Page 20 of Tough Score
"Actually... I do have a girl you can sit with," I say, thinking about Keely and the last moment I saw her.
She was running after the gurney into the ER, her ponytail swishing back and forth to keep up with the EMTs and ER doctor.
"You're going to be okay, Reeve. I promise."
And then another nurse stopped her as they wheeled me past double doors that she could pass through with me. But at least she was safe. And that is worth whatever recovery I have ahead of me now.
"Oh yeah? Is it the pretty girl who came in with you in the ambulance?" she asks.
Has she seen her?
Has she been here and they turned her away.
"That's the one. Keely. Have you seen her? Is she okay?" I ask.
"As far as I know, she barely has a scratch on her thanks to you. I haven't seen her myself yet, but I know she's been here all night waiting for you to get out of surgery," I give her a lifted eyebrow, wondering how she knows all of this if she hasn't seen her. "The nurses talk. It's been a slow evening on this floor and we get restless. You can't blame us when we hear rumblings about a professional hockey player saving someone from a speeding vehicle," she says, clicking around on her mouse still, inputting more stuff into my chart. "It's swoon-worthy what you did tonight. If all the young nurses didn't already have crushes on you, they sure as hell do now."
I laugh and shake my head, dismissing her claim.
There's only one woman in this hospital that I hope has a crush on me like I have one on her, even though our timing is shit. But she stayed. he's still here.
"They'll get bored and move on... especially if I can't play anymore," I say, the gravity of that possibility a little more than I can handle.
Dr. Morgan was here when I woke up and told me that I'd be able to play again in nine months if I play my cards right, but at what level? An NHL level? Or Peewee hockey level?
"You’re lucky, you know," she continues, breaking the silence as she organizes my chart. "You’re young, and your body will heal faster than you think. Doctors do the best they can but they don't have a crystal ball. Just give it time."
"Yeah, time…" I say absently, staring out the window where the beginning of sunlight is starting to filter through clouds as the sun rises, casting a golden glow across the sky.
"You'll be back to playing in no time," she assures me, though I can hear the heaviness in her voice.
She talks a good game, but she can't give me any assurance. Not more than I can give myself.
"What if I can't play at the level I used to be able to?" The words slip out before I can catch them. They linger in the air between us, heavy and unwelcome.
Dolly glances at me, her expression shifting from empathy to something deeper, a recognition perhaps. "Then you find something new and exciting. Life is full of second acts. Trust me."
The sound of knuckles tapping against my hospital room door has Dolly and I both glancing over.
I see Sam and Coach Bex walk into my room and I wait impatiently for Keely to follow behind. Luckily, I don't have to wait long before she walks through the door. Her eyes quickly scan the room until they find mine.
I let out an exhale.
Seeing her safe again has my chest filling with emotion.
Though she appeared fine when I last saw her, I wasn't in the right frame of mind to process the information as well as I can now.
"Hi," she says, almost with a timid tone.
"Hi," I say back.
I want her to run to me.
I want her to crawl up on the bed beside me and wrap herself under the blanket with me.
It's been a long fucking day, and all I want right now is to feel her breathing and be close enough to see the pink hue in her cheeks and the freckles over her nose. My heart races as I take in the sight of her still wearing my hoodie, and suddenly, it feels like everything else that mattered has diminished in importance compared to just having her here.
She looks just a little bit like mine.