“Daddy! I’m bleeding!” Austin Rivers wailed, clutching his face. “DADDY!!!!”
But Doc Rivers sat impassively on the bench, not indicating in any way that he had heard his son’s cries. As trainers hustled over to where Austin lay, he remained in his seat.
“Daddy?” Austin said hopefully as he saw a pair of feet walking towards him. However, when he looked up and saw a member of the Clippers’ medical staff, he began to cry. “Where’s daddy?” Austin asked of the trainer as a towel was pressed to his bloody face. “I want daddy.” Tears ran down his face and mingled with the blood.
“Daddy’s busy right now,” the trainer consoled. “It’ll be okay, you’re a big boy.”
Austin was confused and hurt. His daddy was right there on the sideline. What was keeping him so busy that he couldn’t be there to hold and comfort his own son? “It hurts…” he whimpered in a scared voice. “Daddy…”
“Daddy has to coach the team,” the trainer said impatiently. “Let’s get you up and take you back to the locker room.”
Gingerly getting to his feet and sniffling, Austin saw his dad conferring with his assistants. “Daddy!” he yelled, hoping one last time that he would be able to attract his father’s attention, so that maybe somebody would be there while he got scary stitches. But Doc again did not hear, and Austin was taken to the locker room alone and frightened.