Page 148 of The Blame Game

Dr. Strickland rolled his chair away from his desk, coming around the side of it so the three of them made a small triangle, then picked up his tablet. “So, I’m going to get right to it, Dom, and tell you the good news.”

“Yeah?” Dom said. He pressed his knee against Shea’s thigh, grateful for the solid pressure back.

God he was glad Shea was there.

He hadn’t thought he’d need it. He’d made it through all of his previous injury shit on his own. But there was something to be said for not having to go through it alone.

Something comforting about knowing there was someone here to support him and only him. Someone who had nothing to do with the team.

“Yes. You don’t have a herniated disc.” Dr. Strickland beamed.

“Really?” Dom asked, surprised. “I—are you sure?”

“I’m sure.” Dr. Strickland turned the large tablet so Dom and Shea could see the screen. “You absolutely have the typical wear and tear of a professional hockey player your age. There is some spinal degeneration in your lumbar region. We can see the beginnings of some arthritis forming there which will need to be addressed later, probably, but on the whole, your discs look remarkably healthy.”

“They do.” Shea sounded surprised which Dom found mildly insulting.

But Dom frowned at the doctor rather than give Shea crap about the comment. “So what’s the bad news?”

Dr. Strickland looked confused. “What do you mean?”

“Well, if that’s the good news, what’s the bad news?”

“Dom, it’s pretty much all good news,” Dr. Strickland said slowly. “There is something we’ll have to address before you can get on the ice again but compared to the recovery time for a herniated disc, it’s pretty minor.”

Dom blinked. “What the hell is it then?”

Dr. Strickland swiped through the images, then nodded at Shea. “Your boyfriend may be able to identify it, actually.”

Shea frowned, leaning toward the screen to get a better look. His brows drew together further as he studied it. “Is that … is that a gluteal artery aneurysm?”

“It is!” Dr. Strickland looked delighted. “I take it you’ve seen them before.”

“Well, not in real life,” Shea said with a grin. “Just in classes. But it’s pretty obvious, no?”

Dr. Strickland nodded happily. “Yeah, it’s very clear in this shot here.” He gestured to the screen.

“Wow, but he has no external symptoms,” Shea said. “That’s so unusual.”

Dom looked between them, a little annoyed. “Would anyone like to share what’s going on with my body with me?”

He was feeling completely out of the loop and like they were nerding out about whatever medical condition he had going on.

All he’d understood was the word aneurysm and he’d thought that was like … a stroke. Since they were looking at something he was pretty sure was not his brain, he was incredibly confused.

“Sorry.” Shea sat back and patted his thigh. “It’s just fascinating.”

“So glad my back issues are entertaining you,” Dom said drily but he did feel a little relieved that Shea seemed more excited about what was happening than upset or worried.

That was a good sign, right?

Shea chuckled. “I didn’t mean it like that.”

“I know.”

“But I’ll shut up now and let Dr. Strickland talk.” Shea didn’t lift his hand from Dom’s thigh though and Dom didn’t attempt to move it.

Did the physical affection in front of someone in the organization feel weird and like he was on display? Hell yes. But he didn’t want Shea to think he was ashamed of him or something.

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