“Has anyone else shown up?”
“Cassidy’s dad and brother are in with her. Brook is here. Do you want to talk to her?” Tracy asked.
She handed the phone to Brook.
“I found a couple of doctors for her arm,” Brook said without preamble. “One specializes in sports medicine, orthopedic trauma, and fracture management, and focuses on shoulder, elbow, wrist, and hand injuries. Dr. Varhus has agreed to come to examine Cassidy today.
“The other is a specialist in vascular surgery. As bad as her arm is, he’s the one who has the most challenging job.
Dr. Nayan is one of the best.
“It’s going to take both of them to save her arm,” Brook shared.
“Are you flying them in?” David asked.
“No. Dr. Varhus is stuck in LA traffic, and Dr. Nayan is already here.”
“I need to take a shower, and I’ll be there shortly. Does anyone need anything?”
“Real food might be nice.”
“Okay, I’ll stop and get something,” David said before hanging up.
He grabbed his grocery app and ordered a bunch of food, and it said his order would be ready for pick up in thirty minutes.
◊◊◊
Coach Stackhouse had been asked to come and check on their quarterback. She wanted to make sure that David didn’t lose focus on his commitment to the football team while supporting his friend. She found him in the ICU
waiting room, off to the side, looking pale.
“How are you feeling, David?” she asked.
David looked up. She could see he was confused as to why she was there. Coach Stackhouse sat down beside him.
“I’m fine.”
“How’s Cassidy?”
“They’ve induced a coma for her brain injury, and the ortho guy just saw her. He’s concerned about her left arm.
But he thinks that he and his team can work with the vascular guy and come up with a plan to put it back together again.”
“Oliver has gone missing. How does that make you feel?” Coach Stackhouse asked.
David cocked his head like a dog does when it hears something out of the ordinary.
“What’s your degree in?”
“I’m a psychologist.”
“Thought so. My uncle’s one, and he loves all that touchy-feely stuff,” David said, and then his face clouded over. “What do you mean, Oliver is missing?”
“His roommate said he came into the dorm, gathered some stuff in a suitcase, and left. The police are concerned that he may try to flee the country.”
David shrugged and then surprised her.
“Good. I hope he gets away.”
She wasn’t buying it. If anything, David should be ready to go out and find Oliver and mete out his own justice.
“That’s an enlightened response.”
David shrugged again. Coach Stackhouse had a bad feeling that David knew he had the resources to find Oliver whenever he wanted. But right now, she guessed that Cassidy was his priority. After she was well, Oliver might have a problem.
“So, why are you here?” David asked.
“Honestly, for two reasons. The first is to assess if you’re ready to take over as USC’s number one quarterback.”
“And number two?”
“To tell you that you are required to attend Monday’s practice. You have until then to get your shit together.”
He smiled for the first time. At that moment, Coach Stackhouse quit worrying about him. David had shown he was more mature than almost all guys his age, and he knew what his responsibilities were.
“You should talk to my uncle because you’re a much better psychologist than he is. I just need someone to tell me what they expect, and I’m good.”
“So, I’ll see you at practice?” Coach Stackhouse asked.
“Sure. Let’s go with that for now,” David said, pulling her chain.
It was her turn to laugh.
“If you plan to bail, call me. But if you do, I doubt you’ll start.”
“Good to know.”
She was eighty percent sure she would see him at tomorrow’s practice when she walked out. The twenty percent would happen if he felt Cassidy needed him. If that turned out to be the case, she would make Coach Merritt understand.
◊◊◊
David spent the rest of the afternoon updating everyone, including his best friends Tami, Wolf, and Tim, about Cassidy’s condition.
Crystal showed up with more food, which everyone appreciated because the hospital cafeteria was only serviceable at best. David noted that Brook and his new
‘girlfriend’ disappeared for a while to ‘get coffee.’ They came back laughing, so he let it slide.
Coach Hope wanted to have a word with David, so they went for a walk. David wanted some fresh air, so they found a little flower garden with a bench.
“What can I do for you, Coach?”
“Call me Tony. I’m no longer your coach, and I hope we’re friends.”
“Tony it is.”
“What happened Saturday night? They said Cassidy’s blood-alcohol level was through the roof when they brought her in. I didn’t think she drank.”
“Knackers …”
“Who?”
“Oliver Shaw, the man driving, is a punter on USC’s team. He’s a bit of a wild card because Oliver is older, I think like 25, and he’s from Australia. Nothing against Aussies because I loved them when I filmed there. It’s just
that they can drink just about anyone, except maybe an Irishman, under the table.
“Oliver has had a crush on Cassidy from the start, but she has a mind of her own and rejected him. Oliver didn’t give up and wore her down. Last night was supposed to be their first date.
“I wasn’t worried about her drinking because she was supposed to be the designated driver. Oliver must have talked her into drinking with him,” David explained.
“I talked to the police, and they said it didn’t look like Oliver ever hit the brakes.”
David thought for a minute and suddenly felt sick. In Australia, they drove on the wrong side of the road. He’d read about an American woman who was traveling through the Outback and came upon a road train (where a semi pulls three or more trailers) that had drifted into the middle of the road. Out of instinct, she’d swerved to the right, while the trucker swerved to his left. She ended up hitting the truck head-on, killing her and her young daughter.
“I think he swerved at the last moment and went left into the oncoming truck’s lane,” David explained.
“The police say that he skipped town.”
“When the time comes, he’ll be found,” David said.
Tony gave him a stern look and then just nodded his understanding.
“Right now, my biggest concern is making sure my daughter gets the treatment she needs. But I might have to get a second mortgage, and even then, I might not be able to pay for what the insurance doesn’t,” Tony worried.
David knew that the school’s insurance for athletes covered a lot, but it might not cover bringing in the specialists.
“Brook and I have your back. I want you to just focus on your daughter’s recovery. We’ve both been blessed and would do anything for Cassidy. I know you’re a proud man,
but this isn’t being done out of charity. We’re doing it because we love her, and she’s part of our family, too.”
Tony’s eyes teared up, and he pulled David into a tight hug.
“To think, I told her to stay away from you.”
“With my reputation, you were right to do so. But you need to trust Cassidy’s judgment. I’m okay once you get to know me.”
“I know, and I’ve known that for longer than I ever admitted. If I forget, thank you for taking care of my little girl,” Tony said.