Chapter Twenty-Four
With only a few minutes to go and the score at 2-2, Danny wasn’t sure he’d made the right decision in playing the final game of the season. They needed awin, not a draw.
Even though he knew now that the team’s financial problems weren’t real thanks to Eliot’s efforts, he’d gone into this season with one goal in mind. If he didn’t make it, was it all for nothing? All the pain, all the effort of covering it up, the risk that he’d done damage he’d never recover from, that he wouldn’t even be fit enough to coach children after…
He knew Eliot was doing something more important—and had been practically every waking hour all week—but Danny wished he was here, watching.
Eliot didn’t know anything or care about hockey, but he both knew and cared about Danny. With his knee on the verge of giving out and the clock ticking, the comfort of being able to glance over and see the ridiculous purple scarf he’d worn last time would have been huge.
Danny dove toward the puck, jarring his knee as he swerved to change direction. If he’d been told once that it wasn’t the right way to turn, he’d been told a thousand times, but it was faster for him.
It was faster, and it was also probably why he was going to end up retiring at thirty and needing a cane by the time he was thirty-five. If he’d listened, he probably wouldn’t be in this position now.
It was too late to worry about that now, though. He needed to make this pass, even with his head spinning and his jaw tightening with the pain, even with his knee giving out under him.
There weresecondsleft. He could hear the crowd counting down as he reached out, catching the puck with the very end of his stick.
Overextended, his knee collapsed under him. Pain shot all the way up his spine as he fell, and again when he hit the ice. He rolled onto his back, knowing he wasn’t going anywhere, and then heard the crowd cheering.
The score on the board flipped over to 3-2. A heartbeat later, the buzzer sounded and the crowd got so loud that Danny couldn’t even hear his own pulse pounding in his ears.
He let out the breath he’d been holding. They won.
Theywon.
It wasn’t all for nothing.
Danny grinned to himself, the pain forgotten for a moment. Eliot would probably never understand why this had been so important, but he’d be proud.
Proud was good enough.
It took a few seconds for anyone to realize Danny wasn’t getting up.
His stomach sank as he realized he wasn’t walking out of here. Medics suddenly swarmed around him, all his senses on overload as he was questioned about whether or not he was all right, where it hurt, whether he could stand.
He answered as calmly as he could, the cold sinking into his back, and closed his eyes when one of them promised they’d get him out of there and get him some help.
At least he’d definitely be in the hospital in time for surgery this way.
This didn’t solve everything, but the rest was out of his hands, now. The rest was up to Eliot.
Eliot could do it. Danny knew that.
If there was anyone he’d trust his life and his future to, it was him.
He was starting to think he was a little bit in love with the guy.
