What Are The Chances (Phil-U #2)

66 I’m sorry you missed it

CHAPTER SIXTY-SIX

I’m sorry you missed it

RILEY

A figure appearing in the doorway drew my attention.

Will.

He was partially dressed in his hockey gear, as though he’d sprinted straight here. He was wearing compression skins beneath a pair of athletic shorts and a Phil-U hockey hoodie.

I softened when he edged into the room. I was so relieved to see him. That feeling evaporated instantly though when dad followed behind. All thoughts literally evaded me. I was so fucking busted.

“Riley.” Dad rushed to my bedside. “What the hell happened?”

Will hovered back, guardedly watching dad and me as if he didn't belong. It was the opposite. He was the one I wanted. He was the one I’d messaged.

I hadn’t thought he would see the text before his game though, and I sure as hell didn’t think he would’ve come when it was due to start in less than twenty minutes.

I momentarily averted my gaze from him and looked at dad. “What are you doing here?”

Like Will, dad was still dressed in his Phil-U gear. Had they come together?

“The hospital called me.”

“Why would they do that?”

Dad seemed bewildered. “Because I’m your father. I’m your emergency contact. ”

A title my mother had solely held until she passed away. Being here reminded me of her. Of the nights spent beside her bed. Of the final days that she’d been earth side.

Dad fished his vibrating phone from his pocket. “That’s your brother. I called to let him know you were in hospital.”

“Wait, dad. Don’t–”

“Tanner. Yes, I just arrived. Room two-hundred-and-twenty-four.”

Will’s eyebrows inched even higher if that was possible. I desperately tried catching his eye. This certainly wasn’t how I wanted him to find out.

Dad forcefully shoved his phone back into his pocket. “Tanner will be here in a minute. He was partway to town when I called. You didn’t mention he has a girlfriend that goes to Phil-U.” His lips thinned. “You also didn’t mention that you have a boyfriend.” His nostrils flared. “And that he’s one of my players.”

I levelled dad with a glare. It didn’t seem fair that he was berating me while I was literally on a hospital bed. Particularly given I hadn’t even asked him to come.

But he had.

He’d blown off a hockey game to be here. I didn’t know what to make of that. There were probably too many drugs coasting through my system to properly analyse the revelation right now.

A few moments later Tanner rushed through the door, almost smacking into dad. He skidded to an abrupt stop. This hospital room wasn’t big enough for three hockey players.

“Oft,” Tanner mumbled. “It’s crowded in here.”

He shoved dad aside to get closer to me. I was thankful he’d opted to take dad out and not Will. Not that Will was looking at me right now.

“Are you okay, Ri? What happened? Dad mentioned something about you being attacked by a dog.”

I wouldn’t be surprised if Dad had led Tanner to believe I was on my deathbed. Honestly, I almost wished I was because this situation was beyond mortifying.

Before I could formulate a response, the doctor came into the room. Her eyes widened, taking in the full space that barely had any standing room left.

“Who have we got here?”

I took an encouraging breath. “My dad, Bryce Hall. My brother, Tanner Holbeck. And my boyfriend, Will Caufield.”

Three names that didn’t belong in the same sentence. And three people who looked as equally uncomfortable as each other.

The doctor smiled politely, looking from Will, to Tanner, and then settling on dad. “We’re just waiting for some final blood tests to come back. Once they do we can discharge Riley. ”

Dad frowned. “That’s it? That seems dismissive.”

Unlike most people, the doctor didn’t cower under his firm coach act.

“We’ve done a whole set of precautionary vaccinations, and for the next few months we’ll continue to take bloods to monitor Riley for infections.”

“Like sepsis,” Tanner piped up. “I looked it up online on my way over. That’s a possible infection after being bitten by a dog.”

Hearing the word sepsis sent a surge of worry coursing through me. I hadn’t even thought about that until now.

Finally kicking into gear, Will stepped closer and closed his large hand over mine. Both Tanner and dad’s gazes dropped to our interlocked fingers. I didn’t care. Not one bit. If this room wasn’t as hostile as a jail cell, I would’ve made Will get into the bed with me.

“A possible infection, but not a common one,” the doctor explained. “But of course we’ll remain vigilant and test for that too.” The doctor looked between the three men. “Whoever is taking Riley home, I’ll supply you with a checklist of symptoms to look out for over the next seventy-two hours.”

I didn’t need the list. I knew the signs well. I’d looked them up after mum was diagnosed, wondering whether I’d missed any of the cues.

When the doctor left I had the urge to follow her. The tension in this room was one for the record books.

Tanner gently sat at the foot of the bed. “What happened, Ri?”

I recounted the same story I’d been forced to tell the paramedics, then the nurses, and then the doctor. “I was running past the dog park and saw two dogs fighting. The owners were struggling to separate them, so I went over to help. One nipped me by accident.”

“Accident my ass,” dad seethed. “I’ll be calling the pound to have the dog put down.”

“No way!” I gasped, bolting upright. “For all we know that dog was innocent and only defending itself.”

This whole ordeal had been blown out of proportion. There’s no way I was being responsible for a dog being putdown as a result. If the owner hadn’t called an ambulance, nobody would be none the wiser. But she’d taken one look at the blood pouring down my forearm and dialled 911 before I could stop her.

“Why were you out running?” Tanner asked. “You told me you were heading to lunch with Caufield when we spoke on the phone.”

“Oh, um, my plans changed last minute so I went for a run to pass the time before tonight’s game.” I looked up at Will. “Speaking of which, you should be there. Not here.”

Dad glared at Will. “Yes. You should be.”

Will met my father’s gaze. “So should you, Coach. ”

“Riley’s my daughter.”

“And she’s my girlfriend.”

Tanner’s eyes widened. He subtly glanced at me as if to say what the fuck are you going to do? In which case my answer was I have no freaking clue.

“I’ve got it from here,” dad said. “If you head back now, you’ll be able to make the second period.”

Will’s hand tightened over mine. “With all due respect Coach, I don’t give a fuck about hockey right now.”

The doctor needed to come back and do some more tests, because my heart was now erratically beating in my chest. If Tanner and dad weren’t in the room, I’d literally have Will naked beneath me on the bed.

Hearing that was like velvet in my veins. He’d come through. When I needed him, he was here. I shouldn’t have ever doubted him.

Dad jutted his chin at Will. “So Riley is the girl you’ve been turning down extra ice time for?”

Tanner groaned. “Give it a rest, dad. Not everyone lives and breathes hockey.”

“Apparently not.” Dad’s narrowed eyes moved between Will and me. “How long has this been going on for? Since Riley started working with the hockey team?”

“Can we not do this right now?” I exasperatedly groaned.

Time and place, dad.

Standing, Tanner yanked on dad’s arm. “Come on, old man. Let’s direct that charming personality towards the nursing staff so we can speed up the last bloods and get Riley out of here.”

Somehow the mood only became more sombre once they left. Now dad and my brother weren’t here to distract me, I could finally gauge Will’s mood. And he was pissed off. Heat radiated off him and the hand that wasn’t holding mine was balled into a fist.

“Did you–” I cleared my throat. “If you want to get back to the game, Tanner can take me home.”

Anguish crossed Will’s face. “Not a chance.”

I nodded, my lip pulled between my teeth. “I’m sorry you missed it.”

“I’m not.”

Stepping back, he dropped my hand. The loss of his warmth was heavy.

“Though I am sorry that you forgot to mention your dad was my coach and one of my biggest rivals is your brother.”

Yeah, I was too.