The Hardest Hit (11 page)

Chelsea cleared her schedule so she could meet Trevor for lunch. He was on a rest day from the gym. Light duty meant exactly that. He couldn't over exert himself, although what they'd done in her office the night before didn't count. She knew better than to meet him at his place. She didn't want to be late for her one o'clock patient. If she got up close and personal with Trevor at lunchtime, tardiness would become her middle name.

So, she chose Amalfi's, a lunch spot only the locals knew about. While the restaurant was praised for its Italian fare, Chelsea preferred their big, juicy cheeseburgers. She sat across from Trevor, swirling a French fry in catsup while he chomped his way through a grilled chicken sandwich.

“So, I wanted to run something by you.” She bit into the fry, giving Trevor time to respond.

He raised a brow. “Uh-oh. This sounds serious.”

She finished her bite and swallowed. “I think it's the most serious thing I've ever done.”

Trevor dropped his sandwich on his plate.

Her hand darted across the table and took his. “Oh God, I didn't mean to scare you. We're not breaking up, I swear.”

He grinned. “I didn't think you were breaking up with me. I can't wait to hear what all this is about.”

Her heart slowed down a few beats. The last thing she wanted since she was about to go against her family's grain, but being around Trevor gave her the confidence to take big swings and try something new.

“What's going on, babe?” he asked.

She swallowed hard. “Well, you know the clinic where I volunteer?”

He nodded.

“Well, I've been thinking of starting one of my own on our side of town. There are thousands of people in central Vegas who need free medical care. What I'm thinking is that I would borrow against my trust fund, and open a clinic of my own.”

Trevor's eyes widened. “Wow. I had no idea the clinic meant that much to you, but sure, I think it sounds like a great idea.”

“It wouldn't be easy, and it would take up a lot of my free time.”

His eyebrows knitted together. “If you want to do this don't focus on the negatives. Of course it won't be easy. Nothing worth having ever comes easy. My road to recovery hasn't been easy. In fact, it's been slow and there were times when I thought I'd never heal. Will starting a new clinic eat up your time? Sure it will. But, if you want something to succeed you have to invest time into it. That's how it works.”

She bit her lower lip.

“Now, tell me why you look so unsure, if this is something you're serious about.” Trevor gave her a stern glance.

Chelsea ran her fingers through her hair. A nervous habit, but hell, the action made her feel better. “It's not that I'm unsure. It's that I'd need to ask my father's permission to do it. Borrowing against my trust fund requires his signature.”

His forehead tightened. Clearly, he wasn't following.

“My dad isn't the most charitable person. He isn't going to want me to open a clinic for the poor. He's old school. You earn it. You keep it. That's his philosophy. It would take a lot of convincing to make him say yes.”

Trevor shrugged. “Then that's what we'll do.”

She smirked. “You make it sound so easy.”

“Well, if it's really what you want then you have to try.” He smiled.

She knew he was right. No one had ever given Trevor Redding anything. Everything he'd accomplished, he'd done on his own. And here she was accomplished in her own right, fearing her father's approval. That was the difference between him and her. He was fearless. He didn't answer to anyone. He didn't owe anyone anything. She wished she could say the same.

“It may cause a rub between my father and I once I tell him about this. Remember the board position I told you about? A few days ago he texted me about the job. I haven't responded. He called. I ignored his voice mails, too.”

“So, you think he's getting the hint?” Trevor picked up his sandwich and took a bite.

“I'm sure he suspects something. I just don't know how to break it to him.”

Trevor swallowed. “You go in with a fight plan.”

“What?”

“I'm saying Daniella doesn't let us just walk in the ring. We study our opponents, find their weaknesses, then develop a plan to knock them out.”

She let his words marinate. He was right. She needed to develop a plan her father couldn't refuse.

Trevor continued, “I'm guessing for something on this scale, you'd need to have a location picked out, a fund-raising plan, unless your trust will cover all your startup expenses and your accounting for the next fifteen months or so, all projected.”

She sat up. Color her impressed. “How do you know so much about this?”

He made a face. “What did you think I did at The Gentlemen's Club for all those hours? Guard the door like a dog?” He laughed. “I worked in all aspects of the business. Sure, I worked security, but I also spent days in the office, learning how to run a business from the ground up.”

Trevor didn't have a college degree, and he showed her he didn't need one. He had street smarts and was self-taught. That counted for something.

“So you could . . .”

“Help you with this? Absolutely.” He smiled.

Warmth burst through her chest. The thought of not having to go at it alone filled her with a sense of peace—not that she thought she couldn't, but with Trevor behind her she was sure she could do anything.

She picked up her burger and took a bite. “Since you have experience with this, where do you think we should start?”

“Location,” he said. “We can scout out possible buildings that may suit your needs.” He paused for a moment. “What about the building right across from Stamina?”

“The brick one with the cracks in the parking lot?”

He nodded.

If memory served her the brick structure had at one time been a dentist's office. If the building's interior remained as she remembered, the space would have a built-in reception area, patient room, and staff facilities ready to go.

“There's a sign out front with a number to call if you want to check it out.”

She smiled. “Let's do it.”

“Since I'm on a rest day, I can call after lunch. Would that be okay?”

Her heart raced. When Trevor was in, he was in. She needed someone like him to push her along, to bring her ideas to fruition. “That'd be great.”

“So, on a structure like that, you'd also need to investigate costs for not only the rent, but insurance, supplies, and staffing. I'm sure we could ask Daniella to donate. She loves causes like yours.”

Eagerness welled inside her. She wanted to get started on the project right away.

When he finished his sandwich, he reached across the table and held her hand. “I appreciate you letting me in on this project of yours. I have to admit, I've been going a little bit crazy on my rest days.”

“Letting you in? Oh my god. I was a bit afraid of telling you. Since we've just gotten together I worried you would think I was running off.”

His grip on her hand tightened. “No way, baby. I'd never let you go.”

She smiled at him, and for the first time in her life, she truly believed she could have it all.

With Trevor's help, things moved quickly over the next eight weeks. While Chelsea balanced patients and hospital rounds, Trevor had the flexibility to help her with the setup of the new clinic. It hadn't been easy getting the money out of her father. She knew his signature came with a price. She hadn't bothered to tell Trevor that in order to get her dad to agree to release the money, she'd have to take the board position. She planned to tell him about the board once she found the time.

Like her, he'd learn her father wasn't an agreeable guy. Her dad had always given her whatever she wanted, as long as he got what he wanted, too. For her, it was a deal with the devil. For her father, it was simply family obligation. Whatever demands on her time arose, she didn't care. With Trevor's help she was fulfilling a lifelong dream. She couldn't believe he was a part of her journey. The man simply was phenomenal.

He kicked total ass with regard to getting the clinic up and running. The guys at Stamina had helped him build cabinets to replace the old ones in the examination rooms. He'd painted, and laid down the carpet himself. Before this she had no idea he was a jack of all trades. Not to mention, he'd installed the computer software to manage scheduling and patient records.

Knowing he waited for her inside, she walked faster than usual. Pushing open the door she found him, hammer in hand, knocking the crap out of a cabinet door.

She felt her face pull down. “That doesn't look good.”

He looked up, saw her and smiled before his unhappiness took over. “This hinge is bad. The door hangs off center and it makes a squeak every time it opens. These oldcabinets are junk.”

She let out a sigh. Admittedly, she did have to cut corners to pull off the clinic's opening. There just wasn't enough money to go with top-of-the-line everything. She'd invested most of her money in the lab equipment, making sure she could diagnose things like kidney infections while the patient waited. To that end, luxuries like premium wood cabinets had to wait, especially when wood laminate would do.

“So, what are you going to do?” Chelsea asked, “Take the whole cabinet out?”

After a few more swings of the hammer, Trevor took a break. “Yes. That's exactly what I'm going to do.” He wiped the sweat from his brow. “Then, I'm going down to the store where we got the materials for the new ones and build a nice set of cabinets for this room. With any luck, I'll be able to install them tonight.”

Warmth filled her chest. “Really? Do you have to? I'm not sure there's enough money left in the budget to replace them.”

“There's not.” He reached for his bottle of water and sipped. “I'm buying them.”

“You're buying me cabinets?” Her voice hiked up an octave.

“Not for you. For the clinic. If you used these, chances are you're going to have to replace them within a month anyway. Then you'd either have to have them replaced after hours, when you're exhausted, or during the day, when it will impact your patients. I'm not standing for either. Not when I can fix it right now.”

The man was simply amazing. “How did I get so lucky to find a guy who not only is a talented boxer and can fuck like a champion, but knows how to build cabinets to boot?”

He smiled. “It's fate, baby, fate.”

She didn't doubt for a second that fate played a role in her newfound happiness. Most people waited all of their lives to find someone like him. All she had to do was go to work. Maybe it was fate. She and Trevor did bring out the best in each other.

He taught her that work and play can mix. And she showed him that having the right people at your back meant you could accomplish anything.

He swung the hammer a few more times trying to pry the wood loose from the wall. The next step in pulling the cabinet out. “Sorry about the paint, baby. I'll fix it.”

Of course he would. There wasn't anything the man couldn't do, she was sure of it. Her heart warmed, knowing how much he really did care about her and the clinic. Chelsea walked over and knelt down beside where he worked.

“You really do care about people, don't you?” She turned her eyes to his, and waited for his answer.

“I guess I do. I've never thought about it before, but ever since I met you and I see how you can impact someone's life, I guess I admired that, and wanted to do the same.”

Her face split in a grin. She lifted her hand and placed it on his forearm. The heat from his body pressed into her palm. God, she didn't know until now just what she'd found. Why couldn't other people see Trevor the way she did? Hardworking. Dedicated. He was a good person with a generous soul. More people needed to see this side of him, but he rarely let them.

After a beat, Old Trevor was back, “Are you going to kiss me in appreciation, or sit there and stare at me?” he chided.

The corners of her mouth pulled upward in a smile, and she leaned in. Oh how she wanted to kiss him. His hot breath brushed against her mouth, and she pressed her lips to his. The thud of the hammer smacked against the floor as both of his hands cradled her face.

With need he pushed his mouth to hers, deepening their kiss. So much emotion passed between them. Love. Longing. And she knew he held a respect for her that most men didn't. His tongue grazed her lips and she opened her mouth for him. The velvety slickness of his tongue danced inside her mouth. She loved the feel of him, and she adored his taste. He bathed her in kisses, the really good, deep kind.

Mmm. She moaned. If the room wasn't littered with wood chips and nails, she'd have done him on the floor. Breaking her lips from his, she said, “I don't know what I'd do without you.”

He hiked up a brow. “Well, let's make sure you never have to find out.”

***

There was no way Chelsea could have come so far so quickly without Trevor. And, to his credit, he didn't shirk his training duties, either. She continued to secretly monitor him, off the record, until they could find the right physician for him.

She hoped that his rest days combined with immersing himself in the new projects at the clinic would do him some good. Before she left her office, she'd received a report based on his last scan to add to his file prior to passing him off to Dr. Evans. There'd been no real improvement. His condition remained status quo. Not advancing, but not regressing. She continued to read his blood chemistry levels. Ugh. Dread welled up inside her. It was as if his healing had plateaued.

Then she saw something else. A dark spot on his brain, the one that regularly appeared on his scans, one she hoped that by now would show signs of reduction. It hadn't. She let out a long, labored sigh.

It was as if everything had just stopped. If she were his doctor now would be the time where she'd pick up the phone and schedule a meeting with him. If it were any other patient Chelsea would revisit his treatment options. Maybe there were new drugs he could try. Everything they'd done, the new medications, the diet, the sleep schedule, and memory games weren't helping.

It had been months since his accident. His prognosis should've been brighter, but to her, his chances of getting back in the ring still seemed months and months away. One wrong hit at this point and Trevor's boxing career could be over. With scans like his, the Nevada Boxing Commission wouldn't approve him to fight anytime soon.

Fuck me
, she thought. What was she going to do? If he were her patient she'd have to tell him what she knew. Because she wasn't his doctor of record, however, she had no obligation to tell him what she knew.

But was that right? The internal debate weighed on her mind. On one hand, if news of a career setback came from her, he'd know he had an advocate for his healing. She wouldn't stop searching for new treatments and uncovering new research. Studies in head trauma were simply too new to rule anything out, no matter how strange the theory.

On the other hand, if she delivered the news that he would spend more and more time out of the ring instead of inside it, she didn't know if she could bear the look on his face, and the injury she'd mark on his soul. He simply meant too much to her for him to end up hating her like that.

She hoped with more time his condition would start to improve again, even if it was at a snail's pace. She'd prayed for a new physician who could bring new treatment ideas. One person answered the call, jumping at the chance to take Trevor's case on. Dr. Foster, a friend of her mother's, and an accomplished physician.

Dr. Foster was good, strict, and usually booked for months on end. The good doctor didn't take chances, and Chelsea knew she'd take excellent care of Trevor.

However, today wasn't the day to think about Trevor's bad scan. Being a patient of Dr. Foster's meant it was a new day and he was once again in excellent hands. Besides, today was for his new love, training other boxers. That's where she found him standing in the middle of Stamina, gloved up and ready to work out with Domenic. Since he'd been taken out of the gym, Trevor had turned into one heck of a boxing coach. His instructions rang out as if he and Domenic were the only two guys in the place.

“Throw from your shoulder,” Trevor told his sparring partner. “It brings the full force of the punch to your opponent. If you throw from the elbow, you're putting too much stress on the muscles in your forearm. They'll tire and let you down.”

At the first sight of him, a smile bloomed across her face. She loved seeing him like this. When he helped others, his actions reminded her of how much they had in common. His eyes sparkled whenever he trained Domenic. He wore the look of a man who had a passion. His face glowed. Like her, he enjoyed helping people and training new boxers seemed like a perfect fit for him..

With a quick glance, he caught her staring at them and lifted his glove, indicating he'd be with her in a minute. As she waited, Daniella walked up beside her. “It's good to see you, Chelsea.”

“Hi!” Chelsea greeted Daniella with a hug.

Daniella released her after a beat. “Trevor has been filling me in on everything you two are doing across the street. Please plan on a big donation from Stamina when you're ready.”

She felt her eyebrows hike up. “Wow, that's really generous. Thank you.”

“You deserve it. I'm not sure what you've done where Trevor is concerned, but whatever it is, it's really working.”

“I appreciate your kindness, Daniella.” She felt her smile growing.

Daniella pointed to the area where Trevor and Domenic worked out. “I could never get him over there before.”

Chelsea felt her cheeks relax. “Why? What's the problem?”

“He's with Domenic in the reserved for partner training. After his accident, his sulking and attitude around here caused the guys to pull away from him. Then Domenic reached out to him, and while Trevor was nice to him, and they ran together occasionally, he didn't seem to want to fully engage in Domenic's training. Now something has changed in him. Not only has he started taking an active interest in Domenic's development, but he's taken a special interest in the safety measures here at the gym. He even had me order brand-new headgear for all the guys.”

Chelsea pursed her lips. “I'm happy to hear he's so concerned, considering what he's been through.”

Daniella squinted. “Me too, but it begs the question. Why?”

Chelsea placed a hand on her hip. “I'm not sure I'm following you.”

“Look. I know Trevor's injuries came from the parking lot attack. But what I'm asking is, did they start there?”

Naturally Daniella would wonder, but Chelsea hated it when people asked questions she was prohibited from answering. It got her too close to a line she couldn't cross. “I'm afraid I can't say.”

What Chelsea had learned about Trevor's past, his rough childhood was all protected information. She couldn't divulge anything to Daniella or anyone else.

“He's not going to fight again, is he?” Daniella asked.

She didn't answer. Instead, Chelsea allowed the silence to stretch between them as both women watched Trevor and Domenic move to the strike bag. After a few moments of instruction, Trevor observed Domenic as he threw a few punches.

“Trevor could do well here even if he didn't come back as a fighter,” Daniella said after watching them for a few moments. “Shakes isn't getting any younger, and I'm going to need someone in the background waiting to take his place.”

Chelsea took a step back. She needed to avoid this entire conversation. If Daniella thought Trevor might make a good trainer, she'd have to speak to him personally.

“Have you talked to Trevor about it? I know his love for Shakes runs deep.” If she kept Daniella talking, she'd protect herself from saying too much.

Daniella shook her head. “No. I'm leaving it up to Shakes to tell me when he's ready to retire, but I've noticed lately how the long hours are beginning to wear on him. He's not up for travel like he used to be, and while I'm certain he'll never quit the gym, if I have fighters on the road, I need someone to accompany them. It's obvious I can't do it anymore.” Daniella rubbed her hand over her ever-growing baby belly.

“Do you know if it's a boy or a girl?” Chelsea asked.

“It's a boy. We're naming him Robert, after R. L., my father.”

Chelsea smiled. “A boy, huh? Jack will have him training in no time.”

Daniella laughed. “I told my husband he has to wait until the baby is potty-trained first.”

Chelsea didn't miss the wistful look in Daniella's eye, and she also acknowledged the small twinge deep in her own gut. Of course she was jealous. Who wouldn't? She could only hope to one day have what Daniella shared with Jack. And she could see herself starting that phase of her life with Trevor.

Another one of her dreams that since meeting Trevor looked more and more like it, too, could become a reality.