of removing an artery from his leg to use for blood flow to his heart. Mom was rapt and asked question after question that never occurred to me. I looked at Jax and in that moment I knew we both felt like little boys again, hoping Mom could make everything better.
But we were supposed to be the strong ones. She needed to believe she could lean on us.
Jax made the time-out sign. “Look, Dr. Curran. I’ll be blunt. We won’t settle for just any cardiac surgical team. We require the best team, with the highest patient survival rate because we’re not going to fuck around with his life. We have the means to take him anywhere in the country, or to bring the premier surgical team here. So before we continue this conversation, we require the names of your medical team members so we can have them vetted immediately with our medical experts.”
“Understood, Mr. Lund. I’ll get that information to you straightaway. But please be aware we are the highest-rated cardiac care hospital in the Midwest. And being equally blunt, we are aware of the Lund name. Dr. Lee, the head of the cardiac and thoracic surgery units, has already been apprised of the situation. I have his direct number if your medical expert needs to speak with him.”
“Thank you.”
She left and came back with the list.
Jax took over from there, partially because he was the only one with a cell phone. After talking with Monte and Ward, who consulted with the Lund family medical team, they agreed that Dr. Lee’s team was the best option.
Plans were finalized and we got to go in, one at a time, and spend a few minutes with Dad.
Mom had tears streaming down her face, and an angry set to her jaw to keep her chin from wobbling after she left him.
Dr. Lee arrived and gave us the final rundown of the procedure and sent us out to the waiting room.
Enough time had passed since Jax’s phone call to the family that Monte and Priscilla, Ward and Selka, Brady, Ash and Lucy had arrived.
While I was thankful for my mom’s sake that she had family supporting her and Dad, I felt disconnected. I’d never felt so acutely alone.
Twenty-Five
GABI
After the second game I refereed ended, I stopped in at Lakeside and gathered up all my practice clothes from the week, my water bottles and my coffee mugs. I had a tendency only to notice things I needed after I’d run out of them.
It surprised me that Margene was still there. There’d been a birthday party scheduled during open skate time, but I would’ve thought she’d be long gone by now. I snagged my stuff out of my locker before I went looking for her.
She was leaving the office and did a double take when she saw me. “Gabi? What are you doing here?”
“Had to get this stuff cleaned up before the week starts. Why are you here so late?”
“Lucy called and asked if she could drop Mimi off and have me wait with her until her aunt picked her up.”
That was weird. “Is Mimi still here?”
“No. Her aunt came about ten minutes ago. Poor Lucy was frantic to get to the hospital.”
My stomach bottomed out. “Hospital?”
“Evidently Jax’s dad had a heart attack. Lucy said he has to have emergency surgery and she wasn’t sure how long they’d be at the hospital, so she needed her sister to take Mimi for the night.”
“Omigod. When did this happen? What hospital?”
“No offense, sweetie, but I don’t think you should just show up. I’m sure Jax and Lucy know you’re thinking about them.”
I tried not to snap at her. “Nolan is my concern—we’re together now.”
Margene opened her mouth. Closed it. “After seeing his behavior at the NHL exhibition after you were injured, I’m not surprised.”
“When did this happen? I left Nolan’s house before noon and he and Archer were supposed to play racquetball today.”
“It happened at the club.”
“Nolan must be losing his mind. What hospital?”
“That cardiac one off of Central Avenue. Good . . . Hope.”
“Thank you.” I raced to my truck and threw everything in the passenger’s seat.
I tried to call Nolan twice, but it went to voice mail both times. Then I called my sister and cancelled our plans—she wasn’t happy, especially when I didn’t explain.
Finally, twenty minutes later I pulled into the parking lot at Good Hope. I didn’t waste time looking for familiar cars, I just headed to the emergency entrance. “Lund family? Probably in