Page 41 of Hidden Plays (Desert Football #1)

I drove Holden to the hospital, parked, and we made our way inside the immense building.

This time was different. His family knew about us, and that stress was gone.

I held Holden’s hand. “How are you doing?” I peered at the afternoon sky.

A few fluffy clouds hung sprinkled across it.

We stopped at the sliding doors and stepped inside. We knew our destination this time.

“I’m doing okay. We’re working on a plan, and hopefully, my brother will accept help.” He stopped at the elevator and pressed the call button.

After riding to Noel’s floor in silence, we strolled into the hallway.

“Should we go straight to his room?” My chest grew tense. We might walk into another shitshow.

Leah stepped out of the room, and her gaze snagged on us. “Holden, you’re here.” She strode to us and hugged Holden. “Thank you for coming.”

“Of course, Mom.” He kissed her cheek and squeezed her, then let her go.

“Hi, JJ.” She gave me a quick hug. “Your father has been a godsend with those recommendations.” She nodded toward the waiting area. “Let’s go talk, shall we?”

We followed her to the end of the hallway and sat on a set of couches facing each other, me sitting beside Holden. Dad really pulled through for us.

She rocked once, her gaze dipping to the tile floor.

“Your father has already spoken to all the interventionists on the list. They all agreed—we need to put Noel into a facility as soon as he’s released from the hospital.

If we let him go home, there’s a strong chance he won’t go, even if he agrees to it here. ”

Holden gripped my hand as it rested on my thigh. “When do you think they’ll release him?”

“I’ve heard Sunday morning.” She glanced at me and then focused on Holden. “We’ll have the intervention that morning, and we’ll coordinate it with the hospital.” She inhaled deeply. “Because of the accident and his impending legal issues, we have some additional leverage.”

“Yeah? Like what?” Holden’s eyes narrowed .

“If he goes straight into rehab, the judge will reduce his sentence and should push his court dates out to accommodate his treatment.” She pursed her lips.

“These places are no joke. He’ll be in for a minimum of four weeks and maybe up to six or eight with brief contact to the outside world. He’ll be there to focus on himself.”

“Damn.” Holden nodded slowly.

“We may need therapy as well, and we might do some group sessions with him.” She watched Holden as if gauging his reaction. “Are you ready for that?”

“Mom, if it’ll give me my brother back, I’m ready for anything.” With his brows wrinkling, he glanced at me.

Shit, if he was getting his brother back now, would he still be okay with me taking him to another city after graduation? My heart stung. It wasn’t fair to him, was it? I’d keep my mouth shut for now. Anything could happen.

“Okay, it could be a long road.” Lines formed on her forehead. “He’s relatively calm right now. Did you want to see him?”

“Sure.” With a huff, Holden stood, dragging me up with him. “Has he been an asshole?”

“He’s…” She peeked at me. “He’s in a lot of pain, Holden. I’d say he’s in a bad mood.” She strode to the hallway with us following, past the long nurses’ station with hospital staff sitting in scrubs at keyboards and monitors.

When we approached the room, she stopped and faced us. “Just…mention nothing regarding addiction, his drinking, nothing like that.” Exhaling a loud breath, she slipped into the room.

“Holden, I’m right here and no matter what happens, don’t worry about me.” I kissed his cheek. I didn’t want him to worry about the effect his brother’s behavior might have on me.

“Thanks, babe.” He gave me a small grin.

We entered the room .

Leah stood beside Noel’s bed, holding the railing. “Hey, Noel, your brother and his boyfriend are here to see you.”

Opening swollen eyes, Noel’s gaze panned to Holden. “Hey, bro.” The hint of a smirk ghosted over his lips, and he held his hand up. “Hi, JJ.”

Holden squeezed his hand and released it. “How are you doing?” He edged into my side as I hooked an arm around his waist.

“Shitty, can’t you tell?” Noel’s mouth went slack. “They’re pretty stingy with the pain meds in this place.”

Shit, not this again. I braced myself, drawing a calming breath. I needed to keep my mouth shut.

“I know, honey, but there’s a protocol they have to follow.” Leah brushed a lock of sweaty hair from his forehead.

“It’s bullshit. They think I’m—” His breath caught. “Fuck it.” He freed a long sigh. “Don’t you guys have a big game tomorrow?”

“We do.” I ticked my brows. “And we’ll win it.” Maybe talking football would put everyone at ease.

Noel tilted his head on his pillow and tongued the corner of his mouth while he fixated on me. “You’re pretty sure of yourself, aren’t you, JJ?”

“We’re better this year than the University of Arizona. It’s a no-brainer.” I shifted my stance as my heart kicked. This guy’s unpredictability was unsettling. It would take only one wrong word, and he could go ballistic.

“How do the team and coaching staff view your little fling here?” His mouth stretched into a smirk.

Hadn’t we already answered this question? His memory must be shot, or maybe he’d been too drunk to remember. I thought hard about my answer. “They don’t know.”

“We’re keeping our relationship private.” Holden’s jaw muscle bulged. “It doesn’t affect my work or his abilities on the field, so there’s no point in telling them.”

“So, who knows? Only family?” He ticked a brow .

“My friends know.” Heat knotted in my chest. Why the fuck did he care?

“And my roommate.” Holden pushed his lips together.

Noel’s eyes sparked with wickedness. “Does he enjoy living with a homo?—”

“Noel, that’s enough.” Mom scoffed and glared at him. “Your brother is happy, and JJ’s family is helping…” She twisted from the bed and rubbed her forehead.

“Helping with what, Mom? Is Dr. Matthews making sure I get locked up in rehab?” With a sneer, he glared back at Leah. “I’m not going, I told you that. I’m not a fucking junkie. There was something in the road, I tell you. The cops don’t know what the hell they’re talking about.”

Leah swiveled and grabbed his cheeks, putting her face close to his. “Noel, your blood alcohol level was three times the limit. Three times. And that didn’t include the marijuana and meth in your blood. You were lucky you didn’t kill yourself.”

“Yeah? Maybe I’d be better off dead.” As his lower lip quivered, his eyes grew glassy. “Then you wouldn’t have to put up with me at all.”

Leah released him and, with a sob, jogged from the room.

Jesus fuck, what a mess. The poor woman. My heart ached for them.

“Don’t say that, Noel.” Holden’s voice cracked.

“Can’t you see what this is doing to Mom?

” He blinked, and a tear escaped down his cheek.

“What it’s doing to me? I want you to be sober.

I want a brother I can rely on.” He held his hand out.

“Do you have any idea how much it would have meant to me if you’d been there for me after my injury?

” He bit his lower lip, his chest heaving.

I stared at him. What should I do? Maybe keep my trap shut and be there for the fallout. An ache burrowed into my chest.

“I know what it’s like to want to die. I was at that place after the accident.

But you know what?” Another round of tears escaped down his cheeks, and he swiped them away.

“I got help.” He took a jagged breath. “Mom and Dad lined me up with therapy, and it fucking worked. It helped me get past the pain and move on with my life.”

Noel stared at him, jaw dropped open. “I-I didn’t know.”

“Yeah, well, you were too busy getting fucked up to realize how bad off I was.” With a sniffle, he glanced toward the doorway.

“Mom’s been through it. The poor woman had to battle to keep me alive, and now you…

” He gritted his teeth. “You’ve been putting her through hell since middle school.

” He hung his head. “We love you, Noel, even if you’re not perfect. ”

Noel shifted in the bed, flinched and said, “I need some time alone.” He turned his face away from Holden and rubbed his eyes. “Please leave me alone.”

“Okay.” Holden faced me. “Let’s go see how my mom’s doing, JJ.”

“Of course, babe.” Draping an arm over his shoulders, I walked him from the room.

Holy fuck, this family made mine look like an ice cream social.

And here I’d been, all pissed off at my dad for not being immediately accepting of my sexuality?

For needing time to process it? How much of the distance between us had been my fault?

My resentment of him? Communication was a two-way street. I had to remember that.

Leah stood facing the window in the waiting room, drinking a coffee.

I stepped toward her with Holden. “Do you want a moment with your mom alone?” I’d just met his family. How much did he want me to witness?

“No, come with me. Maybe you can help as someone who’s more of an outsider.” He stopped and grabbed my hands. “But you won’t be an outsider for long.” He pressed a soft kiss on my lips.

“Okay.” I stepped to Leah with him. What a way to get to know his family.

“Mom.” Holden touched her shoulder, and she twisted around .

“I’m sorry, honey. I couldn’t help myself.” She hung her head. “He makes me so angry sometimes.”

“I know.” He sighed. “Me too.” With a glance at me, he said, “I sort of went off on him, and now he wants to be alone. Have you eaten?”

“What did you say to him?” Her brows wrinkled, and she dropped the coffee cup to her side.

“I…told him about my mental breakdown after my injury and how therapy helped me.” He scoffed. “Fuck, I thought it was the right thing to say, but who knows?”

Inching closer to his side, I said, “Holden, you never know what’s going to resonate with him, and he needed to know about that.” I bit the side of my lower lip. “Hell, it was long overdue.”

“Yeah, thanks, babe.” He inhaled deeply and then focused on his mother. “Mom, you look tired. Go home and rest for a while. I think he’s out of the woods with his physical health, right?”

“He is. The doctor said they’d know by today if they’d need to remove his spleen.” Her mouth twisted. “I am beat. Would you both stay here just in case he needs something?”

“Of course.” I gave her my most charming smile. It was the least I could do for her. “We can hang out and check on him periodically. Who knows? He might want to speak more with Holden.”

“But you have a game tomorrow, babe.” Holden chewed his upper lip.

“And? How about we stop by our places, grab our laptops and come back? We can study and watch game footage between check-ups on your brother.” I darted my gaze from him to his mother. How much could happen in an hour?

“Yes, that works.” He patted his mom’s shoulder. “Go home and get some rest. We’ve got this.”

“You call me if anything changes, okay?” She dropped her coffee cup into the garbage bin at the end of the couch and then hugged him.

“We will.” He freed her. “Love you, Mom. ”

“Love you, too.” After stepping to me, she squeezed my forearm and sighed as she ambled away from us. “Thank you, JJ.”

“You’re very welcome.” I gave her a warm grin.

Holden raked his fingers through his hair. “Okay, let’s get everything we need to be comfy in this place.”