Shit.I didn’t realize how scary heights were when I made the dang bet. Now I’m up here, and the ground looks like it’s forever away. I look at Teddy again. “You gonna catch me?” I call out to him.
“You know I will, LB. I’d never let you get hurt on my watch.”
I nod and try to pump myself up.You got this, Cooper! You can do it. One little jump and you can shove it in Benny’s stupid, jerk face.I take a couple steps back, then take a running jump off the roof, like a total dummy. I feel like I’m falling forever, and I swear I’m about to puke up my heart. Then suddenly I’m slammin’ into a body, and there’s an “oof” before we both go down. I land on top of Teddy, who suddenly looks like he’s trying real hard not to cry.
“Holy shit, Cooper! I didn’t think you had it in you.” I hear Bennett say, but I’m too busy focusin’ on Teddy to reply. “What’s wrong, Teddy? Why you lookin’ like you wanna cry? Did I getyou in the ’nads?” I ask as I sit up. He shakes his head no and cradles his hand to his chest. “Did you hurt your hand?” He nods, face gettin’ redder every second. “Real bad?” He nods again, and this time a tear slips out.
Fuck. I know I’m not supposed to use that word, but this is the worst thing ever. Teddy’s hurt, and it’s all my fault.“I’m so sorry! I shoulda listened to you. Let’s get you to the house. Mom’ll know what to do. It’s gonna be okay. Right, Teddy?” I manage to stop rambling long enough to help him up off the ground. We start walkin’ away without a word to any of the other kids.
“MOM!” I yell as we enter the house. “Teddy is hurt real bad. It’s all my fault. You gotta fix him. I didn’t mean to. I’ll do the dishes for a whole month—just please don’t hate me and make me stay away.” At this point, I’m cryin’ and snot is pourin’ out of my nose. Teddy isn’t doin’ much better. His face is all red. He’s sweaty and crying.
Momma D rushes into the living room. “Boys, what is goin’ on? Everett, where are you hurt? Let me see, baby.” He flinches away when she tries to touch his wrist, but we can all see how swollen it is, and the bruising is awful, even though it’s only been five minutes. “How did this happen?” she asks.
“I’m so sorry, Mom. I was bein’ dumb, and took Benny’s bet. I jumped off the roof, and when Teddy caught me, we both fell pretty hard.” She just shakes her head, used to my stunts by now.
“It’s ok, Cooper. It was an accident, but we need to get Everett to the hospital and get his wrist checked out.”
The drive to the hospital is pretty quiet. I make Teddy lay his head in my lap so I can pet his hair. It always makes me feel better when he does that to me. Tears run down his face, but he never makes a sound. Momma D keeps lookin’ back at us in the rearview mirror.
We’re almost to the hospital when she speaks. “Cooper, what you said earlier. You know there’s nothin’ you could do that would make me stop lovin’ you, right? I know that livin’ with your momma and daddy ain’t easy, but our door has always been open to you. Mine and Everett’s home is your home too. I would never, ever make you stay away.”
“You’re not mad at me for hurtin’ Teddy?”
“Of course not, baby. I know you’d never hurt him on purpose. Accidents happen. I just need you boys to be more careful. No more lettin’ Bennett Miller goad you into doin’ somethin’ stupid.”
“And it’s ok for me to keep callin’ you Mom, even though I already got one?”
“Cooper. I don’t care, not one bit, that I didn’t birth you. You are my son, just like Everett is my son. If you wanna call me Mom, I’ll consider that a blessin’. I love you. So no more talk of you stayin’ away, okay?”
“Ok,” I say, and then go back to petting Teddy’s hair for the rest of the drive.
We’re at the hospital for what feels like forever. It was mostly a whole lotta waitin’ around and freezin’. The sound that Teddy made when that mean old doctor had to sit on his wrist,or whatever it’s called, is one I won’t ever forget. My heart hurts more than it ever has, knowing I’m to blame for him hurtin’ like that. When we finally get home, we head straight to the bedroom, put on our sleep shorts, and cuddle up in bed.
“I know I already said it, but I’m so sorry, Teddy. I know I make a lotta dumb decisions, but I never meant for you to get hurt. I swear, I’m gonna start using my brain more. I just hope you can forgive me one day.”
“There’s nothing to forgive, LB,” Teddy says. His voice is rougher than normal, like he swallowed a bunch of rocks orsomething. “You asked me to catch you, so I did. Neither of us coulda known I’d fall and break my wrist.”
“Next time, just let me fall, ok? I don’t want you gettin’ hurt for me no more.”
“Not a chance, LB. I’ll always catch you. No matter what.”
“Always?”
“Always.”
Everett - Age 9
“You, boy!”
The yell draws my attention away from the game, and LB ends up tacklin’ me to the ground.
“Shoot! My bad, Teddy! I thought you’d stop me. You ain’t hurt, are you?” When I shake my head, he holds his hand out to me. “Good! Now, let me help you up. What’s got you so distracted?”
“I heard someone yelling, and I thought they were talkin’ to me,” I say, just as another call reaches me.
“Boy, did ya hear me?!” I automatically push LB behind me as a big man comes stomping up to us.
“I’m sorry, sir. I didn’t realize you were speakin’ to me.”
