Chapter 39
Thirty-Nine
Carter
“Good morning,” the cheery nurse sings as she walks through the door. “Guess who’s going home today?”
“Thank God,” I rasp, my throat still a little sore from the tube they had down it.
I’ve been in this hospital for two damn weeks, and I’m about ready to break out of this godforsaken place. All of the tubes were finally removed a couple of days ago, and I thought I’d be able to leave then, but no such luck.
The nurse checks all of my vitals, types them into her tablet, then takes the IV out of my arm.
“Alright, I’m going to print up your discharge instructions, then the doctor will be in shortly to go over them with you,” she says before pulling the door closed.
My head falls back against the pillow but turns when I hear the door open again. River walks through the door, and I smirk.
“Oooh, yes. Time for my sponge bath.”
“I already gave you one this morning.”
“There can never be too many. I need you to give a little more attention to my lower region,” I counter.
Rolling her eyes, River laughs, then holds up a couple of bags as Cam steps into the room behind her. “Aspen gave me a set of clothes for you to leave in, and Cammie picked up some things for you from the store.”
“Thanks.”
“So,” my sister starts as she plops down in the chair next to my bed. “I don’t know what kind of strings Aspen had to pull, but she got me into that little house across street from them a couple of days ago. I wanted to surprise you.”
“Wait! You’re moving here?” I ask, nearly coming off the bed in excitement.
“Well, yeah. What kind of sister would I be if I didn’t stay and help with my brother? Plus, I’m about to be an auntie, and I want to be close to the babies. Sooo, if you want, you two can stay with me instead.”
We were planning on staying with Cal and Aspen until we find a new house, but this is actually perfect. The doctor comes into the room, interrupting our conversation.
“Mr. Graham. I hear you’re itching to leave.”
River smirks as she sells me out. “Caught him picking at the tape on his IV earlier this morning.”
“Good thing today is the day then.” The doctor lets out a chuckle and moves closer to my bed. “Alright. Everything looks good. You were already in good health before this, so I expect you to heal a little quicker than normal, but we do need to address the elephant in the room.”
Here it comes. What I’ve been waiting for him to tell me.
“You can’t return to the ice this season. In fact, I would advise that you don’t return until at least the middle of next season if not the season after. You will need to have a full assessment done before you’re released to play.”
And there it is.
River pinches her bottom lip nervously as I let his words settle over me. I’ve had a lot of time to mentally prepare myself for this decision, whether or not I’d be cleared. And this news changes things. A lot of things.
It says something that I’m not even upset.
In fact, I—I think I’m relieved. After I told River hockey wasn’t my passion, I’ve done a lot of soul searching of my own.
The doctor goes over my care instructions with River and Cam as I dress.
When I come out of the restroom, River’s standing there with tears gleaming in her eyes.
“I’m sorry. This is my fault,” she cries.
I cast a glance at my sister, and she nods her head in understanding. “I’ll be waiting out in the hall for you two.”
Sitting down on the edge of the bed, I coax River to come sit down beside me. I hold both of her hands in mine and reach up to thumb away the tears streaking down her face.
“Look at me.” I wait for her teary eyes meet to mine before I say another word. “This isn’t your fault.”
“Carter, that’s bullshit. If I hadn’t proposed—”
I place my finger to her lips. “You should know by now that either way, I would’ve chased you to the ends of the earth, and I wouldn’t have stopped until you became my wife.”
“He wouldn’t have gone after you if it wasn’t for me. You almost died because of me.”
“I lived because of you. You made me fight harder to stay alive. You’re the reason air still fills these lungs.” I press my lips to hers. “I live and breathe for you. This shouldn’t be a revelation for you.”
She smirks and lays her head on my shoulder, and we sit there in silence for a few minutes before she says, “I will never be able to thank you enough for the sacrifices you’ve made for me. For making me feel safe and cherished. I love you, Carter.”
She still doesn’t get it. Not really. Loving her will never be a sacrifice. Nor will anything that comes along with it.
For now, I’ll just tell her how I feel and work harder to show her that I mean it.
“I love you too, baby.”
SIX MONTHS LATER
The sound of the roaring crowd behind me, blades slicing across the ice and the sticks clattering, fills my ears.
“Change it up, Werchky!” I yell, my voice hoarse from shouting all night. I turn to Cal and grip his shoulders, giving him a shake to lock in focus. “Cal, you’re up. Hold it together for the next few minutes!”
I slap his back as he vaults over the boards.
I never thought I’d see myself in a coaching role, but when I told Aspen that I wanted to retire early but stay on with the Blaze in some capacity while I earned my doctorate to become a sports psychologist, she was more than willing to oblige.
After meetings with our Coach and GM, she came back to me with an offer that I couldn’t turn down.
So now, I’m an assistant coach. . . at least until I complete the requirements to be a sports psychologist. Who knows?
I may fall in love with this role and decide to stay in it.
Being a sports psychologist can go hand-in-hand with being a coach.
Boston charges the neutral zone, their forward coming up the middle. He dekes around Aiden and takes the shot. I can barely look.
“Fuck yes!” I shout, pumping my fist as Mac comes through again.
My heart hammers as I grip the boards, watching the seconds wind down. Drew jumps a pass and takes the puck down the ice. He slides the puck to Aiden. Aiden cuts left and passes to Cal.
Cal winds up, he shoots . . . I hold my breath as the puck leaves the ice and twirls in the air.
Their goalie leaps to the right. His glove reaches out. The net swishes, and the red light above the goal swirls. My arms fly into the air.
The entire arena echoes with a thunderous roar as our team surges forward with their sticks clattering against the boards.
Stanley Fucking Cup. Wow. Streamers fall from the sky, and I watch Cal as our teammates throw their arms around him. This is the moment he’s waited for his entire career. He presses a kiss to his fingers and holds them up with his head tilted toward the sky, paying tribute to Paisley and Xander.
Coach tosses his arm around my neck and says, “Good job, Coach.”
“You, too.”
I wish River was here to see this, but her doctor restricted her from traveling. The Ceremony hasn’t even commenced yet, and I’m ready to head out of Florida and fly home to her, especially since I didn’t want to leave her in the first place.
Cal jumps over the boards and picks me up in a bear hug. “We did it, brother.”
“Fuck yeah, we did!” I yell, slapping him on the back before he jumps back over the boards and takes another celebratory lap with the rest of the team.
I follow behind him, joining Coach and the rest of the team in the center of the rink.
A deafening roar echoes throughout the arena but slowly dies down as the Public Address announcer says over the intercom, “Please direct your attention to the ice for the Conn Smythe Trophy presentation, which goes to the most valuable player of this year's Stanley Cup Playoffs.”
The commissioner comes out onto the ice, and the crowd grows silent as he gives his congratulatory speech.
“I’m proud to announce, this year’s MVP recipient goes to . . .”
Both of my fingers cross, my heart spikes, and all the blood rushes to my head as he leaves us in suspense.
Callan Miles.
Callan Miles.
Please say Callan Fucking Miles.
“Callan Miles,” he says.
I drop to my knees right there on the ice as cheers echo all around us.
He did it! He actually fucking did it.
I can’t even begin to express the amount of pride filling me right now as Cal approaches the commissioner, shakes his hand, and accepts the trophy.
He skates toward us, and we all gather around him, clapping him on the back as he holds the trophy high above his head, smiling from ear to ear.
I reflect on the struggles he’s had over the past four years and how far he’s come in just this year alone.
Biased or not, no one is more deserving of that award than my brother-in-law.
The ceremony wraps up, then I follow the team into the locker room where we’re given a champagne bath. It’s a madhouse. Aiden and Sean snap towels at each other as loud music plays in the locker room. It looks as though they’ve mended fences . . . for now.
After Coach gives his speech in the locker room, I hug each of my old teammates, then trail behind him, exiting the locker room. Coach and Katherine stand right outside the locker room doors, twisted in an embrace, and all I can think about is how bad I want to be home with my wife.
I’m proud of those guys, but it’s not enough to keep me in Florida celebrating the night away without River.
The entire flight, my knee bounces up and down, and I can’t seem to sit still in my seat, even though I know that when I return, she’ll already be asleep.
At least I’ll wake up to her in the morning.
The house is pitch black as I pull into our driveway, but as my key hits the lock of our new home just down the road from Cal and Aspen, the outside light turns on, and River swings open the door with a smile on her face.
“I’m so proud of you, Coach!” she says, throwing her arms around me.
I want to pick her up so badly and swing her around like I used to, but that’s entirely impossible right now with two growing babies inside her swollen belly.
“It’s late. What are you doing awake?”
“Heartburn. It’s the fucking worst,” she groans, then she kisses my lips and . . . Holy fuck!
“What the hell is that?” I ask.
“What?”
“Why the hell do you taste like pickles and peanut butter?” I scrunch my nose.
She rolls her eyes and takes my hand, leading me inside the house. “Maybe that’s because one of your spawns was craving pickles and the other one was craving peanut butter, so I made a sandwich with both.”
I give her a look of disgust. “Who even are you, woman?”
It takes her a few seconds before she turns around, looking me in the eyes, and says, “Well, Carter . . .”
She starts to speak, and I notice a shift in her demeanor. She doesn’t look like she’s getting ready to shoot back sarcasm, like she normally would. I can tell she’s serious. So, I keep my mouth shut and let her say what’s on her mind.
“I’m just a country girl from Oklahoma who loves to get her hands dirty and ride dirt bikes. Sometimes I take my time walking in the rain because the feel of it on my skin takes me back to the little girl who twirled barefoot in mud puddles.”
Every statement comes with a single step as she inches closer to me, her smile growing as she closes the distance between us.
“I believe Karma is a boomerang and will come back and bite you right in the ass. I’m a good friend . . . no . . . I take that back; I’m a great friend. Loyal. Fierce. And kind. I’m stubborn as hell and too sassy for my own good.”
My eyes burn, and a silent sob escapes my mouth. Tears collect on my lashes before spilling onto my cheeks, and my heart thumps harder as she continues to tell me everything I already knew but took her so damn long to discover.
“I love to read smut. I write songs. I’m strong, and I’m a fighter. A wife, a mother, a woman who loves her family beyond measure. If I unraveled every thread that makes me who I am, we’d be here until the cows come home, but in a nutshell, that’s who I am, Carter. That’s River.”
Yeah, baby. That’s my girl.
It would take forever to uncover all the wonders of my wife—and the mother of my children.
Good thing we have a lifetime to go.
THE END