THE FANTASTIC FOUR #2
We can get someone to be there. Either someone’s girlfriend, or I’ll call a friend.
That’s fine. She turns to me. You’re the one that knows her best?
Yeah. Since I’m the only one who has actually spoken to her, even if all I did was insult her. Regret washes over me.
Come with me.
We walk towards the examination rooms. The doctor will explain in more detail when he sees her, but if she wakes up in a panic about what happened while she was unconscious, you can tell her that she appears to be fine.
Fine, meaning intact and unharmed. I was pretty sure of that anyway, but I still feel relief at the medical confirmation.
Thanks so much for everything, I say as we enter Evie’s room.
She’s still fast asleep, now under a blue and white hospital blanket. I help maneuver her into a wheelchair, and we roll her out to the car.
It’s nice to see hockey players doing the right thing, she tells us as we buckle Evie into the front seat of Mats’s SUV.
As we drive away, Sinc wonders, Was that a compliment or an insult? Do they expect hockey players to mess up all the time?
Wasn’t there alcohol poisoning at last year’s rookie party? Coty asks.
That was me, and I never went to the hospital, Sinc says.
Yeah, but that was a good reason not to have a rookie party this year, I say. Coach Norman discussed this with the team’s leadership group, and we decided that a better bonding experience would be a day-long hike around Lake Superior and then a campfire dinner. And we were right.
We pull up in front of my house.
I really appreciate everything you guys did tonight, I tell my teammates. The way we came together for a real-life problem makes me feel like we’re a true brotherhood. The kind of team that can deal with adversity.
No problem. Do you want us to come upstairs with you? Sinc asks.
No, Coty and I can take it from here. I’ll put her in my room. I pull out the hospital instructions. We’re supposed to keep an eye on her. And make sure she drinks a lot of water.
I’ve already messaged Cleo, and she’s willing to come over in the morning if you need her. Mats’s girlfriend is sensible and straightforward. She’ll be a good person to greet Evie first thing.
Thanks. I’ll let her know if I need her, I reply.
Coty and I take Evie upstairs to my room. I lay her onto the bed, remove her shoes, and try hard not to notice how soft the skin of her legs feels or how high her skirt is riding up over her thighs. Instead I tuck my duvet over her.
I half-close the door and convene with Coty outside my room.
There’s bottled water in the fridge. I’ll put some on the bedside table for her. I try to think if she’ll need anything else.
He peers back into the room. Are you going to sleep in that chair? It doesn’t look too comfortable.
Yeah. But I don’t want her to wake up and panic because she doesn’t know where she is. My face is the last one she’ll want to see, but at least she knows who I am.
Just then, Wally comes up the stairs with his girlfriend, Rosie.
What’s with the hallway meeting? he asks.
Coty explains what happened, and both of them are shocked and disgusted.
That’s so awful, Rosie exclaims. It happened to one of my girlfriends in freshman year too. Luckily, all of us were there to protect her.
What did you do for her afterwards? I ask.
I think we force-fed her water to flush everything out of her system. I remember her barfing. But she came through it pretty well, mostly because she knew we were there for her.
When I ask her to be there when Evie wakes up, she agrees right away. We decide to leave the doors of our bedrooms open, so Rosie will be able to hear if anything happens.
She goes into my room to my room to check on Evie, and I turn to Wally. Well, it looks like I’ll be sleeping on a chair in my room tonight. Would it be okay if I borrowed another chair from you so at least I can stretch out?
I’m already doing enough for you, he grumbles. If we’re both leaving the doors of our rooms open, it means that I won’t get to have sex tonight.
How about if I wear headphones for the five minutes it takes you, I joke.
Are you actually insulting someone who has the power to make you comfortable tonight? he asks.
I mock-apologize, and he goes into his room and comes out with an upholstered wing chair. My night’s sleep is looking a bit better now. And I let him know that if he leaves his door open in the morning, that will be enough.
Rosie comes out. She looks fine. Like she’s sleeping normally. She turns to us. It’s so nice of you to do all this for someone you don’t even know.
I owe her, I admit. I acted like an asshole earlier, and I’m not even sure why.
Coty snorts, and we all turn to look at him.
You don’t know? Well, it’s pretty clear to me. She’s exactly the type of woman you’re attracted to: a tall brunette. And very pretty.
So? I’m not rude to women I’m interested in, I scoff.
But Coty only grins wider. That’s because she’s different. For years, I’ve watched you resist getting a real girlfriend, and now you’re still fighting it. He points towards my bed. But that woman is your fate.
That’s ridiculous. Rescuing Evie was only what any moral person would do.