Page 12 of Body Check
People scatter, and I can’t blame them, but I’m sure as hell not leaving his side. I’ll have to deal with Lanza later because it looks like I’m on babysitting duty the rest of the night.
The sun peeks through my blinds way too fucking early. I’d swear it’s three a.m. even though my phone says it’s after ten. I’ve usually been to the gym and back by now, but I stayed up until the wee hours making sure Blue didn’t choke on his own vomit. Finally satisfied that he’d gotten everything out of his system, I crashed a couple hours ago.
I need to get moving, but I also need coffee, so after I throw on some clean shorts and a t-shirt, I grab my bag and my running shoes and head for the door. I hear muffled voices in the kitchen, but the only person I feel like talking to is sleeping off a bender upstairs. I’m still pissed that Ollie and Mickey held me back from pummeling Lanza’s face.
As my feet hit the pavement, I try my best to let that anger go. Don’t worry, I’m not developing a soft spot for my new teammates. I’m just conserving my energy for Lanza. That guy needs payback for his shitty behavior, and I’m more than happy to dole it out. I don’t even need to use my fists. Once Blue sobers up, I’ll tap him for ideas. Being besties with the king of all pranksters has its perks.
It takes no time at all to jog to Drip and I down my coffee in record time before making my way to the Wolf’s Den for aworkout. I’m halfway there when my phone buzzes in my pocket. I’m tempted to ignore it because it’s probably a spam call, or it’s a reminder of some other important meeting I’ve forgotten. But when I take a look at the caller ID, I pick up immediately.
Yes, I’m an antisocial asshole.
Yes, I’m a grump.
And yes, I’m in a shitty mood.
But I’m not an idiot.
“Hey, Mom,” I say, glad I thought to check my phone instead of letting it go to voicemail.
“Hi, honey, do you have a minute?”
Her tone is casual, but something about it has me on high alert. “Always. What’s up?”
“Oh, nothing, I just wanted to hear about your first few days. Are you and Blue getting acclimated?”
“Yeah, we’re doing fine,” I tell her. When I was home last weekend, she peppered me with questions about my house and my teammates. Since it was literally my first day on campus, I had very few answers. I’m betting she wants a full report now that I’ve been here a while. She’s probably calling to invite Blue and me for a home-cooked meal and some good old-fashioned interrogation. Dad and I are cut from the same cloth. We’re quiet, stoic. Some might even say surly. My mom, though? She’s one of those weird people who actually likes other people.
Freaky, I know.
“Good, that’s good,” she says, sounding a little distracted.
I’ve reached the edge of campus, and my new place is only a hundred yards away, but I slow my pace. “Is everything okay?” I don’t think much could have changed in five days, but I didn’t see much of my dad when I visited. He can’t shake the concussion symptoms, so he’s been resting a lot, and even when he sat down to dinner with us, he was pretty quiet.
“Of course,” she says a little too quickly.
I stay quiet, knowing that silence is her downfall. It only takes about three seconds for her to crack.
“Nothing is wrong,” she assures me, “but your dad fell while he was in the shower this morning. He’s fine. There’s barely a bruise on him, but his balance hasn’t been right since the car wreck. We were supposed to see the doctor next week for his follow-up visit, but I called and got lucky. They’re fitting us in tomorrow afternoon at one o’clock.”
Her words come out in a rush, and I can tell she’s rattled. It’s no surprise. My dad’s in his mid-fifties, but he’s a gym rat, and he eats well, and the fact that he hasn’t bounced back from the accident yet has us worried.
“It’s at the medical center on Providence Rd, right? I’ll meet you guys there, unless you want me to come to the house first?” I ask.
“Oh, no, it’s fine. I can give you an update when we’re done. I don’t want you to miss class or workouts.”
“It’s fine, Mom. I’m done at noon on Mondays, so I’ll be there by twelve-thirty, and I’ll get back to campus in plenty of time for practice.”
“That would be wonderful, actually, if you’re sure. That way we can both listen to what the doctor has to say and compare notes after. They threw so much information at me last time, and I felt a little overwhelmed.”
“We got this, Mom,” I assure her before hanging up. I know she’s worried, and I get it, but balance can be a long-term issue after a concussion. Still, it’s got to be scary when your partner of twenty-five years takes a fall. I have complete faith my dad will bounce back from this, but it’s probably a good idea to get him seen by a doc, and I know my mom’s been stressed lately, so I’m glad I can go along.
When I go to tap the time and date into my phone, though, I realize that my dad’s appointment is at the same time as thebusiness seminar I’m scheduled to attend. I don’t even hesitate to delete that event and replace it with Dad’s doctor visit. School is important, but if my folks need me, there’s nowhere else I’m going to be. Besides, I’m missing one seminar. It can’t be that big of a deal.
6
Dutton
It turns out that missing that seminar was a big deal, at least to all the other people in my major. When I logged onto the forum last night and asked for a recap, you’d think I was looking for help burying a body. I made one very polite appeal, but the comments were brutal.
