The pain was excruciating. Ben knew the minute the ball struck him it would not be good. Everything was in slow motion as the pain took him to the ground. He remembered the sound of applause when the trainers led him off the field. Before he knew what was happening, he was in an ambulance for the short ride up Brookline Avenue.
The last place he wanted to go was the emergency room, however they escorted him directly to a room with the privacy curtain pulled so no one could see in.
A nurse came and took his blood pressure and blood oxygen level and a doctor followed.
"Mr. Lynch, I'm Dr. Gentry. We'll get you to x-ray in a moment, but aside from the wrist, do you have any other injuries?" He shook his head and winced as his arm and hand throbbed. "Dr. Edwards is on his way, but would you like me to help with the pain?"
He shook his head. He hated pills. He rarely even took ibuprofen. He trusted Dr. Edwards, as the team's orthopedic and sports medicine specialist, the doc took care of a lot of injuries and his reputation was stellar.
Ben looked at his hand. It was swollen and throbbing. He thought about calling or texting someone, his father, Kenzie or even Jett, but he didn't know what to tell them other than it hurt like hell.
A woman in scrubs explained she would take him for his x-ray. She pointed to a wheelchair.
"I can walk." Looking down at his uniform, he frowned. "I don't need pictures online of me in a wheelchair."
"The hallway is clear. Security is outside the door." It relieved him to know the hospital had taken precautions to protect his privacy. "You're not the first athlete and you won't be the last." Her response was matter of fact, as if he didn't impress her at all. At least she wasn't a crazy fan.
It didn't take long for the x-ray, but it hurt like hell as they tried to get different angles. He breathed a sigh of relief when he was back behind the curtain with the security guard at the door.
The same doctor returned. He looked at him with a concerned face. "Are you sure you don't want something for the pain?"
He shook his head. There was no way he would put those chemicals in his body. His mind flashed to Kimmy as he shut his eyes.
"My sister-in-law texted me. It seems her boyfriend's sister is a friend of yours and is worried."
"Really?" He didn't have many friends who weren't in the game.
The doctor nodded. "She's dating Ted Calhoun."
"Ted?" Ben wondered if he was a brother.
"Oh, you may know him as Edward."
"I thought he was married. I met his wife."
"Must have been his ex-wife, because he and Mia are really serious."
If he was serious with the doctor's sister, why was he with Sloane? "What's his sister's name?"
"I haven't met her. Let me see." He took his phone out of his pocket. "Sloane, she texted that Sloane is concerned."
"Sloane! Edward Calhoun's sister is Sloane. I never knew her last name." His voice trailed off as he shut his eyes. He heard the doctor asked him again about the pain, but he shook him off like a pitcher would a catcher.
Sloane was Edward's sister. He had said she was his fan. She was the one who gave up her condo so he could have it. He had accused her of stalking him at the gallery, but she had every right to be there. She was probably with Edward's girlfriend. Kenzie had sensed she came from money, but he just thought her father had a good job. He assumed she lived in a house with an upstairs and went to ballet lessons to learn to walk gracefully. He never thought it meant she grew up in a mansion or wherever it was people with money going back to their grandfather lived. He wondered where he had dropped her off. She had said it was her brother's, but it didn't seem like the type of house a man whose company converted old mills into modern condos would live.
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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