All the Little Secrets

CHAPTER 11. DON'T SAY LOVE

Chapter 11. Don't Say Love

My eyes take a moment to adjust to the dim lighting of my hospital room. My mom sits beside me, reading on her phone. I'm laying in a bed, hooked up to an IV machine, my vitals beeping on a screen next to me.

"Mom?" my voice croaks out, and she launches off her chair to grab my hand.

"Oh baby, you're awake!"

"What happened?"

Her voice shakes as she explains how I made the final touchdown to win the game, but when I tripped, I hit my head really hard. I suffered a concussion.

Of course, I did.

The doctors allowed me to rest but told her to call them when I awoke. Now that I'm awake, she leaves to get a doctor to check up on me. My head pounds as I lay here, feeling proud of my touchdown win. At least something good came from it.

A knock on the door and Seth and Farrah enter with balloons and flowers. I force myself to sit up, ignoring the flashes in my eyes.

"Hey there, MVP," Seth smiles as he leans down to kiss me on the cheek. I try to smile at them as Farrah places the balloons on the countertop. Seth hands me the flowers and I lay them on my lap.

"How are you?" Farrah asks as she sits on the edge of the bed. "You were badass out there."

"Oh you know," I point to my head. "Minor concussion."

"Guess you weren't kidding when you said you were terrible at sports," Seth jokes, which makes me laugh. We chat for a bit before my mom comes in with the doctor. She hugs Seth as Farrah introduces herself. The doctor ignores everyone and examines me. He then requests that I spend the night in the hospital, to keep an eye on my condition. I refuse, a sudden rush of urgency hits me.

"It's the big game tonight." I think of Liam and how nervous he is to play. "We need to be there, Mom." My mom shushes me, but I plead with her. "You need to go," I ignore the looks from both Seth and Farrah. She refuses, but I grab her hands in mine. "Please. Liam needs you there."

"She's right, Mrs. JC," Seth says gently as my mom turns to him. "If my mom and Fran can't be there, you should be."

Seth's comment about his mother stuns me before my mom gently says, "Liam told me your mother was like his second mother."

Pure shock rushes through me as I turn to my mom, completely blindsided by her comment. Seth nods, his voice dropping an octave.

"Yeah, they were close."

"I'm sorry for your loss," my mom says, reaching for Seth's hand. He takes hers with a sad smile. "But I don't think I can just leave you," she turns to me, crinkling her eyebrows with concern.

"I'll come back tonight so she isn't alone," Seth reassures her, which convinces her to go.

"I'll be back after the game," she promises as she grabs her purse from the countertop.

"Bring PJ, too?"

I kiss her goodbye, and she excuses herself from the room.

"That was really convincing," Farrah begins, but Seth shushes her. He sits on the side of my bed and takes my hand in his.

"Can I get you anything?"

"I'm really okay," I say, though the pounding in my head is a bit stronger.

Seth watches as I wince.

"I had a concussion Freshman year," he shares. "The headache will subside with rest." He stands and motions for Farrah to follow. "We're gonna head out for a bit, but I'll be back before you know it." Seth kisses my hand, then leaves with Farrah. I close my eyes and fall asleep, the thoughts of scoring the winning touchdown playing in my mind.