Chapter 32
Thirty-Two
Luca
It feels good to be on the ice, like nothing else matters in the moment while I’m playing hockey. My mind is clear, my thoughts are solely on scoring and winning the game.
But every so often, I glance in the stands at Harper and Zeke. She’s sitting with Nova, Kensley, Sophia, and Bristol. It’s a packed house tonight in the arena.
Zeke has those ridiculously adorable headphones to block out the loud noise. He was better at keeping them on a year ago when we played.
I can only imagine the fight Harper has to deal with when trying to keep him distracted while keeping those things affixed to his head.
Okay, maybe my mind is more on Harper than it should be right now, but I’m glad to have her support.
Ashton manages to knock the puck away from the Tigers and shoots it to me just as the rival team comes closing in.
I’m still ahead, by only a few seconds, but it’s enough.
I shoot for the goal, but it bounces off the goalie toward Liam. He loses the puck within seconds when their right defenseman slams into him, knocking him into the boards and blocking him from going for the puck as he shoots it to his right wing to take it down the ice.
Fucking assholes.
Liam shoves Nichols off him, which only seems to incite a riot. Nichols lands an uppercut and his teammate Peters is racing to defend his buddy. All bets are off. Ashton and I are on Nichols, yanking him off Liam and Peters yanks Ashton backward.
I swear the referees enjoy the show a little too long before they finally intervene.
Nichols gets sent to the penalty box right before the second period is over. The score is an even match, with no one having put any pucks into the goal.
Coach harps on us to do better when we’re in the locker room during intermission.
“I’ve seen you play better,” he grunts at us.
If it’s supposed to be an inspiring speech, it’s clearly lacking. The assistant coach whispers something into his ear and any light in his eyes vanishes when he stares at me. The bottom of my stomach drops, based solely on the ghastly expression.
“Luca, a word,” coach says, and between his tone and the fact he’s calling me out by my first name, it’s like spiders crawling along my spine.
The rest of the team heads out of the locker room for the ice. Ashton glances back at me. I nod for him to go.
“What is it?” I ask. “Is it Harper? Zeke?”
Coach rests his hands on my shoulders. “Take a minute to breathe. It’s probably nothing, just precautionary, but your wife is being taken to the hospital right now.”
“Since when is going to the hospital precautionary?” I pull out of his grasp and start stripping out of my gear. If he’s expecting me to play right now, he’s sorely mistaken.
“Go be with your wife,” Coach says and pats me on the back before he heads out with the team.
My helmet, skates, that sort of stuff, I leave beside my locker. I chance a glance out into the hallway. Thankfully, Bristol, Kensley, and Sophia are waiting.
“What the hell’s going on?”
“Daddy!” Zeke says and reaches for me out of Bristol’s arms.
I take him and he makes a face. “You stink.”
“I need to shower,” I grumble, turning my attention to the girls, waiting for them to inform me on what is going on with Harper.
“She’s bleeding,” Bristol says, her voice soft, tentative, almost like she’s afraid to break the news.
“What? Where? How’d she get hurt?” I race with the questions, needing to know what we’re dealing with. Did some asshole in the stands pick a fight with her? I hadn’t seen anything happen, but I’d been in the locker room, what had I missed?
“She’s pregnant,” Sophia voices.
It hits me like getting the wind knocked out of me on the ice. I hand Zeke back to the girls, and he chooses Bristol to climb into her arms.
“I’ve got to shower real fast and get out of my jersey. Give me five minutes.” I don’t wait to hear their response as I hightail my ass back into the locker room.
I’m done with my shower in three minutes, the water chilly when I jump in, but I don’t care. I don’t wait for it to warm before I soap up my body and wash my hair. I towel dry and dress, slipping on my tennis shoes as I’m walking out of the locker room a second time in a matter of minutes.
There’s only one hospital near the university. I don’t have to ask any of the girls where Harper was taken.
Bristol and Sophia offer to watch Zeke for me. I’m not even sure if they’ll let me bring him into the emergency room with me.
It feels like forever with the uncertainty and worry. I jog back to the house to pick up my car. At least we played at home tonight. Guilt ebbs at me for abandoning the team, but my wife, Harper, she always comes first.
I park outside the emergency room in the visitor lot and hurry in through the double doors, demanding to know where they took my wife. There’s a lot of confusion and being told to sit and wait for someone, which doesn’t help my fraught nerves.
“No!” I demand, needing to see her. “Was she brought in yet? She was coming via ambulance.”
“The hospital doesn’t have her name yet, but she could still be in the back being admitted,” the woman at the front desk says.
“I’m her husband. Can’t you go look?”
They don’t buzz me back and the doors have security locks, so I can’t just walk in against orders, because if I could, I’d already be in the back with Harper.
“I’m sorry, sir, but you’re going to have to take a seat in our waiting area. As soon as we have more information, we’ll let you know.”
“Please, she’s pregnant,” I say, pleading with the woman at the desk. “Can’t you get up and check to see if she’s here? Please. I’m sure she’s frightened and scared to be alone.”
An officer stalks up to the desk. “Everything all right here?” he asks, glancing me over.
Is it that obvious I’m frazzled? The last thing I want is to get kicked out of this place.
The security door unlocks, and it slowly opens. If the officer wasn’t sizing me up, I’d consider making a dash for it, but if I get arrested, it’ll be even longer until I see Harper.
“Luca!” Nova’s voice carries through the hall as she comes out from the emergency room. “Harper’s being seen right now. Come on,” Nova says and gestures for me to come through the door.
“Thanks for all your help,” I snarl sarcastically at the receptionist as I hurry for the door.
Nova hits the button, making sure it stays open extra-long while I head back and have half a mind to toss my middle finger up at the officer for taking her side.
“Thanks,” I say, grateful Nova went with Harper to the hospital. “What’s going on?”
She walks at a fast clip and I’m right alongside of her, keeping up with her strides. “She’s just down this hallway,” Nova says. “She started having cramping and bleeding.”
My breath catches and I nod weakly. “The baby?”
“I don’t know yet.” Nova leads me through the maze of hallways and to the room where Harper is being kept. She pulls back the curtain. “Look who I found.”
Harper’s cheeks are red, her face splotchy from crying, and the moment she latches onto my hand and meets my stare, her dark eyes begin to water.
It makes my chest ache.
“Hey, I’m right here,” I say, offering a forced smile, trying to cheer her up. “How are you feeling?”
“The pain is better. But there was blood.” She glances away, biting her bottom lip to keep the tears from falling. “Where’s Zeke?” Harper sniffles, and Nova hands her a tissue.
“He’s at home with Sophia and Bristol. They’re playing babysitter tonight.” I squeeze her hand. “He’s fine. Have you seen the doctor yet?”
“Just the nurse,” Nova says.
Within half an hour, the doctor comes in, examines Harper, and orders a plethora of tests, including an ultrasound, bloodwork, among other things that I’m unfamiliar with.
Nova grabs me a chair so that I can sit with Harper while she takes the accompanying chair.
There’s not a lot of space in the emergency room, but I’m just glad to be with her.
Nova’s phone buzzes and she glances at the text. I imagine it’s Ashton, asking what happened.
“Did you guys win the game?” Harper asks after the doctor leaves and we’re waiting for the tech to come in and perform an ultrasound.
“Don’t know, I left as soon as I heard you were taken to the hospital.”
“You left the game?” Harper moves to sit up, and I gently touch her shoulder, gesturing for her to stay put.
“You’re more important to me than hockey.”
After the tests, exams, and listening to our baby’s heartbeat, we’re informed that everything is fine with the baby. The doctor explains in thorough detail the reason for her bleeding, but my brain is a million miles away.
Our baby is healthy.
I inhale sharply, feel the first sting of tears, and swallow it back down before they have time to surface.
Harper emits a quiet sob, and I offer her a hug, my hands gently grazing over her shoulder, trying to reassure her that she’s okay.
As soon as the doctor leaves, she wipes the tears away.
I can’t read her expression, as the overwhelming emotions pour out of her. “I thought I lost it,” she whispers, rubbing at the tears, swiping them away as they fall faster down her cheek.
Nova offers another tissue, and I’m right at Harper’s side, silent, listening, doing what I can to offer comfort.
“I didn’t know how much I wanted this baby,” she rests a hand on her abdomen, “until I thought I lost it.”
I inhale sharply, the air sucked out of my lungs.
Is she saying what I think she’s saying?
“You want to keep the baby?” I ask, trying not to get my hopes up for fear that she’ll shatter my heart.
Harper wordlessly nods. More tears fall, and I lean down, hugging and kissing her. “Babe, I want that too. But are you sure?”
“As sure as I am about us managing two kids.” She laughs between tears.
I grab a tissue and dab at her eyes, trying to make her feel better. “I promise we’ll figure it out together.”
There’s been silence from the DeLucas. My father has assured me that all of them are dead. I can’t help but feel like shadows follow us. I’ll always be looking over my shoulder working for my father.