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Shane was taken to the hospital. It had been an ugly, devastating hit, and then Shane had been taken to the hospital. They’d made it to the end of the game without their star player, but it had been hard to focus on anything else knowing that Shane had been hurt pretty badly. Hayden wanted to kill Marlow. Hell, he'd tried, until the refs broke up the fight.
At the end of the game, the team couldn’t give them any updates so Hayden called Shane’s mom. Shane’s parents were on vacation in Mexico. Had they been updated yet? Probably, but Hayden had to make sure. And they might know something from the hospital already.
“They told us he’s in the emergency room,” Yuna said. “They’re monitoring him for a concussion. They believe there are some fractures, but they’re waiting on the X-Ray results. We’ll be on the first flight we can get back to Montreal,” she added. “We should get into the airport at about 11:30 tomorrow morning. Unfortunately it’s two connections from here, but it was the first thing we could get. We know he’s in good hands until then, but please let him know that we’ll be there as soon as we can.”
“Do you have Lily’s number?” Hayden asked. “Were you able to call her?”
It had been tickling at the edge of his consciousness. Shane’s emergency contact was his mom, but someone had to tell his secret girlfriend. He could only hope that Shane’s parents knew her better than he did.
“Lily?” Yuna asked into the phone. Hayden’s heart sank. He should have known.
“You don’t know Lily?” he asked.
“Who is Lily?” David’s voice asked, “Does Shane have…does Shane have a new girlfriend?”
“I don’t know, maybe,” Hayden said noncommitally.
“I know he was dating Rose Landry, but he hasn’t told us about a Lily,” Yuna said.
It struck Hayden as so wrong for them to be mentioned in the same sentence. Rose Landry had dated Shane for a few weeks. Lily had been with him for years. Secret or not, it was a very long term relationship.
“He hasn’t told us about her either, but he’s been texting her for years,” Hayden told them. “Almost as long as I've known him. We think she lives in Boston. Way before Rose Landry. And way after.”
“Is that why he’s always smiling into his phone?” Yuna asked.
“Must be,” David agreed.
“Well we don’t have her number,” Yuna told Hayden.
“Oh, shoot,” Hayden said. “I’ll figure out how to let her know.”
He would have to. If she knew about the injury, she must be upset. And if she didn’t, she should know.
-
“We’ve got to figure out how to update Lily about Shane’s injury. I bet she’s so worried,” Hayden told JJ.
“Oh. Well his phone’s right there,” JJ said, pointing to Shane’s locker.
“What?” Hayden asked.
JJ shrugged.
“He left with the paramedics, and no one has brought him his stuff yet.”
“Oh. So…we could bring it to him and tell him to tell her?” Hayden asked.
“Sure. Let’s go over there now,” JJ said.
It would be a relief to see Shane for themselves anyway.
They had to wait a while in the hospital, but eventually they caught a lull where Shane wasn’t being poked or prodded or tested for anything. But he was high as a kite.
“How are you, buddy?” Hayden asked.
“I’m okay. How are you?” Shane answered with a goofy smile. He didn’t seem to understand why someone would be asking how he was doing right now.
“Have you talked to your parents?”
Shane shook his head.
“The doctor said they’re on their way.”
“Good, good. We talked to them. They’re worried about you and they’re coming as fast as they can.”
“That’s good,” Shane said. He didn’t seem overly worried about it. He didn’t seem worried about anything at all, actually.
“Have you talked to Lily? Does she know you’re alright?” Hayden asked.
“Who?” Shane asked, face scrunching up in confusion.
“Lily?” JJ repeated.
“Lil- OH! Lily!” And then a warm smile bloomed across his face. “Lilia!” He giggled happily. “-ilia.” He was even so loopy he missed the beginning of her name.
Hayden and JJ raised their eyebrows at each other and tried not to laugh.
“Do you want to call her?” JJ asked.
“No call, only text,” Shane said.
Hayden tried to hand him the phone, but Shane’s fine motor skills were lacking and he couldn’t quite grasp it well enough to type. His phone unlocked for him, but that was as far as he managed to get.
“Here, I’ll send the message,” Hayden offered, picking the phone back up, “What do you want me to say?”
But Shane’s eyes were closed with a dazed, dreamy smile.
“Lilia.”
Just as Hayden was about to ask again, a nurse barged in.
“I’m sorry, we have some more tests to run, I’m going to need a few minutes with Shane here.”
Hayded nodded.
“We’ll tell her,” JJ said, “We will let her know that you are okay.”
Shane held up a lazy thumbs up.
Out in the hallway, Hayden walked down the corridor back towards the waiting room.
“We should probably call,” Hayden said, “This isn’t a good conversation for text.”
“Yes,” JJ agreed. “Here, give me her number so that we have it after Shane’s phone locks.”
They both very carefully saved her number in their phones.
There were a lot of people around, some of whom might have recognized the two hockey players in their midst.
“Let’s go outside to give her some privacy,” Hayden added.
They walked out of the hospital and down the side of the building before Hayden hit call from Shane’s phone. He put the phone on speaker.
“Shaaaaane,” a voice said into the phone. A familiar voice. A desperate, worried, feverish, upset, familiar voice.
Hayden and JJ stared at each other for a long moment.
“How are you? Please tell me you are okay,” that same voice asked. That same familiar Russian voice. His tone was soothing. It was at once worried and also achingly gentle.
Hayden and JJ just continued to stare at each other.
This could go many different ways.
This could end badly in about 90% of them.
The phone call would end in approximately ten seconds in about 95% of them.
Hayden glanced at the display again to make sure that the phone really, truly, definitely said “Lily.” It did.
They had to say something.
“Shane?”
“He’s okay,” JJ eventually said.
There was a pause on the other end of the line. Rozanov - and there was absolutely no denying that it was him - was silent. But he didn’t hang up.
“He’s been admitted,” Hayden said, waking up to the fact that Shane needed him right now. He needed his friends to hold off on their freak out. “His parents will be here tomorrow.”
JJ nodded even though Rozanov couldn’t see it.
“He’s awake. He’s high as hell, but he’s comfortable. They’re running all the tests and stuff to make sure he’s okay.”
“His parents’ flight gets in at 11:30 in the morning,” Hayden told Rozanov. He looked at JJ. “I don’t think they’ll be here before noon.” He cleared his throat. “If anyone were to want to see Shane. His parents won’t be here until noon. Earlier, um, no one will be here. If, um, someone were to come. to visit. Room 317. No one will be here.”
Hayden threw a hand up, ready to give up.
But then Rozanov finally spoke, for the first time since they’d started talking.
“Okay,” he said simply. And then, “Thank you.” And then he hung up. Which was a relief.
“I can’t believe-” Hayden began at the same time JJ started “Fucking Rozanov!”
They laughed together, somewhat hysterically.
“Who fucking was that on the phone though,” Hayden said. “That wasn’t the Rozanov I know. He fucking hates Shane. And Shane hates him.”
“I do not think they hate each other,” JJ said, stating the obvious.
“Should we call him back?” Hayden asked, skeptically.
“He will not pick up,” JJ said. He looked at his own phone as though it were useless.
Shane’s phone timed out, and now they couldn’t get back in.
“Do you think he really will come tomorrow?” JJ asked a minute later.
Hayden had no doubt about it. Rozanov hadn’t said much, but he’d said enough.
“Yeah, I do.”
“So we talk to him then.”
-
Visiting hours at the hospital started at 8:00. Hayden and JJ showed up at 8:05 and camped out in the corner of the waiting area to see if they could spot Rozanov coming in.
But they couldn’t, because the first they saw of him, he was actually exiting room 317. He’d come in before they had, probably right when visitors were first allowed in, and had already been with Shane.
He’d only stayed ten minutes, so they didn’t have long to wait.
The moment Hayden and JJ spotted him stepping out of the room, they both stood up. Rozanov saw the movement, turned to look at them, and froze.
But there was no pretending that anyone in this room didn’t know exactly what was going on. So he nodded towards the elevator and walked that way without further acknowledging them.
They followed him in.
“Rozanov,” Hayden started once the doors were closed, but he stopped. He had no idea what to say. Rozanov had come after all, and he’d come the first second that he could. He deserved credit for that. He’d also been really fucking worried about Shane.
Hayden hadn’t paid attention to him after the hit. He’d been too busy trying to make Marlow regret it. But he’d watched the highlight reels later. Rozanov hadn’t gone near the scrum. He hadn’t even pretended to care about it. He’d just stayed with Shane looking worried until the referee had had to physically remove him from the scene to let the paramedics do what they needed to do. He’d looked devastated. And then he’d played like shit after.
Rozanov shook his head and silently pointed up at the corner of the ceiling.
Hayden couldn’t actually see a camera, but he understood.
The ride down in the elevator was excruciatingly long.
JJ led them to the exact same place he and Hayden had been standing for the phone call.
“Well?” Rozanov asked, when they had stopped.
Hayden didn’t understand what he was asking. Weren’t they supposed to be the ones asking that.
“‘Well?’ what?” JJ asked. “‘Well?’ yourself. What are you doing here?”
Rozanov shook his head like they were the ones not making sense.
But he didn’t actually answer.
“Why are you in Shane’s phone as Lily?” JJ asked.
“I would think that is very obvious,” Rozanov replied. God, Hayden hated him. But he understood why it was a secret too well.
“Has ‘Lily’ been you the entire time?” JJ asked.
That made Hayden pause. With how upset Rozanov had been after the hit on the ice, it made sense.
“Yes,” Rozanov said, “Obviously.”
“Are you-” Hayden struggled to begin, “with Shane?”
God, it was unthinkable 24 hours ago. But now it seemed impossible that it was anything else. You didn’t talk to your rival that way. You didn’t even talk to your friend that way. “Please tell me you’re okay,” he’d practically begged.
“No,” Rozanov replied, but there was real regret in his voice.
“But you want to be?” Hayden asked.
“Doesn’t matter what I want,” Rozanov replied. And there was that regret again. Was Hayden starting to feel bad for Rozanov? Was he starting to wish the world’s cockiest asshole could be together with his wholesome, sweet, responsible best friend?
Forget Stranger Things, this was the Upside Down.
“Fuck,” Hayden said.
“Yes,” Rozanov agreed, as though Hayden had said anything resembling a complete thought.
But fuck, Hayden was actually beginning to like Rozanov.
“We’ll let you know,” Hayden offered, “If we get any updates.”
“His parents will tell us,” JJ added.
“Thank you,” Rozanov said, sounding like he was capable of gratitude, something Hayden would have thought completely impossible.
“Sure,” Hayden said, just as JJ said, “No problem.”
And then Rozanov left.
Hayden and JJ looked at each other.
“Should we tell Shane?” Hayden asked.
JJ shook his head.
“Not yet. When he’s better.”
“Good idea,” Hayden replied.
“I can’t understand it,” JJ said, “Why? And how? It doesn’t make sense.”
Hayden shrugged as he watched Rozanov walking through the parking lot.
“I think maybe there’s more to Ilya Rozanov than we realized.”