While most kids with after-school jobs spent their paycheck on the latest pair of Air Jordans or Madden video game, Silas used his to buy groceries and toilet paper. When they would talk about what they would do with the money from their first big NFL contract, the first thing Silas spoke about was fixing up his grandfather’s house, because he knew Big Silas would never move into a brand-new one.

After he signed with the Bears, Jamar made sure that small two-bedroom house on the outskirts of Katy was renovated before he bought his own house. He’d vowed to Silas on his deathbed that he would take care of his grandfather and sister. He even put money on Rashida Cannon’s books at the maximum security prison in Gatesville every month, because he knew Silas would want him to take care of his mother too.

Despite Taylor’s warning, Jamar made it to Katy in just over two hours. He pulled into a parking spot at the VA clinic on Westgreen and went straight for the information desk. He was directed to a room down the hall.

His heart dropped when he walked in and found the bed empty.

“God, please no.”

“Jamar? What are you doing here?”

He whipped around to find Andrea stirring coffee in a foam cup.

“Drea, how is he? Where is he?”

“They took him to get X-rays,” she said. She set the coffee on the rolling tray that was against the wall, then turned to Jamar, enveloping him in a hug. She slapped him on the back of the head. “Why did you come all the way here? I told you he would be okay.”

“I had to see him with my own eyes,” Jamar said. He gave her a squeeze before releasing her. “What happened?”

Drea rolled her eyes as she picked up her coffee. “Well, first, he cut himself trying to open a can of tuna. And then, as he was looking in the bathroom cabinet for something to use as a bandage, he fell.” She took a sip, then set it back down. “They don’t think anything is broken, but it’s possible that he bruised a couple of ribs.”

She walked over to the bed where the red and black plaid flannel shirt Big Silas wore all the time lay crumpled against the thin pillow. She picked it up and started to fold it.

She was stalling.

“What is it?” Jamar asked.