Safe

-14- Not A Good One

Luke "Coach Mo" Morrison

"Thank you Drew." I tell him for the hundredth time.

Everything feels heavy. I feel like I'm being crushed under a pile of rocks, someone just keeps tossing them, with no regard to the fact that I'm underneath.

"No problem." There's no laughter in his voice like normal, the seriousness of what's happened today effecting him.

"You okay?" I ask him.

He nods his head, his coat blowing in the wind as we walk. How he's not freezing, I don't know.

"Good thing you drove past when you did."

"Yeah." He mumbles.

"Your sister with you tonight?" I ask him.

He kicks a rock across the parking lot, it skips across the pavement until it reaches the grass where it rolls to a rest.

"I have to pick her up at a friends."

At least he won't be alone for a change.

"You guys have a plan for dinner?"

I know I'm being a mother hen but I hate knowing that Drew's parents don't seem to care that they've got kids to look after. It's not Drew's job to tend to his sister, though I'm glad he does.

"She's probably ate at her friends already." He glances at me as we walk. "I'll just grab some food on my way."

Both of us are parked at the back of the parking lot. It's thinned out since we got here and I'm silently cursing everyone that's already left. Couldn't they have saved the close spots for us?

But as we finally start to near our cars, I pull Drew to a stop. He looks at me startled, eyes dancing around the parking lot before I pull him into a hug. He's stiff in my arms, obvious that it's not something he's used to it.

"What're you doing?" He asks, his arms limp by his sides.

"Giving you a hug, what does it look like?"

"Why?"

I squeeze him tighter. "Because Drew you need one whether you realize it or not."

"How long is this gonna last?" He asks.

"Until you shut up and hug me back."

It takes him several more seconds before I feel his arms wrap around me, his body relaxing a fraction. He's still uncomfortable with it and it makes me wonder when the last time he received a hug.

"You're a good friend." I say only to feel him scoff at it. "Hey."

I let him pull away, my hands planted firmly on his shoulders as I look at him.

"You're a good friend." I repeat a little firmer.

He drops his head but he nods and I'll take it. A raindrop lands on my nose, ice cold as it leaves a wet trail across my skin. At some point while we were in the hospital the snow stopped, the weather forecast calling for freezing rain.

"Make sure you drive safe alright?" I tell him.

"Yeah I will." He agrees.

I give him a pat on his shoulders as he pulls his keys from his car and starts it from where we stand. I gotta get me a remote start I decide as I say bye and head for my cold truck.

As I go to pull my door open and climb in, key out ready to get my truck going and the heat blasting I hear Drew call my name from across the spaces that separate our cars.

I turn around giving him my attention as I leave my truck door open.

"Yeah?" I yell back.

It's starting to rain more steadily which means the roads will definitely ice over throughout the night just as predicted.

"I think I know who did it."

Abandoning my open truck I start to head back to Drew even though I'd like to be on my way already. Ruby had another appointment today and no one's bothered to call me to tell me how it went. I wait until I'm just a few feet away before I ask Drew what he means.

"I think I know who beat the shit out of Holt." He says.

"Who Drew?"

He kicks something on the ground, his hand rested on his open door as he leans against the frame of his car.

"I mean I don't know who for sure, like I don't have proof really." He rambles.

Holt, not surprisingly, had very little to say about what happened to him. From what Rhett said, he's got a couple fractured ribs and some stitches in his head. How the kid didn't end up with a concussion is beyond me.

"Who Drew?" I bark.

His eyes meet mine and he straightens his spine like he's sure in the accusation he's about to say.

"Ian."

"Did you see him? His car?" I grill. "Did Holt say anything?"

I had my theories too, Ian was one of them for sure.

Drew shakes his head. "No, but seems like something he'd do."

I nod my head slightly. With no evidence and Holt unwilling to say anything there isn't a whole lot we can do.

"Alright, I'll look into it." I say, though I'm not sure how I'm going to go about it. "Thanks Drew."

"No problem Coach."

"Go get your sister and get home." I start back for my truck. "The roads are probably going to get bad here quick."

He listens, climbing into his car. I do the same, sitting in my cold cab, watching my breath crystalize because I don't have a fancy remote start. I stay parked until Drew drives off and then I start the trek home from the hospital.

My mind focused on Holt and Drew. How different they are but I can't help but find similarities between them. The lack of caring adults in their lives. Gripping the wheel tighter, I feel that old anger take up residence in my chest. It festers inside of me, my muscles taught, jaw clenched as I allow my mind to relive my childhood.

I hate my old man. That old good for nothing piece of shit.

I've asked him a hundred times why he felt the need to use me as his punching bag. At some point I realized he just didn't have an answer.

Not a good one at least.