Page 125 of Pinch

“She didn’t know about the tuition. I guess Gavin was waiting to surprise her.”

Dad sits on my other side, putting an arm around me. “It’s as much his responsibility as yours.”

“Not really.” I shake my head. “It’s my degree. I can’t let him do that.”

“Yes, you can.” Dad turns, making me look at him. “It’s his way of showing you his love. He’s your family, Hayden. He wants to take care of you.”

“That’s just it…” My voice breaks, and I press the paper napkin to my face. “He always takes care of me. He takes care of everything. I should take care of my things.”

Dad nods toward the bed. “What if he needs you to take care of him now?”

Pain tightens my throat, and I can’t think of that possibility.

“I will.” I answer firmly. “I’ll always take care of him.”

My dad’s smile warms his eyes. “Don’t you see, baby? That’s what a family is. You take care of each other.”

Looking down at my hands in my lap, I think about his words. I look up at Gavin’s three parents. I look at my dear knight still not moving on the bed.Family.

“You can start by taking care of the baby.” Mom collects the papers, throwing it all away, and stooping to hold out a hand to me. “You need to go home and rest, take a shower…”

Shaking my head, I cut her off. “I can’t leave. What if he woke up, and I wasn’t here? He wouldn’t know… I need him to know I’ll never leave his side.”

“You haven’t toldme if you have a lucky charm or a game-day ritual.” I trace my fingers along the back of Gavin’s hand.

It’s Day 3 of his coma, and his room is filling with flowers. Fans send little gifts. The coaches and trainers have come to check on him. It all feels very ominous and scary, like they’re hedging their bets just in case.

Mav was with us for a while, doing his best to keep my spirits up, telling me how tough they all are. Telling me about the time he played through a broken foot.

I can’t shut off my scientific mind. A fractured foot is a long way from a head injury.

Now it’s just the two of us again—or the three, including Lucy. The sun is setting, and my eyes are heavy. Still, I hold out hope he’s going to blink those pretty blue eyes open and smile that killer smile at me any minute now…

“You probably know Mav drinks a Welch’s strawberry soda the morning of every game, then he eats five red M&Ms.” I trace my fingers against his skin. “Gigi said it started in high school when he scored his first hat trick. He’d tried a Welch’s strawberry soda for the first time, but he’d also eaten all the red M&Ms out of Kim’s bag. I think he’s not sure which was the lucky thing, so he does them both.”

Studying Gavin’s handsome face, I inhale a shaky breath. I’m not giving up on him. I’m not giving up on us. No matter what comes next, I’m in it for the long haul.

“Maybe your lucky charm could be an axolotl? They’re really cute, and they’re all about transformation and healing.” My eyes are so tired, and I lean my head on the bed beside his hand. “Or maybe something fromStar Wars? Something hockey?”

The constant beeping never ends. It’s become white noise lulling me to sleep.

Lucy kicks, but I can’t keep my eyes open another minute.

34

Gavin

Somebody’s snoring.

I’m in a room with dim lights, and my head is wrapped tightly. Soft beeping noises are all around me, and I blink hard, squeezing my eyes as I force my brain to remember what happened.

Slap shot to the head. Right.

How that little black fucker manages to find its way past the visor on my helmet is beyond me. I don’t remember being knocked out, but as I look around the room, I know what must’ve happened.Concussion.

My stomach twists as my mind races through all the symptoms. I don’t feel nauseated. I don’t have a headache, but I’m willing to bet they have me pumped pretty full of pain meds.

Lifting my hand, I want to push myself higher in the bed when I realize a soft head is lying on my bedside.