Jessie

So this was what love felt like. Jessie was completely in love with Ashling Byrne. It was bad timing to be sure; he had the fight to train for and a name to build. But she became the center of his mind. Even when they weren’t together.

They saw each other every day in the week after their date.

Jessie trained like always and worked his ass off, but at the end of the days, she would join him. She stayed at his place, and he liked seeing her in his clothes. His shirts came practically to her knees.

“I think you should move in.” They were lying on his couch, she had his t-shirt on and nothing else. God, how’d he get so lucky was a phrase that replayed in his head over and over again.

“I can’t move in with ya! We’ve only been together a week. And Theone would flip out.”

“I don’t care about her. You should be here.”

“I have a store to run, and it’s not because of Theone. Sometimes I just have to be there.”

“You know, I have to be out of town next week.” He really wanted her to come with him but knew it was impossible.

“I know. I’ll be able to burn the midnight oil without you distracting me.” Her accent made all her sentences lilt like a little bell. He stroked her hair.

“Don’t let anyone take you on an American date while I’m gone.” He hated the idea of spending time apart, but it was unavoidable.

“Oh, I think that Wade Kazcala is a real contender.” She was teasing him, but his protective streak flared at the mention of Wade. He still remembered the dickhead cornering her.

“You let him know, or I will, that no one messes with you.”

“No one messes with me, except you. You mess with every part of me.” She turned and kissed him. With her pressed up against him in the t-shirt, he didn’t stand a chance. He slid it up, and they would get very little sleep again tonight.

The next day he packed up and started the small tour his agent Sam Bosque set up for him.

He was headed to Chicago to meet and greet MMA fans at a big expo. They had a picture booth for him. His job was to pose for pictures for fans.

“You won’t believe how many people are lined up.” Sam Bosque didn’t leave his side during the event. She also took on his social media during the events.

From Chicago’s event, they traveled to Detroit for an appearance at the MGM Grand Casino. In between Jessie worked out at several gyms and Sam met with potential sponsors.

Sam drove from event to event, and she kept them busy. They were cruising along I-94 headed for the end of this streak of appearances and almost a week’s worth of work that had everything to do with his name but nothing to do with his game. He was getting antsy to get back to his life with Ash. His home gym.

“You’re doing well. The fans like you and I’m getting more requests from 21C for Jessie Hoolihan appearances. It’s working.”

“Thanks.”

“So what’s so important that you keep checking your phone?”

“I’m waiting for a call from my girl.”

“Oh, your girl? Is it serious?”

“I think so.”

“Well, keep it under your hat until after the title fight. We want the ladies to think you’re available and they stand a chance.”

“Gotcha. I’m pretty sure she’d rather keep it quiet too.”

“Ashamed of you, is she?” Sam was needling him. They had a good relationship, and he was glad the agency paired him with her.

“She’s just not in this world at all. I mean at all.”

“What does she do?”

“She runs a flower shop.”

“Adorable. That’s so cute. Later. We’ll be able to use that later after we get you sponsors and endorsements, we can turn you into boyfriend of the year.”

“Right.” It had been a busy week of events, but before he’d left he told Ashling he’d meet her at her now favorite restaurant in Irish Town. Jessie worried that she probably didn’t eat all week. He knew she wasn’t getting paid much to work for O’Shea’s and he still hadn’t been to her place. He was glad this was his last commitment of the mini-tour.

They arrived at the MGM Casino, and it was a huge surprise. This was the biggest event, and there were press, cameras, fans, and other fighters.

“Pablo Nova’s notorious for his striking. How are you going to counter?” Cameras flashed, and he saw spots in his eyes as a result. He brushed it off. He’d seen Craddock deal with this and knew it was good they were asking him anything.

“I’m a well-rounded fighter, I’m going to rely on that. If he strikes I strike back, I take him down, I submit him. I have zero fear of his strikes or any part of Pablo Nova’s game.” He said it with confidence and his trademark swagger. He saw Sam nod and smile. He was doing his job out of the ring just like she’d coached him.

The questions continued, and he answered. At one point he could feel his phone vibrate in his pocket. He ignored it and finished the news conference. Sam met him; she was headed to the airport, and he was headed home. He put a hand on her back and ushered her through the doors to exit. Cameras continued to flash, but Sam was okay leaving them with a few questions left unanswered.

“Good news, I got you a Croc Doc deal.”

“What?”

He couldn’t really hear her in the wake of the camera and fans. He leaned down and she said it directly in his ear.

“I got you a Croc Doc Energy Drink deal. They’re the next Gatorade, get it?”

“What if it tastes like shit?”

“You’ll drink it anyway and use their hydration gear, water bottles and stuff.”

“May I ask how much I’m getting paid to drink Croc Doc?”

“After my ten percent, you’ll get about sixty-seven grand.”

“Holy shit, you’re kidding me!”

“I’m not, and it’s the beginning. We’ve got an apparel deal and some beard grooming product on deck.”

“Similar money?” She used her finger to tell him to lean in close so she could whisper the number in his ear.

He couldn’t believe it. In fighting, you earned the paydays with your fists and blood. But endorsements? This was like a hot knife through butter.

“Good work, Sam the Agent.” He kissed her on the cheek and then high-fived her as they parted ways. She was working hard for them both!

His phone buzzed again, and this time he picked up.

It was his grandma.

“Jessie, Whitey’s in the hospital. Can you come quickly?”

“I’m in Detroit, Grandma. It will be a few hours, but I’m on my way.” And thoughts of fighting turned to family in an instant.

Jessie drove like a maniac. He made it in record time, but it was still hours after his grandma called.

He raced through Grand City General Hospital to find Sawyer, the biker in charge of Great Wolves Gym. Sawyer was also in charge of the Great Wolves Motorcycle Club. He was a man you didn’t mess with. And a man that Jessie respected the hell out of. Sawyer McCall was always there for the fighters, and Jessie figured he was always there for his motorcycle club.

“Jessie, your grandma’s inside with Whitey. I’d gone over to the gym to check on an issue we’re having with the heating system, and I found him. He’d collapsed while locking up.”

“How’s my grandma?”

“She’s one strong woman. I can see where you get it.” Sawyer put a hand on his shoulder.

“Call us if you need anything. I have to get back.”

“I appreciate you staying all this time.”

“No problem, he’s family. Oh, and fighters are calling and wanting to sit with you. That okay?” Jessie nodded. He didn’t know what to expect when he went into the hospital room. He walked in and saw his grandma doing something he never saw her do.

Cry.

“Come on, old boy,” he heard his grandma say, and she laid her head down on Whitey’s shoulder. Whitey. His grandpa. The man who raised him was hooked up to wires and tubes. There was beeping. That was good, he supposed, that something was beeping.

He took a step forward, and his grandma heard his footfall.

“Jessie, I’m so glad you are here.” There was one word to describe his grandma, and that was sweet. She never raised her voice to him. She smiled through Whitey’s grumbling. And while Whitey was there in his corner grandma was there at home, at school, and every step of his life.

Jessie’s didn’t remember his parents; his dad was Whitey and Grandma’s only child. They died in a car accident. Jessie was in the car too. But in a car seat. He was a baby and didn’t have a scratch on him, but his parents died instantly they said.

Grandma and Whitey were the only parents he knew. They were in their early eighties now, but in Jessie’s mind, they were permanently twenty years younger. He had a hard time admitting that they were as old as they were. They were always so vital and vibrant.

“How are you, Grandma?” he asked her. Her sweet face, always smiling, was darkened by strain and worry.

“Oh, honey, he won’t answer. He just won’t answer.” Jessie put his arms out, and his grandma cried in his arms. So many times she’d comforted him after a loss or an injury or getting passed over early in his career. Now he held her.

“They say he had a massive heart event, Grandma.”

“I know. He probably forgot his medicine. He forgot things the last few weeks.” Grandma and Jessie had been filling the gaps for Whitey, but the gaps were getting bigger. And now this. He went through his memories, the last time he’d seen Whitey. Whitey hugged him and kissed him on the forehead. His grandpa always did that, from the time he was little, to the days in his corner. His mind was a tumble of moments with Whitey. Whitey was the pillar of their family.

Suddenly the beeping changed into one long noise. Jessie and his grandma looked at each other. Jessie ran out to the hall.

“Nurse. Nurse!” They had heard the sound too from their nursing station, and two nurses came in.

“Help your grandmother get clear, please.” Jessie helped her to her feet, and they stepped back as additional medical staff came running in. One by one he could see each of them try, and fail, to make something happen.

“Jessie, your grandpa’s heart stopped. That’s what’s happened.” She was strong at the moment. It was a moment he couldn’t believe. His grandpa, Whitey, the legendary trainer, a man who seemed made of iron, was slipping away.

“Grandma, you’re Grandpa’s heart and always will be.” He squeezed her shoulder, and his sweet little grandma watched the love her life die.

The nurses and doctors struggled, tried, tried again. But eventually, the doctor stepped back and put a hand up to the nurses. Then he turned to look at Jessie and his grandma.

“He’s gone, Jessie. Our Whitey’s gone,” she said to him. She never was one to deny the truth in front of her. No matter how painful it was.

And in that instant the world Jessie lived in shifted, and the bottom fell out from under him.

He held on to his grandma as she went into shock.