Chapter 42 Emmett
EMMETT
Fish: Did you guys see Cap on the floor??? He was out cold.
Nelly: Not moving.
Bouch: Pierre really knocked him out.
Evan: That was intense. I thought he was dead.
Sully: Guys.
Nelly: I mean, I'm pissed he lied to us about Jo.
Fish: But damn, that looked bad.
Nelly: He couldn't even defend himself. His arm was in a sling.
Bouch: I love me some PSP, but bit of a cowardly move.
Fish: Jo crying broke my heart.
Evan: That was hard to watch.
Fish: She looks like she really loves him.
Bouch: Agreed.
Nelly: Is that why Cap’s been so happy lately? He’s been glowing.
Evan: True. He hasn’t been as grumpy.
Fish: A good woman will do that.
Sully: Guys.
Fish: What?
Sully: Maybe we go easy on him? On the whole lying about Jo thing.
Evan: He lied to us for months.
Sully: I get that.
Nelly: With a teammate’s sister. His one big rule, and he broke it.
Sully: I know.
Bouch: That's against bro code.
Nelly: And team code.
Sully: I know. But you saw him on that floor. Unconscious. That was scary. He’s out for the next 6 weeks with his arm. Who knows if he’s the captain after this? I think he's been through enough. We should maybe support him right now.
Fish: Fair point. And they did say they love each other.
Bouch: Guess that’s sweet.
Evan: *Inserts trending photo of Jo & Emmett*
Evan: The photo was pretty intense.
Fish: You can see the love between them.
Sully: Exactly. So maybe we hear him out. Let him apologize. And we move on.
Nelly: Fine.
Bouch: Agreed.
Evan: He owes us an apology.
Fish: Big time.
Sully: He will. Trust me.
We’ve been called into a meeting with HR, Coach Anderson, Mike, and PR.
"Mr. Black. Ms. St. Pierre." One of the HR reps, Linda, I think her name is, looks between us. "Do you understand why you're here?"
"Yes, ma'am," I say.
"We violated team policy," Jo adds. "By engaging in a romantic relationship without disclosure."
Linda nods. "That's correct. This puts the organization in a difficult position. The optics alone …"
"Are terrible," Coach cuts in. "The media is having a field day. Player-staff relationships. The captain, no less. And one of the St. Pierre brothers' sisters."
"We know," I say. "And we're sorry. We should have come forward sooner."
"You should have come forward immediately," Mike says. His voice is hard. "The moment it became serious."
Jo flinches beside me.
"You're right," I say. "We were wrong. We were trying to protect everyone, but we ended up making it worse."
"Much worse," Linda agrees. She opens a folder. "Ms. St. Pierre, your position as team physiotherapist puts you in a position of power over the players. Any relationship, romantic or otherwise, creates a conflict of interest."
"I understand," Jo says quietly.
"Do you?" Linda looks at her. "Because if this had been anyone else on the team, you would have been terminated immediately.
" Jo goes pale. "However," Linda continues, "given the circumstances and the fact that you disclosed the relationship once it became public, we're willing to offer an alternative. "
"What kind of alternative?" I ask.
"Suspension. Six weeks. Paid. During which time you will be Mr. Black’s personal physiotherapist for his recovery."
Wait. What?
“Did I hear that correctly?” Jo says.
“Because of your relationship with Mr. Black and the fact that you live so close to each other,” Mike states, “we think it would be in the best interest of Mr. Black’s recovery if you were the one looking after him. He needs full-time care to get better.”
I can’t believe this, it seems too good to be true.
“I can do that.” Jo nods.
“Good, we need him fighting fit for the end of the season and the playoffs,” Mike adds.
"That's not it," Coach says. "You'll also be signing a disclosure agreement. Acknowledging your relationship. Any future conflicts will need to be reported immediately. And if there are any concerns about professional boundaries, you'll be reassigned."
"Reassigned?" Jo asks.
"To a different role or off the team entirely."
Silence.
"We understand," I say. "We'll sign whatever you need."
Linda slides papers across the table. "These documents acknowledge your relationship and outline the conditions of Ms. St. Pierre's continued employment."
We read, and then sign them.
When we're done, Coach looks at me. "Emmett. You're one of the best captains this team has had. But this? This was a mess."
"I know, Coach."
"The team looks up to you. They trust you. And you broke that trust."
"I know."
"So, here's what's going to happen." He leans forward. "You're going to apologize to them, face to face. You're going to own what you did. And you're going to earn back their trust."
"I will."
"Good." He stands. "Now get out of my office. Both of you. And don't let me catch you breaking any more rules."
I apologize to the team the next day. We're in the locker room. Pre-practice, everyone's there. I stand in front of them, shoulder still in the sling, black eye fading but still visible.
"I owe you all an apology," I start.
They're quiet.
"I broke your trust. And I let you all find out in the worst way possible."
Fish shifts. Nelly looks at his skates.
"Jo and I ... we didn't plan this. And instead of being honest, we hid it.”
Pierre is leaning against his stall, arms crossed, face unreadable. "I know I'm your captain. I'm supposed to set an example, and I didn't. So, I'm sorry. Truly. And if any of you have a problem with me because of this, I understand and I am happy to talk about it.”
Silence.
Then Sully stands. "Cap. We're good."
"Yeah?" My voice is rough.
"Yeah." He looks around the room. "Right, guys?"
One by one, they nod. Fish. Nelly. Bouch. Evan.
Even Felix. And slowly, Pierre nods in agreement.
"You got knocked the fuck out," Fish says. "I think you've suffered enough."
The room laughs, the tension breaks.
"Thanks, Fish."
"But seriously," Nelly says. "Don't lie to us again."
"I won't. I promise."
Coach blows the whistle. "All right, ladies, enough feelings, let's skate."
They file out. One by one.
Pierre stops beside me. "You really love her?"
"More than anything."
He nods, studying me. "Then don't fuck it up."
"I won't."
"Good." He heads for the ice before pausing. "And, Cap?"
"Yeah?"
"Welcome to the family."
My first game back is against Toronto. The arena is electric. The crowd is chanting my name during warmups. "Black! Black! Black!"
I skate past Jo, she's standing with Mike. I wink at her. She rolls her eyes, but she's smiling. It feels so good to be able to do that out in the open.
The puck drops.
And I'm home.
We make the playoffs, and this is our shot to take the cup home. Except not all stories end happily ever after. This year wasn’t our year, but we’ll be back. As disappointed as I am for not getting the fairytale ending I had hoped for, we may not have won the cup, but I still won.
Because I won her.
"I love you," I say as Jo wraps her arms around me, consoling me after our defeat.
"I love you too." She smiles, and I kiss her, right there in the hallway for anyone to see because I can. When we pull apart, she's smiling.
"So, what now?" she asks.
"Now? We go home. We rest. And then we start training for next season."
"And us?"
"Us?" I grin. “It's just beginning.”
The End