Samantha’s POV

I tapped my feet frantically against the floor as I sat in the waiting room. I had no idea what was going on in the ER and I couldn’t even go check, since I had already been warned not to enter.

I had lied to the paramedic who had caught me in the ambulance earlier, telling him the same story that I told the guards. Though that made him tell me to just wait in the corner of the vehicle, it still prevented him from kicking me out.

I pulled out my phone from my pocket, to check the time, only to find thousands of missed calls from Chloe and my Mom.

Oh God. I’m screwed.

Just then a nurse slipped out of the ER and before I could even think of getting up, the coach rushed towards her.

“Nurse, what's the problem? Is he going to be okay?” His voice cracked with panic, his shoulders folding in on themselves as he trembled beneath the fluorescent lights. I couldn’t blame him though—those doors had been closed for hours. I mean it was almost midnight.

Now I see why Chloe and Mom are panicking.

The coach reached the nurse in a matter of seconds, gripping the clipboard in the nurse's hands like she would disappear if he didn’t.

I wasn’t so close—I didn’t want anyone to spot me—but the waiting room was dead quiet, so quiet that every word carried. Even from where I sat, I could hear their conversation as clearly as if they were standing in front of me.

“He’s stable now,” she answered, her tone professional yet edged with sympathy. With her cap, tilted slightly and a strand of hair clinging to her cheek, it was obvious that she had been working nonstop.

“We managed to stop the bleeding, but… he did suffer a head injury. We’ll need to keep him under close observation for the next twenty-four hours. He’s out of immediate danger now, but the situation is still delicate.”

The coach’s lips parted, relief rushing through his face so suddenly it looked like someone had knocked the wind out of him. He rubbed his hands over his face, his voice hoarse when he asked, “So he’s going to make it?”

The nurse nodded. “Yes. He’s strong. He’s fighting. But the brain can be unpredictable after trauma. You’ll need to prepare the team, and his family, for a long recovery.”

The coach stiffened at the mention of the Caveman’s family but I couldn’t even process his reaction as a loud ringing filled my ears, drowning out the rest of their words.

I blinked, staring down at the phone still clutched in my palm, Chloe’s name flashing across the screen again and again. But my hands refused to move.

Brain injury.

The words stuck in my head like sharp pins, piercing deeper with every echo. Out of danger, but… brain injury?

I’d told myself he would be fine—tried to convince myself actually—I’d told myself that this was just a bad knock, that people got back up from things like this all the time. But hearing it, raw and final from the nurse’s mouth, was like being shoved into icy water.

I pressed my back against the chair, fingers trembling as I gripped the edge of the seat. A thousand thoughts screamed through me, none of them making sense, only the pounding question—what if he never recovers the same?

What if he’s never able to fight in a match again?

He’s going to remember me as the girl who insulted him, right before he got humiliated in front of the whole world and was never able to box again.

My phone vibrated on my lap cutting off my thoughts and I looked down to see Chloe’s name again. I had put my phone on silent mode a few hours ago so I wouldn’t be disturbing the peace of the hospital.

I mean that was the reason I didn’t even see their calls in the first place.

“Where the fuck are you?!” I yanked the phone away from my ear, wincing at Chloe’s scream.

Thank goodness I had chosen to head to the bathroom before answering her calls. “And why the hell aren’t you answering your phone?! Your mom is worried sick! I even had to lie to her that we had an ‘impromptu sleepover’ and that’s why you aren’t home right now. I lied to her, that you were sleeping, and that’s why you aren’t answering your calls. So you better have a good reason for disappearing on me like that.”

“Relax Chloe. I’m fine.” I said, tipping my head back as I slipped into one of the bathroom stalls and slid the door shut. “I just needed to do something. Oh and thanks for covering up for me, I was wondering why my mom wasn’t calling anymore.”

“Oh shut up.” I could practically see her rolling her eyes as she huffed. “I hate you, you know that.”

I held back my laughter. “Uh huh. You never let me forget.”

“You haven’t told me where you are though?” She said, before letting out a sharp gasp. “Oh my God did you like, run away with a hot stranger and have a one night stand?”

“Ew, no Chloe. That’s your thing.” I wrinkled my nose in disgust.

“Hey! You’re making it sound like it’s a bad thing.” She said defensively. “Besides, I only do it once in a while.”

“Whatever.” I laughed. “If you must know, I’m at the hospital.”

“What?!” I could hear the panic laced in her voice, which made me realize I didn’t specify why. “What happened? Are you okay?”

“No, no, no. I’m fine Chloe. It’s…” I hesitated before saying, “The Caveman.”

“Oh my God.” Her voice dropped to a hushed whisper now. “You followed them to the hospital? Are you out of your mind? How did you even pull that off? I thought they had security or something.”

I let out a small sigh before I began giving Chloe the whole story of how the Caveman and I met backstage and how I mistook him for someone else because of his new skull tattoo and started insulting him and telling him that he’ll lose. And now that he did, I felt very guilty.

I also told her about my outlandish lie and how I managed to fool the whole emergency crew into thinking I was his nutritionist. And she. Was. Stunned.

“No. Way. So you mean to tell me that you met Caveman? Without his mask?! And you didn’t tell me?!!”

“I didn’t know, girl. I thought he was just some underground brute, and now I feel guilty that he lost and now has to deal with a brain injury.” My shoulders slumped in defeat as I plopped down on the closed toilet seat.

“Sam it’s not your fault, bad things… wait. Did you say brain injury?”

Hmm. I guess she didn’t hear me the first time. “Yes Chloe. The Caveman has a brain injury and it’s going to take him a while to recover.”

“Oh my God.”

“I followed him here to check if he was okay and apologize and maybe tell him that I’m a big fan, but I don’t even know if I can do that anymore.” I admitted, biting my lip.

“It’s okay Sam, just come home. I’ll make you something to eat. You’ve had a long day and you need rest.”

I sighed again, a faint smile tugging at my lips. “Thanks Chloe. What would I do without you?”

“Go hungry and get caught by your mom, that's for sure.” A small laugh slipped out of me as we said our goodbyes and ended the call.

Without Chloe to distract me from the whole issue, a heavy weight settled on my shoulders. I pushed myself off the toilet seat, sliding the stall door shut behind me, and walked back to the waiting room, each step quieter than the last. The fluorescent lights above flickered slightly, making the room feel colder and emptier than it had just minutes ago.

The coach was gone now—probably checking on other important things—leaving the waiting room momentarily unguarded. My heart pounded in my chest as I realized this might be my only chance to see him, just for a moment. I stayed close to the wall, moving like a shadow, careful not to draw anyone’s attention.

And there he was.

Behind the glass was the Caveman lying on the hospital bed, his chest rising and falling steadily under the thin blanket, the bright overhead lights casting sharp shadows on his face. His mask was gone now.

I couldn’t even understand why he chose to keep his identity hidden. Yes all the fighters wore masks but the Caveman never took his off.

And to think he was one of the most famous fighters in the underground arena. The Caveman—the man behind the legend, the one I had insulted so thoughtlessly. Now he looked… vulnerable. So weak and helpless.

My stomach twisted with guilt.

I swallowed hard, my legs frozen. He must hate me now. My idol… the one I adored so much, hated me now.

Oh Sam. Why didn’t you just keep your mouth shut?

I stood there, silently reprimanding myself for my actions and suddenly, a shadow moved near the door behind me.

Shit. Someone was coming.

I’ve gotta get out of here.