CHAPTER 27

BAD HEART

CAU was playing Fresno State this week and was heavily favored. The coaches hadn’t announced who the starting QB was going to be, but it was common knowledge among the press. Caleb had prepared all week long, watching tons of film and studying defensive formations and the game plan. One thing Caleb was happy about was that the game was going to be in Panther Stadium, so no traveling this week.

Thursday night, Caleb decided to call up his dad to see how things were going in Enapay. Mary, Jack’s wife, answered the phone, and Caleb tried to spark up some chit chat for a few minutes, but Mary was unusually quiet. Caleb asked if he could talk to Jack, but he was just speaking into a long silence on the phone. Finally, Mary said, “Caleb, Jack asked me not to say anything to you, but I think you have the right to know.” Her voice was quivering. “Jack had a bad heart attack on Tuesday at the hardware store.”

Caleb’s heart plummeted. “Where is he? Is he okay? Please tell me he’s okay.”

“They took him to Oklahoma City and did four bypasses, and he’s in stable condition right now. I think he’s going to be fine, but it’ll be a long recovery.” Mary sighed deeply. “I had just come home from OKC to get some things to take back, and I’m fixing to head back up there tomorrow.”

“But, he’s okay, right?” Caleb said. He was sweating.

“Well, Caleb, it’s a major surgery, but yes, the doctors think he’s over the hump.”

Caleb stood up. “I’m on my way. I have to see my dad.”

Mary huffed, frustrated. “Oh Caleb, your dad wouldn’t want you to come home and miss your first start at CAU! That’s why he didn’t want me to tell you.”

Caleb said simply, “Do you need anything? I have plenty of money, and with Dad not working you’re going to need some to get by.”

“No, Caleb. Your dad is a very frugal person. We have plenty of money, but thank you for offering.”

Caleb said, “I’ll see you tonight” and hung up.

The first thing that Caleb did was call Head Coach Joe Richert “Coach, I’m sorry about this, but I’m heading back to Oklahoma tonight. My father had a bad heart attack on Tuesday, and if I don’t go see him and he dies, I’ll never forgive myself.”

“Caleb, I am so sorry about your father,” Richert said. “I want you to drive over to my office—I’m going to take care of all this for you.” Coach Richert has been a college coach for a long time, and he knew he wasn’t going to stop Caleb from going to OKC—all he could do was try to control the situation, and he was an expert at that.

Coach Richert called in Anni, and when she arrived, he told her what had happened. “Either you or Beth are going to Oklahoma with Caleb; I don’t care which. You just be DARN sure Caleb Lewis is back in L.A. early Saturday. Don’t you let him out of your sight! We’re paying for all the expenses. Now get on the phone and make all the arrangements and reservations you’re going to need.” Coach Richert’s next move was to call Axom, who rushed down to his office.

The only thing Coach Axom could say was, “Dang it, dang it, dang it! It’s always something.” He thought back to the stories he’d heard of Caleb in Enapay. “If Caleb loses Jack, we’ll lose Caleb; there’s NO way emotionally he can handle that.” Coach Richert nodded. He knew it too. Axom waited for a moment, then said, “Well, do I tell Jason he’s starting on Saturday?”

“Heck no!” Richert said, a little louder than he’d meant to. “I’ll have Caleb back in uniform on Saturday if I have to drive him home myself. I hope after Caleb sees Jack, and IF Jack is doing okay, Caleb will be back here by Saturday. If I know Jack as I think, he’ll tell Caleb to go back to L.A. and win that game.”

* * *

Anni walked into the office and said, “If his father dies, it will destroy Caleb, his father is the only family he has left you know?”

Coach looked at Anni and said, “Don’t you think I know that? Do you think I got to where I am today not knowing stuff like that?” Coach Richert then got on the phone and called the best Heart Surgeon in L.A. (and also an Alumni of CAU) and asked him to call Jack’s heart Dr. in Oklahoma and get an up to date report on Jack’s health. Coach Richert wanted to know what the diagnosis was and what he needed to prepare for with Caleb.

“There’s no way I can leave the office two days before a game,” Anni told Richert. She called Beth. “Pack a bag for two nights—you’re going on a trip.”

* * *

Caleb walked in about that time, and Coach Richert told Caleb how sorry he is about Jack. “Caleb,” Richert said, patting him on the shoulder, “we’ve booked you and Beth a flight to OKC, so you should be there by 1 A.M. We also booked you two hotel rooms at a nice hotel close to Baptist Hospital and got you a car rental. Beth should be here soon, and I’m going to have a short meeting with her and then you two will be on your way.” Everyone there hugged Caleb and told them they would be praying for Jack and if he needed anything to give them a call.

Beth busted through the doors a moment later. “What’s going on?” She saw Caleb standing by himself in a corner with tears in his eyes, and rushed to him and hugged him; she knew that something terrible must have happened. Caleb grabbed Beth and broke down, crumpling to his knees—he was trying to hold it together, but the thought of losing his dad was just too much. Beth rubbed his back gently, squeezing him tight and telling him everything was going to be okay.

“Beth,” Coach Richert said, hating to interrupt, “come in my office for a second and I’ll get you up to speed.” Beth sat, hand over her mouth, as she heard the story. Coach Richert leaned in. “I want you to take care of everything with Caleb and to keep me informed of his mindset during this time. Anni will give you some money; you are to pay for everything. I even want you to find out what the surgery and hospital costs are going to be and if Jack has health insurance. If he has health insurance, we’ll pay all the deductibles and percentages that he owes—be sure Caleb knows CAU is doing this.” Richert sighed, running a hand through his hair. “Beth, this is against NCAA rules—everything we’re doing here could get us in trouble—but to heck with the NCAA! I feel like it’s the right thing to do. I want you to babysit Caleb the whole time; don’t let him out of your sight. You are to convince him to be back here on Saturday morning because that is what his dad would want, and that IS what his dad would want. Short of Jack dying before Saturday, you are to have Caleb Lewis back in L.A. Saturday morning. Do you understand?”

Beth nodded and left the office, heading straight down to Anni. Anni gave her $10,000 and told her to pay cash for everything. “Don’t use the CAU name on anything or give any clues. If the press in Oklahoma picks up on this, don’t answer any questions about anything. Just move on, ignore them. You call me when you get there and keep me informed of what’s going on at all times.”

* * *

“Yes, we’ve got two first-class roundtrip tickets on hold, please.”

“And what are the names on these tickets going to be?” the attendant asked.

“Tom Farhaw and Amanda Jones.” The receptionist typed away on her keyboard for a minute or two.

“That’ll be $3,000 for two round-trip first-class tickets.” Beth reached in her purse and paid her in cash. They boarded immediately—the flight was scheduled to head out in just a few minutes. As they settled into their seats, Caleb was very quiet. Beth reached over, grabbed his hand, and asked if he would like to pray with her.

Caleb smirked. “God don’t much listen to what I say, but you go ahead.” Beth prayed and asked God for healing for Jack if that is in his will and to give Caleb peace and God’s grace as he goes through this difficult time.

When she said amen, Caleb said, “Thank you. I don’t get prayed for anymore since my mom died.”

Beth squeezed his hand a little tighter. “Yes you do. I pray for you every day, and I will continue to.”

Caleb smiled for the first time in a while. “Thank you. I need all the help I can get.”

* * *

“Hello. I’m Caleb Lewis. Can I see my dad, please?”

It was nearly two in the morning, but the nurse could tell that Caleb was anxious. “Sure,” she said, “but don’t wake him up if he’s asleep, please.”

“I won’t.”

He walked quietly into the room where Jack was resting and pulled up a chair next to his bed. He gently wrapped his hands around Jack’s, careful not to wake him. Jack wasn’t intubated, which was a good sign. After all, he’s still young—only 46 years old and still strong as an ox. Caleb sat there holding his father’s hand, and without much of a thought, he lowered his head and started praying for the first time since he was a child. Tears welled up in his eyes, and his lips quivered.

“God, I know you and I haven’t gotten along very well the last few years. You did some bad things to me, and I did some bad things to people, but I sure would appreciate it if you would not let my daddy die. Dad is all I have left. Can’t you let me have my dad? Anyway, I would be thankful if you would heal my dad. And I’m gonna try to do better, God. Amen.”

Almost immediately, Caleb felt a peace come over him that he had never felt before. He just knew Jack was going to be okay.

While Caleb sat with his father, Beth checked into their hotel. When she returned, Caleb said, “I want to talk to the doctor in the morning, and then I might come get some shuteye. But for now, I’m going to stay here. You go ahead.” Beth smiled and kissed Caleb on the cheek, gave him her room number and phone number, and went back to the hotel to sleep.

About 6 that morning, the doctor came in to check on Jack. Caleb got up and introduced himself, asking the doctor to fill him in.

“Jack had a massive cardiac arrest due to blockage of four arteries. We put in new arteries, and from the looks of the numbers here, your dad is going to be better than ever—he’ll feel better and have more energy. It will take about six or so weeks to recover enough to be on his own, and he should be able to go back to work in about 12 weeks.”

Caleb let out a sigh of relief. “Thanks, doctor. I appreciate all you’ve done. This guy is pretty special to me, and I only want the best for him.”

The doctor smiled. “Well, you’re pretty special to your dad; you’re all he talks about, and his eyes just light up when someone mentions your name. You stay the rest of the day, then get back to L.A. to help your teammates win on Saturday. Your dad is going to be fine.”

The doctor walked over the nurse’s desk and whispered, “Can you please hand me that football I left here yesterday”? He walked over to Caleb and said, “This probably isn’t appropriate right now, but my son is your biggest fan, and he would be so excited if I got your autograph on this football.”

Caleb looked at him and said, “I’ll sign your butt with a pen in my mouth if you promise to give my daddy the best you have to give!” and signed the football.

The doctor laughed and said, “I promise.”

About that time, Caleb heard a grunt from behind him and then an exasperated, “I told Mary not to tell you about this!”

Caleb turned around, looked at his dad, and reached down to give him a very gentle hug. “Did you really think I wouldn’t come here to see you?”

“You need to be back with your teammates!” Jack said. “I don’t need a babysitter. If I could get out of this bed, I’d whoop you.”

Caleb laughed and proudly looked around the room. “My daddy could probably do it, too.” About then Beth walked into the room, relieved to see that everyone was talking.

Caleb grabbed Beth by the hand and pulled her over to the bedside. “Dad, I want you to meet Beth Owens. She’s my girlfriend, and she came out with me to see you.”

His girlfriend? Beth thought. Why am I always the last to know anything? She greeted Jack with a smile and told him that she and Caleb had been praying for him, and it looked like those prayers were being answered.

“Well, we can’t get too many prayers,” Jack said, “and our God is a GREAT God. I just pray that his will be done, and I will be fine here or in heaven, so I’m not too worried about it.”

“Let’s not rush that heaven thing yet, Dad,” Caleb said. “You have a lot of football to watch me play before you take off.”

Jack chuckled. “I’ll do my best to hang around. Caleb, you get on back to L.A. and get us a win on Saturday. I don’t think they’re going to let me watch because they don’t want my blood pressure to get too high, but I’ll read about you in the papers. I love you, son, and Beth, you have your hands full with this one! You keep him on the right path for me, okay?”

Beth giggled. “He’s a handful, but I can be pretty feisty myself!” she said with a fake punch. Jack just laughed.

Jack wrapped Caleb in a warm, tender hug. “Thank you. Now you go win that game, son. Show them coaches they made the right decision naming you the starter!”

On the way out the building, Beth stopped by the billing office and talked with the account receivables manager. She told him she would be paying whatever the insurance didn’t pay. She gave them a non-CAU address where they could send the bill.

As they plopped down into their plane seats, Beth said to Caleb, “So I’m your girlfriend now? How exciting!” Caleb just laughed and grabbed her hand, giving it a squeeze.

Beth and Caleb were on their way back to L.A.