Push

Chapter 43

Cameron Santiago POV

"On my first night out with Adam we went to a bar after a concert. This old dude was drunk off his ass and kept touching me. I pushed him off and something flickered in his eyes and with a few seconds he had me pinned against the wall holding my neck. Adam knocked him out. We paid the bill and decided to bounce. Before we got to the car, we heard someone telling us to stop. The man and his wife came over and started to beat us. Adam fought the man and his wife attacked me. She had a bat and went bat shit crazy. Security saw and called the cops. Shit is handled." I explain where the bruises came from.

"That's all that happened?" Kelley questioned me.

"Why is it so hard to believe?" I snapped at her. She shut up.

"She's just worried about you. We all are." Ali interrupts next to me. "Why would you hide something like this?"

"As I said before, I handled it so there was no point." I said cutting my answer short.

"Please don't hide something like this from us. We want to know everything. I know we told you this before but I'm going to say it again. You've been by yourself for years, but now you have people who want you to lean on them." Ali holds my hand.

"Don't you hear yourself?" I start getting frustrated. "I've been on my own for years. I can't all of a sudden pour my heart and soul to you guys every time something happens. You have to be patient with me. I know it's hard for you guys when I don't share things, but it's hard for me to share things."

"We get where you are coming from. Cameron, we understand." Ash tells me. "But we didn't even know you were talking to someone. We would have supported you and loved to hear how things went. Isolating and keeping to yourself won't help you open up. We will take things slowly, okay?"

"Yes, okay." I sigh again, closing my eyes. I can't argue with them, but I also want them to see my side of the story.

"He wants to meet you guys." I randomly blurt out. I see everyone's eyes shift to me. "Adam said he wants to see the people I am always talking about."

"We would be more than happy to meet him." Ali mentions. I notice Ash staring at Kelley as if she was analyzing her reaction.

"You guys will like him. He is laid back, but caring. He is very attentive to detail. He is a few inches taller than me. Black short hair. Olive skin complexion." I described him. "That reminds me, can I have my phone."

Ash fishes the phones out of her pocket and hands it to me. I look and see a bunch of texts and missed phone calls from Adam. I also see some from teammates and Abigail. I look through them and I respond to Adam first. It seems like he watched the game and saw me go down. I text him back that I'm at the hospital and not to worry. I told him Ash, Ali, and Kelley are taking care of me so he doesn't need to come. I then respond to my teammates and Abigail.

Kelley O'Hara POV

After Cameron responded to her texts she ended up falling asleep immediately. With that I get up and walk out the room stating I'll be back.

"Hey, you okay?" I turn and see Ash trying to catch up to me.

"Yeah, I  just need to clear my head." I state.

"You have feelings for her don't you?" Ash questions me as we back our way to the elevators.

"Is it that obvious?" I chuckle.

"You think you'll ever tell her?"

"She's straight for all I know. She's also happy with Adam. He makes her happy and I don't want to be a homewrecker." I tell Ash as we walk outside the hospital and sit on a bench not too far away.

"It has to be hard on you though." Ash seems to be reading my mind. "Having feelings develop for someone who is always around and seeing them in a relationship with someone else. I have been there."

"Yeah, but if she's happy, I'm happy."

"You never know what the future holds, Kelley."

"I know." I nod knowing she's right but the future holds so many unknowns. "You want to grab coffee? We can bring some back for Ali and maybe juice for Cameron."

"Yeah, let's do that." We head off and grab some coffee and head right back to the hospital.

"Here you go, babe." Ash gives Ali her coffee.

"Thank you." Ali says. "The doctor and nurse came when you guys left. He said she's good to go in 24 hours, but she spiked a temp so it might be longer."

"What's the fever from?" I ask Ali.

"He said it could have been her body adjusting to the blood transfusion or she's fighting some sort of infection. He is confident it'll be gone by within a couple of hours. The nurse gave her something through her IV instead of Tylenol so we don't wake her up. They want her to rest as much as she can." Ali explains.

"I can stay with her tonight." I tell Ash and Ali. They look at each other and have a silent conversation.

"We'll be back early in the morning. Then you have to head to the hotel and fully rest." Ali tells me with a certain tone in her voice.

"I promise. I'll call you if anything happens. You guys get some rest."