Never Again

Part Eight

It was more than ninety minutes before there was a sign of movement from the sofa.

                “Hey Sleeping Beauty!” She smiled as bewildered Jack tried to orientate himself. He failed to hide his embarrassment, and Erin found that quite endearing. “Don’t worry, you didn’t snore!”

Sitting he shook his head, “I can’t believe that.”

Erin got up from her seat and wandered across to him, “you looked exhausted, plus you had a blow to the head earlier. I did think about waking you because of that...”

He sighed, “I have got a raging headache.”

She stood in front of him, his head in her hands and checked his eyes, his cheek, and then his jaw. She was happy he wasn’t too severely concussed, though the bruising seemed to indicate the severity of the blow earlier.

Making for the bathroom she offered him a variety of painkillers. Accepting some and a glass of water he slumped back against the chair. “Sorry Erin, I turn up here, at my lowest ebb eat your food, use your shower then abuse that hospitality by falling asleep. What must you think of me?”

She smiled, “I think you’re normal, someone who’s just had a bad day. Nothing more. How’s your head?”

Gingerly testing the bones around his eye socket, he nodded, “ok I think.”

Nodding she took his hand and led him into back to the sofa, “relax, will you?”

Sitting the opposite end of the sofa to him on her curled up legs; Erin studied Jack, “so bad day at the office. We all get them.”

                “I lost it though, and I shouldn’t have. It’s ridiculous, he had a red card, we had the advantage. Now I’ll be investigated, fined, maybe suspended. I promised myself I wouldn’t do it again.”

Erin sighed, “You can’t undo it Reilly, you just need to manage it. You’re a role model, so apologise, say it was nothing to do with your head injury...be humble. Nothing worse than people blaming an indiscretion on anyone else, front it out. People will appreciate that and it’ll be forgotten. My nephew loves you and your team, much to my father’s disgust, so he is impressionable, people like you influence him. The bad deed isn’t so bad; it’s how you deal with the backlash. Y’know?”

Jack closed his eyes and shook his head, “what a complete fuck up!” When he heard Erin laugh he looked up, “what?”

She shrugged, “you see this stuff happen on TV, or read it in the paper, but I never imagine that it effects you, the players, like this, that you REALLY feel so bad.”

                “I do, can’t say everyone does. But then...” he shook his head and Erin wondered what he was going to say, but he was silent. Instead of speaking, he stood and paced the room. Erin watched him, grimacing at the bruised cheek, the sunken eyes. If people could see him now, they’d really change their opinion of him.

                “What were you going to say?”

He looked at her for a moment, then shook his head, “nothing. Just that I’ve been trying to stop my hot head, you know manage my anger.”

                “You will, if you feel this bad then you’re serious. I can see that and I’m hardly your biggest fan!”

He glanced sideways at her then burst out laughing, “You sure know how to hit a man when he’s down!”

A little later, when the conversation has eased up, she looked at him, “Do you want to watch a movie? I’ve got the latest Bond on mail rental, have you seen it?”