“Whatever,” Satan’s mistress mutters. She slips back into her coffin and slams her door.
“She is such a bitch,” spits Bradley.
“Bradley, what’s going on? What happened to my mom?”
“I don’t know. Your dad called my mom from the car and asked her to call me so that I can drive you home safely. He was worried you’d be upset and wreck your car.”
“Let me get my purse.” I run back to my room and return to Bradley in seconds. “Let’s go.”
He takes hold of my forearm and drags me toward the elevator.
“Stairs. The stairs are faster!” I exclaim. We turn and take the stairs down to the first floor and rush toward the main door. As we exit the building, I see Alex’s mom getting into their Suburban. She sees me and motions her arm toward the car. I think she’s asking me if I need a ride. I just wave and smile weakly, shaking my head. Bradley is still clutching my arm, pulling me toward his waiting car. He opens the door for me. I look back at Jill as I slide into his passenger seat and see her smile fade a little bit. Bradley rushes around and gets into the car. He starts it up and squeals out of his spot.
From the corner of my eye, I can tell Bradley’s worried. It’s right then I see my old family friend again. The one I grew up with. The one that cares about my family like it’s his family too. We ride in silence the hour that it takes us to reach the emergency ward. Bradley pulls up to the emergency entrance, telling me to go on ahead while he parks the car. Racing inside, I search right and left for anyone who looks familiar. I spot my dad sitting in the waiting area next to Vicky. His leg is bouncing up and down rapidly.
“Dad! What happened? How’s Mom? Have they told you anything?” My questions are rushing from my mouth so fast, he doesn't have a chance to answer any of them.
Reaching out, I take hold of his hand and sit next to him.
“I don’t know, sweetie. When we got here, they took her back right away. They had her breathing with oxygen.”
“I don’t understand. What happened?”
“I’m not sure. She woke up clutching her chest, and her breath was short. I panicked. Instead of calling 911, I picked her up, carried her to the car, and came right here. I calledVicky so she could let you know. I’m sorry I didn’t call you myself; I just didn’t want you to hear the worry in my voice.”
“It’s okay, Dad. I’m here now. It all worked out.”
“And you’re missing Alex’s homecoming game today. I’m so sorry.”
“Dad.” I take his hand. “This is where I need to be. It’s more important.” And it is. It’s way more important than a silly game.
Chapter Twenty
ALEX
Where is she? I look up at my mom and point to the empty seats next to her. Mom shrugs and shakes her head. Even though things have been so weird with Stella this week, I didn’t think she’d blow off my game. The morning after we made love, she acted so nervous, so coy. I didn’t want to scare her by attacking her first thing in the morning, even though that’s all I wanted to do. She looked and acted so tentative. Shit, she couldn't get dressed and out of there fast enough, and since I’ve never deflowered a girl before, I wasn’t sure what to expect or what to do afterward. I’ve been with plenty of girls, but they all knew what they were doing. This was all new for Stella, and I didn’t want to frighten her away. I decided to give her space. She needed time to process everything. I did tell her I loved her, after all. Maybe that freaked her out. She didn’t say it back.
Shit.Maybe she’s not ready for all of this with me.
But where is she? Stella’s not the kind of person to bail on me, is she? She said she was coming to the game in her text. But while she didn’t promise; it still makes me angry.Angry?No, not angry. I feel sad, depressed, bitter, and worried all rolledinto one. What if something happened to her and she couldn’t get a hold of me? Surely she would have called or messaged me. The thought eases my mind a little. The second I get into the locker room at half time, I’ll check my phone.
Halftimeand no message from Stella. What the hell is going on? Even though we aren’t supposed to be on the phones during our halftime meetings, especiallythishalftime, one where we’re down twenty-four to three, I can’t help staring at my phone. Needless to say, this midgame pep talk is more like a bitch-out session. I really need to listen to the coach. I’m playing for shit—like a high school freshman. Coach is yelling, and I think he’s yelling at me, but I can’t focus on that right now. I need to be sure she’s okay. All I need is to know that she’s okay.Right before we head back out onto the field, I grab my phone and quickly text her.“Stella, where are you? Are you all right?”Not only that, I call her number and hope to hear her voice, but I get her machine. So, I leave the message. “Stella, it’s Alex. Where are you? You’re not at my game. You’re worrying me.” Because I’m the last one out of the locker room, I hang up and spring back out to play the worst fucking game of my career.
Chapter Twenty-One
STELLA
It seems like we’ve been waiting forever. I try to keep Dad from going completely nuts by turning the game on the television. I can’t stand to watch it myself. Dad doesn’t notice my lack of interest. His mind is elsewhere. I sit as far away from the television as I can get so I won’t see number eighty-five. I do hear them say his name a few times. One time I hear them say something about number eighty-five and a fumble. Actually, I hear that a couple of times.
Close to halftime, the doctor finally comes out. He sits right in front of Dad and me. Vicky and Bradley are close by, but you can tell they don’t want to impose. “Your wife is stable, Mr. Matthews. We’re still running some tests, but it appears she had a cardiac episode. Her heart is slightly enlarged, and she has built-up fluid around her lungs and her heart muscle. We’ve given her something to help diminish the fluid levels as well as something that will help regulate her blood pressure. We’ll need to do additional tests to see if she has what we call cardiomyopathy. It’s very rare but treatable with medication and a low-sodium diet.”
“So, it wasn’t a heart attack?” I ask.
“No, it wasn’t a heart attack. She was feeling pressure in her chest and had a difficult time breathing due to the fluids. Her reaction was more like a panic attack rather than a heart attack. It’s not uncommon to be scared when you can’t catch your breath.” The doctor continues, “I think she’s battled the worst of this episode, but I’d like to keep her here overnight for observation and to make sure the diuretic is working. I hope you agree with that plan of action.”
My dad nods and asks when we can see her.
“We have one or two more tests to run; then we’ll get her into a room on the cardiac floor. If you want to go on up to that floor, there’s a separate waiting room there. The nurse will get you when she’s settled into her room.”
