31. Dane
Chapter 31
Dane
I stared up at the bathroom ceiling, wishing death would come for me. Not really, but stomach viruses were the devil. The only comfort was the cold tile and dark room. And lying perfectly still without moving.
When Daniel’s school called me to come get him, I thought it was probably a stomachache. Kids get sick. That’s what they do. Viruses are like heat-seeking missiles aimed straight at them.
No matter what happened, I was just happy to have a co-parent who thought of everything. Camile had prepared medical kits that covered all ailments short of broken bones. It includes everything from chicken soup to bug repellant. We were prepared for the worst.
No matter how ready we thought we were, I wasn’t prepared for the projectile hazardous material that hit me the minute he got in the truck. Just thinking about it made me want to hurl.
I was close to sleep when my phone vibrated on the floor. I was tempted to ignore it, but the minute I did, Lennox would come charging over here. And that wasn’t happening. So I patted the floor until I found it, then answered the call. I knew who it was. He called hourly.
“Hello?” I groaned. Moving upset the invaders.
“God, baby, please let me come take care of you.”
“No.”
“Why do you have to be so stubborn? I don’t have to get close to you.”
I tried to smile, even though that hurt. “Liar.”
Lennox released a huff. “You know, if we lived together, you wouldn’t be able to stop me from taking care of you.”
He was relentless.
“I know. You’d be sick too.”
“Maybe.” He paused. “At least let me bring you something. Chicken soup, Ginger Ale, crackers? Something?”
I loved him, even though he was about to make me puke. Just the thought of food...
“No. I’m good. It just has to pass.”
He sighed. “Okay. You’ll call if you need me, right?”
I nodded, even though he couldn’t see me. “Yes.”
“Alright. I’ll check on you later. Love you.”
“Love you.”
Placing the phone on the floor, I finally drifted off to sleep.
I wasn’t sure how long I’d been asleep when I woke to the sound of rumbling in my house. No one had a key but Camile, but she had an early flight scheduled this morning. Or at least I thought she did.
I needed to go back to sleep.
“Baby? What are you doing down there? Are you hurt?”
Cracking open one eye, I looked up at the man I loved leaning over me. Lennox was covered head to toe in a white jumpsuit and respirator mask. He looked like he’d just come from a worksite.
“What… how did…” I gave up.
“Camile gave me her key. Then I went and had one made. For this exact reason, when you were too stubborn to let me take care of you.”
His scolding me was kinda hot, but I was also glad he was here.
“What can I do?”
I rocked my head from side to side. The invaders were jumping around again. “Nothing. Let me die.”
He chuckled. “Oh, no can do, kemosabe. I just got you back.”
Lennox got down on his knees and covered my face with his latex glove-covered hands. It felt good to have him close. So much so that I told him.
“I’m glad you’re here.”
I opened my eyes and looked at his upside-down figure. “That’s what you do when you love someone, baby. You would do it for me.”
He was right. I would. But he had a game to play tomorrow. “You gotta play tomorrow.”
“Nah. The pre-season is for the rookies and walk-ons. I won’t play until the last week.”
I closed my eyes, trying not to move.
“Think you can get up off the floor?”
Inhaling a deep breath, I released it. “Maybe. Still queasy.”
Lennox got up. “Stay there. I’ll be right back.”
I willed myself to sit up. That would be the ultimate test. Slowly, I sat up with a groan and leaned against the wall.
Lennox returned and squatted down in front of me. “Open your mouth.”
I frowned and covered my mouth.
He grinned behind his mask. “I’m not gonna kiss you. I’m giving you a peppermint. Helps with nausea.”
Opening my mouth, he put a mint in my mouth and studied me. “You need hydration, babe. I had the trainer mix up some of the stuff he makes for us. Some custom blend with coconut water. It’s in the fridge when you’re ready.”
I frowned as I processed all this information. “Didn’t you have practice?”
“Yep. But’s it four o’clock.”
He finished at three. I knew that.
Lennox sat down with me on the floor and wrapped his arm over my shoulders. He pulled me close despite my worries about infecting him. He was in a rubber suit, so I guess he was safe.
I closed my eyes and rested my head on his shoulder. When he shifted on the tile, a burst of light appeared behind my eyelids.
“Did you just take a picture, or am I having a seizure?”
He chuckled. “Just a photo. I’m gonna need proof that I take better care of my man than Evan does his.”
I sighed as one side of my mouth hitched up. “Of course you do. Is everything a competition with you?”
“Not everything.” He tightened his hold and ran his gloved hand over my head. “Go to sleep, babe. I’ve got you.”
By Sunday, I was ninety percent recovered from my virus. Lennox stayed with me until he had to check in to the hotel on Saturday. NFL players were required to stay at a local hotel the night before a game. It seemed like an unnecessary expense when they were playing at home, but served multiple purposes. When you were paid millions of dollars a year to play a game, you did what they asked of you. My father had to do it when he played. That’s when Lennox and I got into the most trouble. That whole when the cat’s away thing was real.
Camile had the weekend off, so she and Daniel came over to go to the game. Lennox was excited for us to use his tickets.
“It’s really great that he gives away his tickets to the Make-A-Wish Foundation,” Camile said as we finished up lunch.
“He does what?”
She smiled. “He gives his block of seats to them so kids with terminal illnesses can go to a Storm game if that’s what they choose.”
Tilting her head to the side, she looked confused. “He didn’t tell you that?”
I swallowed. “No. I had no idea. Did he tell you?”
She smiled. “No. I had dinner with a friend who works for MAW. She didn’t t know I knew him. But I guess it makes sense.”
I was confused. “What makes sense?”
“That he would give them away. Otherwise, they would go unused.”
My hand went to my mouth. I felt sick again, and it had nothing to do with the food or a virus.
“Are you okay?”
Camile put her hand on my back and rubbed in circles, just like she did when she comforted our son.
“No.” I was heartbroken for him. “I did that to him. I took away all the family he had because I was selfish.”
“Dane,” she said sternly. “It was self-preservation on your part. And I know for a fact that he doesn’t look at it that way. He just loves you. You’ve got to let the past go and live in the now. Your parents were there for him, even though you didn’t realize it.”
She was right. I knew my father wouldn’t miss an opportunity to see Lennox play. And for once in my life, I wasn’t angry with him for being there. At least he was when I couldn’t be.
“Dad, is it time to go?”
Daniel stood between me and his mother, wearing the jersey Lennox had brought him. I smiled down at him.
“Almost. But I want to talk to you about something.”
Camile smiled and winked, giving me her permission. I wanted to tell him about me and Lennox when she was with us. The four of us were quickly becoming a family, and my son needed to know his mother was okay with it.
Daniel looked up at me, then to Camile. “Am I in trouble?”
I laughed and ran a hand over his head. “No. I just want to tell you something. About me and Lennox.”
He blinked at me. “Okay.”
I inhaled to calm my nerves. “You see, bud, Lennox and I are special friends.”
He blinked at me but didn’t respond. “And by special friends, I mean he’s more than a friend to me.”
“He’s like a brother. That’s what Pop-pop said.”
I smiled. “Yeah, well, he’s not like a brother. He’s my boyfriend.”
Daniel looked at Camile, then back to me. “What about Mommy?”
She pulled him into her arms. “Baby, your Daddy and Lennox have loved each other since they were kids. They just didn’t know it until they were grown-ups.”
She put her hand on his face. “This changes nothing in our family. Daddy and I are still your parents, and we love you. So does Lennox. The only change is Lennox will be around here with your dad more than at our house.”
Once again I was so thankful to co-parent with her. And when Daniel looked at me, I was confident that Daniel would be okay with us.
“So I get two dads and one mom?”
I held my breath and let Camile take that one.
“Pretty much. Your dad and Lennox want to spend their lives together. And one day they may decide to get married.”
He seemed unphased by her words. “Okay. Can we go to the game now?”
I laughed and ruffled his hair. “Yep. Go use the bathroom, and we’ll be ready to go.”
When he ran off to take care of business, I stood and pulled her into my arms. “Thank you for being the best baby mama I could have asked for. I’m not sure that would have gone over so well if you hadn’t been here.”
She laughed and kissed my cheek. “Kids live in a different world now than the one we grew up in. We’ll keep an eye on him. We’ve raised a pretty great kid.”
We had. And I was grateful to her every single day.
When Daniel came back, we put the plates in the dishwasher and headed out to the stadium. I was ready to enjoy football again.