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“I’m not sure. I mean, you’re not together anymore. So technically, he’s not your responsibility. And the news could be blowing it out of proportion. He could’ve just passed out from being dehydrated or who knows—hurt his ankle, and that caused him to fall and hit his head.”
“Yeah, I guess…” My chest felt tight, like it was hard to breathe. “Maybe I should at least call him.”
“It’s 3AM in California.”
“Shoot.” I sighed. “That’s right. Well, my meeting is at eight, so maybe I’ll just go to that, and then by the time I’m done, it will probably be ten, which is seven there, and I’ll call and see what’s going on.”
“Okay.”
“Can I see your phone again? I want to watch the video once more.”
This time, I zoomed in on Max lying on the ice and ignored the reporter talking. He wasn’t moving. He just laid there, completely still, while people worked on him. It left me with an even worse feeling than before. We might not be a couple anymore, but I’d never forgive myself if something happened. It was my fault he was even out in California this early.
• • •
“Damn it.” I grumbled to myself as I climbed the stairs from the subway.
Max wasn’t answering his phone. I’d called him the minute I walked out of my meeting, which was twenty minutes ago. Both times it rang and rang, only to eventually go to voicemail. I hadn’t left a message the first time, but now I thought I should.
“Hi, Max. It’s Georgia. I saw on the news this morning that you passed out on the ice or something. They said you were in serious but stable condition. I just want to check in on you. Would you please give me a call back or shoot me a text when you can?” I paused. “I hope you’re okay.”
It was a two-block walk to my office. I’d had a knot in my stomach since early this morning, and Max not answering only made it worse. I navigated the busy sidewalk in a daze, not remembering the walk from the subway when I arrived. The thirty-second elevator ride clenched my stomach with anxiety. There was no service in here, and I didn’t want to miss Max if he called back. As soon as the doors opened, I rushed out and frantically checked my phone—which was exactly where my nose was still buried when I passed through reception without looking up.
“Georgia?”
The voice was familiar, but I couldn’t place it until I turned around. “Tate?”
At first, I was relieved to see Max’s brother. He’d be able to give me information about what happened and how Max was. But that relief faded when I realized what Tate looked like. His usual neatly groomed hair stuck up all over the place, the sides puffing out in a way that made me think he’d spent hours pulling it, yanking on the strands. Dark circles lined his eyes, and his tanned skin was now a gray, sallow color. I felt sick.
“Can we talk?”
“Is he okay? Is Max okay?”
Tate frowned. He glanced over at the receptionist, who was staring at us. “Do you have an office or somewhere we can speak in private?”
My response was delayed, but eventually I nodded. It took every ounce of focus I had to put one foot in front of the other and lead him to my office. Once we were inside, he shut the door behind us, and I immediately turned around.
“Is Max okay?”
“Can we sit, please?”
I shook my head. “You’re freaking me out, Tate. Is Max okay?”
He blew out a jagged breath and shook his head. “He’s in surgery right now. But things don’t look so great.”
The room started to spin and I thought I might pass out. Tate had been right. I needed to sit. With my hand clutching my stomach, I grabbed one of the guest chairs in front of my desk. “What happened?”
“He had an aneurysm. It ruptured.”
I covered my mouth. “Oh my God. An aneurysm like Austin. And your dad.”
Tate nodded and took the seat across from me. “Yeah. Aneurysms can run in families. After we found out Austin had an abdominal aortic aneurysm, our doctor suggested we all get scans. Max was the only other one of us who had one.”
“When you found out Austin had one, you all got scans? So Max has known about his for ten years?”
Tate nodded.
“His is in his brain. It’s in an area that controls motor skills, so if he removed it, there was a chance he could suffer some damage…and not play hockey again.” Tate shook his head. “The screwed-up thing is, he’d avoided going to a doctor or getting a scan for the last decade. Then a month ago, he finally decided to go for a new scan. Last week he set an appointment to have the surgery. He was going to have it removed on Tuesday. But it ruptured while he was playing last night. He’d been getting headaches the last few days, but he chalked them up to stressing over the surgery. Turns out, it was leaking, and the headaches were warnings.”
