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-32- Women

Luke "Coach Mo" Morrison

The beer in my hand hisses as I pop the top, I take a long drink, the cool liquid refreshing.

"Is the first game home or away?" Barry asks.

"Home." I say, following my first drink with a second shortly after.

"Team shaping up alright?"

I rub the back of my neck, blowing out a breath as I think of Ian and Holt. "For the most part."

The women come into the room, laughing as they clank their glasses together. Ruby's surgery is in two days. If she's worried for it she's hiding it exceptionally well. I watch her laugh at whatever her and Ava have been talking about, it's a real laugh, her laugh and it allows me for a moment to forget what's looming over all of us.

"What are the girls up to tonight?" Barry asks.

"Erin's at her friend Courtney's." Ava tells him. "Birdie's with the boys yeah?"

I "hmm" in agreement.

"I had to force her." Ruby adds.

Ava gives her a sympathetic smile, finding Ruby's hand.

"She's a good girl." Barry says.

She is. She's dependable. Like she proved today. Jumping in without knowing exactly what was going on. Rushing to someone's aide. She's selfless, just like her mother, and she's wiser and stronger than she realizes.

"I need advice." I announce, cutting Barry off.

I'm not even sure what he's talking about but my mind is replaying the events in the locker room. Birdie was shook up but she kept it hidden until we dropped Holt off at his house before she turned to me and started crying.

"With what?" The question echoes around the room and I have everyone's attention even though I'm not exactly sure what part I need advice on.

I just know I need it.

One of my players had a pretty bad panic attack in the locker room today, after practice." I tell them.

"What caused it?" Ava's attention is sparked.

I haven't really told her about Holt. There hasn't been anything to tell really. Yeah he has some quirks, sure, but it's not like I divulge the personal things I learn about my players. They need to be able to trust me, not analyze them to everyone I know.

Except for maybe Holt.

The more I get to know him, which isn't really what I'm doing because it's not like Holt talks, I'm more of experiencing Holt, observing. Whatever it is, the more I do it, the more concerned I get. And after today, the kid has almost made it to the top of my list of concerns.

Today was bad.

And sad.

"Don't know for sure but I've noticed that he's getting bullied a little by one of my other players." I explain. "From what I gather, the bully got a little physical today prior."

"Are we talking about that boy..." Ruby asks, scrunching her face as she thinks of his name. "Holt? Right?"

I sigh, rolling my eyes. "Yeah."

"Birdie's been telling me about him." She continues.

"Oh that boy!" Ava chimes and I lose the two women to their own conversation about all that Birdie has divulged.

"Let me guess the bully is the kid with the obnoxious dad?" Barry leans over to ask.

Apparently everyone already knows far more than I realized so I nod my head.

"What're you going to do?" He asks.

I shake my head, drinking some beer as I think of how to answer.

"He's a foster kid." I say. "Foster parents seem like real nice people, like they actually care."

"Gonna tell them?"

I drum my fingers along the can of beer in my hand. "I think I have to."

"Oh no you have to." Ava jumps back into the conversation.

"If it was one of the girls, we'd definitely want to know." Ruby adds.

They're always on the same team. Sometimes it's annoying. Like when Barry and I want to watch a game but they want to go out for the night. They gang up on us, using all the powers of two women combined and Barry and I always end up missing the game. At this point we know as soon as they share 'the look' we've lost. It's somewhere between a smirk and a smile, solidifying that we know absolutely nothing.

"She's got a point." Barry mumbles.

It probably doesn't help that Barry never stands his ground. In this case though, they're all right. I just don't want to be the one that does it.

What if they don't know the kids having panic attacks? What if they decide it's too much and send him back? It'll be on me and I don't want to do that to the kid.

"Birdie was there." I announce. "She said he asked her to stay."

"Is she okay?" Both of the women say in unison.

I rub my forehead, digging the pads of my fingers into my temples. "I mean, it was intense and I wasn't even there for it all. But we talked after we took him home. I think she's okay."

"I'll talk with her when she comes home."

I'm grateful that Ruby wants to have the follow up conversation. God knows I don't. I would but she's better at that stuff anyway.

"Thanks." I tell her.

Our eyes meet and this awful thought rushes through my mind. What happens if she's not here and it's up to you? What're you gonna do without her Luke?  I want to scream at my mind for the intrusive thoughts.

I watch Ruby's eyebrows crinkle slightly, her head tipping to the side as we watch one another. She sees it, she sees the questions that are running through my mind. She's always been able too. And I can't stand to be sitting there under her gaze while all these awful things are swimming in my mind so I do the only thing I can. I divert.

"I'll talk to his parents at lunch tomorrow."

                            ————————

I'm not entirely sure but this may turn into two books.