Page 48 of Accidentally Checked By My Brother's Best Friend

David was a mess after Fi passed and it definitely impacted how he played. But then he worked through it. I know our situations aren’t the same, but the effect is. At this point, I need help getting my head together, and David is the perfect person for me to ask.

“That’s a good idea, Finn. I’ll reach out to him. Gotta go, we’re at the airport.”

“I’m here if you need me,” he squeezes in before I disconnect the call.

Right before getting out of my seat, I text Ava quickly, letting her know I’m getting on the plane and will get back to her in a bit. After hitting send, anticipation zips through me. Immediately, I slip my phone into my pocket and stand up.

I walk into the bus lane behind the Wolverines' physical therapist. Walking down the stairs and onto the tarmac, I feel a buzz and then another. The corner of my lip lifts, knowing it’s Ava. Without pulling my phone out I continue making my way to the plane.

When I’m finally on the plane and settled, I draw my phone out of my pocket. My heart is drumming through my body just seeing Ava’s name on the screen, but rather than opening her text, I send one to my brother.

Me:Hey. Will you be around to talk sometime this week?

David:I’ll have time Tuesday afternoon. Does that work?

Me:That works. Thanks.

David:Everything okay?

Me:You’ve been watching my games, right? What do you think?

Me:Better yet, what does Scarlett think?

David: I was wondering when you’d reach out.

David:It’s sooner than I thought.

David:You can be a pretty stubborn guy.

I roll my eyes and shake my head. Look at him calling the kettle black. I’m not the one who sent everyone home after Fiona died because I’m ‘I need to take care of everything by myself’ stubborn. That was him. Mom couldn’t even get him to see reason.

But rather than heading home, like David demanded, she booked a room at a bed and breakfast a town over until he called for help. Mom knew he would ask, but she also knew it needed to be when he was ready.

Grief is a strange animal.

Me:Takes one to know one.

David:Of course it does. We’re related

David:I’m glad you asked Dunc. Hopefully I can help.

Me:Thanks. Me too.

A sense of relief washes over me at the realization I don’t have to figure all of this out by myself. Sometimes, I forget I have people who support me. It’s easy to become someone who believes you must handle everything yourself, especially when you’re the person on your team who protects the goal.

I can’t win or lose a game, but my position puts me in a place of being responsible for how much we win or lose. It’s easy to place the game on my shoulders, even though I will never put any points on the board for my team.

Hopefully, my brother can help me. I need to get out of my emotions and get my head back on straight so I can focus. I have to get this under control whether things work with Ava or not. Being able to compartmentalize is key to everything.

Maybe David can help me regarding Ava, too. I never told him how I felt, but I’m sure he knew because Fiona did.

Her rejection nearly broke me once, and the fear of it happening again is paralyzing me. Last time, I was able to push all my feelings down, which is why I’m in this position. Losing Ava devastated me, but I somehow recovered.

This time, I need to find a way to process my emotions. If this has shown me anything, it’s that if you don’t process feelings when they first show up…you will have to address them at some point.

I lean back against the seat just as the plane starts moving on the runway. Some guys are playing a card game, and I can hear them razzing each other with every turn. The lighthearted tones make it easy for me to focus on them and breathe.

There’s no point in dwelling on what I can’t control until I figure out how to address it because there’s nothing I can do right now.

---