Page 194 of The Head Game

“It has been,” Nico said. “But I consider myself extremely lucky.”

They talked some about Nico’s recovery and August chimed in when they asked him specific questions. He felt okay about it. This still wasn’t his thing but Kate had suggested they do it and at this point, August definitely trusted her completely.

After all, he had her to thank for his relationship with Nico.

Liz looked at August. “What do you feel you’ve learned from this experience, August?”

“Well, that life is probably going to take me by surprise,” he said with a laugh. “I had a plan for my future and it didn’t go the way I expected at all. But that’s brought me a lot of joy too.”

Nico grinned. “And by joy he means me.”

Liz laughed, looking utterly charmed.

“Mmm, no, I meant getting to know your teammates on a personal level,” August shot back. “Dustin invited me to go golfing with him and Jonah once the weather cooperates.”

Nico, mature as ever, stuck out his tongue.

“No,” August added with a smile. “In all seriousness, Nico has brought so much joy into my life. He’s reminded me that being mentally flexible and being willing to explore the unknown can lead to wonderful surprises.”

Liz nodded. “Nico, while I’m sure you find it frustrating to not play, I understand you’ve been doing some other work for the Fisher Cats during your recovery.”

“I have,” Nico said. “I really do enjoy working with the team’s social media department. It’s been a lot of fun.”

Tad said, “And what about your other work? I understand you’ve been meeting with people from Prescott Helmets and your own former teammate, Gabriel Theriault, to discuss on-ice injuries.”

“Yeah. It seemed like kind of a natural pairing to work with them. They’ve been focused on the CTE initiative since last season and I wanted to talk more about the impact serious injuries or accidents have on players. And fans, to be honest. It can be traumatic to see someone injured and I think more of us are starting to realize that. Why wasn’t the game stopped after I was taken off the ice? Was it the right call for the game to go on? That’s what we do, that’s what’s always been done, but was it the right call? I don’t know, but I think it’s something we should be talking about.”

“You’ve been open on social media about seeing a sports psychologist. How is that going?”

“It’s going well,” Nico said. “I’m glad I did it. I thought I was fine until I watched the footage of my seizure. It hit home for me that even though I desperately wanted to go back on the ice, I was probably going to have a hard time once I was actually able to. And I know it’s going to be hard for my family and friends and all of the people I care about to watch me go out there again.”

Nico held out a hand and August took it, squeezing lightly.

“And I figured I might as well take this time to work on all that so I’m mentally ready to go back as soon as I’m physically able.”

“How are you feeling about your two-year ban from officiating, August?” Tad asked.

“It’s been tough,” he admitted. “I loved refereeing at this level. I truly did. But I do respect that fans didn’t feel I could be impartial. So I’m exploring some new things and seeing what’s a good fit for me.”

“That includes coaching a U-14 team, is that correct?”

“Assistant coaching,” August corrected. “But yes. And I’m enjoying it. The kids are fun. A lot of people don’t like working with that age group. They find them difficult. But I like it. It’s a challenge. And I think the kids respect that I’m very straightforward with them.”

“And you’ve joined a rec league team?”

“Yeah.” August grinned. “It’s a team for LGBTQ+ players and I’m having a great time. Hockey is always going to be a big part of my life.”

“Do you have any plans to try to make a return to officiating once the ban is up?” Liz asked.

August hesitated. “I don’t know. My first instinct after I heard the ruling was to say absolutely not but Nico reminded me that I might feel differently later. For right now I’m going to focus on what I’m doing with coaching. Someone from the OHL reached out and said they’d be interested in having me ref some Ontario major junior league hockey games and I’m considering that as well. Returning to the NHL level though … I don’t know how I’ll feel about that in a couple of years so I decided to just enjoy the present. When I reach the point where that becomes an option again, Nico and I will sit down and make some decisions.”

“Those decisions you made previously led to a lot of difficulty for you and Nico. Do you regret any of them?” Tad pressed.

August shook his head. “Not really, no. I would have loved for there to have been a way for me to continue to referee and be with Nico. But when Nico was in the hospital, I knew it was a risk to go be by his side and I did it anyway. And I don’t regret that. I’m glad I was able to support him through this recovery. And when it comes down to it, I’m always going to pick Nico. Every time.”

The look Nico shot him from under his lashes was so heated August tried not to squirm. He knew exactly what that look meant.

Liz smiled at them. “August, do you have anything to say to the people who have speculated your relationship with Nico was a show to try to mitigate the fallout to your careers?”

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