Page 58 of Patrick

“Dizziness?”

I scowl at him and nod because I know it doesn’t look good. He gets a blood pressure cuff on me, and I close my eyes while he finishes whatever he’s doing.

I almost fall asleep until Doc pats my face to jog me back to alertness.

“Slowly sit up, son.”

The dizziness and nausea return as I rise, but not in full force, and I concentrate through the headache to settle myself.

“He has a concussion.” Doc is addressing Coach Winnick.

“Guess that means he won’t be going back into the game,” Winnick says.

Doctor shakes his head. “Your guess is correct. No ice, no activity or excitement of any kind for 48 hours, then I’ll take another look at him. Right now, he needs sleep and rest.”

I don’t want to miss any games. Bad enough I can’t finish this one. “How serious⁠—”

“Serious enough for you to go home and rest for two days, no phone, no TV,” Doc snaps at me. Shit.

“Don’t worry, Doc,” Dad says in his firm Dad voice. “We’ll see that he rests and follows whatever protocol is necessary for his recovery.” I exchange a glance with Dad and nod in agreement, realizing in my muddled mind that I’m going home tonight. Not to Fifi’s place. No wild night of fun and games. No lazy Sunday together in bed.

“Why no phone?” I mutter. I need to text Fifi. My head may be pounding, and my eyesight may be a little blurry, but I’m not in bad enough shape to not be disappointed as fuck to miss spending the night with her.

Then I remember she has that fix-up with some guy, and I hope to hell she doesn’t spend any more time with him than is necessary. I need to find out who this guy is and make sure he knows⁠—

“You shouldn't be on your phone after a concussion because it can worsen symptoms like headaches and nausea due to eye strain from bright lights, fast-moving images, and prolonged focus,” Doc says. “Screen use can also disrupt sleep, which is critical for recovery.”

“How long before he’s back to normal activity?” Dad asks.

“We’ll gradually return him to physical and mental activities in daily increments depending on his symptoms alleviating. If at any time his symptoms get worse, call me.”

“What about driving?” Kathleen asks.

“Not for a few days, depending on how long a drive it is.”

“Thirty minutes?”

Doc shakes his head. “Not for a few days. Then we’ll see. Driving is tricky. We don’t want him to strain his eyes or lose focus while he’s behind the wheel. It’s better to wait until the symptoms are completely cleared up.”