AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Coach, heard about your boys so I’ve already cleaned and disinfected the locker room and showers, and have pulled all the towels from the shelves. The ladies got them running through the wash now. Can’t be too careful.”
I’m blown away by his initiative. Hell, I never even really thought about it being transmitted further, but it’s better to be safe than sorry in case it’s a stomach bug and not food poisoning.
“Morris, appreciate that a lot because it never crossed my mind.”
“Wouldn’t have mine either, Coach, then I remembered when this happened while I was in school. No one thought to sanitize, and we kept getting reinfected because boys will be boys and share every last thing, you know? Water bottles, snacks, so it kept transferring back and forth.”
“Need any help, Morris?” I question, ready to assist the older janitor with this thankless task.
“Naw, Coach, but I appreciate the offer. Just about finished, this was the last little bit, unless you want me to hit your office too.”
“It might not be a bad idea for the simple fact I think Jameson stopped by earlier. I don’t claim to understand how any of this stuff gets transmitted, you know what I mean?”
He chuckles while nodding his head. “Definitely. I know folks probably think I’m just a lowly janitor and don’t know shit, but if they knew I’ve been able to raise a family of five kids on my salary, they’d think again. Sometimes, the thankless jobs like this are the ones where money can be made. But with that being said, none of them have ever thought to ask me if I had a higher education or a degree, and I’m not one to share that information with others unless I’m asked.”
“I knew there was more to you than just a mop and broom,” I jest, pointing to two of his tools of trade.
“Was on track to go into medical school, Coach,” he confesses. “Fell in love with my Millie, we got hitched, then she started popping out our babies.”
“Surely, you were familiar with how that happens,” I state, grinning.
“Well, yeah, of course, but those babies needed food and residency is hard enough without having a family in tow, which is where I was at in the program, but after you add in a wife, two little ones, and all the bills they come with, left us financially spiraling, and suddenly, I had to find something else. I don’t regret it either,” he emphatically announces. “Best parts of me are now grown and living their best lives, while me and Millie reap the rewards with spoiling the grandbabies.”
“Why don’t you retire?” I question.
“And do what? Sit on my ass all day watching daytime television? No thanks, Coach. My granny always said you don’t start dying until you stop living. I never understood what she meant by that until my last baby got married, and it was just Millie and I again, rattling around in our big old empty house. Millie found a little part-time job down at the hospital in their gift shop, and I kept on working. We take vacations during the school breaks, visit our kids who’ve moved hours away, and we are both involved in several different charities in town. We’re still living, Coach, and I don’t see that changing for me until I draw my last breath.”
“I’m the same way. When I got injured and couldn’t play anymore, my manager couldn’t understand why I applied for the job here. He said I had enough money at my disposal that I could rest on my laurels for the rest of my life. Only, what would that teach my boy? Nothing I wanted him to know. I don’t mind being busy, and he’s learning to work for what he wants.”
“Seen your boy around, Coach. He’s a good kid.”
“He is and so are the boys on the team. Gonna let you get back to it, Morris, so I can head up to the hospital and see how they’re all doing. Thanks again for thinking of doing this.”
“Any time, Coach. You let them boys know me and my Millie will be praying for them, and if any of them need anything, they can get a message forwarded to me, and I’ll take care of it.”
“Will do, Morris. Have a great night.”
He shoots me a wave while heading into my office as I jog out to my truck. Time to check on my boys and make sure it’s not worse than I predicted. Once I arrive at the hospital and am brought back to the treatment area after I explain who I am, and why I’m there, I find that all of the affected kids on the team are now signed in, and have been admitted to the emergency room. My pulse accelerates tenfold when I see Sunday bustling around, as parents ask questions while waiting to see the doctors.
“Mrs. Timmers, what have you heard?” I probe, going over to where she’s standing next to a gurney holding her son, an IV already in place while two different bags of fluids rehydrate him, and drips into his veins. Controlled chaos reigns as my boys are in what appears to be an open area, spread out on multiple gurneys, with several nurses moving around tending to all of them.
“From what the nurse has been able to determine, they’re going to be admitting the team,” she states, her tear-filled eyes looking at me. “They’re running bloodwork on all of them right now, and have got all the boys hooked up to anti-nausea medication and saline fluids while they wait to find out what strain of food poisoning they’re dealing with.”
“I know there are some pretty bad strands out there, so hopefully, it’s one of the more easily treated ones where the boys will all be miserable for a few days, but will bounce back quicker,” I reply, trying to sound as encouraging as possible while I mentally think about our upcoming game schedule.
Not trying to be a dick about the situation, but if I have to appeal to the state and ask for them to adjust things so my team has a chance to recover their strength, I need to know all the facts around what I’m facing. The priority, of course, is them and their welfare. Always has been, and always will be.
“Most of the kids at school have either been here, and are either already admitted, or had to go to the next town’s hospital, because they’ve run out of rooms,” she admits. “We’re fortunate that you sent the kids home when you realized what was happening, Coach, so we could get them seen.”
“Haven’t heard the final word yet, but Principal Waystein is checking to see about closing the school for a few days to give the kids a chance to get better, while also thoroughly bleaching and sanitizing the kitchen. The lunchroom manager has also been in contact with the school’s vendor. She’s been hounding them to find out if the food they delivered has any product codes they can trace, and is searching to see if they’ve had any type of recalls for the meals on the market, which will help the medical professionals better diagnose and treat everyone that’s been impacted,” I reply, passing on the little information I know.
“I think he’s going to be packing his lunch from now on,” she professes, laughing slightly before breaking into a small sob when Timmers moans in pain.
“I’ll leave you to him, I’m going to check with the other parents and their boys,” I tell her, nearly bumping into Sunday. “You or any of the others need anything, send me a message and I’ll take care of it,” I state.
“What! Oh, I’m sorry, Jett,” Sunday sputters, barely managing to keep hold of the fluid bags she’s holding.
“The fault is mine, Sunday, I’m in the way,” I reply. “Just wanted to check in on the boys.”
