Breaking the Ice (Men of the Ice, #7)

by Michele Shriver

  “Hi, Riley,” Beck said. “This is Noah Mann. Noah, Riley Marks.”

  “Hi,” she said, and extended a hand. “And congratulations on your win tonight.”

  He shook her hand and gave her a shrug. “It was no big deal. Just having a little fun out there, trying to entertain the fans.”

  Beck laughed. “He likes to be modest, but Noah’s turned out to be our best defenseman. He makes me look a lot better than I am.”

  “What he’s saying is that he bails me out when I mess up,” Noah countered, and Riley couldn’t help but chuckle. She didn’t know the kind of relationship that other professional athletes shared with their teammates, but these two seemed to have a good rapport. “Anyway, it’s nice to meet you. Beck tells me you’re a doctor?”

  Riley nodded, wondering what else he’d heard about her. “Yes. I’m a second year resident at the UT Health Science Center, specializing in Child Neurology.”

  “Wow. That’s impressive.”

  “Thanks. Either that or I’m crazy,” Riley said. Sometimes she wondered, given the hours she worked.

  “Nonsense,” Kendall said. “She’s great at what she does. Ali adores her.” She linked her hand through Beck’s. “Anyway, where are we going?”

  “I don’t know,” Beck answered. “Someplace with food. Maybe the Mexican place a few blocks from here?” He looked to Noah, then Riley. “That okay?”

  “Perfect,” Noah said. “You know I love tacos. If that’s okay with you?” he added, glancing in Riley’s direction.

  “It’s fine,” she said. “Anything’s better than the hospital cafeteria, which is what I usually eat.”

  “Doesn’t sound too appetizing,” Noah said, falling into step beside her as they walked in the direction of Beck’s car. “I took a liking to Mexican food as soon as I moved here. I just love it. The spicier the better. This place we’re going is great.”

  Riley didn’t know it, but nodded. “I’m sure I’ll like it.”

  “So you don’t get out much, then?” Noah asked.

  It seemed like a sincere question, and not a slight. “Not really, no. I average three days off in a month, and I usually spend them catching up on sleep.”

  “Wow. That’s rough. I admire your dedication, though.” Noah gave her a smile. “And the fact that you decided to spend part of your day off with me.”

  It was hard not to like him. He had a down to earth way about him, and seemed very nice, not mention cute. And he liked comic book characters. For a geek girl like Riley, that was pretty much the trifecta. “It wasn’t how I planned to spend the day,” she said. “I was supposed to be sleeping, which probably sounds pathetic, but I don’t get enough of it. Now I’m glad I sacrificed the sleep. I’ve had a really good time so far.” Riley hoped it would continue through dinner. Given her first impressions of Noah, she was cautiously optimistic it would.

  ***

  Beauty. Check. Brains. Check. And Riley appeared to have a sense of humor, too. First impressions were dangerous, but Noah wondered if he might have hit the trifecta. As an added bonus, she liked Mexican food, too, even though professed not to have eaten a lot of it

  “You’re not from around here, then?” Noah asked her, after they’d ordered.

  Riley shook her head. “No. Indiana, actually. I only moved here because I was accepted into the residency program.”

  Noah nodded, and tried to avoid saying something stupid. He didn’t even finish high school, at least not in a traditional school setting. He’d been too busy playing hockey for the Swift Current Broncos of the Western Hockey League. Sure, Noah earned an equivalency diploma and didn’t think of himself as dumb, but he might be a little out of his league here. He was only a hockey player. She dedicated her life to improving the health of children. Yeah. Out of his league. “Congratulations. I’ve heard it’s a good program.” He knew that much, at least.

  “One of the best, yes,” Riley said.

  “It’s a great hospital,” Kendall agreed. “I’ve been very happy with the care Ali’s gotten.”

  “She’s like family to us,” Riley said. “All of the kids are.”

  Their meals arrived at the table, bringing a lull to the conversation while they were served. When they were alone again, Riley asked Noah, “Care to explain the Hyperion choice for your costume?”

  Noah couldn’t help but smile. “You recognized him, huh?”

  “I did, yes. I’m an aunt to two little boys, and I work with kids. I consider it a requirement to know my superheroes,” Riley said. “Hyperion is a personal favorite.”

  No doubt about it. If Noah were keeping score, Riley would earn major points. “Mine, too,” he said.

  “Why? Because there are so many versions of him? Or because he’s so powerful?” Riley asked.

  Noah shook his head. “No. It’s because Hyperion doesn’t take himself too seriously,” he said. “I mean, look at his cape. He’s part Superman and part Captain Marvel, but somehow it works for him. He’s not just a copycat. He’s a legitimately cool superhero. At least assuming you have a sense of humor and get that Hyperion is not really trying to be serious.”

  “Right, exactly.”

  “So you don’t think he’s a villain?” Noah wanted to know.

  “No,” Riley said. “I think only people who don’t know the history, all of the incarnations, would make that assumption.” She smiled. “I’m not one of those people.”

  “Obviously.” And for that, Noah was grateful. He couldn’t believe it. He’d always said, not in jest, that he needed to find a nice geek girl. He never actually believed he would, though. Maybe it was too soon to declare Riley as the one, but he liked her already.

  That feeling grew as they ate dinner. She didn’t know a lot about hockey—or much of anything about it, really—but she seemed interested in learning. If not interested, she put on a good front. Noah preferred the former, and tried to explain the basics to her in a way that wouldn’t put her to sleep.

  Riley never nodded off. In fact, she listened intently the whole time. When dinner was over, and they drove back to the arena so Noah could pick up his car, and Riley hers, he asked, “Since you enjoyed the competition tonight, are you coming to the game tomorrow afternoon?” It was the actual All-Star game, and it would be nice to have her there, cheering for him.

  “No,” she said. “I’d like to, but I have to work again.”

  “Ah.” He should have figured it, given their earlier conversation about her work hours. “No rest for the wicked, huh?”

  Riley let out a laugh. “Either that or the weary. And in my case, it’s the very weary.”

  “They work you too hard,” Noah said.

  “Yeah, probably, but that’s what residency is like.” She gave a shrug, making it clear she’d accepted it and wouldn’t complain. “I’ll be rooting for you in spirit,” she said. “And if I get a chance, I’ll watch a little from the break room.”

  For some reason, Noah believed it. “That’d be nice. I hope you do,” he said. “It was nice meeting you. Maybe I can call you sometime?” he asked hopefully. Given her work hours, Noah expected to be shot down.

  Instead, Riley nodded and pulled a business card from her purse. “This has my work number, and my cell’s on the back.” She scribbled on the back of the card and passed it to him. “I can’t promise that I’ll have another day off anytime soon, but you’re welcome to call me.”

  Chapter Three

  Riley went to work the next day feeling somewhat refreshed and recharged, but not as much as she’d prefer. She should’ve found a polite way to decline meeting Noah after the game, and she definitely shouldn’t have given him her number and suggested he could call sometime. He was nice, yes, and certainly cute, and fun to be around, too, but the absolute last thing Riley needed was a relationship. She had to survive her residency, and then maybe she could think about a social life. First things first.

  She got an iced coffee from the hospital vendor and took the elevator
to the fifth floor. Riley’s current block rotation involved in patient care, which meant morning and afternoon rounds, and copious amounts of charting in between. In a couple weeks, she’d be back on the clinic rotation, which she much preferred, and not only because the hours were more regular. She got to spend more time with kids when she saw them in the clinical setting, and interact with them more because they weren’t as sick.

  Riley’s first stop was the nurse’s station, to get any updates she needed before beginning her rounds. Assuming the other residents were caught up in charting, the information would be in the patient charts, but Riley preferred to hear it from the nurses, rather than reading a dry notation in a chart.

  This morning, one of Riley’s favorite nurses was on duty. “Good morning, Dr. Marks.”

  “Morning, Lauren. How’s everything going here?”

  The nurse gave her a cheerful smile. “For the most part, good. New patient in 506 admitted yesterday morning for a seizure. He had another one overnight, and his mom is anxious to talk to you. Otherwise, status quo.”

  “Does that mean I might get to eat lunch today?” Riley quipped, causing Lauren to laugh.

  “I hope so, for your sake. Me, I’m skipping lunch. I’m on a diet again. Or still.”

  For as long as Riley had known Lauren, the nurse always seemed to on a diet, and Riley wished she wouldn’t fret over it so much. Lauren was a little overweight, yes, but not to the extent of being unhealthy. No, her biggest issue was a lack of confidence. “Don’t skip meals. It messes with your metabolism,” Riley said.

  “Yes, doc,” the nurse said. “Are you going to follow your own advice, then?”

  “Touche.” Granted, if Riley skipped meals, it was because of a lack of time, but the point was made, nonetheless. “Okay, I better get started on these rounds.”

  Her first stop was the new patient with the anxious mother who’d suffered another seizure over night. When Riley walked in the room, the young boy sat up in bed, watching TV. He appeared quite healthy at the moment. “Hi there. You must be Luis,” she said. “I’m Dr. Marks.” She turned to the woman standing by the bed. “Are you Luis’ mother?”

  “Yes. Mary Ochoa.”

  “It’s nice to meet you, but I’m sorry it’s under these circumstances.” Riley logged into the computer to bring up Luis’ chart to read all the entries from the day before.

  “Do you know what’s wrong, doctor? What’s causing the seizures?”

  “Not yet,” Riley said as she perused all of the notations in the boy’s chart. He’d arrived in the ER the previous morning and been admitted for observation, then suffered a second seizure. “We’re still waiting for all the results from the tests that were run overnight.”

  “And those will give us the answers?”

  “I hope so,” Riley told the nervous mother. It was seldom that easy, though. She chatted with Mrs. Ochoa for a few more minutes, trying to ease her concerns, then continued with her rounds, checking in with all of the patients on the wing.

  Fortunately, it was a quieter day than usual, and Riley was caught up by 11:30. Luis’ test results still weren’t back, so she decided it was a good time to take a quick lunch break. She invited Lauren to join her in the cafeteria on the hospital’s second floor. Maybe the little mini-lecture this morning did some good, because the nurse agreed to come along, and didn’t offer any protests about needing to skip meals in order to lose weight.

  Instead, they both got chef salads and sat down to eat. “Thanks for coming with me,” Riley said. “It’s nice to sit and have a conversation with someone rather than eat at my desk while I’m looking at charts.”

  “I’m sure,” Lauren said. “Since this is new and different for you, we should mark the occasion by talking about something other than work. How did you spend your day off? I hope you did something other than sleep all day.”

  “Hey, sleep is a precious commodity in this profession,” Riley teased. “I’ll have you know I didn’t spend the day sleeping, though. I actually got dragged to the hockey skills competition by Alison Myers’ mom. And then found out she had designs to set me up on a blind date with one of Becker’s teammates.”

  “What?” Lauren leaned across the table. “Now this is getting good. Which one? Do tell.”

  Riley took a bite of salad before responding. “Are you a fan or something?” Lauren had met both Kendall and Becker before, when Alison was in the hospital, and hadn’t seemed particularly star struck by the Generals goalie.

  The nurse shrugged. “A little. I watch some of the games if there’s nothing else on. I like it better than basketball. The guys are all pretty hot.”

  Riley laughed. “I suppose.” The only ones she really knew were Beck, and now Noah. “It was Noah Mann. I guess he plays defense,” she said. “He entertained the crowd yesterday by dressing as a superhero, then he won a car and gave it to charity. We went to dinner after the competition.”

  “And?” Lauren urged.

  “And I found out he likes tacos,” Riley said with a shrug. “That’s about it.”

  “When are you seeing him again?” The nurse’s voice was animated, and Riley wondered if it was a mistake to say anything to Lauren about the date.

  “I’m not.”

  “He didn’t ask? I find that hard to believe,” Lauren said. “I mean, have you looked in the mirror?”

  “You flatter me.” Riley finished her salad and took a drink of soda. “He did ask if he could call me sometime, and I gave him my number. If he calls, though, I’m not going out with him.”

  “Why?” Lauren frowned. “I’m confused. He sounds like a nice guy.”

  “Yes, I think he is,” Riley admitted. “But he plays a sport for a living, and I’m always here. It’d never work out, and I can’t afford the distraction.” She pushed her chair back and gathered up her trash. “I need to get back upstairs.”

  “Me too,” Lauren said. “By the way, I don’t think you should be so quick to write this guy off. You should go out with him again.”

  Riley barely refrained from rolling her eyes. “If you say so.” If Noah called, she’d think about it. Maybe.

  ***

  Noah wasn’t a fan of early afternoon games, because they threw off his routine. The majority of the Generals’ games were at night, giving the players most of the day off. After the usual morning skate that kicked off game days, Noah could usually be found playing mini golf. For reasons he didn’t understand—and also didn’t question—it helped to relax him. It became such an important part of his routine that he’d moved beyond the miniature course to the real thing, and was now working with the Generals Charity Foundation to establish a golf tournament to raise money for charity.

  The All-Star game, though, had an afternoon start, and given the need to be at the arena a couple of hours before, Noah’s routine was disrupted. Instead of having down time in the afternoon, he slept in, then headed to the arena shortly after lunch. He was happy, at least, that it was a ‘home’ game of sorts and he’d be playing in a familiar arena. He was a creature of habit, for sure.

  Noah arrived at the arena to find that some of the guys were already there, and kicking a soccer ball around in the hallway. He had no idea how it started, but there was something about hockey players enjoying a little pick-up soccer before game time. Whether at home or on the road, it’s what they always did. Maybe it was superstition, but Noah was glad one part of his game day routine was unaffected.

  “Hey, Magic Mann.” The greeting came from one the goaltenders for the Eastern Conference All-Stars, a guy Noah knew from their junior hockey days, named Preston King. “Good stuff out there last night. Am I going to be facing more of that this afternoon?”

  Noah laughed. “Wow, I haven’t heard that nickname in a while.” He gave Preston a fist bump. “I’ll have to forego the superhero cape today, I’m afraid, but you can bet I’ll be trying to score on you.” The soccer ball came his way, and Noah lifted it up with his foot, bounced it on his k
nee a few times, then kicked in Beck’s direction.

  His teammate wasn’t paying attention, and the ball sailed past him. “What the heck? We’re supposed to be on the same side!”

  “Now you know how I felt last night” Preston called out. “And why we used to call him the Magic Mann way back in our Broncos days.”

  “Hmm. Didn’t know that. It fits, though. Dude’s got some slick moves, for sure.” Becker walked over to Noah. “I got the impression Riley would like to see more of your moves, on and off the ice.”

  “Really? I couldn’t tell for sure,” Noah said. “She’s kind of hard to read.”

  “Yeah. Quiet, serious,” Beck agreed. “I thought you seemed to get along okay, though.”

  Noah nodded. “We did, sure. I think we have some things in common.” Noah often said that he wanted to find a nice ‘geek girl’ some day, and he couldn’t help but wonder if Riley fit the bill. She recognized Hyperion, after all. He couldn’t say the same thing about too many other girls he’d met. “I’d like to see her again, assuming she’s not always working.”

  Beck nodded. “That’s the rough part. She’s dedicated to her work and she’s a heck of a doctor. Ali adores her,” he said. “You got Riley’s number, right? You should at least call her, see what’s up. She does occasionally get time off.”

  “From the sound of it, not very much,” Noah said. “You’re right, though. I will give her a call.” He shrugged. “I mean, the worst she can do is say no.”

  Beck laughed. “Hey, c’mon. Any guy who used to be called Magic Mann needs to have more confidence in his skills with the ladies.” He gave Noah a good-natured slap on the back. “Call the girl. Later. First things first, though. Time to put some pucks in the back of King’s net.”

  ***

  Riley didn’t think any more about Noah, or hockey, until she was on her afternoon rounds and she stopped by Luis Ochoa’s room to find her young patient ready to watch the All-Star game, something his mother didn’t want him doing.