Total pages in book: 124
Estimated words: 119005 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 595(@200wpm)___ 476(@250wpm)___ 397(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 119005 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 595(@200wpm)___ 476(@250wpm)___ 397(@300wpm)
Gwen burst into tears, turning to Ainsley. They cried and hugged each other in abject relief.
“When can we see him?” the gaffer asked.
“Immediate family only at the moment. He’s on pain medication, so he might not be responsive.”
As the doctor led Ainsley and Gwen away to see Baird, relief shattered through me and I buried my face in my hands as the sob broke out before I could stop it.
I felt more than Beth’s soothing hand on my back. First John’s, then the gaffer’s.
“It’s okay,” the gaffer offered in a gruff voice. “He’s going to be okay, son. It’s okay.”
CHAPTER FIFTY-FOUR
CALLAN
The doctors wanted to keep visitors to a minimum in those initial forty-eight hours. At first, I refused to leave until they’d let me in to see him. Teammates came and went, leaving wee gifts for Baird and his family. His grandparents arrived too.
Then Beth’s parents showed up with Elle, and the three of them were carrying enough food to feed an army. Now that I knew Baird would be all right, I ate.
Her parents didn’t stick around long, just made sure we were okay and fed. I got a hug from Joss and Elle, and a comforting pat on the back from Braden.
“Call us if you need anything,” Beth’s dad had said, meaning it.
Finally, I got to see Baird.
It was weird seeing my mate, this larger-than-life bloke, laid out on a hospital bed. There were odd, dark circles around his eyes, especially his right, and that side of his head was swollen. He looked pale and helpless, and I fucking hated it.
“Am I pretty?” Baird asked groggily as I sat down next to him.
I burst out laughing, but it turned into choked tears.
Bowing my head over his bed, I shook, trying to get a hold of myself.
I felt his hand rest on the back of my head.
We didn’t say anything.
We just stayed like that for a while until I felt like I could breathe again.
CHAPTER FIFTY-FIVE
CALLAN
It would have been so easy to go back out on that pitch and fall apart. To let fear and frustration and grief for Baird take us out at the knees.
But Caley United returned to the pitch four days later to the roar of not just our fans but Kingston fans too. Kingston supporters led the way, clapping us onto the field. Our fans followed. Their compassion made me proud of our sport.
We played for Baird who was recovering in hospital but out for the rest of the season.
And we played with a fierceness that stunned our worthy opponents.
That first game was a draw.
The next a win.
The next after that a win.
A draw.
A win.
A win.
A draw.
A win.
The new year sped toward us, passing us by. Beth and I had been set to attend her parents’ New Year’s Eve party, but we’d stopped off at Baird’s flat in Dean Village first, only to find him holed up there on the couch with his mum, sister, grandparents, and John. John was flying home to Canada after the third for the week we had off from training. For now, he spent all his time at Baird’s.
The flat had never seemed so mammoth and empty with only the seven of us situated around Baird’s huge TV with snacks. He wasn’t allowed to drink alcohol.
And he wasn’t himself.
Everyone assured me that was normal, and we’d get Baird back.
But I wondered if we would.
He was withdrawn, frustrated, and I was afraid he was depressed. While he couldn’t play for the rest of the season, the team doctors wanted to ease him back into training in February. I was worried my mate might go off his nut until then.
Beth and I ended up staying, spending New Year’s with them instead of her parents.
By the end of January, we were back on the field, playing in several tournaments at once and smashing it for Baird.
Whenever she could get there, Beth was in the stands. Braden, Adam, and a couple of Beth’s uncles and aunts joined her sometimes. One day I told Beth it was like having family at my games.
She’d said, “Not like. Is. You do have family at your games.”
When February hit, Baird seemed to pull himself out of his black hole. His training regimen was gentle. But that wasn’t what he threw himself into. He threw himself into our real estate company. And our deal with Braden. Rather than buy Blantyre Castle, we bought into it, and Baird was now working closely with Braden on it. I was relieved. He seemed happier, if still not quite the Baird I was used to. He was far more serious about life.
There was no sign of Gavin.
Whatever Braden said to him that night outside the restaurant, he took it to heart, and he left me alone. I hadn’t realized how much his presence in my life weighed me down until I no longer had to deal with him.