuckling, quietly, now.
"I can come get you." Demi offered.
"Okay, that's fine. Come get me then, babe."
"I'll be there shortly." She replied then disconnected. I looked down at my phone & saw it was still pretty early. It wasn't even 10:30 yet. I finished my beer, then talked with Ryan & Lisa until Demi came in. I did a double take when I saw her, since I was expecting her to be in her work clothes, but she was wearing tight jeans & a black cropped shirt. I saw a few guys check out her ass as she walked toward me, smiling, so I, immediately, got up to go to her. I grabbed her & kissed her, letting those guys know she was very much taken & so was her ass.
Demi didn't want to stay & hang out, which was fine by me, so we went back to her place, where we had sex before I passed out. The next day, Demi dropped me off at the gym on her way to work. I wasn't seeing her than night because she had plans with Michelle. In fact, she informed me that she had plans with Michelle for the whole weekend. They were going to Disney on Saturday, then on Sunday they were going to a winery or something. When I saw Demi next, it was on Sunday evening. She showed up at my house, while I was playing video games. I thought I saw her roll her eyes when she first came in the front door & saw me sitting there, with the remote in my hand, but I couldn't be sure.
"Hey babe." I said, my eyes focused on the TV.
"You haven't seen me in two days & that's all you can say?" She asked, standing there, her hands on her hips.
"No... but give me one second." I said, my tongue out as I concentrated on killing the enemy. I did a few moves with the controller, then it was over. The game anyway & I was declared the winner. I exited the game & tossed the controller on the coffee table. "I missed you." I said, standing up to hug her. She hugged me back, reluctantly, but then my hands went to her ass, giving it a little squeeze, then she was wrapping her arms around me, tightly. My lips were on hers a moment later, as I walked us toward the bedroom. We tore each other's clothes off & had a fuck fest for a few hours, so we could make up for lost time.
While we were laying, naked, tangled in the sheets & each other, Demi's phone went off. I reached for her phone, then handed it to her so she could answer it.
Her expression got serious as she sat up in bed. "Claire, calm down..... Okay... tell me what happened..... " I watched Demi's face look concerned as she listened to the person on the phone. "Okay, listen. Stop freaking out. These kinds of things happen with your type of injury.... yes.... well... I guess I can.... Okay... ten tomorrow... I can do that. Please stop worrying. Keep it elevated & use your crutches. Take some Advil & I will see you in the morning." Demi tossed her phone on the bed in front of her & sighed, loudly.
"What's wrong?" I asked, rubbing my hand on her leg.
"One of my clients... she injured herself this weekend & needs to see me first thing in the morning. She was freaking out, Nick, so I have to see her. I'm so sorry." She sighed, sounding annoyed.
"Sorry for what?"
"I was supposed to go to your appointment with you." Demi looked at me with her bottom lip, jutted out.
I chuckled & kissed her pout. "I'll be fine. I can have you drop me off in the morning & I'll find a ride home."
"Are you sure? I mean I can have one of the other PT's work with her."
"No, baby. I'll be fine." I smiled to reassure her, then I got aggressive with my mouth on her neck & chest. We had sex again before falling asleep.
I had to admit, I was a little nervous about my appointment with Carter. I had no idea what to expect & I wasn't sure how he was going to act toward me. The nurse got my weight & blood pressure, then asked me some questions before leaving me in the exam room to wait for Carter to come in. I stared at my surroundings, reading the stuff on the wall, until the door swung open & Carter strolled in.
"Hey, Nick." He said as he closed the door behind him.
"Hey, Dr. Collins.... er... uh.. should I call you that?"
Carter laughed as he went to the sink to wash his hands. "You can call me Carter, that's fine. I mean we're friends, right?"
I pressed my lips together, not really sure if I'd call him a friend, but not wanting to say that exactly. "Sure." I muttered.
As Carter dried his hands, he watched me, carefully. "Let me tell ya what's gonna happen over the next four to six weeks. You'll come in once a week just so we can keep tabs on the injury & to know the severity of it. With head injuries, it's important to talk to you about things because not everything is gonna show up in scans. So you have to be completely honest with me about everything. I'm gonna start with a series of questions today just to see what might be going on that isn't visible on a scan. I looked over your scans & I don't see anything that is cause for concern, but like I said, some things can happen gradually. Got it?"
I nodded & inhaled, slowly. "Got it. So today I'm going to answer a lot of questions."
"Well, that's the majority of the appointment & then I have some games, if you will, that will help me determine if you have any areas that are affected by your injury that need more attention. So, if I see any gaps in the memory or see any areas of the brain that need attention then I will set you up with the right therapy. So let's say you seem to be having trouble retaining information, then I would have a therapist work with you, doing some exercises to help in that area. Okay... let's get started. Have you had any blurred vision?" He asked, looking up at me as I shook my head. "Sharp pains?" Again I shook my head. "Headaches?"
"Yea, I've had headaches. But I was also drinking so they could have been related to that."
"Did you get the headaches only after a night of drinking?"
I licked my lips & looked away, not feeling comfortable with my answer to this. "No." I replied, hoping he wouldn't probe further.
"What were you doing when you got the headaches, then?"
"Uh... well, I got a headache after doing pushups & situps. And..." I looked down, feeling my face turn red. "And.... um... after sex."
I looked up just in time to see Carter wince. "I see. And sex was in the missionary position?"
"Yea... and uh... her on top." I cleared my throat.
"And how often were the sexual encounters?" Carter asked as he looked at his tablet, seeming like he was about to enter the information.
I sighed, suddenly, wanting to run from the room. "Are you asking as my doctor for a medical reason or are you asking as my girlfriend's ex boyfriend, wanting to know how healthy our sex life is?" I couldn't help but to sound annoyed.
Carter looked up from under his lashes & smirked. "I need to know for medical reasons." He simply replied, with no expression.
I laughed, nervously. "Okay... just making sure. And the sexual encounters were daily... I mean we just got back together so...." I let out a short chuckle under my breath & Carter just looked back down at his tablet. I wasn't sure I'd ever felt so uncomfortable in my life.
Carter continued with the questions & I answered them as honestly as I could. I tried to not hold anything back because I knew it was important to be honest with a doctor, when you were wanting a full recovery. When Carter finished his list of questions, he put his tablet on the counter & came over to stand in front of me, with his light. He shined it in my eyes a few times, then cleared his throat. "So are you upset that you're done fighting?" He asked as he slipped his light into his breast pocket.
"What do you mean?" I asked, in confusion.
"Fighting. Aren't you done fighting professionally?" He took a few steps back as he slipped his hands inside his coat pockets.
"Who said that?"
"You & Demi are back together.... so I just figured you would be done fighting." Carter gave his shoulders a slight shrug.
"What does me & Demi being back together have to do with me fighting?" I asked, my forehead wrinkled.
"When Demi & I were talking a few weeks ago, she said she'd never get back together with you as long as you were still fighting. And since you're back together, I assumed you were giving up fighting." Carter looked smug to me & I could feel myself getting angry.
"I'm not giving it up."
Carter nodded his head, licking his lips with his eyebrows up, then turned away to get something from a cupboard. "Let's start with the first game I have. It's an exercise but I call them games so it sounds more fun." Carter chuckled, sounding nervous.
"What was that look for?"
"What look?" Carter walked to me, his eyebrows knitted together.
"The look you gave me after I said I wasn't giving up fighting." I tried to keep my voice steady.
Carter inhaled & exhaled deeply. "I probably shouldn't say anything.... " He sat on the stool as I raised my eyebrows at him, letting him know I wanted him to say something. "It's just that I know Demi pretty well... and I know she told me that & I know she meant it. I also remember how close her & Wilmer used to be years ago. They were like best friends when they were in junior high & high school. When I met her in college, they were still really close. They would talk all the time & they hung out a lot. He'd go out with us pretty often, so much that sometimes it would annoy me. Anyway... once he started getting really serious about fighting, Demi & him started fighting & then... they just drifted apart. She tried to get him to give it up, but he wouldn't & now they aren't close at all. She distanced herself from him. I mean even before he did what he did to you, they weren't close. Actually, it's been the last few years that they haven't been close. I saw them drift apart. I was with Demi when it started. Anyway... I just can't imagine Demi will be okay with you being a fighter. If that's the career path you're on.... you & Demi are gonna drift apart just like her & Wilmer did."
I sighed & looked away, shaking my head. "Demi wasn't in love with Wilmer. She's in love with me."
"That may be true, but it doesn't change who she is & what she is afraid of. She hasn't liked the fighting world since her dad passed away. In her mind, that's the world that took her dad from her & even though she's made strides in accepting it, thanks to your dad, she still doesn't want you fighting." Carter let out a soft sigh. "She pretty much said that when her & I talked a few weeks ago. In fact, I was really surprised you two got back together. And I was even more surprised when you said you weren't giving up fighting."
I looked at Carter, not even sure of what to say to all this. He pulled out the exercise he wanted to do with me & after he explained it, we got started. I tried to concentrate on the task instead of thinking about what Carter had just told me about Demi. I was bothered by it & wondered if Carter was right. Maybe he was just wanting to plant a seed of doubt, so her & I would fight or I'd break up with her & he could have another crack at dating her. He really couldn't take a hint.
After my time with Carter was done, I asked if I was okay to fight right now. "I don't see any reason for you not to be able to fight, right now. Just use head gear & if you experiencing any of these symptoms get yourself to an ER right away." He answered me as he handed me a piece of paper with information about head injuries on it. "Just take it easy & listen to your body. But you seem to be doing okay, so I'm guessing the damage to your brain was minimal. Now, that's not to say if you keep fighting there won't be more damage to it, but for now, you're good. We'll see how things go, over the next month or so. Set up your appointment for next week on your way out & I'll see you around, Nick. Probably not at the gym, though. I found a gym close to the hospital that is pretty cool. It's owned by Chuck Swain. Have you heard of him?"
I nodded as I got off the table. "Yea, I know who he is. He manages fighters & he knows my dad. I haven't seen him in years, but I know a lot of the fighters he manages & I know he scouts fighters a lot."
"Yea, I've heard he's a legend. Anyway, it's a great gym, so I guess I'll see you around just here or if I see you while hanging out with Demi." He pat my back as I walked out of the room. I felt so annoyed thinking of him hanging out with Demi, but I knew they were friends & I couldn't do anything about that. I said goodbye to him, then made my next appointment before I went outside to wait for Jay.
When Jay got there, he knew something was bugging me, so I told him about my conversation with Carter. "It sounds logical, man. She has hang ups about fighters & the fighting community, so even being in love might not help her get over those issues she has." Jay said, not making me feel any better. As he drove us to the gym, so I could blow off steam, I stared out the car window.
Just after we got to the gym, I was changing in the locker room, when my phone buzzed, with a text from Demi. "Hey, Handsome. How'd your appointment go?"
I took a deep breath before I answered, "Fine. Will talk to you about it later." I sent the text & felt some anxiety thinking about the conversation I was going to have to have with Demi. I had a bad feeling it wasn't going to be an easy one & I feared that it wasn't going to end well. We just got back together & now I was afraid we were going to be over for good, before we even really got started again.