Chapter Twenty-Five #2
“I’ve got a Jewish mother who’d agree with you. She wanted her son to be a doctor but settled for a lawyer. Now listen. If you want to set up a medical trust for your father to pay his bills, you don’t have to be personally involved. It can all be done through me.”
“I’ll have to see if he has any health insurance, but…yeah, I think so, because he’ll likely need help afterward. If he wakes up.”
“I’m sorry, Rip. Whatever your relationship is, it’s got to be tough seeing him like that.”
“Yeah.” I managed to squeeze the word out past the dryness of my throat. “Talk to you soon.”
“I’ll get started on the paper work.”
I left the cafeteria and returned to my father’s room, where I saw several people standing around his bed. Fearing the worst, I moved closer.
“What’s going on?”
“Mr. Tremaine, I’m glad you’re here.” I recognized the neurologist, and there was another doctor I hadn’t met before. “Your father has woken up and is making purposeful movements. A very good sign. We’re going to remove the intubation.”
“Isn’t it too soon?”
“No. We’d rather have him breathing on his own.”
I watched and winced as they pulled this ugly long tube out of his mouth and he began to cough and choke. After inhaling and exhaling several times, it appeared my father could hold his own. He met my eyes.
“Rip,” he rasped.
“It’s okay. How do you feel?”
“Like crap,” he whispered.
“Mr. Carver, do you remember what happened?” Dr. Kim asked. “Do you know where you are?”
With a wry smile, he plucked at the bedsheets. “This looks like a hospital. And yeah. Of course I remember. My son just won the Stanley Cup, and we were in the stands cheering. All of a sudden, the railing gave away and we fell below. Something hit me on the head, and it went dark.”
The doctors took his blood pressure, checked his eyes, and requested he perform simple commands, all of which he was able to accomplish.
“We’ll be back to take you for another MRI, Mr. Carver. In the meantime, rest.”
The group of white coats left, and then it was only the two of us. He tried to sit up but fell onto the pillow, his face pale and sweaty. “Damn, that hurts. And the room is kind of spinny.”
“You had a head injury. It’ll probably be a while before you can return to normal.”
Fear rose in his eyes. “No, I gotta get home. I’m supposed to work tomorrow.”
“I doubt that’s happening. You can call them and tell them what happened. By the way, do you have health insurance? They’ll need your info.”
He shook his head. “No. No insurance. I’ve been lucky and been pretty healthy. Just got some blood pressure meds my doc gives me generic so it’s not too expensive.” Lines marred his forehead. “I can’t afford to be in the hospital. I don’t have money to pay for it.”
I was afraid he would say that. “Well, you can’t go home. And don’t worry about the money. I’ll take care of it.”
“No, no way. I’m not letting you pay for me.”
I could see he was getting worked up, which couldn’t be good for him. The monitors he was hooked up to started beeping faster. “We don’t have to talk about it now. The most important thing is for you to recover.”
A smiling man entered the room. “Time to go for a ride, Mr. Carver. I’m here to take you for your MRI.”
“I don’t need that. It’s expensive,” he protested. “I’m feeling better.”
“The doctors said you need it,” I argued. “Let them do the test.”
He didn’t answer me, and the transport people moved the bed. They pushed him out as Adrian walked in. Relief flooded me.
“Rip.” He rushed into my arms, and I held on to him, feeling as if he were my only shelter in this storm-tossed world.
“Thanks for coming.” I buried my face in his neck, needing this skin-to-skin contact. “Tell me all about your new position.” Anything to get my mind off this disaster. We sat in the chairs by my father’s bed. “How was it going to City Hall?”
Adrian’s face shone with happiness. “I talked to Sterling Forest for the first time. He’s so damn intimidating, but I held my own and went to the press briefing and even managed to ask some tough questions.
” His eyes sparkled. “And I gave my report on the six p.m. news and didn’t freeze up or make any mistakes. ”
“Dammit, I wish I could’ve seen it. And of course you didn’t.” I hugged him tight and kissed him. “I’m so damn proud of you, baby. You’re on your way to making your dreams come true.”
“It’ll repeat at ten p.m.” He rested his cheek on mine. “I’ve already got my dream. Here with you. Twenty or thirty years from now, I’ll be replaced by someone younger. I don’t want to be the person who made their job their life.”
“I don’t want that either. You and I together are all the life I need. I’ve won it all in hockey, and if I never play again, it’ll be okay. Loving you is the greatest win of all.”
We sat in the hospital room, Adrian’s head on my shoulder. My father returned and Adrian sat up straight. I squeezed his hand.
“How are you feeling?” I asked. “You remember Adrian?”
“Yeah, sure. And I feel like I’ve been hit in the head with a pipe.” He attempted a smile. “They said they’d come in after the doctor had a chance to review the results. You don’t haveta stay. I’ll be fine.”
“I wanted to talk to you.” I stood at his bedside. “I was surprised to see you at the game.”
He shrugged. “Even after the way we left it the last time, I wanted to be there. You don’t haveta acknowledge I’m your father. I know you’re my son, and I wanted to be there for the most important moment of your life.”
My eyes burned. “I wish my mother could’ve been there. She sacrificed her life to give me everything.”
A tear streaked down his cheek. “I’m sorry I was a coward. I never should’ve left without her. If I woulda known she was pregnant, I would’ve taken her with me.”
I couldn’t answer because I had no idea what my mother would’ve done. Maybe she would have left with him. I’d never know. But nearly thirty years had passed. She was gone. I could choose to remain angry, or I could move forward.
“I think…we can talk more when you leave the hospital.”
Hopeful eyes met mine. “I know I was wrong the way I first came to you. You probably thought I wanted money, and in the beginning, yeah, I was stupid. But I don’t want to take anything from you.”
“It’s not taking when it’s freely given.” My father and I might not ever get to be best buddies, but maybe we—or I—could put aside the hurt and anger and begin to forge a relationship together. “I think the time has come in my life that I’m ready to learn about who you are.”
Adrian’s hand crept into mine and squeezed, and I returned the pressure.
His lips trembled. “I’d like that. But I don’t wanna be a burden.”
“Family isn’t a burden.”
The doctor entered the room. “Mr. Carver, good news. There doesn’t seem to be any permanent damage.
Your brain activity is normal. Tomorrow we’ll see how you do out of bed, and if all goes well, you should be able to go home in a few days.
You’ll have to take it easy, though. You’ve had a concussion and will need to rest.”
“That’s great news,” he said with a smile. “I’m feeling better already.”
“Me too,” I responded. “Me too.”
Dr. Kim turned to me. “I also wanted to say congratulations on the win last night, Mr. Tremaine. We had the game on in the doctors’ lounge, and it was thrilling right to the last second. I’ve been a Blades fan my whole life.”
“That’s awesome. Thanks so much.” I could see he wanted to ask for a picture but was hesitant. “I’m happy to take a picture if you want.”
“Oh, wow. If you wouldn’t mind.”
Adrian took the doctor’s phone, Dr. Kim and I posed for a few shots, and then I signed his lab jacket. My phone buzzed, and seeing it was Ezra, I excused myself.
“What’s up?”
“How’s your father?”
“He’s going to be fine.”
“Great. I’ve got you rebooked on tomorrow’s morning shows. There’s going to be a parade on Saturday down Flatbush Avenue and over the Brooklyn Bridge, ending at City Hall.”
“Can’t wait,” I drawled. “Did that sound as sarcastic as I feel?”
Ezra laughed. “The price of fame, my man. I saw Adrian on the six p.m. news. He did a great job.”
“Yeah, I’ll catch it at ten after we get home.”
“I’ll send you the schedule and talk to you tomorrow.”
“Take it easy.” I ended the call and Adrian adjusted my father’s pillows. “We should get going. I have to be up early for a morning-show interview.”
“Thank you for everything. I appreciate it.”
I held out my hand. “I’ll see you after I’m done tomorrow. Have a good night…Dad.”
I didn’t think the word could make me so emotional, but seeing the tears spring to his eyes, I knew he was as affected as I was.
“Good night, Rip. You too, Adrian.”
We left, and Adrian called a cab.
Later at home, as we were sitting on the couch watching the lead-up to the news, Adrian suddenly faced me wide-eyed. “Oh, shit. I never told Neil about my new job.”
“I never told him about my father either. Let’s FaceTime him.”
He picked up after one ring. “I assume you’re going to tell me what you’ve been doing all day that you didn’t answer my calls or texts? And neither did my brother?”
“I think when you hear what I have to say, you’ll understand.” I gave him the condensed version, knowing I’d have much more to say when we met in person.
“Shit, Rip. I’m glad he’ll be all right. And truthfully, I’m happy to hear you’re willing to talk to him. I can’t imagine how heavily that must’ve weighed on you.”
“You’re right, of course. I’ll just have to see where it leads. I couldn’t let him lie there alone and hurt.”
“No. So let me ask you. How long are you going to keep up this lie that you and my brother aren’t together? He’s there with you now, isn’t he?”
Adrian popped in over my shoulder. “Yeah, I am. And yes, we’re really together even though it didn’t start out that way. The more time we spent together, the closer we became. I love him, Neil, and I hope you’ll be happy about it. As happy as I am.”
Before Neil could answer, I jumped in. “And don’t give Adrian shit.
I was too deep in the season to take my focus off the game so I could explain everything to you.
” Hearing the tension in my voice, I softened my tone.
“Neil. You know you’re my brother in every sense of the word.
I didn’t want to lie to you. We were gonna tell you after last night’s win, and then all this other shit happened.
But you have to believe me when I tell you, I love him.
It wasn’t planned. It just happened. This isn’t a rebound relationship either. He’s the one. The only one.”
I held my breath, waiting for Neil to respond. And when he smiled, the last weight holding me down vanished, leaving me lighter than air.
“I couldn’t be happier for both of you. All my life I’ve considered you my brother. Welcome to the family.”