“When did she go into the hospital?” Aubrey withdrew slightly from Willow, still holding her shoulders as she ignored Harvey’s mounting impatience. They were running out of time, she knew it, but she needed to hear what Willow had to say.
“This morning. Jared got on the plane not even an hour ago.” Willow closed her eyes briefly and shook her head. “I’m so worried. I hope she’ll be okay. Nick said Jared looked so pale. I wish someone could’ve flown with him.”
“She’ll be fine. He’ll be fine, too. Jared is going to her and will be with her soon. They’ll get through this.” Aubrey’s voice was firm, as were her hands as she gave Willow a little shake before she released her. “I’ll be back.”
Aubrey strode toward the door, Harvey falling into step beside her. “You handled that well.”
“Willow’s a good friend. And she’s Sheridan’s best friend.” And Aubrey adored Sheridan, too. She’d come over during the infamous wine-and-ice-cream night, laughing with them as they’d eaten pizza and watched really bad movies on TV. Her two new friends had helped her forget momentarily her misery over ending it with Flynn. She’d desperately needed that.
And now Sheridan was suffering. She could be losing… No. Aubrey shook her head. She couldn’t bear to even think it. More like she needed to focus on what must be said.
Jared had left. He hadn’t abandoned his team. He’d gone to be with his wife. His family. That was the most important fact. This was about a man needing to be with the ones who mattered the most to him. No more, no less.
“We need to focus on three things,” she told Harvey as they walked.
“And what are they?” he asked.
She held out one finger, never breaking her stride. Neither did Harvey. “Quinn did not abandon his team.” Out went the second finger. “Right now, he and Sheridan deserve privacy and respect. We won’t release any personal information until he gives us the go-ahead. That’s imperative above all else.” And the third finger flew out. “We need to make a big deal about Flynn playing this game. That he has the support of the entire Hawks organization behind him. And that we believe he will take us to another Super Bowl win.”
“Perfect.” Harvey nodded once, the first glimmer of a smile curling his lips. “I’ve trained you well.”
She rolled her eyes as they exited the box and came to an abrupt stop at the wall of reporters and photographers standing before them. “Guess we’re already on,” she muttered beneath her breath before she turned on her bright, for-the-public smile. “Good afternoon, everyone. I’m sure you’re wondering what’s going on with the Hawks starting lineup…”
…
“Have you been paying attention, son? I think you’ve figured out by now that you’re going to have to step in for Quinn.”
Flynn stared at Coach Walsh, his mind turning over what the man had just said. He couldn’t believe it. Couldn’t freaking believe it. “Are you serious?” he asked hoarsely, clearing his throat.
He wasn’t ready. He wasn’t prepared. Yeah, he’d practiced like crazy with the rest of the team the past two weeks, but he couldn’t play the entire game. This was the freaking Super Bowl, the mother of all games.
Please. He was having a dream. Had to be.
“You’re serious,” he said, surprised at how calm he sounded. He felt like his insides had turned into a death-defying amusement park full of roller coasters.
Walsh didn’t even flinch. “As a heart attack. Quinn’s on a plane headed back to California to be with his wife right now. This game is on you.” Walsh shoved Flynn’s shoulder, not that he moved much, what with his protective gear on. “Let’s see if you’ve got what it takes.”
And with that, his coach turned away and headed out of the locker room.
Holy hot damn. This wasn’t a dream. This was real. About as real as it could get. He’d thrown himself into practice, trying to forget what happened between him and Aubrey. Then, a few days ago, Hamilton even had the nerve to say he wanted to kick Flynn’s ass, since Aubrey had been crying over him for two days straight.
That had blown Flynn’s mind. Why was she crying? Maybe when she said she’d felt something for him, she’d been telling the truth.
Maybe it had been as real for her as it was for him.
He’d promised himself he would go to her as soon as the season was over, if she was even willing to see him. He’d told Nick that, too, who’d seemed appeased, but damn. It was one bombshell on top of another. And he had to focus on the game. His team was counting on him.
He slammed his locker shut with a loud clang and started to head out of the room, but Nick stopped his progress.
“Time to step it up, Golden Boy,” Nick drawled. Flynn could tell Hamilton was trying to act like this was any other day, any other game where he’d give him an endless amount of shit. But he saw the worry in the man’s eyes. He looked freaked.
“What exactly happened?” Flynn asked as they both exited the locker room. The noise got louder. Deafening. He could hear the crowds cheering in the stadium, every single one of his Hawks teammates was standing nearby, the majority of them looking at him expectantly.
He was their leader now. Temporarily stepping in to take Quinn’s place. The man they all admired. The man all of the NFL admired.
Flynn needed to prove once and for all that he was starting material.
“Sheridan is having—medical problems.” Nick mad