Page 33

CHAPTER 33

ETNA

It’s the middle of the third period, and Dallas is on a fucking mission. I get it. We all want to win. They’re already ahead by two, so chances are, they might anyway. We’re making sloppy mistakes tonight. We’re just off our game.

The puck comes around the back of the net, following the wall. I slide in to grab it, but I fucking miss. Yes, I’m having an off game tonight, too. I twist to adjust my position and hopefully still grab the puck when I’m slammed into the wall.

I wince. Another body hits and I feel like I’m being stretched in an awkward way. Another body and I let out a gasp. The world around me momentarily goes black as pain shoots down my leg from the base of my spine. For a solid half a minute, I can’t catch my breath.

The bodies move off me and I catch my balance on the boards as the world around me comes into focus again. Fuck. That hurt.

Moving a whole lot slower than I need to be, I skate to the bench. Julian takes my place on the ice as I step through the half door and sit on the bench.

“You okay?” Assistant Coach Dayton asks, his hand on my shoulder.

I nod, twisting my hips this way and that. My heart is still racing in my chest as I take a breath. It hurts, but I imagine it’s only a momentary pain from the sudden impact at an awkward angle. “Yeah. I’m fine. Just caught me off guard in a weird position.”

“You sure?” Coach asks.

“Yep,” I answer and turn my attention back to the game as I reach for my bottle of water. There’s still a dull ache. A quiet throbbing in the back of my mind. I think I need to get up again. Sitting isn’t making me feel better. It’s making me feel it too much.

I need to stretch. So I drop my bottle back in the hole and get to my feet, leaning on the wall to watch the game. It’s another minute before I climb over the side and back onto the ice.

Yep, I can still feel it, but it’s fine. It’s feeling a little better now that I’m moving again. I turn my attention to the puck, put my head down, and focus on the game.

We lose by two. I’m thankful the game is over. I think I need hot water over my back to calm the ache in it. Keno skates up beside me, his hand coming around to land on my back. Not that I feel it through all the padding. I just know that’s where his hand is.

“You okay?” he asks, almost in the same tone as Assistant Coach Dayton.

I grin. “Yeah. Just need the hot water.”

“Maybe we’ll go to the hot tub when we get back,” Keno says.

I hum, nodding, as we make our way down the chute and into the locker room. Now that the game is over and my adrenaline is dissipating from my blood, I feel the pain a little more. It feels like I might have tweaked a muscle. Pulled it a little.

It takes me a bit to struggle out of my gear and hobble my way to the shower, where I stand under the hot water for a very long time. I shift, turning the showerhead at an angle on my lower back, hoping the concentrated spray there will help.

But what it actually does is make me feel this injury more and more. Okay, maybe I need to sit down. I’m starting to feel dizzy from the throbbing pain that keeps shooting down my leg, no matter what position I stand in.

Washing proves to be a little more difficult than usual. Every way I move, I ache. So I try not to move quite so much. While I know I should wash a little more thoroughly, I’d really like to sit down for a minute. So I turn the water off, wrap a towel around myself, and pull the curtain back.

The hot water should have helped. If anything, my back has seized up instead. Walking feels like I’m on pins and needles. Every third step, a sharp twinge goes down my right leg. I’m breathless by the time I get back to my cubby and sit gingerly on the bench.

I won’t say that sitting takes the pain away. It shifts it back into a dull throb. Carefully leaning back, I close my eyes and concentrate on my breathing.

Now that the adrenaline from the game has worn off completely, I can feel the true impact of the hit. It had to have been because I was twisted when I was crushed into the boards. Then it felt like a pileup. I was shoved into the boards two additional times, each hit more jarring than the last.

But I played through the game. That was probably a mistake. It ached then. It fucking hurts now.

Fingers in my hair make me open my eyes. Keno stands over me in his towel, concern in his eyes. “You okay?”

I nod. “Just need a minute.”

He frowns, but nods and heads to his own cubby. I watch him go and then close my eyes again. I spend a couple minutes trying to will the pain away. I refuse to lose hockey because of this. This is just stupid. I want to give up hockey on my own time.

A tap against my leg has me opening my eyes again. This time it’s Julian, and he’s fully dressed. I glance around the locker room and realize I’d been sitting here a lot longer than the few minutes I thought I was.

My eyes meet Keno’s. He’s watching me as he buttons his shirt. I look up at Julian. “You don’t look okay.”

“Maybe I’m less okay than I thought.”

“What do you need?” he asks, holding out his hand to help me to my feet.

I reach for him and allow him to pull me up while I wince and grunt. Yeah, okay. I’m far more hurt than I thought. “My underwear.”

Julian raises a brow. “What else do you need?”

Grinning, I sway a little as I glance behind me to my clothes. “Want to see if the doc’s still here?” I ask, turning back to him as Keno steps up beside Julian.

“Yep. Maybe put some clothes on,” Julian suggests, smirking at me as he turns for the door.

“You said you were all right,” Keno accuses as he reaches for my underwear.

“I thought I was. It didn’t hurt quite this much during the game.”

He tugs at my towel until it comes off and then crouches down to help me into my underwear.

“I don’t know if I feel like I’m three or ninety,” I mutter as I lift my left leg. The throb in my right ass cheek bone—yes, I’m making that a thing—makes me wince, but it’s worse when I lift my right leg.

Keno’s giving me an amused smile as he pulls up my briefs. His smile fades when he sees the pain I didn’t hide fast enough reflected in my expression. He sighs.

“Etna,” Coach calls from the door.

I sway when Keno steps away, so he quickly comes back and wraps an arm around my lower back. Coach is frowning.

“You said you were fine,” Coach accuses.

“I’m sorry. I thought I was.”

His frown deepens. Doc steps up behind him as Julian joins us again. He gets on my other side and he and Keno help me out of the locker room.

“What hurts exactly?” Doc asks.

“Lower back. Radiates down my right leg when I step, but not all the time.”

“We’re going straight to x-ray,” Doc says.

I don’t answer. Only concentrate on walking. Trying not to step weirdly on my right leg. Not every step makes the shock of pain run down my leg, so I try to find the pattern that does.

Keno and Julian help me onto the x-ray table how Doc instructs and then leave the room. I close my eyes and pretend I’m not watching my career circle down the drain.

“That’s it,” Doc says. “You can stay there for a minute while I look at them if you’re comfortable.”

“Comfortable enough,” I answer. “Can Keno come back in?”

“Yep.” He stares at the computer screen for a minute before getting to his feet. He opens the door and waves Keno in.

Keno stands beside me, his hand on my chest over my heart. I take his other one in mine and close my eyes. The room is silent for several very long, tense minutes.

“Nothing’s broken,” Doc says, and I release a breath. Thank fuck. “No fractures or anything indicating any ligament or tendon tears. But I think there’s something pinched based on the pattern of your pain. I’m going to see if Trevor’s still here.”

I nod. Trevor is one of our trainers.

Keno’s fingers brush against my forehead, and I open my eyes. His concern is loud. I smile, trying to reassure him. “Nothing’s broken,” I repeat.

He doesn’t respond as he watches me, brushing my hair from my forehead. It reminds me I haven’t gotten my hair cut in a while.

There’s a knock on the door and then Trevor steps inside. I watch as they confer by the computer, most likely over my x-rays. I rub my face and yawn. I’m fucking tired. I wonder if a good night’s sleep will fix this. There’s not much sleep can’t fix in my opinion.

“Okay, let’s try some stretches,” Trevor says. Keno lets me go and takes a step away. Trevor takes his place and manipulates me so I’m twisted again. I grit my teeth. “Ready?”

“Sure,” I mutter.

He pushes on my hip and my shoulder in opposite directions. Nothing pops or makes a noise, but it definitely feels like he’s stretching my spine. I’m not going to say I feel anything different. That is, until he lets go.

Then I sigh. “That was magic,” I say. The pain has completely dissipated. “You went to magician school, didn’t you?”

Trevor chuckles. “One more time.” He stretches me again and this time, it feels like my entire body sighs and releases the tension I’ve been holding. When he releases me, he asks, “Feel better?”

“Yes. Thank you.”

“What happened?” Keno asks.

Trevor looks at me. I smirk. “I’m marrying him. You can tell him anything.”

“We’re going to need to put that in writing, but since I have your verbal permission right now, to make it as easy as possible to understand, he got hit just right so things were pinched that shouldn’t be pinched. Etna’s body was already hyper extended in an exaggerated position when he was hit. When it compressed again, things that had moved couldn’t get back to where they belonged.”

“Those are the technical terms, I assume,” Keno says, narrowing his eyes.

Trevor grins. “Come here. Let me show you how to help Etna stretch if he tenses up again.”

I remain their human doll as Trevor teaches Keno how to turn me into a pretzel. When they finally let me up, I feel so much better. I can breathe again, and my back doesn’t feel like it’s going to snap.

Keno isn’t entirely convinced. He wraps his arm around my waist as we head for the door. Our friends are waiting outside.

“It was completely unnecessary for you to stay,” I tell them.

“What happened?” Horny asks.

“To quote Trevor, ‘ things were pinched that shouldn’t be pinched .’ He assures us those are the technical terms,” I repeat.

Hilt rolls his eyes.

Horny wraps his arms around my shoulders. “It was terrifying seeing you in so much pain,” he says and gives me a tight squeeze before letting me go.

I smile. “I know. Thanks for staying.”

He flashes me a smile and waves as he heads down the hall toward the exit. Hilt rests his hand on my chest. “See you tomorrow,” he says and follows Horny.

I meet Julian’s eyes. “You’re really okay now?”

“I can walk on my own, but Keno can’t keep his hands off me.”

Keno huffs and I grin.

“Really, I’m good now. The muscles in my back are still a little tight, but the pain is gone. I swear.”

Julian nods. “’Kay. I’ll see you tomorrow then.”

“Thanks.”

He nods again and follows our friends out. “Want to dress me?” I ask Keno when we’re alone in the hall.

His hand drops, and he slaps my ass. I grin as we head back toward the locker room. He does help me dress, but I think he does it because he wants to see for himself if I’m wincing or hesitating in lifting a leg or whatever. I don’t. And I don’t even fake it.

Keno doesn’t let me carry my gear bag. Or let me drive. He keeps my hand in his all the way home. He undresses me when we get to our bedroom. When we’re naked, I grab his hips and pull him flush to my chest.

“I’m not going to lie to you and tell you I’m not in pain when I am. I’m not in pain anymore. It doesn’t hurt anymore. I’m fine, Keno. I swear.”

He takes a breath and holds it, staring into my eyes. “That was…”

“I know. I didn’t realize I hurt as much as I did during the game. It was a mistake I didn’t realize I was making. I’m thankful it was easily resolved, and I didn’t hurt myself further. But I am fine now. You don’t need to worry so much.”

“I’m probably going to worry for a while,” he warns me. “I believe you didn’t lie intentionally. But seeing you sit on the bench very obviously in a lot of pain just…” Keno shakes his head, closing his eyes. “Horny’s right. It was terrifying.”

I press my forehead to his. “Thanks for being concerned.”

He sighs. “Let’s get to bed.”

Nodding, I kiss his lips and let him go. He watches as I climb in, following only after I’m settled. Most nights, we laughingly wrestle over what position we sleep in. Who’s going to be the big spoon? Who’s going to be on top? Who’s going to have their leg over the other’s hips?

Tonight, Keno lets me move him wherever I want to. I hug him close and fall right to sleep.