Chapter 3

Bubba was quiet but I could tell he was hurting. He held his teeth tightly together and there was sweat all over his brow. And it wasn't warm. He kept his left hand pressed against the area.

I did my best to keep him still. Of course, the gurney he was on was secured to the floor and he had a strap wrapped around him so he wouldn't fall off, but he would move going around the corners if I wasn't there.

"You're Leslie's friend, aren't you."

"Yes, I am."

"Nancy. Right?"

"Yeah."

"Well, this is a hell of a way to get you to go out with me."

I laughed when he said that. "You're funny."

"I wasn't trying to be funny. I would have said something earlier if Coach hadn't come up and blown that stupid whistle in my ear. And if I wasn't so afraid of being turned down."

"Oh, I can't believe that. Who would turn you down?"

He laughed, then stopped short, pressing his hand into his collarbone tighter.

"That hurts. Don't sound so surprised. It happens. Not too often because I don't put myself out there very much."

"What, a big strong football player like you?"

"I may be strong, but I'm definitely big. Hell, I weigh 287. I had scarlet fever when I was a kid and it took two years to get through the fourth grade. So I'm older than all the kids here. Most girls think I'm just another fat, stupid jock."

I leaned my left arm over him, holding on to his waist so he wouldn't slide or roll. I took his right hand in mine.

"I don't think you're fat. Or stupid."

We pulled into the hospital and backed up into the emergency ramp. The back doors slammed open and the attendants unlatched and then slid out the gurney. I saw Jeff waiting inside the sliding doors to the emergency room. He was bent over, examining Bubba even as they wheeled him in.

I got out of the ambulance to find Mrs. Bond standing near the entrance.

"Hello, Nancy. How are you tonight?"

"I'm fine, Mrs. Bradley.'

"Nancy, don't you think we know each other well enough for you to call me Sue? You call my husband by his first name."

"I'm sorry. I was just brought up to call adults by their last name."

"I appreciate that Nancy, but you've got to be 18. And we've been through a lot together. I'd really like it if you called me Sue. 'Mrs. Bradley' makes me feel so old."

"OK. Sue."

"Well, I'm sure my husband is going to be here a while. He thinks he's the only doctor in this hospital who knows what he's doing. Can I give you a ride home?"

"No, I think I'll stick around for a bit, Sue. I can catch a ride with someone else."

"The reason you want to stick around wouldn't have anything to do with that football player in there, would it?"

"Yeah, he might have something to do with it."

"Well, good for you. You deserve to have someone special."

"Well, I don't know how special he'll be to me. But he did say he'd like to go out with me."

"Good luck, Nancy. You deserve it." She took my shoulders and leaned over, kissing me on the cheek. She was the first person to ever do something like that for me. My mother thought showing affection for anyone was a sign of weakness. The way she put it, you left yourself wide open to being taken advantage of by even being nice to someone.

Sue left and the two ambulance attendants came out, pushing their gurney. I headed aimlessly back into the emergency room.

Jeff came out of the examination room. "Hey, Nancy. Just the person I need. Get over here."

I followed him into the room. His body was blocking my view of his hands.

"Come here. I want you to hold this."

I walked around him and saw that he was holding out Bubba's hand. Both of them grinned at me as I took it from him.

"You know, Anthony, I don't do this for just anyone. Nancy's my best candy striper and only special patients get her services. Isn't that right, Nancy."

"Anthony. I like that. Can I call you Anthony?"

"Well, I don't know. Everyone calls me Bubba. The only one who calls me my real name is my mom. You'd have to be real special for me to let you."

"Anthony. I like that."

"OK, you two. That's enough. We have a medical procedure we need to go through, you know."

He reached around and grabbed a syringe with a needle that had to be at least six inches long. Bubba's eyes got wide as he filled it with fluid.

"Just squeeze her hand if you want. She can take it. Heck, you're a big guy. If the horses don't mind this thing, why should you? This won't hurt much. Or, maybe it will. I've never gotten one of these myself."

He sunk the needle in Bubba in several places near the fracture, inserting a little of the shot in each place.

"OK. You should start to lose feeling in that area... right... about... now."