Page 23 of Slam Dunk
Quince eased closer.
“Drop the gun!”
At German’s appearance, Quince saw the moment Isaac lost hope. Quince leapt, throwing himself in front of Jathan.
“I’m sorry.”
In a distant sort of way, he heard the gun fire. He just couldn’t understand why he couldn’t draw a single breath. German looked like an avenging angel appearing from nowhere and taking Isaac to the floor. Oddly, though, they stared at each other from the floor—like time froze for both of them. The pain in Isaac’s expression burned its way into Quince’s brain. He had the strangest thought. If he lost Jathan, he imagined he would look just like that. It seemed that would be the last thing he ever saw. He tasted the blood choking him now. That was a shame.
Jathan stared at the wall. It was like his brain had shut down and he couldn’t function. His mom came with a bag packed for him. All Jathan could do was sit there with Quince’s blood coveringhim. People spoke to him. He didn’t hear them or remember anything they said. Eventually, Artem shoved him into the hospital room bathroom and forcibly showered the blood from him. It wasn’t until he was clean and a stranger burst into the room that Jathan came to life.
The elderly man eyed the bed and heavy blankets that hid Quince from sight. His gaze moved to the machines currently keeping Quince alive. Jathan’s new security team surrounded the guy, looking unsure of what to do, which was fair. The guy looked like he would break if they grabbed him.
“I knew this would happen. His mother and I tried to tell him where this lifestyle would lead him.”
“Get out.” Jathan didn’t have it in him to listen to this bullshit. Quince wouldn’t want him here.
Quince’s dad looked taken aback by the hatred and rage in Jathan’s voice. That didn’t stop him, though. “This is my son. I’ll be the one who decides what happens from here.”
Jathan couldn’t do this. His gaze moved to German.
German gave him a nod and stood.
Jathan didn’t even watch German toss him from the room. His gaze returned to the wall. His entire being focused on the sound of the machine breathing for Quince. This was his fault. If he had taken things more seriously sooner, then maybe things wouldn’t have gotten this far. Jathan simply existed while life happenedaround him. His mom came and went. Tip made sure everyone understood Quince had given Tip power of attorney years ago. No one would make decisions except him. As days passed, life slowly returned to him. He didn’t have a choice. Jathan played his finals and somehow won in a blowout of four straight games. He had no clue how it happened. His brain never left Quince’s side. Even the jaw-dropping drama surrounding one of the team’s ball boys stalking Jathan to the point of attempted murder didn’t shake Jathan from his nightmare.
Quince hit milestones. Doctors claimed he was getting better. Still, he didn’t wake up. There was a very real possibility he never would. If he did, there was no telling what damage the massive blood loss had caused. There was also no way of knowing how much the damage to his lungs would affect the quality of his life. He still couldn’t believe a single bullet had done so much damage. Apparently, those things bounced around. Quince’s heart had been grazed before the bullet ricocheted to tear through his lung. It hadn’t stopped until the most damage possible had been done. Jathan didn’t understand the science behind that. It didn’t matter, since the outcome was the same. Jathan’s heart had been ripped from his chest, and he couldn’t handle the pain.
The door opened, and Sterling stuck his head in. “Is it okay if I come in?”
Jathan nodded.
Sterling slipped into the room and found a chair. “Tip had to work today. I volunteered to come sit with you. It seems you’renot eating or anything unless someone feeds you like they would a toddler.”
Jathan managed a sad smile, but he didn’t feel like chatting. Tip’s little brother seemed like the chipper type. Jathan supposed people normally saw him the same way. How exhausting. No wonder he didn’t have many friends.
“Quince put me on my first horse.”
Jathan focused on Sterling. His light green eyes stayed locked on Quince as he spoke. “I practically lived out in that barn as a kid.”
Sometimes Jathan forgot Quince was older than him. He had no clue how old Sterling was, but he got the impression the guy was at least slightly younger than him. “I thought you lived with your mom.” Even Jathan had to admit he sounded like shit. His voice sounded like it hadn’t been used in decades.
Sterling focused on him. He truly looked young. “I did. The property Tip bought for her is across the street and up the road a hair. Not too far to walk. I hated it at home, so I followed Quince everywhere and drove him crazy.”
Jathan smiled at the image Sterling painted. “I’m sure he wasn’t bothered. He likes to grumble, but he’s a softie.”
Sterling smiled. “Maybe, but I was a pretty annoying kid. I always had a million questions, but I was terrified of horses. One day, he snatched me from the ground and tossed me ontoone. I just froze.” A chuckle fell from Sterling’s lips. “He took the horse's lead and walked in a circle, waiting me out.”
“And the rest was history? Now you’re a famous polo player.”
A bark of laughter burst from Sterling. “No, and hardly. I’m mediocre at best. I told him I was telling Mom and stormed away.”
“What did your mom say?”
Sterling’s smile turned sad. “It was an empty threat. She didn’t know I existed. But I slipped into the barn when I thought Quince had gone home and pet the horse I had ridden. I’d never fallen in love so quickly with an animal and I’ve owned a ton.” He nodded Quince’s way. “Unfortunately, Quince had not gone home for the night, and he was furious. I honestly could have gotten hurt. I didn’t know anything about horses since I had always been too scared to mess with them. They’re not all evenly tempered. Tip owned a few that could’ve easily stomped me to death. He made me muck out stalls for a week afterward. Not that he had any real authority over me, but I knew if I wanted to keep coming back, I’d take my punishment. Since no one else ever spoke to me, I didn’t want to lose that connection.”
Sterling looked Quince’s way. “It’s tough to see him like this. He’s always seemed invincible to me.” He met Jathan’s stare again. “But I know this won’t beat him. He’s too ornery. Any day now, he’ll wake up pissed off that he missed you win that championship.”
“It doesn’t mean anything if I lose him.” Jathan didn’t care if he sounded dramatic. No one understood. Before Quince, no one had given him every second of their time the way Quince had. He had Artem, but Artem had Tip and his family. Jathan saw his mom once a week, but he had desperately needed something more when he had dragged Quince into his life kicking and screaming. Jathan’s mood lifted a hair at the thought. He had really thrown a basketball at full speed at the man’s back and caveman-style claimed him as his. This was killing him.
