Chapter Eight

Pierre enlisted the help of the entire Cattaneo family to help him police the hospital. In fact, even the local police got involved. Swarms of paparazzi stayed camped outside the hospital. Some had gotten rather bold. No one had been as obnoxious as Lennox’s parents. Lennox had been right to fear what they might do. Pierre never actually set eyes on them. Hospital staff had informed them they were not included on the list of allowed visitors. They had threatened legal means to get access. After learning Lennox’s husband was in charge, according to Travis, the blowback had been massive. The word liar had been tossed about quite a bit. Mr. Cattaneo had stepped in at that point. From what Pierre understood, it had been terrifying to behold. After that, they had tucked and run.

Watching Lennox sleep was gut-wrenching. The tumor had been removed without issue. Unfortunately, they quickly discovered he would also need radiation and possible chemo. He knew Lennox would be devastated. This ended the season for him. If everything panned out, he would be back on the ice next year. But with his contract up with the Tornadoes, Pierre wasn’t sure what being out now meant for his future. Maybe the Tornadoes would rescind their offer. Possibly Lennox would have to go elsewhere if he wanted to continue playing. Pierre felt like life was very much up in the air.

He stared at the rings of gold Tavey had somehow gotten at the last second. He wore his on his left ring finger while he kept Lennox’s ring on his thumb until he could wear it. Everything felt very surreal. They were married. It didn’t feel like it. The entire past twenty-four hours were like something out of a dream. A nightmare with odd sprinkles of happiness in between. He loved Lennox so goddamn much. Pierre prayed Lennox wouldn’t wake up with a clear mind and realize he had made a huge mistake. He was in the position to easily undo this marriage, but Pierre didn’t want that. As crazy as their vows had happened, Pierre wanted this. He wanted Lennox.

The door opened. Rocky poked his head inside the room. Pierre smiled and waved him inside. Despite being in L.A. at the time, Rocky had dropped everything and hopped a flight. It had been strangely comforting having him around.

“Has he been awake yet?”

Pierre shook his head at the whispered question.

Rocky pulled a chair close and sat. “So he still doesn’t know.” He looked as depressed as Pierre felt. “On the bright side, I just got off the phone with the owner of the Tornadoes. He says, if Lennox is still interested, his contract for next season is still on the table. Also, Branson has been suspended for the remainder of the year.”

“Who?”

“The guy who clotheslined him.”

“Oh.” Pierre was tired and scared. He couldn’t keep up with himself, much less anyone else. “Good. That’s great about the contract. I was just sitting here worrying about that. We have a hard enough discussion ahead of us without that hanging over his head.”

“What hard conversation?” Lennox sounded groggy and more asleep than awake.

Pierre shot to his feet. “Hey, baby. How are you feeling?”

“Perfect. I can see your sexy face.”

A low chuckle rumbled behind Pierre. “I’ll leave you two alone.” Rocky stood. “Feel better. I’ll come by tomorrow.”

“All right.” Lennox sounded confused. He didn’t speak again until they were alone. “Why is Rocky here? He didn’t need to come all this way for this.”

Pierre rubbed Lennox’s chest and arms. “You’re his friend. Of course he wanted to be here.”

The beautiful blue eyes Pierre loved so fucking hard were focused on him, saving Pierre’s sanity. He wanted to cry and cuddle in Lennox’s arms. Pierre loathed everything about this. “You look tired.”

Pierre smiled. “You can see me. Nothing else matters.”

“It matters to me.”

Pierre couldn’t take it anymore. He swiped a kiss across Lennox’s lips. “Damn. I love you. I’ve never been more scared.”

Lennox whimpered. “I want to go home. This is my wedding night.” A chuckle burst from Pierre. Lennox looked confused for a second. “This is my wedding night, right?”

“You slept through that, but it’s okay. You’ll make it up to me another day.”

Lennox stared at nothing and blinked. “My vision is still kind of wonky. I can’t see the clock.”

“One thing at a time, okay?”

His gaze shifted back to Pierre. “I’m awake. Does that mean the surgery went okay?”

Pierre took a breath.

“That look says a lot.”

Pierre tried for a smile and failed. “They were able to remove the tumor. But it looks like you’ll need some radiation and chemo. Not a lot, thankfully. It’s more of a precaution since the tumor was cancerous. They can’t take the chance of it coming back.”

Lennox didn’t respond. He stared at some point past Pierre’s shoulder.

Pierre panicked a little at the way Lennox shut down. “Rocky has already talked to the team’s owner. He says your contract offer stands, so you don’t have to worry about that.”

Lennox still didn’t say anything.

Pierre held his breath until he thought his lungs would pop. The lack of reaction was scarier than Lennox coming unglued. He didn’t last. “Your silence scares me.”

Lennox’s gaze returned to Pierre’s face. “I was just thinking, which is a bitch with the anesthesia still clouding my brain. Where will we live? My place or yours? I understand your place is more convenient for your job, but my place has more privacy.”

A smile exploded across Pierre’s face. He should have known Lennox wouldn’t let this beat him. “We’ll figure it out. For now, sleep.”

“Will you sleep?”

“If you’d like.”

Lennox didn’t react. Neither did Pierre. Finally, Lennox huffed. “Well, kiss me goodnight, then prove to me you really intend to sleep.”

Pierre shook his head and then stole a kiss. When he leaned away, Lennox looked like he was going downhill fast. Pierre quickly pulled the chair out into an uncomfortable, stiff bed before gathering the blankets a nurse had brought him. He put a sheet on the chair and fluffed the pillow.

“Move it closer.”

Pierre did as Lennox asked and then turned out the lights. It was still too bright in the room, but Pierre was half dead. He crawled onto the chair, pulled up the covers, and died.

Lennox watched Pierre sleep. He kept dozing before his eyes shot open again. It was a loop he couldn’t break. He was tired, but he couldn’t rest. His mind wouldn’t stop churning. When he had lost his vision, that had been the most terrified Lennox had ever been in his life. He wasn’t a bitch. Lennox could take a hit. That shit had been different. That shit had threatened his entire future. It fucking enraged him that his life had been threatened like that over a goddamn game. He wanted out of this bed so he could kill someone. But apparently, that hit had saved his life, so Lennox didn’t know how to feel. He couldn’t think about the chemo bullshit. Lennox would just have to face that head-on, the way he did everything. Tonight, though, he couldn’t contemplate what his future might look like. Pierre had married him. That was his future.

Pierre shifted in his sleep. Lennox watched him, hoping he actually slept. He needed it. The guy had really married him. Each time he thought about it, he was blown away all over again. While he knew Pierre loved him, fuck. That was deep. Pierre hadn’t even hesitated. No one had ever loved him like this. Lennox was beyond moved. He loved Pierre with a depth he hadn’t known possible. No matter what, he would give Pierre a good life. Whatever it took. He would make sure Pierre always understood how important he was and cherished he was. Still, he wished Pierre hadn’t been cheated out of a beautiful proposal and wedding. It wasn’t fair for Pierre to always be the one who sacrificed for them. It was bad enough Lennox was always gone.

A nurse crashed her way inside his room, dragging a rolling blood pressure machine behind her. He bit back a growl at the noise she made. Luckily, Pierre didn’t budge. Lennox’s gaze moved between her and Pierre, watching for any sign they disturbed him.

He pressed his finger to his lips and motioned Pierre’s way.

She smiled. “I’m sure he’s exhausted. He hasn’t left your side.”

Even though she whispered, Lennox winced. No one in the hospital gave a shit about sleep. He let her take whatever numbers she needed and didn’t even ask what medicines she pumped into his IV. Lennox didn’t want to talk. It wasn’t personal. His head hurt and his heart was heavy. He couldn’t pretend that losing the rest of the season didn’t hurt. Not to mention the whole cancerous tumor thing. Lennox just wanted to watch Pierre sleep, finding comfort where he could.

“I’ll be back in two hours. If you need anything before then, just hit the button.”

Lennox flashed her a grateful smile. He felt exactly like he had just been drugged. His eyes were getting heavy again. He swore he only blinked, but when he opened his eyes again, Pierre was gone. It was daytime, and a man who looked vaguely familiar sat by his bed. In his half out of it state, he couldn’t place him.

“You look confused. I’m Pierre’s boss… and friend, Len.”

Holy shit. It was the Cattaneo. If Lennox hadn’t already been fighting for his life, he might have been scared. “My mom called me Len when I was a kid. That’s why I go by Lennox. No offense. I realize how that sounded.”

Len chuckled. He looked strangely young for a man with three grown kids and a gaggle of grandchildren. “No offense taken. I met your mom earlier. If I had a mom like her, I might go by Lennox too, and my name isn’t even short for anything.”

“My mom was here?”

Len made a humming sound. “Briefly. I sent her away.”

“Thank you.” Lennox tried sitting up.

Len shot to his feet. “Here.” He pushed the button on the bed, lifting Lennox’s head. “Do you need some water?”

“Please?”

Len helped him take a drink. It was odd how caring he was. “Pierre ran home to grab a shower and pick up some things for you both.”

Lennox’s head cleared a little more by the second as he drank. “Thank you.”

Len set the cup aside and reclaimed his seat. “Do you need anything else?”

For a moment, Lennox simply breathed, trying to get his bearings. “No. Thank you. I’m okay.” He felt out of sorts.

“Pierre is family to us. That means you’re family now too. Family takes care of family.”

Lennox nodded.

Len kept going. “You know, a very similar thing happened to me years ago. I was shot.” He turned his head and showed a white scar across the side of his head. “The bullet only zinged me, really. Freak thing, you know?”

Despite everything, Lennox smiled for real. “Of course.”

Len’s smile matched his. “Anyhow, they did these scans just to be sure my brains weren’t scrambled. They found the tiniest of tumors. My poor angel was scared out of her mind. I was too, but I didn’t let her see it. Of course, I survived, and you will too. Sometimes, the most unfortunate things happen for a reason. You weren’t meant to go this way. You won’t.”

He was weirdly moved. Before he could thank Len again, Pierre came through the door, carrying an overnight bag. He looked exactly the way he did on their days off together when they lounged around the house. His hair wasn’t styled, and his clothes were meant for comfort. Lennox’s heart skipped a beat. He was the sexiest sight.

Pierre smiled at seeing him awake. “Hey. You’re awake. How are you feeling?”

Lennox assessed himself so he could answer honestly. “Hungry.”

Pierre laughed and stole a quick kiss. “I’ll bet. You’ve been more or less asleep for two days.” His gaze swung Len’s way. “Thank you so much for sitting with him.”

Len stood. “It was no problem at all. I needed to get to know my new son-in-law, after all.” He kissed Pierre’s cheek.

Pierre looked moved.

Lennox realized they were every bit as close as Len claimed. Pierre wasn’t an employee to him.

Len started to head for the door. He paused. “By the way, I thought you’d be interested to know. The man responsible for all this was found beaten outside a bar downtown. I believe he’s one floor down.” He held his hands up. “It wasn’t us. We’ve been here, taking turns ensuring your parents steer clear. I think he simply stayed too long in an angry town. He hurt their hero.”

Lennox didn’t know what to say.

Thankfully, Pierre was there. “Well, I guess he should’ve moved along. Sometimes bad things happen in bars at night.”

Len’s mouth lifted in one corner. “Indeed. Get to feeling better. My wife expects to see you two at dinner sometime soon.”

Lennox nodded. “Anytime. Thank you.”

With a dip of his chin, Len left him alone with Pierre.

Pierre dug through the overnight bag. “As it happens, I knew you’d be hungry.” He pulled out a pair of pulled beef sandwiches from Lennox’s favorite restaurant.

A smile exploded across Lennox’s face. He truly loved this man. Pierre always came through.