Paint The Ice

Chapter 35

ASHER

MY DAD TURNS TO ME AS WE WALK DOWN THE VACANT HALLWAY.

"I'll come back after work tomorrow,"He says, matter-of-factly. "Will you be okay?"

It was getting late, it was probably almost midnight and I know my parents need to be at work in the morning. My Dad especially cannot bail.

"Yeah, don't worry about it."

"I'm staying."Mom chimes, holding unto my arm as she nears the elevator. She says it before I could ask. "Your friends are here because of Riley. She told them." When I don't say anything, she quietly adds, "I'm happy you're surrounded by people who would get here as fast as possible. That should mean something."

It does. It really does. Mean something.

Though partially, guilt swims in my gut. I didn't reach out to my friends. The guys who were there for me through a few years of my life—my buddies— my teammates, my family aside from my parents. The guys who saw me and Layla argue and have our differences and then became civil. They've seen Tommy at his best, running around our place on the weekends I'd have him. They've seen the little guy when he's being goofy and a pain in their asses, sticking his finger up Cole's nose and then he's being chased by Cole who pretends to be the booger monster or some shit.

Instead of letting them know I was here, I told her. The issue may align when I didn't tell them too. I didn't just tell her because she asked me to and she took my hockey stuff back to my place. I told her because I wanted her to know. I wanted her here. I probably would've told her even if she didn't ask. But I should've told my friends too.

Cole's sister who wasn't there for parts of my life  because I didn't know her, now gets priority over them.

None of us dated seriously at least. Like Eric said, I'm the first one to get a girlfriend. Be serious about it. Riley reaching out to my friends when I didn't, couldn't, makes me respect her even more.

"She's a good one son."My Dad's voice pulls me back to the present. He gives me a look when he says it. You've chosen wisely. He didn't need to say that out loud, I know what he meant through his eyes.

My parents loved Layla but they also knew that we weren't going to get back together. But Riley, she seems to be in their good graces.

"Yeah. I know."I say. If I didn't know, now I do. "Thanks for coming when Layla called."

I can tell my Dad is trying to read me after that. "You're not beating yourself up because you didn't answer right?"

I sweep my hand behind my head. "I do wish I knew sooner but I'm here now and that's all that matters." I can't change the fact that I didn't—couldn't—pick up.

Mom squeezes my arm. "You're here now. It's all going to be okay, I promise."

She's always been this way. She's logical. I do believe her. Not because she's never been wrong before but because the doctors explained the situation and the plan. We're at the best hospital for situations like this.

Dad exhales, nodding his head. Then he says, "Have you spoken to Layla? She seems pretty beaten up about this."

Layla doesn't seem beaten up about it. She is. Understandably, she broke down and I guess it's obvious if anyone else looked at her. They'd see it just like my Dad did. I had to be strong and brace my bones. When I first saw him, the burning at the back of my eyes became unbearable but I managed to swallow it. If we were both crying buckets then I don't know how we'd attend to Tommy and he needs both of us. I've never seen him this sick before but I couldn't cry even if I wanted to. He didn't need to see that. He needed me to tell him that he's going to be okay even if he can't breathe properly on his own.