12

The roar of Puma pride that had permeated every corner of the town when Jess arrived in Last Chance had quieted to a low grumble by the night of the town council meeting. Last Chance High’s record stood at 1–3, and even their single win gave more cause for complaint than for triumph.

“You are a brave woman.” Andy slid behind the wheel of his truck after closing Jess’s door and started the engine. “If you had suddenly decided you needed to go to this thing on your own, I sure would have understood. I hope you brought your doctor stuff, because there will be blood.”

“I may have a Band-Aid or two in my purse. If there’s not too much blood, that ought to work.” Jess turned to smile at Andy, but he looked pretty grim for someone who had just made a joke. She leaned back against the door so she could see him better. “Are you serious? Rita said this was just a friendly get-together.”

“Nah. I’m just kidding.” Andy threw her a quick grin. “Folks take their football pretty seriously, but other than the occasional parking lot fistfight, they don’t get violent.”

“Fistfight?” Suddenly the very benign, warm and friendly event Rita had promised was appearing to Jess in a whole new light. She didn’t have much to say for the rest of the short drive.

Andy pulled into a parking space at the community center and shut off the ignition.

“Look.” He reached across the seat and enveloped Jess’s hand in his own, giving it a little shake. “Everything is going to be fine, okay? There will not be blood; there will be no fights. First of all, Rita would never allow the chief ingredient of a parking lot fistfight to cross the threshold of a town council meeting. She serves coffee only. And second, these are good folks. I’ve known them all my life. Sure, they’ll have some tough questions, but I’m okay with that. It’s just part of my job.”

When Jess got out of the pickup, she was beginning to feel a little better, and when Andy joined her and gave her a wink and a smile, she almost relaxed. But when he pushed the door open for her and she walked past him into the hall, he leaned down to whisper, “But keep the Band-Aids handy just in case.”

Rita spotted them the minute they came in, waving and tucking her clipboard under her arm as she bustled across the room to greet them.

“There you are! I was beginning to think you weren’t going to come.”

Jess glanced at her watch. It was ten minutes to 7:00 and the room held maybe twenty people, including the half dozen or so seated at a long folding table at the front of the room. She exchanged a glance with Andy.

Rita appeared to be too busy with her clipboard to notice. “So, here’s the schedule.”

She ran through the night’s agenda without looking up from her clipboard or even taking a breath, and when she finally looked up with a smile and said, “Any questions?” Jess found she had none. In fact, she would have been hard pressed to repeat almost anything Rita had just told her. Only one thing registered with her. She would be introduced and speak before Andy.

Rita gave them about two seconds to respond before continuing. “All righty then. We’ll be starting here in seven minutes, so go on and mingle.”

She gave Jess’s arm a little pat, but her gaze had already landed on a new arrival she clearly needed to talk to before the meeting began, and waving her arm to flag him down, she took off again.

Jess turned to Andy, but before she could say anything, a man in well-worn jeans and a blue plaid shirt approached them and nodded. “Evening. Nice to see you, ma’am. So how are we looking for Friday, Coach?”

As two or three more men ambled over to join a conversation that obviously didn’t include her, Jess looked around the room. A few more people had arrived, bringing the total to around thirty. Most stood chatting in groups of three or four, and a few were drawing coffee from a large urn into Styrofoam cups. Jess took a deep breath. Time to mingle.

When Rita called the meeting to order a few minutes later, Jess was laughing with two older women and the recently married daughter of one of them. As much as she appreciated that Rita had taken her under her wing and introduced her to everyone she could think of, Jess couldn’t help noticing that when she was on her own, people didn’t seem to have that deer-in-the-headlights expression they assumed when Rita loomed up before them. In fact, everyone was downright friendly and welcoming, and for the first time since she arrived in Last Chance, Jess began to truly feel she might belong here one day.

Finally, after the Pledge of Allegiance, the opening prayer, and Rita’s extravagant introduction, Jess found herself standing before the small crowd. She recognized Russ Sheppard sitting at the council table, and Juanita was there in the second row. A few of the others also looked a little familiar, but the only smile came from the young newlywed she’d spoken with before the meeting.

She smiled back and looked out over the small assembly as she took a deep breath. “Hi, I’m Jess MacLeod. Rita asked me to tell you all a little about myself, but my goodness, anything I could say after that introduction would only take the gloss off. I’m tempted to stop right here.”

There were a few chuckles and some more smiles, and Jess relaxed. The twenty minutes Rita had allotted her went by much faster than she imagined they would, and before she knew it, she was asking for questions.

The faces were friendly enough, but there were no questions, and after a moment she smiled and said, “Well, thank you for listening. I loved getting to know some of you tonight, and I intend to get to know all of you better. I think one of the best decisions I ever made was coming to Last Chance, and I hope to be here a long, long time. Rita told me that this was just supposed to be a friendly get-together, but you know that I can’t sit down without giving at least one bit of medical advice: flu season’s on its way, so don’t forget to get your shot.”

The crowd chuckled and applauded as Jess joined Andy on the first row. She leaned over to whisper, “Piece of cake. A lot of worry for nothing.”

“For you, maybe.” Andy crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair.

“And now, I’m pleased to introduce someone who needs no introduction.” Rita stood at her chair behind the long folding table and beamed, first at Andy and then at the room.

For someone claiming Andy needed no introduction, Rita certainly had a lot to say about him, his years growing up in Last Chance, and his football career after he left. She finished up by saying, “Let’s welcome Last Chance’s own hometown hero, the boy who made us proud—Coach Andy Ryan.”

The applause that greeted Andy as he stepped to the front was less than tepid, even for a small crowd, and Jess, remembering how much that single smile had meant when she was up there, gave him one of her own.

“Well, I’m guessing that you didn’t come out tonight to hear about me.” He leaned his weight on one foot and shoved his hand in his jeans pocket. “I’m thinking you came to talk football.”

“You got that right.” The muttered comment came from somewhere in the middle of the room.

“Then let’s talk football.” Andy shifted his weight and gave a half grin. “I don’t need to tell you that we’ve had a rough start to the season. Shoot, you were there. You saw it. But as you know, with nearly half the team last year graduating, we’ve got a young team. There’s a lot of potential there, though, and I think you’re going to see some good football before the season’s out.”

In an easy, relaxed manner, Andy went on to talk about the team, its weaknesses and strengths, his confidence in them, and his belief that despite the year’s disappointing beginning, a winning season was still within their grasp.

“So keep coming out to support your team.” He was beginning to wrap things up, and Jess became aware of movement and a slight restlessness behind her. “If you’re a parent, keep it upbeat. Believe me, between me and Kev Gallegos, they get all the coaching they need, and then some. Just keep that Puma pride up; we’ll do the rest. Now, I’ll bet we have some questions.”

Almost before he finished speaking, Jess heard the scraping of chairs against the linoleum floor. Andy pointed over her head to someone behind her. “Yeah. Les.” Jess looked over her shoulder to see a wiry older man with a salt and pepper mustache and denim jacket get to his feet.

“I get what you’re saying, Andy. The boys, most of ’em anyway, do lack experience, and like you say, your toughest teams were stacked there at the beginning of the season.” He paused a beat or two. “But what in Sam Hill happened with Otero Valley? I don’t think Otero Valley’s won a dozen games in the last ten years, and we beat ’em by one lousy point. One! And if they’d ’a made that field goal in the last thirty seconds, they’d ’a beat us too.” He stared at Andy as if he couldn’t believe he even had to ask the question, threw up his hands in a gesture of hopelessness, and sat down, still shaking his head.

“What can I tell you, Les? Other than to say that upsets sometimes come out of nowhere. That’s why they call them upsets. Otero fields an experienced team this year, and we’ve got young players at nearly all positions. But don’t forget, whether you win by forty points or by one, they still put that W in your column. Your team won that one. Be proud of ’em.”

Almost before Andy finished speaking, someone else got to his feet, and frustration that had been building since Last Chance lost its second game began to spill all over the community center hall. Jess knew of the Glory Days, Last Chance High’s eighty-four-game win streak, of course. It was Last Chance lore. But if she thought it was an impressive, once-in-a-lifetime occurrence, clearly the people in this room did not. As far as they were concerned, by returning to Last Chance, Andy Ryan had implicitly promised the return of the Glory Days as well. And the disappointment that it wasn’t going to begin this year, with this team, was almost palpable.

Andy, though, kept his cool. When he spoke in specifics about the technicalities of the game, it mostly floated over Jess’s head, but his theme never changed: these were good, if inexperienced, kids. They were working hard and they were getting better with every game. Last Chance had a lot to be proud of.

Gradually, Jess felt the tension in the room ease. People seemed to relax in their chairs. At least, Jess didn’t hear near the shifting and shuffling she had heard earlier, and the questions seemed more about gaining information than making accusations.

Finally, Rita rose to her feet. “I think we have time for about one more question. We do have a little business to take care of tonight, and the sooner we get it taken care of, the sooner we can cut that cake in the back.”

“I have a question, Andy.” The voice behind Jess was slow and calm, but there was no mistaking its grim edge. Jess turned around to see Rob Ellis standing in the back, his hands shoved deep in his pockets.

“Hey, Rob. I didn’t see you come in.” Andy grinned. “Shoot.”

“It’s just this.” He folded his arms across his broad chest. “My boy, Zach, is a senior, which means unless he gets a scholarship somewhere, he’s got exactly seven games left and he’s done playing football for good. I’ve watched him and worked with him since he was big enough to hold a football, and he’s good. Anyone who’s ever seen him play can tell you that.” A murmur of assent rippled over the crowd. “So what I want to know is, is he gonna get his shot? You don’t play him enough. You’ve lost three out of four games, and you still don’t play him enough. He’s your best player. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see that, just a good coach. I get that you’ve got next year’s team to develop, but what about this year? What about my boy?”

The room fell completely silent, and the easy smile Andy had worn since he stepped to the front of the room faded. From her vantage point in the front row, Jess could see a muscle along his jaw clench. Before he could say anything, Rita spoke up again.

“I think that’s a question that’s better dealt with in your office, Andy, if you don’t mind. We really do need to get the business meeting started. But we do want to thank you, Coach Ryan, and you too, Dr. MacLeod, for coming out to talk to us tonight.” She beamed and brought her hands together in loud applause. As the rest of the room joined in and Rob banged out the back door, Andy took his place beside Jess in the front row.

He didn’t say anything or even look at her, but that muscle in his jaw still clenched, and she could hear his quick and angry breath gradually slow to normal as Rita brought the meeting to order. True to her promise, all the business was quickly dispatched, and in moments the meeting had been adjourned.

“You okay?” Jess leaned over to whisper as the crowd behind them shuffled to its feet and a buzz of conversation filled the room.

“I’m fine.” He stood up and took a deep breath as he held out a hand to pull her to her feet. “As I said, it’s just part of the job.”

“Andy?” Les came up and offered his hand. “I need to tell you how sorry I am that I flew off the handle like that. I had no cause to do that, and I feel real bad about it. You’re right. A win’s a win, and I’m proud of those boys for pullin’ it off.”

Andy took the calloused old hand and shook it. “I’m proud of them too, Les. Thanks for coming to tell me, but it’s all right. Don’t give it another thought.”

“But I do. I feel like I set the tone for the whole evening by jumping down your throat right off the bat. And it got ugly there at the end. I’m just sorry about that.”

“Les, that was not your fault.” Andy clapped him on the shoulder. “To tell the truth, it went a lot better than I thought it might. I was expecting maybe tar and feathers.”

“Tar and feathers, my foot. You ought to know by now that we never get the tar and feathers out till the end of the season.” He shook Andy’s hand again and nodded toward Jess. “Ma’am.”

As Les headed off toward the table where Rita was handing out squares of chocolate cake, Jess cocked her head as she watched him go. “Isn’t he the guy who keeps telling you to run faster or they’re going to catch you when you’re out running?”

“Yeah, that’s Les, all right.” Andy smiled and shook his head. “He’s battled some demons in his day, but let me tell you, you’re not going to find a more stand-up guy anywhere than Les Watson. If the world were filled with Les Watsons, it would be a better place.”

Having seen the spider veins in Les’s cheeks, Jess had a pretty good idea what demons he had battled. “He does seem like a nice guy. How’s he doing?”

“Les? I guess he’s doing great. There was an alcohol-related accident involving some kids a couple years ago that he felt responsible for, even though he wasn’t anywhere near it at the time. From what I hear, that was it for him. It’s been a struggle, but so far he’s come out on top.”

“Good. I like him.”

“Me too. Now, I figure if we can run the gauntlet to the cake table, and eat some of Rita’s cake, we will have done our bit and can leave. What do you think?”

“I think you’ve got a plan.”

A few minutes later, when they did walk out into the cool October evening, Andy reached for her hand. Jess had never been much for hand holding, but Andy seemed to like it, and Jess discovered that when she was with him, she liked it too.

“Well, the official word is that you’re going to be a mom, and it will probably happen around March 16.” Jess smiled as she pulled off her latex gloves the next afternoon and took a seat on the little stool in her examination room. “How have you been feeling?”

Lainie Braden swung her legs over the side of the examination table and sat up. “I’m feeling great now. I did get tired pretty easily for a while, and there was a time or two when I was afraid I was going to lose my breakfast, but I never did.”

“Good for you. Well, you’re doing great. You need to keep taking those prenatal vitamins. And you need to have some blood work done and an ultrasound. I’ll give you some paperwork to take to the lab at San Ramon General, and I should see you again in about eight weeks. Other than that, just keep doing what you’re doing. Do you have any questions?”

Lainie held her hands to her cheeks. “So, I’m really pregnant?”

Jess laughed out loud. “You had doubts?”

“No. No, I knew up here.” She tapped her head. “It’s just that nothing’s happening, except I have to pee all the time.”

“Believe me, a lot is happening. You just can’t see it yet, but you will.” Jess stood up. “Now, I’m going to let you get dressed. If you think of any questions or have any concerns at all, call me. That’s what I’m here for.”

Lainie, still wearing a spacy grin, nodded.

“I’m serious, Lainie. Call me. You’re going to get more advice than you know what to do with from everyone you see and hear horror stories that’ll make you wonder what you got yourself into. Everyone loves to enlighten a first-time mom. But you don’t have to listen.”

Lainie nodded again.

“Repeat. ‘I don’t have to listen.’”

“I don’t have to listen.”

“There you go, girlfriend, and don’t forget it.” Jess reached for the door. “I really am so happy for you, and tell Ray congratulations for me, would you?”

She left Lainie, still sitting in her paper robe smiling into the near distance, and went to her office, slipping off her lab coat as she closed the door behind her. Lainie was the last appointment of the day. She hadn’t exactly worked herself to death since she opened her office in Last Chance, but there had been at least a few appointments every day. She was especially pleased about Lainie. Besides being one of the first people Jess had met when she got to town, Lainie had become a friend, one of the few she had found time to make. It would be great to see her through her pregnancy and deliver her baby.

The schedule for tomorrow sat on her desk, and Jess was going over it when her cell phone rang and she saw Andy’s number displayed.

“Hi.” She smiled into the phone.

“I’ve got an injured player. Can you see him, or should we head on up to the ER in San Ramon?” Andy minced no words.

“What kind of injury? Do you need to call an ambulance?” There was only so much she was equipped to do in her small office.

“No, it’s just a cut across his forehead, but I’m pretty sure he’ll need stitches. We’re already on our way. I just need to know if we can stop at your office or if we should go to San Ramon.”

“Bring him over. We’ll be able to take you right in.”

His voice relaxed a little. “Sorry to call on your personal phone, but that’s the only number I have.”

“No problem. Listen, I need to go get ready for you. See you in a minute.”

Putting her lab coat back on, she went to find Eva, who was sitting at her desk with her jacket on, closing down the computer. She looked up when Jess came in. “Well, I scheduled Lainie Braden’s next appointment, so that should be it. Okay if I leave now?”

“I need a suture setup in examination room two. They’re bringing someone over from football practice.”

The look Eva gave Jess clearly said, “You’ve got to be kidding,” and Jess ignored it. “Hurry, please. They’ll be here in just a few minutes. In fact, I think that’s them now.”

Through the front window, Jess saw Andy pull his truck next to the front door and say something to the person sitting next to him on the front seat. He got out and went around to open the passenger door and help a dark-haired kid wearing a blood-splashed jersey and clutching a roll of gauze to his head make his way to the door. At first glance she could hardly believe he was a football player. Certainly he did not fit any idea of a football player she had ever held. He was about her height, maybe five-foot-six, and weighed perhaps a hundred and forty pounds.

She ran to open the door for them and took his other arm as they came in. As they headed down the hall, Eva passed them on her way out of the examination room. Jess hoped the others didn’t catch the disgruntled look Eva shot them as they went by, but a flash of irritation went through her.

“Eva, you can go now. I’ll finish up here.”

“Really? If you’re sure.” Her voice was all concern. “I mean, I can stay if you want me to.”

“We’re good. See you tomorrow.”

Jess had neither the time nor the inclination to deal with Eva at the moment. From the moment Dr. Benavides’s office manager had asked her to work, at least temporarily, with Jess in Last Chance, Eva had been unhappy. Clearly, she felt as if she had been banished to the boonies and was openly counting the days till she could return to the high echelons of civilization represented by San Ramon. Jess left her standing in the hall.

“Here. Can you get him up on the examination table?” Jess reached for the latex gloves.

“I can get up myself.” Still holding the roll of gauze against his forehead, her patient did manage to get up on the table, although he swayed a bit as he sat there.

“Okay, let’s see what we’ve got here.” Jess smiled at him as she took the gauze from his hand and examined the cut. At least the bleeding had stopped. “What’s your name?”

“Gabe. Gabriel Quintana.”

“Well, Gabe, I’ve got some good news and some bad news for you.” She gently cleansed the wound as she talked. “First of all, the cut isn’t as bad as all this blood might lead you to believe. The vessels are pretty close to the surface on the head, so cuts tend to bleed a lot. But—and here’s the bad news—you are going to need stitches, and that’s going to take you out of football for at least a while.”

“Man.” He glanced over her shoulder at Andy, who was still standing in the doorway. “How long will it keep me out?”

“Depends. If it’s just the stitches, maybe a week, ten days. But it’s hard to imagine you taking a shot to the head like you must have taken without getting your brain rattled too. If you have a concussion, we’ll just have to see.”

Jess finished cleaning the long cut and reached for the antiseptic.

Gabe winced as she began applying it. “Is this going to take long?”

“Got an appointment?” Jess went on with her work.

“I gotta get home. The kids go to a neighbor’s when my mom leaves for work, but I’ve gotta go get them and give them their dinner.”

“We called your mom, Gabe.” Andy spoke up. “She told us to do whatever needed to be done, and she’ll get here as soon as she can. She’s on her way now. Don’t worry about it.”

“Man, they hate it when she has to take off. I need to go.”

Gabe was getting agitated, and Jess wanted him calm. She glanced over at Andy. “We’re about to get started here. Why don’t you go out and wait for Gabe’s mom in the waiting room? You can tell her what happened when she gets here.”

She turned back to Gabe with a warm smile and put her hand on his shoulder. “How’re you doing?”

He shrugged.

“I guess that’s kind of a silly question, isn’t it? Okay, here’s what we’re going to do. I’m going to inject a little anesthesia into the wound. You won’t like it much, but you’ve probably dealt with a lot worse today, even before you got hurt. Then, after it gets numb, I’ll put the sutures in. It won’t take long. We might even be done before your mom gets here.”

He nodded and closed his eyes while she injected the anesthesia.

“Gabe, open your eyes and look at me.” She looked closely into his eyes when he did. “Now, I want you to follow my finger with your eyes without turning your head. Can you do that? Okay, good job.”

As she put in the sutures, Jess asked Gabe questions about his injury, about his family, about his plans for the future just to keep him talking, and when she heard his mother come in the front door, she was tying the last knot.

She could hear Andy trying to tell Gabe’s mom about the accident, but since his voice was heading their way, Jess had a feeling he was chasing her down the hall to do so. She came through the door and went straight for Gabe, putting both hands on his shoulders and holding him at arm’s length for a better look.

“Mijo, what happened? Are you all right? There’s so much blood.” She turned to look at Jess, as if demanding an explanation.

“Hi, Mrs. Quintana. I’m Dr. MacLeod.” Jess tried to make her smile reassuring. “Gabe’s doing fine. He’s got twelve stitches in his forehead, and even though he doesn’t show signs of concussion, I’d advise you to take him up to the hospital for testing. You can’t be too careful with a head injury.”

“Absolutely.” Gabe’s mom was carefully examining his stitches. “Can I take him home first to change his shirt and to get my other kids settled, or is it an emergency?”

“More of an urgency than an emergency.” Jess smiled. “You need to take him as soon as you can, but it can wait till you get your kids settled, and I’m sure Gabe would like to get out of that shirt. Now, if you let me get that cut bandaged, you can be on your way.”

Mrs. Quintana stepped out of the way, and Jess dressed the wound.

“Don’t take the bandage off for at least forty-eight hours. Keep a clean bandage on it after that, and be sure to keep it dry. If there’s swelling or redness, come right in. Otherwise, I want to see you next Monday after school. And no football until I say so, got it?” She looked first at Gabe, then at Andy. Both nodded. “Okay then. That’s it!”

All four walked into the small waiting room, and as they passed the desk, Jess took one of her cards from its rack and wrote on it before handing it to Mrs. Quintana. “Would you call me when you get Gabe home tonight? That’s my cell number on the back. I want to hear how he’s doing. Don’t worry. I’ll be up.”

Mrs. Quintana looked at the number and nodded. “Sure.”

“Thanks.” Jess opened the door and locked it behind them. She watched Gabe and his mom get in her car and drive off before turning to Andy. “Would you tell me why someone as small as Gabe is playing football?”

If she thought Andy would offer excuses, she was wrong. “Because he wants to. And because he’s good. And because he has more drive and heart than most of the rest of the team put together. I hate it that he got hurt; you have no idea how much I hate it. But that’s football, and I’m not going to be the one to tell him he can’t play.”

Jess was silent a moment. “All right then. I guess that’s clear enough.”

After a long moment, Andy looked at his watch. “I guess I better get back. Practice is over, but there are some things I need to do.”

Jess nodded and unlocked the front door for him. “Okay, well, good night.”

“’Night.” Andy went out and got in his truck. It had gotten dark since he brought Gabe in, and his headlights flashed across the back of the office as he backed out and drove away.

Jess locked the door behind him. Suddenly her lab coat felt stiff and itchy, and she realized that all she wanted was to go home, take a long bath, and curl up with a book and a cup of tea. She took a deep breath, held it, slowly exhaled, and headed to the back to clean examination room two.