Page 52 of The Breakaway

"So, what about you? Are you finished with your Christmas shopping?"

"Yeah, mostly. Just a few last-minute things." Like . . . for all my friends except Logan. His present I’d found months ago.

"Well, don't leave it too late. The mall's a zoo this time of year." She paused, and I heard the faint clatter of dishes inthe background. "Listen, honey, there's something I need to tell you."

“Okay.” I leaned against the counter, not sure if I was about to hear about a house renovation or a cancerous mole.

"It's about your dad."

My heart stopped. “What about Dad?”

She took a deep breath. "He had a little thing happen with his heart, so we ran some tests."

"What?" My legs were suddenly wobbly. "Is he okay? Why didn't you phone me?"

"He's fine, he's fine. They caught it early. But he needs a procedure—they're going to place a stent." Her voice wavered slightly. "It's scheduled for the twenty-first."

The twenty-first. Why did that date ring a bell? I couldn’t think past theoh and by the way, your dad’s having heart surgery this week.

Mom continued, "This was the earliest appointment available. You know how backed up the cardiac unit gets around the holidays."

No. No, I did not know.

She sighed. "I'm so sorry. I know how much it meant to you to have us at your concert."

Ah. The concert. Tears pricked at my eyes, but not because they’d miss a little Christmas music. "This is more important than the concert, Mom. I'm just glad Dad's okay."

"He will be. It's a routine procedure, very low-risk. He'll be home in time for Christmas dinner." She made a valiant attempt at a laugh. "You know nothing keeps your father from my pumpkin pie."

"Yeah." The word emerged as a croak. I cleared my throat.

"Okay, well. We’ll talk soon." She hesitated. "Love you."

"Love you too." I hung up before the first tear could fall, the phone sliding from my numb fingers.

A routine procedure. Low-risk. The words rang in my ears.Was it though?All I could think of was Dad lying pale and still in a hospital bed, wires snaking from his chest.

I pressed a hand to my mouth, holding back a sob. That phone call was the match to my fuse. Breaking me wide open. The night before with Rob quickly followed by everything with Logan crashed over me like a wave.

I was not going to cry. This was not cry-worthy. My dad was going in for a routine procedure, and everyone had tiffs with their boyfriends. Just because I’d never had one before didn’t mean it wasn’t normal.

I needed to pull myself together and stop being so damn fragile. I turned to fill up the glass I kept next to the sink and stilled.

Rob stood on the other side of the island, hands in his pockets. “Hey.”

I nodded, trying to swallow the lump in my throat while now also shoving down the surge of adrenaline hitting my system. “Hey.”

“Logan’s gone?”

I filled up my glass. “Yeah. He took a taxi to the airport.”

“I could’ve taken him.”

I took a drink of my water. “I offered. He said Hockey Canada was paying for it.”

“So that’s what my club fees are going toward.”

I laughed. “All for a good cause.”

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