Page 56 of The Transfer
FORTY-TWO
RIGGS
The following morning, I hear my phone ringing and look to see that it’s my mom calling me, not my alarm going off. I instantly feel a pit in my stomach as I go to answer. She never calls me like this, unless it’s an emergency.
“Hello.” My voice is barely above a whisper. Dread consumes me from head to toe. Instead of a response, all I hear is sniffling in the background.
“Mom.”Nothing.I try again. “Mom, what’s wrong?” I sound a little louder this time, but I'm full of fear. It takes a moment before she responds.
“He’s gone, Riggs. He’s gone.” Sobs consume the line as I hear her sharp cries for the love of her life.
My whole body trembles like I have never experienced in my life. Bile rises and tears well in my eyes. This can’t be happening. He had a good night; no, he had a great night last night. My mind spins, and then I realize I haven’t said anything back to my mom. She has been sitting on the line, crying, for the last few minutes.
“I’ll be there soon.” I don’t even listen to what she says back to me as I throw my phone across the room.
Then I collapse to the floor.
FORTY-THREE
REAGAN
My door opens with a bang against the wall, and I jerk up with a scream. Looking at the doorframe, I see my brother there with a look of fear, sadness, and pain across it.
“Jordan…what is it?” I ask him, jumping out of bed quickly and going over to him.
“Rea, Coach just called me. Riggs’s dad passed away in his sleep a few hours ago. Has he called you or texted you? No one can get a hold of him since he talked to his mom.”
I bend over at the waist, trying to force myself to breathe through the sobs threatening to overwhelm me.This cannot be right.Joel was fine. I saw him last night. We laughed, talked, and ate dinner. He seemed to be having his best day in a long time.
Then I jolt as I remember something his hospice nurse told us a few weeks back. She said that many people experience a burst of energy right before they die. It’s like one last day to be themselves. I cover my mouth with my hand and shake my head. “Jordan, this can’t be right.”
Jordan pulls me into his arms for a hug, and I accept. “I know it’s hard to hear, but we gotta check on Riggs. He will want to see you. No, hewill need you, Rea. So you lean on me right now, and when you get to him, you become the one he can lean on. Yeah?”
My brother hits me with exactly what I need to hear. He’s right. I hold him a moment longer and then run over to my phone. Nothing. There isn’t a missed call or text from Riggs. My heart races faster. He needs me.Right now.
“I gotta go.” I run past my brother and jump into the Jeep, pajamas still on and hair a mess, racing off to help Riggs face the worst day of his life.
I push open the door to Riggs’s bedroom and freeze as I see him collapsed on the floor. He looks like he could be praying, but as I reach him, I see his shoulders shake and hear the cries coming from deep inside his broken heart.
“Riggs.” Just one word, and his head snaps up to look at me. I run to him, getting right on the floor and pulling his body to mine. He allows it, and soon, his head is on my chest as he cries for the man who raised him. Tears flow down my cheeks like they’re never-ending, and maybe they will be. I hold him as long as it takes for his shoulders to stop shaking and the tears to slow down.
“You’re here,” he says so quietly, and I realize he must have been screaming before I arrived because his voice is hoarse and raspy.
“Always,” I say with my eyes on his, and instantly, he grabs me and presses his forehead to mine. Words aren’t needed to know how he’s feeling. We both take a few deep breaths.
Then, with the snap of a finger, everything changes.
He stands, and it’s like a switch flips. His eyes dry up, and he searches for his shoes and his phone.
“I need to get to my mom.” I realize what this is immediately. He’s going to be the strong Riggs, the one who can take care of things and allow his mom to fall apart.
Good thing I will be here when he needs to collapse, too.
“Coach called Jordan, and he’s heading over there right now. He told your mom that we would be on our way as soon as we could. I have my Jeep ready, and I’ll drive, okay?” I don’t want him driving right now, not while his emotions have total control over him.Please, let me take care of you, Riggs.
“Okay,” he says softly. I know he doesn’t want to let me drive. He wants to show everyone he can handle this. But I want him to know he doesn’t have to handle it on his own.
When he sits down in my passenger seat, he eyes the fresh coffee and bagel from his favorite place. Lindsey told me she would drop it off, so there was at least some food for him. I wanted to get it myself, but I knew he would need me more.
