Page 92 of Hidden Plays
She rocked once, her gaze dipping to the tile floor. “Your father has already spoken to all the interventionists on the list. They all agreed—we need to put Noel into a facility as soon as he’s released from the hospital. If we let him go home, there’s a strong chance he won’t go, even if he agrees to it here.”
Holden gripped my hand as it rested on my thigh. “When do you think they’ll release him?”
“I’ve heard Sunday morning.” She glanced at me and then focused on Holden. “We’ll have the intervention that morning, and we’ll coordinate it with the hospital.” She inhaled deeply. “Because of the accident and his impending legal issues, we have some additional leverage.”
“Yeah? Like what?” Holden’s eyes narrowed.
“If he goes straight into rehab, the judge will reduce his sentence and should push his court dates out to accommodate his treatment.” She pursed her lips. “These places are no joke. He’ll be in for a minimum of four weeks and maybe up to six or eight with brief contact to the outside world. He’ll be there to focus on himself.”
“Damn.” Holden nodded slowly.
“We may need therapy as well, and we might do some group sessions with him.” She watched Holden as if gauging his reaction. “Are you ready for that?”
“Mom, if it’ll give me my brother back, I’m ready for anything.” With his brows wrinkling, he glanced at me.
Shit, if he was getting his brother back now, would he still be okay with me taking him to another city after graduation? My heart stung. It wasn’t fair to him, was it? I’d keep my mouth shut for now. Anything could happen.
“Okay, it could be a long road.” Lines formed on her forehead. “He’s relatively calm right now. Did you want to see him?”
“Sure.” With a huff, Holden stood, dragging me up with him. “Has he been an asshole?”
“He’s…” She peeked at me. “He’s in a lot of pain, Holden. I’d say he’s in a bad mood.” She strode to the hallway with us following, past the long nurses’ station with hospital staff sitting in scrubs at keyboards and monitors.
When we approached the room, she stopped and faced us. “Just…mention nothing regarding addiction, his drinking, nothing like that.” Exhaling a loud breath, she slipped into the room.
“Holden, I’m right here and no matter what happens, don’t worry about me.” I kissed his cheek. I didn’t want him to worry about the effect his brother’s behavior might have on me.
“Thanks, babe.” He gave me a small grin.
We entered the room.
Leah stood beside Noel’s bed, holding the railing. “Hey, Noel, your brother and his boyfriend are here to see you.”
Opening swollen eyes, Noel’s gaze panned to Holden. “Hey, bro.” The hint of a smirk ghosted over his lips, and he held his hand up. “Hi, JJ.”
Holden squeezed his hand and released it. “How are you doing?” He edged into my side as I hooked an arm around his waist.
“Shitty, can’t you tell?” Noel’s mouth went slack. “They’re pretty stingy with the pain meds in this place.”
Shit, not this again. I braced myself, drawing a calming breath. I needed to keep my mouth shut.
“I know, honey, but there’s a protocol they have to follow.” Leah brushed a lock of sweaty hair from his forehead.
“It’s bullshit. They think I’m—” His breath caught. “Fuck it.” He freed a long sigh. “Don’t you guys have a big game tomorrow?”
“We do.” I ticked my brows. “And we’ll win it.” Maybe talking football would put everyone at ease.
Noel tilted his head on his pillow and tongued the corner of his mouth while he fixated on me. “You’re pretty sure of yourself, aren’t you, JJ?”
“We’re better this year than the University of Arizona. It’s a no-brainer.” I shifted my stance as my heart kicked. This guy’s unpredictability was unsettling. It would take only one wrong word, and he could go ballistic.
“How do the team and coaching staff view your little fling here?” His mouth stretched into a smirk.
Hadn’t we already answered this question? His memory must be shot, or maybe he’d been too drunk to remember. I thought hard about my answer. “They don’t know.”
“We’re keeping our relationship private.” Holden’s jaw muscle bulged. “It doesn’t affect my work or his abilities on the field, so there’s no point in telling them.”
“So, who knows? Only family?” He ticked a brow.
