Page 141 of Wrong Pucking Jersey

“I am tired,” I whisper against him. “What are you doing here, Damien?”

“Had to attend a meeting regarding a fundraiser coming up that the organization wants Vipers to attend,” he confesses. “I was already here because Ace’s grandma needed to be enrolled in the Home Patient Care Program. Ace was supposed to come, but we both can’t miss hockey practice, so I volunteered to do both,” he reveals.

“Really?” That was kind of him. I loved how all of them treated Grandma Harvey like their own. “That’s really nice of you.”

“It’ll give him peace of mind knowing his grandma is watched carefully. She likes to wander at night, so this will prevent that.”

“True.”

He loosens his arms around me just as I hear footsteps from behind.

One look back confirms Maddox is here, completely out of breath.

He looks surprised to see Damien with me. His wide eyes lower down my body and pause on what I’m wearing. I can already imagine the fury that’s going to erupt through his expression, and I’m prepared for it. I should have rejected Jayce’s jersey, but honestly, I was tired of fighting him.

I can’t keep fighting someone who will never understand me.

Preparing for his anger, I turn to face him, my hands fidgeting at my sides. Looking at my white shoes, I realize they’re dirty. Waiting feels like an eternity, and when I see Maddox’s Converse shoes in my line of view, I’m ready to hear what he has to say.

Why would you wear his jersey?

What possessed you to be around Jayce?

Why do you keep getting involved with him?

It’s odd because I’m normally so confident in knowing what Maddox will say in any given situation, but now, I can only think of negatives.

Is it because I just dealt with Jayce and him saying I’m never on his side?

Or maybe I’m still in fight-and-flight mode, and my thought process is wrong?

Closing my eyes, I await his wrath, yet as seconds pass, nothing happens.

The touch to my chin makes me flinch, but with a lift of my head up, I’m looking into Maddox’s worried eyes and realize mine are already overflowing with tears.

“Baby girl,” he whispers so lovingly, I’m not sure what to say. “You had a rough day, didn’t you?”

A rough day…

He won’t ask about the jersey I’m wearing?

I slowly nod my head as my tears spill down my cheeks.

“Today… sucked,” I admit and try to laugh, but it comes out as a sob as I look away. My hands move to rub away my tears, but the streams just won’t end.

“There was an accident. Jayce… was involved. He wouldn’t tell me if he caused it, even when I confronted him. Said I never take his side. Then there was the little girl. A girl… named Jessica… like my mom. Bleeding… not breathing. No matter how many compressions and breaths we gave, she wouldn’t breathe.”

I’m sobbing, but the words won’t stop flowing.

“Again and again… and again. We kept trying and trying. I was so tired. My arms hurt. My heart hurt. I wanted to cry but had to be a professional. It was scary while everyone was watching with their phones out. No one else was helping me and Dimitri. It’s like this little girl’s life was in our hands, and no one else cared. Just their phones recording us like it’s all a lost cause. Then… when we’re going to give up, she starts gasping. There’s blood… it stained my shirt. I couldn’t believe she came back to life, then everything happened so fast.

“The emergency paramedics came down from the helicopter. Just asked us multiple questions, and we had to answer and sound all knowledgeable like we weren’t recent grads who didn’t have emergency experience. I thought I’d be fine, but then my body felt all wobbly and weak. I tried to breathe but couldn’t. Everything felt like it was closing in until I was falling. Jayce was carrying me, and Dimitri was there, but there were black circles, and everything was fading away like I was drowning.” I summarize it the best way I can before catching my breath after rambling out so many words.

“I woke up here, but I couldn’t stand being in that room alone. The IVs. The beeping. The machines are all around me. It… just reminds me of my mom. The chemo. The sterile smell of death. I decided to leave and come here to wait for Dad, but I didn’t call him… I don’t want to bother him. I know he’s going to find out I was involved. It’s probably already all over social media… but… I… I can’t burden him. He just got this new job. He has to focus on his career and not on me, his daughter on his rival team,” I confess.

“So… I just sat there, then Dimitri called, but Jayce showed up, and it got… complicated. I noticed my top had blood on it, and I couldn’t stand wearing it any longer. Jayce called me a germaphobe, but I can’t tolerate blood on me. It frightens me, and he didn’t get it, but he put his jersey on me so I wouldn’t walk around in a bra.” I lower my head and take a few breaths.

“I’m sorry.” My apology feels as though it echoes through the quiet hall, and I wait to hear what Maddox has to say.

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