Waves

Part 40

40 parts, 87,000 words, and over 60,000 total reads on three different platforms. Waves wouldn't have this kind of sustained success without your support and I'm so grateful for it. Here's a supersized chapter to get your weekend going!

Eve woke up late the next morning to a barrage of calls and texts from various people wondering where she was. Quickly typing out a message to the group that she was running behind, she had barely tossed on her clothes when a knock at the door let her know that the makeup artist she'd hired had arrived.

Joe's prior Super Bowl trip had been such a new and foreign experience that Eve had underestimated the attention or emphasis placed on her; the result being a raft of media coverage she was not prepared for. As vain as she felt for doing so, she wanted to make sure she looked and felt her best for today's game, hence why she was bashfully being primped by a team of professionals this time around.

Once they were done and had wished her luck, Eve sat down for a few minutes to calm her nerves. Closing her eyes and leaning back, Eve reflected on the path to this point; replaying various games of Joe's over the years and marveling at the fact that he'd come so far from the third string backup she'd met almost a decade before.

Her moment of zen was interrupted by a call from her mother telling her to hurry up, and after checking her purse one more time, Eve headed for the lobby where charter buses would take the Bengals families to Allegiant Stadium.

"Everyone's doing a shot," Robin insisted, handing Eve what looked to be tequila and orange juice. "It's barely 11:30," Eve protested. "Take the damn shot Wilson," Adam barked from the back of the bus. Glaring at the group, Eve grimaced as she downed the alcohol, her body instantly warming up.

The ride was relatively short and soon they were crossing the pedestrian bridge into the stadium. "I don't know why I'm not more nervous but I'm not," Andrea mused. "You're lucky. My insides are doing backflips right now," Eve groaned, "I just....really, really hope Joe can stay upright today." With both starting tackles getting injured in the AFC Championship Game, Joe would once again be playing in a Super Bowl with a patchwork offensive line. Though Eve was used to Joe being knocked around, there would be no safe harbor for him against the Lions' bruising pass rush.

With several of Eve's co-workers from The Innocence Project making the trip to Vegas, their section was filled with familiar faces, and she squealed with glee when she spotted Michael, Clara, and Lara waiting for her. "I'm so happy you made it–wait a second, is that a Hubbard jersey?" Eve turned Clara around to see a bedazzled 94 on her back. "Hey, she has great taste," Amanda remarked, high-fiving Clara. "Your boyfriend is my favorite player. Not just because he's hot, but because he's talented," Clara shrugged. "That he is," Amanda agreed.

Once Eve sat down, she zoned out and kept her eyes locked on the field, mostly ignoring the conversations around her. A large cheer erupted once the Bengals began warming up, and she beamed as Joe popped up on the jumbotron. "You must feel like a piece of you is down on that field too," Vicki observed, wrapping her arm around Eve's shoulders. "Boy do I. Every hit he takes, I feel it. Every time he loses, I want to throw something. He's a segment of my heart walking around," Eve sighed.

"How have you been doing? Are you taking care of yourself? I hope you're talking to someone after the explosion and the break-in. That's a lot to process on your own," Vicki said. Eve fiddled with her necklace and thought for a minute before answering. "I'm...doing the best that I can. To be honest, I'm probably not taking care of myself. Part of me feels like if I stop to do so, I won't have the guts to keep going and there are too many people depending on me right now."

"You also can't pour from an empty cup. The people depending on you need you at full strength, and if you're not placing an emphasis on your wellbeing, you won't be. Taking a time-out to process a traumatic event isn't "stopping," it's giving yourself a moment to mourn the person you were before the trauma and celebrating the healing that's ahead of you. You don't have to be SuperWoman. You just have to be the best version of yourself possible," Vicki offered.