“It’s fine.”
“How is he?”
Her voice broke as she glanced up at Rodney, his sweet face a little red as his brown lashes kissed his cheeks. “They have him in a coma.”
“Do they know what caused the seizures?”
“No,” she cried as she cupped her face. “And I’ve Googled and WebMD’d everything and scared myself shitless.”
“Babe, don’t do that.”
“I know. I’m just freaking out.”
“I know, I’m so sorry.”
“I wish you were here,” she whispered, her voice breaking. “I really need someone—” She paused, shaking her head. “I need you. No one but you.”
“Brie—”
“No, I’m sorry, that was shitty. I don’t want you to miss a game, and I sure as hell don’t want to guilt you into it. I’m sorry.”
“Babe, it’s fine. I want to be there. I do.”
“I know.”
Silence fell over the line as she chewed her lip. “I hope they can wake him up tomorrow. I think they’re gonna try if all the tests come back okay.”
“That’s good, real good.”
“Yeah,” she answered, her heart feeling like it was being squeezed to hell. “I miss you.”
He exhaled hard, and she almost thought he was going to say something else, but he whispered, “I miss you too, Brie, and I’m sorry I’m not there.”
“You have a job, Vaughn. I know.”
“But I want to be, you know that?”
“I do.”
“Though, that doesn’t help.”
She smiled. “Not much, but it’s the thought.”
“Shit, the bus is here.”
She could hear the guilt in his voice, and she felt like a complete ass. She shouldn’t have said anything. She was a big girl; she had this. “Okay, I think I’m gonna try to sleep.”
“Are you sure you’re okay? I can stay on the phone.”
She scoffed playfully. “I’m one tough cookie, JoHo. I’m good.”
He chuckled softly, though there wasn’t any humor in his voice. “I know you are. Call me if you need me?”
“Yeah.”
“And you’ll call in the morning?”
“I will.”
“Promise?”
“Promise.”
“Goodnight, babe.”
“’Night.”
As she hung up the phone, her heart in her throat, she didn’t know what to do. She felt like dog shit. Between the guilt of not being there for Rodney and then probably making Vaughn feel like shit for not being there when he couldn’t, she was basically the biggest asshole in the world. But she’d make it up to both of them.
Cake for Rodney.
Head for Vaughn.
That was her plan.
She just needed Rodney to be okay, and then everything would fall into place.
“Sorry to call so late.”
“It’s fine. Are you okay?” Elli asked, and then he heard the grumbling of a child.
“Momma?”
“Shh, QA. It’s okay.”
“Sorry, did I wake him?”
“He fell asleep on me. It’s fine, hold on.”
He heard Quinn complaining, but Elli was sweet, giving him kisses as she promised to come back. “Hey, sorry, had to go into the kitchen. What’s up?”
“Where’s Shea?”
“Upstairs with the other minions. They’re watching a movie, QA was too, but then he came down and fell asleep on me while I was watching the game.”
Vaughn took in a deep breath as he leaned against the side of the Pepsi Center. He was nervous and he couldn’t believe he was about to do this, but he had no choice. Clearing his throat, he said, “You’ve got a good life, Elli Adler.”
He could hear her smile in her voice. “I have a full, happy life. Yes, it’s great. But I know you didn’t call to talk about my life, even though it is a wonderful and insane topic. So, what’s up?”
His heart was pounding and he almost decided to hang up, but he knew he couldn’t. “Um, actually, I need to ask you a favor.”
“Okay?” she asked, a little wary.
“I know you have a strict rule on the team traveling together unless there is an emergency, so I was hoping that you’d let me jump on a plane, go home, and come back to meet the team tomorrow. I’d miss morning skate, but I’d be there early enough to do my own before warm-ups.”
“Jo, you know I don’t mind as long as you have a valid emergency. What’s going on?”
He closed his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose as his heart felt as if it was about to come out of his chest. “Are you by a computer?”
“I am.”
“Can you Google ‘NateWay’?”
She paused, but he didn’t hear her typing. “I’m familiar with NateWay, Vaughn. Why?”
There was a lump in his throat, but he had to do this. As much as it went against everything he wanted to do, the secret he had kept for years, he had to be there for Brie. “I own NateWay, both of them. I built them from the ground up, and I need to go home and check on one of my residents who just had surgery for a scary heart problem.”
“Vaughn, I knew that already.”
His heart stopped. “Excuse me?”
“You think I wouldn’t look into an organization that one of my players always suggests for charity events? I hadn’t heard about them initially, but I did some digging and I connected the dots. I was just waiting for you to own up to it.”
“You sneaky shit,” he accused and she laughed. “I was so nervous to admit to it.”
“I figured, and Shea thought maybe it was because you didn’t want all the focus on you. I mean, you live in a walking spotlight, always have, so we just let it be.”
“Wow, okay,” he said, exhaling hard through his nose as he let his shoulders drop in relief. “If it’s okay, I really want to go check on him, talk with the family, and make sure everything is good. I’ll pay for everything.”
“Of course, Jo. I completely understand.”
“Thanks, Elli. For everything. You’ve done a lot for me,” he said softly as his pulse raced a little faster.
“How is he?”
Her voice broke as she glanced up at Rodney, his sweet face a little red as his brown lashes kissed his cheeks. “They have him in a coma.”
“Do they know what caused the seizures?”
“No,” she cried as she cupped her face. “And I’ve Googled and WebMD’d everything and scared myself shitless.”
“Babe, don’t do that.”
“I know. I’m just freaking out.”
“I know, I’m so sorry.”
“I wish you were here,” she whispered, her voice breaking. “I really need someone—” She paused, shaking her head. “I need you. No one but you.”
“Brie—”
“No, I’m sorry, that was shitty. I don’t want you to miss a game, and I sure as hell don’t want to guilt you into it. I’m sorry.”
“Babe, it’s fine. I want to be there. I do.”
“I know.”
Silence fell over the line as she chewed her lip. “I hope they can wake him up tomorrow. I think they’re gonna try if all the tests come back okay.”
“That’s good, real good.”
“Yeah,” she answered, her heart feeling like it was being squeezed to hell. “I miss you.”
He exhaled hard, and she almost thought he was going to say something else, but he whispered, “I miss you too, Brie, and I’m sorry I’m not there.”
“You have a job, Vaughn. I know.”
“But I want to be, you know that?”
“I do.”
“Though, that doesn’t help.”
She smiled. “Not much, but it’s the thought.”
“Shit, the bus is here.”
She could hear the guilt in his voice, and she felt like a complete ass. She shouldn’t have said anything. She was a big girl; she had this. “Okay, I think I’m gonna try to sleep.”
“Are you sure you’re okay? I can stay on the phone.”
She scoffed playfully. “I’m one tough cookie, JoHo. I’m good.”
He chuckled softly, though there wasn’t any humor in his voice. “I know you are. Call me if you need me?”
“Yeah.”
“And you’ll call in the morning?”
“I will.”
“Promise?”
“Promise.”
“Goodnight, babe.”
“’Night.”
As she hung up the phone, her heart in her throat, she didn’t know what to do. She felt like dog shit. Between the guilt of not being there for Rodney and then probably making Vaughn feel like shit for not being there when he couldn’t, she was basically the biggest asshole in the world. But she’d make it up to both of them.
Cake for Rodney.
Head for Vaughn.
That was her plan.
She just needed Rodney to be okay, and then everything would fall into place.
“Sorry to call so late.”
“It’s fine. Are you okay?” Elli asked, and then he heard the grumbling of a child.
“Momma?”
“Shh, QA. It’s okay.”
“Sorry, did I wake him?”
“He fell asleep on me. It’s fine, hold on.”
He heard Quinn complaining, but Elli was sweet, giving him kisses as she promised to come back. “Hey, sorry, had to go into the kitchen. What’s up?”
“Where’s Shea?”
“Upstairs with the other minions. They’re watching a movie, QA was too, but then he came down and fell asleep on me while I was watching the game.”
Vaughn took in a deep breath as he leaned against the side of the Pepsi Center. He was nervous and he couldn’t believe he was about to do this, but he had no choice. Clearing his throat, he said, “You’ve got a good life, Elli Adler.”
He could hear her smile in her voice. “I have a full, happy life. Yes, it’s great. But I know you didn’t call to talk about my life, even though it is a wonderful and insane topic. So, what’s up?”
His heart was pounding and he almost decided to hang up, but he knew he couldn’t. “Um, actually, I need to ask you a favor.”
“Okay?” she asked, a little wary.
“I know you have a strict rule on the team traveling together unless there is an emergency, so I was hoping that you’d let me jump on a plane, go home, and come back to meet the team tomorrow. I’d miss morning skate, but I’d be there early enough to do my own before warm-ups.”
“Jo, you know I don’t mind as long as you have a valid emergency. What’s going on?”
He closed his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose as his heart felt as if it was about to come out of his chest. “Are you by a computer?”
“I am.”
“Can you Google ‘NateWay’?”
She paused, but he didn’t hear her typing. “I’m familiar with NateWay, Vaughn. Why?”
There was a lump in his throat, but he had to do this. As much as it went against everything he wanted to do, the secret he had kept for years, he had to be there for Brie. “I own NateWay, both of them. I built them from the ground up, and I need to go home and check on one of my residents who just had surgery for a scary heart problem.”
“Vaughn, I knew that already.”
His heart stopped. “Excuse me?”
“You think I wouldn’t look into an organization that one of my players always suggests for charity events? I hadn’t heard about them initially, but I did some digging and I connected the dots. I was just waiting for you to own up to it.”
“You sneaky shit,” he accused and she laughed. “I was so nervous to admit to it.”
“I figured, and Shea thought maybe it was because you didn’t want all the focus on you. I mean, you live in a walking spotlight, always have, so we just let it be.”
“Wow, okay,” he said, exhaling hard through his nose as he let his shoulders drop in relief. “If it’s okay, I really want to go check on him, talk with the family, and make sure everything is good. I’ll pay for everything.”
“Of course, Jo. I completely understand.”
“Thanks, Elli. For everything. You’ve done a lot for me,” he said softly as his pulse raced a little faster.
