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

by Michele Shriver

  The end result was an eight-year-old boy with a parasite in his body that caused cysts to form on his brain, leading to the headaches and seizures he’d been suffering from. His mother was distraught, and probably blaming herself. Riley couldn’t even imagine what a helpless feeling it must be, watching her child suffer. At least with a diagnosis, they could now move forward with treatment. The first step would be to kill the parasite, which they determined was still active in Luis’ body. After that would come the steroid treatment to reduce the brain swelling, along with anti-seizure medications, which might be needed for more than a year.

  Luis had a long road ahead of him, but at least for now was seizure free and ready to watch the game, his exhausted mother having gone home to get a little rest. Riley could relate to the exhaustion. She’d taken a special interest in Luis’ case, and the hours added up as she worked with Dr. Sanford to confirm the diagnosis and plan the course of treatment.

  “Good work, Dr. Marks,” he said to her. “I think you could probably use some rest, too.”

  “Yes,” she said, “but I’m still on duty for a few more hours.”

  Her supervisor nodded. “I know. I made the schedule remember?” He gave her a wry smile. “You may not believe this, but I don’t like working my residents this much. Sometimes it’s unavoidable, though.”

  “We know that, and we understand.” Riley might be exhausted, but she wouldn’t complain. She was well aware that plenty of medical school graduates coveted a spot in a child Neurology program at a top hospital. Riley had one, and was determined to complete it. Sleep would be nice, however, as would the occasional social life.

  “I’m glad,” Dr. Sanford said. “Still, if I were you—and I was, once—I’d take advantage of this little down time right now, while all our patients seem to be resting comfortably, and try to get a nap in.”

  Plenty of nights, Riley would have kept going. There was always charting to do, or something to learn more about. Like Neurocysticercosis. With her supervisor’s express permission, though, maybe she’d put that off for an hour or so. “Thank you,” she said. “I think I’m going to take that advice.”

  Riley headed to the residents’ lounge, where she tried to catch a little shut eye on one of the cots. It proved to be a lost cause. She might be exhausted, but apparently not enough to actually sleep. Instead, she turned on the wall-mounted TV and flipped through the channels until she found the Generals game. If she couldn’t sleep, Riley figured she may as well watch Noah play hockey. Unfortunately, San Antonio already trailed in the game by one goal. “Come on,” Riley said in the direction of the TV. Maybe she could bring a little luck.

  Three minutes later, San Antonio tied the game up, and Riley let out a cheer just as the door opened and one of her colleagues walked in.

  “What are you doing?” Stacy asked.

  “Watching the hockey game.”

  “Why aren’t you sleeping?”

  Riley shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe I’m too tired to sleep.”

  “I can’t imagine ever being too tired to sleep. And least not with this job.” Stacy kicked off her shoes and plopped on one of the cots.

  “Is the TV going to bother you?” Riley asked. Even if she couldn’t sleep, she wanted to be considerate of her colleagues.

  Stacy shook her head. “I don’t think an earthquake could bother me. Carry on.”

  “Okay,” she said. Then, “Stace?”

  “What?”

  “You’re off Saturday, right?”

  “Yes, thank goodness. Why?”

  Riley almost didn’t want to ask, because she knew it was a huge favor. “I wondered if you could come in for a few hours in the afternoon, like no more than three or four, to cover for me,” she said. “If you can, I’ll work your Sunday shift.”

  “Are you borderline crazy?” Stacy asked, sitting up. “Because I’ve looked at the schedule, and that’ll leave you with a twenty.”

  “Yeah, I know.” Riley had looked at the schedule, too, and hadn’t stopped thinking about it ever since Noah had mentioned the comic convention. “It’s fine. I’ll do the twenty. I just need a few hours free on Saturday, if you can help out.”

  “I can, yeah,” Stacy said. “If you tell me what’s up.”

  Riley sighed. “Fine, if you insist. I sort of have a date. Or at least a potential date.”

  “A date?” Stacy sounded fully awake now. “You have time to date?”

  “No, I don’t, obviously, or I wouldn’t be asking this favor,” Riley said. “It’s fine. Never mind.”

  “’Never mind’ nothing. I already told you I’d do it,” Stacy said. “I’m just surprised, that’s all. Who’s the guy?”

  Riley stole a glance at the television, just in time to see Noah, in his number forty-seven jersey, racing down the ice, the puck on his stick, before passing it to one of his teammates, whose shot went just wide of the goal. “I’d rather not say right now, if that’s okay.”

  Her colleague nodded. “Sure, that’s okay. I got it. Take however long you want.”

  “Thanks, I appreciate it.”

  “Hey, no problem,” Stacy said. “It’s not like it’s every day one of us has a date.”

  Riley couldn’t help but laugh. “True, that.”

  “I just hope this guy’s worth working a twenty, whoever he may be.”

  Riley looked at the TV again, but the game was in a time out. “I think he is.” At least I hope so.

  ***

  Noah hated shootouts. They left too much to luck or chance. Obviously, he wasn’t the only one who felt that way, since the league implemented the three on three overtime format to open up the ice and hopefully have more games won in overtime, rather than go to the shootout. Noah loved the three on three, and the Generals’ top unit, which paired him with Colton and Nik Brantov, was a formidable one with a lot of speed.

  On this particular night, though, no one could find the back of the night during the five-minute overtime. It wasn’t for lack of trying. Noah attempted three shots himself, two of which were saved, and one which clanked off the post. Oh, the infamy. There was little he hated more than hitting the post.

  Noah’s chance for redemption came in the dreaded shootout. Casey scored on his shot, while Nik missed his. Meanwhile, on the other side, Beck made one save on Colorado’s first attempt, but let another shot beat him five hole, leaving things tied going into the third round.

  Colorado missed, making it advantage San Antonio. It was Noah’s chance to shine, to be the hero and win the game for his team. He might not like shootouts, but he still relished moments like this. The puck on his stick, with the chance to win it all.

  This wasn’t the skills competition, and not the time to get fancy. There would be no superhero cape, and no spin-o-rama. Instead, Noah skated straight at the goalie, made one deke to the right, then aimed top shelf.

  Score! The deke must have worked, because the goalie went low to the right, while the puck went high to the left.

  The result was a quiet arena, except for the road team’s little celebration on the bench, as Noah received the congratulatory fist bumps from his teammates. He was also awarded the toy gun holster, which went to the team’s best player after every game. It was a jubilant locker room after an important road win, and afterward, several of the guys decided to celebrate in downtown Denver.

  The club scene wasn’t Noah’s gig, though, and an hour later, he sat in the lobby bar of the team’s hotel, nursing a beer and watching a game between Dallas and Vancouver. The unusual part about that was that Casey joined him.

  Casey, who once would would have been the first one to the party district, in search of booze and willing women, now sat alongside Noah, nursing a rum and coke while they watched their instate rival. Most nights, Noah would have gone back to his room and watched the game there. He was only here because Casey asked him, leaving Noah to wonder what his role was.

  “Am I here to keep you in line?” he asked, then wanted to
take the words back, afraid he might have offended his teammate.

  Instead, Casey simply laughed and shook his head. “No way. I don’t need anyone to ‘keep me in line’ so to speak. The best things that’s ever happened to me is waiting for me back home, and if I so much as look at another woman, I lose her. That’s all the incentive I need to walk the straight and narrow.” Casey took a swallow of his drink. “You’re here because I didn’t want to sit and watch the game alone, and I knew you wouldn’t have any other plans.”

  “Are you saying I have no life?”

  “Not when we’re on the road, and that’s probably a good thing. I used to risk disaster, or at least a good benching, the way I tried to skirt curfew.” Casey grabbed a handful of pub mix from the bowl in the center of the table. “No more, though.”

  “Char’s worth it, then, huh?” Noah asked.

  “She’s worth that and a lot more,” Casey said. “How about you? I thought Beck was trying to set you up with some friend of Kendall’s. How’d that go?”

  “Okay, I guess.” Noah shrugged. “She’s a doctor, and busy all the time. I like her a lot, though. I’m hoping I can get her to agree to a date this weekend, if she’s not at the hospital.”

  “In that case, good luck.” Casey touched his glass to Noah’s. “I hope it works out, because let me tell you, there’s nothing better than the love of a good woman.”

  ***

  When Riley hadn’t heard from Noah by Friday, she wondered if she’d acted too hastily in asking Stacy to cover for her for a few hours. Now she might end up working a twenty hour shift with no date to show for it.

  She concentrated on her patients, Luis in particular, as he continued with his treatment. He seemed to be doing better, and might even be released once they were certain the parasite in his body was indeed dead. He wasn’t completely out of the woods, though, and faced the possibility of seizures for years to come.

  When she wasn’t seeing patients on rounds or keeping current on charts, Riley checked her phone every ten minutes, just in case she might have missed a call from Noah.

  She hadn’t, and had all but given up hope when the phone finally rang.

  Noah. “Hello.” She tried to keep her tone casual.

  “Hi there. It’s Noah.”

  “Yes, I know. Are back in town?”

  “Finally, yeah,” he said. “Tough road trip. Last night sucked.”

  Riley knew the team had lost to Arizona the previous night. She’d followed the score, but didn’t really need to, because Luis filled her in, anyway. “Sorry about that. At least you beat Colorado,” she said. “Nice goal.”

  “You saw it?”

  “Yes. I was able to watch a little in the break room.”

  “That’s good. I’m glad,” Noah said. “Did you figure out your schedule for the weekend?”

  Here it was. Now or never. “I did, yes. I have some free time tomorrow afternoon, if the offer of the comic con still stands.”

  “You’re serious? You want to go?” Noah sounded surprised.

  “Are you kidding? I’m a geek girl at heart. I don’t want to miss it.” Riley wouldn’t have admitted that to too many people, but with Noah, she figured it was okay. It might even score her some points.

  “Perfect,” Noah said. “When and where should I pick you up?”

  Riley hesitated. “Would it be possible to meet you there? I’m actually working in the morning.”

  “You never stop, do you?”

  “My patients need me,” Riley said, with a touch of defensiveness. “And I am stopping, at least for a few hours in the afternoon”

  “And I am very happy about that,” Noah said. “How about one o’clock, at the convention center?”

  “That sounds perfect. I’ll meet you there. And Noah?”

  “Hmm?”

  “I’m looking forward to it.”

  “Me, too, Riley. More than you know.”

  Chapter Six

  Noah waited outside the entrance to the convention center, watching the throngs of people dressed in costumes arrive. He saw a lot of Superman, Batman and Spiderman. They were always popular. So was The Joker, and he was out in full force, too, along with Deadpool. Noah spotted one Hyperion, and smiled at the guy and gave a thumbs up. It was met with a puzzled look, and Noah didn’t really blame the guy, since he wasn’t dressed in his own Hyperion cape.

  He’d decided to go without costume for this comic con, instead wearing jeans and a plain red shirt, devoid of any logo or character. He was taking enough of a risk inviting a woman to a comic book convention for a first date. Noah didn’t want to come across as a total nerd by showing up in costume, too.

  Maybe he should have chosen something a little more normal and mainstream, like taking Riley out to dinner, but that seemed so typical and commonplace. Noah liked to be different. Besides, he figured Riley might be game for the comic con, considering she knew who Hyperion was, and also owned medical scrubs adorned with comic book characters. How cool was that? No wonder her young patients liked her so much.

  Noah saw Riley walking toward the entrance, and waved to her. She wore jeans and a blue sweater, and her hair fell loosely to her shoulders. There was a new addition to her appearance today, though. Glasses. Somehow, they managed to make her look even sexier.

  “Hi, Noah,” she greeted him. “Sorry if I’ve kept you waiting.”

  “It’s fine,” he said. “I just got here a few minutes ago myself, and I’ve passed the time looking at everyone’s costumes.”

  “It’s pretty crazy,” Riley said with a laugh. “I parked next to Aquaman and The Hulk.”

  “Interesting combination, there.”

  “I thought so, too.”

  Noah went to the ticket booth and bought tickets for both of them, and they got in the line to go inside. “No costume for you, huh?” he asked.

  “No.” Riley shook her head. “I’m not really into the whole cosplay thing.”

  “Me neither,” Noah said.

  “You mean except when you’re entertaining hockey fans or sick kids?”

  “Something like that, yeah.” The line inched forward. “If you did dress up, who would you be? Just out of curiosity.”

  “Oh, that’s easy,” Riley said. “Catwoman.”

  Noah could picture it. In fact, he liked picturing it. A lot. “Because she’s dark and mysterious?”

  “There is that,” Riley said. “And she’s smoking hot, too, don’t you think?”

  Boy did he. “You’d make a good Catwoman.”

  Riley laughed and shook her head. “No, I wouldn’t. I’m not dark or mysterious, nor am I all that hot.”

  “I beg to differ, at least on that point,” Noah said. He didn’t know her well enough to attest to the first two, at least not yet. He wanted to, though.

  “Ah, flattery,” Riley said. “Thanks, but the truth is, I’m just a geek girl at heart.”

  “Maybe that’s why I like you, then,” Noah said. They finally made it to the front of the line, and he handed over their tickets in exchange for a program. “I’m a geek guy who masquerades as hockey player.”

  “And here I thought you were a hockey player masquerading as a superhero.”

  Noah chuckled. “That, too.” He liked her sense of humor, for sure. “Thanks for agreeing to come to this with me. I realize it’s probably not your typical first date.”

  “No, it’s not,” Riley agreed. “And that’s exactly the reason I rearranged my schedule to be here. I wouldn’t do that for any typical date, but this shows me that you think outside the box. I like that, Noah.” She smiled up at him. “I like that a lot.”

  She was flirting with him now, and Noah wasn’t sure how to respond. Yikes. Talk about being clueless with women. Maybe he should have taken tips from Casey or something. Except Casey probably would have laughed at him over the whole comic con thing, and that was the only reason Riley was here. Noah exhaled. He needed to relax, be himself. Because so far, Riley seemed to lik
e that. “Since you came here from work, I assume you have to go back later?”

  “Unfortunately, yes. I’ve got a friend covering my shift for a few hours,” she said. “Four to be exact, and it’s a much needed break from thinking about sick kids. So let’s go be geeks together.”

  Noah grinned. Yes. He just had to be himself. “I like the sound of that,” he said, and reached for her hand.

  ***

  Riley linked her hand in Noah’s. She couldn’t jerk it away. Not after openly flirting with him. And what was thinking by doing that? It would create the impression that she was interested in him, which, of course, she was. She just didn’t want to be, which was completely crazy.

  It was equally crazy to hope she had a bad time, but Riley had hoped for that very thing on the drive over. If they didn’t get along, if they found out they had nothing in common, then that would be it. They wouldn’t see each other anymore, and Riley could stop thinking about how cute Noah was and how nice it would be to have someone to spend time with when she wasn’t working, because she was always working and she didn’t have time to spend with him. Or something like that. The long hours must be getting to her, because her thoughts weren’t even making sense to herself anymore.

  “What shall we do first?” she asked.

  “Good question.” Noah looked at the program. “Hmm. Ever thought about drawing cartoons?”

  “No, I can’t say that I have.”

  “Me neither, but the drawing workshop is about to start. What do you think? Do you want to go draw your own superhero?”

  Riley chuckled. “That could be scary. I can’t draw a straight line with a ruler.”

  “That’s okay. You don’t want a straight-lined superhero.”

  “Well, when you put it like that...” The workshop did sound fun, and unlike anything Riley had ever done before. “Okay. Let’s go learn how to draw. Who knows, we might decide we’re in the wrong line of work and our true calling is drawing cartoons.”