Page 104 of The Closed Off Captain

Amber shoots me a grateful smile. “Thank you. I would do it, but I have to get Riley to my mom if I’m going to be of any help.”

I wave off her thanks. “Let’s get you to the car, Brielle. You can send me a list on the way. I just need your keys.”

A few minutes later, Amber and I wave off Brielle and Stephanie.

“She’s not going to have that long, is she?” I ask Amber as they drive out of sight.

“Nope. My contractions took hours to get to where hers are.” She turns to me. “I’ve got to get Riley to my mom. It’s going to take a while.”

“No worries. I’m heading to their house to grab what they need and then to the hospital. You get Riley taken care of.” Before I can go back inside, Amber surprises me by reaching out and pulling me in for a quick hug.

“I misjudged you, Chloe. I’m sorry for that. Thank you.” Without another word, she rushes to her car and buckles up Riley. With a wave, she leaves as well. I rush back inside and dress in my clothes from yesterday, refusing to think about the events that took place the last time I wore these clothes. I rush out the door a few minutes later. I keep the radio on as I drive, so I can listen to the game. It’s a close one. The first period ends with neither team scoring, and the second period is off to a brutal start. I head inside Brielle’s and Aiden’s house and start grabbing the things Bri texted me. It takes me longer than I would have liked. It took me far too long to find the things she needed packed that weren’t packed yet. Things like cosmetics and personal items. Kudos to her, it wasn’t a lot. Most everything was already packed, but there’s always a few things at the end to add. She also had me grab some stuff for Aiden. By the time I get everything loaded up and get back on the road, they're getting ready to start the third period. I call Stephanie as I pull out. She answers on the second ring.

“Hey, Chloe.”

Her voice tips me off immediately. “Are things progressing?”

“Yes. She’s in denial, but she’s in full-on labor. She needs Aiden.”

“Okay.” I turn in the direction that will take me to the arena. “I’m heading there now. I can get down to the ice to get him.”

“Oh,” she breathes out a sigh of relief. “Thank you so much! I called Seb, but of course, he’s not going to see it during a game.”

“Yeah. I’ll get him. Tell Bri to hang in there.”

“Thank you, Chloe. Maybe hurry.”

Not that I needed her to say that, but I push on the gas a little more. I’ve got to get to the game and tell Aiden to get his backside to the hospital. By the time I make it inside the building, it’s nearing the end of the third period. I can feel the energy in the stadium. It’s a tie game, and we really need this one. I make my way through the building and all the way down to the ice. I let my eyes take in the game for just a moment. My eyes settle on Gunner first. He's had a great game—a goal and an assist. He scored in the second period. I watch as he and Aiden battle it out of the boards behind their net. They clear it, and Aiden shoots it to Sebastian who has a look at the goal. Their goalie saves it and sends it down the ice. Dylan is waiting and almost gets it, but they get around him. They shoot, but it’s a save from Rico. He gets it back out and to mid-ice where Aiden’s waiting. I glance at the clock. There are less than five minutes left in the game. I wrestle with indecision. I pull out my phone and text Stephanie.

Chloe-I'm here. There’s five minutes left. Do I wait?

Thankfully, she texts back immediately.

Stephanie-Bri says wait.She sends a nervous emoji.She sorta shouted it.

Chloe-how far apart are her contractions?

Stephanie-she doesn’t want me to tell you but less than a minute

“Oh good grief!” I shout to myself. I march down to the ice. Aiden is not going to miss the birth of his baby if I have anything to say about it. I walk right to the glass and knock on it, more like pound on it. Scott notices me, and I point to Coach Seers. Coach Seers turns towards me and scowls. He looks like he wants to murder me, but I remember that I’m doing this for Aiden andBrielle. I motion him to me, and he ignores me a moment, shouting at his guys.

“What?”

“I need Aiden now. Brielle’s going to deliver any minute.”

He shows no surprise; the man’s a rock. I wait with bated breath before he finally nods. Seconds later, Travis is in, and Aiden enters the box. Coach waves him to me, and Aiden turns to me. I can see the confusion in his eyes as I wave him to me. He stalks over to me, glancing over his shoulder at the game. “Brielle is in labor!” I shout through the glass. I know he can’t hear me, but he’ll be able to read my lips. I know the second it hits him. He whips his helmet off and throws it to the side along with his stick and leaves the box. I can barely keep up with him, even though he’s in his skates. He strides toward the locker room. As soon as the noise fades, he asks, “How far along is she?”

“Her contractions are less than a minute apart.”

He curses and speeds up. “I just have to grab my shoes.” He throws open the locker room.

Seconds later, he runs back through the door. “Just come with me,” I tell him. “All your stuff is in my car.”

“Where are you parked?” I point the way and toss him my keys, and then we’re running through the parking lot. Well, he runs; I sort of jog in my heels. He gets to the car first and fiddles with the seat, so he can actually fit behind the wheel. I don’t even have my seatbelt on when he peels out of the parking lot. He doesn’t ask anything; in fact, he doesn’t say a word. But I fill him in anyway. “Stephanie is with her at the hospital. Everything Brielle said you needed is in my backseat and trunk. Amber was trying to get Riley to her mom and then going to come. Her water broke at Gunner’s house. Stephanie called right before I got you and said her contractions were less than a minute apart.”He pushes the gas, and we go even faster. I hang on to the door handle and pray we don’t die before we get there.

Chapter 46

Chloe

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