Chuckling, I shrug my shoulders. “I like the food here. And just because I’m famous doesn’t mean going through a drive-through is beneath me.” I fish out a couple of hundreds from my wallet and hand them to the kid. “Keep the change.”
“Thank you.” He smiles at me with a mouth full of braces.
“Can I get your autograph?” he asks, handing me a napkin and a pen.
“Sure,” I reply, taking the pen from him and scribbling my autograph on the napkin.
“I’m going to frame this. I can’t believe I got to meet my favorite player tonight.”
I thought everyone would hate me for how badly I fucked up the last game, but seeing how happy this kid is brings me joy.
“Here’s your order,” he says, handing us the bag of food. “Have a great night!”
“You too, kid!”
“Man, this smells so good!” Annalise says, taking the bag from my hands.
“I know. I can’t wait to dive in.”
Annalise’s phone starts ringing and she grabs it from her purse. “Oh, it’s my mom.”
“Tell her I say hi.”
She swipes the phone to answer it. “Hola, Mami. Maddox says hi.”
There’s a beat of silence before Annalise speaks again.
“Wait, wait, slow down! W-what happened?” Annalise sits upright. The smile slides off her face and her expression turns serious.
The paper bag crumbles in her hand and her face loses its color. “I’ll be right there.”
She hangs up the phone, her hands shaking as she sets it down. “My abuelo, he…” She swallows, tears forming in her eyes. “He collapsed. They’re rushing him to the hospital.”
CHAPTER FORTY-SIX
annalise
When I arriveat the hospital, Maddox drops me off at the emergency room, then goes to look for parking. Rushing through the doors, I find Mom frantically pacing around the waiting room and Ollie sitting on a chair with his head hung low.
Since I got the call from Mom saying she found Abuelo lying on the bathroom floor unconscious, I’ve been riddled with anxiety. Images of him lying in a hospital bed hooked up to a machine in a comatose state flashed through my mind on the over here.
“W-where’s Abuelo?” I ask her, my voice trembling. “Is he a-awake yet?”
Mom nods. “He regained consciousness when we arrived at the ER. They’re taking him for a CT scan right now.”
“Oh, thank God he’s awake. I thought he—” I shake my head, tears stinging the back of my eyes. “I was so scared, Mami.”
She pulls me into a hug, caressing the back of my head. “I know, baby. I know. We just gotta pray that the CT comes back negative.”
Maddox walks through the door with the In-N-Out bags in his hands and greets Mom and Ollie. “Do you guys need anything? Water? Snacks?”
Mom gives him a small smile. “No, we’re fine, thank you. I can take Annalise home later, Maddox. You don’t have to stay.”
Maddox settles in the chair next to me. “It’s okay. I want to be here.” He takes my hand and rubs his thumb over my palm in soothing circles.
I rest my head on his shoulder, thankful that he decided to stay. I needed him here by my side.
He takes out my cheeseburger and hands it to me, but I shake my head. “I don’t have much of an appetite right now.”
