And…I add, giving his shoulder a quick squeeze,I’ll challenge you to a hockey game on your Xbox.Winner gets bragging rights.But I warn you—I’m extremely competitive.
He perks up, the tiniest spark of excitement breaking through the fear.His gaze goes from me to his mom and then back.I’m gonna destroy you.
Bold claim.I respect it.
I motion toward the living room and pick up my phone to place the food order.Joey hovers at my side, still glancing toward his mom’s room every few seconds, but slowly—slowly—he begins to breathe easier.
While the game loads and Joey collects the controllers, I unload my bag of sick day essentials.Placing the water and electrolytes in the fridge, I stop myself and grab one.Walking back to Eddie’s room, I uncap the water.
Eddie?I say softly.It’s Sidney.Can you drink some of this water for me?Just a tiny sip?
She makes a low moaning sound, close to a gurgle.Her body twists towards me, but her eyes are still closed.Taking that move as a sign of permission, I sit on the edge of her bed and gently guide the water to her lips.She doesn’t take more than a few sips before turning away.
Content that she has some fluids in her body now, I place the water on her bedside table, take the old, empty glass, and leave her to rest again.
Everything okay?Joey asks when I come back into the living room.
Yeah.Just wanted to make sure your mom had fresh water.
He nods, going back to the game that’s loading on the TV.Dropping onto the couch, I let myself sit back for a moment, absorbing the room, the quiet, the weight of tonight’s adventure.
For the first time in two weeks, something in my chest loosens.
Maybe she hadn’t been avoiding me.She’d just been dealing with the stress of being a single parent, battling an illness that wouldn’t go away.I don’t know her well, but I know enough about her that asking for help must be something she tries to avoid.
I admire her strength and resilience, but it’s time to show her that asking for help, askingmefor help, is okay.I want her to need me, to trust me enough to reach out when she needs a little support.
Her son saw something in me worth believing in.I’m hoping Eddie sees it too, in time.
I don’t want to block her path.I want to be the one walking behind her, ready to assist with anything she needs.
I’ll just have to show her that I’m more than the playboy goalie the media makes me out to be.I’m serious about her.I’m serious about exploring the connection I feel for her.And I’m not going anywhere when the going gets tough.
CHAPTER NINE
EDDIE
I wake up drowning.
Not literally, but close.Sweat drenches my skin, my head throbs, and my chest feels like someone let a family of raccoons set a bonfire inside my lungs.Every breath crackles.Every swallow burns.My body aches like I’ve been hit by a car.Twice.
The room is dark except for a sliver of hallway light under the door.How long have I been asleep?I blink, trying to push through the thick fog in my brain.I had decided to take a nap in the early afternoon, hadn’t I?Now, peering at the far window in my room, I can see streetlights shining.
Wait.It’s evening?Had I really slept that long?I try to move to the edge of the bed to get up, but my body hurts with every minor movement.Oh, that doesn’t feel good.Maybe I’ll just close my eyes again for a few more minutes.Yeah, five more minutes, and my body will be ready to get out of this bed and moving.I’ll have to figure out dinner soon.
Then, panic slams into me.
Joey.
I lurch upward and immediately regret it—stars burst across my vision, and the room spins so violently I have to grab the headboard to keep from tipping straight onto the floor.
Oh God,I croak, voice shredded.It feels like there are tiny knives in my throat.Joey,I call out, but the word comes out as a guttural whisper.Oh my God, I can’t believe I let myself sleep so long.In my rational brain, I know Joey can take care of himself.Yet right now, I’m thinking the worst.What if he’s just as sick as I am?
I shove myself toward the door despite my trembling legs.
I crack it open.Light spills in, and a wave of warmth hits me.My eyes flutter closed for a moment, nausea churning in my stomach.
When I blink my eyes open again, needing to locate Joey, my brain misfires.That has to be the reason.Am I so sick that I’m hallucinating?There’s zero chance that what I’m seeing is real.
