Chapter 97

Emma was in the middle of explaining defensive strategies to the coaching staff when the room started spinning. She gripped the conference table, trying to focus on the whiteboard, but the numbers and diagrams blurred together like watercolors in rain.

“Emma?” Coach Davidson’s voice sounded far away. “You okay?”

“I’m fine,” she managed, but her legs felt like water. “Just need some—”

The world tilted sideways, and everything went black.

She woke up in a hospital bed with Alek holding her hand, his face pale and drawn in a way she hadn’t seen since Franklin’s final days.

“Hey,” he said softly when her eyes opened. “There you are.”

“What happened?”

“You collapsed during the coaching meeting. Scared the hell out of everyone.” His voice was carefully controlled, but Emma could see the fear underneath. “How do you feel?”

Emma took inventory. Tired. Dizzy. Like she’d been hit by a truck.

“Like I got tackled by the entire defensive line