My head throbs and screams in protest as I attempt to peel my eyelids open. They feel so heavy, as if they’re weighed down by sandbags. I hear a faint beeping sound in the distance, but I can’t quite make out what it is without fully opening my eyes. Even though my body fights against me, I slowly open them.
The lights in the room are dim and it’s quiet, except for the beeping from a machine to my right. The throbbing in my head increases as I turn it to the side, finding my mom sitting beside my bed. My hand is in between both of hers and she rests her forehead on the mattress.
“Mom?” I croak, my voice rough and harsh. My throat burns as I struggle to get the word out, but she hears me.
She lifts her head in a rush, her bloodshot eyes wide as they find mine. “Oh my god, Logan,” she breathes, a smile forming on her lips as her eyes fill with tears. “You’re awake.”
I attempt to lift my head, the confusion hanging heavily in my hazy brain as my eyes try to scan the room. My vision goes blurry for a moment before focusing again, and I drop my head back down in defeat. “What happened?”
Her eyes are soft, her eyebrows drawn together with nothing but sympathy swimming in the blue depths of her eyes. “You don’t remember? You had a hockey game last night and got hit pretty hard.” She pauses, exhaling a deep breath. “You had a pretty bad concussion and have been out for almost twenty-four hours. The doctors said there was no bleeding or swelling, but your brain got rattled hard enough to have you sleeping that long.”
My brain struggles against the memory, but it comes back to me in a rush and I remember it all. Number fucking 27 and that goddamn dirty hit. And Isla. She showed up for the game, and she was sitting in the stands beside my mom when it happened.
My heart crawls into my throat. “Where is Isla?”
“She’s right there,” my mother smiles, pointing to the other side of the room where Isla is curled up on a couch. “She hasn’t left since we got here.”
Goddamn. I can’t even stop it as tears fill my eyes. My heart swells in my chest and a lump forms in my throat as I stare at her small form sleeping peacefully. She saw the entire accident happen and she’s still here. I never would have expected her to stay by my side this entire time, but that’s Isla Whitley.
She’s a ride or die type of girl.
My girl.
“Do you want me to wake her up?” my mother asks softly, her eyes searching mine.
“No.” I smile at her as I wipe the tears from my eyes. “Let her get some rest. I’m sure she’s exhausted if she’s been here since the game.”
My mom’s lips curl upward as she flashes her bright white teeth at me. “Actually, your entire team is here.” She pauses, squeezing my hand that she’s still holding. “They’ve been camped out in the waiting room since your accident.”
“Are you serious?” My voice cracks. Having Isla here means the world to me, but knowing that my entire team is here—my entire family—I don’t even have words for it. When bad shit happens, it’s funny how it really brings everyone together. How they actually show up for you. Those are the important people in life, the ones you should never let go of.
My mother nods eagerly. “Let me go get the nurse so the doctor can come check on you. August has been asking to come back as soon as you were awake.”
“He’s been here too?”
“Of course, sweetie,” my mom tells me, her voice soft and warm, her eyes sympathetic. “He loves you like a brother. You’re his best friend. He’s been in and out of this room, waiting for you to wake up too.”
I nod, my heart crawling into my throat. “Go get the nurse?”
“On my way now.” My mother smiles as she rises to her feet and presses her lips to my forehead. “I’m so goddamn happy to hear your voice.”
“I love you, mom,” I tell her, my eyes growing heavy as she says it back to me before leaving the room. I let my eyelids fall shut and drift back asleep for a few moments until the nurse and the doctor walk in.
They do an exam, carefully checking over me to make sure everything seems okay. The doctor turns to talk to me after hanging her stethoscope back around her neck. “You seem to be doing well and being awake is a good sign. You didn’t sustain any significant injuries, but you had a pretty bad concussion. Your brain still needs time to heal, so you’re going to have to take some time off from hockey until a neurologist clears you.”
“How long will that be?” I can’t contain the panic that snakes itself around my words. I’ve had concussions and injuries in the past, but nothing this significant.
The doctor puts her hands in her pockets as the nurse checks my vital signs one last time and asks my mother if we need anything. “It could be anywhere from two to four weeks, so it isn’t that much time. But we’re going to set up a follow-up appointment for you with neuro once you’re discharged, so they will clear you after your appointment as long as you don’t have any symptoms.”
“Okay.” I nod and wince, glancing to the other side as I see movement from the couch. Isla slowly sits up, throwing the blanket off of her. Her eyes find mine and they widen as she sees I’m awake. A smile forms on my lips and she covers her mouth with her hand. “When will I be discharged?”
“We’ll probably keep you one more night, just for observation, and then I don’t see why you wouldn’t be able to leave tomorrow morning.”
Isla rises to her feet, and my mother thanks the doctor before she and the nurse leave the room again. I look back at Isla, my expression soft as my eyes search hers.
“Come here, baby.”
My mom turns around, her gaze following mine as she sees Isla walking closer to the bed. She looks back at me, her eyes wet as she smiles brightly at me. “I’ll give you guys some time alone,” she tells me as she rises to her feet and moves out of the way for Isla who walks directly toward me. “August wants to see you next, so let me know when I should send him in.”
“Thanks, Mom,” I tell her before directing my attention back to Isla as my mom slips out of the room. Lifting my arms, I reach out for her and she drops down onto the mattress beside me as I wrap my arms around her, enveloping her against my body. She’s warm and smells just like vanilla, like my girl.
“I was so worried about you,” she breathes, wrapping her arms around me as she rests her head on my shoulder. “When I saw you hit the ice and not get up, that might have been the scariest moment of my life, Logan. Don’t you dare scare me like that again.”
A chuckle vibrates in my chest and I bury my face in her hair, breathing her in as I press my lips against the top of her head. “I wasn’t trying to scare you. I didn’t even see him coming because I was too busy focusing on you in the stands.”
“Well, maybe I shouldn’t come to any more of your games if I’m just going to be a distraction.” She pauses for a moment, her palm warm against my skin through the hospital gown I’m still wearing. “You know that when you’re on the ice, nothing else matters except for winning that game. If you’re going to be too busy watching me in the stands, you’re going to get hit like that again and it could be even worse next time.”
“Don’t be stupid,” I laugh, wrapping my arms tighter around her. “I want you at every single one of my games. I promise that after the puck drops, I’ll make sure to pay attention to what I’m doing instead of worrying about you.”
She smiles against my shoulder. “Good,” she breathes as she pulls away and cups my face in her hands. “I can’t stand the thought of losing you, Logan Knight. Even though you’ve decided we can’t be together, I still need to know you’re on this earth. Even if it’s not with me.”
My heart cracks as her words hit me with full force. Lying here in this bed, knowing she’s been by my side since I got here, I completely forgot about the morning before… about coming home and breaking her heart after her brother asked me to stay away from her.
I can’t go against what he wants, but I can’t let her go.
Not after all of this.
A soft knock sounds on the door and it slowly opens as August walks in. I forgot to tell my mom, but I guess she took it upon herself to tell him he could come in. Either that or he heard I was awake and wasn’t able to wait any longer.
His eyes scan the two of us in bed, embracing one another, and I see his Adam’s apple bob as he swallows hard. A wave of relief passes over his face and he smiles at me as he walks farther into the room. His hands are tucked in his front pockets and he shifts his weight nervously as his eyes meet mine.
“Welcome back.” He smiles at me, nodding. “You gave us quite the scare, dude. I’m so fucking happy to see you awake.”
I smile back at him, chuckling as Isla attempts to move away from me, but I hold her closer. “I’m glad to be awake. I wasn’t anticipating that shit and honestly, still can’t believe it happened. But I’m here and on the mend.”
“How long until you’re back on the ice?” August questions me, curiosity and concern mixing in his irises as he sits down on the seat my mother was in before she left. “Actually, forget I asked that. None of that matters, as long as you’re going to be okay and recover from this shit.”
“No, you’re right,” I agree with him. “But I do wanna get back on the ice. The doctor said two to four weeks, just depends on when the neurologist clears me.”
August nods, smiling at me as he chews on the inside of his cheek. He falls silent for a moment before directing his gaze to Isla. “Hey, sis, do you think you could give us a few minutes alone?”
My eyebrows draw together and she slowly sits up, my arms abruptly falling away from her. The tension rolls off her body and I can tell she’s uncomfortable in this moment. “Sure,” she offers quietly as she climbs off the bed. Ignoring her brother, she leans over, pressing her lips to the side of my head. “I’ll be right out in the hall if you need me.”
Her words warm my heart, like she thinks she can protect me from him or something. I grab her hand and squeeze her warm palm before releasing her. Her smile is bright, her eyes soft as she looks at me once more before disappearing from the room, leaving August and I alone.
The silence is heavy and an awkwardness hangs in the air before he speaks. “I was wrong.”
Squinting my eyes, I meet his regretful gaze. “About what?”
“You and Isla,” he says quietly, his eyes dropping down to his hands in his lap. “I was just so fucking mad and hurt by the whole situation that I wasn’t thinking about it clearly. But after your accident, I don’t know, it opened my eyes and I was able to see that I was wrong all along.”
Adjusting myself in the bed, I sit up farther, my head pounding in protest against my movements, but I ignore the pain as I focus on August. He looks back up at me, a small frown on his face as his eyes desperately search mine.
“You’re the one who makes her happy.” His voice is soft and warm, the guilt hanging heavily in his admission. “I was wrong to say you would end up like your dad and that you would hurt her. I see it now, what I was trying to ignore all along. The two of you belong together and honestly, I can’t think of someone more deserving of her.”
“Are you sure you’re not just saying that because I’m lying in a hospital bed right now?” I ask him, jokingly, as I smile at him.
August chuckles, rolling his eyes. “That might have something to do with it.” He pauses, his facing falling serious as he stares back at me. “I mean it, though, Logan. Please forgive me for being a fucking asshole and trying to come between the two of you. I honestly can’t imagine her with anyone but you.”
“You don’t have to ask for my forgiveness.” I’m nothing but honest with him right now and a little taken aback by his change of heart. “I promise you I won’t hurt her. This isn’t just a little fling. This is a forever kind of thing.”
August smiles back at me. “I see that now. But what kind of brother would I be if I didn’t threaten bodily harm on you for hurting her?”
We both break out into laughter as August rises to his feet, his hand clasping my shoulder. “Let me go get your girl. And I’ll see you when you get out of this place.”
I nod, smiling at my best friend as he turns away to go get Isla from the hallway. He disappears and Isla comes walking back through the door a few moments later. Her eyes are hesitant as they search mine with a wariness.
“Is everything okay?” she questions me, her voice quiet as she sits down on the edge of the bed.
I smile up at her. “Everything’s perfect.” With my hands, I motion for her to come back to me and she brings her legs onto the bed, scooting closer to me as she lies on her side beside me. She wraps her arm around my waist and I hold her close with my arm around her shoulders. “Can you do something for me, baby?”
“Anything,” she whispers as she lifts her head and rolls onto her stomach slightly, sliding her hands against my chest before propping her chin on them.
“Be mine?”
Her brown eyes bounce back and forth, rapidly searching mine. “That’s what you want?”
“More than anything in the world.”
I watch as her face transforms, her lips curling upward into a grin, and her body slides against mine as she moves closer, her hands cupping the sides of my face. “I’ve always been yours, Logan Knight, ever since we were kids.” She pauses, the pads of her thumbs slowly stroking my cheeks. “You’ve just been too stupid to realize it.”
“I hope you know I’m never going to let you go now.”
“Good.” She brings her lips to mine, warm and soft brushing against mine. “Because I wouldn’t let you, even if you tried.”
