Long Distance Lover

“I’ll take care of the press. Don’t worry about it. I’ll handle it.”

“But what about the team? I…”

“Listen, they all know you’re the best and they want the best for you. Everyone has been hanging around waiting for you to wake up so that they can tell you how much you mean to the team.” He cocked his head over his shoulder. “They’re out in the waiting room.”

She wiped her eyes. “I must look a mess.”

“Not at all,” he said softly.

“Tell me anything.” She tried to brush back her hair, which she usually wore in a ponytail. Her hair was her one attribute that made everyone take a second look. It was just beyond her shoulders, rich, black and smooth as satin. She owed it all to her great-grandmother who was a full-blooded Cherokee Indian. The American-Indian genes seemed to miss everyone else in her family but settled solidly in every fiber of Kelly’s being, from the high cheeks and dark piercing eyes to an incredible love for the outdoors and nature. But it hadn’t always been that way. She inhaled deeply and pushed the images away.

“Should I let them in?”

Kelly nodded slowly. “Is Stephanie out there?”

“Yes.”

Kelly rolled her eyes. “She must be feeling pretty good. This couldn’t have worked out better for her if she’d planned it herself.”

“K, now is not the time to worry about Stephanie. She’ll always be number two. You know it, the team knows it and so do sports fans.”

She looked away.

“I’m gonna let them come in for a few minutes and then you get some rest.”

Slowly she nodded her head.

Kelly stared up at the off-white ceiling, contemplating her future. The sound of well wishes from her teammates still rang in her ears. She glanced down at her leg and her stomach muscles tensed. Would she ever be able to run again? Was her career, her life over?

She should have listened to her grandmother years ago when she told her that she needed more than “good hair” and speed to get through life. The only profession she’d ever had was that of an athlete. She’d never worked a real job and had no marketable skills. Sure she had a degree in Liberal Arts and that was about as valuable as a three-dollar bill. The only way she’d made it through high school and then college was because she could run. What would she do if she couldn’t run ever again? The question plagued her throughout the night as her dreams were filled with dismal visions of her watching from the sidelines as life sped past her and when her name was mentioned in sports circles, no one could remember who she was, and she reverted back to the girl who no one hated more than she did.

Chapter 3

“How are you feeling this morning, Kelly?” Dr. Graham asked as he checked the angle of her leg in traction.

“I’ve felt better, I suppose.” She tried to adjust her body in the bed to get more comfortable.

“Let me help you.” He came to the top of the bed and adjusted the pillows behind her then pressed the remote to raise the bed.

“Thanks.” She looked up at him. “How bad is it really?”

Dr. Graham exhaled a long breath before pulling up a chair next to the bed. “I’m going to be honest with you, Kelly. Brutally so.”

She tugged on her bottom lip with her teeth.

“You have sustained what could be a permanent debilitating injury—for an athlete. The damage that has been done to that ankle will take months to recover from and that’s not taking rehab into account. And even with the best trainers, I don’t believe you will ever be able to run the way you once did.”

Her chest constricted. “You’re…saying my career is over?”

“Miracles happen every day, Kelly. You’re a tough young woman and other than a bad ankle you are in good physical condition. Much recovery from any injury, other than the physical, is the mental and emotional. How far you come from this will rely very heavily on you and genetics.”

She swallowed over the lump in her throat and slowly nodded her head. “Thank you,” she murmured.

“I understand you’ll be going to New York for your rehab.”

“Yes, David is working that all out.”

His cheeks flushed crimson.

Kelly craned her neck forward. “What are you not telling me?”

Dr. Graham looked away then directly into Kelly’s eyes, his thick white brows almost forming a single line. “I spoke to David months ago, the last time you were hurt.”

Intently looking at him she nodded her head.

“I told him then that you should not get back on the track, that he was sending you out too quickly. Your ankle was still weak. What happened yesterday was unfortunate but inevitable. My concern is the fragility of your bones. It is rare in someone so young.” He drew in a breath and stepped closer to her bed. He took her hand. “Kelly, your ankle is like a fragile branch that was set out of doors against the forces of nature much too soon. It didn’t get the time or the nurturing that it needed to be at full strength.” He clenched his jaw. “David knew this. But he let you go out there anyway.”

“It was just as much my fault. I wanted to be on the track. I needed to be out there.”

Dr. Graham sighed with resignation. He patted her hand. “Get some rest.” He turned to leave.

“How long do I have to stay here?” she asked, sounding like a lost child.

“At least a week. They want to be sure that your ankle is setting properly before sending you home.”

“When can I start rehab?”

“At least a month. I wouldn’t recommend it any earlier than that.” He headed for the door, stopped and turned around. “Kelly I would like to run some tests on you.”

“Tests? What kind of tests?”

“Some bone density tests and some blood work. I think—”

“That won’t be necessary. I’ll get all that taken care of when I get to New York. I don’t want to have to stay here a minute longer than necessary.”

“Be sure that you do, for your own good. No matter what David says.” He looked at her for a long moment.

“I will.”

A month. She lay in the bed watching the activity of the hospital staff from her doorway. What would she do with herself for a whole month—incapacitated? Tests…there was no telling what the tests would show. Her secret was bound to get out.

She picked up the cup of water from the bedside table and hurled it across the room, barely missing David as he came through the door.

“Was that directed at me?” he asked stepping inside. He reached down and picked up the cup then came toward the bed.

Kelly folded her arms across her chest and looked away, not wanting David to see the tears of frustration that were burning her eyes.

Gently he touched her shoulder. “What is it, babe? Are you in pain?”