I raised my head, exhausted from two grueling periods on the ice. Sweat beaded on my forehead, and I was trying to cool down so I could go back out there feeling strong when intermission ended. “Coach?”
He waved me over, and my brow furrowed. Was he about to pull me from the pipes? That wouldn’t make any sense. It would be fucking insane to put in a cold goalie in the final period of thesixth game of the Stanley Cup finals. Especially in a game where the score was this close. Besides, I was playing at my best.
“I hesitate to tell you this because I want your focus to be on this game.” My stomach dropped at his words. “But as a dad, I feel that you should know. Bryn’s in labor.”
“She…what?” I turned as if to leave, to grab my keys and run to the car. But then I realized I was dressed out in full pads, and it was the middle of the Stanley Cup final.Fuck!I tugged on my hair.
The locker room quieted, and some of the guys asked, “What’s wrong? What’s going on?”
“Bryn’s in labor,” I said to my teammates, pacing. “I have to…” I couldn’t leave, but I also couldn’t let her do this on her own. “I have to talk to her.”
“She’s in the med bay,” Coach said, shocking me. “You have fifteen minutes until intermission is over.”
“What?” I choked out.
I blinked a few times, trying to process it all. Stanley Cup finals. Bryn was in labor. Holyshit.
And then I was sprinting—as much as I could in all my gear—to the med bay. The chants of my teammates echoed behind me, spurring me on. “Fiz-zy. Fiz-zy. Fiz-zy.”
When I reached the door to the med bay, I was panting, but it was more from adrenaline than anything else. I knocked on the door, and Georgia answered.
“Oh, thank god.” She sagged and then stepped aside.
Bryn was on one of the tables with a sheet draped over her bottom half. Allie was holding one hand and Logan the other. Bryn’s eyes darted to mine, and I rushed over to a sink, washing my hands thoroughly before rushing to her side. Was she okay? And why did they act as if she was having the baby here?Now?
Logan stepped aside, and I took Bryn’s hand, smoothing her hair away from her face. Her cheeks were red, sweat dotting herforehead. She looked as if she’d been working just as hard as I’d been playing on the ice.
“Angel.” I kissed the top of her head. “How are you doing?”
Before she could answer, her face contorted, skin turning even redder as she squeezed the shit out of my hand. My eyes widened, and I looked to Astrid for reassurance. But she wasn’t paying attention to me; she was already peering beneath the sheet.
“I can see the baby’s head,” Astrid said.
What?I tried not to panic. We should be at the hospital, not…the med bay of the Atlas Center during Stanley Cup finals.
I opened my mouth to ask what I could do to help, but Astrid emitted a calm, focused energy that made me realize she had this in hand. And when I looked to Bryn, she seemed equally in the zone. So I closed my mouth, trusting that she’d tell me if she needed anything. And I focused on lending Bryn and Morgan all my love and support.
Bryn turned to me, and her eyes locked on mine. “I’m so glad you’re here.”
I clasped my hands around hers, kissing her knuckles. “So am I, angel.”
Bryn’s muscles tensed, and I sensed another contraction. Bryn looked to Astrid. Something unspoken passed between them, and a sense of peace washed over me. It only reaffirmed what I already knew: Bryn was in good hands.
“You’re almost there. Take a deep breath, then give me one more big push like the last one,” Astrid said. And then she nodded.
Bryn squeezed her eyes shut, giving it her all. I could see the exertion, the pain, the everything that she was pouring into this moment.
“That’s it, Bryn.” I held her hand, wishing there were more I could do. “You’ve got this. You’re almost there.”
And then I heard it, Morgan’s cry. I couldn’t hold back my smile as relief washed over me. Bryn dropped her head against the pillow, exhausted.
She looked at me, and I looked at her, so many emotions flowing between us in that moment. Relief. Joy. Understanding. Gratitude. And so much love.
I pressed a kiss to her temple. “You did it, angel.” I could barely get the words out, I was so choked up. “You did it.”
“Wedid it.”
I kissed her then, sweat and tears mingling with joy and love. When I pulled back to cup her cheek, she’d never looked more beautiful to me.My wife.The mother of my child.
