Chapter 33
Derrick Reed’s hospital room reeked of antiseptic and chemicals. Harsh fluorescent lights flooded the room, forcing Jamie to squint as they stepped inside.
Beside them, Caleb went rigid the moment they crossed the threshold. His grip tightened on Jamie’s hand briefly before he pulled his hand free, wiping his palm on his jeans and folding his arms across his chest.
The man in the bed looked so sickly and… smaller than Jamie expected. From the stories, he had imagined someone larger. Imposing.
Instead, Derrick Reed looked thin and worn down, the hospital blanket pulled high across his chest. Grey threaded through his brown beard, and the skin around his hazel eyes sagged heavily.
His eyelids drooped as he glanced around the room, slowly taking inventory of the people there. The nurse had said something about him being “out of it” because of the drugs. He certainly didn’t look very alert.
“Hey, Dad,” Bri said softly.
She stepped to the bedside table and picked up the plastic cup sitting there. Jamie watched as she lifted it slightly and gave it a quick, subtle sniff before setting it back down.
“Probably checking for alcohol.” Caleb’s voice was low, but Jamie saw his jaw tighten as his eyes flicked toward the cup.
Is that why Caleb never drinks alcohol?
Jamie tucked that thought away for later. For now, he simply reached forward and wrapped his hand around Caleb’s bicep.
“Brianna?” Derrick croaked, turning his head slightly.
“Yeah, Dad. It’s me. Mike is here, and… Caleb. Caleb is also here.”
His forehead wrinkled as his eyes slowly turned toward Caleb and Jamie.
“Caleb?”
Jamie heard a puff of air escape Caleb’s throat, like an exhale forced its way out.
“And Jamie, Dad,” Bri added quickly. “Caleb’s, erm…” Her eyes flicked uncertainly between them.
“Partner,” Jamie supplied. She flashed him a weak smile.
Jamie liked her. It seemed like she was really trying.
“Caleb and Jamie are here, Dad. From London.”
“Mm.” A noncommittal grunt came from the man in the bed as his gaze flicked from Caleb to Jamie and back again. His eyes were glazed over and distant, as though he were looking at a dull painting.
Straightening his spine, Jamie stepped forward.
“Hello, Mr. Reed. It is a pleasure to meet you.” The words echoed harshly off the white walls of the room and fizzled into nothing as Derrick continued staring.
Bri moved to the bed, pulling the blanket higher around her father’s shoulders before filling the plastic cup with water and setting it beside him.
“Dad, Jamie said it’s nice to meet you,” she said louder, before turning and shooting Jamie an apologetic look.
“I’m here too, Derrick!” Mike chirped from the corner with a wide smile, stepping up to put an arm around Bri.
“Mm,” Derrick repeated before his attention settled fully on his son.
“Doin’ alright, Caleb?” His voice was raspy, but Jamie caught a hint of an accent. He hadn’t realized American accents could vary so much.
“Yeah, Dad. I’m doing alright. I—it’s good to see you.”
“Hm.” Derrick’s eyes drifted closed. “Brianna, did you bring my reading glasses?”
As Bri fished for them in her bag, Jamie stood there and frowned, eyes bouncing between Caleb and his father.
They all turned as the door swung open and a tall doctor swept into the room. Jamie took the opportunity to step closer to Caleb, placing a hand gently against his lower back.
“Okay, love?” he murmured. Caleb did not look okay. He looked like he was barely able to stand, as if a strong gust of wind might knock him over. “Would you like to step out and get some water?”
The doctor must have overheard.
“Actually,” he said briskly, “your father needs another dose of medication, so it would be best if you all came back tomorrow.”
A grunt from Derrick dismissed them. They said quiet goodbyes and filed out of the room with promises to come back tomorrow. Jamie guided Caleb’s sagging body to the end of the hall, clasping one of his hands between both of his.
“What do you want to—?”
“I want to get the hell out of here.”
Jamie nodded decisively and steered them toward the elevators. He clutched Caleb’s hand as they wove through small clusters of people lingering in the hallway.
By the time they reached the ground floor and stepped into the pickup area, Jamie was trying to remember where the hell they had parked…
“Jamie! Bro, hold up!”
Mike’s surfer-dude voice bounced off the hospital walls. Jamie turned to see him jogging toward them, Bri trailing behind at a slower pace.
“Let me get your digits, dude. We can grab dinner tonight.”
Jamie blinked, glancing toward Bri and then back to Mike.
“Oh, erm… you want to get dinner?”
A bright, almost comically enthusiastic, smile spread across Mike’s face.
“Hell yeah! I wanna get to know B’s brother and you, dude! We’re all, like, family now, right?” Bri ducked her head in embarrassment, though Jamie thought he caught her fighting a smile. Caleb hadn’t moved, staring blankly out toward the parking lot.
“Sure,” Jamie said, fumbling his phone from his pocket. He hadn’t checked it since they landed in Pittsburgh. Five texts from Sally and two from Ang stared back at him. He pushed the worry aside for later and handed the device to Mike. “Pop it in my mobile. If Caleb’s up for it, we can do dinner.”
“Sick!” Mike put his number in and handed the phone back, clapped Jamie on the shoulder, kissed Bri on the cheek, and bounded off like a golden retriever chasing a tennis ball. He heard him saying mobile in a fake British accent as he rounded the corner.
“That was fucking weird,” Caleb muttered as Jamie led him toward the parking lot. At least the sun was shining now, a welcome change from the gloomy London spring they’d left behind.
“Let’s get you home and into bed, yeah?” Jamie said gently.
“It’s only six.”
“Yes, but it’s almost midnight in our bodies right now. Also, we don’t have to go to dinner with them—”
“I want to,” Caleb said quickly. “I want to at least try. With Bri, I mean.”
“Okay. Quick nap and then we can text them, alright?” As Caleb slid into the passenger seat, Jamie decided he wouldn’t text Mike just yet. Caleb needed sleep, and his emotions were all over the place.
They would take things one decision at a time on this trip.
As quietly as he could, Caleb reached over to the nightstand and picked up his phone, hoping not to wake Jamie. When he checked the news, his heart immediately dropped.
Chelsea had lost the first leg of the quarterfinal against Aston Villa.
As the athletic trainer, he obviously wanted to be at every game, but especially the tough ones. Those were the matches where he felt like his presence mattered most, where he wanted to be there on the sideline supporting his friends.
With a frown, he noticed that none of them had sent him any updates from the match.
On the rare occasions he missed a game, he was usually flooded with messages in their group chat—ridiculous GIFs from Dillion, sassy commentary from Sally about the other team, and actual updates from Angie.
But when he opened his messages now, all he saw were How’s your dad? texts.
He was grateful for those, of course, but he didn’t really want to talk about his dad at all.
With a sigh, he dropped his phone onto the mattress of his old childhood bedroom.
Of course he had to think about his dad.
The man was dying. Had it really only been a few hours ago that they’d been at the hospital?
The whole visit already felt like a blur.
Even being in a medical environment like that had put him on edge, his instincts screaming to throw Jamie over his shoulder and haul him straight out of there.
He hoped he never saw Jamie in a hospital again. But seeing his dad like that, small and weak and grey, had been too fucking much. Bri was a pleasant surprise, though. And Mike seemed cool, too, so that was something.
Maybe his sister had grown out of some of her old ways.
His whole body felt exhausted, but it was already seven. They’d been asleep for over an hour, and he really did want to go to dinner. Picking up his phone again, he pulled up his text thread with Tay.
Tay
Doing ok out there? I’m sorry I’m not there :(
We are doing fine. Got Jamie with me. It’s hard seeing dad like this.
Tay
Miss you
Tears prickled behind his eyes at the two words. Fuck, his emotions were all over the place. Before he lost it completely, he shot off a message to Bri.
Dinner in thirty? If you guys haven’t eaten already.
The reply came quickly.
Bri
Mike already made a reservation at Lucini Bro’s for 7:30. See you soon.
Running his tongue over his top teeth, Caleb checked the time. Seven thirty? They still had about twenty minutes, seeing as Lucini Bro’s was a short walk away.
He glanced over his shoulder at Jamie, curls splayed messily across his forehead as he burrowed half his face into the pillow.
Fucking adorable. And, hell, he’d been so supportive since they’d arrived.
Blinking back tears, Caleb couldn’t stop his hand from reaching out, brushing the freckles on Jamie’s cheek with the back of his knuckles.
“I love you so much,” he whispered. A sting of guilt hit him when Jamie stirred. His thick brown eyelashes fluttered as he blinked awake.
“I’m sorry,” Caleb said hastily. “Didn’t mean to wake you.”
“S’okay.” Jamie wiggled sleepily under the covers, a soft smile spreading across his face. Caleb’s heart did a tumble at how handsome Jamie managed to look, even half awake. His eyes were unobstructed by glasses and hazy with jet lag, the skin beside them crinkling as he smiled up at Caleb.
“I love you, too,” he murmured, voice gravelly with sleep.
Caleb settled back onto the mattress and turned to face him, propping his head on one hand.
“I don’t think I said thank you today,” he said quietly. “So… thank you.”
Another sleepy smile.“For what, love?”
“For being here. Being so nice to everyone and…” Caleb glanced down at the comforter beneath them. It was the same faded blue one he’d used as a teenager. “Holding my hand through all of this.”