Page 40 of Off Side

Drew

Ifrantically throw clothes into a duffel bag. This is not good. I knew I should have started driving when I found out Lawless would be at the game. Nixon’s messages just confirmed my suspicions. Sam had been agitated during a meeting but he was with her, thank god. The last message Nixon left was what had my stomach dropping and running to the bathroom. I can’t scrub the words out of my mind.

Message 1: Hey, Drew, just wanted you to know the meeting is over and there’s definitely bad blood between Sam and Lawless. I walked her to her room and she was staying in for room service and seemed tired. She didn’t want to talk about it but just giving you an update. Later, man.

Message 2: Hey, Drew, ah, not sure where you are or if you have spoken to Sam at all, but she’s not answering her cell or her room phone and she wasn’t at breakfast either. We don’t pull out of here until eleven A.M. so maybe she’s just catching up on sleep. Can you let me know if you hear from her? Talk later

Message 3: Fuck, Drew, where are you? You need to get here as soon as you can…fuck, I don’t want to leave this on a message for you. It’s Sam. She’s hurt really bad and I’m with her but I don’t want to leave her alone. Just call me as soon as you can. Please.

I don’t want to call Nix until I’m on the road even though I’m dying to know she’s okay. I over slept this morning which was rare for me. It’s eight-thirty A.M. and I haven’t been to the barn. Shit! I can’t leave the horses without food and arranging for someone to come check on them. I’m pulling out my phone to look up the teenager Tom used a few times when he went away as a car starts coming in the driveway.

Double fucking shit. Becky had scheduled an early session today and wanted to do it outside for some reason. She chose here, so she could watch the horses. I’m in such a panic I forgot. I stumble out to meet her and apologize before giving in to call Nix. It’s taking me far too long to get my shit together. Becky exits her car, takes one look and runs over to me. She looks completely different with no make up and normal fitting clothes. She looks…pretty. And approachable. I wouldn’t have recognized her except for her red hair.

“Drew, what’s wrong? What can I do? You’re as pale as a ghost and look like you might pass out. Talk to me.”

She places her hands on my arms and forces me to look at her. My mouth opens and closes before I can finally scratch out some words.

“Sam… Sam’s been hurt. I have to get to her.” I rasp out before I let the bank of tears go I have been holding back.

“Sam? They’re down in London for games aren’t they? That’s like an eight-hour drive, Drew. With normal traffic. You can’t do that by yourself this upset.”

I nod and sniffle. God, I was some kind of mess right now. I don’t even know how bad Sam is hurt.

“I can’t stay here, Becky! I’m sorry we have to reschedule our meeting but I have to get to her. I’d probably get there faster driving than waiting for a plane out of this dinky airport.”

“Get in, I can get you there.”

“What? I have to deal with the horses and call Trevor to come while I’m gone. I need to call Nix back and find out how bad Sam is and—”

She cuts me off. “Drew, give me your phone.” I hand it to her and she scrolls my contacts while I stare at her blankly.

“Trevor Briggs?” She asks as she’s waiting for the call to pick up. All I can do right now is nod yes.

She launches into demanding Trevor come to the farm ASAP and deal with the horses until he hears from me and he’s on-board, no questions asked. She hands me my phone back.

“Make sure the house is locked up, Drew, and get in. When you’re buckle in call Nix and find out how Sam is. I’m driving us to the airport.”

I run back to her car after making sure the house is locked up and as I’m about to say we can’t get a flight this short notice, she shocks the hell out of me.

“We’re going to the airport because today is your lucky day. I should be able to pilot one of the planes from the flying club when we get there. I’ll make the calls after you talk to Nix.”

I stare blankly at her. Why did she not show everyone this side of her? This helpful woman with the pretty face when she’s not covered in make up.

“What? Why are you staring? Call Nixon.”

So, I do, and after we talk, I tell Becky to drive faster.

DREW

It takes us forty minutes to get to the small local airport we have. It can take on the larger jets, but it doesn’t have domestic flights very often. The flights to Toronto were cut back years ago. Trying to get on one at ten A.M on a Sunday morning was not going to happen because those kinds of flights didn’t exist here anymore. Becky turned out to be a godsend. She has her damn pilot’s license. This girl is one mystery after another and I will definitely repay her once this shit storm gets settled.

During the drive here she talked to her friend that owned a plane stored at the airport. He then went ahead to get it out and prepared the flight plan and all the other plane bullshit that I didn’t need to understand. I just knew Becky could fly me to London and I could see Sam in about ninety minutes instead of taking eight or nine hours to drive there. And I need to get there sooner rather than later. I had reached Nixon on the ride over and I was paralyzed with fear for Sam.

After still not hearing from Sam and the time to board the bus got closer, Nixon grew concerned. Nixon finally approached hotel management to ask to be let into the room. He made up a story about her having seizures and what if she needed medical help. She indeed needed help and replaying his tortured voice back in my mind had me wishing this plane would fly faster.

Nixon had found Sam on the floor of her room. She was unconscious and her nose looked broken, her face was so full of blood she had barely been recognizable. They immediately called an ambulance and she was already admitted at the hospital and being treated. She was stable but still unconscious. The team boarded the bus as planned, but Nixon didn’t want to leave her alone at the hospital in case she woke up. He sent Michael by himself with the team and hopefully he will take a limo over to Guelph after I arrive. This has Lawless all over it. It’s too much of a coincidence that he was there at the same time Sam wound up hurt. If I get my hands on him, he’s a dead man. Nobody hurts the woman I love and gets away with it.

Wait. Love. Did I love her? I mentally check off everything in my head and holy shit. I’m on a private plane rushing to her side. I am most definitely in love with her and I can’t lose her now.

I look over towards Becky flying and she’s grinning like a loon as she watches all her controls and looks out the window. She’s in her element.

“How are you doing? We actually have a tail wind and we’ll be touching down about fifteen minutes earlier as long as we get the all clear from the tower.”

I genuinely smile back. “Awesome job, Becks, I don’t know how I can ever repay you for this.”

Her face softens “You don’t ever have to repay me, Drew. This is what friends do. You’d do it for me.”

Even though we only just broke through the prickly-ness and she showed me the person that hides under all the make up, she’s right. I would do it for her. Or any of my friends. She starts talking to the control tower and making preparations to land and I’m in awe at her confidence and ability. I wish we hadn’t started out so rocky because she really is a good person.

The wheels are down and as soon as we stop, I’m unbuckling and jumping out looking for the car Nixon arranged to meet us here. A limo taxi turned out to be the fastest and most cost-efficient mode of transportation for our next leg. Becky has the attendant park the plane and deal with it until she came back later to fly it home. We pile into the limo and head to the hospital.

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