Page 129 of Player Misconduct
"You don't owe him a single thing," Vivi says, setting the knife down with more force than necessary. She braces her hands on the counter, leaning forward, her eyes locked on mine. "What about Aleksi?"
The question hangs in the air, heavy and unavoidable.
I close my eyes, pressing my lips together, willing myself not to cry. Not here. Not in front of them.
The truth is, he’s the only one I want to hear from… the only one I want to talk to about all of this. But no matter how manytimes I play out my upcoming audit with the medical board, I only see one option that might save Aleksi. It’s not even a good option but it’s that or nothing.
I can’t let him lose the NHL… the Stanley Cup– everything that he and his father worked for.
"I'm protecting him," I say finally, my voice barely above a whisper.
Silence.
It's the kind of silence that feels like a room holding their tongue like they all want to say something but know I won’t receive it well.
Peyton's the first to break it. "What’s the worst case scenario… really?"
I shape my head and stare back down at my cup. "Worst case is I lose my license… which is a given, the NHL comes down hard on the Hawkeyes, sanctioning the team, forcing them to trade Aleksi to God-only-knows-where but likely no where my son will get to see his dad regularly, and team sanctions that could hurt or make them ineligible for the draft and the playoffs."
"That’s not good," Isla says, filling the last piping bag with a neon green color .t "And you think somehow not talking to Aleksi is going to protect him? How?"
"I already talked to the insurance lawyer. If they have a case they’ll want to move forward with taking away my license, then I have the option to contest it. It’s an expensive process which takes resources from the medical board , the hospital, and my insurance company. I’m willing to not contest if they leave Aleksi and the Hawkeyes out of it and don’t get the NHL involved," I say, pulling my hand away. "My lawyer isn’t sure it will work, but I have to try."
Vivi straightens, her expression shifting from anger to something softer, more dangerous—pity. "Kendall—"
"I have a hearing next week," I cut in. "The medical board. They emailed me three days ago. My lawyer says the allegations have merit. This is my only option to try to save Aleksi’s season and everything he’s worked for."
The room goes still.
"What allegations?" Cammy asks carefully.
I force myself to say it out loud, to give voice to the thing that's been eating me alive since the email arrived. "They're saying the relationship affects my professional judgment. That the hallway fight was proof. That I can't be trusted to make impartial decisions when it comes to Aleksi."
"That's insane," Peyton says, her voice rising. "The tunnel fight happened because your drunk ex grabbed you. Aleksi was protecting you."
"While injuring his hand and breaking Tarron’s nose. I took an oath as a doctor to do no harm… this is considered harm," I say, my voice breaking on the words. "Because now they can say I was involved with a player under my care. That my emotions compromised my ability to do my job. That I put the team at risk."
"That's not fair," Isla says quietly.
"Fair doesn't matter," I say, my throat tight. "Not to the board. Not to the league. They're going to drag Aleksi into this. If I fight it, it'll go public. The NHL will have to get involved. I can't let that happen. I have to go quietly. It’s the only bargaining chip I have."
"And you're not telling Aleksi this because?..." Peyton asks.
"Because he’ll never let you do it. He’ll try to step in and protect you,” Vivi says, as if she knows exactly how that goes… and she does. Trey showed that time and time again for her. JP gave up his career for Cammy, and Hunter turned down moving to New Jersey to be with Peyton.
They all know that you can’t convince these boys to do what is best for their careers. Every time they pick the woman they love. And Aleksi would pick me and Niko over everything.
Vivi's the one who finally speaks, her voice soft, sad. "You're not living in the house, are you?"
I shake my head, my hand still pressed to my belly like it's the only thing anchoring me. "I can't."
"Why?" Isla asks, her voice thick with emotion.
"Because it feels wrong now," I say, the words tumbling out before I can stop them. "He bought it forus, not for me to sit in alone. He should live there. The baby will still have it—it's in the trust. But me? I don't belong in that house."
"You do," Vivi says fiercely, her eyes shining. "He wanted you there. Heneeds you there."
I smile, but it's the saddest thing I've felt in weeks. "He wanted a family there. And I was starting to see it, too. Him, the baby… all of it coming together."
