Page 2 of Body Checked By the Defenseman

“No, only my brother. He’s a year older but he is out of town,” Ruby said, her voice shaky.

“Only one of you can ride with us,” he said.

Ruby looked at me like I was a life preserver, but I felt helpless.

“You’re strong, Ruby. Abuela needs you now. Go with them to the hospital and I’ll take the bus and meet you there,” I assured her.

Her lower lip quivered as she stared into my eyes. “Okay,” she croaked.

I nodded. Ruby slipped on her flip-flops at the front door. She was wearing a tank top and shorts, and her long hair was wet down her back. She had spent the summer working at a backyard camp as a counselor for small children.

I watched them leave and ran back to my apartment. Leila was still in the same spot shoving peanuts in her mouth and drinking beer while watching television. Watching her made it seem like time always stood still but time was ticking by and Abuela’s health was on the line. I went to my room and slipped on a T-shirt and socks. I put on my sneakers and grabbed my cell phone, which I was lucky to buy this summer with the money I made.

As I was reaching for the door, Leila squealed, “Where the hell do you think you’re going?”

“To the hospital. Abuela had a heart attack,” I said. I watched Leila about to protest and walked out the door anyway. I heard her cussing as I walked toward the elevator. I didn’t give a shit. Ruby and Hayden were my ride or die. But her words carried down the hall as she screamed You ain’t good enough for her.Sad part was, she was probably right. Ruby was the whole package: smart, beautiful, and caring. It didn’t matter because she would never be mine.

I foundRuby crying on a chair in the waiting room at the hospital. She was hugging herself and rocking back and forth. I reached into my pocket because I felt nervous and had nothing better to do with my hands. I pulled out the crumpled flower I had found today when we were planting a garden for a client.

“Periwinkle,” I mumbled.

She picked up her head. “What?”

I felt stupid thinking what I was thinking, but it didn’t stop me from talking. “Planted these flowers today for a client. They’re called Periwinkle Blue Iris. It reminded me of your eyes.” The second I said those last three words, I instantly regretted them. It was TMI and Ruby didn’t need to know I was thinking of her eyes.

I passed her the crumpled flower. “Sorry.”

“It’s so pretty,” she said, her eyes filled with tears. She gave me a smile despite her sadness. “Periwinkle.” She sniffed the crumpled flower. “Thanks, Mack.”

“Don’t thank me,” I replied.

“I can’t lose her.” Her lip quivered, and my attempt to distract her from the reality of the present passed.

“We aren’t losing her, Rubes. She’s the strongest woman I know,” I assured, but what did I know? At fourteen, this was all very scary. I was terrified of Hayden and Ruby ending up in the system like me, and not having them across the hall would kill me.

Ruby went up to the nurses’ station to check in on her grandma. Hayden and Ruby both had cell phones, so I assumed Ruby called him to let him know we were at the hospital.

I waited hours sitting by her side. I bought her hot cocoa, which she didn’t drink because she was too nervous.

When the doctor finally came to speak to us, he said Abuela had a mild heart attack. They were keeping her overnight for observation, and Ruby was to find a place to stay with a friend or family. Ruby had friends but I knew she wasn’t going to stay with them.

I took her by the hand because she was spacey, and we got on the bus back to our apartment. We had forgotten to lock the door, so I walked in with her to make sure everything was okay because it was the type of neighborhood that saw a lot of robberies.

“I don’t want to be alone, Mack. I’m scared,” she admitted.

“I’ll stay with you,” I offered. Leila was probably too drunk to notice me gone or she was passed out on the couch by now.

I entered the apartment. Ruby started to clean up the remnants of dinner.

“It happened right after dinner,” she said. “It was so scary, Mack.”

“You did the right thing calling 911. You probably saved her life,” I told her.

She inhaled a deep breath, but she looked tired and stressed.

“Were you able to get a hold of Hayden?” I finally asked.

She shook her head. “His phone must be dead. They didn’t have any reception or way of charging their phones. He’s going to be so devastated.”

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