22. Ethan

22

Ethan

I slam the door behind me as I walk into my house. I lean against it for a moment as the weight of the day crashes down on me.

My knee throbs, sending sharp jolts of pain through my leg. I grit my teeth, trying to push the pain out of my mind, but it's relentless. I know I should have gone to see a doctor, but I can't afford to show any weakness right now. If anyone finds out how bad this injury really is, everything I've worked for could be in jeopardy.

I'm kicking myself for blowing Ellie off tonight. She wanted me to come over, to spend some time together after the fundraiser, but I made up some excuse about being too tired. The truth is, if I wasn't wearing these baggy sweatpants, she would have noticed the brace on my knee, and I can't let her see that. She'd worry, she'd ask questions, and I can't afford to let her in on how serious this is.

I limp to the kitchen and pour myself a glass of water, the cool liquid doing nothing to calm the turmoil in my mind. My phone buzzes on the counter, and I see a text from Ellie.

Hope you're resting. The fundraiser was amazing, thanks for everything. I love you.

I stare at the message, my heart aching. I don't deserve her. She's been nothing but supportive, and here I am, pushing her away because I can't handle the thought of disappointing her. I type out a quick reply, keeping it short and sweet.

Resting now. Love you too.

I set the phone down and run a hand through my hair, trying to focus on anything other than the pain in my knee and the mess my life has become.

The team is losing money left and right, and ticket sales are plummeting. Now, with this injury, I'm not sure how much longer I can keep playing at the level I need to. And on top of that, my parents are breathing down my neck about fixing the disaster my father left behind. If I don't turn things around soon, they'll take the team away from me, and I'll lose my spot as a player too.

My dad left me an impossible situation and it’s a dick move that he’s acting like I’m the one who put the entire team financially in the tank.

I hobble to the couch and collapse onto it, staring at the ceiling. I don't know what to do. The pressure is mounting, and I feel like I'm drowning. I'm trying to juggle everything, but it feels like I'm failing on all fronts. The team, Ellie, my parents—everyone is counting on me, and I can't let them down. But right now, I don't see a way out of this mess.

I close my eyes, trying to clear my mind, but the thoughts keep racing.

What if I can't fix this? What if I lose everything?

The fear is paralyzing, and I can't shake it. I take a deep breath, trying to steady myself. I need a plan, something to get things back on track.

My phone buzzes again, and I see another message from Ellie.

Miss you. Call me if you need anything.

I feel a pang of guilt. She deserves so much better than this. I want to be there for her, to share everything with her, but right now, I can't. I can't let her see how much I'm struggling. I type out another quick reply, my fingers trembling.

Miss you too. I'll call you tomorrow.

I set the phone down again and close my eyes, the exhaustion finally catching up to me. I need to rest, to figure out a way to fix this. But as I lie there, the weight of everything pressing down on me, I can't shake the feeling that I'm losing control.

***

The next morning, the pain in my knee is worse. I can barely move it without wincing, but I force myself to get up and get ready for the day. I have to keep pushing forward, no matter what. I can't afford to show any weakness, not now.

I dress carefully, making sure my knee brace is hidden under my sweatpants. I glance in the mirror, trying to convince myself that I can handle this. But the doubt is there, lurking in the back of my mind.

I head to the team office, my mind racing with all the things I need to do. I need to figure out a way to boost ticket sales, to bring in more revenue. I need to find a way to play through this injury without anyone noticing. And I need to find a way to keep my parents off my back.

As I walk into the office, I see my assistant, Lisa, waiting for me. She looks worried, and I can tell she's been dealing with a lot of the fallout from the recent issues.

"Morning, Ethan," she says, handing me a stack of papers. "These are the latest numbers. They're not good."

I take the papers and glance through them, my heart sinking. The ticket sales are worse than I thought, and the expenses are piling up. I need to come up with a plan, and fast.

We had ran a promotion for this week, cutting ticket sales in half to get people in the building, but we didn’t come out ahead in any way.

"Thanks, Lisa," I say, setting the papers down on my desk. "I'll look through these and see what we can do. Any word from the sponsors?"

"Not yet. They're waiting to see how the next few games go before making any commitments."

I nod, feeling the pressure mounting. I need to perform, to show everyone that the team is worth investing in. But with my knee like this, I don't know if I can.

"Okay, let's focus on getting more fans to the games. Maybe we can run some promotions, offer discounts or giveaways."

“Why don’t you ask your girlfriend for some ideas? I’ve gotten a lot of phone calls about the humane society event. Our social media following tripled over the weekend.”

“That’s good. I’ll do that. She’s good about coming up with things out of the box.”

She leaves, and I sit down at my desk, staring at the numbers in front of me. I feel like I'm fighting a losing battle, but I can't give up. I have to find a way to turn this around.

The rest of the day is a blur of meetings and phone calls, trying to come up with strategies to boost ticket sales and revenue. My knee throbs constantly, a reminder of the ticking clock. I need to see a doctor, but I can't afford to be sidelined right now. There's too much at stake.

As the day wears on, I find myself thinking about Ellie. I miss her, and I hate that I'm pushing her away. But I can't let her see me like this. I can't let her see how much I'm struggling. I need to protect her, to keep her from worrying.

When I finally leave the office, it's late. The streets are quiet as I drive home, my mind still racing. I need a plan, something to fix all of this. But right now, all I can do is take it one day at a time.

Back at my house, I collapse onto the couch, my knee screaming in protest. I take a deep breath, trying to calm my racing thoughts. I need to rest, to clear my mind. But it's hard when I feel like everything is falling apart.

I’ve never noticed how empty my house is until right in this moment.

The silence is almost deafening.

I reach for my phone, hesitating for a moment before dialing Ellie's number. She answers on the second ring, her voice warm and comforting.

"Hey. How are you?"

"I'm... okay," I lie, trying to sound convincing. "Just a long day."

"I wish you were here."

"Me too," I reply, feeling a lump form in my throat. "I promise we'll see each other soon."

"Just... take care of yourself, okay?"

"I will," I say, though I'm not sure if I believe it myself. "I love you, Ellie."

There’s a loud crash on the other end of the phone.

“Ellie?” I ask.

She doesn’t reply but I can hear muffled sounds on the other end of the phone.

“Hey, Siri, call 9-1-1,” Ellie screams on the other end.

I keep the phone on and rush out of the house and to my car. I’m speeding towards Elena’s in a matter of seconds.

“El?” I keep repeating but she doesn’t answer.

I can hear muffled screams and sounds on the other end. I push the gas pedal all the way down to the floorboard.

I can’t get there fast enough.

Just as I pull in, a police car screeches to a halt beside me.

“Stay right there,” the officer growls, hand on his weapon.

“I was on the phone with my girlfriend when something happened.”

Two more police cars fly up and the initial cop starts for the door. He gestures for one of the officers to follow him and the other to go to me.

“What seems to be the problem tonight?” the dark headed man asks me.

“I don’t know. I was on the phone with my girlfriend, Elena Thompson, when there was a loud noise and some screams. I heard her tell Siri to call 9-1-1 and I took off out of the house to get here. Is she okay?”

“Dispatch called it in as a possible domestic.”

“Domestic?"

“Does she have an ex-boyfriend, a husband…?”

“No, none of those things that I know of.”

An ambulance pulls up at the house, no lights and no sirens. My stomach drops.

“Why is that here?” I ask.

“Protocol.”

“Can I call her brother?”

“Who’s her brother?”

“Daniel Thompson. He owns Thompson Tire in town.”

“Yes.”

I pull out my phone, dial Daniel and tell him to get to Elena’s house asap. The cop is eyeing me carefully. The ambulance crew is rushing into the house with a gurney. I hang up with Daniel.

“Can you please tell me why they need a gurney?”

“Who’s this guy?” the secondary officer asks as he comes outside quickly.

“Boyfriend.”

“Ethan Anderson?” the secondary officer questions.

I nod.

“Oh shit, I’m sorry, Sir,” the questioning officer says quickly.

Daniel pulls up to the house and rushes out.

“What the Hell happened, Deitrich?” he asks the officer directly in front of me.

“Daniel, it looks like someone broke in and didn’t expect Elena to be home. There was a scuffle. She was knocked unconscious.”

“What?” both of us ask at the same time.

“Why is Ethan out here?”

“We didn’t know if he was the cause. Dispatch called it as a domestic. We verified that her phone was still in the middle of a call with him while everything was happening. She called 9-1-1 through her Apple watch because it was closest to her.”

“Do we know who broke in?”

“No. There’s blood on some glass shards from the back door though, we’ll test them. The neighbors have security cameras and I’m going over to get the footage in a minute. I’ve got officers combing the area to see if they saw anything suspicious.”“Did he run into the woods?”

“Dogs are headed out that way.” Deitrich says dryly.

“Someone tried breaking into the boutique a few days ago, it has to be related.”

“It’s got to be more than finding a dead body in the store too.”

“Or maybe it’s all connected,” Deitrich mumbles with a shrug. “Listen, I didn’t want to say this until I asked around but there are signs all throughout that building showing someone trying to break in before. Some of the windows, some of the doors looked as though they’d been replaced. Daniel, your grandma kept a lot of secrets.”

“How do you know that?”

“As a rookie, I did a lot of night patrols. There were often strange cars at the boutique. I’ve walked in to check on her when the lights were still on late at night, I’d heard her arguing with someone and she’d tell me it was the television. I saw her and a woman fighting numerous times, but your grandma would always tell me it was nothing.”

“Who was the woman?”

“I don’t know. I never got a good look. She has a similar build to Elena. The first few times I thought it was Elena, because Grams would tell me it was a family affair and didn’t need police involved.”

Why didn’t we know about any of this?

“Elena and Grams would never fight like that. It wasn’t her.”

“I know that. I ran the plates to a car and it came back to a woman named Malia Vendetto.”

“Who’s that?”

“I couldn’t find anything on her,” he shrugs.

They wheel Elena out on the gurney and everything else fades away.

She’s awake.

I rush over to her and reach out for her hand.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah… I… where am I going?”

“We’re going to the hospital. It’s just procedure,” the female EMT says softly.

The other paramedic looks back at me and Daniel.

“We’re headed to Frostwood General, we’ll know more when we get there and they take a look at her.”

I hop in the car with Daniel and we follow the ambulance. Daniel is on the phone calling his parents as they’re on their way back to Florida. When he hangs up, I look back at him worriedly.

“Who would attack her?”

“I don’t know. Hopefully, she’ll tell us something or the cops will find someone.”

“This is crazy.”

We get into the hospital and are directed to the waiting room. It seems like hours before a doctor walks through the doors and goes directly to Daniel.

“Hey guys,” Dr. Jones greets us.

Perks of living in a small town is that you most likely went to high school with everyone you come across.

“How’s Elena?” I ask quickly.

“She’s stable. She took a nasty hit to the head and a cut to the arm, but she’s good. She was a little confused from shock at first but everything seems to be okay now. We’re going to keep her overnight just for observation.”

“Did she say what happened?”

“Not really. Just said that someone came barreling through the back door and that’s all she remembers.”

“Can we see her?”

“Yeah, just know that she’s not making much sense right now.”

Daniel and I both walk into her room. She’s got her eyes closed as she’s curled up in a ball, crying.

“Elena, are you okay?” I ask as I rush to her.

“I… was so scared.”

She sits up and I engulf her in a hug.

“Do you remember anything?” Daniel asks.

“I don’t know what’s real and what’s not. I…heard the glass shatter when I was talking to Ethan and then… this big guy was wearing a scream mask and he came charging at me. I grabbed a kitchen knife and started swinging. I think… I think I cut him and…”

“Did you tell Doc that?” Daniel asks.

“No. I just remembered.”

Deitrich shows up at the door and Ellie’s face pales.

“Do you think you can answer some questions?” he asks.

“Maybe,” she murmurs.

“We’ll be right here with you.”

Deitrich begins asking her random questions but she’s growing more confused and irritated as they go along.

“Elena!” Jaclyn shrieks as she walks into the room.

Daniel steps in front of her.

“What are you doing here?”

“I heard my bestie was attacked. Why wouldn’t I be here?”

“How did you hear that?” Dietrich asks.

“I… uh… I saw the police cars at her house and asked.”

My eyes flit to Deitrich’s and I can see that he’s not buying her answer. Something seems off here.

“Elena isn’t feeling well, you should leave,” Daniel interjects.

“I came to help.”

“We’ve got it covered,” I say.

She gasps as she looks around Daniel and at Elena in my arms. Her eyes narrow and she glares at us both disgustedly before she turns on her heel and leaves.

“Thank goodness she’s gone,” Daniel says with a shake of her head. “She shouldn’t have known Elena was attacked right?”

“Right. I’ll look into it.”

Deitrich leaves and Daniel walks over to the bed.

“Do you want me to stay with you?”

“I can,” I interrupt.

“No, I don’t think that’s a good idea.”“Daniel,” I sigh. “I understand that you don’t agree with our relationship. I even get why you feel that way, but it’s not going to stop us from being together.”

“We’re not going to discuss this here.”

“I’m not leaving her tonight. We are together and will continue to be forever if I have any say in it. You can either support that or not. I don’t care.”

Daniel glares back at me before looking at his sister.

“Are you okay with that?”

“Yes,” she murmurs softly. “I don’t want to fight or talk or anything. My head hurts and I just want to sleep.”

He reaches down and hugs his sister.

“I’ll call Keeley and have her open the shop in the morning and then I’ll try to help out as much as I can. Get your rest, sis.”

He walks out of the room quickly. I lean back in the hospital bed and Elena snuggles into me.

“Thank you for sticking up for us,” she breathes softly before she falls asleep.

***

The next morning Elena is released with pain meds and strict instructions to rest.

“I need to go to the store.”

“No, you need to go home and rest like Doc said.”

“I need…”

“Keeley offered to stay at your house with you. She’s worried about you being there alone as am I. I told her that we needed her at the store more than with you right now. El, I know that you don’t want to go to your house and rest for obvious reasons. You can go to Daniel’s or you can come stay with me. I have someone on their way to your house now to make any necessary repairs.”

“Ethan, I can’t let you do that.”

“It needed to be done and it’s something that I could take care of for you, so I did. You need to focus on resting.”

She blows out a breath as I help her to my car.

“I’ll stay with you.”

“I was hoping you’d say that,” I grin back at her. “Your brother put some of your stuff in my car for you.”

I drive to my house.

“We’re not going to the store?”

“No,” I laugh. “You are resting and I’ll make certain of it. Keeley is at the store and Sasha and Tony were going to swing in to do some more stuff too. All three of them are pretty worried about you, I told them they could come here and visit. Keeley might stop by just so she can make sure you’re okay with me alone. She’s really fond and really overprotective of you..”

“She is,” she giggles. “Sasha and Tony are going to swing by and check on the store?”

“Yes, everything is handled so you can rest. I will have to leave for practice for a bit but Daniel said he will come by and hang out.”

“I don’t need to be babysat.”

“I’m more worried about you stealing a car and driving to the store,” I tease her.

She harrumphs and sticks her tongue out at me playfully.

“I’ll rest.”

“Thank you.”

“If you think I don’t notice you limping on that leg, you’re wrong. Maybe you should take your own advice.”

“It’s just a little tender, it’s okay,” I lie.

Just tell her the truth. She’ll help you.

No, she doesn’t need anymore to worry about today.

The next few days are a whirlwind of activity. I throw myself into my work, taking care of Elena, all while trying to come up with new ideas to boost ticket sales and revenue. I meet with sponsors, pitch new promotions, and try to rally the team. But all the while, my knee continues to torment me.

I keep the extent of my injury hidden, refusing to let anyone see my weakness. I can't afford to be sidelined, not now. I push through the pain, gritting my teeth and doing my best to keep up appearances. So much that I’m sleeping in sweatpants so that she doesn’t see the injury at all.

However, I need to stop that. If the past month since Ellie returned has shown me anything is that for all of my problems Ellie has a solution. And I do the same for her.

I’m not proving to her that I’ve changed if I don’t share this with her. If I don’t ask her for help or let her assist me through this.

I need to tell her and I’ll do so tonight when I get home.

It’s been a long day at work and all I can think about is getting home to Elena. I just want to see her beautiful face and that gorgeous smile, both make me feel so at ease.

The drive is short, but it feels like forever. I’m more excited to tell her all of the good things that happened today.

The pain in my knee is excruciating as I forgot my pain meds at the house earlier. I’ve had hot flashes all day because of it. I’ve also felt like I was moving through mud, I haven’t exactly been sleeping well lately because of it.

“Good news,” I say as I walk into the house.

Elena is up moving around, cooking in the kitchen. Seeing her there hits me hard.

She was meant to be here.

She looks perfect here.

I grin back at her.

“What’s that?”

“You are cleared to go back to work tomorrow. Your house is all fixed up too, but you’re more than welcome to stay here.”

“I already knew I could return to work,” she laughs as she comes over and kisses me softly.

“You know I have a chef, right? Why are you in here cooking?”

“Because I wanted to do something nice for you. You’ve been taking care of me and I wanted to repay the favor.”

“You don’t have to repay that.”

“You take care of me and I take care of you. Isn’t that a healthy relationship?”

“Yes, yes it is. Speaking of…”

A wave of nausea washes over me and I feel myself start to feel extremely weak. There’s a roaring sound in my ears and suddenly everything goes dark.