22. Maddox #2
And I watch with horror when Caleb’s able to get past the referee, suddenly throwing his stick and gloves to the ground and driving his fist into the forward’s jaw.
It’s a ruckus after that, but I’m just relieved that Rhys isn’t unconscious.
He’s clearly in a lot of pain, though. He gets put on a stretcher and is gritting his teeth, his face red, and the paramedics are paying a lot of attention to his shoulder—a broken bone?
A dislocation? I can’t tell from where we are, and Archer shoots up from his seat.
“They’re probably going to send him to the hospital,” he says. Archer fishes his keys out of his pocket and tosses them at Isaac. “I’m going to insist that they let me ride with him. Take Maddox to the hotel afterward and then come get me, okay?”
“A-ah, sure,” Isaac says, blinking his wide eyes.
I want to tell them not to worry about me, but Archer leaves in record time before I can even speak up.
Neither Isaac nor I can focus much on the game afterward, and it doesn’t seem like the team can either. Their team captain’s absence and the ejection of Caleb and two others for fighting affects the team’s performance.
Killian looks as if he wants to punch someone. It’s clear Rhys getting injured got to him. And it got to the rest of the team, too, putting unneeded pressure on them in the last five minutes of the game.
The Vultures easily score a point and another after that, and our side of the rink gets considerably quieter.
We end up losing 5-3, and my heart sinks as I watch our players skate off the ice with their shoulders slumped.
It’s an accomplishment that they made it all the way to regionals this year, but despite that, I’m sure this loss is a heartbreak. They’re out of the tournament now, and for several of them—Killian included—this is the last game they’ll ever be playing in college.
God.
Killian’s going to need a lot of cheering up tonight, and I’m going to do everything I can to take some weight off his shoulders.
I’m quiet as Isaac and I weave our way through the crowd. I follow him to Archer’s car in the parking lot, and we’re about to leave the rink when Killian calls me.
“Coach said that Nick, Caleb, and I can go to the hospital with you,” he says. “Can you and Isaac wait for us?”
After I relay the message to Isaac and he instantly agrees, Killian and I end the call.
I’m about to put my phone away when I see the unknown number from before has texted me again.
I also see that the number had attempted to call me while we were at the game, but I didn’t hear it because of all the noise.
Unknown number: Maddox. Pick up the goddamn phone.
Huh?
“Everything okay?” Isaac asks. He peers at me from where he’s leaning against the side of the car.
I nod, trying not to smile because I should be the one asking him that. He’s the one who’s been getting more and more restless all night. Isaac keeps unlocking his phone, checking notifications, and then locking it again. His hair’s a mess because of how he keeps running his hands through it.
“A number I don’t recognize has been texting and calling me,” I tell him.
“Spam?”
“I thought it was, but just now he called me by name and he sounds angry.”
Isaac tilts his head. “Ask who it is…?”
Yeah, that seems reasonable enough. With a laugh, I type back to the number, asking who it is.
The response comes almost immediately, and my heart drops to my stomach.
Unknown number: Viktor. Pick the fuck up.
“Maddox…?” Isaac asks softly.
Wide-eyed, I look at him. “Um.”
“What did the person say? You’re really pale.”
Shit.
Shit, shit, shit.
Scrambling to block the number, I ignore the way my throat constricts. Blinking rapidly, I shake my head. “Nothing. It’s nothing.”
“All right…?” Isaac gives me an odd look.
Taking a deep inhale, I turn away from him and rub the bridge of my nose.
What the fuck is happening? As I’m calming myself down, the sound of something dropping to the ground behind me jolts me.
I turn to see Isaac sheepishly smiling at me as he leans down to grab his phone.
With shaky fingers, he fumbles with it and drops it one more time before finally picking it up correctly.
I clear my throat and say, “I’m sure Rhys is fine. He was awake when they carried him off, and Killian said their coach said he was getting discharged tonight.”
It’s an odd and unhelpful thing to say, but I don’t know what else to do.
Isaac frowns and runs a hand through his hair. “Yeah… yeah, I’m sure everything’s fine.”
“You’re very close to the brothers, huh? ”
That brings a smile to his face. “Yup. They practically adopted me.”
“What do you mean?”
“My family moved next door to them in middle school, and since Arch and I were in the same grade and were both into hockey, we clicked right away. We’ve been inseparable since then.
” Isaac has a fond look in his eyes, as if he’s reminiscing.
“My parents weren’t very… uh, present, and I spent a lot of time over at their house.
Arch and Rhys’s parents are amazing, very accommodating, and they’d bring me along with them on their family trips. Nick was around a lot, too.”
“So you and Nick are pretty much part of their family?”
He laughs. “Yeah, you could say that! I see Arch as a brother.”
I realize he doesn’t say the same about Rhys, but before I can fish a bit more—out of curiosity—Killian, Caleb, and Nick show up.
Killian immediately wraps his arms around me, burying his face in my hair. His warmth engulfs me, and I almost buckle under his weight, causing me to take a step back. He only holds on even tighter, whining in my ear. “This is exactly what I needed. Hi, pretty boy.”
Chuckling, I rub the back of his head. “Hello.”
In the back of my mind, I know I should tell him about Viktor’s cryptic texts.
But I can’t.
Not right now, at least—so I keep quiet about it as we all get into the car.
The hospital isn’t far from the rink and with the crazed way Isaac drives, we get there in record time.
Since there’s so many of us, we’re not allowed to go into the emergency room where Rhys is, and we’re banished to the hospital’s lobby.
Isaac’s texting Archer, though, and says they’re almost out.
We all sit on the lounge chairs and wait.
The exhaustion of the guys is palpable. Caleb’s leaning against Nick, his eyes closed. Killian practically melts when I pull him down, nudging him to lie on my lap. He lets out a soft, sleepy sound and rubs his cheek against my thigh .
He powers through his sleepiness, though.
He’s talking and talking, giving me a blow-by-blow account of the game as if I hadn’t been there, and I run my fingers through his hair.
It’s almost ten p.m. when Rhys, Archer, and their team doctor come out. Rhys’s right arm is in a sling, his face flushed, and he’s blinking slowly as if making sense of what’s going on.
Killian sits up, a wide grin spreading across his face. “Morgan!” he exclaims.
Rhys winces.
“I think you need to speak a little softer,” I tell Killian, who gives me a sheepish grin and nods.
Blinking slowly, Rhys casts a slow glance at everyone who’s here. “You didn’t all have to come here,” he slurs.
“He’s loopy because of the painkillers,” Archer explains, guiding him to sit in the empty seat next to Isaac. “Watch him for a second while we fill out some paperwork.”
Rhys scrubs a hand over his face and groans, drooping until his head rests against Isaac’s shoulder. Isaac stiffens, giving him a wide-eyed look.
Nick transfers to Rhys’s other side, gently trying to make him sit up. “Rhys, what did the doctor say?”
“Torn rotator cuff, no biggie,” Rhys mumbles.
It sounds like a big deal, though… but who’s going to argue with someone as high as this?
“It’s a partial tear. Should heal on its own.
And I’m on concussion watch. Don’t know why, though.
I feel perfectly fine. Sharp as a fiddle.
I’m bummed, though… there goes my chances of getting a pro contract, I guess.
Sorry, Schultz. Ruined your chances, too. ”
“Aww, Morgan, don’t say that.” Killian lets out a chuckle. He’s playing with the hem of his shirt, though, and tapping his feet. I put a hand on his knee and rub it, and Killian relaxes and gives me a smile.
“At least you have Maddox to cheer you up tonight,” Rhys says with all the nonchalance of a high, confused man whose brain-to-mouth filter has stopped working. I raise my eyebrows at him at the same time that Killian lets out a startled laugh. Rhys drawls, “I’ve got nobody. ”
“You have me,” Nick tells him.
“Not exactly what I meant, but yeah, okay, you’re right.” But… Rhys isn’t even looking at Nick. No, he’s staring at Isaac when he says this, and in his drugged-up state, he pats Isaac’s thigh and buries his face into his shoulder. “Aw, Nick, you’re really warm.”
Yeah, he looks perfectly fine, I think sarcastically. Killian lets out a tiny snort at the same time that Caleb stifles a laugh.
The only person who doesn’t seem amused is Nick. His jaw drops and he appears horrified at Rhys’s display. Again, he attempts to pry Rhys off Isaac. “Come here, Rhys. Please.”
Rhys ignores him, only presses his face against Isaac even more.
He grips the sleeve of Isaac’s jacket. With amusement, I realize that Isaac’s trying not to smile, the corner of his lips twitching upwards.
At least the tension finally left him. Just minutes earlier, he looked so worried I thought he was going to need a tranquilizer.
I was honestly fearing for my life with how quickly he drove us here.
“Rhys,” Nick says. Pleads. “That’s Isaac, not me.”
“It’s fine, Nick,” Isaac says softly. “I don’t mind.”
Blinking slowly, Rhys pulls away and stares at Isaac. He’s dazed out of his mind, and a lazy smile spreads across his face. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him this out of it.
Judging from the panic that’s overtaking Nick, I don’t think future Rhys is going to appreciate how he’s behaving right now—especially when he pats Isaac’s face and lets out a bitter laugh.
Rhys says, “Shit. Isaac? Maybe I do have a concussion, because I think I’m dreaming right now.
Get it, Nick? Because Isaac’s always been the man of my dre—”
Nick lets out a strangled sound, interrupting him, as Isaac’s eyebrows arch upwards. I wonder if anyone can see that, despite how Isaac barely moves, his cheeks darken?
Oh. Ohhh.
I exchange an alarmed look with Killian. I get it now—why Nick is so adamant on pulling them apart… Why Isaac was so careful about not saying that he thought of Rhys as his brother.
“Hey, Isaac.” Killian grins. “I think Archer wants you. ”
It’s a lie. Archer’s all the way on the other side of the floor, talking to medical staff who’s going over a clipboard of paperwork with him. Isaac nods though, gently pries Rhys off his shoulder, and lets Nick take him.
I don’t miss how Isaac glances at Rhys, fondness in his eyes, before he turns away to head to Archer.
“You okay, babe?” Caleb asks Nick, still smirking. “Don’t worry. You did good.”
Face pale, Nick lets out a long sigh when Rhys mumbles something under his breath and leans against his shoulder. In a matter of seconds, Rhys’s eyes flutter closed and he dozes off.
Nick opens his mouth a few times, shuts it, then looks across all of us. “We’re not mentioning a word of this to Rhys in the morning,” he finally mutters. “Not. A. Word.”
There’s a round of agreements, and Nick slumps his shoulders, defeated.