It’s partly my fault too, because I’ve been distracted with Karen and Harold and the fight to keep custody of my son. I’ve met with the lawyer a handful of times already and we finally have a date for the case in front of the judge. It’s next Friday and, unfortunately, it clashes with one of the Phoenix Penguins’ last games. If they winthe game, they’ll move on to the playoffs. If they don’t, the season will be over for them. Gabe has mentioned more than once about skipping the game, but I refused to hear it.
Instead, before he had to leave for his flight, he helped me get all the papers together that the lawyer requested, and I have to settle for watching him on the TV. They’re playing in Atlanta tonight, so he’s way too far away for me to join him. Not that I could. I’ve been instructed to stay in the state, to keep Owen on his usual schedule as much as possible. Karen isn’t allowed to text me directly anymore, but it hasn’t stopped the extended family from sending messages.
Owen, for all it’s worth, has been his usual, funny self. He’s been cracking jokes and keeping me sane. There are moments, usually before bed, when he gets serious and asks me if everything is going to be okay. Each time, I reassure him that no one in this world or the next can take him away from me.
I’ve taken every possible step to make sure I can keep that promise. I’ve taken his grandparents off the approved pickup list and explained to the administration at the elementary school that he is not allowed to be picked up by anyone outside of me, Gabe, his parents, or Mandy.
“Looks like Phoenix’s number twenty-six is having some trouble,” the commentator brings my attention back to the screen. The camera has zoomed-in on one of the players from the other team, but it pans down the rink to the other end. All the guys are moving fast, skating around. I spot Gabe’s jersey number the second that he falls to the ice, just as the commentator says, “Oh!”
There was no one around him, nothing to trip him. Gabe just…falls.
And he doesn’t get up.
The whole arena goes quiet and the refs rush to Gabe, medics also making their way onto the ice. My heart races and the screen turns to an announcer as they speculate about what has happened. I can’t hear anything that he’s saying. I can feel tears in my eyes as I reach for my phone. It’s already ringing, Mandy’s photo on the screen.
“Are you watching the game?” she asks.
“I am,” I say. “Is he okay?”
I know in the back of my mind that she isn’t going to know anything more than me. I still ask, hoping that someone magically has an answer. On the TV, the medics are putting Gabe on a stretcher.
He’s still out cold.
I don’t realize I’m holding my breath until my lungs are screaming at me to breathe.
“He’ll be okay,” she says when I take a deep breath. She sounds like she’s trying to convince herself as much as me.
“I need to go to him,” I babble, “I need… I can’t leave. I…”
“Justin, slow down.” Mandy’s voice does nothing to help. “Can you call the coach and see what’s going on?”
“Um, yeah. Let me…” My brain isn’t working, filled with all the bad things that could be happening. The ice is suddenly empty. Each team is taking a break. I glance at the timer, which has stopped with six minutes to go in the last period.
That’s not usual. Not unless someone is really injured.
I feel panicky and sick.
“Justin, call your coach and then call me back, okay?”
“Okay.” She hangs up and I switch over to my contacts list. I have to blink my eyes several times to see the names on the screen.
The phone rings three times and I almost hang up to try again, but Overton finally answers. I can see him answering the phone on the TV after only a two second delay. “Justin?”
“How is he?” I demand. “What happened?”
“I don’t know,” Coach says. It’s surreal to watch his lips moving on the screen in front of me. He turns away when he realizes that he’s on camera. “He’s still out. They’re saying he fainted, and his heart rate is weak, but he’s stable otherwise.”
“Is he going to be okay?” That’s all I need to know.
“They’re going to hook him up to an IV and take him to the hospital. I’ll keep you updated.” The line goes dead, and I’m left thinking the worst.
If Gabe hasn’t woken up yet, that’s not a good sign. Is he dehydrated? Pushing himself too hard? I know that he’s worried about letting the team down and his scholarship and he wasn’t eating a lot…
“He stopped doing that,” I mumble to myself. I lift a hand to my eye and swipe the tears away once more. “He told me he was fine.”
***
“Hey, baby.” Daddy’s voice is like every good thing in the world mixed together. I barely slept the last two nights, trying to get updates on him and debating if it was worth catching a red-eye flight. Now, he’s standing in front of me and giving me that smile. He has bags under his eyes, but other than that he looks okay. “I’m sorry if I scared you.”
