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“Baby girl, you’re going to have to deal with them for the rest of your life, so you might as well get used to it.”
I groan. This woman tries every ounce of my patience. “I think you and I are going to have to take a break until this shindig is over.”
“Oh, put your big girl panties on. They’ll be on their best behavior. It’s at the house and not on your mother’s turf.”
Nora snorts, and I glare at her. “Are you going to be there, Miss Manners?”
“No, sorry. I have to watch my niece and nephews. My sister and her husband are going away.”
I rest my head against the chair, trying to refocus on the game instead of thinking about having to be civil with my mother for an entire evening. This will be the first time we’ll be in the same room. Axel, me, and them. I’m going to be consumed by dread until it’s over.
The game is in the second quarter, and Sean is in. The ball is snapped, handed off to him, and he takes off, only making it a couple of yards before he’s tackled. The camera gets a close-up of his handsome face as he squirts water in his mouth. I’ve been wondering how the meeting went with his agent, but I'm giving him space to sort things out.
“How did the recording go?” Gem turns Ax to face her while he tries to wiggle free. My little guy is working on crawling and wants to be down on the floor, seeing what he can get into.
“Jonesy and I spent an afternoon in the studio. I think we’re set on the first song. We’re trying to keep it as clean as possible. Just me and the piano.”
“I can’t wait to hear it,” Nora says, still scrolling. “After I posted some of the footage from the event, people are dying for more. They’re loving the acoustic sound.”
“Well, Jonesy is working his magic, so hopefully, that’s exactly what they’ll get, but even better.”
I watch as Sean jogs back onto the field. If he knew I was watching his game, he’d have that subtle, cute smirk I need to ignore. I finally had to fess up to being friends, but the man doesn’t need to know I only watch these games because of him.
The ball is snapped to the quarterback, and number twenty-four takes off down the middle, hooking to the right, and catches the ball just as a player from the other team slams into his side. He goes down hard. I have no idea why this game is appealing, yet here I am watching.
My eyes stay on the screen as Sean lies there. It takes exactly one second for my heart to launch into a sprint. “Why isn’t he getting up?”
Nora’s head snaps up, and then she’s upright. The three of us stare at the screen as he lies there. I can’t even hear the commentators. All I can do is watch as people from the sideline jog out and kneel next to him.
“Why isn’t he getting up?” I ask again, standing and stepping closer to the screen as if it will make him move. A sour taste fills my mouth as my heart pounds in my ears. I place my hand over my stomach, needing comfort.
I try to focus on the voices coming through the speakers and make sense of what they’re saying, but everything is muffled as I watch Sean’s unmoving form lay sprawled out on the field.
“He’s moving, honey.” Gem moves beside me, one arm pulling me close. “See his feet.”
He bends one of his legs. It doesn’t do much to lessen my anxiety. I need him to get up and these cameras to show me his face.
I wait for what seems like an hour, my body shivering with sweat, and he eventually sits. The damn station cuts to a commercial.
“Wait. What are they going to do?” I turn to Gem as panic fully takes over when I can no longer see him.
I feel so stupid, not knowing what they’ll do with him. We stand there, the minutes ticking by, waiting for the game coverage to return. When it finally does, it’s replay after replay of the hit, which I can’t stand to watch as the commentators talk about concussion protocol. Sean is taken into a tent on the sideline, and minutes later, we watch him leave the field on the back of a golf cart.
I spin, the taste of my lunch returning to my mouth. “What now? Where is he going?”
Gem drops her arm from around me. “I don’t know.”
Nora pipes in with her iPad in hand to inform us that depending on the severity of the concussion, he may have to go to the hospital for scans and observations. When she starts talking about the protocol in place, I stop listening.
I’m helpless, and it drives me crazy. “How do I find out if he’s ok or what’s going on?” I ask the room like someone has a magic answer.
The game goes on as I stand there, trying to think of what I can do to find out something. There’s no one to text but him, and I know he doesn’t have his phone.
“This may not be a likable option, but give it a little time, and we’ll see if your dad knows anything. He’ll be able to find out if he’s at the hospital.” I nod at Gem’s suggestion.
In the kitchen, I grab my phone, willing Sean to call me and tell me he’s ok, knowing it’s wishful thinking. When I pick it up, I see I have a missed call and voicemail from him, and I frown, looking at the time. It was from an hour and a half ago.
My shaky hands press the phone to my ear, listening, and his voice sounds…sad. I’m pissed I missed it and wonder what it was really about.Shit! I toss it down and pick it back up, needing to do something.
