Page 12 of I Got You

She looks at me, the blood drained from her face and just nods.

“My truck is out front.”

She takes off running, and I follow, trying to keep up. We hop in my truck, and she identifies the hospital she needs me to take her to. Her body vibrates in the passenger seat, so I don’t attempt to ask questions.

“Cole,” she blurts out, her eyes wide. “I have to find Cole.”

“I can call him as soon as we get there.” She only nods.

Twenty minutes later, we pull into the visitor parking lot, and she jumps out of the truck. The only thing I know to do is follow her.

At the front desk, Maggie asks for directions to the ICU. An older gentleman gives us brief directions, and we’re off again. She moves so fast I have no idea if she knows I’m following, but I’m going with my inexperienced gut that tells me I shouldn’t leave her like this.

Minutes later, we enter a room where a much smaller and almost unrecognizable version of ‘The Rocket’ lies hooked up to every imaginable machine. The sterile smell, fluorescent lights, and quiet hum of the machines hit my senses with a jolt.

My sensory overload is interrupted by the gut-wrenching sound that pours out of Maggie. It’s a cross between a gasp and a sob. She carefully goes to him and rests her head on his chest, gently rubbing his hand.

“Hey, Daddy. I’m here. Hang on, please.” Her sniffly pleading is painful to hear. “Don’t go. Just a little longer, Daddy. I know you’re tired.” After another second, I hear her whisper. “I love you.”

A belt cinches around my gut as tears stream down her cheeks and soak into his gown. I know I’m intruding on a very personal moment, but I’m unsure whether I should stay or leave. Leaving her seems impossible even though I’m the last person who should be here or knows how to handle anything like this. I quietly move to the corner to give her as much privacy as possible.

I stare at the shell of a man lying in bed who was an American hero. My hero. An icon. He’s no longer the man I remember standing on the field tossing me the ball. The man who encouraged me to follow my dreams. The man who gave me and my brothers an opportunity that changed the course of our lives.

I’d not only watched him play every game growing up and dreamed of being just like him, but his organization, set up to help assist disadvantaged youth, allowed me to attend his camp. It’s where I gained the foundation of everything I know about the game, but not only that, it was my first glimpse of life outside of my circumstances.

The strong, invincible man now lies frail and looking lifeless. He’s nothing resembling the man that once filled my screen or the man that represented one of the only positive male role models my brothers and I had.

Maggie lays her head next to his, murmuring softly. I know, along with all the other fans, I didn’t even understand the best parts of him. His greatness had nothing to do with football, something the kid in me as well as the man, might need to understand. There’s more to life than the game. However, I’ve never lived that way.

Maggie blinks, wiping her tears away. “I need you to find Cole. I don’t think we have a lot of time.”

I step toward her, holding out my hand. “Give me your phone. I’ll keep calling until he answers.”

She hands me her phone and lays her head back down, holding her father tightly.

It takes me five tries before Cole answers. Thirty minutes later, he rushes into the room, looking just as pale and scared as Maggie. They embrace, and Cole brushes a hand over his father's head.

“What happened?” he asks, looking more like a scared kid than the young man in charge of a team.

“Amy told me it was a stroke. You know he has a DNR. They’re checking for brain activity.” She pauses as more tears fall. “They don’t think....” She trails off as if she can’t say it.

I stand in the corner quietly with no clue what I should be doing. Do I go? Should I stay? I’m the last person that should be here and absolutely no good in any type of emotional situation.

“Cole, what are we going to do? What about the kids?” Maggie sounds panicked, and I definitely feel like I should step out.

“I don’t know.” He rubs his face. “We have to tell them. They should have a chance to say goodbye.”

“You know what this means. I thought I had more time.” Tears drip down her cheeks, leaving wet streaks behind. “What am I going to do? They’ll be like vultures the minute they hear about this.”

Cole puts his arm around his sister and pulls her close. “Shhh. You can’t think about that right now. We’ll figure something out.”

Cole eyes me in shock like he doesn’t remember I was the one who called him. His brows come together. “Coach, why are you here?”

“He was with me when I got the call.” Maggie sniffs, wiping her nose on the back of her hand. “I couldn’t drive, so he brought me.”

“I’m going to go.” I move toward the door, ready to escape and give them privacy. “Is there anything I can do?”

The alarmed look on Maggie’s face stops me.

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