Chapter 17: A Friend Indeed

Dave was sleeping soundly when he heard a buzzing sound again. He and Darcy both shot out of bed and began pulling their clothes on in panic until Dave realized the buzzing was just his cell phone. Darcy said, "Jesus, that scared the shit out of me. My heart is racing a mile a minute!" Both had thought it was a smoke alarm, again.

Dave nodded and agreed, "Me too!" before he sheepishly picked up his phone and answered, "Hello?"

He heard a sweet voice say, "So - you do still think I'm a princess?" His heart melted to the sweet English accent of Sarah.

"You know you will always be my princess. I assume you saw the news report?"

"Yes, Rose called me this morning. You remember my friend Rose don't you?"

Dave replied, "Yes, I remember Edward's, sorry, Lord Edward's daughter very well. How are you, Sarah? I miss you."

She giggled, "I really miss you too. You just can't resist a damsel in distress, can you?"

Dave laughed, "No, I'm a sucker for beautiful women in trouble."

They talked for fifteen minutes and at one point Sarah asked Dave to come visit her that summer. He said it was wonderful to hear her invitation; but he had a very busy summer planned and didn't know if he would have enough time. She laughed and said she would have to get her father to arrange something. They eventually said goodbye. Dave looked at his watch - three o'clock. He rolled over and went back to sleep.

The phone rang again two hours later and both he and Darcy jumped again, but this time they didn't panic quite as badly. Dave flipped open his phone; it was Rebecca. She wanted to make sure he was okay and he assured her he was fine. They talked for about fifteen minutes before he said goodbye.

He had just rolled over when the phone rang again. Katherine was checking on him and he assured her he was unharmed. They talked for ten minutes before he again tried to go back to sleep. He had been sleeping only ten minutes when it rang a fourth time. Darcy growled, "Jesus, Dave, how many girlfriends do you have?'

Dave laughed before he answered, "Never too many my friend, never too many."

He answered the phone and was very happy to hear Jennifer's voice. He cooed, "God, it sounds good to hear your voice. I really miss our talks."

She snickered, "So do I. I see you got back into your Superman outfit, again. You just can't resist being the hero, can you?"

He joked, "Well, coming from the Wonder Woman who flew to my rescue in her invisible airplane, I'll take that as a compliment. I always thought Wonder Woman and Superman would make a great couple."

Jennifer laughed, "From what I hear from Jana, you're having great fun in the south. She says you finally hooked up with Sheri - I wondered how long that would take."

Dave was surprised that Jennifer knew so much and asked, "When were you talking to Jana?"

Jennifer chuckled, "We e-mail each other every day. We've become very good friends."

Dave didn't have a reply for that so he simply said, "I miss you."

Jennifer turned serious, "I miss you, too."

They talked about their classes and a half hour quickly passed before they said their goodbyes.

Dave didn't even get back to sleep before the phone rang again. Darcy growled, "God damn, Dave! I'm tired."

Dave shrugged and answered the phone. He listened to the voice on the other end and then said to Darcy, "I guess if you're tired, you won't want to speak to Leanne."

Darcy grabbed the phone from his hand and Dave laughed as Darcy talked to his girlfriend this time.

They talked for a half hour; when Darcy hung up, he was all smiles. "Leanne says she has a special reward for her hero."

Dave laughed, "I'm sure she does."

Dave lay back in bed and waited for the phone to ring. It was obvious that, as the time zones moved west, the phone calls would continue. Jana and Kyra were the next to call and Dave talked to them for a while before the phone rang again and it was Sheri. She was relieved to learn he was uninjured; of course, she then teased her Sasquatch and tried to work out a schedule for them to meet again.

After the call from Sheri, Darcy looked over at Dave - they were both wide awake. Darcy explained, "I'm tired but I've never felt so good in my life. Knowing that we saved those three people feels unbelievable."

Dave agreed, "Yes, it does; but the most important thing is to remember who you are. Do you remember how you felt back in September when you couldn't get on the team? Remember who you really are and don't let yesterday change you for the worse. You are a great guy, Darcy, and I hope you don't let the extra attention go to your head. Enjoy it and be proud but remember who Darcy Gregory really is and don't change."

Darcy thought a lot about what Dave said. He lay in bed without speaking for a long time and finally asked, "Dave, if you see me acting like a conceited jerk, please tell me."

Dave replied, "I honestly don't know if I can - it would probably destroy our friendship."

Darcy looked at him very seriously, "That can't happen."

Dave simply nodded. They decided it was time to get up so both cleaned up then went to the restaurant for breakfast. The team soon joined them and before long they were all headed for the airport. As they arrived at the airport, Dave's phone rang again and he recognized Lynn's voice immediately; she was calling from the west coast of Canada. He had not heard from his favorite Asian in a long time and they spoke for twenty minutes.

The flight back to WFU passed quickly. As they exited the plane, they were surrounded by local media. Both Dave and Darcy did interviews with television, radio, and news reporters. When they finally left the airport they were tired from all the attention. Coach Dawes had sent the rest of the team home in a van with all the golf equipment but he remained with Dave and Darcy.

In the taxi he said, "I am very proud of you two young men. You handled this whole weekend like true gentlemen. I am proud to have you on my team." They thanked the coach.

The taxi dropped Darcy and Dave off at Palmer before it continued with Coach Dawes to the golf center. Dave and Darcy strolled casually into Palmer where they were surprised to see a small reception for them in the main lounge. Everyone wanted all the details and it was another hour before Dave and Darcy were able to be alone with their girlfriends. Colby congratulated Dave before he went to the library to study. Dave cuddled on his bed with both Jana and Kyra caressing and massaging his tired body. They made soft passionate love with an almost exhausted Dave, then simply relaxed and cuddled.

Eventually, Dave was feeling very hungry so they went for a late snack in the dining hall. Jana and Kyra never left his side and he was happy to have their support. He walked them back to their rooms and kissed them goodnight. The March evenings were getting warmer every week.

Practice on Tuesday morning went well but Dave noticed a huge difference in Alec's attitude. He was not hitting the ball very well. As his frustration grew, so did his freely-expressed anger. After listening to Alec curse and swear for a half hour, Dave asked, "Can I speak to you in the golf center, Alec?"

Alec slammed his club down and followed Dave inside. When they reached the locker room Dave asked, "What's going on, Alec? You seem really pissed off. You know it will take time to get back to your old form."

Alec glared at Dave, "What do you know about it? I've been working hard every day for over a week and I'm just getting worse. My strength is getting better but I have limited feeling in two of my fingers and I just can't get my timing right. I want it to be the way it was before the accident. I have waited so long to have success that, well - I just don't deserve this shit."

Dave agreed, "I know you don't deserve it - but what happened can't be undone. Let's just give it some more time. I'll help you any way I can."

Alec's reaction was the opposite of what Dave expected, "Fuck this shit. I don't need your damn help."

While Alec was taking off his golf shoes, Dave tried to talk to him but Alec only got angrier until he finally told Dave to mind his own fucking business and stormed out of the practice center. Dave was very upset as he returned to the practice tee - he had a hard time concentrating. He mentally debated what he should do. His golf schedule was crazy over the next five weeks and he was struggling to keep up with the extra class work. He didn't have time to baby-sit Alec and he didn't really know what he could do even if he wanted to help. He shook his head as he thought about the trouble his friend was having and he immediately told himself, "Alec is my friend and he desperately needs my support right now. I have to make his problem a priority. I will have to take the time to help, to find a way to help."

Darcy and the three women practiced very quietly nearby as they could see frustration on Dave's face. The women didn't have another tournament for a week and a half but the men were scheduled for five tournaments over the next five weeks ending with the ACC tournament. With the victory in Las Vegas, the men's team took over the number one ranking in the country and both Dave and Darcy were on the short list of nominations for the Ben Hogan Award for the top NCAA male golfer.

The team was scheduled to fly to Houston on Friday morning for the Hall of Fame Invitational so Coach Dawes selected the same five players who won the tournament in Las Vegas. Morning practice on Wednesday and Thursday went well and Dave noticed that Leanne, Rachael, and Danielle were steadily gaining more confidence every day. Alec's absence was very noticeable.

Danielle had pulled Dave aside to congratulate him on his Las Vegas adventure and he sensed she was still very infatuated with him. He continued to be careful not to lead her on. He asked her how Leanne and Darcy were getting along and she explained that Leanne had really fallen hard for Darcy and that they spent most of their free time together. Dave was happy for them and he was also pleased to see Darcy was trying hard to remain his same old self - the extra attention from their heroics in Las Vegas didn't seem to be changing him.

Dave studied hard all week and didn't have much private time to spend with Jana and Kyra but sharing two classes provided some mutual time. He phoned home on Wednesday and spoke to his parents about Alec. They clearly weren't sure what to tell him but both told him to be patient and supportive. His dad explained, "When you were injured in Vancouver you had a lot of support from your friends and family. It doesn't sound like Alec has many people to fall back on so you have to be even stronger for him. Let me know if I can help in any way."

On Thursday night, Dave got a call from Shauna - she was very upset and wanted to talk. Dave invited her to his room. When she arrived, she was in tears and Dave hugged her supportively. Between bouts of sobbing, she explained that Alec's mood had changed drastically in the last week. He had gotten angrier every day until he even flew off the handle at her that afternoon. She didn't understand why he was getting so angry. He had told her she didn't know how he felt and that she should keep her opinions to herself. She was really upset and confused - she didn't want to fight so she simply left him in his dorm room. Dave thought about it for a minute and finally said, "I think he is very frightened about his new situation. He is afraid that he will never be able to golf competitively again. That creates two problems; he is worried he will lose his scholarship and he is worried that his dream of a future in golf is over." Dave promised to talk with Alec as soon as he returned from Texas and walked her back to her room.

The team flew to Houston the next morning and played a practice round at Redstone Golf Course. Dave liked the challenging Jacobson Hardy design course and shot a solid seventy-one. Darcy's confidence continued to grow and he shot even par seventy-two. Will, Keith and Carl shot seventy-three, seventy-four, and seventy-seven, respectively.

When they arrived at the hotel, Dave went for a swim before studying for several hours. He knew he had to work hard on his studies with six courses demanding his time.

The next day the team ate breakfast early before going to the course. They were scheduled for two rounds and, thankfully, the weather was good. Dave played two very strong rounds of sixty-six and sixty-seven. Dave had noticed that the number of spectators had increased from previous rounds and one man in particular had followed him both rounds. Darcy shot sixty-nine and seventy while Keith was third on the team with sixty-six and seventy-five. Will and Carl each had a good round and a poor round but luckily for the team they were not in the same rounds. Will shot seventy-four and seventy-nine; Carl shot seventy-six and seventy-three.

Dave was solidly in first place with a four stroke lead over UNLV star Ricky Morrison. The team had a seven stroke lead over Oklahoma State. The team returned to the hotel tired from the two rounds of golf and after a good meal, they all went to their rooms to rest. Dave phoned his father and told him about his two solid rounds of golf before he called the twins.

In the final round, Dave played even better, shot sixty-four, and easily won by nine strokes. The same man had followed him, again and Dave wondered who he was. Darcy played very well shooting sixty-eight and finished third. Keith had a solid round of seventy-two while Carl and Will shot seventy-five and seventy-six respectively. Dave and Darcy's strong play carried the team to a seven stroke victory over Oklahoma State. The team celebrated their fifth straight victory and Coach Dawes was really proud of his team. The team had really seemed to gel after the Las Vegas incident and all were supporting and encouraging each other. Dave and Keith were getting along reasonably well and although Dave knew he would never trust Keith again - he could at least carry on a conversation with him without getting a strong urge to just strangle him.

Dave again noticed the man from the previous day had again followed him on every hole. After he had briefly celebrated with his teammates, Dave walked to the man and introduced himself, "Hi, I'm Dave MacDonald. Thank you for supporting me the last two days."

The man was surprised but returned the handshake, "I'm Bob Duff and it has been a real pleasure to watch you play. I've followed your career since your top-ten finish in the Canadian open two years ago and when I heard you were playing here in Houston I had to come out and watch. You have an incredible swing and your quiet confidence is truly amazing."

Dave blushed, "Thank you, sir. I appreciate the compliment. Have a nice a day."

"You have a great day too, Dave."

Dave turned and walked back to join his team in the celebration. Dave thought about his teammates and how their positions on the team had changed since the start of the year. Will had settled into his role on the team very nicely. He was a strong player and his early season over-confidence evened out and he played good solid golf. Darcy continued to grow more confident, he became the secondary leader on the team. Darcy's bouncing and excitement from early in the season was replaced with calm support for his fellow players. The incident in Las Vegas seemed to give Darcy the confidence he had always lacked but he wasn't cocky. Dave felt proud to watch Darcy's development and Coach Dawes complimented Dave on his mentoring with Darcy.

The team flew home Sunday evening and Dave spent a half hour talking with the twins before he went to sleep. The big news of the weekend was not the golf team victory but the basketball team's loss. The second seed basketball Deacons had been upset by the West Virginia Mountaineers. Dave was surprised and disappointed for the basketball team that had had a very good season up to that point. Leanne told Dave that the women's team held their qualifying round and she, Rachael, and Danielle had all qualified. Dave was very happy for them.

At lunch on Monday, the cafeteria did their usual cheer for the golf team before Dave mentioned to the twins that he had spoken to his father after the final round the previous day. His parents were going to go to his tournament in Augusta, Georgia on April 2^nd and April 3^rd. The twins looked very disappointed before they confessed that they had also been planning a surprise for Dave and were going to go to the same tournament to cheer him on - but they would cancel if Dave's parents were going to be there. Dave told them he would be happy to have them go as well. They then told him that they were still working on getting a vehicle from their parents for the trip and Dave suggested they simply drive his car. The girls resisted but Dave convinced them it would be okay. He was very excited about spending a weekend with them.

Alec was noticeably absent from both the cafeteria and from the morning practice group. Dave was very concerned for him and found him on Monday night. The conversation was very brief as Alec basically told Dave to mind his own business and leave him alone. Dave tried to reason with Alec but all he seemed to do was make Alec angrier. Dave went to speak to Coach Dawes about Alec. Coach Dawes explained that Alec had also gotten angry at him and that he had no idea what to do for him.

Dave finally thought to call Randy Manning who had been his physiotherapist after his shooting injury. Randy told Dave that he had seen reactions similar to what Dave had described in a number of cases and the final resolution in each case came only when the athlete eventually agreed to psychiatric or psychological therapy to deal with the loss. He suggested Dave talk to the WFU training staff because they would likely have qualified personnel either on-staff or otherwise available to them. Dave thanked him for his advice.

On Tuesday, Dave went to speak to Mike Tonelli, the team weight trainer, who told Dave to see Melinda Henderson. She was a sports psychiatrist who Wake Forest kept on staff to deal with athletic problems. She often dealt with stress caused by severe injuries; usually those injuries occurred while doing sports. Her primary patients were the football and basketball players but she also helped with other athletes where needed. Dave met with Melinda and she explained that Alec was probably going through a set of different phases as he dealt with his disability. While there was no fixed sequence, many people dealing with a disability or severe loss often show signs of anger, denial, or depression before they get to the point where they accept and deal more rationally with the reality of their circumstances. The biggest challenge would be for Alec to reach the acceptance stage so they could begin to deal with the real problem. She was confident that he was in the anger stage now and that was the most difficult stage for all concerned. It could last a week or several months. Until Alec was ready to accept help, it would be almost impossible to start the healing process. Dave thanked her and they agreed to monitor Alec's progress very closely.

The following week was filled with practice and studies. The women's team left on Thursday for Gainesville, Florida and both Dave and Darcy wished them luck. The men's team held a qualifier for their next tournament on Friday and Coach Dawes selected the same five golfers. Alec was still struggling and angrily quit after eight holes. He left the golf course before Dave finished and Dave never had a chance to talk to him. Dave was disappointed; he could tell Alec needed his support and friendship more than ever - but Alec wouldn't even talk to him.

Darcy came to Dave's room Friday evening and reported that the women were playing very well again and were in second place overall. Leanne was struggling with the greens but she was in twentieth place while Danielle had a wonderful first round of even par and was in fifth place. Darcy was worried about Leanne but Dave reminded him that everyone goes through stages of success and adjustment. She would find her putting stroke again.

Dave practiced with the team on Saturday before suggesting to Alec that they spend the afternoon drinking beer and watching the NCAA Basketball Championships. Alec said curtly he already had other plans. Unsure where to turn and what he might do, Dave decided to drive to Alec's house and speak to Patsy in person. Patsy was very glad to see Dave and briefly told him how she was very concerned for Alec and was upset because she herself didn't know what to do to help. Dave gave her Melinda's phone number and suggested she call her. Patsy thanked him and begged him to keep an eye out for her son. Dave promised he would.

That evening Dave and the twins went to a bar. They had a relaxing evening before returning to the dorm. Dave and the twins spent some time together but without a room available it was mostly filled with talking about the trip to Augusta the following weekend. Dave went to bed just before midnight.

The team van left early in the morning for Charleston, SC. Dave struggled in the practice round - he couldn't get a quick feel for the greens. He shot two over par seventy-three. Darcy had a solid round of even par as did Keith. Will played well shooting seventy-two while Carl shot seventy-six.

Dave swam for a half hour that evening and he thought about Alec before he eventually switched to thinking about the upcoming trip to Augusta. He was really looking forward to seeing his parents and spending a couple nights with the twins. He hoped Coach Dawes had a similar attitude as had Coach Lloyd and didn't mind players sleeping in different rooms. As he lay in bed trying to get to sleep, he thought about the twins; he was very happy he had met them. When he came to Wake Forest he had expected to study hard and practice even harder but he never imagined that he would meet anyone as special as the twins.

Darcy explained that he called Leanne and the women's team finished in second and Danielle finished sixth. Coach Lloyd was very pleased with all of their play.

The next day was another struggle for Dave. He hit the ball well but his putting continued to be a problem. He was not happy with rounds of seventy-two and seventy-three. Darcy was low man on the team with two rounds of sixty-nine. Will was very pleased with seventy-one and sixty-eight but Keith and Carl both struggled. Keith shot rounds of seventy-five and seventy-nine while Carl was seventy-nine and eighty.

The final round was a very poor round for Dave - his putting woes carried over to his ball striking and he shot the worst tournament round for the entire year with a seventy-five. Darcy had another solid round of seventy and finished second overall, while Will shot seventy-one and finished third. Keith and Carl struggled again with rounds of seventy-five and seventy-eight respectively.

The team finished third, one stroke behind Augusta State and Kentucky. Dave was very disappointed in his play. Right after the tournament, the team drove back to Wake Forest and arrived late Tuesday night.