Page 60 of Ice Contact

“What, is Hayes Larson here?” he grunts a little too pissy for my taste. I can tell he’s getting angry, and I’ve finally reached a point where I. Don’t. Fucking. Care.

“No,Cayden, there is no one else here, but I am expecting company soon. And, not that it’s any of your business, it is Hayes Larson, myboyfriend. Someone who treats me with respect and wants to spend time with me. Someone who realizes my talent ismineand appreciates me as much as I appreciate him.”

I hear my phone going off on my kitchen table and realize it’s probably Hayes calling to tell me he’s running late.Thank God.“You need to go. My boyfriend is on his way and, in case you’ve forgotten, he will not be happy if he arrives and you are standing on my porch. So, I suggest you get the fuck out of here. Rightnow. Because if he does show up while you’re here, I’ll be bailing him out of jail for the beating he will give you. And hewillbeat the shit out of you. I will not hold him back a second time.”

His face turns a dark shade of red as his nostrils flare. “I can take anyone in a fight. You’re such a slut, Olivia. You found the first guy who paid any attention to you after we broke up and jumped straight into bed with him. Does he know how impossible you are to please? You know he will realize you’re a clingy bitch sooner rather than later. Probably a good thing I was cheating on you, you fucking whore. You couldn’t get my dick hard if you tried!” he yells as he throws the flowers in the grass and storms off to his car.

“Hope you know whoever you date next is going to realize you’re a lazy fucking douche with a micro-penis!” I shout as he gets in his car and drives away.

Good fucking riddance.

I take a deep breath, my hands still shaking from that interaction as I rage walk back inside, slamming the door to my house, to that asshole, and to that phase of my life.I cannot wait for Hayes to get here.I need the world’s biggest hug and to tell him how I was a badass woman and stood up to Cayden.

My phone keeps ringing, immediately starting again once it times out. I start to answer my phone, but it’s not Hayes. It says “Maybe: Milwaukee Memorial Hospital.”That’s odd.

My hands shake as I swipe to answer, a sudden panic weighing on my chest. “Hello?”

“Hi, is this Olivia Brooks?”

“Yes, this is she.”

“Hi, Ms. Brooks, my name is Mary, and I’m calling from the Trauma Team at Milwaukee Memorial. I’m calling because Hayes Larson was involved in an accident, and you’re listed in his phone as the emergency contact.”

The room starts to spin, and my knees can’t hold up my weight as I collapse on the floor trying not to drop my phone.

“W-w-what? Hayes was in an accident?” I mumble, choking back tears and fighting to stay calm. “Is he…is he okay?”

“They are running some tests now, ma’am, but it would be a good idea for you to come down as soon as possible.”

“Okay; I’ll be right there,” I say, hanging up the phone.

I can’t breathe. I can’t see straight. I certainly can’t drive. I need to know if Hayes is okay.Please be okay. Please be okay.I don’t need to sing; I don’t need anything but him.

I quickly dial Maggie’s number, thankful she picks up on the first ring. “Mags…can you come pick me up?”

38

olivia

Maggie drops me off outside the emergency room and speeds away to find a parking space. I rub my hands up and down my thighs, the weight in my chest feeling like it’s collapsing in on me. I’m still not sure what’s happening, but I know I don’t want to be here alone. I glance towards the parking lot, not seeing Maggie or her car anywhere. She said she’d stay with me as long as I needed her.

Hospital waiting rooms are the worst. The sterile beige walls with cheesy artwork from the 1980s is the farthest thing from a comforting environment. It’s depressing seeing the room filled with people here for a variety of reasons. Some are here for something simple - a broken arm, a bad cough, or a kidney stone. Some may be here for a more serious reason like a heart attack, a stroke, trauma, or even a death. I don’t even know what camp I fall into right now. I don’t even know what’s happened.Please, God, don’t let it be bad.I head toward the reception desk and the middle-aged woman sitting at the computer.

Please be nice. I can’t deal with not nice today.

“Hi; I’m here for Hayes Larson. I got a phone call that he was in an accident,” I mumble, my voice still shaky as tears well in my eyes, my throat struggling against the giant lump in it.

“Hi Ms. Brooks. I’m Mary, the one who called you. Let me see if I can get you an update,” she says with a warm but concerned smile. “Wait right here.”

Wait right here? Mary, I’m not fucking going anywhere.I’m not leaving until I can see Hayes.MyHayes. I’m not the most religious person, but I say another prayer. Probably the thousandth one I’ve said since I got Mary’s phone call. Please let him be okay. I just found him; I can’t lose him.

“Ms. Brooks?” Mary says, walking my way.

“Please, call me Olivia.”

She smiles, her eyes guarded. “He just got back from CT. I can take you to him now.” Mary leads me down a hallway in the emergency room. It’s not that big of an area, but this is the longest walk I’ve ever taken in my life. Every muscle in my body tenses with fear and anticipation as we pass room after room, dreading what might be waiting for me when I finally reach Hayes.Is he okay? Is he hurt bad enough to miss hockey? What if he can’t play again? We continue walking by what seems like a hundred more rooms, then around a corner and down another long hall.

How many rooms are in this fucking place?!?!

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