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Chapter Twenty-Four

STELLA

My hands shake as I pace the length of the waiting room. No matter how hard I try to make them stop, the incessant shaking persists.

All I can think about is the sight of Greyson being taken off the ice on a stretcher. Occasionally, the sight of the Nighthawks player slamming into him at full speed and Greyson’s head snapping back take over, but it’s mostly his unmoving form that plays on repeat.

Hockey players take hits. It’s part of the job. Greyson once told me that leaving the game without bruises or blood meant it was a boring game. That’s an easy pill to swallow until it’s the person you love taking the hit that goes too far.

I knew the second he fell to the ice that it was bad. If it weren’t for Lilly wrapping her arms around me, I would have lunged myself over the railing in an attempt to get to him. Luckily, Harper had just convinced Ari to get more French fries, so I didn’t have to worry about my daughter being traumatized on top of it all.

By the time they came back, Dominik and Landon were clearing the players on the ice away to make room for the medics while Dean stayed by Grey’s side. Ari didn’t even have to ask what happened as the replay of the hit was playing on the jumbo screen. The silence in the arena was almost too much as we all waited for some sort of movement.

I’d seen him go down plenty of times in high school, but he always got right back up and gave a thumbs-up. This time, I stared at his arms, waiting for some sort of movement or sign that he was okay, but it never came.

Lilly was on her phone immediately, calling Eva for me and asking her to meet us at the hospital. I vaguely heard a joke about the two of them always ending up there, but Lilly stepped away to finish the call. I assume she filled her in because by the time we made it to the hospital, Eva was pulling up and offering to take Harper while Lilly and Ari hung back with me.

I scrub a hand over my face at the fact that I didn’t even think about that. There’s no telling how long it will be before we get an update and a hospital waiting room is not a fun place for a toddler to hang out.

“Any update?” Ari asks when she comes back into the room with a tray of coffee. She hands me the first one and I take it, grateful for something to do with my trembling hands.

“Not yet,” I say before blowing tentatively and taking a sip from my cup.

“Dominik just texted me that they’ve finished the game. A few of the guys are coming over to wait with us,” Lilly offers, nodding her thanks at Ari for the coffee.

“Did they win?” Ari huffs before Lilly can answer her. “The Bobcats better have won because losing with a man down is just salt in the wound.”

Lilly smiles, though it’s pulled tight. “Yes, they won. The asshat who rammed into Grey was ejected from the game too.”

“Hope that dipshit gets suspended,” Ari grumbles and I find myself agreeing with her.

Fighting is a part of the game. But the whistle was blown. From the stands, it was clear that Greyson was pissed at the guy who knocked over Dean, but he was keeping it relatively cool. The player who went full speed into Grey with his stick to the jaw crossed a line.

The two of them pass the time with mindless chatter while we wait. Almost an hour later, Dominik and Landon show up with food for all of us.

“Where’s Dean?” Ari asks while shoving a French fry in her mouth. In the short time I’ve known her, I already know that she could survive off anything made from a potato.

“He hung back to get an update on any further action being taken against the guy who hit Grey. He should be here soon. I think Coach said he was gonna come by as well.”

My heart swells as I look around at the support system Grey has built for himself.

During our holiday away, he opened up about what it’s been like for him over the past five years. How he shut himself off and didn’t let anyone get close. The only reason he went out with the guys that he did was because Landon and their coach feel that bonding time is important.

He told me that before I showed up, he couldn’t remember the last time he laughed, let alone smiled. He damn near broke my heart with that admission.

However, looking around the room, it’s clear that the people who have truly been in his corner saw the light inside him. They were willing to ignore the thorns that he encased himself with as if the prick to the finger would be worth the pain.

After another thirty minutes of waiting, I decide to go find the nurse and ask for an update myself. I’m approaching the information desk when a familiar voice stops me in my tracks.

“You have no right to be here.” Kelly Moreno sneers from a few feet away, forcing hospital staff to move around her.

“Pretty sure you have that backwards,” I tell her and move to go around her, but she just sidesteps and blocks me. Crossing my arms, I stare back at her. “Greyson told you to leave.”

“My son is in the hospital. I am exactly where I should be.”

I roll my eyes. “Yes, because we know from experience that hospitals bring out the best in you.”

“How dare you!” Kelly gasps, literally clutching her pearls.

“Look, I don’t have the energy to deal with you. Greyson told you to leave, so maybe for once in your life, listen to him.” I try to step around her, but she once again blocks my path.

“He is my son. Mothers always know what is best for their children, and that’s exactly what I’m doing by making sure you and that spawn don’t ruin his life.”

I close the distance between us, getting up in her face but making sure not to touch her. She’s definitely the kind of person who would cry assault if I so much as poked her.

“Don’t you dare mention my daughter. You don’t even deserve the right to think about her.” I seethe, taking joy in the way she flinches away at my words. “As for Greyson, you have never had his best interests in mind. You have only ever done what you thought worked out best for you . I don’t know what you hoped to gain by my absence, but until Greyson himself tells me to leave, I will be right by his side.”

I turn on my heel, deciding I’ll find another nurse’s station to help me out so that I’m not wasting my breath on pointless conversations.

Except Kelly has other ideas.

“My son comes from money. He is meant to be with?—”

“Don’t even fucking think about finishing that sentence.” I whirl around and stare at her in disgust. “Grey has never cared about money. He has no interest in your lifestyle. At all. If he were here, he’d tell you to take his inheritance and stick it where the sun doesn’t shine.”

Kelly sneers at me, unfazed by my words.

“That doesn’t matter. I’m here now and you need to leave.”

“Like hell I will.”

She smirks and my heart sinks at the sight.

“That’s too bad. Go ask any nurse to see him. Go.” When I don’t answer, her smirk turns into a victorious grin. “They won’t tell you anything. I’ve made sure that every record he has ensures that only family is allowed to visit.”

Her eyes sparkle as if she’s won and I just shake my head.

“Yeah, okay,” I say, letting her momentarily enjoy her glee before I cut her down. “And what are your plans for when he wakes up and calls security to have your ass escorted out and demands to see me?”

I take a step back. “Greyson has such a kind heart, he probably would have forgiven you at some point. But this right here? You interfering and trying to wedge me out of his life, again , won’t work. We’re not nineteen anymore. Your words don’t scare me, and I sure as shit am not leaving this hospital until I see Greyson.”

“You won’t be able to see him if I have you arrested!” Her threat bounces off the walls. Nurses and doctors are pausing around us, finally paying attention to the scene unfolding.

Shit.

While I don’t think she has any grounds to stand on for an arrest, the last thing I need is to be escorted out of the hospital when I haven’t even seen Greyson.

My heart pounds, my earlier confidence wavering for the first time as I try to figure out what to do next.