Playing For Keeps Read online

  His presence calms me just a little bit more this morning. I stroke his head, loving the softness of his fur beneath my fingers. I get lost in petting him, only the sound of Richard’s voice pulling me from my trance.

  “Are you ready to go?” he asks, as I look up at him. He’s got his keys in hand and has changed into jeans, a t-shirt, and has a hoodie in his hand.

  “Oh, are you coming with me?” I ask, a little shocked.

  “I wouldn’t be anywhere else today.”

  “Don’t you have practice?”

  “Nope, it’s Monday. No practice on Mondays and even if we did, being with you is more important. I would have called in and took the day, if I wasn’t already off.”

  “Thank you,” I whisper.

  Standing, I close the distance between us and wrap my arms around Richard’s torso, pulling myself flush with him. I need his strength and support today more than I know how to express, and the thought of him dropping everything to come with me to be that support I need is almost overwhelming in this moment. He knew I’d need him, even without me asking him.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Richard

  I escort Madison to my truck, handing her her bag once she’s seated and buckled in. I drive straight to her dad’s house so that we can pick him up.

  “I sent my dad a text letting him know we’re on our way. He said he’s up and ready to go,” Madison tells me, tucking her cell back into her pocket.

  We drive over to his house, the only noise coming from the speakers, and the strums of a guitar from the song that’s currently playing filling the cab. As I come to a stop in Thomas’ driveway, Madison unfastens her seatbelt and has the truck’s door open as soon as I put it in park.

  Thomas must have been waiting by the door, as he steps out almost immediately, stopping only to lock the door behind him before he walks towards my truck.

  “Morning, baby,” he tells Madison as he wraps her in a hug.

  “Morning, Daddy,” I hear Madison say.

  “Morning, Thomas. Ready to get going?”

  “Yep, I’m ready to get this over with,” he replies.

  Madison climbs into the back seat, insisting her dad sit up front. The drive isn’t far to the hospital and with my truck being an extended cab, she’s got plenty of room back there.

  After arriving at the hospital and getting Thomas checked in for his biopsy, we are shown to a waiting room. I stay in the waiting room when they call Thomas back, since only one person can go with him. Madison follows her dad as they take him to the pre-op area where they’ll prep him for his procedure today.

  Madison comes back out an hour or so later, once they take her dad back into the OR. She looks exhausted when she comes back to me.

  “We need to move to a different waiting area, the one for the family members of people actually in surgery. That’s where his doctor will come look for us to tell us anything he knows, and how well the surgery goes once he’s done.”

  I stand, grabbing Madison’s bag, and she leads us to where she was instructed to wait. Once I know where we need to be, we find a quiet corner to claim as our spot.

  “Do you want anything? I was going to go see if I can’t find a coffee shop to get a cup of coffee.”

  “That’d be great, thanks.”

  I lean down, bringing my lips to hers for a soft kiss. “Can I get you anything else? Muffin, piece of fruit, something else?”

  “Um, sure. Just pick something you know I’ll like. I still don’t have much of an appetite, so nothing sounds good to me right now.”

  I stand to my full height, flashing a half smile at Madison to try and cheer her up as much as I can.

  “I’ll be back as fast as I can. If you get any news, text or call me.”

  I walk out of the waiting room and back toward the main entrance of the hospital, where I know they have a Starbucks. It’s fairly crowded, which isn’t surprising, so I take my place in the line, snaking my way toward the register to order our drinks and grab a couple snack options.

  I’m gone probably only twenty-five or thirty minutes, and when I walk back into the waiting room, hands full, I see Madison in the same corner I left her in. She has earbuds in and her eyes are closed as she rests her head against the wall. I can see the worry etched on her face, the tightness in her shoulders, and they’re bunched up with what probably feels like the weight of the world on them at the moment.

  I make my way over to her, setting down the cups and bag of food on the little side table. I gently rub my thumb on her clasped hands to get her attention. Her eyes pop open as she looks up at me and I can see the evidence of some unshed tears still lingering in her baby blues.

  “Here’s your coffee, and some pastries to choose from,” I tell her, handing her the cup and motioning to the bag.

  “Thank you,” she says, accepting the cup from my hands as she pulls her earbuds out of her ears.

  “Any word yet?”

  “Nope, but they said it would probably be a couple of hours until I heard anything.”

  I take a seat next to Madison. We’re on an oversized chair, so I’m able to wrap my arm around her and pull her closer to my side. She relaxes into me, laying her head against my shoulder as she sips her coffee.

  We sit like this, no words needed between us, as we will the time to pass quickly. I take her cup from her once she finishes, setting it on the table next to me. Madison slips her earbuds back in, resting back against me as she closes her eyes, trying to pass the time. I pull out my phone, scrolling through my social media pages, and checking emails. I don’t post a whole lot on my public social media, and only occasionally on my personal account. A text pops up from Becca, so I switch over to read what she’s sent.

  Becca: Hey, just checking in to see if you guys have heard anything yet. I can come down to the hospital if Madison needs someone to wait with her.

  * * *

  Richard: I’m here with her. She’s napping against me at the moment, and no news yet. It will probably be a little while before we get any preliminary information. I think we’re fine for now. Maybe you guys can come over once we’re home. Thomas is coming to my house for at least tonight, so that Madison can take care of him as he heals from the biopsy.

  * * *

  Becca: Sounds good, please keep me posted. I can arrange something to bring over for dinner. That way you guys don’t have to worry about it, if that works for you.

  * * *

  Richard: That’d be great, thanks Becca.

  I pull my own earbuds out, only slipping in one earbud so that I can listen for them calling our names when the doctor is ready to talk to us. I pull up a sports podcast I have downloaded to my phone and do my best to get lost in it.

  Another half hour or so passes before I hear Madison’s name being called. I startle, stopping my podcast and pulling my earbud out of my ear.

  “We’re right here,” I respond, waving my hand slightly at the nurse so she can find us. She approaches just as Madison sits up, looking a little startled, as she’d fallen asleep while we waited.

  “If you’ll come with me, I’ll show you to the consult room that the doctor will meet you in, in just a couple of minutes. Once you’re done talking with him, one of us nurses can show you to the recovery area where your dad will be in just a few minutes.”

  We both stand, and I grab our things, stopping first to toss our trash. We are led into a small room with a couple chairs, where we both take a seat.

  “The doctor will be right in,” the nurse tells us.

  Sure enough, the door opens moments later, and a doctor dressed in hospital-issued scrubs walks in.

  “Hello, I’m Dr. Michaels, you must be Madison,” he says, reaching out his hand for Madison to shake before offering his hand to me.

  “Yes, I’m Madison. How’d everything go?”

  “The biopsy went well, no complications. We’ve sent six samples to the lab to be checked. Visually, it had some signs of possible cancer, but not
the worst-case scenario, which is great news. For how high his blood test came back, I was expecting it to look worse. I’m optimistic that if it does come back as positive, that it will be a low stage and will respond very well to treatment. Best case scenario, it comes back negative, and we just watch him closely for the rest of his life to make sure that doesn’t change.”

  Madison blows out a huge breath, the weight of the world slowly lifting off of her. I can see the change as the doctor’s words set in and she processes them.

  “He should be in the second stage recovery area soon, if he isn’t already there. Once he’s there, then you can see him. Do you have any questions for me?” he asks.

  “I don’t think so right now, except for when you think we’ll have the results from the biopsy?”

  “Best case, we’ll get them back tomorrow, but it can take up to four days. Lately, this type of biopsy has been taking two days to get back from the lab.”

  “Okay, thank you. We’ll wait as patiently as we possibly can for the call to schedule an appointment to get the results,” Madison tells him.

  With that, the doctor leaves the consult room and a nurse steps in, letting us know we can see Thomas now.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Madison

  Hearing that the surgeon was optimistic that if he does have cancer, it will be a low stage and would respond easily to treatment has lifted a weight from my shoulders. I’ve already lost one parent to the nasty disease, I don’t know how I’d survive losing my dad to it, as well, and at such a young age.

  Richard and I follow the nurse into the recovery area. My dad is already sitting up in his hospital bed, having his vitals taken by a nurse. He gives me a sleepy smile when he sees me, his eyes lighting up a little.

  “Hey, Daddy,” I say, as I come to stand next to his bed. “How are you feeling?” I reach out and squeeze his hand in mine.

  “I’m good, baby girl. I’ll be ready to blow this popsicle stand soon enough,” he says, trying to lighten the mood and cheer me up.

  “The doctor came and talked to us. He was happy with how everything looked, said he was really optimistic that things aren’t as bad as your labs led everyone to believe.”

  “That’s great news. See, like I told you before, I’m going to be just fine,” he tells me, squeezing my hand back.

  I take a seat in the chair they have in his little recovery bay, and a nurse brings in a second chair for Richard, while we wait the required amount of time before they’ll let him leave the hospital.

  We only end up waiting another hour or so before they allow my dad to be released. Richard pulls his truck up to the front doors and helps get him loaded in, so we can head home.

  After arriving at home, we get Dad settled into the guest room. The doctors warned that he might be a little loopy and tired for the remainder of the day due to the anesthesia, so it was best to take it easy for the rest of the day. He falls asleep not long after we get him into the bed, and I head out to the living room.

  I plop down on the couch, already exhausted from today’s events, and it isn’t even lunchtime yet. I pull out my phone to check in with the office. I’ve taken a few days off this week, but my assistant knows that I’m available on my cell, if anything hits the fan and they need me. With nothing needing my attention at work, I grab the remote to find some mindless TV to watch to help me try and relax.

  The next thing I know, I’m waking up on the couch, the light blanket I’ve brought to keep here covering me, and the TV is off. I can hear voices in the kitchen and immediately jump up to make sure my dad doesn’t need any help.

  I walk toward the voices but realize that it is two women’s voices and quickly recognize that it’s Becca and Kinley.

  “Hey,” I greet them, walking into the kitchen and giving each of them a hug. “What are you guys up to?”

  “Oh, hey. We didn’t wake you, did we?”

  “No, at least I don’t think you did. I don’t even remember falling asleep,” I tell them, my stomach growling after I get a good whiff of whatever it is they’re cooking. I realize I never ate lunch because I fell asleep on the couch and Richard must have decided to let me sleep rather than waking me.

  “Do you know where Richard is?” I ask my girls.

  “I think he went in to help your dad get up and moving around,” Kinley replies.

  “I’m going to go check on them. I’ll be back in a few minutes,” I tell them, grabbing a banana out of the fruit bowl on the counter to help hold off my hunger.

  I find Richard leaning up against the wall outside the guest bathroom.

  “Hey, beautiful,” he greets me as I approach. “Did you have a good nap?”

  “I did, now I’m just starving.” I hold up the banana to take my first bite. “How’s my dad doing?” I ask between bites.

  “He’s doing well. He took a few hours-long nap and has had a dose of his pain meds. He’s walking pretty well on his own. I just stood by, in case he fell or needed help.”

  “Thank you,” I say to Richard, walking into his open arms where I rest my head against his chest, then turn to bury my face in the crook of his neck. I take in a deep breath, inhaling his scent, and it immediately calms me. Having Richard’s arms around me right now grounds me. I can feel his strength as if it’s my own and know that he will be here every step of the way with whatever is in front of us.

  “No need to thank me. There’s no place I’d rather be than right here with you,” he tells me, placing a kiss to my temple.

  Our moment is interrupted when the bathroom door opens, and my dad slowly makes his way out.

  “Hi, Daddy, how are you feeling?” I ask him, turning in Richard’s arms so I can face my dad. He drops his hands to rest on my waist while we stand there.

  “I’m great, baby girl. How are you? Better, now that you’ve gotten in a nap?”

  “Yes,” I say, as a yawn slips past my lips. “I’m just hungry.”

  “I’m hungry myself, and the smells coming from the kitchen aren’t helping with that,” Dad says.

  “Yeah, Becca and Kinley are in there, cooking away,” I tell him.

  We follow my dad as he makes his way to the living room, then help him get comfortable on the couch.

  “Can I get you anything?” I ask him once he’s settled.

  “Just some water for now.”

  I grab a bottle of water from the fridge and deliver it to him before heading back into the kitchen to see if I can help with dinner prep.

  “Need any help in here?” I ask.

  “We’ve got it all under control. Everything will be ready in five, maybe ten, minutes,” Becca tells me.

  “I’ll get the table set. Are your husbands here?” I ask both of them.

  “Yep, out on the patio. They have the baby with them, if you wanted to steal him away to snuggle with,” Becca says.

  I grab everything I’ll need to set the table. With seven adults and one infant, we’re going to have quite the full table tonight.

  Once I have the table set, I head for the patio, where I find Richard, Scott, and Brian. Scott has the baby in his arms, who’s sound asleep.

  “Hi, mind if I steal him for a little bit?” I ask, pointing to Michael.

  “Sure,” Scott says, handing me the sleeping baby. We successfully transfer him to my arms without him waking up, and he snuggles right in.

  I take him back into the house, sitting down on the couch to snuggle him. Holding him gives me such baby fever and makes me long for one of my own. Now that Richard and I are together, the thought of kids is something that could become a reality in the next few years.

  I get a few more minutes of snuggle time with baby Michael before Kinley and Becca are calling us all to the table. They’ve made homemade lasagna, garlic bread, and a huge salad. It all looks so amazing and smells even better.

  “Here, I brought this with us to put Michael in,” Becca says, unfolding a baby contraption that looks like a rocking bassinet.


  “That’s pretty cool, what is it?” I ask, as I lay Michael down in it.

  “It’s called a Rock n’ Play. I love it because I can move it all around the house or take it with us easily, and he loves it, as it keeps him a little elevated while he sleeps,” she tells me as she moves it close to her seat before sitting down.

  “This all looks amazing,” I say, as we all take our seats around the table, then look at Becca and Kinley. “Thank you both for coming over and cooking for us. I really appreciate it.”

  We all dig in, eating the amazing food, and talking amongst everyone. My dad appears to be doing really well after taking it easy all afternoon. He’s deep into conversation with the guys about the playoff run they are soon to embark on. They’ve already guaranteed themselves a playoff spot; now they are just waiting to see what seed they will end up being, and if that will come with home ice advantage.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Richard

  Everyone finally heads home around eight. Thomas, Madison, and I are all relaxing in the living room, watching a movie that’s on TV.

  After the movie ends, Thomas heads off to bed, leaving Madison and I by ourselves. He’s been feeling much better and has been able to move around by himself since he got up this afternoon.

  I pull Madison closer to me, needing to feel her, hold her, close to me. With all the stress since yesterday, I just need to hold her. The overwhelming feeling to take care of her through all of this has been prevalent, and I don’t feel like I’m doing enough. I just want to take all the pain she’s feeling away, which I know isn’t possible.

  “Come lay with me,” I tell her as she moves closer to me. We’d been laying on opposite ends of the couch, our legs tangled together while we watched the movie. She lays in front of me and turns to face me, wrapping her arms around my torso.