The Quarterback’s First Love – Episode 36
St. Catherine’s stood at the edge of town behind old maple trees, its brick walls renovated but recognizable. Maddie stopped outside the gate where the accident occurred. Cameron waited beside her without reaching first.
She took his hand. The road no longer existed exactly as memory preserved it; new barriers and crossing lights protected the entrance. Still, the child she had been seemed close enough to touch.
Inside, children’s drawings covered freshly painted halls. The institution had become a transitional home with foster support and counseling, though funding remained visibly limited. Worn furniture sat beside careful repairs.
Sister Elizabeth emerged from an office and recognized Cameron immediately. Age had silvered her hair, but her eyes remained kind. “Jack,” she said, then looked at Maddie with astonishment.
Their reunion held joy complicated by accountability. Sister Elizabeth embraced them, apologized, and admitted she had followed adult decisions she now questioned. “We believed the Carters could give him everything,” she said.
“Not everything,” Maddie replied. The nun accepted the correction. She explained that the Carters wanted a son and refused repeated requests to adopt both children.
Cameron asked about the medical file. Sister Elizabeth retrieved archived records, including the missing signature page. Linda had authorized medication only as Cameron’s prospective guardian, not Maddie’s legal guardian.
The hospital should never have accepted it. Sister Elizabeth had objected, but Linda argued that mentioning Jack caused Maddie distress and threatened to withdraw donations. Financial pressure silenced people who should have protected a child.
Maddie felt anger without collapse. The truth no longer had the power Linda intended because she and Cameron faced it together. They copied every record for investigators.
Sister Elizabeth showed them the former infirmary. Maddie remembered Jack’s bed, the silver charm in his palm, and her certainty that protecting him mattered as much as his promise protected her.
“You were inseparable,” the nun said. “I am not surprised you found one another.” Cameron looked at Maddie, and the years between childhood and now felt less like emptiness than a road finally completed.
They asked how they could help the children currently living there. Sister Elizabeth mentioned failing plumbing, overdue repairs, and a landlord who treated every request as ingratitude.
Maddie proposed directing future Campus Clash funds toward the home. Cameron offered team fundraising and professional contacts. Neither presented help as a favor that required obedience.
A young girl named Kiara recognized Cameron from television and asked if famous athletes could be orphans. He knelt carefully despite his ribs and said origins did not limit futures.
Maddie watched children gather around him. He answered questions about football, adoption, and fear without pretending life became easy. Honesty gave them more dignity than inspiration slogans.
Sister Elizabeth invited them into her office to discuss a sustainable fund. Before they could begin, angry shouting erupted in the hallway.
A heavyset man pushed past Kiara and demanded to see the nun. He introduced himself as Mr. Thompson, the building’s owner, and waved an eviction notice.
Sister Elizabeth insisted rent was current after deducting repairs she had paid herself. Thompson dismissed the receipts and threatened to shut down the home before the end of the week.
Maddie stepped between him and the children. Thompson looked at her too long, then smiled with recognition. “You grew up nicely,” he said, reaching toward her face.
She caught his wrist before he touched her. His smile became vicious. “One night with me and I might forget the debt.” Behind Maddie, Cameron’s expression changed—and the landlord had no idea whose first love he had just threatened.