Schooled, p.16
Schooled, page 16
“Who’s Dean with?” I asked.
“The officer he’s with is also TOS. He’ll—” Lorenzo’s voice was distant and then gone.
Thirty
I hated waking up fuzzy. The disorientation spooked me.
The light was low, and monitors beeped nearby. My eyes attempted to focus and I tried to move; pain radiated from my shoulder and I could sense it was immobilized. A moment later, Mom and Dad came into view, although it was like seeing them through gauze.
“Theo, so good to see you awake.” Mom gently moved the hair near my forehead.
“Hey.”
She nodded and smiled. “I don’t like it when the first call I get when I’m on the ground is that my son’s been shot.”
“Sorry.” I tried for a smile, but I wasn’t sure my face worked correctly. The drugs were strong.
“It’s okay.” She smiled brightly. Only in my family could getting shot earn you a smile. “I hear you’ve been busy.”
“Little bit, yeah.”
There was a lot I wanted to ask, but I couldn’t focus on one thing to get words out. They kept looking at me.
Mom playing with my hair was nice.
“What’s up with my shoulder?” I finally formed some words.
Mom and Dad looked at each other. The news wasn’t good.
“You’ve been in surgery to remove the bullet.” Dad gave me the news. “There’s some muscle and tissue damage that’ll take time to heal. You’ll start physical therapy in a couple weeks.”
I nodded. Dammit. The hockey season. A shudder rocked me hard. Even if the Tigers went all the way, I probably wouldn’t make it back for the playoffs. Warm tears rolled down my face. I tried to wipe them away, but couldn’t figure out how to get my good hand out from under the sheet.
“Shhh,” Mom said, moving the sheet out of the way. I wiped with my hand, but I didn’t seem to make any progress. “Shhh. Theo. Wait.” Mom gently took my arm and laid it by my side. Dad handed some tissues to her and she wiped my face. It was like I was two and not able to take care of myself. Which I guess I wasn’t.
“I can tell that you’ve done the math on that.” Dad put his hand on my leg and squeezed.
“It sucks,” I warbled. What was wrong with my voice?
Again silence. Mom messed with my hair. I closed my eyes and took some deep breaths trying to steady myself.
“Dean! Where’s Dean?”
I jerked and pain shot through my shoulder. My mind cleared. I was in the hospital. Surgery. No hockey.
“Easy,” Mom said, coming into my field of view. She stood at the side of the bed, lowering the rail. “You fell asleep. We’re right here.” She sat down and Dad was doing the same on the other side. I calmed my breath while both of my parents looked at me with so much worry and love etched on their faces that I didn’t know what to do with myself.
“Is Dean okay?” I finally asked.
“He’s debriefing with a lot of agencies. We’ve taken responsibility for him and have an agent with him every step of the way. It’s been made clear he’s not to be treated like a criminal despite his past. He risked himself to keep that list secure, and that goes a long way to wiping out his other deeds.”
I nodded. He was okay. I’d done my job to protect him. Mom’s phone chirped and she went to get it across the room.
“Did you get the woman who bought the file?”
“No,” Dad said. “We think she saw the raid in progress and fled. Based on what we’ve pieced together, Coyle worked for Melinda DeMain, an information broker. Intel says she had bidders in North Korea, various Middle Eastern countries, and Russia vying for the information.”
A soft knock at the door drew our attention.
“Come in,” Mom said, which was good since I wasn’t sure my voice would carry that far.
Eddie poked his head around the door. “Mr. and Mrs. Reese, hi.”
“Come on in, Eddie.” Mom went to him, drawing him in the room. She gave him a quick hug.
Oh, wow. He drove all the way here? Was it still Sunday? It had to be. They would’ve told me otherwise.
“We’ll leave you two for a few minutes,” Dad said, getting up and going to where Mom was.
The three of them talked for a moment. I couldn’t hear. Seeing Eddie was good. It made me warm and fuzzy that he’d haul all the way out here to see me in a hospital bed. He must love me a lot.
Mom gave Eddie another hug before she and Dad left the room.
He came to the side of the bed where Mom had sat, on my good side. “Jesus, Theo, I leave you alone for one weekend….” I chuckled and winced. “Are you okay?”
“I guess. I’m still pretty drugged.”
He leaned over and gave me a quick kiss on the forehead. That was nice. I kinda wanted more, but I didn’t really have the energy either.
“What happened? I’ve only heard what’s on the news.”
Crap. I didn’t know the official story, or if anything differed from the actual news. I decided to tell him the truth as it might’ve seemed to Dean. It was also the easiest for me to tell while I was still under the influence of the drugs.
“Dean’s a hacker like you?”
“I am not a hacker. I’m a digital security consultant.”
He looked at me with that super cute cocked eyebrow. It seemed to be higher over the top of his glasses than usual.
“What? I am.”
He sat on the edge of the bed and held my good hand gently in his.
“You are so loopy right now.” He smiled at me and that warm feeling ran through me again. Eddie was much better for me than the actual drugs. “How long are you laid up for?” He shifted topics.
“I actually don’t know. Physical therapy’s in two weeks, and I’m probably out the rest of the season.”
“Why do I think you’re already looking for a way to rush the therapy.”
“Maybe,” I said through a sheepish look.
“Don’t get yourself hurt worse.” He was strict, pulling out a tone I hadn’t heard before. “You gotta stop going to competitions where there are other schools participating. You got hurt in Amherst. You got hurt in Denver. Maybe you don’t travel well?”
I chuckled. “Maybe. I’ll certainly think twice before I do it again.” We sat quietly, holding each other’s gaze. A small, adorable smile played across Eddie’s lips. “I’m sorry you came all the way out here just to sit on my bed.”
“That’s what boyfriends do, right?”
“I’m glad it’s what my boyfriend does.”
“You’re taking this pretty well.” He squeezed my hand tighter.
“I’m under the influence of some really excellent drugs.” I gestured with my head toward the IV, and then I winced because it tugged on my shoulder. “Anyway, it’s impossible for me to be too upset right now.”
“It gives you a super adorkable look on your face too.” He pulled out his phone. “Let’s capture this. And let everyone know you’re okay.”
He maneuvered himself into a good selfie position and snapped. He turned the phone so I could see.
“Oh God. That’s what adorkable looks like to you?” I looked stoned out of my mind, not to mention how unflattering the hospital gown looked with its tiny blue and yellow polka dots.
He sat up. “Totally.” He typed and talked while he wrote a post. “You can’t keep a good man down. Theo’s doing okay. Who knew a computer-science competition could get so intense? #BrokenWing.”
“Nice touch there on the end. I might use that hashtag for the next few weeks. You know Mitch is going to be the first to comment on that.”
Another knock at the door and it opened a bit to reveal the nurse. “Excuse me. I need to do some checks. She came over to the IV machine and pushed buttons.
“I suppose I should go since it’s a couple hours back. Plus you need to rest so you can come home.” He stood and we looked at each other again.
“I love that you came out here and I love you.” I tugged on his hand and he caught on that I wanted a kiss. “Text me when you get home?”
“You got it.” He leaned in for another kiss. This time a soft one on my lips, and it made me forget everything for a moment.
“Love you.” He grinned at me before he slipped out the door.
“Love you too.” It never got old saying that to him.
“I didn’t mean to rush him away,” she said.
“It’s okay. He’s got to get back to Boston anyway.”
Crap. I don’t have a phone. That memory came rushing back of how it’d been sacrificed.
While the nurse checked me out, I drifted. Eddie’s visit was awesome. I couldn’t believe he drove for two hours to see me for a few minutes. Although, I’d do the same for him. The one advantage of not being able to play for several weeks would be hanging out with him more. It’d be weird watching games in the stands with him, though.
Mom and Dad were sitting across the room, talking quietly. I couldn’t make out their words while my eyes fully focused on them.
“Hey.” I coughed and cleared my throat. “Hey,” I managed to say louder.
They came over, this time standing next to each other at my bedside.
“This came for you.” Dad reached behind Mom and produced a phone from the table. “Lorenzo says it’s configured to your last cloud backup.”
Lorenzo was a wizard sometimes, getting me phones whenever I needed them. Now I’d be able to get Eddie’s text later.
“Lorenzo wants to talk to you once you feel up to it.”
I nodded. “Maybe a little later.”
“That’s fine. He knows you’ve only been out of surgery a few hours.”
“How’s Cullen and the rest of the team?”
Dad and Mom traded another look, and this one said that the news wasn’t good. Dad sighed. “Cullen’s got a shattered wrist and broken nose. He’s been in surgery. Chet Kilgore, the proctor, passed away from the head injury. The rest of your teammates are significantly shaken, but physically they’re okay. The other students and teachers are also okay, including the one Coyle assaulted when she first entered the building. The civilians were quickly evacuated from the building when she took over your room.”
I didn’t know what to say. I’d done what I could for Chet. I turned away from Dad and Mom to stare out the window. Cullen had tried for a hero moment and paid for it.
“You have to know that none of it’s on you. You did good work.”
“I know. In some ways it worked out great because we got the file secured. For my teammates, though, this isn’t the weekend they expected. At least I’ve been through weird before and know how to process it.”
“TOS is providing a counselor for your teammates, families, and anyone at the school who needs one. Dean has one specifically assigned to him as well. It’ll keep whatever stories come up close to us—even though we’re pretty sure there are no TOS security issues. You did a tremendous job playing both sides.”
“I’m so proud of you.” Mom ruffled my hair more and I sighed. It was just about the most soothing thing ever. She was taking all of this so well. After Denver, maybe it’d gotten easier for her too. “You didn’t break your cover, but you did what was needed.”
I nodded. “I tried.”
I was rapidly losing the fight to stay awake. I needed to call Lorenzo, but my body didn’t care.
“Let yourself sleep, Theo.” Dad must’ve seen my struggle. “Everything can wait and we’ll be right here.”
I smiled, at least I think I did, before drifting away.
Thirty-One
I didn’t go back to school until Thursday. The hospital released me on Tuesday afternoon, and then Mom and Dad wanted me to spend at least a day getting used to my left arm being immobilized by a crazy sling contraption.
No way around it, this was a bitch. I’d been injured before—both in hockey and in the field. But none of those injuries were this severe. There’d be no biking, no hockey, and no lots of other stuff for at least a month.
Thankfully physical therapy started in eleven days—I was counting down to the second when the appointment was. I could ride a stationary bike and walk a treadmill starting next week. Being so still made me crazy, though, and I was already restless.
Eddie was on his way to swim practice, and I was leaving school after wrapping up a meeting with my physics teacher about the test I’d missed. As I approached Mrs. H’s classroom, she stepped into the hallway and looked like she was about to pull the door closed. She looked haunted.
“Theo,” she said softly, “it’s good to see you back.”
“Thanks. It’s good to be back in the routine.”
“The team’s all here if you want to say hello.”
I’d seen most of them around school today, but not all of them.
“Yeah!” She looked surprised at my excitement, but it was genuine. We’d been through a lot and what we’d worked for had been disrupted.
She moved aside so I could step in the classroom.
“Theo!” Alice jumped up from her desk and came over. She gave me a gentle half hug that kept my left side out of the way.
“Hey.”
The rest of the class gathered around.
“Let’s give Theo some room,” Mrs. H said after there’d been more hugs.
“How are you, Cullen?”
We matched, with slings on opposite arms. His face was bruised. “That dude fucked me over good,” he said, shaking his head.
“Cullen!” Mrs. H chastised, but rolled her eyes as well.
“Sorry. There’s no better way to describe it.” He looked back to me. “I’m working to write with my left hand. The doc says it’s unclear if I’ll get full usage back on the right.”
“Oh, man. I’m sorry.”
“Who’d have thought this could go down with a bunch of geeks?” He chuckled, in remarkably good spirits.
“Right. I’ve never been this hurt in hockey.”
We laughed more and some others joined in.
I wanted to ask how they were all doing—really doing, but that seemed awkward. I didn’t know these guys that well. I knew they’d all seen counselors, and everyone expected they’d all be resilient. Dean, however, looked off. We needed to catch up one-on-one because we’d been in the thick of it together.
“Theo, I’m actually glad I caught you because I have news.” Mrs. H moved in behind her desk. “If you all will take a seat.” We quickly settled. “Milestone Security, the company that sponsored the competition, has decided to award all seven schools the prize money.”
We broke out into cheers along with some high fives. That’d be so good for the computer-science club.
“In addition,” she said, pausing until the cheers died down, “each of you is being awarded an additional twenty-five thousand dollars toward your education. Your parents will get paperwork with details later this week.”
Everyone cheered again. Incredible news. I was especially happy about Dean. I suspected this would help a lot. Twenty-five thousand would actually help anyone’s education. I wondered if I could give him mine. It wasn’t money I expected or really needed. He could make good use of it, though. I’d find a way to make it happen.
Once the excitement settled, I stood. “I should let you guys get on with your meeting. I need to get home. I’m still catching up.”
“Hey, Theo.” I turned at Jessie’s voice. “How’d you stay so calm? You were kinda badass. Dean says you crushed that woman’s wrist just like Cullen’s and that you saved his life.”
I’d hoped that information wouldn’t travel too much. Dean knew how to keep secrets. I guess it was inevitable this would come out.
“I didn’t know about that.” Alice looked pissed.
“Me either,” added Cullen.
“I did what I had to,” I said, hoping to end this conversation quickly. “I’m sure any of you would’ve done the same.”
“I don’t think I know how to crush someone’s wrist,” Li said.
“Me either, and it happened to me.” Cullen held up his arm.
I shrugged. “Well, I did take some self-defense courses over the holidays. After what happened last fall, I wanted to know how to take care of myself.”
“We need to let Theo get on his way.” Thank God Mrs. H gave me an out.
“I’ll see you all around. Please, don’t be strangers.”
This time I got out of the room and headed for the parking lot.
I was stuck driving. At least I could do that with the sling since most of the important controls for the car were on the right side. I’d figured out early this morning how to hit the turn signal with my right hand while steadying the wheel with my immobilized left.
There were few cars left in the parking lot.
As I got closer to Mom’s car, I saw that one of the tires was flat.
“Great,” I mumbled.
I had no app for changing a tire. Thankfully we had a AAA membership because there was no way I could do it.
I looked through my contacts to call, and suddenly arms wrapped around me. Pain shot through my shoulder as I was jerked around.
“Hey!” I shouted. I had zero leverage, but despite the pain, I struggled to break the hold. “What the hell?”
“You didn’t think we were done, did you, Reese?” Wes came into my field of vision. He snatched my phone and threw it across the parking lot.
He wasted no time punching me in the stomach, sending all the air rushing out of my lungs. I tried to double over, but the person restraining me kept me upright. To make it worse, my restrainer headbutted my shoulder, causing me to yelp from the excruciating pain.
“Does that hurt?” Wes’s tone mocked in a singsong fashion. “Let’s see how you feel about this.”
He stepped closer, and I knew exactly what he planned—knee me liked I’d done to him. I had nowhere to go and did my best to bring my legs together to guard myself.
“People are coming,” said the guy who held me. His breath was warm on my neck.
“Yo, Wes. You’re not supposed to be here.” Dean sounded the most forceful I’d ever heard him. I looked up as Wes glanced back over his shoulder. The entire team, including Mrs. H, ran toward us. Mrs. H was on the phone and following them as fast as she could in her heels.
