Page 125 of Brace and Chase

Motionless.

And my heart stops.

In the waiting room,again, I can’t help but be bitter about how little the nurses will tell us.

Nik didn’t wake up while the paramedics were working on him, and Laney got in the fucking ambulance with him, leaving me to find my own way to the hospital.

Good thing that every single player was coming here, so I got a ride with Jules. A million hours later I still don’t know anything. All Laney told us is that he was passed out and didn’t wake up when they got here.

I fucking hate that I can’t tell the nurse I’m his boyfriend, that I’m all he has and she has to let me know what’s going on.

I hate that I have to act like my heart isn’t shattered in front of my teammates.

I hate everything and everyone.

Especially the doctor who comes in wearing a grim expression.

He holds up both hands in defense when twenty-five big-ass men all stand in unison.

“He’s going to be okay.” His words don’t bring me any type of comfort.

“Going to be?” I demand.

“He just woke up, and he has one of the worst concussions I’ve ever seen in my career, but he will be as long as he doesn’t play hockey, doesn’t even stand quickly for at least three weeks.”

Silence settles over the room as his words sink in.

Three weeks, at least, could be more.

And maybe should be more.

This is the second time he’s been sent to the hospital this season because he decided his body will do against a puck at full speed. And I can’t handle another one, so he better get ready for the lecture of the century.

“He asked for, uh, sweetheart?” the doctor says eventually, and with enough hesitation as he looks around that it dissipates some of the tension in the room and a few of the guys chuckle.

I’m glad they’re distracted, because then they can’t focus on my flaming red cheeks.

I step forward and murmur to the doctor.

“It’s my nickname.”

He takes the explanation at face value and nods. “Follow me then.”

I do so blindly, afraid of what I’m going to be faced with and preoccupied with how I’m going to make sure he’s welltaken care of, when the doctor speaks again. Calmly this time.

“He woke up only after the CT scan and he was really confused at first. It took two nurses to get him to settle down enough so we could explain what happened, and then he was asking for you. You can’t take anything he says personally,” he warns. “He’s really confused and he can’t remember the last day as far as I can tell. Try to be as quiet as possible and don’t upset him please.”

I nod, throwing my plan of screaming at him until my voice was gone out the window. For now at least.

The room is almost completely dark except for a low lamp on the far side of the room, as far away from the bed as possible. It’s enough for me to see the bandages around his head, though.

I frown at the doctor, a question on the tip of my tongue, when he nods at the plastic bag on the chair next to Nik’s bed, and I see his cracked helmet.

It has blood on the inside.

Holy fuck.

“That helmet saved his life,” the doctor says almost thoughtfully, but I’m already focused on Nik’s icy blue eyes, looking at me like he doesn’t recognize me for a moment too long.

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