“Bummer. Lucky guy.” He hissed between his teeth. “This stings.”
“Your ego or your arm?”
“Good one.” He laughed and motioned to his arm. “I threw too many reps today.”
“Yeah, and you overextended on your long tosses.” She went to grab the clipboard and only then noticed me in the tub. She paused, for a second. “Hey, Zade.”
“Hey, girl.” I winked at her. She blushed slightly but rolled her eyes. I guess that answered my question if she wanted to admit in the training room that we were together. “You look tough out there.”
“I am tough. Also, if you aren’t withering in pain, I’m telling Nicole.” She went back to Max and finished wrapping two bags of ice on him. He thanked her and walked out with a smirk. She turned back to me and wetted her bottom lip.
“Will you be my girlfriend?” I tried, for the fifth time that week.
She grinned, which was the best reaction I’d had yet. I held my breath, but she shook her head. “Nah. Jealousy again. Way to be a creep and lie there.”
“Would you have preferred if I’d coughed or burst out in a deep voice, ‘She’s mine!’”
“I guess not.” Her eyes heated over for a second before business came back. “I’m okay with people knowing we’re together, but I don’t want it to ruin anything for me, you know? I told Nicole.”
“She told me. She also threatened me.” I grinned at her shocked response and put her hand in mine. She recoiled at the coldness of it. “I won’t embarrass you if that’s why you’re worried.”
“Okay. Good.” She placed my hand back in the ice. “I need to go. I’ll see you tonight?”
My stomach tightened at her hopeful expression and I sighed. “I can’t. Something came up and some of us have to go help out a teammate. I promise I’ll fill you in when I can.”
“Okay.” Her smile fell a little and she paused. She clearly debated with herself for a second but then left. I ached to know what she wanted to say, but I didn’t have the chance.
* * * *
“Regardless of what he says or does…he needs our support.” I looked back at Jeff and Tanner. We’d driven to Aaron’s parents’ place and his car sat in the driveway.
“Yup. We can take it,” Tanner vowed. “He hasn’t been the same and we need to be there.”
I nodded as we walked up to the door. We’d tried to guess what had happened the entire drive up to the suburb and now our walk dragged with the weight of what we would find once we knocked on the door. Jeff rang the bell.
Aaron’s mom opened the door with tears in her eyes. “Jeff, Tanner, Zade…what are you all doing here?”
“We needed to make sure Aaron, you guys, were all all right,” I answered for us. She gave me the saddest look I’d ever seen but nodded and motioned us in. My heart sank. Something fierce had control of the household at the moment—Aaron’s little sister sat at the table with a blank look of horror on her face. My stomach turned sour. I regretted having eaten anything on the drive over here and Jeff and Tanner’s faces fell too. This sucked.
I tried to bring out my game face, the one I used on the mound, but I couldn’t. We entered the kitchen and Aaron’s once-bright eyes were blank. They widened, but then he barreled toward us in a hug.
My eyes stung and we all stood there. His body shook and Aaron’s mom began to cry again. No one was talking and my thoughts kept getting worse and worse. Aaron lifted his head from our hug and moved on to Jeff. Then Tanner. I waited him out. Now wasn’t the time to demand answers. Something was fucked up and he would tell us when he was ready.
“Let’s, uh, let’s go downstairs.” Aaron sniffed and led us to the basement. We followed, speechless and scared. He collapsed onto the couch and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Why are you guys here?”
“We were worried about you,” Tanner said in the kindest voice I’d ever heard him produce. “You haven’t returned our calls for a week and we were concerned. Just know, we’re here to help you in any way we can. You want to talk? We’ll talk. Sit in silence? That’s fine too.”
“We’re here for you, bro,” Jeff added and I nodded.
His face crumpled again and he nodded. “Thank you. That means a lot.” He cleared his throat and held up his hands. “There’s no easy way to say it. My dad has stage four cancer.”
I slammed my eyes shut. Waves of pain and hurt rolled over me and I knew the rest of the guys struggled too. “Fuck. I’m so sorry.” Words seemed pointless as the grief took over my body. I felt lucky that it wasn’t my family, but then I felt like a piece of shit for even thinking it. Then I got mad. Pissed off at the world that it could happen to someone close to me. Then I felt, regret and a sadness so deep because I had no idea how to help. Aaron gave a shaky laugh and released a huge breath.
“He had tests about a month ago. I knew it ran in the family and I learned about it once I got here Sunday. If you guys hadn’t had that talk with me…I don’t think my parents would’ve necessarily told me. They’re martyrs.”
“Are they operating?” Jeff asked.
“Soon. Yeah. It’s around his lungs. There’s a slim chance. That’s what we’re trying to hold on to.” He ran his hands over his legs, unable to sit still. “Coach knows.”
