She pulls back the blankets and helps me sit at the edge."Shoes."I toe off my sneakers, and she reaches for my jeans."Don't get any ideas, Noah Austin.We don't sleep in jeans is all."
I let her help me take my jeans off, and then slowly swing my legs onto the bed, moving gingerly."This is probably the only circumstance in which you reaching for my pantsisn'tgonna go anywhere."
She snickers."I know."
I sigh once I've peeled out of my shirt."Thanks for taking care of me, babe."I eye her."I hope I didn't worry you too much."
She eases me backward, and I allow myself to lie down; she perches on the edge beside me."I won't lie—when you first went down and didn't get up, I freaked."
"I'm sorry, honey.I know that had to be a little triggering."
She shrugs."My ex was in a bad brawl during a beer league game.He and some others from his team were jumped by rival players.The doctors think that it contributed to the severity of his TBI after the accident.It sort of soured me on hockey, I guess."
"And today probably didn't help, huh?"
She doesn't answer immediately."Actually, it did, weirdly.Yeah, there was a fight, but it doesn't seem like there are any hard feelings, and you seem like you'll be fine after a few days of recovery."
"I will be absolutely fine, and I doubt I’ll need even that long."
She looks at me."Can I ask what happened?I've never seen you angry like that."
I groan."He said something stupid in the heat of the moment, that's all."
"Noah."
"He saw us together after you skated and made a dumb, vulgar comment.It’s not worth repeating, and I will not.He apologized, and everything is fine."
"What'd he say?"
I sink deeper into the pillow, closing my eyes.“As I said, it’s not worth repeating.It was stupid, more than anything, and meant to goad me.He was talking shit, and it got out of hand."
“It was about me?Or us?"
“Something like that.It's hard to recall at the moment anyway."
She sighs."Fine, keep your secrets.Just… don’t get into anymore fights over me, yeah?"
"It's not a secret, honey.My memory is foggy, and it was a genuinely stupid comment.Guys talk shit, Morgan.It's part of the game."
"If you can't remember, how do you know it was stupid?"
I sigh."Morgan.Let it go, please?"
She tenses."I just…the idea of you getting into a fight over me bothers me."
“Tempers were already flaring after Mack took that stick to the face.He said some shit; I decked him.He decked me.He apologized; I accepted, and it's forgotten.If I see Officer Coone at B-and-I, I'll buy him a beer."
"My ex, the one before Kevin.He was…that kind of thing would have left someone in the hospital, or worse.Slade didn't forgiveorforget."
"Well," I tell her, "I do both, and rather easily.It's forgotten, permanently, I promise.And just for the record, that's only, like, the fifth or sixth fight I've ever been involved in, in all the decades I've been playing hockey."
She settles lower on the bed, and I wriggle over to make room—she nestles her head on my chest.“Is that okay?"
I laugh."I have a headache, honey.I didn't break a rib.I'm fine.And holding you is the best medicine I could ask for."
"Oh yeah?"Her hand teases over my crotch, under the blanket."I've got some other medicine that may help."
"Jesus, Mom!"I hear Mal shriek from the doorway.“What the fuck?"
