Page 84 of Hidden Plays
Shit, now I better text Dad about this, so he’d know what he’d be walking into. “Excuse me.” I stepped away from them while they continued to talk and slipped my phone from my pocket.
JJ
So you know before you get here, Holden came out to his parents about us just now, and his father is struggling with it. Sort of like you.
I reread the text with my pulse rising. Should I leave the last line? Fuck it. I sent the text. Might as well state the truth. Fucking Noel would wake from surgery to a shitshow.
As I looked up from my phone, Dad strode toward me in his blue scrubs, his lips pressed into a grim line. Under my breath, I said, “Fuck me.” Here we go. He'd better have some good news.
“Uh, Holden? My dad’s here.” Keeping my gaze fixed on Dad, I turned to Holden and tagged his shoulder.
Everyone stopped talking and shifted their attention to Dad.
Lifting his chin, Dad shot me a glance and said, “Hello, Leah. I’m sorry to see you under these circumstances.” His gaze softened as it panned across them. “Noel’s in stable condition and recovering. I’ll let the surgeon tell you the specifics of his injuries.”
“Thank you so much, Dr. Matthews.” Leah stepped to him and grabbed his hands. “I’m so grateful they called you to handle the anesthesia.”
“Of course. I’m glad I could be here for your family.” He gave a nod to Holden. “Holden, I heard you just came out to your parents.”
“I did.” He stepped toward me and wrapped an arm around my waist. “I needed JJ here with me, and it was the only way.”
Dad’s lips curled at the corners. “I understand. We want the support of our loved ones when tough times in life happen, don’t we?” He focused on Keith. “Mr. Cox, when JJ came out to me, it was difficult for me to understand. I know what you’re going through.”
“Yes, it’s…it came out of nowhere.” Keith pursed his lips and peeked at Holden. “I want to be a supportive father, but I don’t know.” He hung his head. “I have one son who’s demanded all myattention, and I don’t want it to overshadow what’s going on with Holden.” He sent Holden a forgiving look.
Dad cleared his throat. “Well, the best advice I can give you is, don’t do what I did. I let my discomfort with the situation put distance between me and my son.” He glanced at me, his eyes glossy. “And now I’m unsure how to repair our relationship.”
My mouth dropped open as my vision grew hazy. Holy fuck, had Dad really said that? “Dad.” With my heart wrenching, I stepped to him. “We just need to talk again, like we used to. Maybe watch a football game together?” I swallowed so hard, my throat clicked.
“I’d like that, son.” Dad swung an arm around me and pulled me into his side. “I have to tell you, when I found out who Noel was, I realized. What if it had been you? I mean, I see accident victims all the time, so I’m mostly numb to it. But knowing it was your boyfriend’s brother, Leah’s son, I thought, what if it were you lying there and I never told you how sorry I was for not being able to fully accept who you are?”
I sniffled and swiped wetness from my eyes. “Now you’ve told me.” I leaned against his solid body. “Let’s work on it, okay?”
“Yes, let’s.” He hugged me and released me.
“Holden, I won’t let this come between us, okay? I’ll do whatever it takes.” Keith walked to Holden and threw his arms around him. “I love you, son, I really do.” With a peek at me, he said, “And JJ? Welcome to our family.”
“Thank you, Dad.” Holden’s voice cracked against his father’s shoulder.
Dad patted Keith on the shoulder. “Welcome, all of you, to my family.” He gave Leah a warm grin. “I’m expecting the family discount next time we’re at Eddy V’s.”
With a mock scoff, Leah clapped her hands once and said, “You know I can’t do that.”
Another man in scrubs walked toward us. “The Cox family?” He stepped next to Dad and up-nodded at him. “Dr. Matthews.”
“Dr. Peterson.” Dad gave him a smirk. “I’ll leave the family in your capable hands. With a wink, he gave my forearm a quick squeeze and strode away. "I’ll talk to you later.”
“Sure.” I breathed in deeply. I would remember this Thanksgiving for the rest of my life. Holy shit.
“How’s Noel?” Leah clenched her jaw.
“He’s stable and resting in a regular room. His spleen had ruptured and was bleeding into his abdomen, but I was able to save it for now. With the drugs he’s been on, he’ll be at high risk for infection, so we’ll need to monitor him closely for the next few days. If it gets infected, we may need to go back in and remove it.” Dr. Peterson’s lips tensed. “We’ve got him on some drugs to reduce alcohol withdrawal symptoms. We don’t want him vomiting with the surgery he’s had.”
Mom’s eyes teared as she pressed her tented hands to her mouth. “Oh, my God.” She breathed in deeply and dropped her hands. “What about the broken bones?”
“They’ll heal on their own. The kneecap fracture is minor, so it won’t require surgery. It’ll be painful for him, but he’ll need a leg brace and physical therapy. I’ll give you a recommendation for that.”
“Okay.” Keith grabbed Leah’s hand. “When can we see him?”
