Page 16 of Draft Pick
I remember six months ago when we tried natural supplements for a few months: fish oil, lion’s mane mushroom, rhodiola root, magnesium glycinate, saffron—too many odd fucking names to count. Addie slept better, but her school performance remained the same.
I know the hyperactivity part of the diagnosis is left out for some children, but not for Adeline Harmony Briggs. The curly-haired queen runs on a one-way track until it’s lights out, and her head hits the pillow.
She sleeps like a brick unless hunger strikes in the middle of the night. Which happens a lot.
I guess this is the option we’re left with in helping her, and knowing Hilary is on board with it gives me more reason to trust Dr. Wilde’s expertise and take the chance. “Alright. We can try it out.”
“Yay! Smartie beans!” Addie jumps for joy.
“Wonderful,” Dr. Wilde proclaims. “I’ve got some forms for you to fill out and sign, Dad. Let me know if you have any questions. This just basically confirms the diagnosis and gives my staff consent to treat. Although coming from a teacher referral, I’m sending a form home with you to have her teacher fill out and bring it back to me when we follow up in two weeks. Okay?”
“Sure,” I agree, grabbing the stack of papers.
Dr. Wilde pats the padded table beside her, ready for Addie’s exam, and says, “Hop on up here, little queen. Time to check and see how healthy and strong you are. Being royalty can’t be easy.”
“Not at all!”The drama.“Oh! Can I hear my heartbeat in the long thingy?” Addie sputters off quickly. I’d like to entertain her childlike zeal, but I’m too distracted by the confirmed diagnosis staring back at me, titling the stack of white papers in my hands.
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
Seeing it written doesn’t hurt like I thought it would. Maybe because I know we’re making steps in the right direction. Or maybe it’s because I have a newfound confidence in the professional giving us hands-on support.
Dr. Wilde.
Yeah, that must be it.
6
JUNIPER
“I leftTennessee to get away from all the madness. Please tell me how I wound up here?” I laugh, taking in the glorious sight before me.
Makers Park. Home of the Atlanta Strikers.
Val loops her arm with mine as we walk through the main stadium entrance. “You can thank one of your tiny little humans for that, babe. I, for one, am proud of you. What a way to break in the new city, huh?”
That’s an understatement. When Adeline Briggs invited me to a baseball game after knowing her for a whole five minutes, I knew I couldn’tnotshow up. Her energy was infectious. I also might have gotten a little bit of a high off of watching how uncomfortable her dad was at first.
His princess bow about sent me to my grave.
I can tell she’s got him wrapped around her little finger.
Makes sense, though. She’s adorable, and I’m very rarely affected by a child’s charm, given I see hundreds of them monthly. But Addie is a special one.
“I’m trying new things, remember? Keyword: trying. Besides, if you were cornered by a six-year-old in a butterfly tutu, you’d be a prisoner to her cuteness, too. I couldn’t say no. And kidsremember everything. I’d never be able to show my face again if I didn’t come and she called me out on it.”
Val shakes her head. “Sounds like a cutie. Guess I’m gonna need to thank her for it when we see her.”
I adjust my glasses and smile wide. “My god, Val, she had the most bouncy ringlet curls and the brightest blue eyes. Absolutely adorable and she knows it, too.”
“Look at you, turning sappy for a patient,” she teases.
I think back to Addie calling herself the Queen of Emerald City and wonder what that means. The only Emerald City I know of is in a country song.
Upon entering the grand stadium, I immediately notice how much of an outcast I am already. I’ve barely lived in Atlanta for a month and clearly missed out on the black and yellow memo. Team colors and lightning bolts are everywhere that meets the eye. I’ve got the black part down, but I’m not exactly portraying team spirit.
Guess I’ll have to make a stop at a vendor booth for some merch. I already made it here, might as well go big or go home, right?
The stadium lights glitter beyond the elevated bleacher entrances, food concessions, kids’ games, and cash bars make the energy feel electric.
