“I like how you called them odd items.” I let out a choked laugh. “The socks and gummy worms are the winners.”
“I’ll take care of the rest. You let me know if you need anything else.”
“Have you found me a nose ring yet?”
“Oh yes! I was able to find your original one. Be right back.”
Her footsteps fade, then return a minute later. The faint clink of metal against the side table makes me smile. It’s a small thing, but a part of me I’ve been missing.
“I’ll clean the area first, then we’ll go slow. It might sting a little,” Ivy warns.
“I can handle it.”
She hums under her breath, a cute tell she’s focusing on her current task. Her knuckles brush against my cheek as she disinfects the nose and slides the ring in place. There’s a brief pinch of discomfort—more pressure than pain—followed by a smooth slide as it slips through.
“That was quick,” I comment.
“Lucky for you, the piercing was still open.”
I reach up, carefully touching the cool metal and twist it slightly. A wave of relief washes through me. “Thanks, Ivy. Seriously. I feel more like myself with it.”
“Anytime.” Her voice is warm and sincere. Even in the middle of this nightmare, where nothing makes sense, she feels like solid ground.
After Ivy leaves the room, I grab the bag of what I hope is gummy worms. The package tears open with a satisfying rip, and the first bite confirms that the guys picked my favorite sour gummy worms. It’s easily the best thing I’ve tasted in days.
I lean my head against the pillows, the candy bag in my hand, and let myself relax for real this time. Maybe I’m not as alone in this as I first thought. I have Ivy, the rest of the care team, and the guys. Not to mention Jasper, Em and my uncle.
11
TEDDY
DECEMBER 12
“Did you hear about Seaborn?” a man asks outside my room, his voice hushed.
Until those words, I was trying to fall asleep, while ignoring the dull throb in my skull that’s become a regular part of my life. But now I’m wide awake. It’s like someone poured ice water straight into my veins. My breath falters as I strain to hear the rest of the conversation.
A second male voice responds. “Unlucky bastard. I heard from one of the nurses that the hits caused bleeding in his brain. I wonder why the League hasn’t made another statement.”Maybe because they want to respect my damn privacy, you nosey asshole.“She also said he can’t see anything.”
Fucking hell. Of course they’ve been gossiping about me. What’s new?
“Do you think he’ll return to the ice?”
“You want my honest opinion? There’s no way. Even if he gets the best care possible and some vision returns, he’ll never pass the medicals. Not for the League. Not with brain trauma ontop of everything else. They don’t take those types of risks, no matter how great the player is.”
My fingers tighten around the sheets, the grip keeping me grounded. The fabric bunches and the ridges dig into my palms, offering something solid when everything else is crumbling. They speak like it’s a done deal, as if my future on the ice has been erased. As though I’ve already lost the only thing I’ve ever worked for. Hockey has always been my everything. My escape and purpose in life, an identity beyond my family name. Without it, I don’t even know what’s left of me. Just a void where my future used to be. What the hell does a person do when the thing defining them disappears overnight?
“It’s such a shame. He was one of the best on the team. Had another decade in him, if he took care of his body.”
“We’re not winning the Cup this season. It shouldn’t come down to one player, but when the player is Seaborn, it kind of does.”
“Tell me about it. What a fucking mess.”
Every word eats at the bit of hope I’ve been hanging onto for dear life. I press the heels of my hands to my forehead. But it does nothing. The blood is still there, trapped somewhere in my skull, turning everything into this useless existence. Pressure builds behind my eyes, hot and sharp, the kind that would normally mean tears, but nothing comes. I’m too empty for that.
“It’s not only about him being out of the game,” the first person points out. “Everyone knows the Woodpeckers management is scrambling for a short-term replacement, but you can’t plug a random player into his spot and expect the same results.”
“He had such explosive chemistry with the first line. They were magic this season. What are we supposed to do, break up the whole formation? I don’t think so.”
