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W hen it was finally time for Hunter’s comeback game, the nerves had left his body. He could feel the adrenaline pumping through his veins, but he welcomed the sensation. He could hear the crowd cheering from inside the locker room. He finished putting on his gear before joining the rest of the team in the hallway. When he left the locker room, he joined his huddled teammates. They listened attentively as Frank gave them an uplifting speech about finishing the season on a win. They were the number-one hockey team in the National Hockey League, after all. Frank expected nothing less than a win.

“Go out there and leave everything out on the ice!” Frank yelled in excitement.

The team roared and cheered. They were ready for this. They were ready to play hockey.

Luna, Ella, and Adam were in the front row of the stadium. Ella was excited, as she had never attended a live hockey game before. Luna was happy that she could take Ella with her and Adam and enjoyed seeing her friend have fun. Ella rarely did things or took time for herself. Adam sat down in his seat quietly. In fact, he had been quiet all day.

Luna noticed Adam’s demeanor and spoke to him to ensure that he was okay.

“Adam,” she said softly, kneeling down to his level. “Aren’t you excited to see Daddy play?”

Adam nodded slowly, but his expression remained serious.

“Is something wrong, sweetheart?” Luna asked gently, concern creeping into her voice.

Adam shook his head but stayed quiet. Luna glanced up at Ella, who had been observing the exchange. Ella shrugged her shoulders, conveying her uncertainty.

“I hope he isn’t having another flare-up,” Luna said, worry evident in her tone as she turned to her friend.

Suddenly, the crowd began cheering louder and louder. The team was skating on the ice. Luna looked closely to find Hunter.

“There he is!” she exclaimed. “There he is! There is Daddy, Adam! Look!”

Adam got up from his seat with a smile on his face. He was overjoyed and began jumping up and down while clapping his hands. The game was about to start, and everyone was excited to see Hunter back on the ice.

On the ice, Hunter felt his heart pounding in his chest. He wasn’t afraid; he was ready to play. After weeks of intense training for this game, he was determined not to let his teammates—or himself—down. As he skated into position, he smiled at the roar of the crowd cheering for him. It felt amazing to be back on the ice, and the game began.

Each player on the team gave their all. Still, the opposing team matched their energy, making victory seem more challenging to grasp than everyone had anticipated. For the spectators, it was a thrilling contest. The tension in the arena was palpable; just when it seemed like one team would score, an unexpected turn of events would keep everyone on the edge of their seats. Luna understood now why Hunter loved this game so much. It was exhilarating. She was certain that the thrill of watching the action unfold couldn’t compare to the rush of actually playing.

By halftime, the two teams were tied with one another. Ella looked over at Luna.

“How do you think it is going to go during the second half?” Ella asked curiously.

“It will go fine,” Luna said reassuringly. “They will win, for sure. They are undefeated. This is their season!”

Luna lifted her right hand and began to bite her nails. She knew it was a bad habit, but the intensity of the situation called for it. Ella glanced over and noticed Luna's nervous gesture.

“Stop that!” she said sharply. “We tell all the kids we nanny for not to do that. You know better.”

Ella spoke with a laugh, feeling like a big sister to Luna. Luna chuckled and shook her head, acknowledging that Ella was right. They often reminded Adam not to put his fingers in his mouth, emphasizing how germs and illnesses spread. Glancing at Adam, who was still sitting quietly in his chair, Luna felt a wave of concern wash over her. He hadn’t been as vocal as she had hoped during the first half of the game. Each time she asked if something was wrong, he replied no.

“I think we need to take him to the doctor this week,” Luna said to Ella, her worry palpable. “This isn’t normal. He’s a child; he should be bursting with energy, especially while watching his dad play hockey. He loves hockey almost more than Hunter does.”

As the two women continued to talk about Adam’s recent behavior and health, Hunter and the other men sat in the locker room. Frank was ticking off the second half of the game’s plans. He detailed and showcased various plays with a large marker and poster paper for the team.

“Number seven is slow and does not defend the line,” Frank said harshly. “Willis, you stay on him and communicate when there is an opening!”

The men listened intently to every word Frank spoke. They were eager to win, but they knew they would have to fight hard for this victory. It was the last game of the season, and losing at the final moment after an undefeated run was simply not an option for any team member, especially Hunter. He felt a strong desire to prove himself after being away for so long.

“I guess this was not going to be as easy as a game as we all thought,” Henry said to Hunter as he scooted himself closer to him. “Hey, are Luna and Adam here tonight?”

“Yeah, they are,” Hunter said to Henry with frustration. “Don’t get me wrong. I am so happy that they are here, but I am going to be upset if we lose on the same night that they both showed up to watch me play.”

“Oh, we will win,” Henry said to Hunter with confidence. “We just have to play a little harder. Don’t worry. We will remain number one.”

After listening to the rest of Frank’s plans for the second half of the game, the team ended the meeting by cheering together. Everyone was amped up and ready to go. The team skated out onto the ice together. The crowd cheered and roared. The last half of the game was going to be theirs. Within five minutes of starting the second half of the game, the team scored again, putting them in the lead. Ella and Luna cheered loudly from the stands. When Luna looked over at Adam, she saw him hunched over in pain. She got down to eye level with him.

“Adam, honey,” she said in a panic to him. “Adam, honey, what is wrong? Are you in pain?”

As soon as Luna asked Adam if he was in pain, he collapsed to the ground. Their worst fears had come true—Adam was relapsing and experiencing another flare-up of his sickle cell disease. It broke her heart to see him in such pain. She quickly caught Ella's attention.

“We need to call the driver!” Luna yelled over the noise of the game.

It was difficult to hear amid the excitement; the match continued, and no one else seemed to notice Adam hunched over in distress. She desperately wanted to inform Hunter that they were leaving the stadium, but there was no way to reach him on the ice, and stopping the game wasn’t an option. Ella rummaged through her purse and pulled out her cell phone.

“Hello, this is Ella,” she said urgently into the phone. “Can you please meet us out front? We have to take Adam to the hospital immediately. It’s an emergency.”

Luna picked Adam up and hurriedly rushed to the exit door. Adam remained barely conscious in her arms. Luna was scared. She did not want to admit it to herself, but she was scared. Ella grabbed their remaining belongings and rushed out behind the two of them.

When they stepped outside, their car was already waiting. Luna carefully placed Adam in the car, making sure his seatbelt was secure.

She and Ella quickly followed, slipping into their seats just as the driver sped off, barely giving them time to close the doors. As they drove off, Luna tried calling both Hunter and Frank, but none of her calls went through. They must have had their phones off for the game, so she left voicemails.

“Hunter,” she said to him in a rushed tone. “Hunter, darling, it is me, Luna. I need you to get to the hospital on West and 7th as soon as you can. Adam is in pain. Ella and I are on our way to the hospital now. We think he is having a flare-up. Call me back as soon as you can.”

Her words came out in a rush, and she wasn’t sure if she had even enunciated them properly; panic had taken over. She couldn’t help it—her emotions were overwhelming. Turning to Adam, she saw him hunched over in his seat, moaning in pain. Each grimace on his face felt like a dagger to her heart. She hated seeing him suffer. Ella reached out, gently rubbing his back, sharing the anguish of seeing him so unwell.

“It will all be okay,” she said out loud in the car to Adam and Luna. “Everything is going to be alright.”

Luna continued to call Hunter to get a hold of him, but she knew that he would not be able to answer until he was off the ice. It was not his fault. This was just bad timing. She saw the lights of the hospital quickly approaching, and she breathed a sigh of relief while looking down at Adam. At least he would be getting the help he so desperately needed soon.

When the car stopped in front of the hospital, Luna quickly took Adam and rushed into the emergency department. The nurses promptly took him away for preliminary tests while she stayed behind to fill out the necessary paperwork. As she scribbled her details, her hand began to shake uncontrollably, leaving small black marks across the forms. Worry and panic washed over her as her thoughts spiraled into the worst-case scenarios. Would Adam ever live anything resembling a normal life? Would he be trapped in a cycle of pain?

Still trembling, she glanced down at her stomach, feeling the weight of another worry. Would the baby growing inside her be healthy? The thought of having another sick child was almost unbearable. Adam’s illness was already a heavy burden on her heart; she couldn’t imagine enduring the same struggles again.

Just then, Ella entered the room and sat beside Luna. “Hey,” she said softly, noticing her friend’s distress. “Are you okay?”

Luna shook her head, unsure of how to express what she felt. Maybe it was the pregnancy hormones clouding her thoughts. What she knew for certain was that she couldn’t wait for Hunter to arrive. Ella recognized that this wasn’t the time for small talk; the gravity of the situation loomed over them. Luna reached for Ella’s hand, grateful for her friend’s support during this challenging time. The two women sat in the waiting room, anxiously waiting for any updates on Adam’s condition from the medical staff.

Meanwhile, on the ice, Hunter was fully immersed in the game. With just five minutes left on the clock, the two teams were once again tied. Sweat dripped down every player’s face, a testament to the intensity of the match. Frank shouted from the sidelines, rallying his team with fervor, determined that they would not accept defeat.

“We only need one more goal!” he yelled. “One more! Come on! The clock is ticking down!”

Hunter and Henry looked at one another. It was crazy to think about the total transformation that their friendship had taken. Almost half a year ago, they were sworn enemies of one another. Now, there was a level of respect there, almost brother life.

“You take number twenty-seven,” Henry said. “He likes to hang left. You block him, and I will block number sixteen.”

Hunter nodded in agreement. The two men got ready, and when the referee blew the whistle, they challenged their opponents. Suddenly, Hunter heard the sound of cheering. He had been focused on blocking his opponent, so he did not know what had occurred. He looked up at the scoreboard and smiled. His team had just scored. Hunter was elated. Henry’s plan had worked. He searched the ice to find him. When the two men saw one another, they nodded. They had done it. The buzzer soon rang. Time had run out. They had won the last game of the season. They were truly undefeated.

As the men skated off the ice and returned to the locker room, everyone was in good spirits. It was a good feeling to know that they were number one in the entire national hockey league. Hunter started to change his clothes when Frank walked up to him.

“Good game,” he said to him genuinely. “You made one hell of a comeback. If it had not been for you and Henry blocking their two best players, we would not have been able to score again and would have gone into overtime.”

“It was Henry’s idea,” Hunter said happily. “He was the one who took charge so we could win.”

Frank smiled. He was happy to see that Henry and Hunter were getting along. It sure made coaching the team easier.

“Are you excited to celebrate with Luna?” Frank asked Hunter. “I looked for her, Ella, and Adam, but I couldn’t find them in the crowd. I thought you had them sit right up front?”

“I did,” Hunter stated bluntly. “You did not see them out there?”

“I looked, but I couldn’t find them,” Frank replied to him.

A sinking feeling traveled down into Hunter’s stomach. He could not describe exactly what he was feeling, but it was strange and negative. He could sense that something was wrong. Hunter did not even bother showering. He quickly ran to his locker and searched for his cell phone. When he turned his phone on, he saw that he had numerous missed calls and several text messages from Luna. Before he could read what the messages said, Frank came running back into the locker room.

“I have several missed calls from Luna,” Frank said with anxiety. “Is something wrong? She never calls me.”

Hunter explained that he was attempting to find that out. He tried calling Luna back, but his calls went straight to voicemail. She did not know it, but her phone had died while she was sitting in the waiting room. Hunter started listening to the voicemails and reading the text messages that she left him.

When he finally realized what was wrong, his face turned pale.

“Hunter,” Frank said concerned. “Hunter, what is it, son?”

“It is Adam,” Hunter stated with sadness. “It is Adam. He is in the hospital. He had a flare-up. Apparently, Luna has been trying to get a hold of me, and I missed all of her calls and texts. She has been at the hospital now for over an hour, I am sure.”

“Well, let’s go, then,” Frank said with certainty. “You didn’t think I would let you go alone, did you?”