Page 52 of From Coast to Coast
“I guess it’s too many recurrences of the same injury. He has to have a total shoulder replacement and they’re having to replace some of his cartilage with cadaver donations, or something. I don’t know, Gray, Cor tried to explain it to me, but all I could hear wasLawson will never play again.”
“Oh, Troy.” I put my elbows on the counter and lean my forehead against my hand. “Fuck, I’m so sorry.”
“He’s having surgery today. We’re at the hospital with Nico right now, waiting in pre-op. Sam and I are going to be here for a couple of hours, and then Cor is coming later once he’s in recovery.”
“On a scale of one to ten, where is Lawson at?” I ask, prompting Troy to laugh softly. My heart expands to hear it. A sad Troy is fucking unnatural.
“Every time they ask him about pain, he says a one, like he thinks they’ll believe him. But he’s pretty much been at an eleven on the pissed-off scale since this whole thing went down. He’s frustrated.”
“And probably in pain,” I add humorously.
“Yeah. I feel really bad.”
“I know. How’s Nico doing with everything? I’m assuming…” I trail off, not wanting to insinuate something offensive about the man’s handicap and whether or not he’ll be able to assist Lawson while he recovers.
“Well, he can’t drive and now Lawson can’t, either. We’ve just been switching out, though, so it’s not a big deal. This morning Sam and I picked them up and brought themto the hospital; this afternoon Cor and Nigel will come. Sam and Nigel will have to do most of the work, though, when Corwin and I are at practice and stuff.”
“How’s Corwin doing?” I ask, thinking of the quiet, careful way that Corwin takes care of his friends. If Lawson retiring is hitting Troy hard, I can only imagine how it must feel for Corwin, who has played with Lawson for his entire NHL career. If Troy and I are brothers in everything but blood, Corwin and Lawson are the same.
“You know him—hasn’t once complained or said anything about it other than asking what we can do to help. He’s staying over at Nico and Lawson’s place tonight, actually. He wants to mother hen, but can’t do that if Lawson isn’t within arm’s length.”
“Let me guess. That was Nigel’s idea, wasn’t it?”
Troy laughs again. “Sure was. He suggested to Nico that it might be helpful to have Corwin over there for a night or two, helping with the cooking and cleaning so that Nico could focus on Lawson. You should have seen Corwin’s face when Nico agreed to it—he lookedsorelieved.”
“Well played, Nigel. Well played.”
“Sam says Cor would be happiest with all of us living on the same street. Same house, if he could manage it.”
“If you have room for one more, I’d like in on that.”
“I wish you were closer,” Troy says honestly, and then hastily clears his throat. It makes me smile, especially since he’s probably blushing.
“So do I,” I admit. “Unfortunately, Colorado is in the opposite direction. Same country though, so I guess that’s a step in the right direction. Maybe I’ll look into flights your way for Christmas orAll-Star Weekend.”
“Really?” Troy’s voice kicks up several octaves, excitement practically dripping off the word.
“Yeah. It’s been too long since I’ve seen you. I was just telling Remy how much I missed you, actually.”
“Remy Stone? He’s been playing really well with Zolkov. He seems pretty steady as far as points—I haven’t seen him have a truly bad season yet. Do you like him?”
Do I like him? What a simple question to have such a complicated answer. Yes, I like him. I like the brown of his tanned skin and the way his wide shoulders taper down to a narrow waist. I like the way he smiles with only half of his mouth and all of his eyes. I like the way he says what he thinks and how he feels, and doesn’t see a problem with spending the night in another man’s bed. I like that he thinks I’m beautiful.
“Yeah, Troy, I really like him.”
“Oh, is it…hold on, Gray, I’m sorry.”
I hear Sam’s voice briefly in the background before the noise abruptly cuts off as Troy mutes the call. Taking the opportunity to throw back some of my tea, I carefully walk over to my bedroom door and crack it open. Remy is still asleep, one arm tucked under the pillow and a single foot visible peeking out from under the sheet. He’s breathing deeply, mouth parted slightly and hair splayed out across the pillow. He looks warm and inviting, lying there in my bed. He looks like he belongs.
Sighing, I close the bedroom door as silently as I can manage and pad back to the kitchen. I finish my tea and am on a fresh cup when Troy comes back on the line.
“Sam’s here,” he says by way of greeting.
“Hi, Gray. Congratulations on the trade.” Sam’s low, calm voice comes over the phone as it’s passed off by Troy.
“Thanks. Everything all right over there?”
“Yeah, it’ll be okay. They just brought him back to the OR. Nico’s back in Lawson’s room while we wait, but I can grab him if you want to say hi. Troy and I are outside, getting some fresh air.”