Page 35 of The Pucking Single Dad

Hunter rubbed his eyes with his fingers. He still looked exhausted. No one could blame him, given the circumstances.

“I kept waking up to check my phone,” Hunter stated. “I kept waiting for the hospital to call and give us an update.”

“Perhaps,” Luna started to say to him. “Perhaps no news is good news.”

Hunter nodded his head. He hoped that this was the case, but he just didn’t know. He knew that staying positive was imperative, but fear overwhelmed him.

“Let’s get dressed and head back down there,” Hunter stated.

When they finished getting dressed, Hunter and Luna caught a cab back to the hospital. Hunter silently hoped and prayed that when he arrived at the hospital, Adam would be awake, his fever broken, and in good spirits. Luna stared out the window, wondering what she could do to take his pain away. For now, her presence and support would have to be enough. She wanted Hunter and Adam to know that she was there for them as a member of their family, and family was everything.

When they finally walked into the hospital, Hunter was floored at what he saw. The entire team was sitting in the hospital waiting room. Both Hunter and Luna were astonished at the sight of every member of the hockey team. Frank was also there, and when he walked up to Hunter, he could see the emotion on his face.

“I told you,” Frank said to Hunter. “I told you that we were all brothers.”

Frank hugged Hunter, and when they embraced, Hunter started crying. He had never felt so supported. He needed this after feeling guilty for taking a break from the team. He thanked everyone for being there. Hunter grabbed Luna’s hand and turned to Frank.

“Let’s go see Adam,” he said.

Adam loved Frank like he was his own grandfather. The rest of the team stayed in the waiting room and waited for an update on Adam’s condition. The three of them walked into Adam’s room to find him awake and happy, lying in bed. The doctor soon followed them.

“His fever finally broke, thank goodness,” the doctor said happily. “We have already started the discharge paperwork. The next few weeks will be critical. He will need to be monitored, but he will be free to go home today. I have asked a nurse to come in and explain everything about his condition and recommended lifestyle changes and what to look for.”

Hunter thanked the doctor and walked over to his son. The father and son embraced. Hunter was so happy that Adam was feeling better and looking more like himself. Frank placed his hand on Hunter’s shoulder.

“Take all the time you need away from the team, Hunter,” Frank said sincerely to him. “Family is the most important thing. You can’t get this time back.”

Frank walked out of the room to give Hunter, Luna, and Adam some time alone together. Soon afterward, a nurse walked in and explained the seriousness of Adam's disease to both Luna and Adam. She explained the importance of rest, hydration, and exercise. She stated that Adam may likely have a flare-up again, and it would be important to monitor him during this criticaltime. She stated it would be essential to monitor his pain levels, and rest and activity would have to be implemented accordingly. However, the most important thing was that Adam stayed hydrated, as it was believed that hydration eliminated the cause of flare-ups for sickle cell disease. Hunter thanked the nurse for her information. He was just so happy to bring his son home. Within an hour, Adam was discharged, and Luna and Hunter went back to Hunter's apartment as a family.

That night, after Adam was in bed, Hunter poured two glasses of wine. He handed a glass of red to Luna and then spoke as she leaned in to listen. “I think we both deserve this,” he said with a laugh. “How are you feeling about everything? Did some time away help? I have to say, Adam and I are both really glad you’re back.”

“I do feel better,” Luna said. “It was nice to be home and reunite with family, but most importantly, my time away made me realize something important.”

“Oh?” Hunter said with curiosity. “What did your time away make you realize?”

“That I don’t want to live without you,” Luna said to him.

She leaned over and kissed him. The two sat on the couch together, drinking wine. Hunter realized that he, too, did not want to live without Luna, and he was going to make sure the two of them were together forever.

Chapter Thirteen: A New Normal

The next few months were filled with major changes in Adam, Luna, and Hunter's routine. Hunter, who was used to training almost every single day for hockey, had been staying at home and attending to his business ventures from the comfort of his apartment. Luna had continued to look after Adam. She had tried to learn as much as she could about sickle cell disease. Adam was getting used to a new diet. He was also learning to listen to his body to ensure no other flare-ups occurred. It was a lot for a small boy to get used to, at his age. Yet, he seemed to be handling everything with great maturity. In fact, everyone was settling into their own routine quite nicely. Hunter enjoyed working from home, and this was the most time he had spent with his son in years. He was truly thankful for the time off.

Hunter and Luna were still going steadily forward in their romance, even with the changes in routine, and on the nights that she and Hunter wanted to go out as a couple, her friendcovered for her and watched Adam. Adam was doing well overall. He still had frequent episodes of fatigue, but his pain was managed. The bond between Luna and Hunter had grown stronger. They had seemed to find their rhythm with one another. It seemed that Adam’s illness and Luna’s trip back to her native country, Guatemala, had helped them. They were now truly settling in together as a blended family.

There were times when Hunter still struggled with being away from his team. Thankfully, his absence did not affect the team too much, as they were still number one in the National Hockey League. Hunter was thankful to his teammates for supporting him and caring for his son. He had even been invited to an end-of-season party for the team. Yet, part of him felt guilty for attending, knowing that he had only been there for part of the season. However, Luna assured him that it was important that he go. Hunter did not know it, but he would be given an award that night at the party. The team had a surprise waiting for him; they wanted to give him something special, considering how hard of a year he had experienced with Adam’s illness.

“Are you sure that I should go tonight?” Hunter asked Luna. “I was only there for half of the season. Plus, who will watch Adam?”

“I have already talked to Ella,” she responded to him. “Plus, it is important to still go out. You have been working in your office for months. Adam is in good hands. I promise you.”

Hunter walked into his closet and started going through his suits. Luna walked in and started looking for a dress to wear. She had practically moved in entirely over the last few months. She considered talking to Hunter about ending the lease on her apartment, but the thought of bringing this up in conversationmade her uneasy. She figured he had enough on his mind already. For now, this was enough, and the two of them were content.

“What about this one?” Hunter asked her while holding up a grey suit.

“You wore that one last week,” she responded to him. “You wore it for the charity function. Here, how about this one, with this tie?”

Luna held up a classic black suit with a bold red tie.