Page 74 of Ring Rust

By then, the pain was bad enough that Ryan was fading in and out of consciousness. At least, he thought that was the case, based on the snippets of calls from Logan he overheard. One describing the fall, one with a woman whose voice Ryan didn’t recognize. With that, he used the last of his consciousness to ask for one more thing.

“Logan,” Ryan said.

Logan was back on the ground, holding Ryan’s hand and facing the other way to stare at the tree line across the way. “The paramedics on their way. I told them how to get through the gate and where we’re located. They should be here in a few minutes.”

“That’s great—but Logan, listen to me. Please text Jasper. Okay?”

“What? Why? What if he asks how things are going?” Logan asked, now facing him but with his eyes still closed.

Ryan took a painful breath. “Just tell him I will be late to the recital. If he asks about the park, tell him we were working on something other than the carousel. I don’t care what.”

“Okay. I will, but?—”

“Just—” Ryan started, but his eyes felt heavy. He managed to get one more word out before he heard the paramedics making their way up the path. “Please.”

“I guessI can’t say I’m surprised,” Jasper said, fanning himself with a small program outlining Nina’s dance recital.

Stevie rolled her eyes. “He’ll be here. He still has ten minutes before he’s late.”

Jasper looked at her and nodded, tension curling in his gut. Several months ago, Ryan being late for Nina’s recital wouldn't have surprised him. Ryan would have missed it entirely, then tried to make up for it by throwing money at the problem. The backstage area would've been littered with bouquets for every kid in the class, tables sagging under cookies and sweets he'd paid for, anything to soften the disappointment of his absence. Jasper couldn't help feeling a flicker of nerves when he noticed there was no sign of Ryan—and no extravagant apology waiting in his place.

“Did you guys go backstage at all?” Beni said, finally reaching their seats. “I just got back from helping Nina get dressed. There’s a cotton candy stand back there, complete with a princess cotton candy chef.”

“Ryan?” Stevie asked.

Beni just laughed and nodded. “Where the heck is he?”

The same curl of tension twisted tighter, leaving him confused and vaguely hurt. The only possible reasons for Ryan’s absence were that something was terribly wrong, or that Ryan was falling into old patterns. A princess cotton candy chef sounded par for the course for a Ryan apology, and her presence made Jasper deflate even further.

Embarrassment burned his cheeks when he realized he’d made a fool of himself by believing Ryan’s stupid pleas.

“He wouldn’t miss Nina’s recital when he’s in the same town,” Stevie said.

“Wouldn’t he?” Jasper mused.

Beni leaned over and whispered something in Stevie’s ear. Stevie nodded and hummed an affirmative noise.

“Whatever you guys are saying, just stop,” Jasper said.

“Well, you’re being a huge asshole,” Stevie said.

Jasper checked his phone one final time before sliding it back in his pocket. He’d missed one call, but it was from an unknown number, and they didn’t leave a voicemail. Normally, that meant it was a debt collector or telemarketer. Jasper was caught up on his bills and had no desire to be sold to, so he swiped away the notification and checked his text messages for the third time since arriving.

Ryan still hadn’t read the message Jasper sent an hour ago asking if he wanted to meet at the recital, or ride with him. So, now he was ignoring texts again. Jasper sighed and decided he was going to forget about Ryan’s absence, enjoy the recital, and afterward, he was going to eat a lot of frozen yogurt with his niece.

“Did you see this?” Jasper asked, pointing at the program. “Costumes by Jasper Sanborn. That’s me.”

“Yes,” Beni said. “And listed right next to the emotional support dog. Very important.”

Jasper shrugged. “Jealous?”

She laughed. “No. Their costumes do look great, though. Thank you for your help, again. What a lovely uncle she has.”

Jasper’s smile faded as the lights dimmed.

He sat in his chair with his hands locked between his knees as the kids filed out. They danced and twirled, Nina’s costume sparkling in a blur of pink and blue. She caught her mom’s eye and waved, much to the amusement of the audience, but was quickly redirected back into the routine. Jasper laughed, automatically looking to his left—leftover instinct to connect with Ryan over something silly and unexpected.

The reminder that he wasn’t there settled like rocks in Jasper’s gut. He wasn’t even sure why he was surprised, or why he let it make him so mad. Ryan was the one letting Nina and his sister down.