When Hardy raised his eyes to hers, they were overflowing with tears. Though she made not a sound, her body shook with her sobs and she squeezed her eyes shut. Hardy dropped his forehead to her hand.
“I’m so sorry. If I could take it back, I would. If there was a single day that I could do over, a single hour even, it would be that one.”
“It’s not that,” she finally managed, her voice thick. “I just wish I could spare you all this.”
Hardy looked up. “All what?”
“All this,” she said, indicating her body.
“I wouldn’t miss a day with you for anything. A sick day, a healthy day. I don’t care. I mean, of course I wish you weren’t sick, but I want to be with you regardless.”
“For a while anyway,” she said sadly.
“No, not for a while. As long as you’ll have me. Didn’t you hear me, Miracle? I’m in love with you!”
“But Hardy—”
“No, no buts,” he interrupted with a shake of his head. “I’m tired of people telling what I feel and how I should feel. I know it sounds crazy, but I know what I feel. I know this is real.”
Miracle watched Hardy in silence.
“They think my other kidney is failing.”
Hardy felt the bottom drop out of his world.
“What does that mean? I mean, what will they do?”
“If it’s bad, it means they’ll put me on the transplant list to try and find me a new kidney.”
“How long could that take?”
“I don’t know. Could be years.”
“So what will you do in the meantime?”
“Get dialysis three times a week.”
Hardy slowly nodded his head, his lips finally curving into a lopsided grin. “Need a ride?”
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
2 months later
“Absolutely not!” Wayne Bradford bellowed. “You have screwed up enough because of that girl. You are not going to play chauffer to her for the rest of…who knows how long.”
Hardy expected this reaction from his father. If there had been any other way around it, he wouldn’t have even told him, let alone asked his permission. But there wasn’t. The school required a note from a parent and Hardy knew his mother would never give him one without talking to the dictator, hence his current predicament.
“It’s only six days, Dad. I told you that. Three days each week for two weeks. And it’s only sixth period, a class you didn’t want me to take to begin with,” Hardy added hoping to sweeten the pot. It was photography, an interest of Hardy’s that Wayne Bradford had never supported. “My god, she’s sick, Dad. Her mom has taken her all this time, but she had to pick up a second job just so they could afford Miracle’s medical bills from the last two months. It’s just during her training that she can’t take Miracle to dialysis. They need some help. How can you say no to that?”
Hardy watched his father’s eyes flash. “Oh, don’t play that card with me. Don’t act like this is just some sort of community service. That would be totally different. But it’s not. You’ve got feelings for this girl and I refuse to let you walk right into her trap.”
“Trap? What trap could she possibly be laying for me?”
“That question shows me just how naïve and unprepared you are for the world, Hardy. You don’t have a clue what’s out there, what people are really like.”
“Oh, I think I’ve had years of disappointment to prepare me for what’s out there, Dad,” Hardy sneered, spitting his name out like poison.
Hardy watched his father’s face turn bright red. “Are you really stupid enough to think you’re helping your case with a tone like that?”
Hardy immediately regretted his barb. Wayne was right; he wasn’t helping matters at all.
“Dad, please. The football season is over. What’s done is done. Look on the bright side. Maybe this will look good on my college applications. I hadn’t really thought of it, but it is kind of like doing community service.”
He knew he’d struck a nerve. Hardy could practically see the wheels turning in his father’s head.
Wayne snorted. “If only you’d put this much effort into playing football and keeping your girlfriend, you’d be home free by now.”
“Look, I’ve made some mistakes, I’ll admit, but there’s no reason that I can’t try to make the best of things now.”
“I still don’t like it. I don’t want this girl getting under your skin any more than she already has.”
“What if I promise to call that coach from UT like you’ve been wanting me to? The one the scout told you might be still interested.”
Hardy had been putting that off, saying he’d rather hold out for LSU. They all knew his future at LSU looked bleak, but Hardy was willing to hold on to that as a stall tactic, just to keep his dad off his back. But now, he was more than willing to play that card to get what he wanted. It was a small sacrifice to be able to help Miracle.
“I can’t believe such a bright, promising future has come to this. I never thought I could be this disappointed in you, this ashamed of the way you’ve squandered your opportunities.”
Inside, Hardy rolled his eyes. He’d heard all about what a terrible person he was, what an awful son he was, what an inconsiderate, irresponsible failure he was. At the moment, though, he was willing to listen to it one more time if it meant his father would give in.
When it seemed that his dad was finished, Hardy asked quietly. “I’ll do better, Dad. Just give me this one thing.”
“You’ll owe me, Hardy. And that means no excuses, no complaining, and no procrastinating. We’re going to get you into a good college to play football if it kills us both.”
The idea of his father dropping dead wasn’t as unappealing to Hardy as it should’ve been. Sadly.
“I know, Dad. I know.”
Wayne Bradford jerked the paper out of Hardy’s freshly-uncasted hand and laid it on the island in the kitchen. Pulling an expensive pen from his pocket, he scrawled his signature across the bottom.
Hardy let out a sigh of relief when his father handed him the note. “Thanks, Dad.”
His father said nothing as he stalked off. As soon as he was out of sight, Hardy pulled out his phone and texted Miracle. He knew she’d still be awake; it hadn’t been that long since he’d left her house.
Found you a ride to dialysis tomorrow:-)