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“Alive, so that’s good.”
“Seems like you’ve got more than one guardian angel watching over you.” He hands Lovey a coffee and murmurs something I don’t catch.
“Lavender and Kody just arrived. I’ll meet them in the waiting room and give you two a few minutes.” Lovey releases my hand and stands.
“What are Lav and Kody doing here? He’s not playing against Chicago for a few more weeks.”
“They’re here to see you, bro. Brushes with death make you popular.” He skims Lovey’s hand as she moves past him and leaves the room. “You need a drink or some food or anything?” he asks me.
“Water would be good.”
He sets his coffee down and passes me the plastic cup with the lid. He helps me get the straw to my lips so I can take a couple of sips.
“Where are my parents and Winter?”
“Your dad is in the waiting room. They only allow two visitors at a time, and everyone is here. Your mom took Winter home to shower. She hasn’t left your side since you got out of surgery two days ago.”
“Two days ago?”
“You lost a lot of blood, my friend.” He clasps his hands. “You scared the hell out of us.”
“How’s Winter holding up?”
“She puts on a brave face. Seems a lot like where you are now is an echo of where she was earlier in the summer. Sort of like how the Clover situation echoed Lavender’s earlier in the summer for Mav. We’ll all keep an eye on her for you,” he assures me.
“Thanks. I appreciate that. She’s spent a lot of years being the support instead of the supported.”
“That’s accurate. But her mom drove up here yesterday to support her, which is good. Her mom is a real sweet lady, started cooking up a storm the second she walked through the door. Guess we know where Winter gets her mad skills from, huh?” he says.
“She loves to cook, and bake, and grocery shop.” I smile faintly. When the newspaper shows up every Thursday, Winter lays out all the flyers so she can price match and plans out the weekly dinner menu with everyone’s input. “What about my parents? How are they?”
Quinn scrubs a hand over his face. “They’re okay. Your mom is… It’s been hard for her. But your dad is pragmatic. You’re their only child, and they almost lost you, so it makes sense that they’re pretty freaked out.”
“What about Lovey?”
A small smile tugs the corner of his lips. “She’s been vacillating between emotional and productive. Something like this makes us aware of our own mortality and how much we take for granted.”
“I don’t remember much of what happened yet.”
“You got yourself a sweet concussion and some stitches in the back of your head, so that’ll be a fun new scar to go with the one on your leg. I’m guessing things will fall into place over the next few days.”
“How’s Adele?”
His jaw works. “She’s fine. Don’t worry about her right now. Your focus should be on healing.”
I remember asking about her before, and my mom having a similar reaction.
There’s a knock on the door, and Kody’s massive frame fills the open space. Lavender stands in front of him, her hair falling in dark auburn waves around her shoulders. She looks different but the same.
“Come on in. I’ll give you guys a few minutes to say hi.” Quinn moves toward the door. “You want me to get you anything? Food? Something else to drink?”
“We’ve been sent with nourishment.” Lavender holds up a Tupperware container of muffins, and Kody has a ginger ale.
“I’ll be back a little later,” Quinn tells me. He stops to hug Lavender on the way out and gives Kody a hearty back pat. They have a brief, whispered conversation as Lavender approaches the bed.
“This is pretty dramatic, even for you, BJ.” She shakes her head. “First your house almost burns down and now this?”
“Just keeping things fresh, I guess.”
