Page 211 of Scoring the Player
She nods as she covers her mouth and yawns.
“How are you feeling?” I repeat.
“The gas they pumped into my abdomen to be able to see through the cameras has finally worn off. I had a shooting pain in my neck and shoulders for days. And I looked like I was eight months pregnant. Now I just feel achy and tired.”
“And your pain on a scale from one to ten?”
“Eh. They gave me the good stuff. Mom and I figured out the right schedule.”
“What can I do?”
“Help me outta bed. I gotta pee. It hurts to crunch.”
I get to my feet, make my way to her side of the bed, and help her up.
When she hobbles back from the bathroom, she lifts her T-shirt and shows me the stitches.
“Whoa.” I count four swollen incision spots. “No wonder it hurts to crunch.”
“Yeah. They gave me scans of the organs where they cut out the inflamed tissue. Wanna see?”
“Hard pass.”
She laughs as I help her back into bed.
“I ordered us Thai,” I tell her.
“Mango sticky rice?”
“Yep.”
“Yum.”
“Hey, Mom said something weird. She asked if Salem was with me.” I cover her with the comforter and then head back to my side of the bed.
“Yeah…I knew you were coming, so I wanted to wait to tell you in person. He came by and hung out with us.”
The hair on the back of my neck stands up. “What do you mean he came by?”
“When we hung out that time after his game, I told him about the surgery. He asked what my favorite cake was and said he would visit me. And he kept his word.”
“Was Carter here?”
“No,” she says softly. “Don’t worry. It was just me and Mom.”
He came by?
“Why would he do that if he’s done with me?” I wonder aloud.
She reaches for her phone, and a few seconds later, she holds up a photo of the cake.
“Wow.”
“Look.” She swipes to the next picture, and I smile.
She’s making a kissy face with the cake crown on her head. Mom is in the background, laughing.
And when I think I couldn’t love him more.
