“I don’t give my number to patients or their loved ones. Sorry. But you can always reach out to the hospital if you need anything.”
There’s the soft shuffle of footsteps as they exchange polite goodbyes. The door opens and closes, leaving Em and I alone.
“She seems nice,” my friend comments as she returns to my bedside.
“You should’ve heard how she handled my parents, too. It was awesome.”
“I would have loved to see it. Speaking of your family, want to FaceTime Uncle Jake? He texted me earlier asking if he should fly home, but I told him that you’re stable and he should finish the business trip.”
Jake, my mother’s younger brother, is the only one in my family I still bother staying in touch with. He’s the only one who never treated me like a disappointment waiting to happen. I appreciate his concern more than I can say, but the idea of him dropping everything in Iceland just to sit at my bedside? That would’ve been too much. I don’t want to drag him down with me.
“Hell yeah. It’ll be nice to hear his voice.”
Em props a phone into my hand and a few rings later, Jake’s voice bursts through. “Teddy Bear!”
My chest tightens at the nickname, but this time it’s more warmth than pain. “Hey, Uncle Jake. How’s Iceland?”
“It’s cold enough to freeze your ass off, but beautiful. I was on a shoot this morning. We saw some stunning glaciers and black sand beaches. But never mind me. How areyou?”
I could sayI’m fine, the automatic lie, but it won’t land. He knows me too well and my situation is anything but fine. “I met with Dr. Royce this morning. He said we should remain hopeful that some of my sight might come back, but there’s no guarantee. There’s blood stuck in the wrong places around my eyes.”
“That must be hard to hear, kid.” Jake exhales heavily.
“All I can think is what if this is it?” My voice wavers despite my best effort to keep it level. “What if hockey is over?”
“Listen to me. You’re more than the game, Teddy. I know it doesn’t feel that way right now, but you’ve got grit running through your veins.”
“Pretty sure grit doesn’t make blood stop pooling in my eyes,” I point out, my voice laced with sarcasm.
“No, but it’ll keep you going until the situation clears. And if it doesn’t…you’ll find a way forward. Because that’s who you are. I’ll be there the second I’m back from this trip. Unless you’d like me home right now.”
Emotion knots in my throat, a tear falling down before I can stop it. “I don’t want you to cut your trip short. You’ve always told me to keep living my life, even when things go sideways. I expect the same from you.”
Jake’s chuckle rumbles through the speaker. “Alright. But you better believe I’ll be on the first flight if Emerson texts me with any bad news.”
Em hums in agreement beside me. “You can count on it.”
“Thanks, Jake,” I draw in a shaky breath. “It helps hearing your voice.”
“Always, Teddy Bear. Always. Now get some rest. I’ll catch up with you more later.”
The line goes dead, leaving only the hum of hospital machines and the faint sound of Em rummaging through a drawer. I drag my fingers across the hoodie she set on my lap, the fabric familiar beneath my hands. It makes me ache for the comfort of normalcy—something I don’t think I’ll ever get back.
“Em,” I start, voice rougher than I mean it to be.
“Yeah?”
I tilt my head toward the sound of the chair squeaking as she sits again. “I need you to handle something for me.”
“Anything.”
“I only want you, Jasper, and Uncle Jake on the approved visitors list. That’s it.”
There’s a pause. I can almost hear her measuring her next words. “Not your coach or the team?”
“No.” My answer is sharp and immediate. “I can’t deal with them right now. I don’t want their pity or the looks I won’t be able to see. I don’t want to hear promises about comebacks when I don’t even know if I’ll see the damn puck again. Just you, Jasper, and Jake. No one else.”
“Alright. I’ll take care of it. But you know they’ll ask questions when they’re turned away.”
