THE NEXT MORNING, I took a cab to the hospital. I dialed Max’s number but there was no answer.
I called Brian again. He answered.
“Hey Brian. Did you get my message?”
“Yes. I’ve talked to Katrina, and she is meeting me at the police station to be interviewed.”
“Thank god. Do you think it will help?”
“I don’t know. The police don’t seem that interested.”
“Why not?”
“They made their big arrest. They act like heroes in the news. If it breaks they arrested the wrong guy, they have egg on their face.”
“So, they don’t want the truth.”
“They do. But this whole thing is a big process.”
“Have you heard from Max?”
“No.”
I rested my head against the window of the cab. “Okay. If you hear from him, will you let me know?
“Yes.”
“Thanks Brian.”
AT THE HOSPITAL, I found Dad sitting up in his bed, eating breakfast, while Mom and a nurse chatted with him.
“There’s my girl,” Dad opened his arms so I could give him a kiss on the cheek.
“How are you feeling?”
“Well, I’ve almost got a new ticker, so I feel like I could waltz out of here. You want to go dancing, beautiful girl? Maybe I could take both of you for a night of dancing.”
I studied him. His cheeks were pink and rosy. “You’re color is better.”
“What are you doing here?”
“Checking up on you.”
“Oh, come now, your old man is fine. You should be at work. Haven’t I taught you better?”
“Dad!”
“Just because I’m here on vacation, hanging out with the cute nurses and my gorgeous wife, doesn’t mean you get paid time off too.”
“You almost died.”
“I’m more than alive. I feel fantastic. I feel like I have a new lease of life. I’ve never felt better. When I get out of here, I want to learn how to sail. In fact, I think the whole family should learn so we can take some fun family vacations together.”
What the hell? Dad didn’t sound himself. “You sure are chipper.”
“Your mom told me how Baxter stepped up and took over. I should have let him do that years ago so that your mom and I could take time off together.” He kissed her hand.
It felt like an alien had taken over Dad’s body. Who was this man?
“Dad, about that.”
Mom stepped forward and took over. “We’re so pleased that Baxter is helping us out. It gives us so much peace of mind knowing that Baxter is there for our family, right Rory?”
I paused, knowing she wanted me to shut up. “Yes, but we are also glad it’s only temporary.”
Dad laughed. “He’ll do great. Baxter is one of the most trusted men I know. I’d trust him with my life.”
I wanted to tell Dad what was going on, but I was sure it’d only upset him.
“Dad, maybe I’ll stay here for the morning.”
“What? No! Go on! You’re not doing any good sitting here staring at me. Go to work. Baxter will need someone to show him the ropes.”
My eyes lifted to Mom. Did she not see that this was not my father in this bed?
She lifted her chin. “Your father’s right. Let’s get back to normal.”
This whole situation made me want to scream. “Okay well, don’t eat too much Jello.”
Dad laughed harder than if I was a late-night comedian. “You’re so funny. Come back tonight and tell me all about it.”
With a lingering gaze back at my parents, I headed off the ward. I ran into the doctor at the nurses’ station.
“Miss Ashford, how is your father doing? I’m on my way to see him.”
I debated. “He doesn’t seem himself.”
He frowned. “How so?”
“That’s not my dad. The guy in that bed doesn’t care about his job and he’s talking about dancing and vacations and he seems indifferent about things he used to be obsessed about.”
The doctor patted my hand. “Your father is heavily medicated. That’s the drugs talking.”
“Really?”
“Really. Did he seem euphoric?”
“Yes!”
“We’ll be weaning him off most of the pain meds in the next couple days and he will seem more like himself.”
I let out a sigh of relief. “Okay. That sounds good.”
He studied me. “Are you okay?”
His concern made tears claw up my throat which I had to work to swallow back down. “I’m fine. I’m heading to work.”
“Your father has made a remarkable recovery so far. We’re confident he’ll be himself in short order.”
“Thank you.”
ON MY WAY to the stadium, I tried called Max again, but his voicemail was so full, I wasn’t able to leave a message.
Me: Max. Please call me
Me: It will be okay. I’m handling everything
Me: Even if you don’t want to date me, I’m going to fix your career. I have your back
Me: I miss you. I hope you are okay
I waited impatiently, but he never responded.
When the car pulled up to the stadium, I sat stunned, taking in the huge crowd gathered on the front steps. Standing in front of a podium, stood Baxter. He wore a suit and a flashy tie and he was giving a speech like he was running for mayor. He was holding a press conference, like he owned the place.
I approached, but no one paid me any attention. They only had eyes and ears for Baxter.
“We will make some significant changes to our lineups. As you know, I terminated Max Logan’s contract this morning, for breach of contract. We do not stand behind players who break the law. In his place, we are in talks with Minnesota’s left winger, Joseph Flanynk. We know that the deadline for trades is looming, but everyone wants this, so we will make this happen and we will make this team the success it deserves to be.”
I rolled my eyes and walked around the side to another door.
Fuck Baxter.
I made my way up to my office, but someone had already moved into my space.
“Julie,” I yelled.
She appeared at the doorway. “Yes?”
“Want to tell me what is going on with my office.”
“Baxter asked me to move your stuff out and he moved his stuff in.”
“Excuse me?”
“I have your belongings in boxes at my desk.” She sounded scared. “I didn’t know what to do.”
I didn’t give a fuck about my office. “Don’t worry about it. You did the right thing.”
“None of the staff know what to do. He’s making all these demands.”
“Tell no one to stick their necks out. Right now, Baxter is in charge, so everyone should do what he says and keep your head down.”
Her eyes filled with tears. “Is your Dad okay? Is he going to come back soon?”
“He’s fine. But he will be out of commission for a while.”
“The whole staff signed a card. And I want to send a basket.”
I reached out and touched her shoulder. “That’s a lovely idea.”
“What the hell are you doing in my office?” Baxter strode in, almost shoving Julie into me.
I nodded my head to her, indicating that she should leave.
“Didn’t take you long to make yourself comfortable.”
“I’m busy. What do you want?”
“You can’t terminate Max Logan’s contract.”
“We already did.”
“Joseph Flanynk? You know my dad opposed bringing him in.”
Baxter gave me a smile. “Your father isn’t here, is he?”
“This is insane.”
“By the time your Dad is back on his feet, Joseph and I will show the world that he was the right hire.”
“You had the perfect player with Max.”
“Well, that ship has sailed, hasn’t it?”
I couldn’t contain my frustration. “Why are you doing this?”
He came around my desk and stood nose to nose with me. “One more thing.”
“What is that?”
“You’re fired.”
I scoffed. “You can’t fire me.”
“Yes, I can. And I just did. I want your ass out of my sight.”
“My family owns this building and this team.”
“But legally, I’m in charge.”
“Career limiting move, Baxter,” I spun on my heels.
“You’re a fucking little bitch. I’ll be canceling your access to the building. Just stay the fuck away.”
I gave him the finger as I walked out.
I HIT BRIAN’S NUMBER.
“Rory.”
“Baxter fired me and had me banned from the building.”
“What?”
“Tell me he can’t do that.”
His pause was so long my heart sank. “Technically he can.”
“Has the entire world gone insane?”
“Until your father takes back over, Baxter is in control.”
“Have you heard from Max?”
“No.”
I wanted to toss my phone across the parking lot. “Okay. If you hear from him, let me know.”
“Will do.”
I ORDERED the car to go by Max’s building, but the concierge said that Max had left with some bags and hadn’t been back since. No, he didn’t know when he would return. Yes, he’d leave a message for me.
Disheartened, I walked out of the building.
Someone grabbed my arm. “Rory?”
She was cute and blonde and she was pregnant. “Yes?”
“I’m Lolita, Max’s friend? Can we talk?”
