Page 20 of Side Out

Do not come out here mom.

Not even three seconds after sending the text, his phone lights up with a video call from his mom. Jax slides his finger across to accept it, and she’s spouting off questions before it’s fully even connected. “—his knee. Oh, baby,” she gasps as she puts her hand to her mouth. “Are you okay?”

“Yes, I’m okay, Mom.”

“Tell me what happened.” She’s holding back tears, and at this point, I think Jax is, too. I can only imagine how hard it must be to not have his parents here to support him.

Jax sighs and, with an almost detached tone, explains what happened. “I was going up for a hit, and as my foot was about to leave the ground, I heard a pop, and I was on the ground before I knew it.”

The tears are rolling down her cheeks now. “I’m booking a flight right now. We’re in the middle of a winter storm, though, so it could be a couple of days before I can get a flight out of here.” She looks past the phone at, who I’m assuming is Jackson’s dad. “Dawson, go get my suitcase.” Her eyes refocus on the screen. “Is Emerson at least there with you?”

“Do not book a flight, Mom. And no, Theo called him for me on the way here. He’s got an exam and practice this afternoon so I told him to just come to the hospital when he was done.”

“Who’s Theo?”

“Theo is our new athletic trainer.” The way he says it feels like a punch to the gut.Athletic trainer.What I wouldn’t give to be something more than that right now. To be able to hold and comfort him. To make sure he’s okay. To be there to nurse him back to health.

But I can’t. Not now. Not ever.

“Oh, I remember him! The one that Emerson and Dom helped move into the house across the street. Emerson said you thought he was cu?—”

“Theo’s right here, Mom. Can we not?”

I can’t help but chuckle. “Hi, Mrs. Baker, it’s very nice to meet you.” I wave to her as Jax puts me on screen.

I watch this adorable woman blush through the screen. “Enough with the Mrs. Baker. You’ll call me Catherine.”

“They’re planning on doing surgery tomorrow. Emerson can pick me up after my surgery and get me home. I’ll be fine. And before you ask again, please don’t come down here.”

It takes everything in me not to offer to stay here and to take him home after surgery tomorrow, but again, that would be overstepping all kinds of boundaries.

As if we haven’t crossed enough already.

“Like I said, it might not be tomorrow when I get there, but it will be sometime this week.” Jackson sighs, obviously resigning to the fact that this is a losing battle, and Catherine continues, “I have to make sure you’re okay and that you have some meals made up. Lord knows we can’t rely on Emerson to make food for you.”

“He is a dangerously bad cook, isn’t he?” He’s laughing, and that sound alone is enough to ease some of the weight on my shoulders.

“Yeah, he is… Okay, I’m going to try to rest for a little bit.”

“I love you. Call me before your surgery in the morning.”

“Love you too, Momma.” Jackson hangs up and looks over at me, a mixture of embarrassment and disappointment covering his face.

The corners of my lips turn up. “She seems sweet.”

“She is,” he answers as the two of us stare at one another.

“Mom’s coming out isn’t she?” Emerson’s voice cuts through the silence. We turn to look at him and find him leaning against the door frame.

I remove my hand from Jax’s shoulder and slide my glasses back up my nose. “Let me know if you need anything.” I look at Jax, and the hurt on his face is obvious enough you could see it from a mile away.

He nods, and I leave it at that, forcing my feet to carry me out of Jax’s orbit.

* * *

Emerson’s car pulls up in their driveway at the exact time he said they would be here, and I’m out my door and across the street before Emerson can even get to the passenger side of the car.

He had called asking for help to get him into the house, and of course, I couldn’t say no.

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