Total pages in book: 101
Estimated words: 94119 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 471(@200wpm)___ 376(@250wpm)___ 314(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 94119 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 471(@200wpm)___ 376(@250wpm)___ 314(@300wpm)
I took a quiet, deep breath, so June didn’t notice my inner turmoil. I was seventeen. I could do this alone. I had to. Plus, I had my fellow patients to lean on, and they were all pretty cool. It all didn’t seem so bad now that I was here.
I can do this…
June’s silence made me turn my attention to her. She clearly felt the heaviness of my gaze as she met my eyes. “I’m so sorry they couldn’t come.” She sounded heartbroken for me. My chest squeezed at that. I wasn’t used to people caring for me outside of my little family. It was…nice. Unfamiliar but nice all the same. I didn’t really know how to process that.
“It’s okay,” I said nonchalantly. “I intend to go back to them fully healed and ready to live the rest of my life in perfect health.” I meant every word of it.
June’s responding smile was blinding. “I believe you will,” she said. I smiled back as we rounded the corner to her suite. “Ah, thank you!” she said, humor in her soft voice. “I would never have found my way here. I’d have been calling out an SOS.” We stopped at her door. She faced me. “You’ve really sussed this place out in the couple of days you’ve been here, huh?”
“Eh, not really.” I dramatically stepped backwards a few steps until I stood before the next suite’s door. “This is me,” I said, tapping on the door’s nameplate. “Stag.”
“You’re room’s next door to mine?” June said, kind of breathless.
“Looks that way.”
“Ah, there you are!” A man’s voice came from behind June right before he came into view. He was middle-aged and looked kind of like June. Her dad, I assumed. He was followed by who had to be June’s mom. Neenee brought up the rear.
“Jesse,” Neenee said, spotting me by my door. “I see you’ve met June.”
I looked to June and winked. “I have.”
She blushed.
“I’m Greg Scott, June’s dad,” the man said, and I shook his hand.
“Nice to meet you, sir. I’m Jesse Taylor.”
Mr. Scott looked to my baseball cap for a few moments, then said, “Jesse Taylor who is set to join the Longhorns next year? Jesse Taylor, offensive player of the year, QB?”
“Yes, sir,” I said, and just like happened with most people I met, his gaze turned sympathetic. I tossed the ball between my hands faster—it was part of me at this point, and it helped calm me. “Just got to kick this cancer’s butt first,” I said, trying to keep things light. I needed to keep things positive. I couldn’t entertain anything but a full recovery here at the ranch, so I was making no room for the alternative. I had dreams to fulfill and goals to achieve, and I only had a small window for that to happen.
“You managed to still play football sick?” June asked, shocked, and that twist was back in my gut. The truth was, we hadn’t known.
“We didn’t pick up on the signs, Jesse. I’m so sorry. We thought they were injury related, not this,” the team doc said, his hand on my shoulder. “I don’t know how you managed to push through each game, son, through practice. You’re nothing if not tenacious. If anyone can beat this, it’s you.”
The flashback to a few months ago made every fiber in my body strain. I rubbed the back of my neck again. When I felt that pit in my stomach begin, I didn’t want anyone else to notice it. I was outgoing Jesse. MVP QB Jesse. Would beat this cancer and get to UT next year Jesse.
I wasn’t weak.
Mr. Scott cleared his throat, and when I looked to him, I panicked that he could see through me, could see the cracks in who I tried to be. “I wish you nothing but the best, son,” he said. “Truly. I saw highlights of you on our local football channel. You’ve got a great talent that I hope to see on the Longhorn field someday soon.”
“Thank you, sir,” I said, meaning it. I could see June’s brows pulled down in confusion, but she didn’t ask anything else—thankfully. “Are you a UT alumnus?”
“I am,” he said, then put his hand on his wife’s arm, a proud expression on his face. “We both are. It’s where we met, freshman year.” He then put his arm around June. “June is set to go there too.” His demeanor shifted. “After—”
“After she also kicks cancer’s butt,” I interrupted, and watched as June’s anxious face morphed into one of amusement.
“That she will,” Mr. Scott said. “Oh, how rude of me! This is my wife, Claire.”
I shook Mrs. Scott’s hand. It was like seeing June in the future. “Nice to meet y’all,” I said, then looked to June. “I guess I’ll be seeing you soon, Junebug.” I nodded at them all as I turned to leave.