Page 15 of The Senator

I headed out of the kitchen to find Vanessa, who was curled up on the couch in the den reading a book. I knelt in front of her and put the phone on speaker.

“My left. I held it up to keep the airbag from breaking my nose.” Jay sounded exhausted.

“What?” Vanessa quickly sat up, tossing off the cashmere throw that usually rested along the back of the brown leather couch.

“He was in a car accident. He was on his way to Walmart to grocery shop, but now he’s at the hospital in Blacksburg. His roommate, Cole, has a broken arm and a broken leg from a truck T-boning them at an intersection. We need to get down there.” I was going along whether my son liked it or not.

“Just send Mom. You don’t need to come.” Jay was insistent, but I was done hiding, especially from him.

Vanessa nodded that she understood I was going. “We’ll be there in a few hours. Stay put. Check on your roommate.”

Just then, Nash, who I’d forgotten all about, came into the room and sat in my recliner. “What’s wrong?” He silently mouthed the words to me.

I handed Vani the phone and walked over to him to whisper. “Our son was in a car accident in Blacksburg where he attends college. We need to go down there to check on him and straighten things out about his car. Goddamn, when it rains it pours.” I stared off into space, wondering what the fuck could go wrong next.

“You, uh, you want me to drive you guys down? You can take advantage of the ride and start figuring out the car. I’d suggest you check to see if the other driver remained on the scene, or do you know?” Nash’s question was insightful.

“I didn’t even think to ask. If you’d drive us, I’d appreciate it. I’m not in the right frame of mind to drive right now, and Vanessa is a horrible driver, so you’d be doing us a favor. I’ll go pack.” I didn’t wait for either Nash or Vani to answer before I left the room.

I was grateful Nash was there. He had a level head for such a young guy, and I was impressed. I was becoming more fascinated with Nash Lincoln the more I was around him.

“It was a clean break of the ulna, Senator, but the radius is intact. Jay will be fine in about eight weeks, but he’ll need to keep the cast on. I don’t anticipate any lasting effects, really, but physical therapy will help him regain his strength. Any questions?” The doctor at the small hospital in Blacksburg was named Dr. Farthing. She had a congenial bedside manner.

We were in the hospital room of Jay’s college roommate, Cole Glennon. Cole was a shy young man, much like our Jay, but the two of them seemed to get along well, which was a relief. I was watching the two of them as they explained the accident to Vanessa and Cole’s father, Caleb.

It reminded me too much of when I met Mario at UVA, and the two of us became best friends. I truly needed to clear the bad air between us. We’d been through too much shit to throw away a friendship over something he said he didn’t do.

Caleb Glennon walked over to where Dr. Farthing and I had been discussing Jay’s injuries. “Uh, how long before I can take Cole home?”

I’d heard Caleb tell Cole that his mother was at home with his brother and sisters. I had no idea where the family lived because Jay hadn’t mentioned much about his roommate since everything went to hell after I lost the election.

“We haven’t met, but I’m Spencer Brady, Jay’s father. We, uh, we didn’t accompany Jay when he moved in.” I began what would have been a long rambling explanation that I was putting together as I spoke so as not to look like the shitty father I’d become.

Caleb Glennon chuckled. “Yeah, I read about it. No worries, Senator. We all have our ups and downs in life.” He then turned to the doctor, waiting for her response to when he could take his son home.

“Oh, uh, yes. I’d like to keep him overnight because he has a slight concussion, but you can take him home tomorrow. He’s quite lucky.” The doctor explained Cole’s injuries, so I walked away and joined Vani and Jay, seeing my son’s neon-pink cast for the first time.

“Wow, people will be able to see you from a mile away.” I looked at the spot where there was a small heart and the initials, “CG” before Jay jerked his arm away.

I glanced at Vani who subtly shook her head that I shouldn’t mention it, so I turned to Cole. “I’ll take care of your hospital bill, son. I’m sorry you were hurt, but I’m grateful it wasn’t anything that time and rest won’t cure.”

“Thank you, sir. Jay tried to get out of the way of the car, but it ran a light and was speeding. We were in the far right lane, so we got hit first. It was coming right at us, and Jay tried to pull me to his side of the car to lessen the impact, but my seatbelt was buckled.”

Cole sounded as though he was guilty of something. Jay touched his shoulder, offering comfort to his friend.

The boy—young man—was cute. He had platinum blond hair and big blue eyes. I glanced at my son, who was nearly my height with dark-brown hair and light-brown eyes, and I saw something I didn’t expect to see. The two of them were more than friends. They were boyfriends, or close to becoming boyfriends. “Jay, son, can I talk to you outside, please?”

I glanced at Vani, and she winked and nodded, so the two of us excused ourselves and left the room. I directed us toward the elevators to go down to the cafeteria so we could get something to drink. Once the doors closed, I turned to look at the young man who had changed more than I’d bothered to notice.

The remorse over my lack of attention to my son, being caught up in my own life too much to worry about him and Vani, hit home like a speeding truck. What a selfish bastard I’d become!

“You okay?” I placed my hand on his shoulder. Based on the two black eyes that were blooming, and the cut over his nose, he hadn’t tried to shelter his face as he’d said. He’d tried to shelter Cole. The kid had strong protective instincts, and I was proud of him.

“Eh? My body aches. The doctor said I could take over-the-counter meds for the aches and pains, and I’ll be okay in a few days. I gotta wear the cast for two months, though,” repeating what the doctor had just told me.

The doors opened, and we stepped off the elevator, heading toward the cafeteria. There, sitting at a table alone, was Nash. When he saw me, he started to get up, but when he noticed Jay was with me, he sat back down. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to introduce Jay to Nash, but it just wasn’t the right time. Jay was the priority, not me or my bullshit.

We went through the serving line, and of course, my son, the bottomless pit, ordered a double cheeseburger and fries. I got a coffee and grabbed a yogurt for Vani in case she was hungry. I paid for our food, and we went to a table near where Nash was sitting with a bowl of fruit and a bottle of water.

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