Epilogue II

EPILOGUE II

Micah

Game Day

Sitting in the Bellport Bulldogs stands has come to feel like second nature. I've been here enough times to know my way around without an escort.

"Ready to feel like you're having a heart attack?" Finn bumps my shoulder.

I shake my head. "I'm sure it will be fine. I've seen him play before, remember?"

"Yeah, but it's different now. And practice isn't the same. They can't go full out like they would against the enemy."

The fierce way he talks about the opposing team is adorable. Finn is a tiny slip of a man, smaller than me. To know he's this ferocious about sports cracks me up.

"Don't let his bloodlust get to you," Jake calls from my other side.

We're all in the first row watching today's big game. If the team wins this, they'll be conference champions with another shot at the Super Bowl.

I know the guys want it bad. There's been an energy to their practices since they won their two post-holiday games.

Raymond, who's sitting on the other side of Finn, leans forward. "It's not bloodlust for us to want the team to win! This is a big deal."

Jake lifts his hands. "I know, ok? It's my brother out there too. You think he hasn't been showing up to family dinners in game mindset mode? The man means business."

Shaking my head at the pair, I focus my attention on my boy. He's talking to the coaches about the various plays he wants to run. I know because he's explained his role on the team to me in great detail these last couple of weeks.

"They all mean business. This is a big deal," I tell the boys around me.

I didn't realize it at first. That they were all boys, and I was the only Daddy around. It's as if I'm on babysitting duty, though magnify it by four since Jake Bellport is more than a handful on his own.

Thankfully, they all seem to have their routines of what they do during the game down to a science. I don't have to do much other than grab food here and there for them. Plus, it's not as if they're fully Little all the time like some of the princesses were on the train.

Thinking of our other friend group brings a smile to my face. I can't wait until April when they show up for Jett's surprise party. It's going to be a blast.

As the game begins, the tension between the boys disappears. We're all on the same team, all hoping for the same goal.

And it looks like we'll get there.

Bellamy and Aries are perfectly synchronized on the field. Every throw made gets caught. Every yard is well earned as Aries tears down the field.

Unfortunately, the other team is on their game as well.

The scoreboard is far too close to my liking. I can see it wears on my boy too as he paces the sidelines waiting for his chance to get back out there.

It's in the third quarter that things turn to shit.

The play is called.

The men line up.

The snap happens.

Then fucking chaos.

Monty gets hurt.

I can't see it in real time, nor do I want to. Why would I want to see my brother get hurt?

A hush moves through the crowd as the team doctors rush onto the field. I can't move. Can't breathe.

My phone goes off in my hand, our parents texting me to ask what's going on. Apparently, the broadcast of the game has cut out while they assess what's going on. I text them back to say I don't know anything yet.

"Micah!" I turn at the shout, my wide eyes meeting Finn's sad ones. "They're here to take you to him."

It takes me a second to focus on the man standing at the end of the aisle. He's wearing the team colors and has a badge that I recognize from when Cherise helped me around the stadium.

"Oh, yeah. Sure."

I stand on shaky legs, following him down the tunnels to the locker room area. It's empty now, the team still on the field.

We make it back to the room where a few beds are set up and medical equipment is strewn about.

"They'll bring him down in a minute. He'll need initial scans to decide if he's going to the hospital."

"Hospital?" I ask pitifully.

I'm not even sure what happened or how he was hurt. Thinking of him going to the hospital hurts.

The man waits with me in silence as I try to process what to do and how I feel. I'm just about to ask what's taking so long when the noise around us ratchets up several decibels.

A flurry of movement bursts through the door as Monty is brought in on a stretcher. I see he's awake, though he appears to be in a shit ton of pain.

They put him on one of the tables, then set to work cutting him out of the uniform. I keep to the side, my gaze never leaving his too still form.

This isn't my brother. He doesn't stop moving, not even asleep.

"Fuck," he cries out as one of the men works to remove his shoes.

I'm about to cry myself, the worry over him making me sick. And it's not just for him. It's for the whole team. If this could happen to Monty, who else will get hurt? Is my boy next?

As if he knew I'd spiral, I feel a strong set of arms around me. Immediately, I know it's him.

"Daddy," he whispers in my ear.

I sigh, leaning back into his touch. "Thank you. I needed you."

He presses a kiss to my temple. "I knew you did. It's why I snuck away."

We watch as they finally get him stripped enough to assess the damage. Even from where I'm standing, I can tell it's bad. Bone isn't meant to poke out of skin like that.

"He's going to be ok," my boy tells me. "He'll just need a good support system to help him through."

"We can be that for him, right?"

"Absolutely, Daddy. I'll be there with you every step of the way."

At his words, I feel peace. I don't have to be alone.

And neither does my boy.

We have each other.

Want to see what it's like when Princess Aster and friends go see Jett in action? Grab the bonus scene here .

Need more Christmas in Bellport? His Temporary Assistant is about the new hockey coach and the shy assistant who has a crush on him.

Want to know what happens with Monty after his injury? That story is coming in 2025. You can preorder it here.

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