Long Distance Lover. Donna Hill

himself over and again. She had to be.

       David paced the confines of the waiting room, every few minutes checking the wall clock overhead. Time moved at a mind-numbing pace. David knew that the rest of the team was probably speculating on the outcome—Stephanie Daniels in particular. If Kelly was out of the running, Stephanie was the next golden girl in line. It was no secret that Stephanie had no real love for Kelly although she feigned it quite well for the media and anyone of importance who would listen. The truth was, Stephanie believed that Kelly was an overrated has-been whose time had passed and she was merely given special treatment because of David. What Stephanie failed to realize was that Kelly was everything Stephanie only wished she could be.

       David stopped short his pacing when Dr. Graham entered the room. His expression was somber.

       “David, can I speak with you?”

       “How is she?”

       “I hope you’re satisfied.”

       “I don’t need your sarcasm, Doc. How is Kelly?”

       He wiped the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand, then took off his surgical cap. “She won’t be doing any running for quite some time, if ever.”

       David’s breath stopped short in his chest. His features pinched as he stared at the doctor. “What are you saying?”

       “Kelly has a hyperextended Achilles tendon and a stress fracture of the ankle.”

       David shut his eyes and drew in a long, deep breath.

       “I told you she wasn’t ready to get back on the track.”

       “It was only a sprain. You said so yourself.”

       “A serious sprain. The second one in less than six months. The ankle was weak and you knew that. But you let her go out there anyway.”

       “It was her decision.”

       “You’re her coach!” he said bitterly from between clenched teeth.

       David briefly lowered his head then looked into the doctor’s eyes. “Does she know?”

       “She’s hasn’t awakened from the anesthesia yet.”

       “I want to be the one who tells her.”

       “Why, so you can sugarcoat it and make her believe she’s going to be back out on the track in two weeks? I’m sure the surgeon will tell you the same thing since you don’t believe anything I say.”

       David clenched his jaw. He and Dr. Graham had been at odds about Kelly’s rehabilitation for months. He didn’t expect it to get any better with this latest setback. He’d simply find another doctor for Kelly, one who would give her the encouragement she needed to return to the champion athlete the world had known.

       “I want this whole thing kept quiet,” David said. “The last thing she needs is the tabloids blowing this out of proportion. Kelly just needs to concentrate on getting well.”

       Dr. Graham slowly shook his head in disgust. “Always looking at the bottom line, aren’t you, David?” He turned and walked away.

       David stared at the doctor’s retreating back. He needed a plan, a plan to keep this under wraps, to get Kelly out of town as soon as possible, into rehab and with a doctor that saw things his way. In the meantime, he wanted to be the first face that Kelly saw when she woke up.

      Chapter 2

      Kelly slowly opened her eyes and tried to adjust her vision to the pale walls. She turned her head and tried to move. It was then that she realized her right leg was in a cast up to her hip and suspended from a series of pulleys that looked like something from a torture chamber.

       The scent of antiseptic filled her nostrils. She swallowed and started to cough from the dryness in her throat.

       The coughing stirred David out of his fitful sleep. He jumped up from the hard plastic chair and went to her bedside. He took her hand.

       “K. It’s me, David.”

       “I know who you are, David. I didn’t hit my head.”

       He grinned. “Still have your sense of humor, I see.”

       “I hate to bother you, but could I have some water?”

       “Sure. Sure.” He rounded the bed to the nightstand and poured her a glass of water from the blue plastic carafe that matched the plastic cup and the plastic chair. The hospital room decor gave David the creeps.

       He held the back of her head as she gulped from the cup.

       “Thanks.” She sank back against the pillows. “So…how bad is it?”

       He braced his forearms against the railing of the bed and leaned in close. “There’s plenty of time to talk about that. You need to rest.”

       “Don’t play games with me, David. I’m a big girl.”

       He worked his jaw for a moment. “It will be a while before you can get back on the track. There are pins and braces and all sorts of metal contraptions holding your ankle together.”

       She squeezed her eyes shut and muttered a curse under her breath. “So I guess this means I’m out of the trials.”

       He nodded his head. “Yeah, but we are going to get you back in fighting shape in no time. I’ve already started making some calls.”

       “Calls? What kind of calls?”

       “To rehab centers in New York.”

       “What? I don’t want to go to New York.”

       “They have the best rehabilitation centers in the country, Kelly. And you are going to have the best. You definitely can’t stay in Atlanta. The press wouldn’t let you breathe and you know it. It’s the only way to keep the wolves at bay.”

       She started to protest but knew David was right. When she’d been injured six months earlier the press had been so persistent that they actually camped out on her doorstep all night long hoping to get a glimpse of her. They even posed as hospital workers just to get some shots of her. She felt a little shiver at the memory.

       David patted her shoulder. “It’s going to be all right. I’m with you all the way.”

       She looked up at him and his smile was full of reassurance. David had been in her corner for as long as she could remember. He was her friend, her mentor, her coach and pretty much the only person she could call family. She relied on him for everything. He believed in her when she didn’t believe in herself and the critics tried to downplay her abilities, or cook up one scandal after another about her. He was the one who faced the press when she was too emotionally drained to do so herself. He knew how to get the very best out of her, make her drag things out of herself that she didn’t think she was capable of. He’d made her a champion. She owed him. And he knew it.

       “I trust you, David. If you think it’s best.”

       He stroked her cheek. “Yeah, I do.”

       “Does the press know?”

       “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