CHAPTER EIGHT

“This is the place,” frowned Mac, staring at the rundown home. “I thought this guy was a teammate of Cavet’s.”

“That’s what Lara said, but damn, this is sad looking. Come on,” said Gabe. They stepped up to the door, knocking softly at first, then a little harder.

“Can I help you?” asked the young woman.

“Lara O’Connell called about us speaking to you. I’m Gabe, and this is Mac,” he said with a smile.

“Oh, yes. Sorry, it’s been one of those mornings. Come in,” she said, opening the door. Behind her, a large man stood from his chair, reaching for a baseball bat. “Dad! Dad, no! Dad, they’re friends of Butch’s.”

Gabe and Mac readied themselves for potentially having to take the man down, but he was a big bastard.

“Please, just have a seat at the end of the sofa,” said the woman. “Dad, let’s take your medicine, okay. Here you go.” She handed him the three pills, and he willingly swallowed them. Gently, she pushed his hair from his eyes, then kissed his forehead.

“Can I ask what’s wrong with your father, Ms. Hardesty?” asked Mac.

“Kelly. I’m just Kelly,” she smiled. “If you ask the league, it’s dementia due to multiple strokes. If you ask his doctors here, it’s CTE-related traumatic brain injuries.”

“I’m asking you,” said Mac. She stared at him and nodded.

“All of the above. Let me ask you two something. How old do you think my father is?” she asked.

“I don’t know. Maybe fifty-five?” said Mac, looking at Gabe.

“I’d say fifty-five to sixty,” said Gabe.

“My father just turned forty-four. I’m twenty,” she said. “Twenty, and I look almost as old as he does because I’ve spent the last five years taking care of him. When they told him he couldn’t play any longer, my mother emptied our accounts and left. Before I could get everything else frozen, we lost our house and ended up here.”

“I’m damn sorry,” said Mac.

“It’s okay. Sorry, that’s not why you’re here.”

“Actually, it might be why we’re here,” said Gabe. “Did your father have multiple injuries and concussions?”

“Seven,” she said with tears in her eyes. Her father’s big paw reached out, gripping her tiny hand, and he smiled at her.

“Don’t cry, Kelly. I’ll be better tomorrow.”

“I know, Dad. You’re better today,” she grinned. “Are you tired? Would you like to take a nap?” He nodded, and she helped him up, walking toward the back room. A few minutes later, she came back out and sat down, her head in her hands.

“You’re exhausted. You need help,” said Mac.

“I couldn’t agree more. The problem is I don’t have the money for help. Lara and Carigan come down every now and then and help when they can. Lara sent a guy to fix a few things around the house, but there’s so much,” she said, shaking her head.

“Why isn’t the league helping your father?” asked Mac.

“Dad was in a car accident right before he left the league. They claim his injuries were related to the accident, not his time playing. The doctors have disagreed, but the league doctors are saying that he never reported his injuries to them.”

“Did your father play with Butch?”

“He did,” she nodded. “They played together in college and then on different teams for a while. Eventually, Dad’s last few years were with New Orleans. He was a defensive end. He was hit a lot. Two months before the accident, he twisted his knee. They said it wasn’t anything serious, but they were injecting his knee non-stop, and he was taking all these anti-inflammatory medicines and pain medicines. Our family doctor said the combination is what led to the last stroke.”

“And I bet the league argued with that,” said Mac.

“The team did, for sure. The league says it’s a team matter.” She turned to look down the hallway and then back at the men. “He has good days and bad ones. Today is in between. He’s still strong as an ox. Before you ask, he’s never hurt me. I don’t think he would.”

“He might,” said Gabe softly. “He doesn’t know his own strength right now, Kelly. He doesn’t understand the things in his head.”

“He has no one else. Nowhere else to go. I will not put him away,” she said defiantly.

Mac nodded, holding up a finger. He dialed home and asked to speak with Ashley and Bree first. Then, they brought in Riley and Suzette. The young woman listened to all the strangers, answering their questions.

“We’re going to send some help for you, Kelly,” said Riley.

“What? I don’t understand.”

“We have some connections in the area. We’re going to ask a nursing team to come out and help you with your father. We’ve also sent a message to a contractor we know in the area who will come out and get everything straight with the house. You won’t have to worry about a thing.”

“Wh-why would you do this?” she croaked.

“Because you need the help, and we can give it. That’s all. It looks as though your house is paid for, but it’s not exactly well-maintained. We’re going to give it a good spruce up and make sure it will last you and your dad for a long time. The medical staff will provide a break for you so that you can leave and not worry about your dad. Whatever you need, they’ll help with.”

“Oh, my God,” she cried. “I can’t believe this. Do you know how long I’ve prayed for someone to help me?”

“It can be overwhelming, honey. We can see that. We’ll check in on the house to be sure things are getting done, but don’t worry about it for now,” said Gabe.

“You’ve taken a huge burden off my shoulders. I just didn’t know what I was going to do. I can’t leave my father alone, and I can’t take him places with me. He gets overwhelmed in crowds. It’s why we live in the country so that it’s quieter for him.”

“We can understand that,” said Gabe.

“Honey? Is everything okay?” asked Ed.

“Yes. Yes, Dad. It’s all good. These men are trying to find out what happened to Butch. They’ve offered to help us too. Isn’t that nice?”

“I don’t like charity,” he said, frowning. He looked at his daughter’s sad face, then back at Mac and Gabe. “But I want my daughter to have a good life. I told her to just put me in a home.”

“We don’t think that’s the right choice, Mr. Hardesty,” said Mac. “Being here with your daughter is a good choice. You just need a little support.”

“I’m feeling good right now. Clear. If you want to ask me questions about Butch.”

“That would be great,” said Mac. “Were you aware of all of Butch’s injuries?”

“Hell, yes. Everyone on the team was aware of them, but we were told under no circumstances were we to speak with the press or anyone else about them. Same as my injuries. Butch was a tough bastard and had played through broken bones, torn muscles and tendons, everything. Playing in this league has been like the leagues of old when they didn’t give a shit about their investments.”

“Was Butch behaving differently because of the concussions?” asked Gabe.

“You mean, was he acting like me?”

“I didn’t mean anything by that, sir.”

“It’s okay. I do act differently, and I know it. I just can’t seem to stop it. Butch was just starting to see the same signs. He was terrified that he wouldn’t be there for his daughter. This league isn’t like the big leagues. If you’re released for medical reasons, you get nothing. You don’t get your bonuses or pay out your contract. You’re paid through the date of your last game. That’s it.”

“That sounds illegal,” said Mac.

“Maybe, but it’s in the contracts we all sign. Worse than that, if you’re injured outside the game like I was, then they don’t cover a damn thing and blame any past injury on the accident.”

“But broken bones can be shown to have occurred years before,” said Mac. “They couldn’t blame that on an accident.”

“All I know is what happened to me and what was happening to Butch. He wanted to finish the season, get his bonus and payout, and then he’d leave. The owners wanted him gone so they could free up their cash.”

“Jesus, this is all so fucked up,” said Mac. “Kind of ruins my dreams of what football life is like.”

“Don’t get me wrong,” said Ed. “I loved playing the game. I breathed, ate, and slept football my entire life. Hell, it got me Kelly. Her mother wouldn’t have chosen me unless I was playing ball.” Mac and Gabe looked at the young woman uncomfortably.

“It’s okay. He’s telling the truth. Mom wanted to marry a famous athlete, and she did. When he wasn’t famous any longer, she was done.”

“I’m sorry,” said Mac.

“You boys seem like good, fine men. I want to ask a favor of you.”

“Anything,” said Mac.

“If something happens to me, if I die, I want Kelly to call you first and get here as fast as you can. You take me to the coroner. Choose the one you want. You make sure my death is handled right and the truth comes out.”

“Dad,” she whispered, shaking her head.

“No, Kelly. You know this is how it should be. I don’t want her to have to deal with all that.”

“You have our word,” said Mac. “We’re going to leave all our contact information for you.” They heard trucks pulling up outside and smiled. There was a general contractor truck, plumber, electrician, and roofer. A few seconds later, a landscaping truck pulled up.

“You guys got here fast,” said Gabe at the door.

“When we get a call from you guys, we move,” smiled the man. A young man stepped from the truck and looked at Kelly standing behind Gabe.

“Kelly? Kelly Hardesty?”

“Oh, my gosh! Henry! I haven’t seen you in years!”

“Since high school,” he smiled. “My dad owns the construction company, and I work for him now.”

“Why don’t you two get reacquainted, and I’ll start looking at what needs to be done,” said the older man.

By the time Mac and Gabe left, the contractor had laid out everything that would get done to the house and ensured Ed and Kelly that they would be provided temporary housing until the work was done. Almost everything had to be either repaired or redone in the home. When it was done, the house would look brand new.

“We’ll be in touch to check on things,” said Mac. “If you think of anything else, just give us a call.”

“Thank you,” said Kelly, shaking her head. “Henry is going to help me with Dad until the medical team arrives. After that, he’ll help us get to the temporary housing. We don’t have a lot, so packing things up should be easy. Henry said that the temporary housing will have dishes, pots and pans, towels, everything. I was worried about moving Dad to a place that was unfamiliar to him, but Henry said that it would be quiet and somewhat similar to this house. I don’t know why, but I trust him.”

“He seems like a nice guy,” smirked Mac.

“He was. He is, I think,” she said. “I don’t know. I haven’t been able to think about dating with Dad here. Maybe now I can.”

“You’re young and have a life to live, Kelly. Don’t forget to live it. Your dad will be okay.”