Carter was the first to reach him. “Jesus, dude! You all right?”
“Wind,” Luc tried to tell him he’d gotten the wind knocked out of him, but Carter shook his head.
“Don’t talk, man. Trainer’s on his way out.”
“Don’t need…” Arguing was useless, as the Intimidators’ trainer dropped to his knees by Luc’s side.
“He got the wind knocked out of him,” Carter explained as Luc coughed.
“Roll onto your side,” the trainer ordered, and Luc did.
He glanced up at Carter. “Give Eva a thumbs-up,” he managed to choke out.
“Am I lying if I do?”
“Just need…minute.” He coughed again and looked up long enough to see Jake being dragged by a linesman in the direction of the penalty box. Figured. Still, it was nice to know his linemate had his back. The trainer motioned for water and it was quickly brought. Luc sat up and the crowd cheered. Carter watched him for a moment and then gave what Luc hoped was a subtle “thumbs-up” in Eva’s direction. Luc didn’t want Eva worried about him. He was fine, probably wouldn’t even miss a shift.
Then his heart fluttered again, and the trainer’s eyes narrowed. “Luc?”
Luc only managed to make an incoherent sound, and the trainer frowned.
“You don’t look so good. I’m pulling you out of the game while I check you out.”
“No!” He tried to get to his feet but felt another funny strumming in his chest and rubbed the heel of his hand over the area to assuage the ache. Dizziness overtook him and he doubled over.
“Is your chest hurting, Luc? Answer me.”
“Kind of fluttering,” Luc admitted, and the trainer swore under his breath.
Pulling off Luc’s hockey glove, he put two fingers to his pulse point. “Your pulse is all over the place. You’re done for the night. With the other stuff that’s been happening around here I’m not taking any chances.”
The fluttering started to feel more like a pounding, and Luc nodded. “Get me off the damn ice then.” He stopped and took another breath. “We’re creating a spectacle.”
Carter and the trainer both supported him as they skated slowly to the bench. His teammate handed him off and then veered to go in the other side of the bench. Luc saw him look upward but made himself keep his gaze focused on getting in the bench and down the hallway to the dressing room. He wasn’t sure what was in his eyes and didn’t want to scare Eva.
“Get the doc down here,” the trainer snarled. “I wanna talk to him.” The security guard in charge of the bench area look startled for a moment before motioning for the team doctor in the stands. Luc and the trainer made their way toward the medicine room. “Lie down and don’t move. I’m serious, Luc.”
The trainer left him with one of his assistants and Luc heard a heated conversation brewing. “Hey, Reg, go see what they’re talking about.” Reggie, a college-aged kid who was studying sports medicine, looked uncertain. “Do it. Now.” Luc coughed again. Why couldn’t he get a full breath?
Reggie nodded. “Be right back.” Slinking toward the door, he pressed his ear to it. As Luc struggled to catch his breath Reggie listened. A few moments later he returned to Luc’s side. “They’re arguing about some supplement you guys are taking.”
“Why are they arguing?”
“I’m not sure. It was hard to make out individual words.”
“That’s okay. Thanks.” Luc closed his eyes as his heart went haywire again.
The trainer returned, his face mottled with red. “Are you taking those supplements the doc ordered?”
“Yeah, why?”
“I think they’re screwing you guys up. There’ve been too many heart-related problems on this team for it to be a coincidence. I’m pulling all you guys off of them, and I don’t give a shit what that quack says.” He pulled out a pen light. As he shined it in Luc’s eyes, he asked, “How are you feeling?”
“My heart is alternating between feeling fluttery and pounding.”
“Okay, you just stay here and rest.” He looked up at Reggie. “Don’t let him move.” He left the room again and Luc closed his eyes. He was tired of this shit. He had no idea what was happening in the game, and their bench was shortened if he couldn’t play. As if on cue, the whole building seemed to let out a huge sigh and Luc knew the Intimidators had been scored upon. He began to sit up.
Reggie held up a hand. “He told you not to move. I can’t let you go back out there.”
“Dammit! Why am I back here? My team needs me!” He cursed his own body as he wheezed after his mini-tirade.
“They need you in one piece,” Reggie reasoned. “And if you’re having heart trouble you might not be in one piece. Let him do his job. If he thought it was safe he’d let you play, but he doesn’t even want you to move. That should tell you something.”
Deflated, Luc lay down again. There couldn’t be much time left in the period, and when it ended he wanted some answers from Tom and the training staff.
A few moments later he heard the buzzer signaling the end of the period. Outside the door of the training room the typical sounds of between-periods action could be heard—guys talking to each other, skates being sharpened—all the things Luc had done a million times before. Now he felt left out and alone. He glared up at Reggie. “Get Tom and the trainer and anybody else I need to talk to about this shit.”
Reggie’s eyes widened, and he scurried for the door without a word. Soon Tom, the team’s general manager, Keith, and the trainer walked in.
“He said he wanted to talk to you. What was I supposed to do?” Reggie was protesting.
“Don’t get on the kid. I made him,” Luc responded. At least now he could get out a full sentence without feeling like he was going to faint. He looked at each man in turn, even as his chest fluttered again. “What the fuck is going on?”
The men glanced at each other, their expressions uneasy. Tom spoke up. “We can’t be sure, of course, but there have been a few indications that the problems you guys have had lately might be related to that muscle-building supplement Doc prescribed.”
The trainer cut in. “Is this the first time you’ve felt this strange stuff in your chest?”
Luc closed his eyes. “No.”
“Dammit, Luc, why didn’t you say anything?” Keith asked.
“I wanted to play,” he answered, opening his eyes. “I knew you’d yank me off the ice if I told you.”
“Fucking right we would!” Tom bellowed. “This is your heart—this isn’t something to mess around with, Luc.” He turned to Keith and the trainer. “I’m gonna get to the bottom of this. We’ll finish the game tonight, but this team isn’t stepping onto the ice again for so much as a figure skating competition until we figure out what the fuck is going on. Do I have your support, Keith?”
“A hundred percent. This is some scary shit.”
Tom stalked out of the room, and the trainer turned to Luc. “I’ll send in somebody to help you take off your skates, but you’re not even taking a shower until I get an EKG reading. You’ll have to go to the hospital for that, and it’ll take a little while to get it scheduled. Sit tight and be sure to tell Reggie if you feel anything different than what you’ve felt during the course of the night. Do you understand me? Anything different, Luc.”
“Am I gonna die from this?” He started to get scared. Was his life going to end in full hockey equipment in the middle of a game?
The trainer’s gaze slid away from his before returning, and Luc saw the real uncertainty in his eyes. “I don’t know, but it’s not good.”
“Hey, my…girlfriend is here tonight.” He wheezed and both Reggie and the trainer frowned. Luc forced himself to continue. “Can you have somebody go get her? She’s probably losing her mind.” He gave the trainer the seat location of Eva’s tickets and then lay back again. He was starting to get pretty panicked, and he knew if he didn’t calm down things would only get worse, so he willed himself to relax.
Jak
e and Carter came in together. Neither was wearing his jersey or skates. “What’s going on, man?” Carter asked.
“How are you feeling?”
“This is some fucked-up shit, guys.”
“Yeah, we know. Tom just read us the riot act and asked all of us if we’d had any chest pains or cramping or anything. The whole team’s kinda freaked out considering what happened to Leo and Fredrik, and now you. Shit, you’re the captain,” Jake replied. “Guys look up to you.” His brows drew down. “You didn’t say how you were feeling.”
“My chest feels fluttery and then it seems like my heart is pounding. It’s scary.”
“I can imagine. Just sit tight, okay?”
Eva burst through the door. “Oh my God, Luc, are you all right?”
Luc tried to smile, but it took effort. “I’m fine, baby.”
“Don’t lie to me.”
He sighed. “They’re gonna take me to the hospital for an EKG.”
“I’m coming with you, and don’t you dare argue.”
Truth be told, it would be nice to have her there with him. “All right, I won’t.” He refocused his attention on Carter and Jake. “Put this out of your mind.” He wheezed again and then focused on taking a breath in and out before saying, “Just go out there and play the game. There’s nothing you can do anyway.”
“We’ll try,” Carter promised.
Jake nodded. “We’ll win it for you, Luc.”
“Good. Can one of you guys help me get my gear off? When does the next period start?”
Carter grimaced. “Probably soon.”
“I’ll help you,” Eva replied. “It’s not like I haven’t seen the goods.”
His heart fluttered and then raced again and he smothered a gasp. “Don’t handle all my sweaty equipment, baby. They’re used to it.”
For a second he thought Jake was going to make a joke, but then his teammate seemed to think better of it. Then the warning buzzer sounded, and Jake swore under his breath. “We’ve gotta go. If you’re still here after the second we’ll come back and hang out.” Jake gave Eva a quick kiss before touching his forehead to hers. “I’m glad you’re here. Take care of our captain.” He turned and set his hand on Luc’s shoulder. “Just relax and don’t worry about anything on the ice, okay? This is way more important.”
Carter also gave Eva a kiss and then Leo’s linemates, possibly his former linemates, were gone. Was his career done? The thought seized the limited air in his lungs, and he coughed again. “Are you all right? Do you need help?” Eva’s voice trembled, and he hated what this must be doing to her.
“I’m okay.” He looked up at her face, glowing with…love?…and resolved to live for her. No matter what it took, he’d survive so he could be with her. “I love you.”
“What?”
He’d surprised even himself with his declaration, but knew in his gut it was true. Everything seemed to settle around him in that moment. “You heard me.”
“You’re just upset.”
Luc took as deep a breath as he could. It was important she understood what he was saying. “I’m thinking clearly for maybe the first time in my life.”
Eva stared down at him with tear-filled eyes. “I love you, too. Tonight at dinner, Louisa and I were talking about whether or not it was possible for me to love three men at once. Guess what? It is. I love all three of you.” She stroked his hair gently. “I’ll be here as long as you need me to.”
“They should be scheduling everything now.”
Her soft smile almost undid him. “That’s not what I meant.”
“You’re a treasure. To all of us.” He started to lift his hand, but she pushed it back down to his side.
“Shhhh. Rest.”
“Where’s Louisa?”
“Still at the seats. I told her to hang there since I wasn’t sure what was going on. Actually, I should call her.” She ran her hand down the side of his stubbled cheek and said, “Rest, Luc. I’m gonna get a hold of Louisa and let her know what’s going on.”
As Eva moved away to make her phone call, the sense of calm only increased, and he wondered if it was because he was dying or because he’d finally said “I love you” to a woman. In all his years on the planet, he never had, though many had wanted to hear it. He closed his eyes, concentrating on his breathing and, a moment later, on the weight of Eva’s hand over his on the table.
The trainer came back into the room, clearing his throat. Eva didn’t even budge. “As per protocol, we’re sending you to the hospital in an ambulance. It’ll be here within ten minutes. Your, um, lady friend is welcome to ride with you.”
Eva’s chin rose. “I’m not leaving his side, just so you know. Not even when we get to the hospital.” Luc was so proud of her and the strength of character she was displaying. If possible, he loved her even a little more. Mushy, but true.
“Understood.” The man began to unlace Luc’s skates and he just lay there passive for the most part while Eva and the trainer removed his equipment, leaving him in his Lycra pants and a team T-shirt. Soon he was being put on a stretcher and secured before being wheeled out the service entrance and directly into the ambulance. The trainer gave him a nod. “I’ll be right behind you in my car.”
Luc nodded. He was glad someone had realized the seriousness of the situation and made him face it, too. “You’re a good man. Thanks,” he told the trainer, and then the doors closed and Eva settled down on the other side of the paramedic, who began the routine of checking him over. After starting an IV line and giving him some aspirin to swallow, he put an oxygen mask over his face and nose.
“I’m going to start two drips in addition to the saline. One is nitroglycerin and the other is morphine. I want you to get my attention if anything changes or feels wrong.” The paramedic went about his business, and Luc focused on Eva. Love shone in her eyes, and he had no idea how a guy like him had gotten so lucky. And sharing her with his two best friends just made it sweeter. Some may say that was a messed up way to look at it, but for him it seemed like the most natural thing in the world.
The paramedic took a blood sample and hooked him up to a heart rhythm monitor, all the while explaining what he was doing. “We don’t have an EKG machine here in the rig, so they’ll do that as soon as we get to Buffalo General. I’m going to take your blood pressure, and if it’s high I’ll add another drip to your IV.”
His blood pressure, thankfully, was normal.
At least one thing about my freaking body is normal.
They arrived at the hospital and he was whisked inside. Leo saw what looked like news trucks outside and groaned. How did they even know already? He didn’t want this to become some huge story, but understood why it was. A triage nurse came right over and, as the EKG was hooked up, asked him a battery of questions about when he’d felt the pounding and the fluttering, whether or not he was in pain, and what exactly the different sensations felt like.
When he admitted his heart had raced on a couple of other occasions, the triage nurse frowned and Eva gasped. “You didn’t say anything? You promised me you would!”
“I’m sorry, baby. I didn’t wanna worry anyone. I figured it was a fluke.”
“Chest pains and abnormal heart rhythms are nothing to ignore, Mr. Fletcher,” the triage nurse answered. “The doctor will be in after a little while to read the EKG. Just rest and be quiet.” With that, she disappeared out the curtain and Eva turned to him.
“I’m not gonna yell at you right now, but when you get better you’re in for it.”
He smiled. “I can’t wait.”
“Now, the nurse told you to be quiet and rest, so that’s what you’re going to do. Close your eyes, Luc. I’ll be here.”
Obediently Luc closed his eyes and tried his best not to freak out about what was happening. Amazingly, he must’ve dozed off, because what seemed like a few seconds later a doctor arrived to look at the EKG. The man’s eyebrows pulled down. “Mr. Fletcher, I’m seeing some abnormalities. We’ll
wait for the blood work to come back before making any decisions, but at least for right now, you’re not going anywhere.”
He left and Luc turned to Eva. Swallowing around the lump in his throat, he croaked out, “This is really freaking me the hell out now. I don’t wanna die, baby.”
He saw a flash of what could only be called absolute determination in her eyes. “You are not going to die.”
“I hope not. I’ve got someone pretty important to live for.” He ran his thumb over the back of her hand and then lifted it to his lips. “I love you. I can’t believe how easy that is to say.”
She smiled and his chest constricted again, but this time he was sure it had nothing to do with his malady. “I love you, too, Luc.”
“Hey, can you find out the score of the game?”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“Why?”
“Because if they’re losing you’ll get all riled up.”
“Babe, at this point the game is secondary. I know I need to try to keep calm. But I’m the captain. I need to know what’s going on.”
Eva stared at him for a minute and then nodded. “I’ll check on my phone. I just downloaded this new app today from the NHL so I could follow your games when I’m not there. It’s really cool.”
Luc couldn’t stop the little smile at the thought of her sitting with her friends having drinks or at a play and then pulling out her phone to check the score of their game. Then he wondered how many of her friends and family she’d tell about their relationship. He didn’t want to hide it, but certainly wouldn’t flaunt it either. Her friend Louisa obviously knew, but what about everyone else? What about her family? How many friends and family did she even have? He was chastened that he didn’t know the answers to those questions, but at the moment they were questions for another day. Right now he had to concentrate on just living through the night.
Carr, Cassandra - Cold as Ice [Buffalo Intimidators 2] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) Page 13