Chapter 32AsherTheoAsher
Asher
An elbow connected with my shoulder, pushing me back into the glass. My eyes glanced over and saw the snarling faces of the fans, screaming at us as we fought for the puck.
They looked psychotic as they yelled and gnashed their teeth, thirsty to see a fight on the ice.
It was the semifinals, and the game was rough. We played the Bruins, a team from Maine, and the game was tied with one period to go.
The Warriors fought hard the whole tournament. We had been seeded in the middle because of the games we lost while Theo and I were suspended. That meant we played teams of equal skill.
Lacing up your skates meant accepting the fact that you were walking into a cage filled with beasts, each one fighting for MVP honors or the victory. It was why people joined the PCSHL to begin with—to show scouts that they were pro-material.
Theo rushed in and pushed the defenseman off me. I skated toward the crease, aiming my shot to slap it into the top right corner of the net when their other defenseman poked my stick, thwarting the shot. The puck bounced off the crossbar and slid to the boards.
A flurry of bodies raced for the puck. Quincy got there first but was slammed by their right winger moments later, knocking Quincy to the ice. McKenzie was there to battle hard for the puck, but their right winger passed it laterally to a defenseman.
I raced after it, with Theo right there beside me. The two of us scrapped for the puck as more players joined the battle.
Fists flew.
Elbows jabbed.
My shoulder throbbed as their left winger pummeled into me. Theo pushed through and took the puck down the ice, approaching the crease with rapid speed.
I sidled up to him. We’d developed a system where one of us would guard the player with the puck. There wasn’t time to pass, and you had to make split-second decisions, so we assumed roles based on possession.
Theo took a shot, but the goalie deflected it. A winger circled the net to retrieve the puck, then carried it along the boards, meeting their defense on the other side.
They skated down the ice into the defensive zone.
I back-checked hard, skating with a force that made my heart pound in my chest.
Sweat dripped into my eyes. The pain in my shoulder was intense, but I kept going.
Theo and I traveled side-by-side, doing quick loop-de-loops around the defenseman and the winger, closing the gap between them and our net.
Theo stepped in, attempting to poke the puck with his stick when their defenseman checked him forcefully, sending Theo hurtling backward.
His body lifted into the air from the check, completely parallel with the ice. His upper body descended faster than his legs, and he landed headfirst onto the ice. His neck bent at an alarming angle, and he let out a cry of pain.
The referee’s whistle screamed through the arena, and I sprinted to Theo’s side.
Theo
The searing pain in my neck radiated down to my shoulders and upper back.
I knew Asher was next to me—I could hear him screaming for medical help to get to me quickly—but I couldn’t turn my head to see him.
The stiffness prevented any movement. Panic consumed me as I grappled with the fact that I couldn’t turn my head.
Tears spilled down the corners of my eyes as the bright lights of the arena shimmered down on me.
The referee’s whistle screeched again, and Asher’s face came into view.
“Baby! Are you okay? Talk to me.” His voice was trembling with terror, and I wanted to lift my hand to pat the side of his helmet, but it just hurt too much to move.
Coach Wilson appeared next, flanked by four paramedics. One of them asked, “Can you feel your fingers and toes?”
The other paramedics subtly moved Asher away, and I immediately felt the loss of his touch. They assembled a stretcher in the distance—some of their heads entered and exited my line of vision as they worked.
I desperately wanted Asher.
Where’s Asher ?
My eyes darted from side to side, searching for him. The thought that I might have broken my neck made my panic morph into a full-blown meltdown. My heart pounded, and I gasped for air.
No, no, no, this can’t be happening.
“Look at me,” a paramedic’s voice broke through my thoughts. “Look at my eyes. You’re going to be okay. We’re going to help you.”
I didn’t believe her. All I could manage to say was his name.
“Asher. Asher. Asher.”
“Who’s Asher? Get him over here. He’s going into shock,” another paramedic said firmly.
Asher reappeared in my line of vision.
“Baby. I’m here, baby,” he whispered, his eyes filled with worry.
My frantic breathing slowed as I focused on his emerald green eyes.
“Ask him if he can wiggle his fingers and toes,” I heard a paramedic say.
Asher nodded, never taking his gaze from me.
“Can you wiggle your fingers and toes, baby?”
The sound of his voice helped me relax slightly—the tension in my neck and shoulders flared again briefly, but I took a breath, focused on my extremities, and wiggled my fingers and toes. I managed to croak out a “yes,” and I heard Asher sigh in relief.
Coach reappeared at my side.
“They’re going to take you to the hospital,” he assured me.
The medical team carefully placed a cervical collar around my neck, stabilizing it.
Asher was holding my hand at that moment, and I didn’t want to let go.
“We need Asher to move so we can load you onto the stretcher,” a paramedic said calmly.
Asher gently patted my hand and leaned closer.
“You’re going to be okay, Big Boy. I’m coming to the hospital as soon as I can.”
I nodded, finally releasing his hand. The paramedics carefully secured me to the stretcher, immobilizing my neck and body as they prepared to transport me.
As they lifted me off the ice, the crowd started cheering—the image of my folks in the stands flashed in my mind. I knew they’d be freaking out.
We reached the ambulance. I was loaded inside, and the siren blared as they placed an oxygen mask over my face. The lights dimmed as I felt the cool rush of oxygen. When I woke up again, I was in the hospital.
Asher
My legs couldn’t carry me fast enough to Theo. The hospital smelled of weird food and antiseptic, and the corridors were painted in a seafoam green color that matched the scrubs worn by the medical staff passing by.
We won the game through sheer grit and determination, but the mood afterwards wasn’t celebratory. Most of us were worried sick about Theo.
Quincy, McKenzie, Hutchison, and several other teammates lagged behind as I sprinted through the halls looking for Theo’s room number.
I finally arrived, and my sweet baby had a brace around his neck.
His family surrounded him, which I was grateful for.
Guilt had clawed away at me during the last period of the game for not going with him.
I was worried sick, but Coach assured me Theo would be okay.
It was the longest period of hockey I’d ever played.
“Theo!” I ran to his side. The impulse to throw my arms around him was palpable, but I didn’t want to hurt him. He looked so fragile with his neck brace on. “How are you, baby?”
Theo gave me a thumbs up and said, “It’s a sprained neck. I’m good, baby. Just a little sore.”
“You’re only a little sore because they gave you pain meds,” Maria interjected. “God, I’ve never been more scared in my life. The way you fell on that ice…” Maria made the sign of the cross over her chest and looked to the sky, mumbling a little prayer.
“Mom, I’m fine.”
The rest of the team shuffled in moments later, each of them asking Theo how he was doing.
“Forget how I’m doing,” Theo blurted out. “We made the finals! I had my sisters keep tabs on everything while they patched me up.”
“You boys played like your lives depended on it,” Reggie added. “Theo had us find a YouTube livestream.”
“He should have been resting,” Maria scolded.
Anthony waved his hand dismissively and said, “Give the boy a break, Maria.”
“How are you feeling?” I asked. “Sprained neck? That sounds bad.”
“Nah, I’m tough. I can play in the finals.”
“I don’t know about that, Theo.” We all looked to the door and saw Coach Wilson standing there with a concerned look on his face. “Theo, you’ve got a sprained neck, and it’s a bad one. I just spoke to the doctor, and she thinks you should sit out.”
“No! Come on, Coach! That’s bullshit. I’m fine.”
“You’re not fine,” Anthony insisted.
Maria approached and spoke with a soothing tone. “Baby, we spoke to the doctor, too. Nobody thinks you should play. It’s too dangerous.”
My heart was breaking watching Theo’s face crumple. “Guys. Please, it’s Madison Square Garden. I might never get another shot like this again.”
The silence was deafening. Nobody knew what to say to that.
Watching Theo’s face fall made me want to give him my own neck so he could play.
We’d come so damn far and fought for our moment, but I also knew that Theo couldn’t play if a doctor advised against it.
Hockey could go jump off a cliff if it meant putting my man in danger.
“Theo, look at me,” I said. His glassy eyes met mine, and I held his hand.
“Tonight’s game wasn’t your last time playing at Madison Square Garden.
You’ve crushed it this season. Scouts will be calling.
You’re going to have a career, but you might ruin your career, and your life for that matter, if you play with a sprained neck.
You could hurt yourself more. Permanently. ”
Theo’s eyes were soft again, and he nodded, a look of resignation washing over his features. “I’m gonna hate watching you play without me,” he muttered.
“I’m going to hate playing without you.” I realized that I didn’t give a damn about the Championship anymore. All I wanted was for Theo to be okay, and if watching me play without him would cause harm, then it wasn’t worth it. “So, I won’t play. ”
Everyone in the room gasped. Coach approached and said, “Lachlan, please…”
The guys cut in, saying how much they needed me, but my eyes were firmly locked on Theo’s. Hockey didn’t matter anymore. Theo was more important to me than anything in the world, and if he wanted me to sit out, I’d do it happily for him.
“You’d do that for me?” he asked.
“I’d do anything for you.” Our lips connected, and we kissed like nobody else was in the room.
Theo stared at me with love in his eyes. I pressed his hand to my chest so he could feel my beating heart; the heart that beat for him alone.
“No,” he replied. “You need to play. I want to watch you whoop ass, baby. You’ve worked really hard for this moment, and I want to see you shine.”
“Are you sure?” I asked.
Theo nodded and caressed my cheek. “Very sure. They tried to knock you out once. Let’s not let them win like this. I’ll be cheering for you from the bench. I’ll just need lots of kisses between shifts.”
I looked at him momentarily, trying to find any shred of doubt on his face, but couldn’t. “Alright. I’ll play.”
“For us,” Theo added.
“For us.”