Chapter 36 #2
August had feared that. Even if the camera feeds had been cut, the girls were old enough and smart enough to know something bad had happened.
Beatrice was next to join them in the lobby, and by now, they were starting to gain a lot of attention. August needed to return to Quinn as soon as possible before word got out and people started speculating about Eren’s condition.
“Neeks, can you help me with the suitcase?” August asked, because there was no way in hell he was putting the girls down right now.
“I got you, man.” Niko’s dark complexion was pale as well, but he took the suitcase from Beatrice, who was too shaken to say anything.
“You’re hitting a five-day road trip starting tomorrow,” August told Logan. “I know the boys want to come here, but Cap won’t be having visitors any time soon, and you know he would hate it if you spent hours sitting around for no reason.”
Logan nodded and hooked an arm around his wife’s waist, hugging her close. “I think I get what you’re saying. I’ll tell the guys, even though they’ll hate it.”
August didn’t think telling them would stop them from dropping by, but at least they would know now that there would be no chance to see Eren.
“Gusty?” One of the girls patted his chest to get his attention. “Can we go?”
August nodded goodbye to Logan and his wife, turning for the elevator.
“Tell Quinn I love him,” Beatrice called out. “I’ll leave my sound on if he needs to call—even if it’s in the middle of the night.”
August smiled over his shoulder at her before he and Niko took the corner, and he lost sight of the couple.
“Do you want me to take her?” Niko asked, gesturing to the twin he was holding in his injured arm.
August wasn’t bothered by her weight enough to try a switch, and besides, the way she tightened her grip told him that it would be easier to let her stay where she was.
“It’s a short walk,” said August. “And they barely weigh anything.”
Emira and Alara gasped in perfect sync with each other, as if he had just insulted them.
“Which one is Emira, and which one is Alara?” August asked, diverting attention to a question before he got an earful from the six-year-olds. “You’re too identical for me to tell.”
They had to wait for the elevator to clear before they could get on, and neither of them answered until the doors slid shut and they were in a quieter space.
“We can tell you, but you still won’t get it right,” said the one on his left.
“Quinn is the only one who knows now that mommy is gone,” said the other.
Niko was looking between the girls, and August could tell he was determining if there were features that could separate them, but it was impossible.
“I’m Emira,” said the one sitting on his injured arm.
“I’m Alara,” said the other.
Physically, he couldn’t see the difference, but the one he had clocked as Emira turned out to be correct, so he wasn’t completely hopeless.
“Okay. I won’t mess it up,” August promised them.
They were children, so they rolled their eyes, but their tears had dried, and that was all that mattered. The less hysterical they were when they saw Quinn, the better. August didn’t want to stress him out more than he already was.
The floor where he was staying was quiet now that most people were in bed for the night and visiting hours were over.
The same rules didn’t apply to a professional hockey player, which August had been fine with when it was just him, but seeing a cluster of people wearing team logos standing outside his room suddenly irritated the shit out of him.
Quinn was standing off to the side talking to the team physician while one of the equipment staff brought August’s gear bag out, but all the chaos stopped when Coach Fedorov spotted him.
“Snow, you’re supposed to be in room waiting for us to get here,” he said, gaze flicking to Niko like he was the reason for August’s disobedience.
Fedorov’s scowling face had nothing on Quinn’s furious one as he stepped around the group to confront him.
“August—what are you doing? You just had those stitches put in!”
Quinn took Emira from him first and gently lowered her to her feet, while August bent down so Alara could join her sister on the floor.
“I’m so sorry about him,” Quinn said to Matthew, the team physician he had just been talking to. “I wouldn’t have let him bring my nieces here if I knew he planned on carrying them.”
“Is okay,” Fedorov said, and Matthew nodded along in agreement. “Snow is pain in butt to treat. We are used to him.”
“Pain in butt,” Emira agreed.
The small joke helped smooth the stress lines on Quinn’s brow when he forced a laugh, but August knew a lecture was incoming after everyone left.
“We won’t be here for long because we have another patient,” said Matthew, keeping his wording vague so the children wouldn’t get upset. “But I need to have a quick word with you, August, and then Ana will be taking over your care afterward.”
August checked to make sure the girls were holding onto Quinn before gesturing Matthew toward his room. “Lead the way.”
Everyone else stayed in the hall while Matthew sat him on the bed and did his own exam so he could write notes in August’s chart. He undid the bandage to observe the cut, commenting on the excellent suture job before he rewrapped August’s arm and moved on.
“We saw there was no head contact,” said Matthew. “So as long as you listen to Ana and stop carrying children around, you should be able to play in two weeks. Can you show me your range of movement?”
The numbing was wearing off, and the stitches pulled when he twisted his wrist too far, but he followed Matthew’s directions until the doctor was satisfied with whatever he saw.
He offered to prescribe August pain meds, but August refused because his head was fucked up enough as it was, and he didn’t want to risk being zoned out if Quinn needed him.
“You’re not going to be discharged until tomorrow,” said Matthew. “And with Callahan’s outcome being so uncertain, someone will inquire about a family room for you and Mr. Harlow to stay in for now. Until Callahan wakes up, it would be best if you kept close.”
“Wake up?” August licked his dry lips. “Do you think he will? Wake up, I mean?”
Matthew’s mouth pressed together—and then the corners dipped into a frown. “The first twenty-four hours are the most critical. Let’s get over this hurdle first before we start making any assumptions, okay?”
August flexed his tied hand, letting the burn of the laces quiet his mind.
“Okay.”
Matthew patted his shoulder and stood, and it wasn’t until the doctor walked out of the room that he realized everyone was treating him like he was Quinn’s boyfriend, and no one had questioned his staying.
The thought of leaving Quinn never crossed his mind, and he didn’t know how word had gotten around about them other than that stupid news article, but the relief of not having to explain himself left him feeling floaty.
Fedorov poked his head through the doorway and tsked. “Snow, we are leaving. If you need anything, ask someone. We are setting you up with therapist tomorrow, yes?”
Management would want him to talk to someone about what happened to Eren. It was all part of keeping a player at their best so they could perform their best.
“I have a therapist,” said August. “I already made an appointment, so I’m good.”
Fedorov raised a dark brow, but then he nodded and dropped the topic. “The Merlin kid. He won’t cause trouble?”
August shook his head.
“Okay. We will see.”
There was no elaboration. Fedorov didn’t even wave goodbye before leaving; he just sighed and disappeared through the doorway, only to be quickly replaced by Niko.
“Can’t stay. Coach is kicking me out,” said Niko as he wheeled the suitcase over to the bed. “Can you—just take care of Cap, alright?”
August stood and yanked Niko into a hug, squeezing him until he heard his joints popping in protest. “Have fun in Colorado tomorrow. I’ll keep an eye on the score, and if Dax Merlin shows up, try to be nice, and don’t be yourself.”
Niko sniffled, but he shoved August when he pushed away from the hug. “Fuck off, asshole. Let me know if Eren…”
Niko didn’t have to say it. August heard the request loud and clear.
It hurt to watch Niko walking away looking so defeated, but August smiled when he paused to say goodbye to Quinn and the girls, showing off the softer side he reserved only for the people he trusted.
Once he was gone, Emira and Alara came inside to explore, and August got to work on setting up the cot for himself so that they and Quinn could have the bed.
The cleaning staff had been in the room to tidy during his brief departure to pick up the twins, so the blood-splattered sheets were gone and replaced with pristine white.
Quinn saw him setting up the cot and raced over, glaring until August let go of the pillows he had been holding to lift his hands in surrender.
“Will you please sit down?” Quinn snapped, his low tone catching the attention of Alara and Emira, who started waving at August like they were wishing him well on his journey to the afterlife.
There was a couch on the far side of the room, so August went to it and plopped down, frowning when the girls started whispering loudly to each other.
Quinn followed and stopped in front of him, holding out his hand like he was asking for August to take it. He wasn’t speaking, and August didn’t know if that was a good thing or bad, so he quickly followed the silent order and intertwined Quinn’s fingers with his tied ones.
“This is helping?” Quinn asked, his thumb caressing over the black laces.
“A surprising amount,” August admitted, because without the restraints, he would still be lying in his gear and breathing through a pillow.
“Well, now that you’ve talked to your team and brought the girls here, do you think you can relax so I can relax?
” Quinn curled a finger under the laces and gently pulled.
“I need to get the girls to sleep, and we both know that as high functioning as you are right now, you shouldn’t be pushing your luck. ”
Quinn was right, which August sensed would be a running theme in his future, but he didn’t want Quinn to overdo it either.
“Just let me get the bed set up for the girls, and then I’ll pass out for a while,” said August. “I promise I won’t move after that.”
“The bed?” Quinn turned to look at the object of discussion—scrutinizing it. “You’re not taking the cot or the couch. Hell, you’ll barely fit in the bed.”
August was used to sleeping on too-small furniture. One night wouldn’t kill him.
“Don’t give me that damn look,” Quinn said, jabbing him in the chest. “Emira will take the cot, and Alara will take the couch. We’ll sleep in the bed—but mostly you because I’ll have to pace, or I’ll go crazy.”
August readied an argument, but then one of the girls pushed between them, knocking into August’s leg.
“Quinn, is Snowy your boyfriend?”
Heat stung August’s cheeks, and he dropped his head to hide his blush from the overbearing Harlow presence. It was true they weren’t exactly hiding their affection toward each other, but damn, the kids were perceptive.
“It depends on how well he listens to me while we’re here,” said Quinn.
August blinked at the floor, weighing his options. Then, once he made his decision, he squared his shoulders and lifted his head, meeting Quinn’s tired but glimmering eyes.
“I’ll take the bed.”