Page 20 of Saving Forever with the Hockey Captain

He asks it evenly, too evenly. Like a man bracing before impact.

I pull the chair closer to the bed and sit, not because the answer requires it medically.

Because the person hearing it does.

"You had a displaced clavicle fracture repaired with hardware. You have three fractured ribs. Your pneumothorax is small and improving, but it still needs monitoring. Best case is that you are looking at months before you are cleared for contact sport. You may be able to skate gently in a month or so, but no games or heavy practices."

Something flickers across his face but is gone almost immediately. A crack in the mask.

Then the captain’s smile appears. Controlled. Polite. For everyone else's benefit.

"Months," he repeats.

"Yes."

He nods once.

"Okay."

It is the same kind of okay I used on the ice last night. Not acceptance. Information gathering.

I let the silence settle. Some moments deserve better than quick answers, but I do not offer any.

At last, he looks back at me. "You're not going to tell me it could have been worse?"

"Do you want me to?"

"No."

"Then no."

His eyes hold mine for a moment. A different kind of look this time. Less challenge. More recognition.

Professional respect is not warm. It does not flutter. It does not blush. It simply lands.

Solid. Useful.

At his door I turn. "Rest, Jamie. You’ll be able to talk with your teammates after you recover a bit."

"You promise?" The question is quiet enough that I almost miss the edge beneath it.

I look at him. The famous captain, the most difficult patient on the floor, the man who remembers housekeeping grandsons and nearly tears himself open worrying about a rookie.

"I promise they know exactly where to find you."

That earns the faintest smile.

In the hallway, Caroline, one of the day nurses, glances up from the medication cart. "How's our celebrity?"

"Stubborn."

"They usually are."

"This one is gifted."

Caroline smiles, then looks past me into his room. Her expression softens. He’s a pretty big deal in sports, I know. But he’s a really nice guy. I don’t think anyone has walked into his room without him smiling and asking their name. And he never asks for help. We have to remind him.

For the first time that day, I do not see the captain of the Frostholm Blizzards.