Page 22 of The Nanny Goal

She nods. Then she pushes the microphone button and says something in Russian, which my phone translates on the screen as she talks.

The little one doesn't like watching hockey. It's too noisy, so we explore the building while her dad plays.

“Do you want something to eat?” I gesture to the buffet.

She shakes her head and makes a face, tapping her chest, then my phone.

Heartburn.

Do you need medicine?

I pull the Tums from my pocket and hold it out.

Medicine doesn’t help.

She grimaces and waves her hand. I look at her more closely. Her colour really isn’t great.

Maybe we could get you something stronger?

I glance at Shannon, who senses my attention and lifts her head. “What is it?”

“Mrs. Artyomov doesn’t feel well. She says it’s heartburn, but…”

That gets Harper’s attention. She comes over, too. “What usually helps?”

I type the question into my phone.

The older woman shrugs. Her hand shakes as she reaches for my phone.

I don’t usually have this.

“It’s been a couple years since I did first aid training,” I say softly to Harper. “But isn’t heartburn and sweating two signs of a heart attack in women?”

“Heart attacks aren’t a thing I usually see in my patients,” she says. “But we could go down to the medical room and get checked out. it can’t hurt to have a doctor look at her.”

Doctor is a word the Russian grandma recognizes. Her eyes go wide. “No, I am okay,” she says, laughing. But there’s a wince at the end of it, and reluctantly, she rubs her chest.

Harper immediately pulls out her phone and texts a quick message. “You know Kiley?” She gestures to her best friend. “You’re in luck. Her twin brother is working today. He’s a bone doctor. Also not really a heartburn expert. But he’s…” She glances at her screen. “He’s on his way.”

“Twin brother?” That distracts Maria. “Is he pretty, too?”

Kiley laughs. “Very. Please tell him that.”

Less than a minute later, the suite door opens and someone who really does look like Kiley’s twin brother strides in. Behind him is a woman in a team track suit who introduces them in quick, fluent Russian.

Maria immediately gets flustered, protesting that she’s fine. But as the conversation goes back and forth, they quickly decide not to take her down to be checked out, but rather to call for the paramedics stationed downstairs to come up and just directly transport her to the hospital.

At every NHL game, there’s an ambulance in the Zamboni bay, just in case there is an emergency on or off the ice.

Tonight, it’s happening right in front of me. Someone from team services gets on the radio, and down at rink level, a whistle blows, and the play is stopped.

“Ladies and gentlemen, we ask everyone to remain seated. One of our guests tonight is having a medical event and requires assistance. The game will resume shortly.”

CHAPTER7

ALEXEI

One of the linesmen skates over to me and I flip up my visor. “What’s going on?”

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