Chapter 16

CHAPTER 16

Tex wasn’t going anywhere. This was exactly where he wanted to be. In the room with the football players.

He glanced at them. They seemed like your typical jocks with their broad shoulders and built-in camaraderie.

Had Tex once been like them? He didn’t want to think so. He wanted to believe he’d been his own person.

But he wasn’t sure anymore.

He definitely hadn’t been his own person once he’d joined the military. In fact, his commander had wanted anything but that.

But no more. He was tired of letting other people call the shots.

He glanced at Mikey’s friends again and paused, noticing something new.

They all seemed . . . squirrelly. Like they were nervous.

They talked in low, frantic tones.

Tex felt certain that none of them would want to admit to what was really going on.

In other circumstances, he might go into interrogation mode and pummel them with questions. But not in front of Lindsey. She already had enough on her plate without Tex making the situation worse.

As the conversation turned to football, Tex glanced at Chelsea.

The way she’d handled seeing Lindsey had been touching. She hadn’t hesitated to reach out. To offer a hug and listening ear.

People like her were rare. At least, in his life they were.

Chelsea represented all there was good in this world. She always had.

His mind drifted to that text he’d received.

I know what you did in Afghanistan. I’ll tell everyone unless you do what I say.

His stomach tightened.

Who had sent that? And what would this person demand? Why hadn’t the sender given the demand right away?

Tex hadn’t recognized the number—not that he’d expected to. But the area code was out of town. West Virginia, if he remembered correctly.

As everyone talked around him, he texted the number to one of his friends at the Shadow Agency, asking him to check it out.

Gage Pearson replied right away saying he’d look into it and that, if he couldn’t help, he’d ask his fiancé, Nia, if she could. Nia owned a tech corporation that had developed some amazing programs.

The minutes ticked by at the hospital, and no one made an effort to move. They were all just passing time until they heard an update.

Finally, the surgeon strode into the room.

They all seemed to hold their breath as they waited to hear what he had to say.

Chelsea held her breath as she waited to hear what the doctor had to say.

“I have an update,” the doctor announced before finding Lindsey’s gaze. “Would you like to talk in private?”

Lindsey stood. “No, you can tell everyone. We’re all here for him.”

The doctor nodded stiffly. “Mikey suffered a heart attack, which is unusual for someone his age. It was caused by an increase in low-density lipoprotein and a decrease in the level of high-density lipoprotein in the blood. High LDL and low HDL levels increase the risk of atherosclerosis, a condition involving a buildup of plaque inside arteries. In turn, this increases blood pressure and can disrupt blood flow.”

“What’s all that mean, Doctor?” Lindsey asked.

Chelsea rose and stood beside Lindsey, taking her hand.

“We had to do surgery—an angioplasty with stenting. I’m happy to say that Mikey made it through just fine.”

A cheer went up.

“However,” his face remained grim, “we’re going to need to keep him in a medically induced coma until his vitals level out. It’s looking better for him, but he still has a long road ahead.”

Lindsey sobbed some more—tears of both joy and grief—and leaned into Chelsea. “Thank you, Doctor.”

“Can I have a minute alone with you?” he asked her.

“Of course.” Lindsey stood and followed him.

Chelsea couldn’t help but wonder what this talk was about. But, if she had to guess, it had something to do with whatever the test results showed. Something like steroids or other performance-enhancing drugs showing up in Mikey’s bloodwork—things that needed to be asked privately.

She and Tex exchanged a look. When Lindsey returned a moment later, she had a stoic look on her face.

Chelsea wanted to ask her questions. But she couldn’t. Not here.

Not with the other football players nearby.

She needed to find the right moment.

Ten minutes later, Lindsey’s parents arrived to sit with her. With her support system in place and no other updates coming, people slowly began to trickle away. Lindsey probably needed some privacy as she figured out how to navigate things. Since her parents were here, this felt like the right time to leave.

Chelsea stood. “I’m going to head home. I’d be happy to bring you dinner or anything at all that you need.”

“My parents will stay with me now, so I think I’m okay.” Lindsey attempted a smile, but her eyes were too glassy and her expression too listless. “But I’ll call you if I need anything.”

Chelsea gripped her hand and patted it. “I love you, Lindsey. And I’m so sorry. I’ll be praying for this situation.”

“Thank you.” Lindsey’s voice cracked as she said the words.

She and Tex slipped from the waiting room.

“Those boys know more than they’re letting on,” Tex whispered to Chelsea as they headed down the hallway.

“I agree. If they’re not careful, they’re all going to find themselves in a similar situation.”

They stepped back into the waiting area of the emergency room, the same place they’d entered the building.

As they did, Chelsea practically ran into Steve Strober, the athletic director, and one of Gilbert’s closest friends.

“Chelsea.” He paused, perhaps the most unathletic athletic director she’d ever met with his paunch and double chin. “How is Mikey?”

“He’s stable for now,” she told him. “But it’s going to be a rough road ahead.”

“Do they know what happened? I heard it was his heart.”

“That’s what I heard also.” She decided to take a gamble. “There are murmurings that maybe he took something, and that’s what caused this reaction.”

It was a bit of a stretch, but her words weren’t untrue either.

“Really?” He rubbed his chin. “You really think that’s the case?”

She shrugged “I thought you might know more than me.”

His eyes widened. “What are you implying?”

“You’re the AD. I just thought you might know more details about what was going on.”

His gaze darkened. “I don’t appreciate those implications.”

She shrugged innocently. “I think you’re reading too much into my statement.”

The man was definitely on edge.

Instead of saying anything else, he stormed off, leaving a trail of questions in his wake.