Class Act: A Coach/Student Romance

“YOUNG MAN.”

A finger prodded me. I jerked upright and swiped the drool from the corner of my mouth. A nurse peered at me over her glasses. I stiffened. Thank god it was the kind nurse and not the one who’d told me in no uncertain terms that the hospital waiting area was no place to loiter.

Loiter? Didn’t they all know I was waiting for Abe to wake up so I could talk to him?

“Is Abe okay?” I straightened up.

“I’m not at liberty to divulge information, but it’s been three days already. You should go home and get some rest. Then you can continue keeping vigil.”

“I can’t leave him.”

And I hadn’t, just as I’d promised. Mandy had brought me a change of clothing each day after school. I used the bathroom to wash up as best I could, not caring about the peculiar looks I got. Nothing else mattered but Abe waking up.

“You’re not leaving him. Just taking a rest.” The nurse dipped into her pocket, fished out an energy bar, and handed it to me. “At least eat something. You haven’t moved all day.”

Not entirely true. I’d gotten up twice to use the bathroom. Both times, I’d hurried back to the waiting room, not wanting to miss Abe asking for me. If only Teresa would allow me to see him, then I could hold his hand all day long. Then he wouldn’t have to feel alone.

“I can’t accept this.”

“I insist.” The nurse pressed the snack into my palm. “It’s the least I can do if you won’t listen and take better care of yourself.”

The honey grain energy bar was my favorite, but now it might have well been cardboard. I munched on it, though, if only to please the kind nurse.

An hour later, Lynn walked into the waiting area, and I got to my feet.

“Emery.”

“Lynn.”

She hugged me to her and patted my back. “You poor thing. What did the doctor say?”

I shook my head, my throat clogged with tears.

“You haven’t spoken to the doctor? It’s been three days.”

“Teresa moved Abe to a private room. Nobody except her and Mandy are allowed in the room. They won’t tell me anything.”

“That witch. How can she do this when Abe’s fighting for his life?” She patted my back again, then released me. “I’ll talk to that nurse over there and see if there’s anything she can do.”

Lynn approached the nurse, and I clutched my hands. Hopefully, she would get someone to listen to me. Teresa shouldn’t have to decide what was best for Abe. I was the one who shared his bed every night. I was the one he loved.

From the pinched look on Lynn’s face, she’d had no success either. Dammit. I slumped back in the chair. They couldn’t keep me away forever. At some point, someone had to tell me something.

“I’m sorry, Emery.” Lynn squeezed my shoulders. “This is fucked up, I know. Abe’s going to raise hell when he wakes up and finds out what she did.”

“But what if he doesn’t…” I gasped as an overwhelming wave of grief surged through me. “What if I don’t get to see him one more time? She’ll control everything, Lynn. Would I even get to attend his funeral? Oh my god.”

My breathing became faster and faster, short, shallow gulps of air in but not out. The room spun, and my knees buckled. Lynn held me upright, told me to breathe, shouted at someone to help. My heart palpitated in my chest so hard it hurt.

Hands shifted me to lie on the floor, and a gentle voice told me to concentrate on my breathing. Exhale through my mouth. Inhale through my nostrils. Hold my breath to the count of seven.

Why did they want me to hold my breath? I couldn’t breathe. I needed air. My chest heaved, and I grabbed Lynn’s hand.

“Abe. Please let me see Abe.”

I woke up in a hospital bed, disoriented and confused. Then it hit me. Abe. I needed to see Abe.

I threw back the sheet and struggled to sit up. They had me hooked up to an IV drip that was almost empty. How did I get it out? How long had I lain here?

The door opened, and a nurse rushed toward me.

“No, don’t take that out. You gave everybody quite the scare.” She gently pushed me back.

“What happened?”

“What happened, young man, is that you haven’t been taking care of yourself. You’re exhausted and haven’t eaten nearly enough over the past three days. You had an anxiety attack and passed out. We won’t hold you, so you’re free to go once the IV runs out. We recommend getting some rest. There’s really nothing you can do here.” She patted my hand. “If it’s any consolation, his condition has improved.”

I blinked several times to dispel the tears. “Thank you.”

At least that was better than nothing.

“The woman you were with left a note for you.” She pulled a piece of paper from her pocket and handed it to me. “I’ll be back in a few minutes to get you unhooked.”

When she left, I unfolded the note.

Emery,

Please take care of yourself. Abe wouldn’t want to see you this way. I’m meeting with his lawyer to see if there’s anything we can do to get you to see him.

Listen to what the nurses and doctors say. I’ll get in touch with you soon.

Lynn

I settled back against the pillows, my eyes drooping shut. I startled awake by a hand on my arm. The nurse had returned and was now removing the IV line.

“How do you feel?” she asked.

“Better.”

I still felt like shit, but I smiled and swung my legs over the edge of the bed. My legs wobbled, but I managed to stay upright. The last thing I wanted was for them to admit me.

“Good. Please go home and get a proper rest.”

I nodded my thanks and walked out of the room on shaky legs. My heart pounded in my chest. Abe was on this floor. I’d overheard them talking. Room 409. Just a few doors down.

I glanced over my shoulder. The nurse was taking the linens down from the bed. It was now or never. I shuffled down the corridor as fast as I could and checked the doors. Here it was. Abe’s room!

Another quick glance along the corridor showed it was empty. I slipped inside and closed the door behind me. The steady beeping of a machine was the only sound in the room.

“Abe.”

I slowly walked over to the bed. His face was pale, and a thick white bandage was wrapped around his head. His lips were peeling and dry. I leaned forward and touched my mouth to his and forced back my sob.

“Abe, it’s me. Your Emmy.” I kissed his nose and took his hand. Why did it feel so cold? “I can’t stay long, but I want you to know I’m here, waiting for you to wake up.”

“What are you doing?”

I stiffened and clung to Abe’s hand, ignoring Teresa. I didn’t take my eyes off Abe. These couple of minutes were all I had. I felt steadier now that I’d seen him breathing for myself. He was alive. Now all he had to do was wake up.

“Get well soon.” I kissed his temple and placed his hand on the bed, then faced Teresa. She was wearing aviators, hiding whatever she was thinking of me. “I’ll go if you promise to take care of him and do everything to make sure he gets the best treatment.”

“He’s my husband. Of course, he’ll get nothing but the best.”

She could guarantee it too. She had the clout I didn’t have to keep her word. Maybe I should walk away and let her stay by his side.

I nodded. “I’ll go, then.”

I walked around her and opened the door.

“Wait.”

I straightened my spine. How much more of this could I take?

“Y-yes?”

I slowly turned around. She’d removed her glasses. The gloating I’d expected to see wasn’t there. Instead, her eyes were swollen and red.

“Why are you still here?” she asked. “You’ve been here for three days. Do you think I’m going to change my mind and let you see him?”

“I expect nothing from you.” I let out a deep breath. “Maybe I can’t even blame you because of what I did, but Abe’s been there for me, and I’m not leaving him. He’s going to wake up. He has to, and when he does, he’ll want me by his side, whether or not you accept it.”

Her eyes flashed, and her face turned red. I clutched the doorknob tight. We shouldn’t do this here. What if Abe could hear everything?

“You stole my husband, and everyone expects me to still be nice to you?”

“I’m not going to fight with you. Not here. Not when Abe’s life is on the line. If you want to argue, curse me, hit me, anything you want. You can do it later, but the only thing I care about right now is that Abe wakes up.”

I slipped out of the room and closed the door behind me. Feeling steadier than I’d been in the past three days, I returned to the waiting room and curled up in a chair where I could place my head against the wall. A throat clearing woke me from my doze.

Teresa stood before me. “You can’t even take care of yourself. How do you expect to take care of him?”

“I’ll do my best.”

“Do your best?” She scoffed. “Get up.”

“What?”

“I said get up. I’m taking you home.”

I clenched the edge of the chair. “I’m not going anywhere.”

“You being here can’t help Abe, but when he wakes up, he’s going to want you here. Is this how you’re going to present yourself to him? Make him worry about you when he should be worried about recuperating?”

I opened my mouth, but not a sound came out. What was happening here?

“You need a proper bath, some decent food, and a bed. When you’re rested, you can come back and sit with him.”

Was this some kind of trick? Was she trying to get me to leave?

“No, thanks. I’ll just wait here.”

“As sure as my word is that I’ll never forgive you for what you did, you can take my word for it that after you get some rest, you’re free to come and visit Abe as you please.”

“Why would you let me now all of a sudden?”

“I’m not doing this for you. Don’t provoke me, or I’ll change my mind. Let’s go.”

She walked off without answering my question. What should I do? Stay and be barred from Abe’s room indefinitely, or play her game and hope she kept her word?

I hurried after her outside. Teresa drove a high-end Lexus. I got in without saying anything, and the whole drive, I stared out the window. What if she’d only said what she did so she could get rid of me? I had no idea what this woman was capable of. I only knew she hated my guts. Why had I gotten in her car? For fuck’s sake, my car was parked at the hospital. I could have driven myself.

When she turned onto the street Abe and I lived on, I clutched the edge of the seat. Had Mandy told her where we lived? I highly doubted it. Was there anything this woman didn’t already know about Abe and me? It was creepy.

Instead of letting me get out in the driveway, she turned off the ignition, opened her door, and climbed out.

“I-I’ve got it from here, thank you.” I needed to take some of the power back. This was my home, and she didn’t get to make me feel like a stranger here.

She produced Abe’s set of keys—the hospital must have given her his belongings. Another blow I didn’t want to handle. She opened the front door. “Get in.”

“You don’t have to—”

“Don’t try my patience, Emery. Go take a shower. You’ll eat something after, then sleep.”

I licked my dry lips. I didn’t have the energy to argue with her. What if she snooped around our home and trashed everything? Without Abe here, none of it mattered anyway.

Tears pooled in my eyes and spilled down my cheeks. I clung to the banister as I climbed the stairs and walked into our bedroom. My hands felt like lead as I stripped out of my clothes and got into the shower. I slid down the glass wall, sat on the tiled floor, and let the water beat down on me, drowning my tears.

Abe.

The scent of him filled my nostrils. I closed my eyes and absorbed the memories. Of him washing my hair and smothering me in kisses to make up for getting soap in my eyes. Of his lips trailing kisses along my neck and shoulder. Of him lifting me in his arms, pressing me to the glass, and making love to me while under the hot water.

Abe, you have to be okay.

A shiver ran through me, and my teeth chattered. Damn, it was cold. How stupid I hadn’t adjusted the temperature. Teresa’s words echoed in my ears.

You can’t even take care of yourself. How do you expect to take care of him?

She was right. I couldn’t fall apart. Abe had once said that I was the strong one in our relationship. Even if it was bullshit, for his sake, I could pretend to be.

I stood, turned on the hot water, and washed my hair. After I’d dried myself, I walked into the bedroom. The shower had done me good. And my stomach was grumbling. To feel close to him, I pulled one of Abe’s shirts on over my underwear, then went to the kitchen.

I stopped dead in my tracks in the doorway. What the hell? Why was Teresa still here? She’d taken off her jacket, revealing a pretty peach top, the quality of which I could only ever dream of affording.

“Sit.”

She placed a bowl of tomato soup and a plate of grilled cheese sandwiches on the table. “Eat.”

I sat without a word. Why did she scare me more than my dad did?

“Seriously, how does Abe put up with you?” She scooped up a spoonful of soup and swallowed it. Next she cut off a piece of the grilled cheese sandwich and shoved it into her mouth. “I didn’t poison the food.”

My face flamed. “I wasn’t thinking that.”

“Weren’t you?”

I picked up the spoon and started on the soup. Teresa sat opposite me, typing on her phone. What was she waiting for? She said nothing while I ate. I gobbled up the soup, then ate the sandwiches much slower.

“Thank you.”

The hard glint was back in her eyes. She really looked like she hated me. Why was she doing all this, then?

“Do you think you deserve for me to be kind to you?” she asked.

I shook my head.

“Then why the hell do you make me feel guilty like I was the one who did you wrong?” She balled her hands into fists on top of the table. “You needed a place to stay. We took you in, and then you slept with my husband under our fucking roof. You wanted to play adult games, yet you can’t keep up, and now I should feel sorry for you?”

“I know and—”

“Don’t you dare say you’re sorry because I know you’re not. If you were sorry, you wouldn’t have continued to sleep with him, wouldn’t have set up home with him. You claim you love him, but loving him doesn’t excuse what you both did. Neither you nor he deserves any kindness from me.”

“We didn’t do it to hurt you.” I hated how pathetic I sounded, but what else could I say? “Why are you here if you feel this way?”

“Because of my actions, he doesn’t believe I love him anymore, but I do. Of course, that doesn’t matter because he wants you. I was the one at his side before they brought him in for surgery, and yet it was your name he called. Over twenty years of marriage and, within a couple of months, he’s forgotten everything about us. All he cares about is you.”

“I care about him too.”

She heaved a sigh. “You want to know why I’m doing all this? Because today when I visited him, the doctor told me he flatlined last night.”

“Oh my god.”

“He’s fine now, but when the doctor told me that, every time I’d wished him dead for leaving me for you played through my mind, and I knew I didn’t mean it. As much as I hate losing to you, I’d rather he be alive and with you. I’d rather see his fucking face and hate it every day than him dying. So you get some rest and take good care of yourself because you’re going to have to sit with him and give him a reason to live.”

“I’ll do everything I can.”

Teresa got up from the table. “Mandy will be here after school to pick you up and take you to the hospital. Get some sleep.”

“Teresa, thank you.”

“Don’t thank me. I made you lose your job.”

“We both made mistakes.”

“Dammit.” She snagged her coat from the back of the chair and felt around in a pocket. She dropped a small black box next to my plate. “I fully expected you to tell Abe about that night at the restaurant, but I’m guessing you didn’t. Don’t think it absolves you from what you did.”

“What’s this?” I stared at the box.

“Abe had it clutched in his hand when they brought him into the hospital. I’m guessing he was looking at the damn thing when he crossed the street and got hit by the car.”

I picked up the box and opened it. My breath was trapped in my lungs. A simple gold band with a single diamond. I let out the breath and, with a trembling hand, took out the ring. An engagement ring. Abe wanted to ask me to marry him? Was that what he’d meant when he said he would have something for me later that evening?

I slipped the ring onto my finger. A perfect fit.

“Thank…” I looked up, but Teresa was gone. I rubbed my finger over the band and closed my eyes. “Yes, Abe. I’ll marry you,” I whispered.

Now all he needed to do was wake up so I could tell him.