Page 128 of Rewind It Back

My phone dings in my pocket, cutting off our conversation.

H?:Could you come back here? My dad wants to see you. Room 424.

I stand from my seat. “I’ll be back.”

“Hey, Rio,” he calls after me. “Even if I didn’t want to see it at first, you guys make a lot of sense together. And she deserves to get what she wants for once, so if she wants you, I hope you stick around this time.”

All I can do is hope that she wants me.

“Yeah.” I nod. “I’m not going anywhere.”

Down the hall, I find room 424. The door is open, but still I knock to make my presence known.

“Come on in,” Mr. Hart says.

Rounding the corner, I find him sitting up on a hospital bed with Hallie at his bedside. She’s no longer crying, once again the picture of strength and resilience. Same as she seemed when I first found her in the waiting room while Luke was hugging his wife.

“Is the all-star defenseman for the Chicago Raptors here to see me?”

Hallie shakes her head. “No need to hype him up, Dad.”

“Good to see you, Mr. Hart. You look good.”

“Don’t lie to me, kid. I look like shit and we both know it.”

He’s got this playful edge to his tone, so it feels okay to laugh when he says it.

Even though it’s only been six years since I’ve last seen him, Mr. Hart has aged more than that. His hair has grayed. His skin is sunken in. He’s lost a lot of weight, and you can tell that his body has been through the ringer. But still, he’s looking up at his daughter and smiling at her as he always has.

I do my best not to focus on any of the information written on the whiteboard the nurses use for their rotations. I try not to play detective and figure out what’s going on because no one in their family has told me what’s happening, and I’m doing my best to wait until they’re ready to share.

“My dad didn’t believe you were here,” Hallie states. “Said he wanted proof.”

“I’m here.”

Mr. Hart rolls his eyes playfully. “About damn time.”

I chuckle. “Yeah. I deserve that.”

“Dad!”

“What? I’m dying. You expect me to hold my tongue?”

“Jesus, Dad. You’re not dying. Your doctor told us that you’re perfectly fine. Dehydrated but fine. Though I should ask her if that fever wiped out any filter you may have had.”

He pats his daughter’s hand. “Hallie girl, we’re all dying.”

“You’re so morbid sometimes, I swear.”

I have absolutely no problem being the punching bag here, especially because the energy feels light and easy. The opposite of what I originally walked into in the waiting room. Hallie is smiling and teasing after having a cry, and I fucking love that.

“Dad, Rio has a long drive home, so we should let him get going.” Hallie looks at me. “Oh. I drove your truck here. I probably should’ve mentioned that.”

My smile goes soft as I look at her. “I was hoping you did.”

“Or are you flying back? I can drive your car back in a few days.”

I didn’t really think that far ahead. I was desperate to get to her, but now that things seem settled here and she’s okay, I should get back to Chicago for our game tomorrow night.

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