“She lives in Connecticut. That’swhere we grew up. She still has the house, but she hasn’t been there for awhile now, since we started getting all this done. God, the bills sure do pileup for medical expenses. Keeps you on your toes, I guess.”
“Yeah, I guess.”
“This ER visit is going to bewonderful, I’m sure,” she says as she rubs her fingers over her chin, lookinglike she’s trying to mentally calculate the expense. “And then there’s all thisfucking back-and-forth at the hospital about trying to see if they can get herinto this experimental procedure that I know she needs, but I don’t have afucking way to get her in there. And they’re only taking on so many patients,and if she doesn’t get into it, then I’m fucked. We’re fucked. And what kind offucking world do we live in where I can’t even take a long enough break to goand see my fucking mother? She’s dying. She’s dying and she’s alone in thiscondo in New York, and I hardly ever get to see her because I’m so busy chasingTad Roarke around the country.” She waves her hands in front of her face, andit’s clear she doesn’t want me to see her like this. “God, I can’t believe I’mfalling apart like this right now. I’m fine. I’ll be fine.” She takes deepbreaths, steadying herself.
She obviously has some great mentaltactics for keeping herself centered. I wonder if she meditates.
“Oh, the life and times I’ve hadwith Tad Roarke,” she says. “Who would have thought this was how my day wouldturn out?” She chuckles. It transforms into laughter, but then just as quickly,she bursts into a fit of tears.
Thirty-Two
Tad
“That was the single stupidest thing you’ve ever done inyour life,” Kiernan says as he stands beside my hospital bed. Bryce stands at thefoot of the bed. The sleeves of his shirt, which still have some blood on them,are rolled up. His brown hair is tousled. Despite the bags under his eyes andhis worn appearance, he’s as hot as ever.
“Bryce could be dead right now,” Isay.
“And so could you. The whole pointof his job is to keep you alive. I just can’t imagine what was going throughyour head.”
His creased, reddened foreheadglistens with sweat.
“I don’t think anyone would havedone anything different in that situation,” I say.
“You’re not thinking this through,so let me help you. This injury is gonna keep you off the field. The field iswhy you have sponsors. You lose the field, you lose sponsors. Remember? Thewhole thing that we need to keep on top of this year? The whole reason we’vebeen working our asses off to keep you from getting bad press?”
“I get shot and you’re worriedabout me playing?” I ask Kiernan.
“No, that’s not what I—”
“That’s clearly all you fuckinggive a shit about.”
“Don’t you—”
“Get the fuck out of here! This isnot the time!”
I didn’t realize how loudly I saidit until I hear the echo and see Kiernan’s expression shift. He’s notcombative. He’s surprised. He starts to say something, but stops himself.
Bryce steps behind him and restshis hand on Kiernan’s shoulder.
“Just give him a minute, all right?”Bryce asks.
Kiernan takes a breath and headsto the door. Opening it, he mutters, “I’ll grab you some dinner and be backsoon.”
As the door shuts, Bryce remainsquiet. Unnervingly quiet. If he has something to say to me about what wentdown, he just needs to come out and say it. I’ll get him out of here just asfast as I got Kiernan out.
“Why would you do that?” hefinally asks. Unlike Kiernan, he’s not screaming. He’s calm. Concerned.
“So Debra’s real shaken up, huh?”I ask, trying to avoid Bryce’s scrutiny, but also genuinely curious about howshe is, considering Kiernan didn’t tell me much after he came in and startedlaying into me about fucking shit up.
“I already saw her,” he says,clearly willing to entertain my diversion. “Hers wasn’t too bad either. She wasjust rattled. The way you’d expect anyone to be rattled.”
“I can imagine.”
“How do you feel?” he asks.
“The painkillers are workingwonders,” I say with a smirk, hoping my humor will set him at ease.
He makes his way to the chairbeside my bed and settles in it. He takes a deep breath. He’s depleted. Heneeds to get some sleep, not keep hanging around here with me.
