ROXY
All of theterrible things I planned to say to my father threaten to choke me as I try not to blow through stop signs on the way to the hospital. It started raining a few minutes ago out of nowhere, and now the roads are slick.
My mother called me crying, telling me that Dad collapsed at the field house this morning. Paramedics told her he had chest pain and felt lightheaded.
I’m halfway there when I realize I left my phone on the nightstand, but I’m too scared to turn around. What if something horrible happens in the meanwhile and I don’t get a chance to see my father?
Calm down, Roxy. And don’t get a ticket on the way there.
My knuckles grip the steering wheel as I fishtail into the ER parking lot. When I reach the lobby, I head straight for the female nurse sitting behind plexiglass. “Hi, I’m here to see Richard Santos. He was brought by ambulance a little while ago.”
“Who are you in relation to the patient?”
“His daughter.”
She nods and checks her computer screen. “He hasn’t made it into the system yet. They’re probably still admitting him.” She points to the waiting area behind me. “I’ll let you know when you can head back.”
I’m just supposed to wait out here when he could be dying right now? “You don’t understand. He collapsed. It’s serious. What if he doesn’t…” I can’t even say the words, much less think them. My voice wavers, and I blink several times. “My mom is back there, and she’s expecting me.”
“You can call her to come get you.”
I could if I had my damn phone.
“Rox.”
Turning, I see some of the players and assistant coaches on the other side of the room. Relief almost takes my breath away when I spot Charlotte. I run over to her, and the second Charlie hugs me, I start bawling.
“Roxy, he’ll be okay. He’s a tough guy.”
“How did you find out?” I ask, struggling to pull myself together.
“Billy called Jake and told him your dad collapsed. Jake and I drove here separately, though, because I have to get to a shoot in a few hours. Jake was only a few minutes behind me. He should be here soon.”
I’m relieved Billy knows what happened. I’m guessing he’ll be here any minute now. He probably tried calling me, but my stupid phone is at home.
“I was so mad at Coach last night.” I glance up from her shoulder to see several of my dad’s players watching us, so I take her arm and drag her to the corner, where I wipe my eyes. “We had a double date with Ezra and Abigail last night, and Billy punched Ezra. My dad flipped out. Said Billy was off the team if he didn’t show up to run stadium stairs this morning.”
She winces. “I heard. Everyone’s talking about it.”
My stomach churns. I hate people knowing my business. “I was going to track down my dad this morning so he heard our side of the story, but I slept straight through my alarm. Then my mom called, freaking out, and told me to get down here.”
Her phone dings with a text. “Jake’s here.”
I’m glad to see so many players came to support my family, but one person is missing. Actually, two, including Ezra, but maybe he’s off licking his wounds. “Where’s Billy?” Wouldn’t he be here by now since he was at the field house this morning?
She stills, looking uncomfortable all of a sudden.
“What?”
“Are you sure Billy would come after what happened this morning?” She leans close and lowers her voice. “I heard your dad made him run stadium stairs for hours. That Billy was about to start crawling up them when one of the other coaches made him stop.”
My heart drops. I knew my dad was pissed, but I’ve never seen him take out his anger on a player like that. “Are you sure? That doesn’t sound like my father.” He’s all bark and bluster. I figured he’d yell at Billy, make him run for a bit, and then hit him with some community service hours. That’s usually his go-to plan when players screw up.
Cam walks in with Jinxy and Jake, who heads for Charlotte and leans down to kiss her.
“Hey, Rox, how are you doing?” Cam says, pulling me into a quick hug.
“I’m hanging in there. Just frustrated that I’m not allowed to go back and see my dad yet.”
