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"Mrs. Donnelley?" Holly said, easing into the frame. "Hi, I'm Holly Wilkes. Eli's friend."
She gave his arm a gentle squeeze, as if to reassure him.
"Holly." His mother studied her intently, as if she were trying hard to remember. "It's nice to meet you, dear."
"I don't want you to worry about Eli, okay? I'm taking extra good care of him while he's playing hockey. I'm sure as soon as the playoffs are over, he will be able to visit you a lot more."
"Are you two dating?" His mother stared at him. "Eli, is Holly your girlfriend, honey?"
He opened his mouth to reply, but Holly beat him to it. "We're just good friends. But I'm staying with him while the playoffs are going on. I'm making sure he gets a lot of sleep and eats right. I know you'd want that."
His mother smiled. "He likes meatloaf and mashed potatoes. Don't you, Eli?"
"Yep, I do." Some of the pressure in his chest eased as his panic subsided. "But nothing compares to your cooking, Mom."
Holly gave an easy laugh. "Of course not. Nothing can ever top a mom's cooking. That's a lot to live up to. But if I get a chance, I'll try to make it for him."
Irena entered the picture and waved. "Hello, Eli. It's time for a bath before dinner, Mrs. Donnelley."
"Okay. Bye, Eli." She blew him a kiss. "I love you, honey."
He forced a smile. "I love you too, Mom."
"It was nice meeting you, Holly. Take care of my little boy."
"I will. I promise," she said softly, waving. "Goodbye, Mrs. Donnelley."
Eli ended the call and set his phone down on the nightstand. "You got her calmed down better than I could. Thank you, Wilkes."
"Distraction is sometimes the best thing for someone who's upset."
"Well, it worked like a charm." He rubbed his eyes. "Christ, I hate seeing her like that."
"I know you don't want to do it, but you have to make the decision to move her into a full-time facility soon. It's stressful for you to keep getting these calls, and the nurses can only handle so much. But honestly, Eli, so can you."
He nodded, his throat growing tight. "Yeah, I know."
"If you want, I can visit your mom's nurses and get more information from them about the process. I know you don't have a lot of time now, but maybe if I help you get started it won't seem like such a herculean task later."
He stared at her, completely stunned. "You'd do that for me?"
"Yes. I hate seeing you so ripped apart by all of this. And maybe starting the transition might help lessen some of your anxiety about it."
"Yeah, maybe. It's so fucking tough, Holly. I don't know how much longer I'll have her," he muttered, trying not to choke up. "Even if she's still physically here... it's not the same. Her memory loss and health are going to get worse. I know that's coming."
She took his hand and gave it a squeeze. "I'm so sorry, Eli."
"Pretty soon, I'm going to have no one left."
It was his biggest fear, and he'd never told anyone before, except for Holly.
"I try not to think about it, but I can't help it. I don't talk to my stepdad. I don't have any brothers or sisters. When I lose her, I'll lose everything."
Holly leaned her head on his shoulder and wrapped her arms around him. "I know it's not the same, but you've got friends who love you, Eli. You have a wonderful career, and teammates who care about you. You have a support system, but you have to let them in. You need to tell them eventually, and they will be there for you. I know it's tough, but I promise, you'll get through this."
"I can get through it as long as I know that you're one of the people that will be there," he murmured, running his fingers down a lock of her purple hair. "If I know that, I can deal."
"We're friends, and friends are there for each other." She reached up and gently stroked his beard. "Don't worry. I've got you, Donnelley. You can count on that."
