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W hen Hunter woke up from his nap, he reached over and grabbed his phone from the nightstand. He then looked over and saw that Luna was still sound asleep. Not wanting to disturb her, he quietly got up from bed and walked into the living room. The moment that he had been dreading had finally come. It was time to spill the beans to Frank. Hunter dialed his number and not so patiently waited for him to answer.

“Hunter?” Frank said on the phone. “Hunter, are you okay? Practice is about to start in ten minutes. Where are you?”

Hunter told Frank everything; he explained how sick Adam was, how his fever kept coming back, how he was diagnosed with sickle cell disease, and he explained how distraught he was over everything.

“I don’t want to leave the team mid-season,” Hunter pleaded. “I don’t want to quit now, but I don’t know what to do. He is my son, and he needs me, Frank. I hope you understand. I don’t want to let you or the team down.”

He waited for Frank’s reply, and he worried that he would not like what he had to say. Frank remained quiet on the other end of the phone conversation for some time.

“Frank?” Hunter asked him. “Frank, are you still on the phone?”

“I’m here, Hunter,” he responded. “I’m sorry. I guess I am just in shock. You can’t seem to catch a break, can you?”

To his surprise and relief, Frank was highly empathetic to Hunter’s situation. This made Hunter feel better about the situation. The thought of letting his team down was almost too much to bear, given all the other stress that he was under.

“Don’t worry about the guys,” Frank told Hunter. “I will talk to them. They all want the best for you, even Henry.”

Hunter laughed. He doubted that. He and Henry were always rivals. He seriously doubted that Henry would feel any sympathy about his situation.

“I am serious,” Frank said to Hunter. “Whether or not you two want to admit, you two are like brothers to one another, and yes, I know about the fight. Stella filled me in on everything. Brothers fight, you know?”

Hunter thanked Frank for understanding and for telling his teammates about his break from the rest of the season. Going over and talking to them was the last thing he wanted to do. He wanted to see Adam again. He needed to get back to the hospital. He heard Luna get up and start getting ready for the day.

“Thanks again, Frank,” Hunter said sincerely. “I will keep you updated. Talk soon.”

As soon as he got off the phone, he saw Luna walk into the room. She had just woken up, but she looked so beautiful. He was thankful that she was there with him. He did not want to go through the uncertainty of this situation with anyone else but her.

“Did you get any rest?” Luna asked him calmly. “I could feel you tossing and turning all night long.”

Hunter rubbed his eyes with his fingers. He still looked exhausted. No one could blame him, given the circumstances.

“I kept waking up to check my phone,” Hunter stated. “I kept waiting for the hospital to call and give us an update.”

“Perhaps,” Luna started to say to him. “Perhaps no news is good news.”

Hunter nodded his head. He hoped that this was the case, but he just didn’t know. He knew that staying positive was imperative, but fear overwhelmed him.

“Let’s get dressed and head back down there,” Hunter stated.

When they finished getting dressed, Hunter and Luna caught a cab back to the hospital. Hunter silently hoped and prayed that when he arrived at the hospital, Adam would be awake, his fever broken, and in good spirits. Luna stared out the window, wondering what she could do to take his pain away. For now, her presence and support would have to be enough. She wanted Hunter and Adam to know that she was there for them as a member of their family, and family was everything.

When they finally walked into the hospital, Hunter was floored at what he saw. The entire team was sitting in the hospital waiting room. Both Hunter and Luna were astonished at the sight of every member of the hockey team. Frank was also there, and when he walked up to Hunter, he could see the emotion on his face.

“I told you,” Frank said to Hunter. “I told you that we were all brothers.”

Frank hugged Hunter, and when they embraced, Hunter started crying. He had never felt so supported. He needed this after feeling guilty for taking a break from the team. He thanked everyone for being there. Hunter grabbed Luna’s hand and turned to Frank.

“Let’s go see Adam,” he said.

Adam loved Frank like he was his own grandfather. The rest of the team stayed in the waiting room and waited for an update on Adam’s condition. The three of them walked into Adam’s room to find him awake and happy, lying in bed. The doctor soon followed them.

“His fever finally broke, thank goodness,” the doctor said happily. “We have already started the discharge paperwork. The next few weeks will be critical. He will need to be monitored, but he will be free to go home today. I have asked a nurse to come in and explain everything about his condition and recommended lifestyle changes and what to look for.”

Hunter thanked the doctor and walked over to his son. The father and son embraced. Hunter was so happy that Adam was feeling better and looking more like himself. Frank placed his hand on Hunter’s shoulder.

“Take all the time you need away from the team, Hunter,” Frank said sincerely to him. “Family is the most important thing. You can’t get this time back.”

Frank walked out of the room to give Hunter, Luna, and Adam some time alone together. Soon afterward, a nurse walked in and explained the seriousness of Adam's disease to both Luna and Adam. She explained the importance of rest, hydration, and exercise. She stated that Adam may likely have a flare-up again, and it would be important to monitor him during this critical time. She stated it would be essential to monitor his pain levels, and rest and activity would have to be implemented accordingly. However, the most important thing was that Adam stayed hydrated, as it was believed that hydration eliminated the cause of flare-ups for sickle cell disease. Hunter thanked the nurse for her information. He was just so happy to bring his son home. Within an hour, Adam was discharged, and Luna and Hunter went back to Hunter's apartment as a family.

That night, after Adam was in bed, Hunter poured two glasses of wine. He handed a glass of red to Luna and then spoke as she leaned in to listen. “I think we both deserve this,” he said with a laugh. “How are you feeling about everything? Did some time away help? I have to say, Adam and I are both really glad you’re back.”

“I do feel better,” Luna said. “It was nice to be home and reunite with family, but most importantly, my time away made me realize something important.”

“Oh?” Hunter said with curiosity. “What did your time away make you realize?”

“That I don’t want to live without you,” Luna said to him.

She leaned over and kissed him. The two sat on the couch together, drinking wine. Hunter realized that he, too, did not want to live without Luna, and he was going to make sure the two of them were together forever.