Head Games by Cassandra Carr Read Free Book Online Page A

no one had time to clean up properly, and she hated that. She vowed to set herself to tidying up as soon as the restaurant slowed down. Her staff would be just recovering from the long night and they’d still have their side work ahead of them, so she was probably on her own.
    An hour later, she heard a gasp from the patrons in the restaurant and darted out of the kitchen to see what was up. Leo was lying prone on the ice. Another player was helping the team’s trainer onto the ice, and the others were standing around Leo, looking down at him. Kelly turned to the room. “Did anyone see what happened?”
    One patron nodded. “Took a shot right to the side of his head.”
    “But they wear those helmets, so it can’t be that bad, right?”
    “Well, he hasn’t moved since he went down…” the man answered, shrugging.
    Kelly’s eyes were glued to the television. She saw Bonnie in her peripheral vision. “Take over the kitchen for now.”
    “Sure, Kel.” Bonnie walked back into the kitchen, but Kelly didn’t even spare her a glance. Biting her lip, she stopped to consider.
    Maybe he just got knocked out cold.
    He still hadn’t moved. The camera panned over to the bench area, and Kelly saw Scott warming up to take Leo’s place. In between stretches, he was checking out what was happening on the ice, his face betraying his worry. Kelly put a hand over her heart as the trainers continued to work on Leo. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity but was probably only a moment or two, Leo sat up, and the crowd erupted in cheers. He raised his blocker briefly in acknowledgement and then staggered to his feet with the help of two teammates. They half walked, half carried him to the bench, where he and Scott exchanged a few words before Scott took his place on the ice. Play resumed, but all Kelly could think about was that she needed to get to the hospital. She needed to see if Leo was okay.
    Rushing back into the kitchen, Kelly took Bonnie aside. “Look, I don’t have time to explain, but I’m going to the hospital. Can you hold down the fort here?”
    “Of course,” Bonnie answered. She cocked her head. “I know you said you didn’t want to explain, but this is going to look awfully weird. Between the way you acted just now and your sudden departure, there’s gonna be a lot of questions. What do you want me to tell the staff?”
    “Tell them Leo and I are friends, which is true. You guys all know how often they come in after games.”
    Bonnie nodded. “But it’s more than that, isn’t it?”
    “I have to go. My cell is on if you need me.” She ducked into her office to grab her coat before Bonnie could question her further. How was she supposed to explain something to Bonnie that she didn’t understand herself? Jumping in her car, she made it to the hospital in record time. When she got inside, though, she stopped short. Would they even tell her anything? It wasn’t like she was family. Her uncertainties were shoved aside, though, as she heard loud arguing down the hall. Turning, she headed that way, ducking to get by the nurses’ station without them noticing.
    “I don’t need a fucking CT scan. I got hit with a puck. It happens at least once every practice and every game.”
    Kelly would’ve smiled if she hadn’t been so concerned. Taking a deep breath, she opened the door leading into the area.
    “Miss, you can’t be back there. The waiting room—”
    The rest of his sentence was cut off when Leo spied her. “Kelly!” His brows drew down. “Why are you here?”
    “Duh. I saw what happened. I figured they’d bring you here since you got knocked out cold.”
    “Yeah, Brad insisted on it,” he answered, pointing to the team’s trainer, who just shrugged and went back to filling out forms.
    Kelly approached the bed. “Honey, you need to let them take a look at your head.”
    “I hate CT scans. They make me feel all claustrophobic.” Leo shuddered, and Kelly reached out her hand briefly