A commotion in the stands stops the play.
A flicker of frustration surges through me. A fight already? A drunk fan?
I drag my eyes to the part of the stadium that’s causing the disruption and confusion slams into me when I spot Johnny.
He’s staring right at me, spots of blood on his shirt, screaming into a fucking void.
I can’t hear anything he’s saying but I know he’s yelling for me. I know it’s serious. My eyes snap to the paramedics, holding a stretcher, and scaling the stairs toward the exit.
A shock of dark hair, a petite frame, a jersey with my number on it.
Oh, fuck. My heart jumps into my throat. Beside the stretcher, I spot Jasmine, her hand clasped to the victim.
Lola.
My Lola. On a fucking stretcher. Blood.
My legs nearly give out underneath me as I push toward the wall. My hands slam into the glass as I stare up, silently willing Lola to open her eyes. To smile. To let me know she’s okay.
She does none of those things and when the stretcher clears the arena, I fucking snap. A caged animal, with rage and anger, burns through me like a wildfire. I move off the ice, throwing off my teammates’ hands, ignoring their rational fucking words.
“River.” Coach Scotch is before me.
I move toward the locker room, and he follows.
“River, we’re in the middle of a playoff—”
“I don’t give a fuck,” I cut him off. “That’s my girl.” I point back toward the ice. “My baby.” My voice is strangled as I swallow a sob.
Coach nods. “Go.” His eyes are steady on mine. “Go and be with her. Let me know how she makes out.”
“Thank you,” I manage, more grateful for his understanding than he’ll ever know.
Then, I’m in the locker room. My pads and jersey a pile on the floor.
“River.” Axel barrels into the room. “I’m coming with you.”
“You have thirty seconds,” I snap at him. I know he’s worried but I’m not letting anyone hold me back from being with Lola. Not even Brawler.
He changes quickly and then we’re moving through the arena. When we push into the parking lot, Johnny is there, his car idling by the curb.
We climb in and he presses on the gas. “They’re at UT Medical,” he informs us.
I hang onto the grab handle as he takes a tight turn at a high speed.
“What the hell happened?” I demand.
Johnny shakes his head, his jaw tight. “I don’t know, man. She was fine. Talking about you. Basically feeling awful for not being upfront with you. I was telling her that you can afford to feel shitty for a hot minute—”
“Get to the fucking point,” Axel demands through clenched teeth.
Johnny sighs. “The opening show started and the next thing I knew, she was wobbling, blood spreading down her jeans. I grabbed her, sat her down, talked to her, while Jas got help.” His car screeches to a halt in front of the ER. “Go.”
Axel and I are out of the car before Johnny gets it in park. We barrel into the ER. Axel’s hollering out Lola’s name as I look around for Jasmine. She rushes forward when she sees us.
“What’s happening?” I demand.
“They just took her back. A doctor should be out shortly. I couldn’t go with her. I don’t, I’m not—” Jasmine stutters.
Reaching out, I pull her into a hug. I’m sure she’s overwhelmed, but right now, she has to keep her shit together.
“The baby?” My voice breaks. I don’t want to consider any outcome other than the baby being perfectly healthy.
“I don’t know,” Jasmine sounds heartbroken.
Axel swears next to me.
We sit in the waiting room. Johnny enters and sits next to Jasmine, taking her hand in his. I arch an eyebrow but don’t have the energy to comment on their budding relationship.
We wait, impatiently, and with tension pulling between us. None of us speak and yet, we’re all hoping, praying, bargaining for the same outcome.
“River Patton.” A doctor looks up from his chart.
“That’s me.” I stand, shooting a glance at Axel.
“Go,” he says, acceptance in his eyes, resignation in his tone. “Tell her I love her.”
I nod, walking to the doctor. “Lola’s asking for you,” he says as he guides me through the double doors.
“Is she okay?” I ask. My fingers tremble and I stuff my hands into the pocket of my hoodie.
“She’s going to be fine.”
The largest exhale of relief bursts from my lungs. “Thank God. And—”
“The baby’s good,” he puts me out of my misery. “I detected a strong and steady heartbeat.”
“Fuck,” I swear. The corners of my eyes pinch and it takes me a second to realize that I’m fucking crying. I swipe the back of my fingers over my eyes. “Thank fuck. Sorry.”
The doctor snorts. “No need. It’s a scary situation. Lola suffered a subchorionic hematoma. This happens when certain membranes start to detach from the uterus.”
I stare at him blankly.
“In her case, the hematoma was quite large, so the bleeding was heavy. But the baby is unharmed. Lola’s okay. There are some elevated risks to her pregnancy now but no reason to believe that she shouldn’t carry a healthy baby to term.” He stops outside the door. “You can go in now. I’ll be in in a few to talk to you more about next steps and expectations.”
I exhale shakily. “Okay. Okay. Thank you so much, Doctor…”
“Patel.” He holds out a hand.
I shake it. “Patel. Thank you. You have no idea how relieved I am.”
He smiles and dips his head in understanding. “Go see Lola. She’s been asking for you.”
I push into Lola’s hospital room and pull up short at the sight of her in the bed. Her eyes widen as she gasps. She looks pale and exhausted. She looks beautiful, like an angel.
“Lola.” I’m at her bedside in an instant. Before she can speak, I press a kiss to her mouth, needing to connect with her. Then, I drop to her side. “I’m so fucking sorry, baby. I’m so sorry for everything. I—”
“Shh,” she cuts me off. Taking my hand, she places it on her belly. “Everything’s okay.”
More tears collect in my eyes. One drops over and Lola smiles, brushing it away with the pad of her index finger. “Don’t worry,” she whispers. “It’s just the hormones.”
I laugh, the sound half sob and half strangled. “Lola.” I drop my forehead to hers, keeping my hand splayed on her belly, right over our little Bean. “You scared the shit out of me. If anything happened to you, or to Bean, I, I can’t even handle the thought.”
“Me too,” she murmurs, wrapping a hand around my wrist. She keeps my hand anchored to her belly as she admits, “I should have told you everything about the internship as soon as I accepted it.”
“Yeah,” I agree. “But I shouldn’t have tried so hard, pushed like I did, to make room for myself in your life.”
“Yes, you should have.” She shakes her head, rolling her forehead over mine. It’s soft, like a caress, like forgiveness. “I needed to know that you want this with me, not only because of Bean, but because—”
“I’m so fucking in love with you,” I cut her off. “I love you, Lola. Yeah, maybe even more so because you’re carrying my baby. But I love you for you. And I want to be the guy in your life you build a future with. I want to cheer you on and support you. Make plans together and share dreams, as fucking corny as it sounds. I want it all with you and I know I need to show you that but—”
“You don’t need to prove anything. Just be with me,” she interjects, her words a whisper over my lips.
I kiss her again, sensual and soulful this time. “I’m right here.”
“Come with me to California this summer?” Her voice is hopeful.
“Let’s live on the beach,” I decide.
She laughs lightly. “You really think we can do this.” Her hand on my wrist tightens, indicating Bean. Our family.
“We already are, beauty.”
Lola smiles and all the pressure in my chest eases.
“I love you, Lola.”
“I love you so much, River.” She lifts her chin, her lips glide over mine, and our kiss is reverent, hopeful, perfect.
“Glad you kissed and made up,” Dr. Patel says as he knocks on the doorframe.
I pull away and Lola laughs.
“Let’s talk about what comes next,” the doctor says, entering the room. He discusses Lola’s hematoma with us and advises that she take it easy, with no heavy lifting or exercise, for the next few weeks. And no sex. While she can still attend her classes and accept her summer internship, he doesn’t want her to do anything strenuous. He informs us about the signs and symptoms of pre-term labor. Then, he grins. “You want to know the sex of your baby?”
Lola squeaks, her hand clasping mine. She looks at me, her brown eyes dancing.
“It’s your call, babe. I want what you want,” I say.
“Smart man,” Dr. Patel says.
Lola beams and looks at the doctor. “I can’t take any more surprises,” she laughs. “So, yes. Please, tell us.”
He smiles warmly. “You’re having a girl.”
Lola squeals and I smile, brushing her hair out of her eyes.
“A girl,” I murmur. “I’m going to be girl dad.”
“Best kind of dad there is.” Dr. Patel winks. He taps his chart against the edge of Lola’s bed. “We’ll keep you here tonight. Mr. Patton—”
“River,” I interject.
“River, you’re welcome to stay. If all goes well, Lola will be discharged tomorrow morning. Stay off your feet as much as possible and rest when you’re tired. Any vaginal bleeding”—he pauses to pass me his card—“call me.”
“Thank you, Doctor Patel.”
He nods. “Now, you’ve got the biggest fan club in the waiting room.” He grins. “The Bolts won tonight.”
Lola glances at me as I smile. “Glad to hear it,” I admit. The team, the game, hockey hadn’t crossed my mind since I skated off the ice.
If someone told me six months ago that anything—that anyone—could have distracted me from the game, I would’ve laughed my ass off. Now, I’ve got better things to care about. Lola and Bean. My girls.
“Everyone wants to see you,” Dr. Patel continues, looking at Lola. His eyes dart to mine. “But keep it to two or three people at a time. And when she gets tired—” He points at Lola.
“Kick them all out,” I finish his sentence.
“Exactly. See you tomorrow. Have a good night and congrats on the win, River.” Dr. Patel strides out of the room.
I look at Lola. “You ready for our family?”
She smiles. “Please send my dad back first.”
“I’m supposed to tell you he loves you,” I recall.
Her smile widens. “I know. I need to tell him that too.”
I nod. “He knows.” I kiss her forehead. “I’ll be right back.”
I leave Lola for a few minutes to find Axel. When I enter the waiting room, I’m not surprised to see Gayle and Ken. Or Cullen and Leanne. Or the entire Bolts team and their women.
Axel stands with Maisy glued to his side as I near the group.
I grin. “Lola’s good and the baby is fine. A strong and steady heartbeat,” I repeat Dr. Patel’s words.
A collective cheer goes up among our group. Gayle envelops me in a hug and I kiss her cheek.
“Oh, River, I’m so relieved,” she murmurs.
“Me too,” I say. “Thanks for coming.”
“I’ll always be here,” she reminds me, the way she has for the past decade. Except now, I believe her.
“Axel, Lola’s asking for you,” I say.
He steps forward but I stop him, placing a hand on his arm. He glances at me over his shoulder.
I turn to face him, so he knows I’m serious. “I know she’s your world. I know you love her. But I do too. I need you to stop getting in my way. I’m in love with Lola. And I hope I can be the kind of father you are. To do that, you need to fall back a bit.”
Axel glares at me, long and hard. Unyielding and uncompromising.
I hold his gaze, my shoulders square, my head held high.
After a long minute, he nods and extends his hand. “Welcome to the family, River.”
I slap my hand in his, give him a firm handshake. “Welcome to mine.”
Axel snorts. He gives me a clipped nod and moves toward the double doors.
“She’s in room 207,” I say.
“Thank you,” he tells me, and I know it’s for more than Lola’s room number. “Her mom’s on her way too. Her flight lands at 5 AM.”
“I’ll pick Anna up,” I offer, wanting to get to know Lola’s mom.
Axel’s quiet for a beat. “Anna will like that.”
I nod and turn back toward my family. The Sullivans and the Thunderbolts. Maisy smiles at me encouragingly.
“Thank you all for coming, for being here,” I say.
“Save it, Patton. We’re here for Lola,” Damien cuts me off, grinning.
Harper smacks his chest and shakes her head. “What Damien means is we’re relieved Lola and the baby are okay.”
I smirk. “It’s a girl,” I announce with no warning.
“A girl!” Jasmine jumps to her feet.
“So perfect,” Maisy gushes.
Cullen slugs me in the shoulder. “You’re gonna be a girl dad.”
I beam. “Crazy, isn’t it?”
“Wonderful,” Ken says, wrapping me in a side hug.
“She’ll change your life,” Coach Scotch advises.
“She already has,” I admit.
Then, I sit down in a waiting room chair. I spend time with my team, with my family and closest friends. They take turns visiting Lola. Johnny picks up a bunch of burgers and Cokes.
And for the first time in a long time, I feel settled. At home.
Finally, at peace.