Page 157 of The Waiting Game

Unless something went wrong.

As Jonah dressed for the game, there was no word from anyone about his grandma. Although Jonah checked in with Kate a few times, she shook her head every time.

“Jonah!” she finally said an hour ago, in a firm tone that made him snap to attention and feel like he was being scolded by the principal, “no news is good news.”

“Is it?” he asked fearfully.

“Yes. Now do your best to focus on the game. I will be waiting here for you as soon as you come back for intermission, okay?”

“Okay,” he agreed, nodding tightly.

But he was really regretting turning his phone off now.

Jonah’s stomach was a tight ball of anxiety as he followed Felix out of the tunnel and onto the ice for the singing of the anthems. He’d never been more jittery as he rocked back and forth, the singer’s screeching voice like a nail on a chalkboard to his ears.

Felix nudged him hard with an elbow between anthems but Jonah ignored him. He felt bad but he didn’t want Felix’s reassurance right now. He didn’t want Kate’s assurances that everything would be alright.

He just needed to know his grandma was okay.

The first period was a shit show.

Buffalo’s rink was older and the heat and humidity leaking in from outside made the ice soft and sloppy.

Jonah threw himself into the game as best he could but he felt scraped raw and his patience was thin. A cross-check to the back from Jeremiah Keller, one of Buffalo’s players, made Jonah snarl.

He fucking hated Keller.

Keller hadn’t caused Nico’s seizure on the ice. That had more to do with the tumor that had been growing in his brain at the time.

Although the team knew that, in the end, that hit had probably saved Nico’s life—or at the very least meant the tumor was caught sooner—Jonah would never forget the massive hit from Keller and seeing Nico laid out on the ice like that.

Now, the simmering stew of Jonah’s worry, frustration, and anger erupted and he shoved Keller, rage burning white-hot in his brain.

“Fucking asshole,” he shouted.

“Stop it, Jo!” Felix wrenched him back just as the ref turned and skated over. “We can’t afford to take any more fucking penalties.”

Luck was on their side and the ref called the penalty against Keller, not Jonah. But despite the power play the Fisher Cats got from Keller’s time in the box, the team couldn’t score and they were down 3-1 at the end of the first period.

Kate was waiting for Jonah in the tunnel but all she did was give him a shake of her head. “Nothing yet,” she said, and he nodded tersely, stomping into the dressing room.

He stewed in his stall, anxiety chewing him up as he wolfed down a power bar and guzzled electrolyte replacement drinks.

Felix reached out to touch his thigh but Jonah pulled away. He didn’t want the comfort now.

The brief flicker of hurt that crossed Felix’s face made guilt wash over Jonah but before he could apologize, Dustin stood and cleared his throat.

Their captain gave them a pep talk as they all sat in the dressing room, dispirited by the way the first period had gone. He talked about the team’s heart and their ability to push through adversity.

Then Coach Casey spoke. “What the hell is going on here? We’ve run through these plays a thousand times in practice. You know how to play better than this. Why am I seeing it fall apart on the ice?”

No one spoke.

“We have no fucking defense and Webbie can’t do it all.” He gestured to their exhausted-looking goaltender.

“This hasn’t been the kind of series we wanted. The losses wear on us, I know that. But you need to stop carrying that onto the ice. You’re better than that and I’m disappointed in you.”

As he continued, Jonah looked down at his hands and took a deep breath. He could do this. He had to focus on the game.

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