She looked down at her hands. “I don’t know,” she replied quietly. When I didn’t say anything, she looked at me and continued. “We dated a few times, but I’ve just never seen him beyond the whole friends thing. I know he loves me—I love him, too; he’s one of my best friends—I’m just not sure if he’s in love with me. He’s never…declared such a thing,” she said, seeming uncomfortable. “But I suppose he’s just never had a problem because I haven’t been in a serious relationship with anyone. I think I make a better friend than anything, and that’s pretty much all that anyone gets from me. I’ve always been afraid of…getting used by the wrong guy, I guess,” she smiled sadly. Then she scowled and added, “And between my dad and the guys, I can hardly have a boyfriend without them making it awkward. There’s just never been anyone worth fighting for until you. I just thought they would see that this time and realize how happy I am with you.”
Can a person’s heart melt? I think mine did. Is that a girly expression? I didn’t know, but I felt all warm and gooey inside, and when she smiled and looked into my eyes, I wasn’t even sure of my own name.
“Anyways,” she said, the frown returning to her perfect lips. “I’ve tried to be really understanding with him, but he’s just gotten so…snide. I feel terrible that I’ve lost all of my patience with him.”
It’s really hard to see someone that’s so happy and confident become completely insecure and self-doubting. Jayden was strong in so many ways, but she easily allowed herself to be drawn into martyrdom. She accepted blame for anything she could, even if it wasn’t her fault.
I took her hand and kissed it. “I’m sorry you’re in the middle of all this. It’s not your fault. You need to know that. Sometimes guys do stupid things because we don’t know what else to do. Chris should be able to see what he’s doing, and hopefully he’ll find a way to pull himself out of it. He’s just trying to look out for you, and I can’t be upset with him for that. But I’m not letting him have you,” I smiled. “Just so we’re clear.”
It felt good to see her laugh again. She sat up carefully to kiss me and said, “Well, I don’t want anyone but you, so I think we’re good.”
“Hope I’m not interrupting,” the male nurse said when he walked in. His identification confirmed that he was Trae.
“Of course you are,” Jayden replied. “Unless you’re bringing me my ticket out of here, I don’t want anything.”
“Sorry. You have to wait at least until the evening when the doctor stops in.” He looked at me and said, “She’s pretty ornery. I don’t see how you can handle her.”
“Hey,” Jayden protested. “I could turn you in for your unprofessional comments.”
“Yeah, you’re right,” he smiled.
I moved from the bed and sat down in the chair as he began taking her blood pressure.
“Relax,” he told her.
“I am.”
“Your pulse is racing.”
“That’s because my boyfriend just kissed me.”
He responded with an easy laugh and said, “Take a deep breath.”
She did and he continued to monitor the reading. “Hmm,” he said, grabbing her chart. “It’s been over six hours since you took any pain medication. How do you feel?”
“Like going home.”
He smiled. “Lift your arms.”
I watched her hesitate and it made me curious.
“Lift your arms,” he repeated with another smile.
“You’re ornery,” she scowled at him.
He laughed and said, “I’ll be back with some pills to pop, and if you don’t take them, I’ll have to tell the doctor your head injury is still affecting your judgment. See if that gets you out of here.” With one last smile he headed out the door.
I looked at her with bewilderment. “What was that all about?”
She shook her head with a sheepish smile. “Nothing.”
“Nothing? Why did he want you to lift your arms?”
She looked embarrassed, but I was too curious to let it go. I waited for her to answer, but she wouldn’t say anything.
“Fine, I’ll just go ask Trae,” I said, standing up.
“Please don’t leave,” she begged me. When I sat down on the edge of the bed she sighed. “It’s just… It hurts—my ribs, my neck, and my shoulders. I can hardly lift my arms. I hate taking pain medication because it makes me sleepy, but apparently it’s good with helping me relax. I get tense when I hurt, and I can’t relax.”
“What’s wrong with sleeping?”
“I don’t know. I feel weird being asleep with people walking around me, looking at me. It’s creepy.”
It made me laugh and she made a face at me, but eventually she laughed, too.
“How can you laugh without it hurting?” I asked.
“I can’t. It hurts like hell. But I’d rather laugh than not.”
“Yeah, that’s my girl,” I smiled, nodding my head.
An hour later she was asleep again. I answered a call from Jesse, wondering where I was. I told him about Jayden and he was pretty worried. I assured him she was fine and that she would probably be able to come home the next day.
Cali and Stacie stopped by around noon. They stayed for over an hour talking with Jayden until she began to get a little sleepy again. She dozed off and they quietly left. Cali gave me her number to call for anything we might need, and told me to let Jayden know she would be coming back later.
Two more of her friends dropped in. Camryn and Vanessa. They only stayed for a few minutes, not wanting to wake Jayden up. They left her some flowers and a card. Shortly after that one of her neighbors stopped by, and then several people that worked with her. It felt odd meeting all of these people while Jay was sleeping, but every one of them stated, “Oh, you’re Ty? I’ve heard so much about you!”
Her father stopped in again while she was still asleep. I was immediately uncomfortable because I didn’t know what to say. I stood up and mentioned I would give him some time with her, but he asked me to sit down by him instead. So…I sat on a stool and faced him where he was sitting.
“Let’s talk,” he said quietly, glancing at Jayden sleeping silently.
I nodded and waited for him to begin.
“I realize I’m not a nice dad when it comes to guys in her life. She means everything to me, and the worst thing for me to see is for her to get her heart broken. I don’t care if she’s seven, seventeen, or seventy—I don’t want to see it happen. But she loves you… She wanted me to understand you, but I wasn’t interested in getting to know you—at least not until now. She’s been happier than I’ve ever seen her. I like to see her happy.
“Now here’s where the problem occurs. I’ve heard some things about your character from some people, and I’ve heard different things from others. So I’ve decided I’m going to take my daughter’s advice, and give you a chance so I can find out for myself.”
It wasn’t exactly what I expected from him. Joe Adams was trying to keep the peace for Jayden’s sake. It was a hard thing for him to do, but he was willing to do it. At least we had something in common. I also wondered what she had said to him earlier that morning. It must have been pretty severe in order for him to become so cooperative.
“I love her,” I told him with a shrug. “I can’t promise I’ll do everything to your expectations, but I love her. And she’s the best thing that has ever happened to me. Her happiness is what’s most important to me.”
He studied me for a long moment before nodding, and stood up. “Let her know I stopped by,” he told me. “I’ll be around—if she needs me.”
I nodded and watched him head out the door.
Jayden woke up an hour later. When I mentioned her father stopped by, she had a look of panic on her face. I assured her it was actually a good visit, and then she relaxed. She was pleased by her father’s effort when I shared the conversation we’d had.
The doctor stopped in a bit later and checked her over, asking questions and reading h
er chart. Even though Jayden strongly insisted she wanted to go home, he declined, wanting her to rest one more night. He told her she could probably go home in the morning.
There was a knock on the door around three-thirty. Jesse popped his head in, then Jack, and Devin, and Aaron…and my entire baseball team, including the coaches.
“We had to apply for a special permit to all be in here at once,” Tucker joked. “Just kick us out when you’re feeling claustrophobic.”
Jayden was pretty surprised to see them all, especially when they brought two bouquets of flowers, each in a vase. I hadn’t even done that, so I was grateful for their consideration. And, instead of a card, they signed all their get-wells onto a baseball. It was handed to me to sign also, and I was glad to be the only one that could write: I’ll always love you…Ty.
They stayed for about a half an hour, but were quickly replaced by a few other friends: Silvia, Josh, and Shawn—who also brought her flowers and a couple of balloons. Megan and several others visited throughout the day, and Stacie returned later on with Matt. By eight p.m., Cali was the last friend that left.
At nine another nurse came in with more pain medication. Jayden was just as feisty with her as she was with the other one.
“Ha, nice try, Jayden,” she said. “There’s a note right here from Trae: Don’t let her push you around.”
I spent my second night in the hospital with her.
Chapter Fifteen
Jayden was released at eleven in the morning when her father was there on a break from work. I wasn’t sure what it was going to be like around him, but at least I didn’t feel the loads of animosity from him that I had previously felt. I thought he would prefer to be the one to take her home, so I was surprised when he suggested I do it. Cali had come by earlier to take the flowers and balloons to Jayden’s, so I was happy to be left with my beautiful girl and the responsibility to get her settled in at home.
She was in very good spirits; she wanted to be out of the hospital more than anything. I knew she was still pretty sore, and even though she had promised the doctor she would take the pain medication, I was sure I’d have to do a lot of convincing. Other than soreness, she was fortunate to only have cuts and bruises.
And I couldn’t stop thinking about how much it would kill me if she hadn’t survived…
“Ty, are you lost in space?” she asked me with a smile.
I brought myself back to her, sitting on her bed with a glass of juice. She seemed much happier to be in her own bedroom.
“Uh, yeah, I guess so. What else can I get for you?”
“Nothing. Sit with me. Please?” She patted the spot beside her.
She put the glass on the nightstand as I sat on the bed with her. She maneuvered herself against me so I could hold her, and I leaned back on the pillows and closed my eyes. It was the most comfortable position I’d been in for two nights.
We talked about the upcoming week—my last game, and graduation. She asked me about work, so I filled her in on that. The job that I was offered came up and she wanted to know more about it. I wasn’t interested in talking about it, though; I had already decided not to take it. When she insisted I tell her why, I told her I wasn’t going to be that far away from her. She told me that she would go wherever I went and she didn’t care where it was, as long as we were together.
She also said if I decided to try professional baseball, she would support me in that, too. She assured me she would follow me around the world if I let her. I began thinking about our future, and which direction would be the best way to go. I knew I wanted to marry her. There was no doubt in my mind. But I was also struggling with some personal issues that I feared were going to hold me back.
She stretched out on the bed with me after a while. I think she realized how tired I was. She ran her fingers through my hair, and after just a few minutes, I was out like a light.
She sent me off to practice later that afternoon. It was the perfect opportunity to make her take some pain medication because I told her I wouldn’t leave until she took it.
“Fine. If it knocks me out then I guess that’s a better way to pass the time without you.”
All the guys asked how she was doing and expressed their gratitude that she was all right. I didn’t have the greatest practice because my mind was on Jayden most of the time, but it felt good to be on the field again, doing something active.
Coach Tucker took me aside after practice to have a little chat with me. I knew what it was going to be about before he even spoke, but I remained silent to allow him the opportunity to deliver the lecture.
“Ty, I know you’re worried about your girlfriend, and I’m really glad she’s okay. Honestly. But we have one last game to focus on, all right? I need for you to use your best judgment—eat well, sleep well—so we finish this season as a team. Jayden realizes your commitment; she doesn’t want you to compromise anything on her behalf. So…now that she’s home and doing better, I’m just reminding you that you still have a curfew to adhere to, okay?”
I nodded my agreement and he left it at that. If I thought I might have a chance staying at Jayden’s, I just might, but I knew her father would probably lock me out of the house. I didn’t want to push my luck.
I did spend as much time as I could with her, though, in between baseball and her other friends visiting her. She seemed to be getting past most of the more serious pain and was just sore. At least that’s what she convinced me of.
Tuesday morning she was pretty bored. She begged me to take her to the batting barn of all places; she wanted me to do some extra batting like I usually did several times a week. She was still off from work by Wednesday, and again she wanted to go to the batting cages. I was really glad she was willing to indulge me in my obsession, although she claimed it was more for her benefit to watch me because she thought I was pretty hot.
She’s quite a boost to my ego.
We had our last game that night at six o’clock. I was pretty excited that Jayden was doing a lot better and was only taking something for an occasional headache. She had barely taken any of the prescribed medication, anyway. She arrived with her dad, which surprised me, but she also came down to sing our anthem, which surprised me even more. But it was amazing and it gave me a wonderful feeling. At the same time, though, I was also battling other feelings. I was a little sad that this was our last game of the season. All the thrills—the excitement of playing baseball, meeting Jayden for the first time, and looking for her at every game—would soon be over. It was a cheerless thought, but I reminded myself that Jayden was the greatest result from it all, and I was looking forward to our future together.
I saw Matt and Stacie there, and I think it was the second or third time they had come to see a game. I knew Matt really liked baseball, and I assumed that was mostly the reason, but I actually felt like they were being supportive of me at the same time. Shawn and Josh were there also, and I even saw Chris during the fifth inning. He didn’t stick around to talk to me afterwards like everyone else did, but I didn’t really expect him to.
We did end up winning our last game. It was pretty exciting, but once again those mixed feelings consumed me. I was almost reluctant to let that part of my life really be over. But we still had regionals coming up the next weekend in Seattle, and I was definitely looking forward to that. And, because of our standing, we had a pretty good spot in the brackets.
Thursday Jayden went back to work, and I returned to Lou’s for the day. My team was still holding regular practices until the next weekend, so three o’clock found me on the field. She stopped by and watched the last bit of our practice like she sometimes did when she didn’t teach music classes, or if I didn’t have a game. She had actually walked there from work since it was only a couple of miles away. I knew her father had driven her to work and he sometimes worked late, but she insisted that she walked because she needed the exercise.
Graduation was Saturday. That’s all I can say. It wasn’t exciting or anyth
ing, and it certainly wasn’t momentous to me. Jayden came, even though I warned her of how boring it would be. She knew, she had already gone through it, but she insisted she wasn’t about to miss any part of my life.
We went to a couple of celebrations that night. One was at the school and I was ready to leave after five minutes, and another was just an informal celebration at Zero. I had a lot more fun at that one because Jayden had convinced Shawn to come and play, and it was even better because she performed a couple of songs with him. Once again she went through her little ritual of nerves, but after getting on stage, she just seemed so completely relaxed.
I had a good night, particularly because of the beautiful girl I got to spend it with.
As more good things happened, the more I felt the other side of it was coming. I got nervous when things in my life were going well. It meant that something was going to take a turn.
My father never made it to my graduation. I didn’t expect him to, and I didn’t care. Jayden had made mention of him, but I told her that it wasn’t in his interest to support me unless his money had run out and he couldn’t afford any alcohol. Then he was sober—not by choice, but by accident—and he was forced to somewhat have a clear mind to come and see me.
He called me again on Sunday morning, drunk off his ass again. He was in a lot of trouble, he told me, and I was the only person who could help him. I basically told him to take a hike. I promised Jayden I would take her car shopping that day, and I wasn’t about to let her down.
“Son, I won’t ask you for anything else again,” he slurred. “These guys…they just want some money, that’s all—eight hundred bucks for now. Please, Tyler…I’ll never call you for money again.”
Yeah, right. I’d heard that three dozen times.
“I can’t ask Sue. I don’t want her involved. It’s Olevsky’s guys, Ty. Come on, you understand.”
The name sent a panic to my chest. “Why are you involved with them again?” I demanded. “I was told they would leave you alone.”
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