PARKER

Rushing back from warmups, I break Coach Cooper's big rule and sneak my phone out of my duffle bag. My stomach drops when I read the three texts waiting for me from my girlfriend.

Knowing I only have about thirty seconds before I'm caught, I make the decision to bypass responding to her and text Austin instead.

Hey man, you busy?

Nah, the guys and I were just thinking about going out but haven't decided.

would it be too much of me to ask if you can go to Ships? Kota and Ellie are headed there and I just have a weird feeling about it

Leaving now. I've got this handled, you just focus on the game.

I hear Coach's heavy feet pound the floor outside of the locker room, making me shove my phone back into my bag mere moments before he steps inside. My skate bounces against the floor as he gives his usual pre-game speech, unable to keep my body still while I wait to talk to the guys.

Fuck.

I've learned the hard way that it's not my place to tell her what she can and can not do. I also don't want her to think that my goal is to control her. But my god, I would do anything to lock her back in that house until I get home.

Connor and Brooks flank me while we stand in the back of the group, always the last ones to come out of the tunnel for games.

Brooks nudges me, "why do you look constipated?"

"The girls are going out tonight," I grit my teeth and crack my neck.

"Did you text Austin?" Connor whispers.

Nodding, I keep my eyes ahead, trying to keep my composure. "Yeah, he and a few friends are going there now."

They both rest a gloved hand on my shoulder, "then there's nothing to worry about." Brooks shrugs, "let's go kick some Seattle ass."

True to my rule, the second my feet hit that ice, everything swirling around in my head is pushed away and I'm only focused on the puck in front of me.

~

"You're the fucking man," I jump on top of Brooks, fired up after our shootout win.

While the guys shower him with water bottles, he bows to everyone, humble as ever. The game went for over three hours, not only were there a lot of whistles, but it was a nine-round shootout.

After Coach does his usual post-game speech, I'm first in and out of the showers and rush out to the bus with the boys to turn my phone back on. Enjoying the win seems regretful when I have a missed call from Austin and a text simply saying, call me as soon as you're back at the hotel.

I also have two missed calls from Ellie, four texts asking me to call her or Austin as soon as possible, and my nerves increase when Brooks and Connor flash me their screens, only they have double the number of calls and texts from her.

Because we're all idiots, we try to call Dakota's phone, only to get her voicemail. Our knees bounce over the entire twenty-minute drive back to the hotel, and we waste no time pushing our way off of the bus first and opting for the stairs to run up to our room.

Once the door closes, I call Austin and put him on speakerphone while Connor and Brooks stand straight in front of me.

He picks up on the first ring. "Hey, are you back at the hotel?"

"Yes, what happened?" Connor speaks before I get the chance to.

Our eyes all meet when we hear the tell-tale sound of a hospital PA system in the background while he speaks. "When I showed up, she and Ellie were coming back up to the bar and ordered drinks. Obviously, I didn't think much of it, then Dakota started to look flushed and went to the back door."

When he pauses, taking a breath, mine catches in my throat.

"Josh fist-bumped some guy who had been sitting next to them and started to follow her, so the guys and I rushed out and he had her up against a wall."

"What the fuck," Brooks whispers.

"I socked him before he could do anything else, but she went down. He got someone to drug her drink."

The three of us freeze, and at this moment, I'm more livid than ever.

I'm mad at Connor for insisting I be on this trip. I'm mad at Dakota for downplaying the severity of the situation. And I'm so fucking mad at myself for believing her when she said everything would be fine.

Connor takes my phone and steps into the bathroom, and I'm only half-listening when he tells me he's going to get all of the information from Austin and then call her parents. Brooks tells me to start packing our stuff back up while he goes down to talk to Coach.

I may move around for the next twenty minutes, but I'm not conscious of what I'm doing. All I know is that I need to go back to Michigan.

I don't care if I have to ride a charter bus or even hitchhike, I'm going back. This is my fault.

When Connor finally emerges from the bathroom, his red-rimmed eyes are a sight I've not yet seen of him. "Kota's dad just happened to be flying into Michigan in two days, so he's going to stay for a few days once he gets here."

I just nod.

Brooks walks in a few moments later, "Coach booked us three the first available flight back, we take off first thing in the morning."

"Thanks, man," Connor tells him. "I'm going to call Ellie, congratulate her on vet school, and try to calm her down a bit. Nate is already driving over, so Austin is going to stick around until he gets there."

Once again, I simply nod. They both watch me closely as I lay down in bed and close my eyes, wanting to sleep sooner so that the morning doesn't feel so far away.

~

Unable to bring our bags to the hospital, we took a cab home to drop our things off seconds before hopping into my truck to head over to the hospital.

The guys seem tense around me, probably because I haven't said a word since our phone call with Austin last night, but I just don't have anything important to say.

Right now, our only line of contact is through him. Ellie is riding an emotional rollercoaster and Dakota has been out of it since last night. The doctors said that they had to let the drug run its course, so their job was to keep her hydrated while monitoring her heart rate and oxygen.

All I know is that the last thing I'm prepared to do right now is to see her drugged in a hospital bed, which is why I simply pull up to the front door of the hospital and unlock the doors.

Connor scoffs at me, shaking his head as he jumps out, not saying a word. Brooks sits next to me in the passenger seat, and even though he's never been one to bite when it comes to conflict, he doesn't hesitate to open his mouth.

"Are you really not fucking coming inside with us?"

I glace at him for a moment but quickly turn back so that I'm staring out of the windshield.

"Listen, we're all upset about what happened, but acting like a dick isn't going to change the fact that it did," he speaks softly at first, but his voice turns firm when I still don't respond. "Kota is going to wake up and look for you, and it's gonna break her fucking heart when you're not there. I can only back you up so much, Parker, and you're really fucking pushing me to the edge right now."

With that, he jumps out and slams the door shut, the motion shaking my entire truck. I take only a few seconds to gather my thoughts before heading to my next stop.

~

Everything else aside, it really is a beautiful day outside. The sun is shining bright, melting most of the snow on the ground for at least a few hours.

The perfect day for outside tennis practice.

It's crazy how much information people were willing to give me, which is why I'm standing against the driver's side door of Joshua Gates' Mercedes. Not to be confused with the actual Gates family, though. He just likes to pretend.

He's not as good at pretending as he thinks, because I instantly notice the hidden panic in his eyes when he notices me. Or should I say eye, since his right one is almost swollen shut.

"Beautiful day, isn't it?" I smile at him once he's close enough to hear.

"Get away from me," he growls.

"Funny," I chuckle. "You say that right now but don't respect when it's said to you."

When he takes an aggressive step at me, I swing, and my knuckles immediately begin to throb after the crack of his nose fills the air. I hate punching people.

Bending down to his ear, I angrily whisper, "who'd you get to drug her?"

"Fuck off," he spits blood onto the concrete.

"Okay then," I bring both hands to his shoulders and drive my knee into his crotch, sending him to the floor.

As he writhes around groaning, I kneel, once again getting in his face. "Look at either of my girls ever again and I will ruin your fucking life," I spit out.

With that I stand back up, brush the dirt off of my sweatpants, and wave to his friends as I walk back to my car, feeling much lighter.

"Have a fantastic day, everyone!"

~

"Dakota Lowen's room, please," I interlink my hands on the reception desk, waiting for the worker to guide me.

As she hands me the visitor badge, her eyes fall to my inflamed knuckles, still red from a few minutes ago.

Thanking her quickly, I speed-walk to the elevator but pause when Austin steps out. Even though he and I aren't super close, I walk straight into his embrace.

"Glad to see you here," he pats my back. "They're discharging her in a few minutes and Nate just got here, so I was heading out."

I step away from him, clearing my throat. "Thank you for everything, I owe you one."

"No you don't," he shakes his head. "You should get up there, they need you."

Nodding at him, I step into the elevator, thanking him once more as the doors close. The closer I get to the fifth floor, the more my body begins to shake. I'm just nervous to walk in the room and find out that she doesn't want me there.

Ellie and Nate stand just outside her door, and she runs straight into my arms the second I come into view.

Holding her tight, I kiss the top of her head, "you alright?"

"I'm fine," she steps back, noticing my hand.

"Parker, what did you do?"

"Congrats on Tennesse, I'm glad you're gonna be close."

She stands there, unblinking. "Parker.."

"I took care of it." Wanting to leave the conversation at that, I nod towards the door, "can I go in?"

Nate steps forward, grabbing his sister and moving her aside because she's still staring at my knuckles. "She was just asking for you, Connor and Brooks went down to grab coffee."

Not hesitating for another moment, I quietly step inside and see Dakota sitting on the edge of her bed, preparing to get off. Worry surges through me and I'm instantly standing in front of her, grabbing her hips.

She jumps slightly and stares up at me, shock filling her small voice, "Park."

"Where are you trying to go, baby?"

"Bathroom to pee and change," she holds my forearms for support as her feet hit the floor. "When did you get here?"

Walking backward, I help her all the way to the toilet and stand in front of her while she does her business, just in case. "I just walked in."

"Connor and Brooks got here over an hour ago."

"I had some business to take care of," she holds my shoulders while I help her put on leggings, then stand straight and brush my lips against hers. "I'm not going anywhere now, I promise."

With our foreheads pressed against eachother, I don't miss the tear that rolls down her cheek. "Love," I whisper, holding the back of her head and bear-hugging her. "You're okay now."

"I thought you weren't coming," she grips the back of my shirt, fisting the material.

My heart breaks, even more, when I feel the fabric on my chest dampen. "I will always be there for you when you need me, Kota, and you need me right now."

She lets go and takes a shaky step back. "Then why weren't you here an hour ago, Parker? I needed you then," her eyes drop to my hand. "And you show up late with red fucking knuckles."

The pained tone of her voice physically hurts me more than any hockey injury I've ever received. The tears falling from her eyes might as well be bullets because every single one rips through my chest.

"I went so that I could punch Josh before I walked in here, is that what you want to hear?" I inch towards her, keeping calm. "I had to do it, please don't think that I didn't want to be here for you."

"You didn't have to do that."

"I did, Kota. You and I both know he's deserved it for a damn long time now."

"I wanted you here more than anyone else, and you went to see him first," she sobs, collapsing onto the shower stool and covering her face with her hands as her body shakes. "You said you'd be here the second I needed you, and you went to see him before me."

I drop to my knees, wrapping my fingers around her wrists. "I went there first because I'm not planning on leaving your side until I absolutely have to. I was so fucking pissed off, not only at him, but also myself, and I needed to get it all out before I came in."

She lets me pull her hands away and we make eye contact. "Baby, you're gonna be lucky to have even a second of alone time from now on, I'm dead serious. I'm not going anywhere that you're not."

"I don't want alone time, Parker, not from you."

"Then you won't get any," I assure her.

Her small hands tremble in the air. "I was so scared, I thought he was gonna..."

I grab her head once more, bringing her face to my neck. "Hey, you're safe now. He won't come near you again, I swear."

"I'm sorry," she croaks.

"Why are you sorry, love? None of this is on you, ask anyone waiting outside of this room and they'll agree with me."

"Can I just- can we go home?"

I pull back, kissing her softly. Finally. "Of course, we just need to put your shirt on really quick then we can leave."

She looks down, as if she forgot that all she had on was the hospital gown and leggings, then runs her fingers through my hair while nodding. "I love you so much, Parker," she whispers into the air between us.

"And I'll always love you so much more, sweet girl."

I carefully help her change, and the rest of the crew is waiting for us when we exit the bathroom. Everyone's eyes narrow in on her splotchy skin, an obvious sign that she was crying.

Connor's jaw hardens, "Kota, Ellie has all your discharge papers to fill out then you're free. Nate, would you mind helping her to a chair while Parker, Brooks, and I step out?"

When he steps forward to wrap an arm around her waist, Dakota tenses, gripping me tighter. My muscles freeze as well when she quietly winces at the thought of me leaving.

"It's okay," I kiss her head. "It'll just be a minute, I'll wait for you right outside the room."

Her fingers dig into my bicep, "No."

Brooks walks closer, "what if we stand right in the hall with the door open?"

Those brown eyes beg me to stay, but I know Connor wants answers, and he won't relax until I give them. "I'll be back in before you even finish the paperwork."

Nate pulls her away, depositing her into the chair against the wall, and I walk out with the guys, all while feeling her eyes on my back the entire time.

"Where did you go?" Brooks is quick to ask.

"I think we all know where I went," I hold up my hand, showing them my knuckles.

Connor grabs the collar of my shirt, bringing us nose to nose. "You know that we would've fucking gone with you to do that, but instead you shut us all out and made us question whether or not you were going to show up for her."

"I'm not doing this with you right now, Con. Not while she's watching."

Brooks watches us silently, and I suddenly realize he's only out here to play mediator in case one of us loses our temper.

"She needs you more than me," he growls. "As much as I hate it, it's the truth. So do us both a favor and put her first."

"I will- I do." I drop my voice, "now can you let go of me so I can get back to her?"

He lets me go, stepping back with less anger on his face than before. I quietly thank him, then head back in and kneel next to Dakota's chair, placing a hand on her knee.

"Almost done?"

"Yeah," she drops the pen. "Let's go, please."

Nate holds the wheelchair and I help her sit down on it, then take over pushing. Ellie and Brooks ride with him, and Connor comes with Dakota and me. He cracks jokes the entire drive back to her place, resting a hand on her shoulder, and mine never leaves her leg, both of us holding onto her as if she could disappear at any second.

______

Hi everyone! My upload schedule may be a little funky for the next 2 weeks, because I am 12 hours ahead in Australia so please bear with me!