Rhys
"What do you think is going to happen to him?" Kayden asked, his voice trailing off into a long, heavy yawn.
The hospital room had fallen into a deep silence after everyone left.
Neither of us had spoken for a while, the only sound was the rhythmic, pulse of the heart monitor and the steady, reassuring beat of Kayden’s heart under my ear.
I was lying carefully beside him, my head resting on the small patch of his chest that wasn’t covered in heavy white bandages. I made sure not to put any real weight on him, terrified that even my breathing might be enough to snap a fractured rib.
I’d thought he had finally drifted off until he spoke.
"Do you think they’ll ever let him play hockey again?" Kayden asked another question, his warm hand finding its way into my hair. His fingers moved slowly, threading through my curls in a way that made my eyelids feel heavy.
I needed to sleep.
"He’s done, Kayden," I responded, shifting gently against him to find a more comfortable angle. "Between the assault charges and the video that was released, I’m certain the league will ban him for life. His fathers will lose the franchise, and by this ti tomorrow, he’ll be lucky if he isn’t sitting in a cell waiting for bail."
I felt Kayden’s chest rise and fall in a long, shaky exhale. "I’m just happy it’s ending," he said, and I couldn’t help but notice the bone-deep fatigue in his tone.
I slowly raised my head from his chest and placed one hand on his face, tapping his other hand gently where it lay by his side.
"You have suffered so much, Kayden, and..." I stuttered, the words catching in my throat. I didn’t want to sound weak in front of him, but I needed him to know he had soone he could truly rely on.
That soone was .
Kayden sniffed near my hand, the small movent sending a sharp shiver running down my spine. "You sll so good," he muttered.
I thought he was trying to change the subject, but his expression was sincere. He pressed a soft kiss to my knuckles and reached out to touch my face. "I believe everything is going to be fine, Rhys."
"How... how did you remain so strong after everything that happened to you all these years?" I asked him softly. "You really are strong."
Kayden smiled, kissing my hand again. "I can’t wait for this season to end. I want to be alone with you for weeks without having to worry about practice."
" too." I leaned down and pressed a lingering kiss to his forehead.
He yawned again, mumbling words I couldn’t quite catch as his eyes began to flutter shut. His hand went limp against my cheek, sliding down to the mattress.
I carefully tucked his hand by his side and pulled the cover up to his chin.
"I love you, Kayden," I whispered, leaning in to kiss his cheek one last ti.
I waited several minutes to be sure he wouldn’t wake, then I carefully rolled off the bed. I checked his IV line a final ti and stepped out onto the private balcony of the suite.
The night air of Langose City was biting, the cold snapping out of the romantic haze of the room.
I pulled my phone from my pocket, the screen glowing with missed calls from a number that made my stomach twist into a knot of lead.
It was my grandfather.
I stared at the screen for a few seconds, taking a steadying breath. He had called earlier while I was in the ER, and I had ignored him. Seeing the repeated attempts, I knew he wouldn’t stop. He was relentless when he felt ignored. Now that the imdiate crisis was settled, it was ti to face him.
I straightened my back and hit the callback button. Langose City was an hour ahead of Oak City, which ant it was already 3:00 AM over there.
As far as I knew, my grandfather never truly slept. He was always active—wicked people rarely have a peaceful enough mind to rest.
He picked up on the second ring.
"Hello, Grandfather," I greeted, my voice tight.
"You must truly think of your family as nothing—especially , boy. How dare you not return my calls!" He scread into the phone.
I moved the phone away from my ear for a second, rolling my eyes at the familiar theatrics.
"Have you decided to go rogue, Rhys Calder?"
Yes, you evil old man, I wanted to snap back. But saying that while I was alone, without the rest of the family present to witness it, wouldn’t faze him.
If there was one thing he hated most, it was a loss of control. Since we were still playing the long ga, I chose to act the part of the docile grandson, even though I wanted to scream.
Now wasn’t the ti.
"I was busy, Grandfather," I responded, my voice dropping into that flat, toneless mask I reserved for him. "There was an incident which I’m sure you’re well aware of. I had no option but to act as the team’s captain and—"
"I saw the news," he cut off, his tone shifting into sothing dangerously serious. "The Westbridge scandal. I don’t know why the NHL didn’t investigate them earlier. How can such a weak team make it to the finals?" He scoffed.
"Anyway, their ss served a purpose because the Avalanche are heading to the finals. But I know that without the default, they would have failed. They are too weak!"
I rolled my eyes as I listened to him rant about how the scandal might have ruined the legacy of the Northern Avalanche and his precious winning streaks.
"Now that your brother is joining next season, the last thing I want is for him to et a team in shambles. That’s why you need to bring the cup ho again and introduce your brother to the world. Both of you should start going out together and—"
"Grandfather, why did you truly call ?"
I cut him off, unable to stomach any more talk about a "brother" I had never accepted.
My grandfather sighed. "Co to the house for dinner on Friday," he commanded. "Two days from now. I expect you to be there early because I need to introduce Elian to everyone. And before the next season, you need to get married so the legacy can continue."
"The Calder legacy," I said, a dry, mocking laugh bursting out of .
There was a chilling silence from his side of the line.
"I know you are with that Oga right now," he said suddenly.
"Are you spying on , Grandfather?"
"I don’t need to," he shot back. "Like I said, I saw the news, boy. I won’t question you trying to protect your teammates, but I hope that’s all there is to it. Rember what happens when you cross , Rhys. I will—"
"I know, Grandfather. You don’t need to remind over and over," I interrupted before he could finish the threat.
The last thing I wanted was to hear him describe exactly how he would deal with Kayden.
"Goodbye, Grandfather."
"And Rhys? Bring that Oga boy with you. Kayden Vale. I want him at the table. I have things to say to him, and I don’t like to be kept waiting."
The line went dead before I could even process the threat.
I gripped the railing of the balcony until my knuckles turned white. I angrily stomped my foot against the floor and let out a muffled scream into the cold night.
I couldn’t wait for this season to end—for us to win the cup so Kayden and I could finally be free of the chains between us.
I looked back through the glass door at Kayden, sleeping peacefully in the dim light of the monitors.
"Soon," I muttered softly.
I walked back into the suite, gently lowered myself onto the bed beside him, and placed my head back on his chest, listening to the steady, fragile rise and fall of his heart.
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