Chapter 34
Gavin
Somebody’s snoring.
I’m in a room with dim lights, and my head is wrapped tightly. Soft beeping noises are all around me, and I blink hard, squeezing my eyes as I force my brain to remember what happened.
Slap shot to the head. Right.
How that little black fucker manages to find its way past the visor on my helmet is beyond me. I don’t remember being knocked out, but as I look around the room, I know what must’ve happened. Concussion.
My stomach twists as my mind races through all the symptoms. I don’t feel nauseated. I don’t have a headache, but I’m willing to bet they have me pumped pretty full of pain meds.
Lifting my hand, I want to push myself higher in the bed when I realize a soft head is lying on my bedside.
My eyes go to her at once, and nothing matters when I see my beautiful Haddy, tears in her eyes, blinking up at me.
“Gavin?” Her voice breaks, and she’s on her feet. “Do you know me? Do you know where you are?”
“Fuck yeah, Princess.” My voice is scratchy like I’ve eaten a handful of sand.
She quickly hits a button on my bedside and grabs a plastic cup with a straw. “Water?”
I pull the plastic straw between my lips, but my eyes are drinking her in.
She’s exhausted. Her pretty eyes have dark circles beneath them, and I can tell she’s been crying. A lot.
It hits me in the stomach, and I just want to hold her, make sure she’s okay. “How long have I been here?”
That sip of water made a world of difference in the sound of my voice.
“Four days.” Her nose wrinkles, and she takes my hand again. “We were so worried.”
“Holy shit.” I push against the mattress, trying to sit up straighter.
That’s when the pain hits me hard, radiating through my skull like a spear. I can’t speak, it hurts so bad, but Haddy is on it.
“I’ll get the nurse. I pressed the call button, but they must be busy…” She starts for the door, right as it opens. “He’s awake!” Haddy announces.
My room is suddenly a rush of commotion. Doctors surround me, nurses take my vitals. Lights are shined in my eyes, my heart rate is checked, but all I want is something to kill this pain in my head.
I’m asked a million questions. They assess my cognition, my injury, my recall. What’s the last thing I remember? Trying to block that slapshot. Who was the first president? George Washington.
Finally, I’m given a massive Tylenol, which seems like a letdown, but I’m not asking for a drug problem on top of whatever this head injury is going to mean for the rest of the season.
For the next however long it takes, I’m inundated with family. Both my moms are at my side holding my hands, but my eyes keep going to Haddy. All I want is to hold her, talk to her, make sure the baby’s okay, make sure she’s okay.
“I only asked for one thing, Lane Knight,” my mom Elaine playfully teases.
I can see in her blue eyes how scared she’s been. She’s not as practiced at hiding her emotions as my mom Kenny is.
“My mouthguard must’ve got loose when I fell.” I touch the back of my broken tooth carefully with my tongue.
Mom Kenny is right beside her. “I hear they’ve made wonderful advances in the field of dentistry, Elaine.”
I manage a smile, but Elaine shakes her head when she sees my snaggletooth.
“I’m just so glad you’re okay.” She presses a kiss to my forehead. “I love you, Laney.”
I squeeze her arm. “I know, Mom. I love you, too.”
MK watches with amusement in her bright blue eyes. I can tell she’s relieved as well.
“Maybe we should give you and Haddy some alone time?” She steps forward to kiss my cheek carefully. “Can I bring you anything?”
“Yeah…” I look around, thinking about unfinished business. “I need my phone.”
Her lips tilt in a frown. She disapproves that my first request is a screen, but she doesn’t know what I had planned to do before it all went to hell.
“I think Haddy has it,” is all she says.
“I have to be sure…” I look around the room, lowering my voice, “...something’s secure.”
She shakes her head, putting the phone in my hand. “I’ll be back. Love you, babe.”
They all leave the room, and I quickly send a text to Knox.
Haddy returns to my side, her blue eyes so heavy, but a smile is on her face.
Reaching out, I cup her cheek with my hand. “How long have you been here?”
“As long as you have.” Her voice is quiet, but it sounds so good.
“Fuck, you must be exhausted.” I wish we were back home, and I could spoon her against my chest, holding my hand over Lucy.
She huffs a laugh. “I wasn’t leaving until you opened your eyes.”
Sliding my hand over her soft hair, I can’t stop drinking in her pretty face. “Why didn’t you go home and rest?”
Exhaling a pfft, she reaches for my hand on her head, pulling it down. “I couldn’t leave you. What if you woke up?”
She stayed by my side. I can’t put into words how that makes me feel. She never left me. As uncomfortable as she must’ve been with the baby. As tired as she was.
“Why would you do that, Princess?”
I need to hear her say it.
Pretty blue eyes blink up to mine, and her expression softens. “I’d do anything for you, Gavin.”
That’s all I needed to hear. Knox hasn’t returned my text, and even if he did, it wouldn’t matter.
“You can do something for me.” I pull her hand into mine. “I know you said you didn’t want to be my wife…”
Her chin pulls back, and her eyebrows clench. “I never said that!”
Chuckling, I kiss her fingers. “You kind of did.”
“I said we couldn’t get married just because we were pregnant,” she argues. “We didn’t even know each other then.”
“What do you think?” I cock an eyebrow at her. “Do we know each other now?”
“We know each other a lot better…” She leans forward to put her hands on my face gently, then just as gently press her lips to my damaged ones.
Sitting higher, I cover her hands in mine then I pause, looking into her eyes, letting this feeling settle around us. “Good.”
Twenty-one days.
The doctors couldn’t rule out whether I’d suffered a concussion because I was out for so long, so our team trainers recommended we play it safe and follow standard concussion protocol, which means I’m on the bench for twenty-one days.
It’s a freaking lifetime in hockey, especially at this time of the year. Mav’s pissed. I’m pissed.
Placing my hands on the dining room table, I exhale heavily as I re-read the email on my phone for the tenth time. Yes, my recovery is important, but so is winning the championship.
I have a dentist appointment tomorrow to get my tooth capped, and the bruise on my head is still pretty ugly. But I’m so damn glad to be out of the hospital, back here with Haddy and Mav and Gigi and the dogs.
“Welp, I’m headed out.” Knox emerges from the kitchen, where he was chatting with Mav and Gigi. “I’ve got to get back to New Orleans.”
“Thanks for taking care of that for me.” I hold out my hand to fist bump.
Knox secured the ring and held onto it for me while I was in the hospital, bringing it to me as soon as I got home.
“No problem, cuz.” He bumps my fist then points at my face when I smile. “Next Halloween, Dumb and Dumber.”
“No.” My voice is flat, and I hear Haddy’s snortle coming from behind me.
“That would be hilarious.” She joins us in the living room holding Peepee under her neck.
She’s adorable in a short, black cotton dress that hugs her figure and shows off her baby bump.
“Girl, look at you.” Knox goes to give her a hug. “Gettin big.”
Haddy rubs her hand over her stomach. “Mon petit chou.”
“What does that mean?” he asks.
“My little cabbage.” Haddy’s nose wrinkles, and she’s so damn cute, all my frustration melts away.
I walk over to pull her into my arms. “How do you say ‘my little princess’ in French?”
“Ma petite princesse.”
“Hell, I didn’t even know you spoke French.” Knox grins. “That’s cool.”
“I wish I spoke Japanese,” she muses. “Arigatou.”
“What’s that?”
“Thank you.”
“Ready?” Mav breezes into the living room.
Hugs are exchanged, and they take off for the airport. Gigi snaps a leash on Spanky to go for a walk. Haddy’s still in my arms, and she leans her head back against my shoulder.
Bending down, I kiss the side of her neck. Her face turns, and our lips meet and part… and she quickly pulls her head away.
“Ouch.” Putting her fingers over her lips, her eyes dance. “How soon do you get that fixed?”
“Tomorrow morning.” I give her a disappointed smile.
It makes her laugh more, and she shakes her head. “You do not look like Dumb and Dumber.”
My eyes narrow. “I’m concerned you felt the need to tell me that.”
Walking to the mirror, I smile at myself, and hell. I do look like that guy. Haddy walks up behind me, holding my waist and resting her cheek against my bicep.
“You have better hair.” She’s doing her best not to laugh, and if she weren’t pregnant, I’d throw her over my shoulder.
Instead, I turn and pull her into my arms, arching an eyebrow. “I’ve got more than that.”
“Yes, you do.” She lifts her chin to kiss the side of my jaw. “And I can’t wait to make out with you after your appointment.”
Peepee hops around our feet, and she steps back, calling to the little dog. “I’ll take her out. Let’s eat!”
Dinner finished, movie watched, Peepee is in her crate, and we’re getting ready to curl up in Haddy’s bed. I hate to confess the trainers might be right, but I’m pretty exhausted right now.
Haddy complains about being tired all the time as well, so I guess it works out. She’s in my arms, Lucy is in my hands, and that puck’s not stopping me.
I’m already working on Plan B.