Page 11 of Knox
“I heard, but doesn’t he want to stay with his daughter?”
“Probably, but Debra … the way she worded it made it sound like she doesn’t think it’s appropriate for you to be the one watching him.”
I tried to ignore the sting of that comment and forced a smile. “Right. I mean, I get it. I’m not technically family.”
He turned to face me and cupped my face with his hands. “You are to me. And to Grady too.”
I didn’t doubt the sincerity in his words, but I also had a feeling this wouldn’t be the last time Debra had something to say about what she likely saw as less-than-traditional family dynamics.
My eveningwith Grady had gone a bit smoother than the night before, but that was likely because Crew got home in time to do the bedtime routine.
“I’m going to shower,” Crew said when we stepped out of Grady’s room. “I’m exhausted, but I need to get the hospital germs off of me.”
“I’ll just clean up out here and then join you in bed.”
It only took me a few minutes to straighten up the living room. As I was finishing folding the blanket Grady had used earlier, Crew’s phone lit up on the coffee table, and our manager’s name popped up on the screen.
I blinked.
It was the off-season, and I couldn’t think of any reason Aron Parker would be calling this late.
I didn’t answer and a few seconds later, my phone vibrated in my back pocket. I pulled it out and saw Parker was calling me.
I answered. “Hey, Skip. Everything okay?”
“You tell me. What happened to Stratton?”
I furrowed my brow even though he couldn’t see me. “What do you mean? Nothing happened to him.”
“Someone snapped a photo of him going into the hospital earlier. Rumors started flying pretty quickly, and I’ve already had several people reach out asking if he’s injured or sick.”
A player walking into the hospital wasn’t something the media or a fan would ignore, but I hadn’t gotten any notifications about it.
“He’s not hurt,” I assured Parker. “He was visiting his son’s mother because she was in a head-on collision yesterday.”
“Oh shit,” he gasped. “Is she okay?”
“We’re not sure. She had emergency surgery, and she’s currently in a medically induced coma.”
“Damn,” his voice softened. “Now I feel like an ass for even asking.”
I sat on the edge of the couch. “Don’t worry about it. I would have probably done the same thing if I were in your position.”
“How’s Stratton holding up?”
I exhaled. “He’s doing okay. He’s trying to keep it together for Grady, but it’s been rough.”
“I can’t imagine. If either of you need anything, just say the word. We’re around and can come help with Grady or whatever.”
Last season may have been Parker’s first as a manager, but he was the best person I’d played for in my entire career. His offer to be there for Crew and me when we came out to Crew’s family and the team was another example of the kind of guy he was.
“That means a lot.”
“Keep me posted if anything changes, and tell Stratton I’m thinking about him.”
Crew stepped out of our room, toweling off his hair right as I was finishing my conversation.
“Thanks, Skip. I will.”
