Page 8 of Heart of Ice

“No wonder you were able to take all those hits and still keep going.”

“He’s always been able to take a hit, right, Max?” Griffin said, breaking us out of the bubble I imagined us in for a moment.

“Well, if it’s you doing the hitting, then no problem,” I said back to him. He shoved me before pulling me in for a side hug.

“Do you think he’ll be able to play, Doc?” Griffin asked and looked at Ruben and me.

“I’ll know more tomorrow. If he keeps it iced tonight it should be okay, but he’ll be stiff,” Ruben said.

“I’ll try to keep it iced all night,” I said, but I knew as soon as I was in bed I’d be passed the fuck out.

“Make sure you do, or you’ll feel it tomorrow.” Dinner arrived and everyone settled into more quiet conversation, although not much quieter. I drank the last of my beer and was offered another and since the first one had helped me forget about the constant ache, I didn’t argue.

The sound of a knife clanking against a glass got everyone’s attention as Coach stood at the end of the table. “Everyone, listen up. Great game tonight, guys. There could have been a few less fights, but overall great job. I want you all to hear it from me that Dexter has decided not to return to play.”

Everyone started talking at once and Griffin leaned over to me. “Did you know this?” he asked, and even though he was my friend I knew it wasn’t my place.

“And Hofstedder will be moving up to second-string. Congratulations, Max.” Everyone either clapped or cheered while some slapped me on the back.

“Where’s Dexter going?” someone at the other end of the table asked.

“He’ll be helping me on the coaching staff,” Coach said with a big grin. All eyes were then on Dexter and the whole team congratulated him.

“This has been an eventful night,” Ruben said.

I thought of how bad my knee hurt and all the other aches and pains I was trying to ignore and took another sip of my beer. “I would have been happy with a few less hits.”

“I bet you would.”

“Dexter, I was hoping you’d be back in tomorrow so Leon could use you as a target and give the rookie a break,” Randall said thankfully taking the attention away from me.

Eight

Ruben

Dinner was done andeveryone started leaving faster than I expected. When Max tried to get up, he was having even more trouble with the crutches than he had when we got here. “Take it slow. We’ve got time,” I said, but I knew there was little chance he’d try to slow down. We walked out the door behind most of the team and I thought Max was probably really feeling his injuries now.

“I can’t wait to get to bed,” Max said and took a seat at a bench outside the restaurant. “Mind if I rest here?”

“Nope, stay put. I’ll bring the car around,” I said and hurried off. It was easy to be around Max and I hated that he’d been injured so badly, but that was part of the game. And it was a big part of his position as goalie, but it was also a very mentally challenging position—he had to be aware at all times of who had the puck and where they were headed with it. I pulled in a deep breath and enjoyed the silence of the car before starting it and driving to where he sat. As soon as I pulled up in front of him, he grinned and tried to navigate the crutches enough to get over to the car. “Let me help.”

“Sorry, I just cannot seem to get the hang of it,” he said and hopped on his other foot while holding the crutches out. He plopped onto the car seat, and I took the crutches from him so he could shut the door. “Are you sure I need to use them? My knee is feeling better.”

“When we get to your place, I’ll unwrap it and see how it looks. If it’s not as swollen, then I’ll change the wrap to make it easier to walk. I mostly wanted you to give it a good rest before tomorrow.”

“That would be great. It would be nice to be able to move once I’m in bed,” he said and rattled off his address. It was nearby and within a few short minutes we were pulling up to his house.

“This is nice,” I said. It was an older area of town with large old-growth trees and rows of houses that had all been built sometime in the forties.

“It’s my parents’. I live in the back in a small granny unit,” he said and opened the car door. I hurried to the trunk and took out the crutches as well as his bag. “I really hate those things.”

“Okay okay, not much longer now,” I said and followed him along the side of the house while he grumbled about not being able to bend his fucking knee. A small house was set at the veryback of the yard and as we got closer a light came on above the door that made it easier to see where we were going.

After once again handing me his crutches, he balanced on his good leg while unlocking and shoving his door open. “Come in, I need to use the bathroom,” he said and hopped and hobbled to the first door off a short hallway.

“Shit,” I said before going back out to my car to get what I’d need to change his wraps. After grabbing the bag of supplies I’d brought out of the trunk, I walked back inside just as he was hopping down the hall. “Have a seat on the couch and I’ll check it out.” He had pants on that he’d somehow managed to fit over the wrapping, but I knew he wouldn’t be able to lift the leg high enough to expose his knee.

He pulled at his pants before giving up and sliding them down his legs. “Sorry but these pants were not going to let me push them up above my knee.”

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