Chapter 5
Five
Harper
Luca stretches out on the couch. He’s been playing the whole sick baby routine for nearly a week, since he got back from his parents’ house.
He blamed it on the weather, catching a cold.
Except he doesn’t have any signs of any sickness that I’ve ever seen. Unless lazy is a type of sick.
But Luca has never been lazy, certainly not when it comes to hockey.
Weirder still is that he took one of Dante’s cars home. Luca complained about his car having transmission issues and Dante wanting to ensure that he had reliable transportation.
Luca has kept his distance from me and, at first, I thought it was because he might have actually been sick. While I didn’t hear any sniffles or sneezes, I figured he might have had a monster sore throat, and I didn’t want to catch it or him to give it to Zeke.
So, I slept in Zeke’s room, which just started up the entire climbing back into bed with me routine that I’d been trying to break with my son.
“What do you mean you aren’t playing hockey tonight?” Liam glances from Ashton to Luca. “You can’t stay home; we’ll lose without you. It’s the NCAA Regionals. We need you so that we can get to the Frozen Four.”
“He’s sick. He can’t play.” Ashton vouches for him, which has me wondering what the hell happened, because last week, Luca and Ashton were at each other’s throats.
“Dada!” Zeke comes barreling in, running for Luca when Ashton intercepts him and spins him around before flipping him upside down.
“Again!” Zeke squeals with a fit of giggles, and I can’t help but watch from the doorjamb.
I grab Liam by the arm as he wanders back toward his room. “Do you know what’s going on with Luca and Ashton?”
He snorts and shakes his head. “Ask him yourself.”
“I know he’s not sick.” I’m waiting for him to elaborate on what’s happening because Luca has been strangely distant.
When Liam just stares at me, I throw my arms up in the air and storm over to the couch.
“It’s been almost a week, Luca. If you’re still feeling unwell, maybe it’s time we take you to a doctor.” I try to call his bluff.
Ashton tickles Zeke, who now wants me again. I take him into my arms while Ashton decides to play bodyguard to Luca. “He just needs more rest and maybe some of that homemade chicken noodle soup.”
I glare at Ashton and glance down at Luca.
“That would be nice.”
“I’ll make another pot of soup after we get back from the doctor’s. Whatever you have is clearly a problem, and if you won’t make an appointment, then urgent care will be able to see you today.”
Liam lingers in the hallway. “Harper is right. If you’re that sick, coach is going to want a note for why you’re not showing up to the game. He’s already been asking about why you haven’t been at practice all week or the gym.”
Luca grumbles under his breath and sits up, wincing.
“Is it your stomach?” I ask, coming to sit beside him with Zeke.
“You shouldn’t get too close,” Ashton says and swoops in, grabbing Zeke from my arms as he brings him across the room. “Don’t want this little guy catching that nasty bug.”
“We’ve all been in the house together. I’m sure if it’s contagious, Zeke would be the first to get it.” The fact Zeke hasn’t had any vomiting or diarrhea leads me to believe it’s not anything contagious.
“Don’t want to be too careful.” Ashton is defending Luca a little too hard.
My eyes tighten as I glance from Ashton to Luca. My hand rests on his forehead. “Should I grab the thermometer? I think there’s a rectal one around here somewhere that I use for Zeke.”
Luca’s eyes widen. “There’s no need for that, Harper. I’m fine.”
“Precisely. So, why aren’t you playing hockey tonight? The team needs you.”
“I just … I can’t.” He grimaces and stands. Heading to the bedroom, he shuts the door abruptly behind himself.
“Leave it alone, Harper,” Ashton says, bouncing Zeke and then flipping him around as Zeke tries to do a backflip off of Ashton.
“I can’t.” I follow Luca into the bedroom, shutting the door, allowing us some privacy. It’s the first moment we’ve had alone since last week.
“You shouldn’t be in here,” Luca says, and he climbs into bed again with the grimacing.
“You’re hurting. I can see it all over your face. What’s going on, Luca?”
“Nothing.” He reaches for a book on the bedside table and, again, more scowling. He can’t even hide it, at least not from me.
I move to the bed, bringing my legs up to sit beside him.
“I’d like to be alone.” His words are rough and grumbly, but I ignore him.
“You’ve been alone all week. This is my bedroom too.”
“Fine. Then I’ll sleep in Zeke’s room.” He shuts the book abruptly and pushes himself off the bed.
I slide off the mattress with ease. I’m closest to the door and stand in his way.
He can move me out of the way if he wants to get by.
“What’s going on? Is this because of that stupid secret I kept, because you’ve seemed to quite easily get over it with Ashton.
I’m glad you’re getting along, but why are you pushing me away? ”
He runs a hand through his hair and tilts his head back, emitting an exhausting sigh. “I’m not mad at you. Ashton and I are fine. We’re good. You and I are good. I’m just … sick.”
“Sick, how? What’s wrong? Let me help.” If he’s truly not feeling well, I want to be there for him. “Is it depression?” I ask, concerned that maybe he’s having dark thoughts and afraid to share them with me.
“No.” Luca shakes his head and stares at me. “You don’t have to worry about me, Harper. I’m fine.”
“You’re just not interested in hockey anymore?” I ask. From what I can tell, he’s gone to one, maybe two classes this week. Most have an online option that he’s elected to do while “sick.”
I don’t want to believe that he’s faking it. I don’t think Luca would do that; he’s always had a strong ethic when it comes to studying and working, which has me frazzled.
“I love hockey. I’m disappointed that I can’t play tonight, but I can’t.” There’s a longing in his voice, a sadness that tells me something is wrong. He just won’t say what it is.
I’ll get to the bottom of it. I have to, because I care deeply for Luca.
“And your coach won’t require a doctor’s note for bailing on the team? I don’t want you to face any consequences for not showing up.”
“I’m not bailing. I’m sick.”
“So, you’ve said, repeatedly. Ashton claims it’s stomach-related, hence the soup. Earlier in the week, you were telling me your throat was scratchy and sore.” I don’t remind him that I’ve heard him toss a few coughs in there when I’m walking by, which always make him look more miserable.
“If it’s your stomach, maybe it’s something that requires medicine. Like antibiotics or something? You’ve been nauseous for a week.”
“It’s nothing a doctor can do anything about.”
I quirk a smile. “Are you pregnant?” I’m obviously joking, but Luca doesn’t look the least bit amused by my line of questioning.
He rolls his eyes and gently guides me aside as he stalks out of the room, and Zeke comes running right for him, slamming into his knees.
“Climb, Dada!” Zeke mumbles his words together but wants Luca to lift him and topple him around like a monkey, in much the same way Ashton has been doing all week.
“Daddy doesn’t feel well,” I say, untangling Zeke from Luca’s legs and dropping kisses to his cheeks and face before he squeals and demands to be put back down on the ground.
I consider that a win.
I put Zeke back on the ground, and he runs to Ashton, who holds his arms out with wide eyes and a huge smile, playing with my son.
Liam stands in the hallway, his back to his bedroom, arms folded across his chest. He glances from me to Ashton. “Harper, I think you should take Luca to urgent care.”
“Yeah?” I nod slowly. “I agree.”
“Well, I don’t agree, and I’m not going.” Luca storms across the hallway, past Liam as he heads into Zeke’s room and slams the door shut.
“I didn’t know we had two toddlers,” Liam quips, and I can’t help but smile.
Me either.
Ashton hands me Zeke. “Sorry, I’d love to babysit, but Liam and I need to head over to the ice arena.”
“Let us know how it goes with Luca,” Liam says.
I watch them head out and really wish that Nova were here to help. Maybe Luca would listen to his sister. She’s at a study group this afternoon before she goes to Ashton’s hockey game.
Carrying Zeke, I knock on my son’s bedroom door and open it, watching Luca seated at the edge of the mattress, head bent forward, his hands clasped together.
“It’s just the three of us,” I say, hoping that maybe he’ll feel relieved and will suddenly talk to me. Not that he chose to do that in the privacy of our bedroom.
Luca doesn’t so much as glance up at me.
“Liam agrees with me that we should get you checked out at urgent care.”
“Well, Liam isn’t a doctor, and he doesn’t get a say in what I’m doing tonight.”
“Dada!” Zeke wiggles out of my hold, and I set him on the ground.
He runs up to Luca and toddles onto the mattress, climbing into Luca’s arms.
“Luca.” I close the distance between us, coming to sit on the mattress, my hand falling gently to Luca’s back, wanting to soothe him.
The moment my fingers graze his skin, he winces.
“Does that hurt?”
“No.” But his eyes tell a different story.
My fingers are featherlight as I move from his back to his stomach, and he flinches with every graze.
It doesn’t appear that it’s solely his stomach causing him discomfort. I lift the hem of his shirt, not sure what I’m expecting to see, but I sure as hell am not anticipating the discoloration, the marks, the imprint of knuckles as I pull my hand back.
Well, it certainly wasn’t a car accident.
“What happened?” I gasp, afraid my touch is hurting him.
“You can’t tell?” He laughs darkly and winces from the pain.
“Did Ashton do this?” My mind reels, trying to understand how they went from best friends to enemies and back to friends again.
They were fighting. Luca hated Ashton a week ago.
“Of course not. He hits like a girl.”
I playfully smack his thigh, which I hope doesn’t hide any bruises.