What Are The Chances (Phil-U #2)

65 Something was definitely wrong

CHAPTER SIXTY-FIVE

Something was definitely wrong

WILL

I was partly dressed for tonight’s game. We’d just returned to the locker rooms from our pregame stretch. We were meant to be gearing up for a pregame skate next, but instead I was staring at my phone.

I’d message Riley over five hours ago. She hadn’t responded and she always responded – even when she was mad at me.

Before I’d left to stretch I’d text Hughesy asking her to check in with Riley. But according to her latest update, Riley hadn’t responded to her either. Something was wrong, I could feel it.

Richard passed me, a kit shoved beneath his arm. Riley was meant to be working with him again tonight. There might be a chance she was blowing me off, but she wouldn’t skip out on him.

I jumped up. “Richard,” I called out. “Have you seen Riley?”

He shook his head, confirming my suspicions. “She didn’t show, which is odd. She emailed this morning saying she’d be here.”

Something was definitely wrong.

I flopped back on the bench, my shoulders feeling heavy. My thoughts should be on tonight’s game, but that wasn’t going to happen. Not until I knew Riley was fine.

It was unlike her to go MIA. So unlike her that I couldn’t shake this sinking feeling. Had something changed? Was she rethinking us? We’d jumped several steps by throwing I love you back into the mix. But it was how I felt, and I wasn’t going to shy away from that .

I knew that was how she felt as well. Things were different this time around. She was different this time around.

Just as I was reaching for my gear, my phone vibrated. I had to scroll though all my unanswered texts to reach her reply.

WILL: Sorry I had to bail on lunch. I’ll make it up to you. Promise.

WILL: Are you mad?

WILL: Riley? I’m leaving for the barn in 20 minutes. I’ll see you there.

WILL: Where are you?

WILL: I’m worried Riley. Call me.

RILEY: I’m not sure if you’ll see this before your game. Sorry for the radio silence. It took a while for the nurses to find where the paramedics had left my phone.

Nurses, paramedics – what the fuck!?

RILEY: I’m in Calvary hospital. I was running and–

I didn’t get to read the rest. Because I’d been incessantly checking my phone all day, I’d just run out of battery. Fuck .

I slipped my slides back on then rummaged through my stall for my keys.

“What are you doing?” Levi asked.

“I have to go. Can you tell Coach I can’t play tonight?”

Levi shook his head. “Can’t. Coach skipped out because his daughter is – wait. What do you mean you can’t play tonight?”

I didn’t answer his question because I was already halfway down the corridor.

“Will,” Levi shouted. “If this is a joke, it isn’t fucking funny.”

I didn’t respond. I just kept moving.

*

The drive from campus to the hospital wasn’t long, but it sure as hell felt it tonight. I wouldn’t be surprised if I was fined for some traffic violations. If I was being honest, I didn’t entirely recall the drive over.

After squeezing my truck into the shitty underground parking lot, I practically ran inside.

I headed straight for the reception desk, where a nurse with greying hair and thick glasses was staring at her computer. She signalled to her headset to imply she’d be a moment. I internally cursed. Didn’t she realise people generally didn’t want to hover when they arrived at a hospital?

When a man came to stand beside me at the reception desk, my peripheral vision caught onto enough details that I did a double take.

“Coach?”

He was still dressed in his casual branded hockey tracksuit rather than the tailored suit he changed into before the game kicked off. He double looked me too, his eyebrows lowering in confusion.

“Caufield? What are you doing here?”

“I’m here to see my girlfriend. What are you doing here?”

“My daughter,” he answered.

He looked more anxious than I’d ever seen him before. More anxious than overtime, than penalty shootouts, than playoffs.

The receptionist finally ended her call. She peered up at Coach and me. “Who are you here to see?”

“Riley Dover,” we answered in unison.