“I didn’t know for sure until right now,” Cam says. “But I suspected something was going on. I caught the way they looked at each other during practice, the way Coach always seemed to know exactly what Tate needed to hear. And Tate’s game really improved when they started working together. But I get why Tate kept it quiet. Conflict of interest and all.”
“A bunch of us have dealt with the coming out struggle,” Jack says. “We could have helped. It’s not an easy thing to deal with, but we’ll always have each other’s backs, brah.”
“We’re all family, Tate.” Carter looks around the room. “And family always takes care of family.”
A smile tugs at my lips. “So you guys are okay with this?”
“Tate,” Colby says, “I don’t give a shit who you’re sleeping with as long as you’re stopping pucks. And if Coach makes you a better goalie, then I hope you two live happily ever after.”
“What about the media? The questions? People are going to want to know about the team’s reaction to having another gay player and that said player is sleeping with his coach.”
“Then we’ll tell them the same thing we tell them about everything else that’s none of their business,” Jack says. “To fuck off. You’re a good player and a good teammate. That’s all that matters.”
A doctor in surgical scrubs appears in the waiting room doorway but it’s not Dr. Gandolfo. It’s someone else, someone I don’t recognize. My gut clenches.
Silence falls over us all.
“Family of Zane Christensen?”
“That’s us,” I say, jumping out of my chair.
“I’m Dr. Kim, one of the surgical residents. I was assisting Dr. Gandolfo during the surgery.” She looks around the room at the crowd of huge hockey players and then her eyes land on me again. “He’s stable. The surgery went well. We were able to repair the internal bleeding and remove some bullet fragments we missed in the first operation.”
“Is he going to be okay?” I choke out.
“He’s going to need time to get back on his feet, but yes, he should make a full recovery.”
The relief is so intense I almost fall over. Mark catches my arm to steady me.
“When can I see him?”
“He’s being moved to recovery now. Once he’s awake and alert, probably in an hour or two. The anesthesia should wear off within the next hour.” Dr. Kim smiles. “He’s been asking for Tate. Is that you?”
“Yeah, that’s me.”
“Well, he’s going to be very happy to see you.”
She leaves, and the waiting room erupts in cheers and back-slapping.
“You see? He’s okay,” Mom says, hugging me. “He’s going to be okay.”
In the middle of the celebration, Parker pulls me aside. “Hey, can I talk to you for a minute?”
“Sure.”
We walk toward the vending machines, away from the crowd.
“I was worried about you guys after that night in the bar, about what would happen if people found out. And I never said anything. I want you to know that. But I watched you guys, and I could see how much you cared about each other. Even when you were trying to hide it.” His voice gets quieter. “Tonight, when I heard he got shot trying to protect you... I should have said something.”
“Said something to who?”
“To you. I knew the guys thought you were straight and that it must’ve been really stressful for you to keep that secret. I should have told you that you didn’t have to pretend around me.” Parker looks miserable. “You’ve been carrying this alone, and you didn’t have to.”
“Parker... ”
“I’m sorry, Tate. I’m sorry you felt like you had to hide from everyone, including me.”
“It’s not your fault.”
