Page 77 of Risky Move

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As soon as the ambulance left, Tom pressed Cassie’s name on his phone. She answered before he heard it ring.

“Tom, what’s happening? How’s Andrew?”

“On his way to the hospital—just precautionary tests, nothing serious, babe.” He updated her on the situation and relayed Caryn’s message.

“Tell her not to worry. The love bugs are fast asleep.”

“Not sure when I’ll see you, Cassie…Someone will come by in case you need backup.”

“We’re fine. Please keep me in the loop.”

“Promise. Call if you need anything.”

Cassie sighed as she set her phone on the counter.Andrew left the ice on his own—just a little help from his teammates. That’s a good sign, right? Nothing like the trauma two years ago.

She didn’t know the details of Andrew’s head injury, but from comments knew that it was a life-threatening situation, followed by over a year of rehab. Cassie sensed Caryn’s wish to avoid those memories, and she didn’t want to pry by asking Lauren. She found plenty of information on Google, but only read enough to understand the horrific accident and slow recovery.Hope Caryn’s not experiencing déjà vu…surely, some of her friends had arrived at the hospital.Cassie hated feeling helpless and concentrated on the only thing she could—blanketing Andrew and Caryn with prayers.

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“Any news?” Cassie asked when Lauren and Dave stopped at the house on their way home.

“Unless something has changed, Tom sounded confident that Andrew’s doctor would keep him at least overnight,” Lauren said. “Just for observation.”

“And an ‘overabundance of caution,’ as Tom put it,” Dave added.

“Can I get you anything? Water, soft drinks, coffee?”

“We know where to find it, Cass. Relax while you can—do Daniel and Jenna wake up during the night?”

“Not usually. I’m fine, guys. You don’t need to babysit me. I know where to find you if I need help.”

“Maybe we’d like to catch up with you,” Dave retorted with a grin as he sat down in the living area. “We don’t see much of you now that you’re taking classes and spending your free time with our favorite doctor.”

Cassie felt her cheeks flush. “I saw you at the game last week. School has been more difficult than I ever thought. I have to pass algebra before I can take any core classes.”

Lauren made a face. “Feel your pain. Though keep in mind, your Language Arts scores exempted you from some classes and gave you credit for core courses.”

“Which does zero good until I get through algebra. Why do I need algebra to succeed in communications or early childhood education, anyway?”

“Hell, if I know,” Dave said with a grin. “If it’s not too advanced, I can probably help you.”

“Just secondary school algebra. It left my brain as soon as I completed the course. I’ll gladly take any help offered. The quadratic equation is some medieval torture device.”

Both Lauren and Dave laughed. “I’ve never needed to use it, so I’d agree with you, kiddo,” Dave said. “But I can teach you a trick to solve them. I remember when my sister Kimberlee and brother Jake both needed a bit of assistance.”

“If you can help me with that, I think I can test out of the class. I think I did okay until that section.”

“Save a couple hours Sunday afternoon then. Tell your doctor you have a math emergency.”

“I think he’s working, anyway. Thanks, Dave.”

Lauren brought bottles of water from the kitchen. “Why don’t I order a pizza? It may be a while until we hear from Tom.”

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Tom tried to shake off his brother’s anger over Dan Forster’s insistence that he stays overnight at the hospital.Dan nailed it when he said that Andrew’s over-reaction and angry outburst just confirm our diagnosis of a minor concussion. If he hadn’t recently recovered from the TBI, Dan would have released Andrew. Once he calms down, he’ll understand. Hope Caryn can work some magic with him.

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