Chapter 32 Grayson
Everything hurt. I felt bruised and battered, a little like someone had stuck me in a washing machine and set it to spin. I’d taken heavy hits before, but this was the first time I’d been knocked out cold.
It was hard to recall the moments leading up to the collision, and the ride to hospital was a blur. But I clearly remembered the terror I’d felt when I woke up, strapped to a stretcher, unable to move, with my head and neck in a brace.
The medical staff had given me a very quick summary of what happened: I’d taken an illegal hit from a Wolves player, I’d been knocked unconscious, and they were taking me to the hospital on a spinal board as a precautionary measure. That hadn’t done much to ease my concerns. I was scared for my health and scared for my future in hockey, but most of all I was scared thinking about how Paige and my family would be feeling, watching me from the ice and in the stands.
It was only once I arrived at the hospital, and the doctor ran her tests, that I was able to breathe a little easier. Nothing was broken, and apart from a bad concussion, I was going to be okay. They still wanted to keep me in the hospital overnight for observation, but I’d be walking away from the incident just fine.
I should have felt relieved and grateful that things hadn’t turned out worse, but as I lay in my hospital bed, my only thoughts were of Paige. When my parents told me she was in the waiting room with everyone else, I knew I had to see her first. To let her know everything was going to be all right .
I was staring up at the ceiling when I heard the door to my room open and footsteps hurry across the floor to my bedside. I smiled when Paige appeared, still dressed in my sweatshirt. Her eyes were filled with worry, but all I could think was how the doctors should have brought her to me straightaway. They’d been a bit stingy with the pain relief, but the sight of Paige was better than any medication. Her presence alone lessened the throbbing in my head, so the only pounding was coming from my chest. My heart really needed to learn how to keep calm whenever she looked my way.
“So pretty,” I murmured.
“Just how many painkillers are you on?” She sat on the bed beside me, reaching out to grasp my hand, her brow puckering with concern as she looked me over. Had I said that out loud? I’d planned to say something that would instantly quell any worries she had about me, but my brain seemed to be struggling to communicate clear instructions to my mouth. Maybe my concussion was as bad as the doctor said.
“They’re monitoring me for complications, so unfortunately, no painkillers,” I replied. “But you’re right, I must not be thinking clearly. I should have said beautiful. Pretty doesn’t do you justice.”
Her lips hinted at a smile, but it was warring with the worry in her eyes. Clearly, she wasn’t ready to make light of the situation. “How are you feeling?”
“Annoyed. I’ve never let anyone take me out like that.”
“I’m serious, Gray. I’ve been so worried about you. You were on the ice for ages. You weren’t even moving. Then they brought you here and we didn’t know what was wrong, and we weren’t allowed to come see you. You’re okay, right? You look okay. Please tell me you’re okay.”
“I’m okay. Just a concussion. No lasting injuries, but I might have to miss a few games.” I reached up and rested a hand on her cheek, gently brushing my thumb across her soft skin. I hated seeing the anxiety etched on her features, especially knowing I’d put it there. “I’m sorry for worrying you.”
“You don’t need to apologize,” she said, trying to contain her emotions. “And I’m sure you’ll be back on the ice soon, as good as new.”
Back on the ice, maybe; as good as new, no way. It might not be the reason I was in hospital right now, but the pain in my knee had been worse than ever today. For most of this season, I’d been holding myself back, cruising through games in a low gear to avoid aggravating my injury too much. But with Coach Mercer watching, I couldn’t afford to take it easy. Playing hard had only proven just how bad my knee was.
“I’m not so sure about that,” I muttered.
“What do you mean?”
“My knee is shot, Paige. It’s killing me. It has been for months.”
She drew in a slow breath as she stared into my eyes. “I knew it was bothering you. Is it really bad?”
My throat tightened as I nodded. “Very.”
My own fear was reflected in her eyes, and I could see her trying to keep herself together for me. She knew exactly how dire a serious knee injury would be for my future.
“Well, maybe now you can take a little time to rest,” she said. “No one’s going to hurry you back to playing after today.”
“I don’t think a little rest is going to be enough to fix this.”
Her voice was all too quiet as she responded. “Then what is?”
“I have to tell someone about it. I need to get help.”
“But what about Ryker? Your letter of intent...”
I knew the answer to her question. I think we both did. But that didn’t make it any easier to say aloud.
If I revealed the true extent of my injury, the Raiders could revoke my scholarship offer. But even if I kept it under wraps, Coach Mercer would surely notice as soon as I arrived at Ryker. I’d get slaughtered playing against college guys on an injured knee, and I’d probably get kicked off the team anyway. I couldn’t avoid reality anymore.
“Once they learn just how bad my knee is, there might not be a letter to sign,” I admitted. “But I’m done trying to avoid the inevitable, and I can’t keep playing this way.”
“Gray . . .” she murmured.
“It’s okay. I know the risks. Besides, if college hockey doesn’t work out, I can always open a crappy bakery with my girlfriend instead.”
Paige didn’t laugh at my joke. Instead, she shook her head, fire blazing in her eyes. “You can’t give up,” she said. “I won’t let you. This is your dream. They’re not going to rip up your scholarship just because of a little injury.”
“It’s not just a little injury though. I’m damaged goods.”
“You’re not damaged. You’re just recovering.” She was becoming more animated as she spoke, waving one hand in front of her while the other still gripped mine tightly. “I was there when the coach from Ryker first reached out to you and Reed. Do you remember what he said?
“What?”
“That he’d just witnessed the best talent he’d seen in years.”
“He was talking about Reed.”
“No, he was talking about both of you.” Her voice was firm, almost as if she was angry with me for thinking otherwise. “You always act like you’re not as good as Reed. But you’re just as talented as him, if not better. The only difference between the two of you is Reed believes in himself. You can’t give up.”
“I’m just trying to be realistic.”
“To hell with realistic,” she replied. “Don’t stop chasing your dreams until your legs fail, your arms give in, and you can’t even drag yourself toward them anymore.”
Paige’s unwavering confidence in me made me fall for her just a little more. I knew how serious our conversation was, but it was hard not to smile at her when she was looking at me like I was some fallen superhero about to rise from defeat and fight back to win the final battle.
“Okay, Pidge.” I nodded slowly. “Even if you’re right, that doesn’t change the fact it’s time for me to come clean and deal with the consequences. Sometimes, you’ve got to take a leap of faith. Look what happened the last time I did that.”
I sat up straighter in my bed and took hold of her other hand, pulling her closer .
“For years I hid how I truly felt about you because I was terrified of what might happen to our friendship if you found out. Now, the only thing I regret is not telling you sooner.”
“You were worth the wait,” she whispered.
“So were you,” I whispered back and bowed my head against hers. “I need to let this secret go too, or I’m certain I’ll regret it.”
“Okay.” She nodded. “Whatever you want to do, I’ll support you. I’ll always support you. And if things don’t work out, we’ll figure out the next step together. If that’s opening a terrible bakery, we’ll do whatever it takes to make it a success. Even if I have to burn a million muffins until I figure out how to make something edible. It’ll all work out; I know it.”
As I looked up at Paige, I was almost overwhelmed by how lucky I was to have her by my side. Revealing the truth to my coaches wasn’t nearly as daunting when I knew we’d be facing the fallout together.
“I’m so in love with you, Paige Price.”
“And I’m so in love with you, Grayson Darling.”
She leaned down and pressed her lips to mine. Her kiss was gentle, nervous, like she was afraid if she pressed too hard, she could injure me further.
I might have been in a hospital bed, but my lips certainly weren’t broken. I pulled Paige close and wrapped my arms around her, pressing her against me as I deepened the kiss. Electricity swirled through every cell in my body, and the connection between us felt like a wildfire as it spread across my skin—fast, hot, and completely untamable. I kept waiting for the alarm at my bedside to start ringing because my heart rate was skyrocketing .
I would have happily continued the kiss forever, but we were interrupted by the sounds of whoops and whistles coming from the door. Paige blushed as she pulled away and turned to look.
“I tried to stop them—” The nurse’s voice was drowned out by the noise of the entire Devils hockey team barging into the room, yelling and cheering.
“He looks okay to me.”
“Must be a part of his treatment plan.”
“If this is how they tend to the patients here, can someone knock me out too?”
I shook my head but couldn’t keep a smirk from my face. My teammates didn’t seem too concerned about my health, but I guess I was feeling well enough to make out with Paige on my hospital bed.
Reed, Cammie, Violet, and Parker all walked through the door behind the crowd of fully kitted-out Devils who quickly made the room feel like a janitor’s closet.
“Don’t worry, little sis,” Parker said with a grin. “I’m sure she was just trying to revive him with a little CPR...”
My teammates sniggered, and I scowled at all of them. It seemed I wasn’t as intimidating when I was bedridden.
Matt was standing at the front of group, and he winked at me before raising his hands to get the team’s attention. “Settle down, boys, unless you want to end up in the bed next to Grayson.”
There were a few murmurs of agreement.
“How are you feeling, Gray?” Reed asked, and everyone went quiet as they waited for my reply.
“I’ll be al—” I didn’t get a chance to answer, as movement at the door caught my eye. I looked over to see my parents, Coach Ray, and Coach Mercer stepping into the room. They moved slowly, as though they were trying not to be noticed, but everyone had already turned to watch them. Each wore a stoic expression, and it was hard to predict what they might be thinking.
“I hope it’s okay if we come in,” Coach Ray said, when he realized every eye in the room was on him and Mercer. “We just wanted to check on you.”
My gut twisted with uncertainty, but I nodded. My parents had probably informed the coaches of my concussion, but they had no idea more bad news was coming. There was every chance I was about to sabotage my own career, my whole future, and I didn’t particularly want an audience to watch it happen. My family and the rest of my team didn’t seem to notice though. They were staying quiet, as if hoping I wouldn’t realize they were still hovering in the room. All they needed was a few bowls of popcorn and they could have been at the movies.
“How are you feeling?” Mercer asked.
“Not too bad, thanks. Still a little woozy.”
“Yeah,” he nodded. “We spoke with your parents and the doctor already. That was a nasty hit, and concussions are no joke.”
“Absolutely,” Coach Ray agreed. “You’ll need to take at least a couple of weeks off, and we’ll monitor it from there.”
He then turned back to Mercer, and they shared a look before the Ryker coach continued.
“I know you were supposed to sign your letter of intent for me today,” he said. “But I’m happy to wait until you’re out of the hospital. We can leave it a few days, if you prefer?”
“That’s okay with me,” I said. “Provided you still want me to sign.”
“What do you mean?” Mercer’s brow creased and a few mutters of confusion rippled around the room.
I took a deep breath and gripped Paige’s hand tighter. She looked down at me and smiled, squeezing my hand right back. This was it. No regrets. Time to take another leap of faith.
“There’s something I need to tell you,” I started. “All of you. I’ve been playing through an injury. My knee hasn’t been the same since I got hurt a couple of years ago. It never fully recovered, and this season it’s been worse than ever.”
My words were met with a silence that lingered for longer than I liked. Was everyone waiting for me to continue, or were they just lost for words?
“It’s gotten too painful to play,” I added. “And if I keep this up, I’m worried the damage will be irreparable. So, even without the concussion, I think I’ll be out of action for a while.”
“Why didn’t you say anything, Gray?” My dad was the first to speak. He looked like he was struggling to process what I’d just shared, likely reliving the moment his own hockey career was ripped away from him because of an injured knee.
“I was worried Ryker wouldn’t want me if I couldn’t play this season, so I pushed through the pain. But I can’t do it anymore.” I turned to Coach Mercer. “I understand if you want to hold off on the signing for more than a few days. ”
Mercer was nodding slowly and his jaw looked tight, as though he was chewing on what I’d just told him.
“Well, kid, I’m really sorry to hear this,” he began. “And I appreciate you telling me. It’s vitally important to us at Ryker that we get a full picture of every player we recruit, especially when it comes to injuries, both past and present. And this is certainly new information.” He paused, and scanned the room, which was still packed with onlookers holding their breath in anticipation. “But personally, I don’t see how this changes anything.”
“You don’t?” Surely I hadn’t heard him correctly.
“Nope.” He shrugged. “If anything, I’m more excited for you to sign than I was before. Hell, if what I saw today is you playing on a bad knee, I can’t wait to see what you can do with a good one. If you’re ready to put in the work to get better, then Ryker will be here to support you.”
I was speechless. He still wanted me. My dream was still alive.
“You rest up,” Mercer continued. “Get that knee looked at and then focus on your recovery. In the meantime, we’ll set a new date for the signing. How about next week, if you’re feeling better?”
“I’ll wait until then too,” Reed said from beside my bed before I could answer. “I’m not doing it without Grayson.”
“Fair enough.” Coach Mercer nodded at my brother and then at me, a warm smile on his face. “We’ll leave you to rest, and I’ll be in touch soon.”
Both coaches said their farewells and left, and the nurse who’d clearly been itching to assert her dominance took the opportunity to wave the rest of the team from the room. “Now, all of you, out! The boy needs to rest. ”
The guys muttered complaints but started making their way to the door. As they passed by, most of them tapped on the foot of the bed, winked at me, or told me to get better soon. My parents, Cammie, and my brothers hung back.
“You didn’t have to postpone your signing,” I said, turning to Reed.
He instantly waved away my concern. “Ryker can wait. I’m not taking this next step in life without you, Gray.”
I nodded, my emotions threatening to break through my stony exterior.
“I’m sorry I didn’t say anything about my knee.” I turned to the rest of my family. “I should have gotten it looked at sooner.”
“We’re just glad you’re okay,” my mom said.
“Yeah,” my dad agreed, stepping forward to grip my shoulder. “And it took guts to tell Coach Mercer about it on signing day. We’re really proud of you.”
“Thanks, Dad.”
“Can’t say we weren’t worried for a second there though,” Reed added.
“I wasn’t worried,” Parker insisted.
“Don’t lie, you were more worried than anyone,” Cammie said with a laugh, although she brushed a finger across her cheek as she did. Was that a tear? Surely not.
“Okay, everyone,” my mom said. “Let’s leave Grayson to get some rest.”
They started from the room, and Paige went to jump off the side of the bed to follow, but I grabbed hold of her arm .
“Whoa, whoa, whoa. Where do you think you’re going?”
“The nurse said you need to rest.” She pointed over her shoulder to where everyone else was walking through the door and disappearing into the hallway.
“I’ll rest from them. But not from you. Never from you.”
I lifted my arm as Paige came back to the bed and lay down next to me, snuggling in close.
As I held her, she smiled up at me. “I told you Ryker would still want you.”
“Yeah, I should’ve known better than to doubt your psychic skills.”
“It’s hardly psychic when it was clear the coach would be an idiot to let you go.” But then her lips tilted in a smile. “Or maybe you’re right. Perhaps my career path lies in psychic readings. I should add that to the list.”
Not another thing on her list.
She let out a playful laugh and shook her head. “You should see your face. The list is in the trash, Gray. I tore it up.”
“What? Why?”
“It was all about searching for something that someone else wanted me to find. And I finally told my mom I’m going to figure out my own way in life.”
“You did?”
She nodded, a sense of resolve and pride brightening her features. It couldn’t have been easy for her to stand up to her mom, or tear up the list she’d worked so hard on. But I felt confident she’d do just fine without it.
“The list wasn’t all bad,” I said. “It kind of helped bring us together after all. ”
Paige blushed and ducked back into my arms. “You’re right. Kissing you is the one thing on that list I’m happy to commit to for the long-term.”
If there was any room left in my bursting heart, the gratitude I was feeling right now would have caused it to overflow. Despite everything that had happened, I’d never felt luckier. I still had an injury to recover from and a letter of intent to sign, and I knew the next few months weren’t going to be easy. But I also knew I wasn’t going to face it alone. And right now, my future felt brighter than ever before, because I had a girl who made it all worth fighting for.