When he returns my smile, my stomach flips. It’s the first time I’ve seen his genuine smile—the one I remember from our hookup night. It makes my knees weak and sets off a flock of very excited butterflies in my stomach.
We make idle conversation during the breaks in the play until about halfway through the first period, when Carson’s assistant, Kelly, appears beside my chair. It’s weird to see them down here because they’re normally up in the box with the other execs during games. They put their hand gently on my shoulder and lean in to whisper in my ear.
“I’m sorry to do this to you, Aleks, but Harborview Medical Center called. It’s about your friend Josephine. There’s an emergency, and you need to contact them. I’m sorry, I couldn’t get any more info out from them because I’m not next of kin.” Kelly’s eyes are kind.
The blood drains out of my face as I jump to my feet, nearly knocking over my folding chair in my rush.
“What is it?” Ben asks, concern flooding his expression.
“A problem with a friend. I’ll be right back,” I say quickly. I push past Kelly with a muttered “thanks” over my shoulder, running as fast as my legs will carry me to the downstairs coach’s office, where there’s a landline, since cell phones aren’t always reliable down in the bowels of the arena.
My relationship with Josie is closer than most best friends. My parents helped her become emancipated from her abusive parents when we were sixteen, something for which I will be eternally grateful. That’s how Josie knows my dad so well. He helped her a lot during that horrible time. He’s not a soft and fuzzy guy, but that wasn’t what Josie needed back then. She needed someone to fight for her like a goddamn pit bull, and Kent Warren was perfect for that job. Even as angry as I get with my dad sometimes, deep down, I know he’s a good person. My parents helped make sure Josie didn’t end up in the foster system, and I firmly believe they saved her life by helping her get away from her abusive family. That means she has no biological family, so I’m always listed as her next of kin.
I clatter into the tiny office next to the locker room and dial the number on the Post-it from Kelly with shaking hands, chewing on my nails while I wait to be connected.
“Is this Mr. Aleksandr Warren?” a crisp, efficient voice asks a few moments later.
“Yes, I’m calling about Josephine Devonshire. I’m her next of kin,” I say, trying to keep my voice steady.
“Yes, hello, Mr. Warren. I’m glad we tracked you down. Josephine has been asking for you. There was a car accident, and your—Josephine was injured and brought here to us. She’s in surgery now for a badly broken leg, but she was able to give us your contact information before they took her in.”
“Oh fuck, fuck, fuck,” I whisper. “Is she… She’s going to be okay, right?” I’m desperate for an answer, fearing the worst.
“None of her injuries are life-threatening, but she was badly shaken up. I’m sure she’d appreciate seeing you when she gets out of surgery.” The voice is warmer now.
“Yes, yes, of course. I’ll be there as soon as possible,” I say, thanking all the gods that Josie isn’t in danger of losing her life, but it doesn’t sound good if she was asking for me. Normally, that girl is a rock, and since she knows I’m working a game tonight and was still asking for me, it means she must be scared as fuck.
I hang up the phone and go tearing out to the bench to tell people I’m leaving. I fucking hope they can handle things, but right now, I don’t even care. I just need to get to Josie.
When I get to the bench, I get the attention of Dave, the Sasquatch’s lead equipment manager. His eyes fill with concern when I spit out what’s happening.
“Go, just go ahead, Aleks. We’ve got you,” he says with a reassuring smile.
“Thanks, Dave. I’m so sorry. I’ll contact Carson and—"
“Just go take care of your friend. I’ll talk to everyone, okay? Just be safe. It’s shitty weather out there,” he says. I look up to the big glass window of the arena, which is at street level since this rink is built down into the ground instead of up, like most other large venues. The snow is falling so heavily it’s easy to see even through the darkened windows.
“Okay, yeah, thanks,” I say. I race back down the tunnel to grab my car keys and the rest of my stuff. I’m so focused I don’t even notice when I run right past Ben, who’s obviously standing there waiting for me.
“Wait, Aleks, what’s wrong? What happened?” he asks, immediately falling into a run beside me.
“I have to go. My best friend, Josie, was in a car accident, and she’s in surgery, and I’m her only family, so I have to go right now.” I’m babbling as I tear into the locker room and over to the little cubby where I leave my stuff during games.
“Dave said he’ll handle the equipment. Sorry, I gotta go.” I push past where Ben’s standing by the door, back into the tunnels that will lead me to the direct exit to the staff parking lot.
“Wait, wait,” Ben calls, coming after me. “Which hospital are you going to?”
“Harborview,” I say as he continues to keep pace with me.
“I’ll drive you,” he says with authority. “You’re upset— you shouldn’t drive, especially in this weather.”
“It’s fine, I’m fine.” I push open the exit door and race toward my car. He keeps up effortlessly, like we’re just out for a walk in the park.
“Aleks, stop,” he finally says, grabbing my arm as we reach our cars. “I’m a doctor, and I have privileges at Harborview. I can get information faster than you, and you don’t want to worry about parking. I’ll drop you at the door and meet you. You’ll get there faster.”
I hesitate for a moment. Even though I’d rather not, I’d be stupid not to take him up on this offer. “Fine, let’s go, then. Hurry,” I say.
He grabs his key fob from his pocket, and the lights on his big, black Volvo SUV flash.
