Page 76 of Dump and Chase

I frowned. Jim wasn’t helping the situation right now. “I’m sure once we all take a breather, we can forget about what was said, right, Jim?”

Jim swallowed hard and nodded. Great. He was catching on.

“This little punk thinks he’s going to ruin my career. So he needs to learn a lesson.”

“Chris, you don’t want to do this. Besides, Coach Fontaine is on his way, and if he sees this, he’s going to jump to conclusions, and you’ll be in trouble,” I said. “This isn’t worth getting pissed off over.”

Chris, who had been focused back on Jim, faced me again. “If you don’t mind your business, I’m deck you. I don’t care that you’re a girl.”

“Don’t touch her,” Jim said. “She’s pregnant.”

Chris laughed wickedly. “What are you going to do about it, shortie? Tell on me again?”

“Chris, stop,” I said, and he pushed me. Hard enough to sending me sprawling to the floor with a thud.

Everyone froze, stunned, and just then Ilya wandered in, unaware of what was going on. He said something in Russian when he saw me and ran over to me. Chris pushed Jim up against the wall, and the other onlookers finally sprang into action. Ilya was helping me to my feet when Allan, Coach Fontaine, and two members of security came running in. Once they had Dube off in one corner with two security guards who were even bigger than he was looming over him, all I could think was how happy I was that we were at Graham Place today with all their in-house security.

“What is going on here?” Coach Fontaine asked, his voice booming through the gym. The veins in his temples were bulging.

“He threatened me,” Jim said. “Then he pushed Tangi and she fell. She’s pregnant!”

“For fuck’s sake,” Coach Fontaine said. He whirled around to Dube. “What is wrong with you! I hope she makes a police report. I want you out of here. And if I have my way, the next time you play hockey, it’ll be in a beer league. Get out now!”

While security escorted Dube out, Ilya kept asking if I was all right.

“I’m fine. Just a little fall.”

“But you’re pregnant. My mother lost a baby while vacuuming.”

That wasn’t helping.

Allan came over and took a quick look at me, not that there was anything to look at. “Tangi, go to urgent care just in case. The last thing we want is for you to be hurt. While you’re there, consider if you want to make a police report. I’m going to encourage Jim to do the same.”

“I think I’m fine.”

Allan put his hands on my shoulders. “Please go. We’d all feel like shit if you and the baby weren’t okay. What if I get Ilya to take you. Maybe Munroe is free—”

“I’ll go with Ilya,” I said.

Ilya and I drove to the closest hospital, which was only minutes away. A TV on the wall of the intake area showed estimated wait times, I and I knew we were going to be here a while. But I’d barely sat down when a nurse called my name. Ilya said he’d wait as she led me to an examining room.

“How did I get in so fast?” I asked.

“The Ravens bypass the line because they pay for all hospital bills.”

Right. Universal health care had taken some getting used to, and not having to pay for my hospital and doctor’s visits. The Ravens were able to get around that by paying out of pocket for all care. I deduced that if a Raven or Kodiak came in needing an MRI or ultrasound, he bypassed the line too.

After a thorough examination by a lovely doctor, I was told everything was fine, but to keep my eye on any changes for the next twenty-four to forty-eight hours. Ilya was relieved to see me and asked how it went.

“You didn’t lose the baby, right?”

“We’re fine,” I said, giving him a hug. The poor kid was a wreck.

By the time we got back to the rink, most of the players were gone, and Jim had been sent home. Allan asked how it went, then demanded, “What the hell happened?”

“I don’t know. Dube was possessed. I was sure he was going to beat the crap out of Jim. I tried to calm him down, but he wouldn’t hear it. He pushed me, probably harder than he intended.”

Allan pursed his lips. “You should go to the cops.”

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