Miller
I groaned as Leo and the Coach helped back onto the bed. Once they were done, the doctor began shining a light in my eyes, nodding to himself as if he’d found exactly what he was looking for.
"How is he?" Coach Reddick asked.
"Well, the good news is your legs are perfectly fine after that fall; there’s no structural damage there," the doctor said, clicking off his penlight. "The bad news is you have a significant concussion, which ans you cannot play in this round. One more hit to the head before this heals and we are looking at permanent neurological damage. He should sit this round out, and we’ll have to run more tests to see if he can join the next one."
Coach Reddick nodded solemnly. "Understood. He will be monitored 24/7 from now on. I’ll arrange for one of the clinic personnel to stay at your place, Reid. We need you back for the Conference finals."
"No," I said instantly, the word making my brain throb. "I don’t want so random dic in my house. I want Leo."
Leo, who had been pretending he wasn’t even in the room, snapped his head toward . "Absolutely not. I have a clinic to run and a team to overlook. I cannot and will not stay at your ho to cater to your every—" He paused, swallowing the words before continuing. "This would be a gross misuse of my ti and resources."
I slumped back against the pillow, letting out a long, dramatic wheeze. I made sure my eyes looked as glassy and pathetic as possible. "I think... I think I’m seeing spots again. Everything is getting dark, Leo. Is this it? Is the light at the end of the tunnel usually this blurry?" I rubbed my forehead for extra effect.
"You are experiencing photosensitivity, don’t be ridiculous," Leo snapped, though he stepped closer to check my pulse.
"I can feel my heart slowing down," I whispered, grabbing the front of his shirt with a weak, trembling hand. "Oh goodness, the air feels so thin. If I’m left with so stranger who doesn’t understand my acceleration-deceleration injury, I might just lose the will to recover. My brain needs... it needs familiar stimuli."
The doctor and Coach Reddick exchanged looks before looking at as if I had grown two heads.
"Coach," I called out, and once I gained his attention, I placed a hand over my heart. "If I die because of sub-par ho care, tell the fans I loved them."
Coach Reddick sighed, looking entirely tired of my terrible acting. He rubbed the bridge of his nose and pointed towards Leo. "If it isn’t too much, Doctor, please watch over him. At least until he is clearly conscious enough to move and be back on the ice."
Leo’s jaw dropped. He looked at the Coach, then back at . I gave him a tiny, notorious wink before closing my eyes and pretending to faint from the exertion.
"I hate you," Leo whispered against my ear as he leaned down to check my breathing.
"Love you too, Doc," I mumbled into the pillow.
The doctor checked my head one last ti then turned toward Leo, giving him a short, professional nod. "I’ll have the nurse deliver the full set of guidelines and dication schedule to your tablet, Dr. Ackerman. Since you will be overseeing his ho recovery, the responsibility for his neurological assessnts is yours."
Leo looked like he wanted to argue, but the doctor was already out the door. The second the door clicked shut, the playful energy in the room shifted. I looked over at Coach Reddick, the humor draining from my face. My head was still thumping, but there were things I needed to know—things that mattered more than my own bruised skull.
"Coach," I started, my voice sounding more grounded. "The ga. What happened after I... you know?"
Reddick sighed, pulling a chair over. "We won Ga 1 against the Southern Stallions. Even though we lacked you as center and Rhys as right defenseman, Kayden filled the void. He stepped up when we needed it most. He balanced the lines, kept the energy high, and won the second point. Honestly, if it wasn’t for the kid, we would have lost it."
I nodded, feeling a spark of pride for Kayden. I glanced at Leo, who was standing in the corner pretending he wasn’t listening. I couldn’t help but wonder if he was proud of Kayden, too.
"What about Rhys?" I faced the Coach again. "I know how he gets. He probably thinks it’s his fault I got flipped."
Coach Reddick heaved a deep sigh, his expression darkening. "It went beyond feeling bad, Miller. It was a bloodbath. Rhys lost it when he saw you go down, and he went after the Stallions’ enforcer like a man possessed." He paused, running a hand through his hair. "He got his first-ever ga misconduct. The refs had no choice but to throw him off the ice."
I blinked, the light in the room suddenly feeling too bright. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. As soone who had known Rhys for a long ti, I knew he was disciplined; he steered clear of that kind of punishnt. But now, it had happened because of ?
"Is Rhys going to be suspended? The league usually throws the book at stuff like that, especially since he’s the Captain."
Coach Reddick shook his head, looking just as confused as I felt. "That’s the strange part. Sohow, Rami Calder managed to step in and stop the suspension, according to what I heard from the board. He pulled so strings I didn’t even know existed."
I heaved a sigh of relief, glad he wasn’t suspended at least. "So he’s playing?" I demanded, a sliver of hope rising in my chest.
"No," Coach Reddick countered. "Part of whatever deal Rami made ans Rhys is sitting out. He won’t be playing in the next ga of the series against the Stallions. He’s been benched until the Conference finals, if..." he trailed off and sighed. "If we make it to the finals."
I leaned back into the pillow without saying a word. The news hit harder than the ice did. Rhys benched was unheard of. He was the heart of the Avalanche, and with him off the ice and in the infirmary, the weight of the entire series was falling squarely on Kayden’s shoulders. I had trust in the others, but Rhys was the best right defense and I was the best center.
"I truly hope that we reach the finals, Reid," Coach Reddick said as he stood up and headed towards the door. "I should head out; I have another eting with the CEO. Get so rest. So of the guys might swing by your house to check on you before training starts." He looked over at Leo. "Doctor, he is in your hands. Please don’t let him do anything stupid."
And with that, the Coach headed out.
For a long minute, neither of us said a word. Leo just stood there, staring at with those intense, calculating eyes, and I stared right back at him.
"Spill it, Doc," I muttered, breaking the silence. "You’ve got that look on your face like you’re solving a physics equation that doesn’t add up. Just say what’s on your mind."
Leo exhaled, letting out a sharp, stressed sound. "I was just thinking about Kayden. I am concerned. He’s being forced to carry the weight of this entire team on his shoulders with both you and Rhys out. It’s an imnse amount of pressure for him to process."
I watched him closely and noticed the genuine edge of anxiety in his voice that went beyond just being Kayden’s voice of reason. In that mont, I felt a twinge of curiosity about their bond. "You worry about Kayden a lot. Why?"
Leo looked away, staring out the window. "Kayden is like a brother to . I will always worry about him."
I felt a pang of understanding hit sharper than the headache. "I get it," I said softly, leaning my head against the pillow. "That’s how it is with and Rhys. He’s the brother I never had. Seeing him crash like this... it’s like watching a part of myself break."
Silence followed. Then, after a while, Leo spoke up again. He moved closer to the monitor, checking it one last ti. As he worked, he asked a question in a quiet, hesitant voice. "I noticed I haven’t seen any of your family mbers since you arrived here. Are they coming?"
I let out a short, rough grunt. "I doubt it. Unless a miracle happened and they rose from the dead."
Leo’s eyes widened, and he looked up at , his expression shifting into one of concern. "I... am sorry. I shouldn’t have asked. That was insensitive."
I chuckled, though it made my brain rattle. "Don’t be sorry. Honestly, it’s fine. I’d rather you ask than wonder." I looked him straight in the eyes and yawned. "Besides, look at the bright side. It’s part of us getting to know each other, right? Now you know I’ve got no one to annoy at ho except you."
Leo’s ears turned a faint pink, but he didn’t pull away this ti. He just shook his head, a small, weary breath escaping him. "You are an impossible man to care for, Miller Reid."
"But you’re doing it anyway," I countered, grinning at him.
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