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Each time he started to surface, they put him back down. Mitch
94 Anitra Lynn McLeod
wasn t certain, but he heard medically induced coma, and that made
sense to some part of his brain. But there was that issue with dust.
What the hell was that about? For the life of him he couldn t recall
ever being concerned about keeping anything clean. Why would dust
mean anything to him? And that s when a real ripe terror set in.
Normally, Mitch s memory was pristine perfect. He could recall
sounds, sights, and smells with absolute faultlessness. But not now.
From very far away, he heard a voice, and someone took his hand.
There was a profound relief that he felt the hand holding his. Mitch
hadn t been sure if he could actually still feel things anymore. The
hand that held his was a lot smaller and very warm. Mitch tried to
squeeze, but his grip was pathetically weak. How the hell could he
hang onto a football with that kind of strength?
The voice talked to him for a long time. He didn t recognize the
person by the sound, but he heard the tears, and he was sad that
whoever it was seemed to be hurting terribly. Mitch hated to see other
people, or even animals, in pain. He was a big guy, but he knew he d
always be a marshmallow. His mother said he wanted to fix the world,
and Mitch had certainly tried to keep his little corner of the universe
pain-free.
Again, he squeezed, but it was just as weak as before. This made
the crying worse, and then someone else came and took the crying
person away. The other person called the crying one Dustin. After
thinking on that for hours, Mitch finally understood he wasn t worried
about dust. He was worried about Dustin. But no matter how deeply
he dug into his brain, Mitch couldn t remember who the hell Dustin
was.
Wide Receiver 95
Chapter 11
 He has no idea who you are.
Dustin gave a weary nod.  I m aware of that, but you see, I know
who he is.
The nurse argued against letting him in the room, and Dustin s
patience was about to snap. He wanted to see Mitch. Every single time
he d come to the hospital, he d gotten the same runaround because a
different nurse was on duty.
 If you re not family, you re not allowed in his room.
 All I want to do is hold his hand.
Her muddy blue eyes peered at him over the edge of her reading
glasses. The look she gave him practically dripped with revulsion. The
very idea of one man holding another man s hand sickened her, which
begged the question of why did someone like her go into nursing in
the first place? Weren t nurses supposed to care about their patients?
This one seemed more concerned about the rules than Mitch s well
being.
 Every time I ve sat with him, his numbers have improved. Check
his chart.
 Don t tell me what to do, she huffed, tucking back a strand of
hair so black it had to have come from a bottle.  If you re not family,
you re not going in, and that s final. She smiled victoriously,
revealing teeth so white they were almost bluish.
She stalked off, and Dustin turned away as if to leave, but he
didn t. He waited until she d gone off down the hall, and then Dustin
entered Mitch s room anyway.
The first time Dustin had seen him motionless with wires and
96 Anitra Lynn McLeod
tubes everywhere, he d burst into uncontrollable tears. The sight was
still just as shocking, but he held himself together. Mitch needed him
to be strong. So he was.
 I m here, Mitch. And let me tell you, there s a lot going on in
Twin Pines. Dustin pulled a cheap plastic chair over to Mitch s
bedside, settled down, and then took Mitch s hand in his.  You feel
cold, big guy. Dustin pulled the blankets up and tucked them around
his chest then sat back down.
Dustin told Mitch all about his day. He kept his voice light, his
comments positive. Only good news went into Mitch s ears.
 You! The nurse he d argued with entered the room, her finger
pointed at him as if she would discharge it like a gun.  Get out of here
at once!
She continued to screech at him as she pulled him away from
Mitch. Her voice was high, hysterical, and her blood pressure was
obviously hitting the stratosphere with the way her face turned
crimson. When she dislodged his hand from Mitch s, the machines
hooked up to Mitch started blipping and bleeping like crazy.
 Please stop yelling. Dustin took Mitch s hand in his, and the
cacophony stopped. It was so sudden and shocking that despite her
snarling hatred, she had to take note. Another woman came in, an
administrator judging by the way she was dressed, and calmly took the
nurse out.
Dustin settled back in the chair.  Well, I guess that answers that.
You want me here. Dustin was hoping for a hand squeeze, but
nothing happened. So he picked up where he d left off with news of
the day, the school, the team. He kept talking long into the night.
When no one came to make him leave, Dustin decided that Phillip had
done what he said he would. Phillip was furious that Dustin wasn t
allowed in to see Mitch. Waving his checkbook like a magic wand
made the impossible possible, and Dustin couldn t have been more
grateful.
For once, Dustin was able to accept help without dreading the bill
Wide Receiver 97
coming due. Phillip cared about Mitch almost as much as Dustin did.
Since Mitch was harmed during a football match, Phillip s insurance
was covering his bill.
Dustin repeated his visit every day without fail. On the weekends,
he stayed until he fell asleep, his hand twined with Mitch s, his head
resting on his arm. Dustin left his side only to use the facilities.
As the days turned to weeks, and the hope of the medical staff
seemed to dim, Dustin refused to give up. Mitch was in there, and he
knew Dustin was out here, waiting for him. Dustin felt that if he
abandoned him, too, Mitch would just give up, so Dustin spent every
spare moment he had with Mitch.
And Phillip Remson, the very kindhearted Phillip Remson, made
sure that Dustin wasn t bothered by the staff, and his butler sent over
sandwiches because without them, Phillip said he feared Dustin
wouldn t eat at all. And he was probably right. Even when he had to
study, Dustin did so at Mitch s side. To accommodate him, Phillip
simply paid for the other bed next to Mitch, so that at least Dustin
could get some sleep.
For the first time, Dustin was able to accept charity without
fearing for the payback. Phillip wanted nothing. He needed nothing.
He gave generously without any strings. Dustin wanted to grow up to
be like Phillip someday. And he wanted Mitch by his side.
Time moved on, the weeks became months, and the holiday
season gave way to the chilly grip of a new year. Twin Pines College
resumed classes and life went on, even for Dustin, but he still didn t
give up on Mitch.
It was three days after the New Year when Dustin pulled up a
chair, settled in, and took Mitch s hand in his. He had wonderful news
about passing all his exams, but he never even started. As soon as his
hand touched Mitch, Mitch squeezed. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]