GAVIN

The ball sailed through the air, dropping into the basket at the last second. Jiles high-fived Nick in celebration, and I shook my head. Two on one was hardly fair anyway, but they had to rub it in. With a chuckle, I jogged over and pickes up the bouncing ball. Our weekly game of basketball always gave me something to look forward to; time with the guys, cutting loose a bit, relaxing.

“You can win a game any better than you can get a woman, Carpenter. You better drag your sorry a*s off the court before you make a fool of yourself” Jiles picked up his water bottle, breathing hard, and poured some over his head. The sun above beat down on us, making today’s game a bit uncomfortable, but we never canceled a game. We had a routine of hitting the court when any of us was upset about something, and then some pickup games between vent sessions.

“Yeah,” Nick chimed in, “and I think unless you turn this losing streak around, you're going to end up like some lonel old miser who screams at kids to stay off his lawn.”

Both of them smacked hands again, getting a good laugh at my expense. I dribbled up to the hoop, did a lay-up and caught the ball beneath the basket, displaying my superior baller skills.

“At least I'm not whipped. Your lady has you on a chain, Nick” I took a jab at Nick, and Jiles laughed, covering his mouth and pointing. We enjoyed palling around and picking fun at each other.

“Hey, now. That was a cheap shot.” Nick gave me a playful shove as I walked up to them to grab my own water. “No low blows here. You know if you had a lady, you'd be p***y whipped too. Admit it.

“He has a point.” Jiles sprayed some water on Nick and laughed. It was good to be with the guys, giving each other a hard time like we always did. They were a rough bunch, but I knew they had my back no matter what. I was grateful they'd stuck with me so long. I'd known Nick since college, but Jiles had become a friend only in the past few years after moving here to New Orleans. To access the complete chapters for free, visit) 0 b nib . c 0 m“So really though, you have got to stop working so hard and get to know some ladies, man. You don’t know what you're missing out on. Jiles took a huge drink of water and drew his arm across his face to wipe away the mixture of slobber and sweat. “Yeah, yeah. My mom gives me a hard time all the time too. I might just have my eye on someone.” I chose the sophisticated thing of grabbing my sweat towel to wipe my face and neck clean. Then I sat down and drank, quenching my thirst. The small outdoor court was nestled between three apartment buildings in the complex where Nick lived. My driveway was basically a steep hill, not allowing for a hoop to be put up, and Jiles was married, so his wife called the shots. She said no hoop, so here we were at Nick's place sharing the court with ten-year-old’s.

“For real? Who is she?” Jiles sat down next to me on the small courtside bench.

“Who says it's a girl?” Nick offered a shove, and I wobbled on the bench before righting myself, only to hear them laugh hysterically again.

“Very funny.” I rolled my eyes and snickered at his dumb joke. “Actually, her name is Madison. She visits the hospital every day, and I've just grown fond of her. I'm waiting on.... Well, it's complicated.” exclusive content.

“Complicated? How?” Nick sat on the other side of Jiles and sipped his water, the mood growing calmer as he realize I was serious.

I didn’t know whether to tell them or not. She wasn't exactly attached, but then she was. And I didn’t consider her unavailable, but I felt like she probably considered herself unavailable. Jiles and Nick listened carefully as I told ther how Drew had been in a coma for over I6 months, how Madison visited daily, how she confided in me and had lunch with me. When I was finished, Nick was shaking his head.

“Man, you're crazy. She is in love with someone else. You're just going to end up getting hurt. Or worse. The dude will wake up and kill you or something.” He scoffed and crushed the plastic water bottle in his hand, shooting it at the trash can like it was a basketball.

“Nah, I don't think so.” Jiles screwed the lid back on his water like a civilized human and held it in his hands as he leaned forward, elbows on knees. “You are a doctor. You know the odds here. Certainly, if he had shown signs of coming out of it, you'd have a harder decision, but if she’s already amicable and willing to have lunch, talk, whatever... Well I think you should go for it”

“You guys are crazy,” Nick blurted out, popping to his feet. He picked up the basketball and jogged across the court, dribbling. I watched him shoot a few hoops and sipped my water. I already felt torn by what to do, and seeing my best friends be divided didn’t help.

A few kids walked onto the court, but Nick hogged the hoop, shooting and practicing lay-ups. Jiles didn’t join him; instead, he sat by me in silence. It was too hot to run around anymore, the sun high overhead. I wanted a cold shower and a cold beer.

“I think I'm going to head out. It's too fucking hot.”

“Language.” Jiles pointed at the kids, and I winced.

“Yeah, always the dad, huh? Anyway, it's too hot and I'm sweating like a pig. I'm going to head home.” I began collecting my things to head out and Jiles rose too.

“You know, Nick has a point, but you, my friend, have been lonely for too long. That last girl was just bad news. And before her it was how long?”

As if being scolded by my mother, I felt the sting of that sentence. “Oh, you know. Three years.”

“Sheesh, yeah. You need to just move on, man. You should seriously give it a shot. If this girl is interested, she'll sho it. If not, you can’t do any worse than be friend zoned, right? I mean, you may as well try.”

Jiles shoved his water bottle in his bag and hoisted the strap onto his shoulder.

“Yeah, I guess you're right. Next week, same time?” I looked up at Nick, still showing off to the little kids.

“Yeah, well not next week. I have that birthday party for my sister's kid. But maybe on Sunday instead.” Jiles headed off, shouting over his shoulder, “Take it easy, Nick.”

I waved as he let himself out of the court's tall chain link fence, then headed to the opposite gate. Maybe Jiles had a point about Madii. If she was ready, she was ready, and if not, I could just wait. I just had to make my move.

If I remembered right, there was an online symposium about some new trials happening for coma patients. I had received an email to register to view the streamed event, or purchase tickets for the live event happening later that fall. The thought of inviting Madii to join me, even if just for the streamed event, gave me a bit of pep to my step. After situating myself in my car and getting out into traffic, I used hands-free to call Madison. Her phone rang a few times then went to voicemail, and instead of leaving a message for her, I opted to try calling her back later on that day. So, I turned onto the highway toward home.

I was almost at the gate to the estate when my phone rang—Madison’s caller ID image showing on the screen. I smiled to myself as I punched in the gate code, then answered the call.

“Hello, Dr. Carpenter.”

“Gavin? Is it Drew? Is he awake? Did something happen?” Madison's voice was frantic. She sounded out of breath. I instantly felt guilt sink in. I hadn't realized that calling her personal cell phone number would do this to her. I usually made it a point to keep work numbers off my personal cell, but Madison had given me her number months ago with a request that if anything happened with Drew, she would be the first person I called.

“Oh, gosh. Madii, sorry. Nothing has happened with Drew. Last I checked he was still the same. Pam and Cecil haven't called me, so I think everything is as it was.”

“Oh.”

The disappointment in her voice crushed me. It was difficult to hear her hurting. The way her emotions affected mine was proof to me that I had feelings for her. No one had ever affected me this way before. Not even my high-school sweetheart.

“I do have something I think you'd be interested in though. Something we could do together.” I tried to lace my voice with as much hope and positivity as possible.

“Like what?” Madison sounded about as excited as a bear waking up from hibernation. But I didn’t let it deter me. “There is an online symposium next week about new therapies for coma patients. Some of them are trials, so Drew wouldn't qualify. But some of them may be helpful now. You could come to my place, and we could pop some popcorn and watch the streamed event. What do you think?”

Nearing my exit, I merged across traffic toward the outside lane. The line was quiet for a while, and I almost chimed in to offer more reasons why she should come and view the event. Just when I thought maybe she'd hung up, I heard her speak.

“Sure. I can do that. You say maybe it might help Drew?”

Of course, she latched on to the hope of helping Drew. It was the premise under which I was luring her to my home. But my ultimate goal was to help her see what everyone else in the world saw. Coma patients are mostly hopeless. She could let go, mourn, and move on. And I wanted to be the one to help her move on, the one she chose.

“Yeah, I mean. You'll learn a lot more than just my ramblings. Plus, it will be good for you to be away from the hospital in a place that isn't work or your mom's house. And we get along pretty well. So, you know you'll be comfortable. No pressure to be anything other than who you are. How does that sound?”

Madison thought it over for a moment and replied, “Yeah, okay. That sounds good. I dont have a clue how to do any research to educate myself on this stuff. I've read every pamphlet the hospital has on it, but it's confusing. I'm more of an auditory learner, so maybe hearing things helps.

“Great, well I'm glad I invited you then.” I must have looked like a fool—driving around with a cheesy grin on my face. I passed a few neighbors out in their driveway talking. They waved at me, but I was on cloud nine and never waved back. They probably thought I was rude.

“Okay, well we don't have to just have popcorn. Since you're offering your place and allowing me to sit in on the symposium, maybe I'll bring dinner. What is your favorite takeout?”

I heard some laughter in the background, likely one of Madison's photography clients.

“I'm sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt you at work.”

“No problem. We were taking a break, so the kids didn't get restless, and I noticed a missed call. So... dinner?”

I thought about it for a second. Something that was healthy but quick, and something wouldn't make either of us embarrassed to eat in front of the other. “How about some grilled cheese from that new place, Melts?”

“Sounds perfect. I'll order something for us both. You'll just have to give me details about time and day. I'll make it work.”

We chatted for a moment about the symposium, what she might encounter. She asked surprisingly relevant questions, which took my ego down a notch. If I was going to convince her to move on I would really have my work cut out for me.