“I knew what you were going to say. There was no point in telling you. I won’t say anything to the papers. I won’t tell them the truth because it would put her name out there. I won’t betray her. She’s a good person; she doesn’t deserve the media on her. I don’t care what they say about me. She is innocent in all this—”
“Enough. Hang on.”
Robert slowly reached out for Owen’s free hand, holding it firm. “I’m sorry, son.”
Owen hadn’t realised, until then, how close he was to crying. But Robert obviously had. The emotion, the genuine sorrow, in his father’s voice, who only cared about the Cage and anything concerning it, was too much for Owen. The ice pack dropped as Owen grit his teeth. The tears leaked out of his eyes so fast he couldn’t hide them. Though he tried.
Robert stood and sat Owen up, holding him by the shoulders, Owen’s forehead against his stomach, giving him steady pats until he calmed down.
“I didn’t expect you to react that way,” Owen said, sniffling.
“You don’t know me very well then, do you?”
“I know you better than anyone.”
Robert took his time and sat down next to Owen, giving a long sigh. “I’ve been hard on you all these years because I had to be. I never wanted this life for you. But it’s not about me. It’s about you. I trained you harder than I ever did, and you responded. You wanted this. You craved this. You loved this. As hard as it was for me to admit, this is what you were born to do. I was so proud I got to be a part of it, even a small part. But I can’t deny there always has been a part of me that wondered would you be happier with someone special in your life. This is so lonely. It can be an empty existence once the lights go down and the crowd goes home. Who do you have to go home to? A crusty old father. Why is there such booze and drugs in this community? Hence, the need for testing? The adrenaline is addictive, and you’ll take it where you can. So, you pop your pills, snort your coke or... cheat on your wife and destroy your family.”
“Dad...” Owen started. It wasn’t necessary to go down this path again. It was done. But Robert waved a hand.
“I failed, son. I faced a test in life, and I failed. I was so terrified you were going to do the same thing, and waste your talent. But you were so wonderfully different. Mentally strong. Nothing could break your focus. Until she came along.”
“She isn’t a test, Dad.”
“No.” Robert shook his head. “No, she’s not. She’s obviously very special.”
“For the first time in my life, I have absolutely no idea what I am supposed to do.”
Owen met his father’s eyes as Robert said simply, “Don’t let her go.”
“If only it were that easy. She doesn’t want to see me. She hates me fighting. Is it worth being with someone when you have to give up the thing you’ve worked so hard for. Does that mean I have to lose a part of what makes me who I am? Then again... I’ve never felt like this before.”
“Son, champions rise and fall. No matter how good you are, there’s always somebody better somewhere. Being a great fighter means understanding it’s a choice that you have to keep making again and again. If there’s something else out there, you have to go for it. Real intimacy with another person? If you’re lucky enough to find it, is worth holding on to.”
“Even if I have to give all this up, for her?”
“Is she worth it?”
Owen took a minute to answer. Surprisingly, there was no real hesitation in his response. “Yes, but that’s not my point. Fighting is who I am. What am I if I’m not in the ring? Who am I? I’ve spent so long chasing this dream, and now she’s woken me up. I remember the dream. I still want it. But she’s my reality.”
Robert smiled. “You know, as much as I’ll miss this, and I would’ve loved to see you kick that cunt’s ass, I’m happy for you, son. But I need to ask you this. Are you prepared for the fact she could die? I don’t mean you’re going to regret choosing her. I just mean have you prepared internally? Have you accepted you might only get a few precious weeks with her?”
“What better memories to give her, though. But it’s a moot point. She doesn’t want to see me.”
“Well, there’s only one way to find out.”
12
Tegan coughed and woke up.The oxygen mask over her face surprised her, and as she went to pull at the straps her hand was stopped.
“Tegan... Tegan... I’m Dr. Matthews. Can you hear me?”
She nodded as best she could, but the air through the mask was colder than she was used to and it hurt her throat. Her coughing didn’t stop. The pain from her throat suddenly hit her stomach, and Tegan lurched forward, removing the mask and coughing up a glob of blood before vomiting over the side of the bed.
By the time she had fallen back onto the bed, Dr. Matthews had administered an injection into the tube in her hand. She felt her queasiness subside, and eventually, her coughing did too. He gently replaced the mask over her face, and Tegan found she could breathe normally enough to utter, “I’m sorry.”
Dr. Matthews shook his head. “It’s alright. I need to speak to you when you’re ready. You’ve been out almost two days. You had a funny turn in the room here. We ran some more tests and... unfortunately, we didn’t find anything good.”
He spoke clearly and softly enough for Tegan to know this was serious. “What does that mean?”