Danny looks between my mom and me. "What's going on?"
"She knows but she doesn't want to tell us," I say, my eyes going to my mom. "Please. Just tell us. We're going to find out eventually."
She nods. "Let's sit down."
Danny sits next to me and I sit next to my mom.
"The nurse said he was brought in with severe head wounds and a dislocated shoulder. She mentioned something about his knee but it was a medical term and I'm not sure what she meant."
"He busted his knee?" Danny blows a breath. "His football career is over."
"Who cares about that?" I say, annoyed he'd even bring it up. "His health is more important than football."
"Football is his future," Dean says, like I'm stupid for not realizing that. "Without it, he's not going to college. He'll end up working some shitty job, barely making minimum wage."
"He can do more than that. He can—"
"Okay, that's enough," my mom says in the tone she would use when my sister and I used to fight. "Should I continue or would you two like to keep arguing?"
"Go ahead," I mutter.
"He has a partial fracture in his rib and a lot of swelling and bruising around his ribcage. And his neck..." She looks down.
"What about it?" I ask.
"There was a knife in his neck."
"A knife?" I put my hand over my chest, my heart aching at the thought of what he must've gone through. His own father attacking him, putting a knife through his neck. "He could've died."
"Yes," my mom says. "The nurse said he was very lucky it didn't hit a major artery. If it had, he wouldn't have made it."
"Shit," Danny mutters, leaning over, shaking his head as he stares down at the floor.
"What was the surgery for?" I ask my mom. "Did she tell you?"
"To repair the damage caused by the knife and stop the bleeding." My mom takes my hand in hers. "He's going to be okay. He's young, strong, in good shape."
"If he was okay, he wouldn't be in intensive care," I say, wiping my eyes.
"It's just temporary. His body needs time to recover. The nurse said his whole body is covered in bruises and he had some internal bleeding, and then of course his neck, which will need time to heal. Honey, I think you should wait to see him. I don't think you want to see him this way."
"I don't care how he looks. I have to see him."
"That bastard," Dean mutters, still staring at the floor. "If they find him, I'm gonna fucking kill him."
"Who is he talking about?" my mom asks.
"Nothing. Just forget it." I turn to her. "You want to go walk the halls with me? I don't think I can sit down right now. I'm going crazy sitting here."
"I understand," she says, helping me up. "Danny, would you like to come with us?"
He stands up. "I can't. I need to go back to school and get my stuff." He looks at me. "The guys from the team are coming here later tonight. I told them we can't see Dean yet but everyone still wanted to be here. Some of the cheerleaders are coming too."
"That's nice he has so many friends," my mom says, smiling. "He must be a very popular young man."
"Yeah." Danny keeps his eyes on me. "You gonna be okay?"
I nod.
