Page 103 of Despite It All
I immediately try to call her back but her phone goes straight to voicemail. The first phone call came through three hours ago. “Fuck!” I want to hit or throw something but that would help no one right now.
I try Wyla again and I’m met with her voicemail. I start changing lightning fast, and throwing shit in my bag. I have to get to Aster Creek.
Justin comes up beside me. “What’s going on?”
“That was Wyla. Stevie had an allergic reaction, they’re at the hospital. I need to get there now.”
Adam whips out his phone and dials someone and holds it up to his ear. “Just pack your duffle bag, I’ll get the rest.”
I only acknowledge with a nod. I don’t know what he’s doing, all I know is I need to get out of here.
“Oh, come on, I’m sure she’s fine,” Justin says, holding his arms out. “It was probably a small reaction.”
“Justin, do yourself a favor and get the hell away from me.” If my sole focus wasn’t on finding out if Stevie is okay, I probably would have decked him on the spot.
“Jett, you just pitched a hell of a game. Call and see that she’s okay and come out with—”
Before he can finish the sentence, I slam Justin against the closest locker and it goes deadly silent. “Let me make myself perfectly clear. Right now, none of this is important to me. Not the game, not this team, the sport, or my fucking career. None of it matters to me right now. My family does, so shut your fucking mouth and get away from me.”
“Jett, he’s not worth it.” Adam pulls me back. “I’ve called our pilot. You’re taking the chartered plane. I’ll deal with everything else, just go.”
“How am I going to get there?”
Will shoves a ball and a Sharpie in my hand. “Sign that and toss it to the first person with a cab.”
“Thank you,” is all I can really say before I’m out the door.
The crowd is a fucking nightmare but Will’s ball idea works well enough. Once I’m finally in the back of a cab, I listen to the second voicemail from Wyla.
“Hey, Stevie’s gonna be okay.” As much as hearing that should bring me a little relief it doesn’t because Wyla sounds like she’s in physical pain. “They're going to keep us here for a couple hours to make sure she doesn’t have any secondary reaction… Please call me.”
I try Wyla again but no luck, so I call Anna.
“Jett, finally!” she answers. “You asshole, why haven’t you answered your phone?”
“Anna, yell at me later. Are you with Wyla? Her phone keeps going to voicemail.”
“Her phone is dead because she’s been trying to get hold of you for hours. Would it have killed you to at least glance at your phone or given anyone in this family a fucking emergency contact number?”
My patience is out the window at this point. “Anna, for all that is holy, yell at me later! Can I talk to Wyla?”
Anna sighs. “I’m not at the hospital right now. Stevie was getting really anxious with everyone there. The doctors said it could be a side effect of the epinephrine and the stress of what happened, so Wyla asked everyone to leave.”
Fuck, I should’ve beenthere.
The two-hour plane ride was beyond miserable. Words Wyla said our last day in Seattle have been on repeat in my mind. “I’m worried we’re going to miss those things. Missing the hard moments, the sad, being there when the other needs you.” It was her whole reason for wanting to move… so we could be together in moments like these.
But was I there? No.
And the kicker is, it wasn’t the distance that necessarily kept me from being there. Yes, it was a factor, but I always try to keep my phone hidden in my bag for this very reason. Why hadn't it occurred to me to give Wyla an emergency contact for out of town games is beyond me. That part is on me.
Yeah, I wouldn’t have been able to get there immediately, but I definitely could have been with them hours ago. I could’ve stayed on the phone with Wyla until I got there, but instead she did all of it alone… again.
Thank fuck she was in Aster Creek so her family could be there… if she was in Seattle, she would have had absolutely no one with her.
That thought sits with me for the rest of the flight. Thankfully, there is a small private airport in Northshore that we were able to get permission to land, and Anna said her and Levi would be there as soon as I land to get me.
Why she’s bringing Levi is extremely low on the list of stuff I care about at this moment, but thankfully, when Anna wants to start lecturing me, Levi’s able to rope her back in.
