Page 54 of Drop Pass

I lost my excuse to be around the team. I couldn’t take off to watch their practices like I had been for the past few weeks. Maybe it was for the best, it was hard for me to remain unbiased around them. I was too close to them.

Plus, I didn’t need an excuse to see Nikolay now. We’d crossed some invisible line and things between us were different. He no longer avoided me. He called and texted me every day, especially while he’s been out of town. I wasn’t complaining. I felt more for him than I’d like to admit.

Plus, his kisses were pretty amazing.

Now that he let me into his world I couldn’t imagine going back to the cool distance from before. It broke my heart that it took a crisis to bring us together, but Yula’s sickness made him realize he needed help. It opened him up to the possibility that he wasn’t stronger on his own.

My heart tightened at the thought of Yula. I finally met her over a video chat a few nights ago when I was checking in with Tiana. She was beautiful, like her siblings, but so frail. She looked sicker than I expected, like maybe she’d been facing this longer than Nikolay knew. I wanted to fly there and question her doctors that didn’t see just how ill she was. How they let her leave the hospital weeks prior was beyond me.

“You’re on in five.” Jas announced, bringing me back to the task at hand.

“Thanks,” I replied. I read over the report and frowned. There was a major winter storm coming in. The guys were supposed to be flying home today. I wasn’t sure what time they were set to get in, but if it wasn’t soon, I doubted the airport would still be open.

There were warnings I was going to have to share, and one of them was the chance of canceled flights. As much as I wanted Nikolay and the team home where they belonged, I wanted them safe.

Now wasn’t the time to worry. I pushed away the thoughts and stood to get in position for my segment. I pulled my earpiece in and checked the monitors for the correct graphics. The cameraman turned to me and gave a thumbs up. I nodded and waited for the countdown.

I ran through the report and warnings before going over the seven-day forecast. We were set for a white Christmas and I tried to sound excited, despite my nerves. What if the team didn’t get back in time? That would break a lot of hearts.

My training kicked in and I ended with a bright smile before sending it back to the anchors.

The second the red light went out I sighed and went back to my desk. Jas was ready with the radio cuts and I went through them only paying half attention. I wanted to get to my phone and check in with Chloe and Nikolay, not to mention the dozens of people I’d reached out to about Yula.

If only I could call in sick today and go home to worry. Not that it would do anyone any good.

Jas stood. “I’m going to grab a coffee. Do you guys want anything?”

I shook my head while Wesley asked for a black coffee. As she walked off, I took the chance to check my phone.

There was only one missed text from Nikolay letting me know they were taking off. I checked the time and smiled. They should only be an hour from landing now. They would make it before the storm hit.

I sent a message to Chloe asking if she’d heard anything that would say otherwise and returned my phone to my desk. Now that I got that out of my system, I was able to relax and focus.

* * *

Chloe was waiting in her car outside the office when I stepped outside. “There you are”

I laughed and hurried over to the rolled down window. “What are you doing here?”

“Get in.” I followed her order and buckled myself in. “We’re going to the airport.”

“Why?” The team had a bus that drove them the twenty minutes from the airport to the arena.

“Because it’s been a long week and I miss my husband. I figured you might be missing a certain Russian too.”

I smiled to myself. “Yeah I guess you could say that.”

She chuckled and left the parking lot. “Have you heard anything?”

“No, I was hoping Nikolay had.”

She nodded, keeping her eyes on the road as we merged onto the freeway. “I’ve checked in with a few of my contacts. The hospital is ready for her, so at least we don’t have to worry about that piece of the puzzle.”

“Do they still think chemo is the best treatment plan?”

“Yeah, unfortunately.”

As grateful as I was that we found doctors that are confident they can treat Yula, I hated the thought of that beautiful girl getting sicker. It was the best plan to destroy the cancer and get her into remission, but I knew the effects it could have on a person. We would have to be strong for her, and her family. I couldn’t let my own fear keep me from being there for Nikolay and Yula. I didn’t get to be the one that needed someone to lean on.