Page 28 of Coping Skills

They stayed in the car, alternating between periods of silence and talking about the school year, their breath fogging up the windows. They avoided the topics of family and relationships. Matt texted updates when the fourth quarter started and the game ended, calling a few minutes after the text letting them know that Marycliff had won.

Elena had snorted at that. Leave it to Matt to think they might care about who won when her stomach was tied up in knots waiting to hear how Daniel was doing.

“Hey, babe,” Hannah answered when Matt called. She glanced at Elena, then back at the steering wheel. “Yeah.” Pause “Okay.” Pause. “Yeah, we’re still in the parking lot.” Long pause. “Okay, I’ll let her know. See you in a few.”

Elena had her thumbnail between her teeth, a bad habit she’d managed to quit in high school. Except for when she was stressed out and waiting on the edge of her seat for information. She’d chewed her fingernails to the quick this summer during her dad’s surgery. And now she’d started again while waiting for Hannah to get off the phone and tell her what was going on. Fuck. This thing with Daniel was supposed to be casual, a way to shut off her brain and escape when she needed to. It wasn’t supposed to turn into this.

She clenched her hands into fists and stuffed them between her legs, forcing herself not to chew on her nails. She didn’t need to chew her nails. He’d be fine. And … Damn. She couldn’t lie to herself that she didn’t care that much after all. She cared a hell of a lot, and that freaked her out as much as Daniel getting knocked out during a game.

Hannah turned to face her after hanging up the phone. “That was Matt.”

“Yeah. I got that.”

Smirking, Hannah continued. “Anyway, he said they took Daniel to the hospital for a CT. Coop’s coming out with Matt and will take you to see him.”

Elena sucked in a breath, provoking a concerned look from Hannah.

“You want to go see him, right? I mean, you were so upset about him getting hurt I figured …” She trailed off, waiting for Elena to respond, but she didn’t say anything, just stared at her friend, mute. “I mean, if you don’t want to go, you don’t have to. We can just tell Coop that you can’t handle hospitals and to have Daniel call or text when he can.”

“No.” Elena shook her head. “No. I’ll go. I want to see him. I need to see him.”

She needed to reassure herself that he was okay. And she needed to figure out what to do about the fact that she cared about him so much, but she couldn’t handle watching him play or knowing that he risked getting his head bashed in every week—no, every day. They practiced almost every day. And he was a receiver. Players would be trying to tackle him every game. Not like Chris who played defense. Who did the tackling. Not that he couldn’t get hurt, but everyone wasn’t trying to run him down every practice, every game. She couldn’t handle it.

A rap on the driver’s side window startled her, then Hannah’s door opened, revealing Matt. “Hey. Coop’s here.” His eyes focused on Elena. “Ready?”

Was she ready? Not really. But she didn’t think she’d ever be ready to visit someone she cared about in the hospital. Not after this summer. And no amount of time would make her ready to have the conversation with Daniel that she knew she needed to have.

She swallowed and nodded. First she had to make sure he was okay. She’d deal with the other part after that. Acid stung the back of her throat at the realization that if he wasn’t okay she’d have to wait a while to have that conversation. But what would she do in the meantime? God, this was a mess. How did this happen? This wasn’t supposed to happen.

Her fingers managed to unlatch the door, and she stepped out, locking her knees to force her legs to hold steady. She could do this. She had to do this. She’d survived worse. She’d get through this, too.

Coop stood there, his dark hair wet and slicked back, his blue eyes radiating concern instead of their usual teasing merriment. She forced a smile, hoping to reassure him that she was okay, at least.

He shifted the strap of the bag hanging off his shoulder. “Hey. I’ve got Carter’s regular clothes. They took him still in his uniform. I figure he’ll want to change before he goes home.”

She nodded when he paused, expecting a response. She didn’t know what to say.

“I’m parked this way.” He tilted his head to one side and turned, starting the direction he’d indicated.

She followed behind him, turning to wave at Hannah as she left. “Thanks, Han. I’ll let you know when I’m on my way home.”

“Don’t worry about it. Just let me know if you need anything.”

“Thanks. I will.”

Coop had stopped, waiting for her to catch up to him. They walked wordlessly to his car. As they walked, she realized she had no idea what kind of car he drove. Didn’t know anything about him, really. He liked to tell dirty jokes, and the fact that he hadn’t cracked one yet worried her. And he bragged about his conquests. Did he consider her a loss? They’d danced once for a while at a club. He’d been more interested in Hannah, but Hannah had bumped into Matt that night, the first time they’d had a chance to talk since she’d seen him at her internship last semester.

That all seemed like a lifetime ago. She didn’t know if Coop even remembered her from that night. He’d never said anything, and she didn’t bring it up.

He slowed, his hand going into his pocket and pulling out a key fob, the lights flashing on an older Ford Focus when he pushed the button. She watched him toss his bag into the back seat before climbing in.

The silence stretched between them as they navigated the traffic leaving the stadium parking lot. They’d missed the worst of it, but there was still some. Neither of them said anything until they’d parked at the hospital, and Coop broke the silence.

“He’s going to be okay, you know. This happens a lot. Everyone’s always fine.”

She arched a brow. “Have you read the recent studies on football players, concussions, and long-term repercussions?”

He grimaced. “A few, yeah. I know. Those things paint a bleak picture, but that’s part of the reason we’re here. They’re extra cautious now. If you get a hard hit to the head, even if you don’t black out, they usually send you for a CT. Carter got hit pretty hard, and he was out for a few minutes, but he came to pretty quickly. Odds are the CT will be clear, he’ll be out for a week or two, and then be cleared to play for the last few games before the season ends. He’s going to be fine.”

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