Cliff Avril is scared, lost, running through questions he can’t answer. It’s October 2017, and he’s just left the doctor’s office in downtown Seattle. What he heard there is neither good nor bad. Just confusing.



The doctor told him if he had surgery on his injured neck and if all went well, maybe he could play again. The surgery scares him. Who the hell wants neck surgery? Then again, it’s the only way he can play football, and the thought of his career ending is nearly as scary.



So he leaves the doctor’s and drives back toward Bellevue, back across the I-90 floating bridge, water on both sides, swallowed in the city’s gray mist. As traffic grinds along, he pulls out his phone and starts scrolling through his favorites, looking for someone to call.



His wife? She’s still recovering from her own major surgery.



His mom? She’ll fuss and worry, and Avril has always put up a strong, self-assured...