Page 129 of Forever Wild
We get onto the jet and take our seats. Neither of us slept muchlast night so we fall into a comfortable silence as we prepare for the ride home.
She lets her head fall to the left so she can look me in the eye as she says, “I love you.”
“I love you too.”
She rests her head on my shoulder, and we fly home like that. I’m usually anxious to get back after time away, but even I’m feeling sad as we get in my car. I plug my phone in and notifications start rolling in, many from James.
“Did he know you were leaving?” she asks as my phone keeps pinging.
“Of course,” I say. “But he’s probably shocked I actually managed to disconnect all weekend.”
To be fair, it’s a first for me. Usually, I spend vacation doing a lot of the same things I do at home, just in a tropical location.
I scroll through the texts. The first couple are just asking me to check in with him and then asking to call him as soon as I get a chance. So high-maintenance. I move over to voicemail. He left two. The first one is basically the same as his texts, but before I listen to his second, my phone rings.
“Hey,” I answer, shaking my head at Ev. I mouth "James" to her, so she knows it’s him calling again. I lean across the console and kiss her.
“Hey, Jack. Thank god. Are you on your way?”
“On my way where?” I ask. I know I didn’t have any events scheduled this weekend. I cleared it with him before I left.
“The hospital. Didn’t you get my messages?”
“No. I only listened to the first so far. What’s going on?” My firstthoughts are my teammates. Somebody did something stupid and got hurt or maybe Coach, but I’m not prepared for what comes out of his mouth.
“It’s your dad, Jack.”
38
SPEW POSITIVITY
EVERLY
“How is he?” Tyler asks, hugging me against him.
I breathe him in. The guy who has always been there for me, picking me up and reminding me everything is going to be okay. Except now he looks as uncertain as I feel.
Tears leak down my face and I swipe them away angrily as I pull back. “All we know is that he had a stroke and he’s stable. The last update was over two hours ago.”
“How’s Jack handling it?”
I swallow the lump in my throat. The last I saw him he was practically yelling at someone on the phone after they tried to put him on hold. He’s hurting so badly but he hasn’t stopped trying to fix it all since he found out. Phone calls, talking with his dad’s medical team here, more phone calls. It’s been almost four hours. He hasn’t eaten or drank anything. He’s existing only by his need to make everything okay.
“He’s on the phone,” I say. “I think he’s making some calls to see if this is the best place for him.”
A sob rips free without my permission and I hug Tyler again. “Thank you for being here.”
“Always,” he says. “No matter what.” He rubs my back until the tears stop. I don’t want Jack to see me upset. The last thing he needs is another person to worry about.
“Do you want to sit?” I ask and motion to the ugly, wooden and floral upholstered chairs.
Tyler sits with me in the waiting room. I wring my hands together and tap my foot, willing the seconds to pass and for the doctor to come out with good news. More of the team arrives. Coach Miller, Leo and Scarlett, Declan and Jade, Ash and Bridget, Maverick, Nick and Aidan. After that I lose track, but when Jack reappears in the waiting room, he comes up short, clearly surprised by the number of people here for him.
“Hey. What’s going on?” he asks.
Coach Miller approaches him first. “I’m sorry about your dad. Any news?”
He scans the crowd of his teammates and friends again before he speaks. “He had a blood clot, which caused the stroke. He’s awake and they’re giving him medication. His speech and memory were both impacted. The doctor says it could be temporary, but some patients don’t fully recover. The next few weeks are important. They’re going to keep him here for a while and we’ll have a rehabilitation plan once we know more.”
