22. Chapter Twenty-Two

Chapter Twenty-Two

ETHAN

T he New York Stormbringers' defensemen are a pain. They're not letting any of us through, blocking each shot with robotic precision.

I urge the team to be more aggressive with them. From the penalty box, the coach gives me a thumbs up, signaling a more violent charge against the home team.

Between body checks, tackles, and face-plants against the ice, I manage to get the puck. It's just me and the goalie now, nothing in my way. I go in too fast, slide too far, and the goalie's stick hits me right in the mouth.

I see stars as I fall on my back, the back of my helmet hitting the ice. Sharp pain shoots through my jaw and I tear off my helmet.

I bit my tongue, but when I go to wipe it in my glove, I find far more blood than I expected. Feeling around my cheeks, I find cuts and jagged edges. Both teams surround me as I sit up and spit out a tooth.

The referee whistles, pausing the game. "Off to the dentist's chair with you, Matthews," he says, helping me up.

"Shit," I mutter, spitting more blood. I hold the pieces of my teeth as I leave the ice.

I'm quickly taken to a nearby dentist who works with the team. Still in uniform and sweating bullets because I hate dentists, I get the full treatment: my mouth is rinsed and an x-ray is taken, which reveals that I have five broken teeth. It's a good thing two of them were already fake.

Stitched up and on medication that makes me feel stoned, I head to the locker room. At this point, everyone is long gone. It is a sad place when it's empty. It's normally full of voices and companionship. The only good thing is that I can scream my anger without anyone hearing.

Putting on a polo shirt is a struggle. My face is swollen, and I'll be on medication for a while.

After I change, I make my way to the wives' room to find Mia. I'm starting to feel sleepy, and I hope there's some caffeine in the wives' room.

Dragging my feet like a zombie, I finally reach the room. Mia spots me from across the room and rushes over, calling out my name.

"Ethan?" Her eyes crease in worry as she comes to my side. "Are you okay?"

"Just a bit roughed up," I moan, my voice sounding nasal due to my swollen nose.

Mia holds me tightly and gently kisses my neck.

"Sit down, I'll get you something to drink," she says, patting my shoulders.

"Energy drink and a straw, please," I request, collapsing on the lounge couch.

Raphael's daughter, Debrah, rushes over. She's a year younger than Senna, but according to her parents, she started to speak at eight months and hasn't stopped since.

"Are you hurt, Mister Ethan?" Her curious green eyes are wide as she points at my face.

"Yes, sweetie," I say, picking her up and sitting her on the couch beside me. "The goalie gave me a booboo, and now I'm out of the games for a while."

"Daddy says he likes to play with you," Debrah says, tugging on my sleeve.

"Really?" I raise an eyebrow. "That's nice of him."

"Yeah, he said you make him feel like a better player because you're so bad."

I laugh, wincing at the pain. Only a kid could be so genuine as to unintentionally share an inside joke like that.

"Ouch!" I feel my mouth, still laughing. "Don't make me laugh, Debrah. It hurts."

"Is she pestering you too much?" Sarah asks with a smile, taking a seat beside her daughter.

"No, she's entertaining me." Mia arrives with my drink. "Thank you, love."

Mia and Sarah exchange looks. Mia sits by my side, laying her head on my shoulder and caressing my back. My heart thumps happily at her touch.

"Have you met Sarah and Debrah yet?" I ask her. I'm starting to slur my speech, so I should probably lay down soon.

"Of course," Mia smiles, tapping Debrah's nose playfully.

Sarah nods with a smile and then asks, "How many games are you out?"

"Ugh, at least the next one," I say, sipping my drink. The bubbles sting my injuries.

I turn to Mia, putting an arm around her. "So how do you like dating a hockey player?"

She clings to me comfortingly. "How bad is it?" She asks, tracing my swollen jawline with her fingers.

"Three broken teeth and two implants knocked out," I say, touching my tender lips.

"Ray has had that happen to him," Sarah winces.

Mia winces even harder, clearly feeling sorry for me. "How often do players get these kinds of injuries?" she asks, worried.

"Depends on how hard the games go," Sarah informs her, "But yeah, they're usually covered in bruises."

Mia lowers her head and sighs heavily, squeezing me tighter.

"And what about the long-term health effects, huh?" Mia waves her hands around angrily, and she looks so cute doing it that I wanna kiss her, but I can't.

"Don't worry!" I interrupt, leaning over to tap my forehead against hers. "I'll be a toothless old man with a bad back, but I'll grow old with you, okay?"

She looks surprised by my words, and only then I realize what I've said.

It was something I used to tell Amanda when she worried. Now I'm saying it to Mia, and we haven't officially defined our relationship. We agreed to take it a day at a time, but I want to ask her to be my girlfriend soon.

"Okay," she kisses my neck gently. "But now I'll worry about you during every game."

"He hasn't even been in a fight, yet." Sarah dismisses her with a wave. "Ray got a broken nose already. He needed surgery and everything."

"How is that allowed?" Mia is truly upset, and I squeeze her shoulder to calm her.

"It's part of the game. So, we can keep each other in check without the referees getting involved," I explain.

"Doesn't make much sense," Mia mutters, then whispers in my ear, "I wanna do something nice for you…"

I try to smile, but it hurts.

However, even in pain, the thought of what she is insinuating perks me up.

"I don't have much to offer today," I whisper back to her, caressing her hair.

"Don't worry," she smiles, gently touching her forehead to mine. "Let me take care of you."

"C'mon, Debbie, let's leave Mia and Ethan alone," Sarah says, taking her daughter by the hand and winking at us.

Debrah looks at us and seems confused.

"But they can't kiss," she utters as she goes.

"There's more to it than kissing, right?" Mia bites on my earlobe.

"Too bad you have to stay." I slide one hand to her inner thigh.

"Go to your room ahead of me and rest a little," Mia says, lightly kissing my neck. "I'll be right there with you as soon as I can."

"Okay," I try to breathe in despite the pain. I don't know how we'll manage, but I'm determined to find a way.