Page 10 of Hat Trick

“It’s really fucking not fair.”

“I think?—”

Hudson is cut off by the doors to the emergency room opening. A doctor walks out, and every player rushes toward him.

“I’m guessing you all are here for Riley Mitchell?” he asks, and Maverick shoves his way to the front of the group.

“We’re his teammates. Is he?—”

“He’s breathing,” the doctor tells us, and Hudson squeezes me so tightly I lose feeling in my arm. “That’s the good news.”

“And the bad news?” Coach asks. He’s aged ten years since I saw him on the bench during our game. There are dark circles under his eyes. A red mark on his neck and a shirt that’s on inside out. “Please.”

“He suffered very serious injuries to his right leg with massive blood loss. Surgery to repair the leg… well, it’s impossible. We’re going to have to do a transfemoral amputation, and after, he’ll?—”

“What the fuck does transfemoral mean?” Maverick barks out. “You’re going to have to dumb it the fuck down for us.”

“He’s going to lose his leg above the knee,” I blurt.

“Jesus fuck.” Ethan kicks a wall, and Grant is quick to wrap his arms around his middle before he can do any damage. “This is the best fucking hospital in the city and you can’t fix his fucking leg? What the fuck do they pay you to do?”

“Hey,” Hudson snaps. “Knock it off. Getting mad isn’t going to fix anything.”

“This guy isn’t fucking doing anything.”

“I understand this is upsetting.” The doctor doesn’t bat an eye at Ethan’s outburst, and I wonder what other kinds of behavior he’s seen working in the ER. “However, this is the best outcome given the severity of his injuries.”

“When is the surgery?” I ask.

“We’re prepping him now. We’ll be in the OR for at least a few hours. His residual limb should heal in four to six weeks, but he can be fitted for a prosthetic and start walking with assistance as soon as he’s comfortable. He’ll need to recondition his muscles and relearn things like balance and coordination. It could take up to a year to feel like his old self.”

“Will he be able to skate again?” Maverick asks, voicing what we’re all thinking.

The doctor gives us a sad smile that speaks volumes. “I’ll update you all when I can.”

He leaves us with that, and everyone migrates around the waiting room. A couple of guys sit on a couch. A few others spread out across a handful of chairs. Ethan drops to the floor and Grant sits next to him, putting his head in his lap and softly murmuring to him.

I don’t think anyone is going to leave anytime soon. Not until we know Riley is really okay.

“I’m going to get him skating again,” I whisper to Piper and Emmy.

“Lex, I don’t?—”

“Hockey is his whole life.” I stare at the doors leading to the patient rooms. “I’ll work with him. We’ll do it together.”

I’ve always been a determined bitch. Once I put my mind to something, I don’t stop until it happens, and I’ll be damned if Riley goes down without a fight.

FOUR

RILEY

JULY

ONE MONTH SINCE THE ACCIDENT

Puck Kings

Mavvy

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