Page 5 of Cross Checks

For a moment, I considered calling it all off. Then, Chase’s smile flashed through my mind. I had to see it again.

As I drove the familiar streets to our small hospital, I rehearsed what I planned to say. I wanted to tell him I admired him as a hockey player, which I did, and I hoped he recovered quickly. That was true, too. If all went well, I thought perhaps I could invite him to the coffee shop near the station.

As I drew close to the hospital, the knot of nerves in my gut tightened. I imagined flubbing all my words and introducing myself as Hunk Davis. That mistake would be funny, and it even made me snicker.

Was Chase even interested in guys? I’d never seen him at a local bar or in a TV interview with a woman on his arm, but he was young—damn, so young—only 22 or something, and I was 28. I pounded on the steering wheel and pulled into the hospital parking lot.

When I climbed out of my pickup truck, the entire experience suddenly felt surreal. I was about to walk into the hospital to say hi to the guy I’d only met once. Should I stop and grab flowers?No, Hank, that’s way overthinking it.

Check on him and share some lighthearted small talk. The rest, if there is anything, will take care of itself.

If the hospital were a burning building, I wouldn’t hesitate to rush inside. Instead, I dragged my feet like I'd been summoned to the principal’s office for a scolding.

My hands were uncharacteristically shaky. This wasn’t like me. I was used to being in control in the face of any difficult situations. Unfortunately, visiting Chase required a different kind of bravery. It called for an unfamiliar brand of courage.

I stopped at the front desk, and they gave me Chase’s hospital room number. Before I could head toward the elevator, the receptionist asked, “Are you the fireman that rescued him?”

I blushed. “I carried him out of the locker room, yeah. Rescue might be an exaggeration, but I did my best to help out.”

She shook her head. “So humble. Chase is a cousin of mine, and he said he surely would have been dead if it weren’t for you. Go on up. He’ll be thrilled to have you say hi.”

I knew she meant well, but her revelation didn’t help me. It only made me more nervous.

As I paused just outside Chase’s hospital room, I reached down to smooth my t-shirt and jeans. Gripping the door frame, I peeked around the corner.

There he was. Chase was lying in bed in a hospital gown, propped on a mound of white pillows. As expected, the room was stark and sterile, but he brought some life to it.

His dark hair was a bit disheveled, giving him an appealing, carefree appearance. The TV was on, and he was flipping through a magazine. He didn’t pause long enough on anything to demonstrate a strong interest.

I took a deep breath and decided it was time to push forward. My footsteps as I crossed the threshold caused Chase to look up. A bright, genuine smile took over his face. It instantly put me at ease.

Shoving my hands in my pockets, I said, “Hey, just wanted to check in and see how you’re doing.”

He set the magazine aside on the little hospital table. “It’s Hank, right? You’re the man who saved my life.”

“Guilty as charged,” I laughed and moved closer to the bed. And yeah, I’m Hank Davis. How are you feeling? Anything broken?”

“Doing a lot better, and no, didn’t have any serious physical injuries. The doc will likely send me home later today. Honestly, I’m surprised to see you, but I’m happy you came.”

I smiled, pulled my hands out of my pockets, and rubbed them on my thighs. “I guess I just wanted to make sure you were okay. Smoke inhalation can be pretty nasty if you get too much of it.”

Chase folded his arms comfortably in his lap. “That’s very kind of you. I had some nasty coughing in the night, but I’m mainly bored now, and I’m looking forward to my food at home.” He tugged on the hospital gown. “Can’t say much for the fashion sense here either.”

I relaxed more as he shared his observations. “Yep, no five-star fine dining, but I’m not sure I’ve seen someone rock the hospital gown better than you.”

I bit my lip as soon as the words rolled out of my mouth. I was commenting on another guy’s fashion sense. Who did that unless they were flirting?

He looked at me with those soulful brown eyes. Butterflies took flight in my stomach, and he didn’t look like he minded my comment at all.

“I’m counting the minutes till they send me home, and I hope I can get back on the ice right away. A string of guys from the team dropped by here last night. The hospital eventually had to kick ‘em out.”

I chuckled. “Guess you’re a pretty popular guy.”

“Heh, I don’t know that it’s that. We’re just pretty close on the team. If one of us goes down injured on the ice, we circle the wagons.” He paused. “So, tell me, is it normal firefighter protocol to visit people in the hospital after a fire?”

“Can’t say it’s standard, but then again, there wasn’t much about this situation that was standard.”

We were both silent, and I watched Chase consider my comment.

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