Page 3 of Retaking the Shot
We took a seat, and he said, “I had no idea you were seeing Ford again.”
I ran a hand through my hair. “We aren’t dating. I hadn’t seen or spoken to him in ten months, but he texted me tonight, letting me know he was at my game and when I texted back about how I wished he could have seen me win, everything went south.”
“How did everything go south?”
I took a deep breath. “Something happened. It’s not really my story to tell, but it shook him up pretty bad. He ended up taking some sleeping pills after he’d been drinking. I don’t think he understood what the mixture could do and I’m worried sick.”
Hayden placed a comforting hand on my shoulder. “Coop, I’m sorry you’re going through this. It sounds like Ford is in a really dark place right now.”
I sighed. “Yeah, and it’s not just Ford. This whole thing has made me realize that living in the closet, not being true to who I am, is eating away at me again. I can’t keep hiding, Hayden. I’m scared, but I can’t live like this anymore.”
“It’s never easy to confront your own truth. But you shouldn’t have to sacrifice your happiness for the expectations of others.”
“You know it’s not that simple.”
“I know. It ate at Jonah too.”
“Exactly. I want to come out. I want to be happy, but I’m terrified of how my teammates and fans will react.”
He squeezed my shoulder reassuringly. “You deserve to live the life you want. And trust me, the people who matter will support you.”
“Yeah, I hope so.”
As we continued to wait, the gravity of the situation with Ford mixed with my own personal revelations.
Finally, a nurse in blue scrubs entered the waiting room, scanning the room until her eyes landed on me. I stood, and Hayden followed suit.
“Emmett Cooper?”
I nodded, my heart pounding in anticipation. “Yes, that’s me. How’s Ford?”
“He’s stable now, but he needs rest.”
Relief washed over me, and I managed a shaky exhale. Hayden offered a supportive squeeze of my shoulder again.
“Can I see him?”
“Of course, but only for a few minutes. He needs rest, and we’re monitoring his condition closely.”
“I’ll let you go check on him,” Hayden said. “Call me tomorrow or something?”
“Yeah.” I started to walk with the nurse but stopped and turned to Hayden. “Shit. My truck is at the arena. Any chance you can get it and bring it here?”
“Of course.”
I fished out my keys from the pocket of my suit pants and handed them to him. “Thank you.”
“Not a problem.”
I didn’t hesitate to hug my friend. “And thank you for coming.”
“Always.”
2
Ford
The detailsof what had happened at my apartment were still fuzzy. However, I knew the combination of alcohol and sleeping pills had fucked me up, and somehow Coop had swooped in to save me.
