Page 44 of Right Pucking Daddy (Daddies of the League #7)

THIRTY-SIX

SASHA

The words… I understood them individually, but when I tried to comprehend them… yeah, they didn’t make any sense. Mikal continued talking, adding more and more words that dumped into the slurry of confusion I still couldn’t unravel.

“Sasha, we got a call from the police. They found his Jeep in a ditch. He doesn’t do well in hospitals. Anya and I are on our way…”

“The hospital? The university hospital?”

“Yes!” Anya called in the background. “He’s at The U’s hospital. Alexander, can you…”

I darted to the dresser, grabbing my keys, wallet, and Hawk’s leash. “I’m heading out the door now. I’ll call you back once I see him. Did they say… did you speak with him?”

“No one would tell us anything over the phone,” Anya cried.

“Storm, we’re hoping since you’re his coach… ”

“I’ll get in that room if I have to buy my way in,” I said, hanging up the phone.

Or beat the ass off anyone standing in my way.

I made my way to the stairwell, shoving through the door and running down the steps, Hawk at my side the entire way. Idiotic didn’t cover just how stupid it was for me to go tearing down stairs like this, my vision being what it is, but Aiden, the little shit, needed me.

As did his dad.

My best fucking friend.

Whose son I’d been fucking.

At the foot of the stairs, I yanked open the door, bouncing it off the concrete wall. It smacked me in the back before I could get through it. Ewen was walking toward the stairs and witnessed the whole thing.

“That door do something to piss you off, Storm?”

“Fuck off.”

The anxiety and fear rolled around in the mucky mess that was my head and chest and came out as hostility.

An eyebrow flew to Ewen’s forehead as he cocked his head. “You wanna try that again?”

Clenching my fists and squeezing shut my eyes, I took a deep breath when everything in me wanted nothing more than to wail on the guy I’d started to consider a friend. A friend who could hopefully give me a ride, since my attitude was beyond my control.

With a trembling chin, I said, “I need a ride. ”

“There’s an app for that.”

The hard, sharp edge of his voice gave me pause. I opened my eyes and Ewen, the Marine, greeted me—shoulders back, arms folded over his chest, his feet spread apart as he stared me down.

“I don’t have time. I need a ride now.” My voice trembled.

“What’s wrong?”

“Can you do it?”

“Yes.”

I sighed in relief. Ewen’s hand curled over my shoulder, turning me toward the lobby. Ollie stood at the reception desk, his eyes growing wide and round.

“Tell Slone and Will that I’ll be back later. Storm and I have something to do.”

Ollie nodded without comment, something I would’ve found strange if I had my head screwed on straight. Ewen led me through the building, away from the front entrance.

“Where…”

“To my truck, out back.”

I nodded, trembling. With a deep breath, I locked down my muscles to hold myself together.

Ewen pushed open the employee entrance, ushering me through the door to a large, blacked-out truck with no decals or insignia backed into a parking spot right next to the door. The truck chirped .

“Get in,” he said, following his own instructions as I got Hawk and I settled.

When his door closed, he turned and asked, “So, where are we going?”

“The hospital.”

“Oh, shit. Okay. Hang tight.”

I moved Hawk to the floor between my feet as Ewen dropped the truck into gear and stomped on the gas. We flew out of the parking lot, the truck tires squawking when we careened out onto the street.

“What happened?” he asked, the truck swerving around the late-night traffic. EDGE wasn’t far from campus, but the streets were busy as fuck.

“I’m not sure. All I know is somebody found Aiden’s Jeep in a ditch, and he’s in the hospital.”

“Did the police call you? How did you…”

“His parents called me.”

“All your players’ parents have your number?”

My face flamed, and I croaked, “Only the ones I played hockey with.”

“I don’t know of any players named Mercer?”

My hand rubbed Hawk’s head, mumbling in reply, “Because his dad is Mikal Rustav.”

Ewen’s shocked face turned toward, allowing me a glimpse from the corner of my eye. “Mikal Rustav, as in your teammate and best friend? The same guy who… ”

“Yes,” I grunted. “The best friend who smacked me in the head with a puck… Fuck!” I yelled, the truck lifting off the ground, when Ewen took a corner. We bounced as the wheels touched down. “If I were looking to die from erratic driving, I could’ve driven myself.”

“Quit being a baby, I’m a Marine. I can handle this.”

“Like a baby handles a crayon,” I muttered as the truck tires squealed around another corner. The hospital lit up the night sky not far ahead. Thank fuck.

When I looked over at him, Ewen was looking at me with this expression I couldn’t decide if he was going to chew my ass or laugh.

“What?” I asked.

“That was a good one.” He looked back at the road, then asked, “Does he know?”

“Does who know what?” I asked.

“Oh, I don’t know. Does your buddy know you’re fucking his son? Does he know you’re a Daddy? Does he know you’re his son’s Daddy? On the flip side, does your boy know his dad is his Daddy’s bestie?”

“Fuck no. Yes. Absolutely fucking not. Hell, I didn’t even know I was fucking my buddy’s son. And who the fuck knows.”

Ewen’s head turned from the road slowly. So slowly, it was comical. His eyes grew bigger than two dinner plates.

“You’re his fucking coach. How the fuck did you not know your boy was your buddy’s kid? ”

“When I took the job, Mikal asked me not to dig, to evaluate the kids without knowing who the players’ parents are. So I did. Some of them are a given. I played with Malachek junior, and I’ve met Malachek senior, so Trey was a given.”

“But some random pretty boy center named Mercer who makes your little soldier stand up and salute…”

“Exactly.”

Ewen pulled into the ambulance bay outside the emergency room. “Delivered safely.”

“You nearly flipped us…”

“But did you die?”

I rolled my eyes and shook my head, jumping when someone knocked on the hood. “You can’t park here!”

I opened the door, Hawk jumped out, and the hood banger yelled, “No dogs.”

I ignored the guy, clipping Hawk’s leash on.

“Oh, sorry, man.”

Ignoring him, I strode into the emergency room, bypassing all the people waiting until I stood in front of an employee.

“Sir, you have to wait…”

“Aiden Mercer.”

“Nice to meet you, Mr. Mercer, but you’ll…”

“He’s not Aiden Mercer. That’s The Storm.”

I turned, and a fan stood staring at me.

“The Storm?” the nurse asked .

“Ma’am, my name is Sasha Storm, and I’m looking for Aiden Mercer.”

“I cannot give out patient information.”

“Just point me toward someone in charge. I’m Mr. Mercer’s hockey coach.”

“Coach Storm?”

I looked up, and a woman in scrubs came toward me.

“Yes?”

“I’m Dr. Amos. If you’ll follow me, I’ll take you back to see Aiden.”

“How is he?”

“Banged up, but he’ll be okay in a couple of weeks. Though, knowing how you hockey players are, I’d say it’ll be half that.”

He’s okay. He’s going to be okay.

A tidal wave of relief washed through me.

Dr. Amos stopped outside a room in the back of the emergency room. She waved at the door, then said as she turned to walk away, “He’s in there. We’ve been keeping the door shut because some patients recognized him and tried asking for autographs.”

“But he’s okay?”

“Ooh, a worrywart coach, I’ve never met one of those before.”

If she only knew.

“He’s fine, Coach Storm. We’ll know more soon. I covered my bases and ordered some tests and a consult. ”

Nodding as she squeezed my upper arm before walking off, I took a deep breath to steel my nerves and then texted Mikal and Anya.

Sasha Storm

The doctor says he’s banged up, but okay.

Anya Rustav

Thank you, Sasha. Thank you so much!

Sliding the phone into my pocket, I shoved the weirdness I felt about Aiden being Mikal and Anya’s kid, and pushed open the door.