Page 65 of Sleepless Nights and Hockey Fights

I’m mid-story about that time Artie punched George, who fell into Richie, who backhanded me accidentally. Being the littlest, I went flying and broke Mom’s vase. The one her mother had given to her years ago. It was a family heirloom and I’d broken it. Will, the oldest, came out of the bathroom and looked at the mess, shaking his head, saying we were going to be in so much trouble. Never mind the fact that he was supposed to have been watching us. Mom came home, took one look at our tear-stained cheeks and bowed heads while we stood over the shards of glass, and made us all go outside. She cleaned up the mess then came outside in her swimsuit. The sprinklers flipped on, and she laughed like a crazy woman as she ran through. Then we all started running through them and we had what became one of my favorite days of summer ever.

“She sounds like a strong woman and a beautiful soul. I can’t wait to meet her,” Molly says, still holding my hand as we file out of the airplane.

I get our bags and a rental car before making the drive out to my little hometown on the northern outskirts of Atlanta. I don’t bother going to the house. I go straight to the hospital, pull into the valet spot, toss the keys over, and hustle us both inside thebright hospital. It smells like antiseptic and sadness, even in the lobby.

“Sue Rhodes please?” I ask the lady at the information desk. She looks up her name on the computer and directs us to the second floor, room two-twenty-four.

The elevator ride is slow and tortuous. The doors finally slide open, and I race forward. Molly pulls me back, a worried expression on her pretty face.

“Hey. I’m just going to wait outside while you find out what’s going on. When you’re ready, just stick your head out and I’ll come in. Or I can just wait to meet everyone later.”

I’m already shaking my head. “No. You should come in.”

“Your mom’s been through a medical event. Let her see her sons before you go and introduce a stranger. Please, Bobby.”

I don’t like it, but she has a point. “Okay. It’ll just take me a second.” I kiss her quickly and we walk toward the right room. She takes a position in the hall against the wall and shoots me an encouraging wink.

When I step inside the room, the lights are low and machines are beeping. There’s a curtain around the bed, but I see shoes underneath. Shoes that probably belong to my older brothers. I push the curtain aside and see Mom for the first time. She looks pale and sickly, smaller than I remember her from the last time I visited. There’s oxygen going to her nose and she’s hooked up to an IV and has those electrode things on her chest. Her eyes are closed. My heart squeezes so hard seeing her like that I think I might be having a sympathy heart attack.

“You came.” Dad steps next to me and claps me on the shoulder.

“Of course I came,” I mumble back. I only have eyes for Mom. It hits me with startling clarity that she was the only truly good thing about my childhood. Through my sessions with Ashley and time spent with Molly as she parents Matthew, I’vecome to realize that my childhood wasn’t normal. “How’s she doing?”

“She had a heart attack, dumbass. How do you think she’s doing?” Will answers, stepping closer with that stupid smirk on his face that used to make me daydream about punching him in the nose.

I hold up my hand, shaking my head. “Just tell me how she is. We can do the name calling later.”

“Ohh,” Artie hoots. “You’ve gone soft now that you’re a famous hockey guy? No name calling allowed in the league?” He and George snicker like school children.

I ignore them all and head over to the bed, kneeling down to put a hand to Mom’s cheek. Her eyes flutter open, unfocused for a moment. Then she sees me and she breaks out into that familiar lopsided smile.

“Hey, my sweet boy. You’re here.”

“Hi, Mom. I heard you needed some attention so you faked a heart attack.”

She grins more, a look of pure affection in her eyes. “Heard it was the best way to get my Bobby fix. You know I can’t go too long without seeing you.”

“Don’t wear yourself out,” Dad grouses, stepping over to the other side of the bed. He gives me a hard look I try to ignore.

“I brought someone with me to meet you,” I say to Mom.

“Oh? Is it a woman?” She seems to perk up. Mom’s been giving me grief about settling down since I turned sixteen. Said I was her only hope for grandbabies.

“It is. Her name’s Molly and she’s a mom too.” I lean in closer so only she can hear. “She’s the one, Mom.”

Tears fill her eyes.

“Dad!” Artie hisses. “Bobby’s making Mom cry!”

Will immediately bats me away from the bedside with a hard shove. “You brought a woman to the hospital? What’s wrongwith you? Can’t you just be there for Mom without a parade of puck bunnies?”

“Boys!” Mom wheezes. Dad bends over her, trying to comfort her when what she really needs is for him to keep these jackasses in line.

“Don’t touch me.” I bump Will’s chest with mine, both of us puffed up and ready to fight. He used to be bigger than me, but I outwork all my brothers combined in the gym these days.

“Or what? You’ll call your baby mama in here and she’ll give me a spanking?” His smirk is out in full force. “I might like it and have to steal your girl.”

I don’t notice any of the warning signs. I just pull back my fist and let it fly.

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