Foul Trouble

by John Feinstein

  As soon as the dudes saw that Maurice was in trouble, all four of them rushed Danny. Seeing that, Terrell stepped in. He grabbed Chao from behind and tossed him out of the fray.

  Now tournament people were coming over to try to help break up the fight, too.

  Anthony finally managed to pull Danny off Maurice. He shoved him away and then started after him. Terrell tried to slow Anthony down, but it was like stepping in front of a charging bull. One of Anthony’s elbows caught him right across the chest and sent him flying backward. The next thing he heard was a thud—which was the sound of his head hitting the floor.

  He squinted up at the lights of the gym. Then darkness filled his vision until there was only a tiny pinpoint of light. And then everything went black.

  Terrell blinked and saw Danny and Coach Wilcox kneeling next to him. Somehow he knew he’d been out, but he had no idea for how long. He could tell there were a number of other people around, but his vision was still a little bit blurred. He started to say something but instantly felt sick so he closed his mouth.

  “Easy, Terrell,” Coach Wilcox said. “Paramedics are coming right now.”

  That word panicked Terrell. “Paramedics?” he repeated. “How long—?” His voice was a croak, but at least he got the words out.

  “Not long,” Coach Wilcox said. “Maybe a minute. Paramedics were right outside. Here they come now. The hospital is nearby.”

  “Hospital?” Terrell said. “Why?”

  “Stay calm, Terrell,” Coach Wilcox said. “They just need to check on you because you were unconscious.”

  He could hear sounds behind him, and a moment later someone in a uniform was kneeling next to him and talking to Coach Wilcox.

  “How long was he out?” he said.

  “Probably about a minute,” Coach Wilcox said.

  The uniformed man turned to Terrell. “I want you to lie very still, young man—okay? I just need you to answer a few questions for me so I can decide what we’re going to do next. You with me?”

  Terrell nodded. Things were still a bit blurry, but he felt as if he had a strong sense of what was going on. He knew he’d hit his head—if only because it hurt—and he knew this guy was a paramedic who wanted to figure out how seriously he’d been hurt.

  “Okay,” the paramedic said. “What’s your name?”

  “Terrell Jamerson.”

  “Good. Where are we right now?”

  Terrell needed a second to think about that one. “We’re in a gym. We just played a game.”

  “Good. Very good. Do you know what gym we’re in? Exactly where we are?”

  Uh-oh. That one was blank. “We’re at a tournament,” he tried, hoping that might fool the guy.

  “Good, Terrell. Where? What’s the name of the school where the tournament was played?”

  Terrell didn’t know. He felt his heart pounding. He just shook his head in response. That was a bad idea because pain rocketed through him.

  “Okay, Terrell, don’t worry. You’re doing fine,” the paramedic said. “Tell me what day today is.”

  He had that one. “Saturday,” he answered.

  “And who did you guys play? Did you win?”

  “We won.”

  “Who’d you beat?”

  He had no idea.

  The paramedic quickly realized it and patted him gently on the chest. “Okay, Terrell, listen to me. I think you’re going to be fine. You’ve probably suffered a fairly mild concussion. You remember a lot of things but not everything. My guess is by morning it’ll all come back. But for now, just to be absolutely safe, we’re going to put you on a stretcher and take you to a hospital not far from here for some tests. Nothing strenuous.”

  “Hospital?” Terrell said. His mind was clear enough to know that wasn’t a good thing.

  The paramedic was nodding and smiling. “Just to be safe, okay? My partner here is going to help me get you on the stretcher. I don’t want you to try to stand up because you might get woozy. We’re just going to make this as easy and comfortable as we can.”

  Terrell nodded, but he knew he had tears in his eyes. How could this have happened? One minute he and Danny were walking to the bus, dealing with the usual annoyance of the dudes, and now they were putting him on a stretcher?

  As he was lifted onto the stretcher, he could see that a lot of people were standing around watching. All his teammates were there, and so were the players from the other team. Wait! Oak Hill, that was who they had played.

  “Hey,” he said as soon as he was on the stretcher. “I’ve got it. We played Oak Hill.”

  “Good, Terrell—that’s a good sign. The more things come back to you, the better we feel.”

  “But I still have to go to the hospital?”

  “Yes.”

  Danny and Coach Wilcox were both standing next to the stretcher. “We’re going to meet you there,” Coach Wilcox said. “I’m going to call your mom so she doesn’t hear something second-hand and think this is worse than it is.”

  “Can I go home tomorrow?”

  Coach Wilcox looked at the paramedic. Terrell couldn’t see whatever response he got. “Let’s hope so, Terrell,” he said. “Let’s just make sure you’re okay and then we’ll figure out what to do next.”

  Terrell closed his eyes as they wheeled him in the direction of the door. He could hear people applauding, the way they did when injured players were taken off the field in the NFL. This wasn’t football, though—it wasn’t even basketball. It was just a stupid fight. He felt the cold when they pushed the stretcher outside. When he opened his eyes, he could see the blinking lights of the ambulance.

  He closed his eyes again. Maybe, he thought, if I keep my eyes closed long enough, I’ll wake up and this will all have been a bad dream.

  TWENTY-SIX

  “Danny, wake up.”

  Danny snapped from the dream he’d been having about punching out all the dudes one by one and saw his father standing over him. The discomfort in his back reminded him that he had fallen asleep in a chair in the hospital waiting room.

  “What time is it?” he asked.

  “It’s late,” his dad said.

  Coach Wilcox had put his team on the bus back to the hotel after Terrell had been taken to the hospital and had left Joe Kress, the volunteer assistant coach, in charge of getting everyone up and to the airport in the morning. Danny had insisted on going with his dad to the hospital, figuring they would run some tests on Terrell and then they’d all go back to the hotel and eat.

  It hadn’t turned out that way. After what seemed like an eternity, a doctor had come out to talk to them. Terrell had authorized him to speak to them as if they were family, so he explained what was going on. “He’s got a concussion, and it’s really impossible to tell how serious it is right now,” he said. “He took a pretty hard blow—that’s the bad news. The good news is I’d say his memory is close to intact. He’s in there right now spewing facts to prove he’s okay so we’ll let him get out of here.”

  Danny smiled at the thought.

  “So can he go?” Andy Wilcox asked.

  The doctor shook his head. “No. I want to keep him here overnight, as a precaution. I don’t want him moving around at all for the next few hours, and a good night’s sleep will help him. He has no appetite right now, which is pretty common, but it’s also a sign that he needs to get things unscrambled before he leaves.”

  “So do you think it’s okay to book a flight for tomorrow?” Coach Wilcox asked.

  “No, no,” the doctor said. “Last thing you want to do right after a concussion is fly. I understand you guys are from Boston, right? You could take the train, but I’d recommend renting a car. That way if he starts to feel sick, you can pull over whenever you need to. But flying is out of the question for at least the next few weeks.”

  Whoa, Danny thought. This is serious. He felt responsible. Maurice and the dudes had disappeared quickly when Terrell hit his head, although he’d gotten a text from James Nix
saying that Maurice had called him at the hotel to find out how Terrell was doing.

  “What about basketball?” Danny asked the doctor. “When can he play?”

  The doctor shook his head. “Impossible to say. I would recommend you find him a specialist when you get home, someone who deals with this sort of thing regularly. There are tests that can be done to determine when and if he can play.”

  “If?” Danny said.

  “Danny…,” his dad said.

  “Yeah, Dad, but ‘if’?”

  He could tell by the look in his father’s eyes that he was thinking exactly the same thing.

  “With a concussion, it’s always if,” the doctor said. “It doesn’t look that serious to me, but it’s been less than twenty-four hours. He could be fine in a few days, or he could have lingering post-concussion symptoms.”

  “Like Sidney Crosby,” his dad said.

  The doctor’s brow furrowed. “Who?” he said.

  “Hockey player. Had what looked like a minor concussion and then didn’t play for almost a year.”

  The doctor nodded. “That can happen. Everybody’s different.”

  “Can we see him?” Danny asked.

  “Follow me.”

  They walked down a long hallway and found Terrell sitting up in bed, sipping from a container of apple juice. He gave them a big smile when they walked in. “The doctor says I can get out of here soon,” he said. “I feel fine. He says the concussion was a mild one, so I should be okay.”

  “How’s your appetite?” Coach Wilcox asked.

  Terrell’s smile disappeared. “Not great right now,” he said. “But the doc thinks that will change soon.”

  “Did he tell you about flying?” Danny asked.

  “You mean, not flying? Yeah. I texted my mom, and she said she can drive down and get me.”

  “Don’t be silly, Terrell,” Coach Wilcox said. “I’ll rent a car and drive you back.”

  “Yeah, it’ll be fun,” Danny said. “Like our driving trips last summer.”

  “Not exactly,” his dad said. “You’re flying back with the team.”

  “But, Dad…”

  “No buts. What Terrell needs most is rest. And I know you’ve got schoolwork that needs doing.”

  Terrell agreed but for a different reason. “Could you check up on my mom? I told her it was just a bump on the head, but I’m sure she doesn’t believe me. She said the online Globe had it on the front page of sports.”

  “I imagine they did,” Coach Wilcox said. “I’m not going to even get into it while we’re here, but you two have got to stop getting into trouble all the time.”

  “Dad, I didn’t start it,” Danny said. “Maurice came after me—remember?”

  “And why did he come after you? Because you were complimenting him on his wardrobe or because you were baiting him?”

  “I wasn’t baiting him.”

  “Yes, you were,” Terrell said. “But, Coach, it was my fault. I wanted him to. I didn’t want to talk to them and asked Danny to be the reason.”

  Coach Wilcox put up a hand. “Like I said, we won’t discuss it here.”

  The doctor came back into the room. “Gentlemen, Terrell needs to get some sleep,” he said. “The more he rests, the sooner he can get out of here.”

  They both said goodbye to Terrell and headed for the door.

  “What do we do now?” Danny asked as they walked down the hall.

  “We’re going back to the hotel so you can pack and get a couple hours of sleep. I need to cancel my flight and Terrell’s flight and rent a car.”

  “How long do you think the drive is?” Danny asked.

  “Probably about eight hours. Give or take.”

  “Dad…” Danny paused, but he couldn’t help asking, “Do you think he’ll be okay?”

  “We’ll see,” his dad said, and put an arm around him. “It’s a concussion. There’s really no way to know.”

  That wasn’t the message Danny delivered when he got back home.

  A bus met the team at Logan Airport and took them back to Lexington High. Danny’s father’s jeep was in the parking lot where they’d left it, and Danny drove straight to see Mrs. Jamerson, as requested. He did his best to reassure her, but he didn’t think she was buying it. Probably the black eye he’d sprouted overnight didn’t help…

  He went home for a nap and a shower before trying it again with Laurie and Valerie. They were at Nettie’s, working, but when Danny walked in around four, their shift was just ending. The three of them went and sat down in a back booth.

  Apparently, Valerie had talked to Terrell on the phone earlier in the day.

  “He told me he’s coming home tomorrow,” she said after they were all sitting down. “He says everything is fine. Now I want you to tell me the truth.”

  “That is the truth. He seems fine. They’re just being really cautious.”

  Valerie looked at Laurie, then at Danny. “I’ve spent a lot of time today studying concussions on the Internet,” she said. “You know what I now know for sure?”

  “What?”

  “That no one knows what happens next after one of these. He doesn’t know if he’s fine, and neither does the doctor. He can’t fly for a month at least. What does that tell you?”

  “That you have to be very careful with concussions,” Danny said.

  “Exactly,” Valerie said. “Which means he’s going to need to see a doctor when he gets back here—a doctor who might tell him not to play for a while. And if he isn’t playing, what happens to all his new best friends?”

  Laurie laughed.

  “What’s so funny?” Valerie asked.

  “You,” she said. “First of all, two months ago you didn’t know the difference between a basketball and a hockey puck. Second, nothing in the world would make you happier than if the hangers-on went away forever.”

  Valerie managed a sad smile. “The hangers-on, yes. The coaches, no. He needs to go to college.”

  “The coaches aren’t going to go away because of a concussion,” Danny said. “Even if it took a year, he could just red-shirt as a freshman. Plus, his grades are good, and his SATs were very good. He’ll go to college, no matter what.”

  “What do you mean, red-shirt?” Valerie asked.

  “Oh, I forgot, there are a few things you still don’t know,” Danny said with a smile. “It means you don’t play for a year but don’t lose any eligibility. Some guys do it because they’re hurt; others just do it so they can grow or work on their games or their academics.”

  “You mean there are coaches who care about academics?” Valerie said.

  “They all care about academics,” Danny said. “They need their players to be eligible.”

  That actually got a laugh out of Valerie. For a second, she seemed to relax, leaning back in the booth.

  Then Danny spotted Felipe, the newest dude, walking in their direction. He groaned, causing the girls to sit up. Danny stood up, not wanting another fight but ready for it if it came.

  “Sit down, man,” Felipe said, perhaps seeing the look on Danny’s face. “I’m not here to start anything. I just need to talk to you.”

  “What about?” Danny said. “How’d you know I’d be here?”

  “I didn’t,” Felipe said. “I came to ask the girls where you were and how Terrell is doing.”

  “He’s fine,” Danny said. “Not that you care.”

  “Listen to me, man,” Felipe said. “I’m trying to help you. Maurice is really, really upset.… ”

  “Well, he should be,” Valerie said. “He started the fight.”

  “No, you’re not hearing me,” Felipe said, looking at her and then at Danny. “He really wants to hurt you, Danny. All those guys—the Athena dude, the money manager, the agents, I think some of the coaches too—they’ve been feeding him money on a regular basis to keep an eye on Terrell, tell them who he’s spending time with—you know. And there’s a big payoff if he delivers him to any of them.

&
nbsp; “Last night, after Terrell went down, all those guys were texting him saying there’s no more money until Terrell plays again and they know he’s okay. We drove all night to get back here, and the whole way back Maurice kept saying that if Terrell was hurt bad, he would get you, hurt you bad.”

  A little chill went through Danny. He wasn’t afraid of Maurice in a fair fight. But he didn’t trust Maurice to fight fair. Even so. “Tell him to come and try,” he said, not wanting to show any fear.

  Felipe gave him a hard look. “Come on, man, don’t try to be so tough. Maurice can be scary. I know that now. You have to watch yourself. That’s what I came to tell you.”

  “If he’s scary, why are you hanging out with him?” Laurie asked.

  “I’m not,” Felipe said. “Not anymore. I’m new in town, I met these guys, they seemed okay. I think the others probably are—they’re just kind of stupid, really. Not Maurice. He’s not stupid and he’s not okay. I’m done with them.”

  “Aren’t you afraid Maurice might come after you, too, if you stop hanging with them?” Danny asked.

  “Yeah, a little,” Felipe said. “But me not hanging with him won’t cost him any money. Terrell getting hurt will cost him money. And he blames you for it.”

  Valerie stood up. “Sit down, Felipe,” she said. “I’m going to get us all something to drink.”

  An hour later nothing had been decided except for one thing: Danny was not to wander around anyplace by himself—at least not until Terrell was back on a basketball court. His father would be told what was going on, but Terrell would not.

  “If Terrell thought Maurice was looking for me, I’m afraid he’d go and look for him,” Danny said. “We don’t need that.”

  He was surprised at how calm he felt about the whole thing. It wasn’t that he didn’t believe Felipe—in fact, he did believe him. It was just that it seemed kind of stupid compared with what was going on with Terrell.

  He and Felipe stuck around long enough to eat some dinner. When Felipe asked Laurie for a check, she just gave him a “You must be kidding” look.

  “Now I see why you like this place so much,” Felipe said.