Page 93 of The Wrong Quarterback

When I put my phone onDo Not Disturb, there were only three people that could get through, and they all knew not to try unless it was important.

I pulled out my phone, seeing Martha’s name flash across the screen. My stomach dropped. Martha only texted when something was wrong, and she didn’t call unless something wasreallywrong.

Fuck.

I shot Casey an apologetic look for scaring her and answered. “Hey, Martha, what’s going on?”

“Your mother passed out again,” Martha’s voice was tight, strained. “She still hasn’t been eating. I went to give her an IV, and she just passed out before I even got the tube in. I called an ambulance, and she’s on her way to Farragut Memorial.” She paused, and I heard her take a deep shuddering breath. “I’m sorry, Parker,” she finally said, her voice filled with emotion. “I did everything I could.”

I closed my eyes, trying to push down the surge of emotions flooding my insides. The sinking dread, the frustration, the helplessness. This wasn’t the first time my mom had landed in the hospital because she refused to eat. But every time it happened, it felt like we were one step closer. Like a countdown to an ending I couldn’t stop.

“I know you did,” I finally said, keeping my voice steady, even though it felt like the ground was shifting under me. “I’m on my way.”

Martha sighed, and I could hear the exhaustion in her voice, the same weariness I carried. “Parker…I don’t know how much longer she can keep doing this.”

I swallowed hard. “Yeah. I know.”

When I hung up, I felt Casey’s hand on my arm, her fingers soft but firm. “Parker? What happened?”

I buried my face in her hair, my whole body trembling as I soaked in her scent, using it to ground me so I could get through the night ahead.

“My mom passed out, and she’s on the way to the hospital,” I murmured into her skin, trying to convince myself to let her go.

Casey stiffened, a little gasp caressing the back of my neck. I forced myself to pull away, not sure how to explain the mess of emotions twisting inside me.

For a second I got caught in a memory of Walker and Cole being gone somewhere and me as a little kid trying to get my mom to make me lunch. She’d sat in her chair by the window as if she couldn’t hear me, staring out…I shook my head, trying to clear my head of the past.

Casey’s eyes were filling up with tears, and I immediately pulled her into my arms. “I’m so sorry, Parker,” she whispered, pressing a shaky kiss to my cheek. What a fucking sweetheart. “Do you want me to come with you?”

I looked at her, shocked by the offer…although, I didn’t really know why that was. I guess it was because I hadn’t even thought about asking, because I’d been dealing with this by myself for so long. I hadn’t even asked Jace and Matty to help me.

But suddenly the idea of facing this alone felt unfucking-bearable. “Yeah, baby. I’d…I’d really like that.”

She nodded, squeezing my arm. “Then let’s go.”

We walked to the truck in silence. But the drive wasn’t as terrible as it normally was. Casey’s presence was an anchor, keeping me from spiraling into the dark thoughts that would normally be consuming me.

As we got closer to the hospital, though, the reality of what would be waiting for me in that hospital room started to hit me hard.

“I should explain,” I said after a few minutes, my voice tight. “About my mom.”

Casey turned to me, her eyes soft with understanding. “You don’t have to if you don’t want to.”

“No, I do,” I said, gripping the steering wheel harder. “You should know what’s been going on. Even if I fucking hate talking about it.”

I took a deep breath, trying to figure out where to start. “After my dad died…everything changed. My mom just…it’s like she lost the will to live. She barely eats, barely talks. She’s been like a ghost of herself for years now.”

Casey listened quietly, her eyes soft and understanding.

“That’s why I came to the University of Tennessee,” I continued, my voice rougher than I intended. “I couldn’t leave her. My brothers didn’t have control of where they needed to be, and it’s also harder for them—they’ve got too many memories of her from before. But I…I thought maybe I could help. She’s been fading ever since, though. It’s like she’s just waiting for the right time to give up completely.”

I paused, letting out a shaky breath. “And now…now I don’t know if it’s even better for her to keep living like this. I mean, if she doesn’t want to be here anymore…should I even try to stop her?”

The silence stretched between us, heavy with the weight of what I’d said. It wasn’t something I’d admitted to anyone before.

But it felt freeing to tell her.

I was already gripping Casey’s hand when she lifted our intertwined fingers, softly brushing her lips across my knuckles. She didn’t say anything right away; she simply held onto me, her thumb gently soothing my skin. And somehow, that was enough. I didn’t need her to give me an answer or tell me everything would be okay. I just needed her.

---