Just the question alone makes Lisa cry again, and my heart aches for her. No one knows she and Blake are together; she must feel overwhelmed.
“I’m alright,” Lisa says, quickly wiping away her tears.
Leo is holding a tray of coffee cups and hands one to each of us. He gives me two, one for Zane and one for me.
“Don’t you want any coffee?” I ask, but Leo shakes his head.
“Where did Zane go?” he asks, scanning the room.
“He went to find a doctor, someone who can give us an update,” I tell him as he and Tess sit down on the bench beside us.
After a few moments, we hear footsteps again. I expect Zane to return, but instead, it’s the Grizzlies’ coach. I recognize him from the Jumbotron and interviews.
“Coach,” Lisa says as she stands.
“Any news?” Coach asks, but she shakes her head. He then turns and shakes Leo’s hand. “I’m Bob,” he says, introducing himself to Tess and me. “People like to call me Coach,” he adds with a wink.
“Those assholes hit him way too hard,” Lisa says angrily as she sits back down.
“I’ve got the board looking into it. This wasn’t just ice hockey,” Bob says with a sigh as he takes a seat.
“You think it was some kind of revenge thing, too?” I ask, surprised.
“I don’t want to jump to conclusions,” Bob replies in a careful, measured tone. “But that wasn’t a normal game.”
“Coach?” Zane calls as he rounds the corner. “What are you doing here?”
“Same as you,” Bob shrugs. “Any news on the kid?” he asks as we all wait.
“I found a nurse. She said the doctor should come by with an update in about fifteen minutes. The surgery is done, but she couldn’t share any details,” Zane says, sounding disappointed as he sits beside me.
We settle in to wait for the doctor. Leo and Coach chat quietly about the game, Tess tries to distract Lisa by talking about some of our bakery mishaps, and Zane remains silent.
“I’m going to use the bathroom real quick,” Zane says, squeezing my hand and offering me a small smile. “I’ll be fast,” he adds before getting up and walking away.
“I always get lost in hospitals. Lead the way, Miller,” Coach says, following him.
Zane and Coach have barely disappeared around the corner when we hear footsteps approaching again. We all stand.
A woman in a white coat appears, her expression firm and unreadable.
“How did it go?” Lisa asks immediately.
“I’m not going to lie, he took a hard hit,” the doctor begins. “His bone is fractured. We won’t know whether he’ll regain full strength until the surrounding tissue heals. His muscle was also torn, so it will take several weeks before we can assess his recovery.”
“Is he ok? Is he awake?” Leo asks, concern etched across his face.
“He’s very drowsy, but we’ve administered pain medication. He’s not in any pain at the moment,” the doctor explains. “He’s been asking for his girlfriend. He wants her to visit. Which one of you is his girlfriend?”
I watch Lisa swallow hard before she takes a small step forward.
“It’s me,” she says quietly, stepping forward again.
The doctor nods. “Follow me.”
Without hesitation, Lisa follows her, not looking back.
“Wait, what did I miss?” Tess asks, breaking the silence. “Lisa is Blake’s girlfriend? They’re together?”
