Falling Fast (Loving the Sound Book 1)

by Kat Obie

  Scotty shook his head and said, “I don’t think so.”

  “Alright.” Doc moved towards Scotty’s left side. “Okay, just grab onto my shoulder and lean on me. Let’s get you back.”

  Scotty followed Curren’s lead and was able to stand up. He couldn’t put any weight on his knee at all. That was a bad sign.

  Scotty knew the coaches were hopeful that it would be a stinger, but the pain was too reminiscent of when he tore his right ACL back in juniors. He hoped that his season wasn’t over.

  Alice

  Alice and Jenna were at their second Flyers game in less than two weeks. The stadium series game was supposed to be her annual birthday trip to Philadelphia. Given the events that happened on her birthday, she was glad to have the birthday trip now even though she’d had the fly-by trip the previous week.

  The first half of the day, Alice and Jenna caught up and day-drank at some of their favorite spots. Alice was excited to hear that Jenna was still flirting with Corey. Alice rooted for things to work out with them, if only to give Jenna an excuse to come and visit Cleveland more often.

  Alice and Jenna were pleasantly surprised by the weather during the game. Alice had been expecting to freeze her ass off at an outdoor game in the middle of February. Then there was talk of moving the game due to rain. But so far it hadn’t been as bad as predicted. While it was misty, there wasn’t outright pouring rain and the temperature was above freezing.

  The Flyers were trying to tie late in the third period. There was lots of pressure on the Pittsburgh goalie. Alice was hopeful that her hometown team could pull out a miracle.

  She kept her phone buried in her hoodie pocket that was underneath her poncho after taking a few photos as keepsakes. She could feel the phone vibrate a few times throughout the game and assumed it was updates from the Sound game.

  Her phone buzzed like crazy, and she had a bad feeling. Yet, she couldn’t bring herself to look at the phone in case they missed anything on the ice or jinxed the Flyer’s chances.

  Amazingly, the Flyers tied with less than 20 seconds left. It seemed like the remaining fans in the stadium erupted into cheers of happiness. Given all that was going on on the ice, Alice wanted to continue to wait on checking her phone.

  Jenna took photos and videos. Alice thumbed her Celtic cross hoping for the win for both of her teams and that Scott was okay. The first couple of shifts didn’t really lead to much. Yet there was something about the captain taking the puck—Alice knew that G was going to do something amazing. Sure enough, after finding some open space, G scored and won the game.

  Alice finally dug out her phone to see a stream of texts from the various Sound players’ girlfriends and wives and a missed call from Brigitta. She knew that something bad had happened to Scotty.

  Despite the Linc being extremely loud with cheering for the epic comeback win, Alice called Brigitta. “Given the noise, I’m assuming you aren’t watching the Sound game right now.”

  “Yeah. What happened to Scotty? I haven’t looked at all the messages yet but I see I have a ton.”

  “Knee-on-knee hit. It was pretty bad.”

  “Shit.” Alice chewed at her lip as she tried to process everything. “Do you know anything more?”

  “Not yet. The announcers haven’t said anything, which means word hasn’t left the locker room that he’s ruled out.”

  “But that doesn’t mean he will be back tonight, either.”

  “Exactly. So all you can do is wait. If the MRI isn’t good, they will send him back to Cleveland for treatment, unless it’s broken. That would be an instant hospital trip tonight.”

  Alice was happy that Brigitta was there to help guide her through things. She knew some of the stuff from a fan’s perspective but not as a girlfriend. She felt like shit since she’d missed Scotty’s game. Not knowing the ropes, she asked, “Okay. Should I call his phone?”

  “Not yet. He won’t be able to turn it on until after the game. Same rules apply even if they are getting worked on.”

  “Figures.”

  “If you can’t reach him, call Lager. He’ll keep you updated. He’ll be keeping tabs on Scotty.”

  Alice’s stomach dropped. Lager was so ashamed of having to take swim lessons that he swore her to secrecy and was only setting up lessons through his Swiss sim card. Alice had no clue if he’d confided in Brigitta about the lessons or if he would have his Swiss sim card with him. So Alice said quickly, “My phone has been acting up and I lost some contacts—any chance you can send me Lager’s info?”

  “Sure. I’ll text it to you.”

  It was a super long shot, but she had to ask the question anyway, especially after seeing what had happened on the ice to one of the Flyers earlier tonight in the second period. “Any chance it’s just a stinger?”

  “Doubtful. Scotty needed help off the ice and couldn’t put any weight on his leg.”

  “Fuck.” Alice knew Scotty well enough to know he wouldn’t have liked needing help one iota. If it was a stinger, he would have walked it off. Hell, he would try to walk it off anyway and have the leg buckle under him. It had to be brutal if he needed help, and the fact that he couldn’t put any weight on the leg only underscored just how hurt he truly was.

  “Yeah, exactly. The boys get so moody when they can’t play, so expect a bumpy road ahead.”

  “I’ll keep that in mind. Thanks Bridge.”

  Alice felt slightly deflated. No matter how epic the Flyers win was, she worried about Scotty’s knee and the outlook for his season. She wanted to be there for him.

  As soon as Alice put her phone in her pocket, Jenna asked, “What’s going on? That wasn’t a happy phone call.”

  “Scotty got hurt tonight.”

  “Is he okay?”

  “Don’t think so.” Alice shook her head. “Now I just want to get to a place where we can turn on the Sound game and get updates.”

  “I wouldn’t be opposed to watching the game at my place. I can watch Corey play.”

  “Cool. I just don’t know who they will slot into Scotty’s spot at center. I guess either Dykstman or PK, but neither are natural centers. Also, I still can’t believe you and Corey are now a thing and you even care about the Sound.”

  “I could say that about you. Hell, you moved in with Scotty. I still can’t believe you guys were practically living together before you told me who he was. I should still be giving you shit for having Instagram break the news that your Scott was the one freaking Sound player that you've been crushing on since they got a team.”

  Alice just shrugged her shoulders. Jenna was right. While Jenna always knew she was dating a Scott, Alice never mentioned anything about how he was a hockey player for the Sound until after the puppy video that Scott posted.

  “True. But if it wasn’t for the break-in, I wouldn’t be living with him now. I know it’s been going so superfast, but it’s been good. This month has been kinda sucky with both of us traveling a lot, but it makes our time together better. I actually can’t imagine him being out of my life. I love him.”

  Jenna nodded. They rushed towards her place. By the time they got there, the Sound game was practically finished. They watched the Wild try to force something to happen in the last three minutes. But the Sound looked solid and won with 3-0, giving Crestor his sixth shutout of the year.

  As soon as the game ended, Alice texted Scott asking how he was doing. She was stunned when he called back so quickly. Scotty loved talking on the phone rather than texting. “Hey, babe.”

  Scotty’s voice sounded rough and almost angry when he said, “Hey.”

  “You okay?”

  “I will be, but it hurts like a motherfucking bitch.”

  “I can only imagine.”

  “It’s not broke, but I will need to get surgery on my ACL tomorrow.”

  She instantly supplied him with, “Oh, that sucks!” as she tried to remember the timeline for an ACL surgery.

  “They are hopeful that I will be out in 6-
8 weeks.”

  “So it’s not season ending. You should even have time to play a few games to shake off the rust before the playoffs.” Alice tried to put a positive spin on the injury.

  Scott’s voice seemed slightly deflated as he said, “If we still make it.”

  Normally, it was Scotty who tried to build her up. This was the first time Alice heard him doubt anything, let alone be dejected. “Seriously, you can’t be doubting that. You have a solid position in the standings, and there’s a great team around you. The Sound will have a playoff berth for you to come back to.”

  “I knew you would talk sense into him,” Lager laughed in the background. She just shook her head and rolled her eyes, not that he could see that. At least it kept her from saying something rude to Scotty’s best friend.

  “Should I look for an earlier flight back to Cleveland or a flight to Minnesota?” asked Alice. Her original plan was to leave in two days, but she knew she couldn’t be in Philly when he was hurt.

  Scott dismissed her out of hand and said, “Stay in Philly.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Yeah. I fly out in the morning and then it’s surgery at UH. You will just be waiting around. I would rather you be with your friends since you never see them.”

  Scotty had clearly forgotten that her flight was late on Monday. She wouldn’t be there for two days, and she didn’t like the idea of staying in Philly that long if he was hurt. He wouldn’t be able to put weight on his knee, and it would make going upstairs difficult.

  Lager interjected again by saying, “Don’t listen to him. Go to Cleveland. Play nurse. Make him less cranky.”

  “Shut it, Lager. I wasn’t asking you,” Alice said sternly. Alice was amazed at how much he chirped in. But she knew if she didn’t say anything, he would keep interrupting them.

  There was some background noise, but it didn’t seem echoey like most speaker calls. “Are you sure that you want me to stay in Philly?”

  “It’ll be fine. I don’t want you to miss out on time with your friends just to sit in a waiting room for a routine repair.”

  There was something about Scotty’s tone that unconvinced. But for now, she was going to go along with his wishes. “If you say so. I just feel bad.”

  “It sucks for sure. The meds will kick in soon, and that will help. Until then, it’s lots of ice to keep the swelling down. I can handle it.”

  “I know. Too bad the meds aren’t already working. If you can’t sleep, call me.”

  “You just want him to get loopy,” she heard Lager say. Now she was sure that she was on speaker.

  Scotty’s tone changed drastically. “For fucks sake, shut it, Lager. We are trying to have a private conversation.”

  Then she heard an unfamiliar voice. “Well, next time, don’t make calls on speakerphone.”

  All of a sudden, the background noise decreased dramatically and there was a very apologetic Scotty. “Sorry Alice, I didn’t mean for that to happen. I don’t know how it went to speaker.”

  Alice just shrugged her shoulders and said, “It happens. It’s not like either of us said anything too embarrassing. Besides, you are having a shitastic day. You get a pass.”

  Scotty changed the subject, most likely to take his mind off the pain. “How was your game?”

  “It was dramatic for sure. But the Flyers pulled off the win. But I won’t lie, I would be far more excited about that win—it was basically a dream game—if I didn’t know you were injured. I’m worried about you. Okay, don’t hate me, but I need to know more. Do you have the surgery booked? How long will it take?”

  “It’s booked at like 3:30pm. As long as all things go well, I will get to go home at the end of the night.”

  “Okay.” Alice still wanted to make things work so she could get back in time.

  “Fine. It’s obvious that I can’t stop you from coming home early,” said Scott. Alice knew he wanted to say more but he was holding back. It was either that she shouldn’t cancel her plans or he was stopping himself from a stream of curse words. She could hear him suck in his breath as if trying to control the pain. “Hey, Alice. I have to go to the hotel. I can’t manage the phone and the crutches at the same time. I’ll call you back later to see what you end up doing.”

  “Okay, Scotty. Have a better night. Je t’aime.”

  Jenna furiously typed into her phone. Alice had a feeling that Jenna was talking with Corey. Alice started to see if she could bump up her flight. She found the ideal flight that would allow her to do the game night if they moved it up slightly and be back just in time for Scotty to be discharged from the hospital.

  16

  Alice

  It took a little effort to find the right waiting room inside the hospital. At least she knew that she was in the right spot when she saw Scott’s mom sitting in one of the chairs.

  As Alice approached Scott’s mom, her nerves increased. She would have to use her imperfect French skills and translate for her which was an unsavory proposition. There was a part of her that wished there was an official translator. But she knew that she would have to listen to Tim Gunn’s catchphrase and “just make it work.”

  As soon as Scott’s mom spotted Alice, she came up and gave Alice a huge hug. “How was the flight back?”

  Alice wasn’t expecting to be so tightly held right away. Before Scott’s mom even gave her a chance to breathe or speak, she said, “You are shorter than I thought. But I shouldn’t be too surprised.”

  Alice smiled and thought through what his mom had said since she spoke so quickly in French. After the mental translation, she spoke. “The flight was okay. Any word from Scott’s doctors?”

  “Not yet. Should be another 30 minutes or so. That’s if they started on time and nothing went wrong.”

  Scott’s mom pulled her towards where she sat and invited Alice to sit beside her. She wasn’t holding back. She wanted to use the time to get to know Alice. The other thing that shocked Alice was just how calm his mom seemed despite driving what had to be all night.

  “You seem to be so calm. Have you gone through this before?”

  “Yes. He tore his other ACL in juniors. I’m just glad that he’s been healthy over the years. It could be far worse. But missing this part of the season will make him crazy. He’s always hated being on the sidelines.”

  Scott loved the action. His drive got him into the NHL and she’d had no idea he’d had another knee surgery. She knew that he’d been healthy over the years and even played close to 250 games without missing a game before his first concussion last season.

  Their conversation was interrupted when a doctor came out. The doctor had a Sound shirt underneath his white coat. “So, the surgery went well. He’s still waking up, but once he’s cleared by the anesthesiologist, he can go home.”

  Alice paraphrased for Scott’s mom. “It went well. We can take Scott home soon.”

  Scott’s mom looked happy and said, “Good.”

  Alice knew that she should say something since it could be a while before they got to see Scott and take him home. But his mom must have had the same idea and she said, “Just so you know, Scott won’t want to have too much help after the surgery. He loves to fix things when people are struggling and make everyone smile, but he doesn’t always like it when people return the favor. He doesn’t like to be doted on.”

  Alice nodded. She could understand that. But if Scott’s mom knew that he hated the attention, Alice wondered why she’d come to visit. It was the same reason that she’d decided to come home early. “I could tell.”

  A nurse brought out Scott. He was in a wheelchair with his left leg extended out. Scott was clearly under the effects of anesthesia. His eyes were sleepy, and his head kept rolling around.

  Once he saw the two of them, his eyes lit up and he said a very slurred, “Hey, you.”

  “Hey,” said Alice. “Ready to go home?”

  Scott attempted to nod, but it didn’t really work. Alice was going to take control
of the wheelchair, but Scott’s mom was there, so Alice stood beside Scott. He grabbed her hand and interwove his fingers with hers. They headed over to Scott’s SUV, so Alice could drive them home.

  You’re pretty,” said Scott to Alice. Alice had to laugh. He looked at his mom and said, “Maman, don’t you think she’s pretty?”

  It was strange was how Scott spoke in English and not using French with his mom. If anything, Alice expected him to speak more French.

  When they were almost at the SUV, Scott looked up at Alice and said, “You’re pretty,” for the tenth time.

  At that point, his mom said, “Tabarnak de calice.”

  Alice was at a loss. It sounded like a swear word, but it was a church reference. And given the way she used it, it sounded like it was more of a curse word then a prayer. Then Scott said, in mock seriousness, “Maman,” and she knew it had to be a curse word that she wasn’t familiar with.

  Scott’s mom said to Alice, “He’s worse than last time.”

  His mom and Alice had to work together to get him into the passenger seat while making sure he kept his weight off his leg.

  The drive back to the house was quiet since they were letting Scott sleep. When Alice pulled into the garage, Scott woke up, which made it easier to get him out of the car. Scott’s mom had the crutches ready, but he was still unsteady. The dogs tried to flock around them until they realized that they couldn't get anyone’s attention.

  Scott saw the dogs. “Hey, we have puppies. I love puppies.”

  Alice just giggled. It was so silly, and it was like he was drunk. He was always in control. They got him to the sofa and propped up his leg on a pillow. As he got comfy. He cupped Alice’s face and said, “Sit next to me. You’re so pretty, and I’ve missed you. I haven’t seen you in so long.”

  “Okay.” Alice sat next to Scott. She cuddled up next to him. She’d missed him too. The dogs were sniffing around the two of them. Since there wasn’t any space on the sofa for the dogs, they placed their heads on his lap. He petted their heads.