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“Absolutely not.” Her voice is strong, resilient, and allows no room for argument. Gone are the tears, the fear, and I hear a woman who is going to be pissed if I walk into that hospital. “I’m doing what you asked and I’m sharing with you what’s going on. I can only do that if I have assurances you’re not going to screw up your job. You have people counting on you. Hell, you have an entire city counting on you. You’re going out on that ice and you will play your ass off because there is nothing you can do for Aiden.”
“It’s not Aiden… it’s you. I can be there for you.”
“I’m strong. I’ve got this until you get back. I will keep you updated and share whatever information you want, but only if you promise to put your worries aside and do your best for the Titans.”
I have had many feelings for Lilly over the last several weeks, dozens and dozens of emotions ranging from the sweetest to the filthiest. But what I feel for her now is indescribable. It’s like pride but so much more. Respect, admiration… unparalleled awe. She had some weak moments on the phone, showing me her vulnerability. And I know how hard that was for her to open herself up. But Lilly is doing what Lilly has always done best. She’s taking care of shit that also includes keeping me on task. And fuck me, but the love I had suspected was blooming inside goes haywire and I tumble hard for this woman. Irrevocably deep. I want to tell her right now.
I’m crazy in love with her.
Again, bad timing. In the grand scheme of things, I’m not sure she would process it. All I know is that I’m going to spend the rest of my life with this woman, even if she doesn’t know that just yet.
“Okay, baby. I’m going to do exactly what you told me to do. I’m going to kick some ass. You’re going to watch over Aiden and you’re going to keep me in the loop. Still a team, right?”
“Always a team,” she says. And that is enough for now. “Talk later?”
“I’ll call tonight at nine. Is that good?”
“That works,” she replies softly.
“I miss you.”
“I miss you too.”
When the call is disconnected, I tap my phone against my chin as my mind races with questions about fungal pneumonia. I know I have questions that Lilly may or may not have the answers to, but she doesn’t need me bothering her with that.
My laptop is back in my room. I think I’ll go there and do some research. That way I’ll have solid questions to ask tonight. She’ll probably have more information by then.
I head down the hall, back toward the elevators and nearly run into Bain as I round the corner.
“Whoa there, dude,” he teases as I scramble to sidestep him. “Watch where you’re going.”
“Sorry, man.”
“Did you eat already?” Bain asks with a frown because the dining room only opened about ten minutes ago.
“No. I’ve got some things I’ve got to take care of. I’ll catch you later.”
I walk again but he grabs my arm, stopping me. “Oh no you don’t. I recognize that frown and angsty voice. That was me just a few months ago. What’s going on and is it Aiden, Lilly or both?”
“Aiden,” I reply, not even considering a lie. I don’t hide stuff from my teammates and they all know what’s going on. “He has fungal pneumonia.”
“What the hell is that?” he asks, his face scrunched up.
“No clue. Never heard of it before. I’m guessing it’s pneumonia caused by a fungus. I was going to do some research on it so when I talk to Lilly later, I’ll have better questions.”
“Yeah,” he drawls with a shake of his head. “That’s not going to happen. You’ve got to eat.”
“I don’t have time—”
“Get your head out of your ass,” Bain growls, giving me a push toward the dining room. “You have to eat and eat well. You can research on your phone if you want. Better yet, we’ll call Kiera and you can ask her questions.”
I jolt as I realize that’s even better than Google since Kiera’s nursing expertise is in oncology. It’s a kind of “duh” moment.
I capitulate, even though I can’t say I’m overly hungry. The black cloud hanging over me due to this news has stolen my appetite, but I did promise Lilly that I’d kick ass on the ice. Treating my body right is key to that, so I will load up on lots of good protein and veggies today. Tomorrow I’ll load carbs.
By the time I’m at the table, Bain is calling Kiera. When he connects with her, he explains what’s going on. We chose to sit with Camden and Hendrix who listen in quietly as they hear the news of Aiden’s complication. When Bain hands me the phone, they watch with worried expressions.
For the next half hour, I get my fill of medical information. Kiera’s knowledge is a bit limited since she didn’t work in a hospital setting but she promised to do some research for me and talk to one of the doctors she works with to ask for guidance. She’ll help me curate a list of questions for Lilly to ask, which will hopefully take some of the burden off her over worrying about whether she has the complete picture.
