I do for you?”
“There’s some things I need for you to do.”
“I’m not leaving Austin until she’s released from the hospital.”
“You don’t have to. Your trainer can work with you there. The main thing is your neuro eval. We need to get those over with before time for training camp arrives. I’ve set it up with a practice there in Austin for tomorrow afternoon. It won’t take long. I’ll text you the address and the exact time.”
“All right.” A little bell went off in his brain. “Who’s the doctor?”
“Uh…Scott Walker and his people. Ever heard of him?”
“I know of him. And his people.” Jensen’s partner. Jensen’s firm. “Send the info and I’ll get it done.”
Seeing the doctor emerge from Bethany’s room, Clint didn’t wait to see if the man was through talking. He folded up his phone, his mind spinning. “How is she, doc?”
As he moved toward Gillian and the others, the doctor gave them a reassuring smile. “She’s turned a corner. The infection is abating. Bethany’s going to be fine.”
A huge wave of relief washed over Clint. Maybe things would soon return to some semblance of normal. “Well, that’s good news.” He held his mother while she sobbed in relief, his mind on the news from his manager. This could be his chance to set things straight. If nothing else, Jensen needed to know she could depend on him – even if it was only as a friend.
Chapter Thirteen
Jensen walked slowly as she entered her place of business. She didn’t even make it to the receptionist desk before she was surrounded by well-wishers. Wilma, Mae, and the others rallied around her with flowers and balloons.
“Thank you all. It’s good to be missed.”
Scott stood waiting on her with a bottle of champagne in his hand. “How are you feeling?”
“A little worse for wear, honestly.” She gave him a smile. “It’s good to be back though.”
“Lia sends her love.”
“I send love back. How is she?”
“Well…not too good. That’s what I need to talk to you about.”
“What’s wrong?”
He paused in answering long enough for her to properly thank her coworkers. Once she was finished, he escorted Jensen to her office. “Come sit down. I need a favor.”
She noted the vintage of the champagne. “It has to be a huge one for you to break out the good stuff.”
“Lia’s dad has had a heart attack.”
“Oh, no.” Jensen made her way to her desk, she was much better but still moving at a snail’s pace. “I’m so sorry to hear that. What can I do?”
“Well…this isn’t going to sit well with you.” He went to her credenza to find glasses.
“Just tell me. Getting me liquored up at nine in the morning isn’t going to change my cranky personality.”
Scott sighed. “I was hoping.” He poured two glasses anyway. “I still want to celebrate your homecoming. I tried to phone you last night, the call went to voice mail.”
“I don’t have a phone. I lost mine in Montana. When I talked to you, I was calling from the hospital line. They were really nice to me.”
“How was your return flight?”
“Pretty good. Jon Turner, the pilot, asked me out on a date.”
“Great! Are you going to go?”
“No.” She scoffed at the thought. “I’m not about to start a long-distance relationship with a pilot. That’s just a disaster waiting to happen.”
“I hear you. Well, I started to email you, but I figured I should tell you this in person.”
“What? Are we going bankrupt?”
“No. I have neuro evaluations scheduled this week for the Texans, starting this afternoon.”
“The Texans. The football team?”
“Correct.” Scott braced himself for the explosion.
He was smart to prepare for the worst. “You promised I wouldn’t have to be involved in this. You know how I feel.” Her aversion to football wasn’t the reason she was panicking now. She didn’t want to see Clint.
“I do know how you feel, and I wouldn’t ask if this wasn’t an emergency. Lia wants to go to her father, and I need to go with her.”
How could she argue with that? “You know, I’d rather fall out of a helicopter again than do this.” She sighed heavily. “I’ll need to be brought up to speed. When are you leaving?”
Scott checked his watch. “Not till noon. I’m yours until then.”
“Okay. Gather the data for me. I want to see all of their personal info as well as the results of their last neuro test.” Her hands shook as she straightened things on top of her desk.
“Done. I think we’ve already emailed everything