For Everly

  FOR EVERLY

  by

  Raine Thomas

  Copyright 2013 Raine Thomas.

  This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then you should purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of the author.

  All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book, or portions thereof, in any form. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical without the express written permission of the author. The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book via the internet or via any other means without the permission of the publisher is illegal and punishable by law. Please purchase only authorized electronic editions, and do not participate in or encourage electronic piracy of copyrighted materials.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or to actual events or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Visit the author's website: http://www.rainethomas.com

  Cover design by: B Design

  Cover photo credit to: K Keeton Designs

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

  Chapter 38

  Chapter 39

  Chapter 40

  Chapter 41

  Chapter 42

  Chapter 43

  Chapter 44

  Chapter 45

  Chapter 46

  Chapter 47

  Chapter 48

  Chapter 49

  Chapter 50

  Chapter 51

  Chapter 52

  Chapter 53

  In memory of Kevin Stephen Knorst

  February 10, 1978 - September 6, 2010

  “There's no other love like the love for a brother. There's no other love like the love from a brother.”

  - Terri Guillemets

  Acknowledgements

  When I developed For Everly’s concept, I knew I’d have to consult a couple of specialists. I couldn’t write a book about a physical therapist and a professional baseball player without consulting people skilled in these areas. Online research can only take a writer so far, after all!

  Thank you so much to Dr. Jennifer Smith for taking the time to provide the details about physical therapy specific to the type of injury suffered by Cole. Because of you, I was able to infuse the story with more depth and realism. You’re brilliant, and the world is lucky to have someone as dedicated as you!

  Another hearty thank you goes out to Bryan Hebson, retired Major League Baseball player. I can never express how grateful I am not only for your insights on the activities, conduct, and contractual obligations of professional ballplayers, but for your kind words about your time at Auburn with my brother. You’re a true gem. I’m so grateful that my “sister,” Heather Moorer, connected us.

  Although these specialists did their best to school me, a story is only as good as its writer. Any errors regarding the facts or details about the physical therapy and baseball elements in this story are solely my responsibility.

  Thank you to my team of cheerleaders, sounding boards, blurb editors, and beta readers: Diane Kaye, Bethany Lopez, Marilyn Almodóvar, Jessica Wentz, and Roy Bronson. Your insights, questions, and ongoing encouragement made writing this book a wonderful experience!

  Last, but not least, thank you to my husband, Kevin, and our daughter, Faith. You’ll never know how much I appreciate your patience and understanding when I’m writing. Although it pulls me away from family time, you support me and find ways to give me peace. You’re the biggest blessings in my life!

  Chapter 1

  Cole knew when he hit the first curb that he’d had too much to drink. He cursed as he jerked the wheel to bring the car back into the correct lane, nearly swiping a garbage can on the dark residential street. Pain shot through his shoulder as he righted the wheel, generating a more vicious curse.

  You dumbass! The thought penetrated the haze coating his mind. Don’t ding the Maserati.

  Focusing intently and clutching the wheel until his knuckles went numb, he registered he was less than a mile from home. He wanted to get there before he ended up with a DUI. Management would likely bench him for half the coming season if he screwed up like that.

  His marinating brain decided this meant he should go faster. Get home quick before getting caught. He picked up speed, weaving along the back streets leading to his house. Thank God the downtown Atlanta nightclub was less than five miles from home.

  Just as his driveway came into sight, the glaring lights of an oncoming car pierced his windshield. He slammed on the brakes and swerved to avoid the collision. The Maserati hit a patch of ice. The world spun as the other car passed without impact.

  The last thing Cole registered was the large bulk of a magnolia tree speeding toward him and the fleeting thought that his beloved car was about to get much more than a ding.

  * * *

  A persistent beeping sound brought him back around. He slowly opened his eyes. A speckled ceiling came into focus. One of the beeping sounds increased as he registered his surroundings. Sunlight filled the spacious hospital room.

  “Cole? Cole, honey?”

  He glanced over at the sound of his mother’s voice. She sat on his left side holding his hand. The moment he looked at her, she gave it a tight squeeze.

  “Can you hear me, honey?” she asked. The tears in her brown eyes tugged at Cole’s conscience.

  Before he could answer, his dad’s rumbling southern drawl filled the room. “‘Course he can hear you, Brenda. He only has a concussion, for heaven’s sake.” He moved closer to the bed, towering over his wife. He put a reassuring hand on her shoulder and caught Cole’s gaze. “Crash sure didn’t help his god-awful looks, though.”

  “Rick!” his mom gasped.

  Cole found himself comforted by the normal banter. He hadn’t yet looked down at his body, afraid of what he might see.

  Lifting a corner of his mouth, he said, “Yeah, Ol’ Man. You’re scarring my sensitive psyche here.”

  His dad guffawed at that. “Well, at least she didn’t call me Richard Dale Parker. Then I’d know I was in real trouble.”

  “You two,” his mom censured, shaking her head. Her bob of sable-colored hair waved around her pretty face. She focused on Cole. “How are you feeling, honey? Do you remember what happened?”

/>   “I remember,” he replied, adding a private sort of. “And I feel fine, actually.”

  The answer surprised him. It had been a while since he last remembered being pain-free. For a terrifying moment, he feared he was paralyzed. But he moved his fingers and toes and felt the blanket and sheets against his skin. Lifting his arms, he tested for injury.

  A movement just outside his room’s door caught his eye. He spotted his brother Wyatt talking with someone wearing a lab coat. Though he tried, he couldn’t read Wyatt’s expression since he was mostly turned away from him.

  “We told Avery not to worry about making the trip out here,” his mother said. “The doctor assured us it wasn’t serious, and I didn’t want her to have to worry about Sam.”

  “Of course,” Cole agreed, grateful his older sister wasn’t hauling his five-year-old nephew across town at the crack of dawn. “I’ll call her later. No need for all of the fuss.”

  “You’re one lucky son of a buck,” his father said, the words drowning out the machines in the room. “If you’d been going even a little faster…”

  The guilt resurged. Cole prayed that wasn’t moisture he saw in his father’s gaze. His dad never cried.

  Wyatt saved him from responding when he entered the room. After looking between each of them and quickly assessing the situation, he said, “Mom, Dad, why don’t you have a word with Dr. Rosen about Cole’s aftercare? Then grab a cup of coffee and a muffin or something. Put it on my account.”

  As a cardiologist on staff at the hospital, Wyatt would make sure their parents were taken care of, Cole knew. They nodded and Brenda bent down to kiss Cole’s forehead.

  “You’re my baby, you know,” she murmured. “You’re not allowed to scare me like that.”

  He winced. “Sorry, Mom.”

  She ruffled his hair and let his dad lead her from the room. Wyatt closed the door behind them.

  Seeing Wyatt’s expression when he turned back from the door, Cole groaned. “Don’t start with me.”

  “Don’t start with you? That’s asking an awful lot when you’ve been a complete dumbass.”

  Cole glowered at Wyatt as he settled into the chair their mother had abandoned. It was the only chair in the room and sported a tilted round seat and an off-center, triangle-shaped back. Somehow, Wyatt managed to sit in it without his long legs ending up in his ears.

  “What the hell is that thing?” Cole wondered.

  “Our hospital’s failed attempt at becoming more ‘hip and trendy,’” Wyatt responded. “Don’t try and deflect from the fact that you ended up here with a concussion and bruised face because you were driving under the influence.”

  “What about my face?” Reaching up, Cole gently prodded his cheeks. He didn’t feel anything unusual.

  “The airbag nearly broke your nose,” Wyatt explained, his sandy brows drawing together. “You likely lost your grip on the steering wheel before impact or you’d probably be suffering from a broken arm or two, as well.”

  Cole considered that. “I don’t feel bruised.”

  “You don’t feel much of anything. You were given a hefty dose of Codeine shortly before you woke up. Mom was carrying on about how much pain you’d be in, so Dr. Rosen allowed it.”

  “Remind me to kiss the doc on my way out.”

  “Cole, get serious for a minute,” Wyatt said sharply. “I’ve managed to keep your intoxication out of the official records. Fortunately for you, the guy who made you swerve into that tree was conscientious enough to see if you were all right, and he happens to be a fan of yours. He kept rambling on to anyone who would listen that it was all his fault. Between that and you being my brother, no one tested your blood alcohol level.”

  “Then why do you think I was—?”

  “Don’t even go there, Cole. You reeked of alcohol. You still do.”

  Raising his left arm, Cole gave himself a sniff test. Then he shrugged.

  Wyatt pushed up from the chair and leaned over the bed. Cole knew his brother nearly matched his own six-foot, three-inch height, and his hovering position had a dominating effect.

  His voice was much quieter when he said, “Cole, for God’s sake, you could have killed yourself. You could have killed someone else—a kid. What the hell were you thinking?”

  The combination of Wyatt’s posture and tone made another dent in Cole’s conscience. He’d always sought his older brother’s pride, and he knew now that he had disappointed him.

  “I’m sorry, Wy.”

  Whatever Wyatt read in his expression must have convinced him he was sincere. Sighing, Wyatt returned to the chair-like contraption.

  “What’s going on, Cole? You don’t normally drink yourself stupid when you go out with your friends.”

  Cole considered blowing his brother off. He could easily say it had been a one-time slip and it wouldn’t happen again, blah, blah, blah. Then he’d go back to living his life.

  But he had to tell someone.

  Rubbing a hand down his face, he asked, “Can I talk to you under the doctor-patient privilege rather than brother to brother?”

  “Cole…”

  “Wyatt, this is important, okay?”

  After a pause, Wyatt nodded.

  Cole took a deep breath. “Okay. The truth is, I think I’ve blown out my pitching shoulder. I’ve been drinking and taking pills to relieve the pain.”

  The quickly-issued confession didn’t make Cole feel any better. If anything, it made his non-physical pain that much keener. Still, it did help a little to share his burden. He was facing the possibility that his pitching career was over at the age of twenty-four. It had seemed more than he could bear before this moment. Now, he had hope.

  He had Wyatt.

  “When do you think the injury occurred?” Wyatt asked at last.

  Grateful for his brother’s unshakable calm, Cole replied, “I experienced twinges several times last season when I pitched. It got worse in October. Once the season ended, I tried to work it out, but it’s been a few weeks and the pain isn’t going away. It’s getting worse.”

  “Have you spoken to your team doctors or—?”

  “Wy, if I tell anyone I’m having issues in my throwing arm, it’ll be all over the news. My contract comes up for renewal at the end of this coming season. I have to be in prime condition…no rumors about pain or treatment or surgery.”

  Wyatt frowned. “You can’t continue on without an evaluation, Cole. You have to see what’s going on. It could be something treatable without surgery.”

  “I want you to treat me,” Cole said. “I can trust that you’ll do it secretly and the press won’t find out.”

  Wyatt was shaking his head before Cole finished. “If this was a heart condition, we might be having a different conversation, but—”

  “Then one of the doctors you know. Get them to treat me off the record so it stays quiet.”

  “You’re asking me to go to my colleagues and ask them to risk their medical licenses to treat you without properly documenting it?”

  That made Cole frown. He wasn’t about to put his brother in that position.

  “Look, it’s only the first week of November. You’re still months away from spring training. Assuming you don’t need surgery and you start rehab now, you should be fresh and ready to go by the time you report.”

  Cole rolled his eyes. “Sure. I just have to figure out a way to get the rehab I need without the public finding out about it. That means it has to be done outside of a center and not by anyone bogged down by licensure and professional ethics. How the hell am I going to get effective treatment with all of those restrictions?”

  Wyatt leaned forward. “I’ll make you a deal. If you stop drinking it up at the clubs and downing pills, I’ll figure out a way to make this work.”

  “Yeah?”

  “Yeah.”

  There really wasn’t any other choice. He nodded. “You’ve got yourself a deal.”

  Chapter 2

  Black Friday brought a rus
h of dinner business to Prix Fixe, and Everly Wallace wasn’t about to complain. Funds were tight and she desperately needed the tips she’d earn tonight.

  Even if it meant dealing with the insufferable woman at table nineteen.

  The table hadn’t even gotten around to placing their orders yet and Everly had endured three complaints already. The ice in the woman’s water melted too quickly. The restaurant didn’t carry black napkins, only brown and white. Her preferred brand of gin wasn’t in stock.

  Everly was sure more trouble would come. She’d just have to do what she could to head off the complaints. She’d also give Kathleen Chadwick, the restaurant’s manager, a head’s up just in case.

  “I’ve got a couple of campers at twenty-seven,” a fellow server, Anne, bemoaned as she and Everly crossed paths at the servers’ stand behind the bar. “I think they’ll stay there until we turn the lights off.”

  “Celebrating an anniversary?” Everly guessed as she placed filled drinks on a tray.

  “Got it in one.” Anne rolled her eyes. “Everything okay in your world? I feel like I haven’t chatted with you in ages.”

  She hadn’t, Everly silently agreed, and this wasn’t the time or place for such a chat, even if Everly had been the type to cozy up with work associates and share all of the details about her life.