Holding Onto Forever

We left my dad’s hotel almost as soon as we arrived and I all but ran back to our apartment to pack a bag. The entire way, Dessie whined about me leaving, saying she just got home and it wasn’t fair.

No, what wasn’t fair was that my friend had been in an accident and the words “not expected to make it” had been said. That sentence alone should’ve prompted Dessie to encourage me to go, not complain. I would expect Dessie to do the same for her friends, except she doesn’t have a connection with anyone like I do Peyton.

For Dessie, she grew up in a sheltered environment and started modeling at a young age. None of her “friends” are truly her friends and are more like acquaintances who wouldn’t think twice about stabbing her in the back. Her friends have hit on me one too many times, and while I tell her not to trust them, she doesn’t necessarily believe they would do anything to hurt her.

What she doesn’t understand is the connection that I have with Peyton. No one really does and in the past, it has scared women away. This one time in college, I was dating a girl and Peyton came to visit for Homecoming. Peyton stayed in my room, sleeping in my roommate’s bed, but that was far too much for my girlfriend at the time and she issued an ultimatum—her or Peyton—I chose Peyton. I always have and always will. We have a bond that is hard to describe.

And that’s why I’m on this plane, traveling to Chicago. Peyton is hurt and she needs me. She needs to know that I’m there for her during her crisis, just as I would be if she picked up the phone and called me. I’d drop everything for her.

We don’t know what to expect when we land in Chicago and I’m trying not to fear the worst. My memories of my uncle Mason have all but faded except for the night everything happened. I barely remember him showing me how to tackle properly or teaching me to learn the game of football and not just play it. But I do remember my mom getting the late-night phone call and her leaving me with Nick so she could go be with Peyton and Elle. Nick paced the living room while he chatted on his phone, trying to get whatever information he could about Mason. Being a doctor, he had privileges at the hospital, not to mention Beaumont is a pretty small town and everyone pretty much knows everyone.

It was Nick who told me that Mason didn’t make it, and I remember wondering what was going to happen next. Mason was a teacher at the high school and the football coach. Katelyn would babysit me after school or be the one to pick me up if I were sick so I know she didn’t work. I was worried that she would move away, but then Liam Page rode into town like a bad ass knight in shining armor and saved her. Financially that is. My dad never let on about all the things he did for Katelyn until much later. He paid for Mason’s funeral, paid off all the Powell’s debt and started trust funds for Peyton and Elle. And he brought Harrison to town, and his arrival changed everything.

Needing something to distract my mind I press the button that brings the small television to life and go through the channels until I am on ESPN, and because I forgot to pack my headphones, I can only read the ticker at the bottom. *BREAKING NEWS* is scrolling along the bottom and I catch the tail end of it, waiting for it to start again. Whenever I see this I always fear it’s about me, or someone I know with a reported trade, although that wouldn’t warrant a headline like this.

Chicago Bears quarterback, Kyle Zimmerman was involved in a fatal accident.

That’s all the ticker says, nothing about who died or where the accident was. I find it ironic that he and Peyton were in an accident on the same day…unless he’s the reason she’s in the hospital. Did he hit her with his car?

I press the call button to signal the flight attendant. Considering this is a chartered plane it only takes her seconds before she’s at my side. “What can I do for you, Mr. Westbury?”

“Do you happen to have any headphones?”

“Sure, one moment.”

In a flash, she’s back with a pair and already has the bag opened for me, making it easy for me to pull them out. Once the jack is inserted, I’m pressing the volume button so I can hear the report.

“…erman was leaving Soldier Field after the Bears loss this afternoon when he pulled out in front of a semi-truck that was unable to stop before colliding with the passenger side of his Porsche 911. Zimmerman was taken to Northwestern Memorial with unknown injuries while the driver of the truck was treated on scene. Zimmerman’s unknown female occupant did not survive.”