Free The Hardest Hit by Jennifer Fusco Page A

things happen in their bodies eight to ten years
after
they retire. You are seeing them now.”
    â€œSo what are you saying?”
    Her blue eyes met his. “I’m saying that it’s not worth it. I’m saying you’re a young, funny, ridiculously handsome man and you don’t need to suffer like this.”
    He took a moment and considered her words. “What if someone told you that you couldn’t be a doctor anymore?”
    â€œI know this is hard for you.” Her voice softened.
    He pursed his lips. “No. You don’t. Because you can’t fathom not being what you are. You can’t imagine what it feels like to have someone hold you back from what you love.” He raised his hand to keep her from saying another word. “If I quit and walk out now, what have I got? A job at a strip club? Maybe I can become the janitor at Stamina, if I’m lucky.”
    â€œDon’t talk like that.” Deep lines formed on her forehead, right between her eyebrows.
    â€œI’m serious.”
    She held his gaze. “So am I.” Pulling back from him, she stood up and paced the locker room. “We have to postpone the fight. There’s no way I’m signing off on something that could kill you.”
    He bowed his head. Then in the same instance, he perked up. She said
postpone
, not
cancel
. Maybe she thought this was only a brief delay.
    His stomach tensed. He felt a wave of disappointment surge through his body. Sitting there in the moment, he knew the news was going to come out sooner or later. If Domenic hadn’t ratted him out to Daniella, Shakes would have put two and two together and figured out why he kept switching up his daily routine. There wasn’t any consistency in his fight plan because he had to keep mixing it up to offset whatever problem he was having that day. No running if he woke up with nausea. No weightlifting if he felt dizzy. Shakes had already complained once or twice that his workouts weren’t balanced and that it would affect him in the ring.
    And the last thing he wanted was to take on Dion Nash and lose.
    â€œWhat do you want me to do?” An uneasy feeling ran through his gut. In the battle of wills with Chelsea he wasn’t going to come out victorious. He had to give up, stop fighting her, and resign himself to getting better. It would be the only way she’d allow him to fight.
    â€œAgree to a postponement. That’s step one,” she said.
    His mouth flattened to a straight line, and he paused. This wasn’t going to go over well with Daniella. He’d already signed the contract. The fight was on. Promotion and ticket sales were in the works. Sponsors were secured. His posture slumped. “For how long?”
    â€œWe’ll start with a month. Maybe two.”
    Heat penetrated his body, his temper rose to a boiling point. “A month? No fucking way.”
    She propped a hand on her hip. “Then I’m done here. I’m not clearing you to fight, and I’m letting Daniella know that no other doctor will clear you, either. You need rest and routine monitoring.”
    Her words hit him way below the belt. She was playing hardball, and he didn’t have much choice except to play along. He let out a heavy sigh.
    â€œOkay,” he said, defeat marking his tone. “You win. We can postpone the fight, and I’ll do whatever you want on one condition.”
    â€œWhat’s that?” Her tone sounded challenging.
    The corner of his mouth pulled up in a sly grin. “I want you to monitor me personally.”

Chapter Twelve
    Heat flooded her face. She knew she shouldn’t crack a smile. Now wasn’t the time for smiling and letting him know that she’d condone even an inch of what he’d done. He put his health at risk. One hit too hard and he’d land himself on an operating table or worse. Yet, the corner of her mouth hiked up. Any resentment she had toward him