Sammie: Sure. Everything good?
Ivy: everything’s fine! it’s just been a while since we’ve had a chance to catch up
Ivy: in person :D
Sammie: After the game it is
Sammie: Sorry, life’s been a lot lately
Ivy: no worries! :)
Kieran stared down at the stack of papers that had been sitting on his countertop for weeks. What was it he had said to Sammie as they’d driven back to the city the weekend before?
I think you’ve been handed a tough deal.
The contract staring up at him guaranteed Kieran two more seasons with the Cats. Two more years of getting to play the sport he’d always loved. A signature on an ink-filled page was all it would take from him.
Tonight. Kieran chewed his bottom lip, turning toward the door. He snatched up his gym bag, grabbed his keys, and headed down the steps.
His team would win this game, securing their spot in the post-season tournament that would take place in Los Angeles. And then he would sign the contract.
Those words he’d offered to Sammie kept playing on a loop in his head. A tough deal. His own situation didn’t begin to compare. Where she was saddled with a money pit and bittersweet memories, all Kieran had to do was make up his mind once and for all and find the courage to put pen to paper.
Because how could he ever help Sammie to be brave if he wasn’t brave for himself?
It was sunny, a breeze that wasjusttoo warm for comfort ruffling Kieran’s shower-damp hair as he made his way to his truck. He’d hoped the shower would settle his nerves more than it had. There had been butterflies stirring up a frenzy in his gut since the night before, since something possessive and unknown had come over him at seeing Sammie in Talia’s arms. Or maybe it was just the fact that it was game day and the tournament was on the line. Either way, Kieran’s pregame ritual hadn’t afforded him the relief it usually did.
Nerves weren’t necessarily bad, though. He felt alert, ready to rally his guys for the win they’d been working toward all season.
Kieran’s cell phone rang as he tossed his bag into the passenger seat. He tugged the device from his back pocket and frowned at his mom’s name on the screen. Meredith never called so close to a game, she knew too much talking beforehand only served to ratchet Kieran’s nerves up a notch.
“Hey,” he said, turning his key in the ignition. “What’s up?”
“Your father just got a call from his doctor.”
Kieran froze. Sweat prickled on his skin, beading along his hairline. “What’s wrong?”
“They’ve decided to schedule him for a hip replacement.”
The heat was overwhelming in the cab of his truck. Kieran turned the air conditioner on full blast, his body moving of its own accord.
Was it really that bad? Kieran’s mind spun around the words, over and over, a loop of disbelief and distress that was closing in more with every pass.
“The soonest they can get him in for surgery is four weeks from now,” Meredith continued.
A month. That would be the middle of the tournament.
“Mom,” Kieran began. His voice cracked. “I didn’t know it was this bad.”
“I know, sweetheart.” Meredith sounded close to tears herself. “You know how he is, always wants to do everything himself, keep it all tucked in and buried away. He doesn’t know I’m calling you, said the news could keep until after the game. But Kieran…”
His chest ached at her tear-stained words. “I’m glad you called me.” And he was, even as he could feel his mind turning in a dangerous direction, as focus on what he needed to do, what he needed tobefor his team began to slip away on that warm summer breeze.
“When will you be home next?” The question caught him off-guard. He and Sammie had talked about another trip down to their old family homes soon, but they hadn’t settled on an exact date. He was supposed to help her finish fixing that gutter.
Kieran swiped at his damp cheeks. “I don’t know yet. Let me talk to Coach tonight.”
“We need you, Kieran,” Meredith said. “Ineed you. Your father’s just so stubborn. Maybe with you here we can bully him into taking better care of himself.”
