An Invitation to Join the Fight （17）

December 12

The Tampa Bay Lightning were currently in Columbus, Ohio for their game tonight, a game in which Ryan should have been playing. The previous night, they'd won against New Jersey 6-3, a game in which Ryan should have played.

Ryan should have been working on his leg strength and speed with his new teammate in the weight room, practicing with the team in Columbus before the game tonight, attending the team dinner, and continuing to forge connections with the guys and establish himself as a part of the Lightning organization.

Instead, he was driving Hayes in the Raptor to UBS Arena for the intervention the Islanders organization was having for him and Travis Kadin under the guise of "an emergency team meeting."

He was exhausted, as he'd spent the past two days toggling between taking care of his injured boyfriend and preparing for the intervention. The first person he called was Hayes's mother, April. She'd thanked Ryan repeatedly for taking care of her boy and for booking and paying for her flight to Long Island so she could be there.

Next was Amara, who'd spent hours researching rehabilitation facilities in the Tampa area that worked with the NHLPA because Ryan wanted him nearby during his recovery. She ultimately set up an appointment with one that was able to admit him tomorrow.

Because that's the kind of stress she needed while being 9 months pregnant and ready to pop out a kid at any moment.

Finally, though reluctantly, he'd gotten in contact with TK's older brother Trevor, who still lived in his hometown of Jacksonville, Florida. He'd informed him of everything that'd happened over the past few months.

"Thanks for calling, man. I had no idea. Trav's always been a bit of a hot mess, especially since all the bullshit with that bitch in Nashville, but…we had no idea it had gotten this bad. He hides it well."

Teek's mother had passed away a few years ago, but his brother and father were flying up to take him back to a rehab facility in the Jacksonville area that was able to admit him immediately following the intervention.

Hayes, doped up on a fresh prescription of oxys from his bruised ribs, slumped over onto the passenger side window, his gray wool hat pulled down over his eyes. "Think they'll suspend me?" he mumbled.

"I don't know," a weary Ryan replied flatly. "You'll have to wait and see."

"You mad at me, Rook?"

Ryan sighed, not answering.

"You haven't even talked to me about it," Hayes continued.

"What's there to talk about? You got in a car accident, you survived with minor injuries, and thankfully, you didn't kill anyone's father. End of story."

"How'd I know you'd make this about you?"

The statement effectively set Ryan off, as he slammed on the brakes, all four tires screeching wildly. He jerked the truck over to the side of the highway, slammed it into park, and unbuckled his seatbelt. He turned to face Hayes in the passenger seat, who was now sitting upright with rapt attention.

"Make this about me? How fucking dare you, Tyler?" Ryan shouted. "It's been nothing but the Tyler fucking Hayes shitshow for over four months now, and I've had to sit back and keep my mouth shut while I watch you and that fucking piece of shit scumbag slowly kill yourselves…"

"He's my friend. Don't talk about him like that…"

"Fuck him!" Ryan interrupted. "I'll talk about him however I goddamn want. I have done nothing but…"

Ryan paused, fighting like hell to suppress his tears of anger before finally giving in and allowing them to slip down his face.

"I've done nothing but sacrifice my own success, trying like hell to keep you outta trouble. I've watched you become someone I don't even recognize anymore. I've watched you flush your rookie season, everything you've ever wanted, right down the shitter. I've missed flights, I've missed practices, and now I'm missing NHL games. I'm supposed to be in the show right now. This is what I've worked toward my entire life, and I'm missing it. My team's in Columbus getting ready for a game, and that's where I should be. But no, I'm here with you."

"So why are you?" Hayes asked coldly.

"Because I fucking love you, Tyler!" Ryan screamed, pounding the steering wheel repeatedly with both hands, startling Hayes. He crossed his arms on top of it and leaned his head against them, sobbing.

Hayes placed a hand gently on his back and Ryan lifted his head, turning to look at him. "I have absolutely no idea what I even believe in. Not a clue if there's a God or any of that shit. But do you know that I pray for you every fucking night before I go to sleep? I get on my knees and pray, Tyler. I pray that I don't get a phone call telling me you're dead. You…you told me you had it under control. You…lied to me."

"I thought I did," he said sadly. "The trade fucked me up, Rook. I know we didn't see each other all that much, but like, just knowing you were there so close was a comfort to me. When you left…"

Ryan scoffed. "So, it's my fault then?"

"Rook, I didn't say that…"

"It's my turn, Hayes. Don't I get to have my shot, too? Or were you hoping I'd rot in the AHL forever just so you could have me around?"

"Of course not! I'm thrilled that you're gettin' your shot. And there's no one who's prouder of you than I am, OK? You know that. You know that, Rook. I just…I have a fuckin' drug problem."

"Well, I'm glad you can at least admit it now." Ryan wiped his eyes with both hands and buckled his seatbelt.

"Rook? I never thanked you for comin'. Thank you, baby. I love you."

Ryan nodded, putting the truck in drive. "We should go."

And they rode the rest of the 15-minute drive to UBS Arena in deafening silence.

???

"Oh, this is fuckin' bullshit!" TK yelled, as he, Ryan, and Hayes entered the Islanders meeting room. They'd met up near the locker room, TK having Ubered to the arena for the meeting, and walked together, with Ryan discreetly texting Hughesy to let him know they were coming.

As soon as TK opened the door and caught sight of his brother and his father, he lost his shit. "Nah. Hell nah. We're not doing this shit..."

"Just please come sit, Trav," Trevor said calmly, approaching him and attempting to put his arm around his brother, who immediately shoved it away.

April made her way over to Hayes. "Mom?" he cried, as she wrapped him in her arms. "What are you…doin' here?"

"I'm here to save your life, baby," she told him tearfully, kissing him on the side of the head as he scanned the room.

Coach Russell, Coach Hastings, Osi, Rizz, Hughesy, Halloway, Nico Marody, who was the Islanders GM, TK's father, and a man that Hayes didn't recognize were all seated around the conference table.

"Please have a seat, gentlemen," Coach Russell said gently, as Trevor tried again to guide his brother toward the table.

"Come on, baby. It's OK," April said, leading Hayes to the table and reaching out to grab Ryan's hand with her free one.

Hayes turned to look at TK, who was still struggling against his brother. "Teek? Hey? It's…time. Come on."

"They're gonna split us up," TK whimpered, staring at Hayes. "Don't let them split us up. I can't be away from you, baby."

Ryan rolled his eyes.

He's not your fucking baby.

"Sit down, Travis," Marody ordered sternly. "You're out of options. This is your only chance to save what's left of your career. I highly suggest you take this seriously."

Trevor led his brother to the seat next to his father and he immediately slumped forward onto the table, sobbing into his arms. His father placed a hand on his back and rubbed gently. "It's OK, son. You're gonna be OK."

Hayes, Ryan, and April sat down at the opposite side of the table from TK and his family. Hayes sat in between his mom and his boyfriend, holding each of their hands as he watched TK continuing to break down. "Teek?" he called to him from across the table, causing him to lift his head. "We're gonna be OK. Alright?"

"Ty," he whimpered, his own eyes begging Hayes's for some reassurance, some clarity, some inkling as to how the hell they'd ended up here and some sort of guarantee that they'd make it out alive.

The man neither of them recognized stood up and spoke slowly. "Tyler? Travis? My name is Jeff Monroe and I'm an intervention counselor…"

"Nope. Uh uh," TK grunted, pushing his chair back from the table and attempting to stand up. His brother and father both grabbed him simultaneously and kept him in place.

"Teek. Sit down," Hayes said gently.

He sat.

"I'm with the NHLPA player assistance program. Your team reached out to me to organize this meeting today. If you look around this table, you'll see a lot of people who love you like crazy but they feel like they're losing you and they wanna fight to get you back. I'm here today to invite you both to join that fight. Are you willing to listen to what they have to say?"

Hayes nodded, his face slick with tears as his mom raised his hand to her face and kissed it.

TK looked to Hayes first for permission, then nodded as well.

"So, what we're gonna do," Jeff continued, "is hear from your friends and family members. They've written some things that they'd like to share with you and then we'll go from there."

There wasn't a dry eye in the room as everyone began reading the intervention letters they'd prepared. Osi's was particularly painful, as he couldn't get through more than three words without bursting into tears. At one point, Ryan got up, went over to him, and wrapped him in his arms.

"You got this, Os. You got this."

"I will not watch you die, Hayes," Osi cried, as Ryan held him. "You were such a light, but that light? Is gone. I cannot see it anymore. Please take this help that's being given to you. Please."

April shared, followed by TK's dad, and then it came time for Ryan.

He stood up straight, popped his shoulders back, and raked a hand through his hair before exhaling loudly. "I never expected to fall in love with the cocky little shit from the fourth floor who stole my girl right from under me. I never expected to fall in love with you, Tyler Hayes. But I did. And I fell hard."

Game over.

Hayes dropped his head to the table, wrapping his arms around his face and attempting to completely shut everything out.

"Look at me. I've earned that," Ryan told him sternly, prompting him to raise his eyes to meet Ryan's. "Fuck all this. You and me? We're gonna make it. We're gonna last, we're gonna defy all the odds, all the bullshit, all the bigots, all the haters, and we're gonna make it. And someday, I'm gonna be your husband. But none of that is possible if you kill yourself.

"I cannot sit back quietly anymore and watch you kill yourself, Tyler. I enabled you and I ignored this for far too long, and for that, I'm truly sorry. I didn't know what else to do. You were always…you were always so much stronger than me. I always looked to you. You were my rock, and I just…I guess I don't know...how to be yours, to love you the way you deserve to be loved."

Ryan paused, wiping his face, as April grabbed his forearm and squeezed it.

He continued. "And I know how much you care about Travis. You're a good friend to him. You're good to everyone, Hayes. And he's good to you, too. I know that. But if you two truly care about each other, you'll get help. This isn't who either of you are meant to be. You're both so much more than this. You too, Travis." He looked at TK. "You're not my favorite person in the world, that's no secret, but you're fucking better than this shit. Tyler, Travis, will you please take this help that's being offered to you today?"

Ryan sat down, April wrapping an arm around his shoulder and pulling him close to her. "Thank you," she told him, kissing the side of his head.

"So," Jeff began, "you've had a chance to hear from your family and friends, from the people who care about you and don't wanna lose you. What are you thinking right now?"

"What's it look like? I mean, the help. How do we…" Hayes began, glancing instinctively at TK.

"Your families have made appointments for you at a rehab facility. They've been hard at work getting everything set for your roads to recovery."

"We're gonna go together?" TK asked, staring at Hayes. "I mean, we have to go together, right? I don't wanna be anywhere without him."

"Unfortunately, that isn't the best option for either of you right now, Travis," Jeff said. "Your family has found you a place in Jacksonville. And Hayes, your boyfriend has set you up at a facility in Tampa. If you both accept, you leave today and within the next 24 hours, your recovery begins."

"How far is Tampa from Jacksonville?" TK asked, panic-stricken. "I can't…I can't be too far away from you, Ty."

"Yeah, well you don't have a fucking choice!" Ryan snapped, causing heads to turn. "This isn't about you and him anymore. That shit's done. It's about you getting help and him getting help so you both don't end up dead."

TK shoved his chair away from the table and stood up abruptly. "I don't think I can do it." He started to head toward the door, but Hayes got up and went after him, wrapping his arms around his friend. "I don't…wanna be without you, baby," TK sobbed into Hayes"s chest. "You're the only…person I have, Ty."

"I don't wanna be without you either, but this is what we gotta do. It is."

Ryan watched as his boyfriend held onto this beautiful young man, his feelings of jealousy and pity battling furiously for his attention. They were both clearly beyond broken and it was obvious that TK offered something to Hayes that Ryan hadn't been able to.

What that was, Ryan wasn't exactly sure.

All he knew was that if he didn't get Hayes into rehab, he was going to die.

"OK, enough of this pussyfooting around. Here's the deal," Marody stated boldly, causing both boys to turn and look at him from where they'd been standing. "You're both being put on long-term injured reserve as a result of injuries sustained from your accident. We are working around the clock to keep this shit as quiet as possible, but boys? The internet is abuzz. There were plenty of people who saw you at the strip club that night and have confirmed that you were both smashed off your asses…"

"Strip club?" Ryan asked quietly, feeling his anger rising like a fire in his throat.

"Travis, you taking this help is one of the only things that is going to get you a lesser punishment for your DUI. You're in deep shit, kid. The amount of drugs and alcohol that came back in that bloodwork? Deep shit. And Hayes, for fuck's sake. You're better than this.

"If either of you want to keep your positions within this organization, you will go for treatment. If you refuse, your contracts will be terminated immediately. I won't stand for this kind of behavior here. We are a professional organization and we have a reputation to uphold. I'm not gonna allow you two to fuck it up. So, choose wisely, gentlemen."

Hayes grabbed TK's hands. "Teek?"

"Yeah, baby?"

"We don't have a choice. This is it."

"I know that, baby."

"So, you'll go? You'll get help?"

TK nodded, collapsing onto his friend's chest as he wept.

"Thank God," Hayes whispered, enveloping his friend in his arms and squeezing. "We're gonna be so much better after this. You know that, right? Fuckin' unstoppable."

After clinging to each other for a bit, both too afraid to confront what the next move might lead to, they let go and faced the conference table. "We're in," Hayes announced. "We'll take it. We'll take the help."

Cheers and clapping erupted from the table, as everyone got up and rushed over to them. Hughesy grabbed TK and pulled him in close. "I'm proud of you, kid. I know this isn't who you are. Come back and show me exactly who the fuck you really are, OK?"

Poor Osi fell to his knees in front of Hayes, hysterical, as Hayes dropped to his own and reached out to hug him. "I love you, Os. So much. Thank you for everything."

Before it was time to go, TK and Hayes found each other one last time.

"I guess this is goodbye for now," TK lamented, reaching for Hayes's hands.

He held them. "Just for now. We're gonna be so much better after this though. No more hidin', no more havin' to set alarms, no more lies."

"You're the best fucking friend I've ever had, Ty Hayes. I love you," TK told him. "I'm gonna make you proud of me."

"I'm already proud of you, Teek," he said, letting his friend rest his head on his shoulder. "You're a warrior, man. You've been through hell but you're still standin'. I fuckin' love that about you. You're gonna kill this shit and come back so much stronger. Promise me you'll give it everything you got, OK?"

TK nodded, pulling away. "I promise, Ty. For you."

"Trav? It's time," Trevor said gently, resting a hand on TK's arm.

"We'll talk soon, OK? Soon as we can! I love you, man," Hayes said, tears escaping his eyes as he watched TK leave the conference room with his brother and his father.

Ryan was immediately at his side, hand around his shoulder. "You good?"

"Yeah, um," Hayes fumbled over his words, wiping his face. "So, I'm headed to Tampa, eh?"

"Yep. If you think I'd let you do this alone, you're insane. I've…got a career, but I'm gonna be there for you every step of the way, Hayes. As much as I can."

"I'm gettin' fucked up again before I go," he told Ryan. "You know that, right?"

Ryan nodded. "I figured."

"When do I check in?"

"Tomorrow morning. We're flying back tonight though. We need to go. We'll head back to your apartment, pack a few quick things, and Neilly's gonna drop us off at the airport."

Hayes sighed, running his hands across his cheeks. "We stayin' with my bestie?"

"Yep."

"And she knows…about everything?"

"Yep. And Hayes?"

"Yeah?"

"She's fucking pissed."

Fuck.