Last Chance Hero (14 page)

If she thought Andy would offer excuses, she was wrong. “Because he wants to. And because he's good. And because he has more drive and heart than most of the rest of the team put together. I hate it that he got hurt; you have no idea how much I hate it. But that's football, and I'm not going to be the one to tell him he can't play.”

Jess was silent a moment. “All right then. I guess that's clear enough.”

After a long moment, Andy looked at his watch. “I guess I better get back. Practice is over, but there are some things I need to do.”

Jess nodded and unlocked the front door for him. “Okay, well, good night.”

“'Night.” Andy went out and got in his truck. It had gotten dark since he brought Gabe in, and his headlights flashed across the back of the office as he backed out and drove away.

Jess locked the door behind him. Suddenly her lab coat felt stiff and itchy, and she realized that all she wanted was to go home, take a long bath, and curl up with a book and a cup of tea. She took a deep breath, held it, slowly exhaled, and headed to the back to clean examination room two.

J
ess was right. The bath was exactly what she needed, as were the tea and the book. And when she lit a fire in her fireplace and put on her oldest, softest flannel pjs, the day began to sort itself out. It hadn't really been that bad. In fact, she had looked forward to Lainie's appointment. Things didn't start going downhill until Andy called, and that was only because of the attitudes she had to deal with. She had been annoyed, though not surprised, by Eva's fit of pique that she was asked to stay a few minutes late; she was going to have to talk to Eva about that. But it was Andy's stance when she suggested Gabe might be a little small for football that surprised her. He seemed almost angry, and frankly, Jess just didn't get that.

The phone on her coffee table buzzed, and Jess made a grab for it. Gabe's mom hadn't checked in yet, and she was anxious to hear how he was doing.

“Hi.” It was Andy. “Have you heard anything yet?”

“Nope.” Jess leaned back against the sofa cushions and tucked her feet up under her. “I was just thinking Gabe's mom should be calling soon.”

“Will you call me after you talk to her and let me know how he is?”

“I really can't. There are all kinds of regulations, but I can tell his mom you're concerned and that you've asked that she call you.”

“Would you do that? Tell her I won't keep her long, I just want to know he's okay.” A short, awkward silence followed, and Jess was about to say good-bye when Andy spoke again. “Listen, I'm sorry I barked at you earlier. You didn't have that coming.”

Jess silently agreed. She thought her question had been perfectly reasonable. “So, what was the deal?”

“Just touchy, I guess. It seems every time I talk to anyone these days, the first word out of their mouths is
why
. ‘Why did you . . .' ‘Why didn't you . . .' ‘Why don't you . . .' Anyway, I think I took it out on you, and I'm sorry. I shouldn't let it get to me like that.”

“Okay, since we have that settled.” Jess chose her words carefully. “Keeping in mind I'm his doctor and not someone who's trying to help you coach the team. Don't you think he's a little small to be playing football?”

There was another long pause before Andy blew out a long sigh. “Don't underestimate Gabe. He's not real big, but he's strong, and he's fast. And he loves the game. He didn't get hurt because of his size. He just cracked helmets with another player. It happens.”

Sensing she was stepping out on thin ice, Jess retreated. “Okay, backing off here. I'll just patch 'em up when you send 'em my way.”

“You could come to a game, you know.” The tension in Andy's voice had eased a little, and Jess could almost hear his attempt at a smile. “See for yourself what the attraction is.”

“Maybe I will one of these days.” Jess took the olive branch he offered, even if she really could not see herself ever sitting on a cold bleacher watching a bunch of guys run into each other and fall down. “Listen, I really do need to get off the phone, though. I'm waiting for Mrs. Quintana's call.”

“Oh, sure. Don't forget to ask her to call me, okay? I'll be up.”

Mrs. Quintana called less than ten minutes later, and Jess could tell by her voice that her news was good.

“Sorry I'm calling so late. I needed to make sure the kids were all right first and get Gabe all tucked in. He's going to be okay. He just needs to stay in bed for a couple days. That's all.”

“That's terrific news, Mrs. Quintana. I think it would be a good idea to wake him up every three hours through the night, though, just to be on the safe side. He may not like that much, but as you say, he's going to be in bed all day long tomorrow anyway. You're the one who'll be missing sleep.”

Gabe's mom chuckled. She had a low and easy laugh. “Please. Call me Marta. When anyone calls me Mrs. Quintana, it usually means one of my kids is in some kind of trouble. And don't worry. If I were still at work, I'd be up all night anyway, so checking on Gabe isn't going to be a problem. Waking people up when they're trying to sleep is what I do best.”

Jess smiled. Marta seemed like someone she'd like to get to know. “I noticed you had on scrubs. Do you work at the hospital?”

“Yes, I'm an LPN at San Ramon General. And I've been wanting to tell you how glad I am that you came. It's time Last Chance had its own doctor.”

“I appreciate that. I'm glad I came too. Now, I'm going to let you get some rest. You've had quite an evening. I'll call in the morning to see how Gabe did through the night, but it sounds like he's in great hands.”

“I think he'll be fine. He complained all the way home about a chemistry test he'll be missing tomorrow and falling behind in calculus, which is Gabe being normal.” She laughed. “Good night, Doctor.”

“Good night, and it's Jess.” She stopped herself just before she hung up. “Oh, Coach Ryan asked that you call him and tell him how Gabe is. He said he'd be up late.”

“I'll call him right away. Have you gotten to know him at all? He is such a good man. I've lived in Last Chance all my life. Both my brothers played football, and my cousins, and I don't think there's ever been a coach who cares as much about the boys as Andy does. I know he's worked really hard to help Gabe out.” She laughed. “Listen to me. I said good-bye and then started in talking your ear off again. Good night, Doctor. And I mean it this time.”

“Good night.” Jess ended the call and put her phone back on the table. Maybe Marta was uncomfortable calling her by her first name, or maybe she just hadn't heard Jess's request, but Jess did hope they could be friends.

“How's Quintana?” Kev came into Andy's office after his last class. “Sorry I couldn't wait till you got back. I got everything wrapped up here and Tina was counting on me to get home. She has her bunco game on Tuesday night.”

Andy sat back in his chair and rubbed his eyes. “He's going to be okay. He got a few stitches, and they're keeping him home for a day or so because of that rap on the head, but he'll be back.”

“But not by Friday?”

“Nope, and probably not by next Friday either. I'm not sure when he'll be ready to play.”

“Man, I do not need to hear that.” Kev folded his arms and leaned against the doorjamb. “I think we had a real good chance to start turning things around with these next few games, but with Quintana out . . .”

“Yeah, it's a hit, all right.” Andy went back to the notebook open in front of him. “But that's part of the game.”

“You know, I got to hand it to you, Coach.” Kev pushed away from the doorjamb and shoved one hand in his pocket. “I wouldn't
have given you two cents for Quintana when he showed up for practice last August. Too small, too scattered, and no experience to speak of. He pretty much spent the season sitting on the bench last year. But you saw something that sure escaped me. I guess that's why they pay you the big bucks, huh?”

Andy looked up from under his brows. “Yeah, right.”

Kev laughed as he headed to the locker room. “I'll go make sure things are set up for practice. See you in a few.”

Andy could hear the players begin to arrive for practice as he worked, and when a light tap came at his open door, he looked up expecting to find one of them standing there.

“Hi, Andy. Dare I approach the inner sanctum?” A slender woman with blonde hair curling around her shoulders smiled at him from the doorway.

“Heather!” He got up and crossed the room to take both her hands in his. When he bent down to kiss her cheek, he noticed her eyes were still as blue as an early morning sky. “I'd heard you were still in the area. Thought I might run into you sometime. I didn't think it would be here, though.”

“Okay, you caught me. I came to find you.” She laughed up at him as he led her to a chair in front of his desk. “I forgot that my boys had flag football today after school, so I got here to pick them up way too early. When I realized I had a half hour or so to kill, I took a chance that you might be free and I could say hi.”

He sat down behind his desk and leaned on his folded arms. “I can't get over it. You haven't changed a lick in, how long? Nearly ten years?”

“Longer. We didn't see much of you after graduation.”

“Wow.” Andy felt a twinge of guilt. He had really intended to stay in touch with Heather, and in those early days even dreamed of coming back for her someday. “Has it been that long? Can't be.”

“Time does fly when you're having a good time.” She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, just like she used to, and smiled again. “But we can save this for later. I want you to come to dinner. James would love to see you again, and my boys are dying to meet you. Telling them I was homecoming queen in my day got a big yawn from them; telling them you were my escort elevated me to superstar status.”

“Sure. I'd like to see James and meet your boys.” Andy got to his feet. Silence from the nearby locker room told him that Kev had already taken the team out; he needed to get out there. And Heather needed to go get her sons. “Almost any day but Friday. Just let me know.”

“Saturday? About 7:00? James has taken over the family chile farm, so you know where to find us.” She gathered her purse and stood up. Andy walked her to the door. “Oh, and feel free to bring someone with you, if you'd like. There's always room for one more.”

Andy took a deep breath. Bringing someone might be a good idea. “Yeah, there is someone I could bring with me. Let me talk to her and I'll get back to you.”

“Great. Anyone I know?” Heather stopped in the doorway and raised an eyebrow. She was doing that funny little thing with her mouth that she always did when she was about to worm a secret out of him.

“Nope. She's new in town. She's the new doctor, as a matter of fact, so she may be on call or something. I'll call you in the next couple days to tell you if she'll be coming.”

Both eyebrows were up now. “The doctor. Wow. You do move fast. Be sure to warn her she's coming to a farmer's house. Nothing fancy.”

“She won't be looking for fancy. That's not her style.” He gave Heather a quick good-bye hug. “You'll like her.”

“If you like her, I'm sure I'll like her too.” She put a hand on his shoulder and stood on tiptoes to kiss his cheek. “Now, I've got to run and get my boys. They'll think I forgot them again.”

Andy stood in the doorway of his office watching her as she hurried down the hall and out the door. It couldn't have been ten years. She looked just like she did when she was seventeen. Not even the fragrance she wore had changed.

As Jess headed down Last Chance Highway Friday evening, she passed a long line of cars and pickups decorated with black-and-gold streamers and white shoe polish proclaiming Puma pride heading up toward I-10. She waved as she went by and gave a little double tap to her horn in solidarity, and in doing so unleashed a cacophony of whoops and blaring horns that she could still hear in the distance as she drove into Last Chance. Clearly, as the week had gone by and game day approached, the frustration and even anger displayed Monday night at the town council meeting had changed again to hope. And for Andy's sake, how she wanted them to be right.