“Thank you,” Zane tells her before we turn to leave.
“Great game,” the woman calls after us as we walk away, and it makes us all laugh a little.
“His arm must be really bad if he’s in surgery,” I sigh as we step into the elevator.
“I think it was his shoulder,” Zane explains. “At least that’s what he said on the ice.”
“I’m sure he’s fine,” Leo says, trying to sound confident. It’s his way of comforting the group, but I don’t think any of us fully believes it.
When the elevator opens, we see an arrow pointing to section A just around the corner.
“Do you want some coffee or something?” Leo asks, and we all look at him. “In movies and TV shows, people always drink coffee while waiting in hospitals,” he shrugs.
“I’ll have some,” Zane says with a small smile, almost as if he’s doing Leo a favor.
“Me too,” I follow.
“I’ll help you,” Tess tells Leo, and they both head toward the other side of the hallway.
Zane and I turn the corner into section A and immediately see Lisa pacing back and forth. Her eyes are red, and mascara has streaked beneath them.
“Lisa? Is everything ok?” Zane asks as soon as he spots her.
Almost instantly, Lisa breaks down in tears. She covers her face with her hands, her shoulders shaking with sobs.
Zane walks over and wraps his arms around her.
“What’s going on?” he asks, glancing at me with a confused expression.
“Nothing… I just feel bad for him,” Lisa explains as she slowly lowers her hands and tries to wipe away the mascara.
“Did you hear anything?” Zane asks, looking around the room. We’re the only ones there; no nurses or doctors are in sight.
“The doctor came by earlier. His shoulder is in pretty bad shape. They’re performing surgery now, but the doctor said he might not be able to play anymore,” Lisa explains as another tear slips down her cheek.
“What?” Zane says in shock, running his hands through his hair. He sits down on one of the plastic chairs and leans forward, resting his elbows on his knees.
“Here,” I say, handing Lisa a tissue from my purse. She takes it and pulls me into a tight hug. “He’ll be ok,” I whisper, trying to comfort her.
“I’m going to see if I can find a doctor for an update,” Zane says suddenly, standing up and walking away.
“Are you ok?” I ask Lisa now that we’re alone. She nods, but tears continue to fall.
“I don’t know why I can’t stop crying,” she says with a small, shaky laugh.
“Because you care about him,” I smile softly. “It’s normal.”
“I’m worried,” she sighs as she sits on the plastic bench. I sit beside her and rest my hand on her knee. “I only saw him for a second before they took him in for surgery. He was in so much pain.”
“Poor guy,” I sigh. “What did the doctor say?”
“She only said the scans looked really bad. Apparently, part of his bone was shattered, and it’ll take months to heal. She wasn’t sure he’d regain full use of his arm,” Lisa says quietly.
“Let’s wait and see how it goes. I’m sure he’ll be ok,” I try to reassure her, though I’m not entirely convinced anymore.
In the distance, we hear footsteps approaching. A few seconds later, Tess and Leo turn the corner.
“Hey,” Tess says softly as she walks straight to Lisa and hugs her. “Are you ok?”
