"No," I said. "He won't."
"And actually,” Dylan said. “The Ice Doc might be the only one who can make you listen. He hates when you pull this stuff."
"Yeah," I said. "I know. Cross hates me in general, so."
"I didn't say that."
"Still true though."
"Wes." A pause. "Just let him do his job. Don't make it difficult. Can you do that? Just once, can you not be difficult?"
"I’ll have you know I’ve been told I’m very easy, actually."
"Damn it, Wes, listen to me.” He stopped. "I'll see you at practice tomorrow. Text me if anything—" Another stop. "Just text me."
"Okay," I said. “Anything else?”
"Wes."
"Dylan."
"It’s time to grow up and get your shit together.”
He hung up. I stood there for another second, Leo heavy and warm in my arms, and then I looked up.
Cross was in the doorway.
It was impossible to know how long he'd been standing there. He was dressed now, which I was registering as relevant information without being able to explain why, and he was looking at me in that way that I couldn't get a read on and had stopped trying to.
Had he heard?
The math was bad. I'd said he hates my guts. Into a phone. In his bedroom. In his apartment. Where he'd spent the night in achair waking me up every two hours to make sure my brain was still functional.
Cross's face gave me nothing.
“Put Leo down," he said.
I looked at the cat. The cat looked at me.
"Leo," I said.
"My cat," Cross said.
"I know he's your cat. I was just—" I put Leo down. Not carefully enough, probably, more of a gentle deposit than a graceful set-down, and Leo hit the floor and gave me a look of profound betrayal before sitting down and beginning to clean himself with great dignity.
"Sorry," I said. To the cat. Not to Cross.
Cross looked at Leo. Then he looked at me. Then he reached back through the doorway, into the hallway, and threw something at me.
I caught it.
A shirt. Dark gray, clean, soft in the way things got after enough washes.
"Yours is in the wash," he said. "I'll bring it to the facility."
I stared at the shirt in my hands. Cross's shirt.
"If you think you're ready to go home," Cross said, "then go. I'll drive you."
