But what if it is?
The sheer panic I can’t seem to shake makes the tremors in my hands intensify as I stand and grab some gloves. It takes two tries to pull them on and that’s when I realize I need to calm the fuck down in order to do my job.
I close my eyes and take a deep breath, thinking of my triage routine rather than the what-ifs. Then I start running through the reasons a hockey player would need to be carted in via an ambulance to an emergency room. Thebestemergency room in the city. I remind myself it’s also the closest and therefore most convenient.Right.
Okay, we’ve got loss of consciousness, wound that isn’t clotting, broken bone that needs to be reset ASAP, detrimental blood loss?—
I’m jarred from my mental list as I hear the ambulance out front. I take a deep breath and hurry to reach the doors. OutsideI’m met with the chaos of EMTs and staff from the hospital surrounding a gurney. I’m struggling to get a glimpse of the large body, but I do see black and gray. Those are Matt’s team colors.
My heart might beat out of my chest.
The EMT voices sound far away, only bits of what they are relaying to the doctor coming through.
“Likely severe concussion…unconscious…unable to skate off the ice…”
I finally maneuver close enough to see the patient and promptly bend over and vomit on the ground.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
MATT
The buzzingon the locker room bench next to me catches my attention, my hands stopping their slow work of untying my laces. Ellie’s working a shift tonight, so I know it’s not her calling. It could be my mom worrying about Tyler, but I doubt they showed much of that on the broadcast. Theywouldshow Niko’s fight defending him though.
Oh, must be my dad calling about exactly that. He’s probably wanting to talk shit about the penalty Niko got after. Despite being a legit call, we all thought it was justified. Not even Coach was mad. I smile at the thought of passing off my overly chatty dad to him. But when I see who’s actually calling, the smile slips from my face.
Nate.
It’s rare for him to call when he knows I’m at the arena, especially on a game night. He usually just texts. And it’s pretty rare for something at the bar to be urgent enough for me to be involved, but I’m not sure what else it could be. I pick it up hastily and slide my thumb to answer.
“Hey, man,” I greet him quickly. “What’s up?”
I hear some noise in the background, but it’s a Sunday night so I’m guessing it’s not too packed at the bar.
“Oh good, wasn’t sure you’d answer. You gotta come get your girl, man.”
The little alarms his words set off in my head are momentarily drowned out by a jolt of happiness.My girl. Mine.
Wait. Ellie, at the bar? The snap back to reality is so jarring it gives me whiplash.
I give Coach an apologetic look and awkwardly shuffle in my loose skates to the empty equipment room across the hall. “What? Ellie’s at the bar? Is she okay?” I work to get my pads off with the hand that isn’t holding the phone.
“Whoa, man, calm down. Sorry to freak you out. She’s fine, yeah. She’s just…uh…drunk,” he finishes, the last word coming out quieter than the rest.
Ellie drunk? On a Sunday? I pull the phone away from my ear and look at the time. Ten twenty-four. Ellie’s shift goes until three in the morning.
“She’s supposed to be at work. Is she with someone? Did she say something happened with work?”
I pin the phone to my ear with my shoulder and finish getting my skates off.
“No.” Nate clears his throat. “She’s here alone. She didn’t mention work, but she’s in scrubs. Listen, I gotta go, but I’ll keep an eye on her until you get here.”
The phone disconnects and I grab my discarded pads and skates, sneaking back into the locker room to collect my things and throw them in my bag. I pull on some sweats and slides and try not to panic. Nate didn’t say anything waswrong. He probably just wants me to make sure she gets home okay since she’s alone. I just wish I knew why she was at the bar, drunk, instead of at work. While Ellie does consistently surprise me, this seems out of character. She loves her job and I know how seriously she takes it. She wouldn’t just bail.
I grab my things and signal to Niko I’m heading out, pulling a baseball hat on to quietly make my exit. Hopefully our dominating win tonight has Coach in a good mood. I slip out the door and pick up my pace to get to my car.
Time to go get my girl.
Is she asleep?
