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“Can’t believe my little rookie is pregnant,” Ilya sniffled dramatically placing his hand on Luca’s bump, “I’m going to be a grandpa?”
“Rozy, I’m not a rookie anymore. We’ve been on the same team for six years now.” Luca chuckled, getting his gear out to put it on, “and definitely not a grandpa,” Luca trailed off, “uncle is more fitting.”
“Yes, but you are baby,” Ilya pouted, “my baby. Shane and I are like your hockey parents.”
Shane sighed, “you’re ridiculous.”
Luca pulled his shirt off—allowing for his small bump to be observed—and everyone wanted their moment to closely admire it until Marlow showed up. Now, everybody’s hands were snatched back and kept to themselves.
Marlow smirked, walking over to give him a swift kiss and a comforting rub to his bump before Luca finished dressing, “you look beautiful, angel.”
Luca leaned into his alpha, taking in a deep breath, smelling the loving adoration soaking the air in the scent of Marlow’s pheromones. It calmed his nerves as a dopey smile spread across his face.
“Stop doing that, Cliff, you’re rancid. Not all of us are omegas.” Troy gagged roughly.
Alphas weren’t overly fond of smelling other alphas, so Marlow chuckled at Troy’s suffering. Ilya wasn’t fond of the smell either, but—since he is closer to Marlow—he didn’t share any commentary on that. Of course, he took the opportunity to prod Marlow about their pregnancy.
“I can’t believe you move to my team, impregnate my sweet rookie, and flaunt your possessiveness over him like some bonehead alpha,” Ilya playfully mumbled, “oh how the mighty have fallen.”
“Please don’t ever say impregnate again, Roz, it sounds gross,” Marlow cringed, “oh, and I’d say I’m mightier than ever.”
Luca couldn’t help but roll his eyes at the display before him. He rubbed his small bump as he took in everyone laughing and roughing around before the game. A bunch of waiting around to be uncles, and Ilya was the most overbearing. He couldn’t imagine how Shane felt during his own pregnancy.
“I’m surprised they let you play for as long as they have before sending you on rest.” Shane cut in.
They sent Shane on rest the moment he told them he was pregnant, but Luca convinced them to let him play until he started showing. By that time—he assumed—the fatigue would be worse, and it was. His bump was just now showing, and he was extremely tired compared to the first few months. Tonight was his last game before he went on leave.
“I am too, but I felt bad,” Luca admitted shyly, “you’ve been playing for so long, and you’ve won a lot of cups. The league can afford—practically owed you it—to put you on leave for as long as they did.” Luca shrugged, “you served your years, but I haven’t. So, I asked to play until I couldn’t. Doctor recommended capping out at four months. We don’t want a high-risk pregnancy.”
“Did someone say shit to you? I’ll handle it just let me know,” Marlow questioned tensely.
Ilya nodded, “yeah, if they pressured you through guilt—”
Luca sighed, “no, they didn’t. It was my idea. Just until I started showing and the fatigue hit. That’s why tonight is my last night.”
His and Marlow’s agent announced their eventual hiatus and reason for it. The reaction was mixed, but they expected that much. Male omegas were rare in the league due to the legal requirements they were bound by. They required extra resources to be poured into them for the very risk and reason Luca was in, and the league hated them for it. Most of their fans, and—especially—the people in the league found it to be the equivalent of hemorrhaging money to have omegas. Scent blockers and suppressants were essential for that reason, but sometimes that wasn’t enough. His leave right after Shane returning was the talk of many reports and podcasts. The league gossip got back around to him quicker than he anticipated, and there was a plethora of players and fans convinced Ottawa had some type of curse to land the only two known omegas in the NHL. Montreal’s team had the most shit to talk about him, unsurprisingly. Mainly due to Shane's former friend.
Around two years ago, Hayden had attempted to get with him on the low—despite having a wife and children—and he rejected him. That wasn’t the last time he tried it, but Luca denied him every time. Not only was he not into him, but he wasn’t the type to get with just anyone simply because he’s an omega. Not to mention, Hayden is a beta. There’s nothing wrong with beta men, but they were typically insecure and overbearing, more so than alphas, because they were convinced they had more to prove. Hayden was exactly that type who needed to announce that he was more than capable of taking an omega through a heat. Luca had extreme doubts seeing as his wife is also a beta, and he also had his suspicions that Hayden’s fixation on him had more to do with ego and resentment toward Ilya.
As far as Hayden's ego goes, the backhanded remarks he made about his marriage felt more like he never had access to an omega, so he settled with a beta. He talked about his marriage like he could do better, and it was a handout opportunity he expected Luca to take. Luca heard the rumors that the reason Shane transferred was predominately due to the motivation to out him as an omega, but he never clarified that with them. It wasn’t his business, and—should it be true—he can’t imagine how traumatic it would be to have it brought up. When it came to Ilya, it was no secret that Hayden had a hatred for him. It was also no secret how much Ilya adored him as a rookie. Hayden loved to point out, when he would message him, how he should be careful around Ilya. Luca brushed it off as nonsense, but Hayden’s only response was to take a dig at him being an omega.
That was when Marlow told him to let Hayden know he was taken, and Ilya wasn’t after him. So, he let him know that he was with Marlow, and he sent all the conversation receipts he had to Hayden’s wife. Luca didn’t feel bad for him considering how avoidable this all was if he would've honored his vows and left him alone after the first rejection. A month or so later, news had broke that his wife left him and took the kids. Since then, Hayden had been after him on ice when he could.
That didn’t bode well for Hayden, seeing as Ottawa never played when it came to Luca, so Hayden was taking hit after hit. It didn’t go great for him against Boston either for the rest of that season. Marlow was captain of Boston, at the time, and he was known for his nasty checks. There had been several fights between them on ice and off ice, and it still hadn’t ended even after Marlow’s trade to Ottawa once that season ended. Any targeted rough play on him wasn’t much of a concern until he was against Montreal, and—because of Hayden's deep resentment for how everything turned out—Luca was required to sit out for their last two matches against the Metros.
This time, it was on home ice, so he was definitely going to play. Marlow was there to cover him too, so it calmed his nerves for tonight. Especially knowing after this game, Marlow would be with him for the foreseeable future. At four months, he was ready to start enjoying the rest of his pregnancy and throw the towel in for now. Marlow would cut back on the away games to stay with him because their company was flexible. Luca was more than grateful to have the support he did. There were so many milestones to look forward to, and he was going to document them all.
Everything happened in slow motion for Luca—who had the puck—as he spotted Ilya, Marlow, and Troy all trying to get to him. None of them could reach him to intercept the impact of him getting slammed straight into the boards. He was trying to get the puck away from the wall, but as he turned the air was knocked out of him. He didn’t go down initially, until he was intentionally pushed down by Hayden who started hitting him. He was dazed until his instincts took over when he registered the first hit to his abdomen. He tried to push Hayden off him, but he couldn’t as a second hit landed. There was commotion going on behind him as he caught glimpse of his team and Montreal’s fighting in a huddle.
Someone on his team pulled Hayden off, and he laid there wheezing. He turned his head to see—“Rozy?”
He barely heard the name leave his lips as he continued to watch a hoard of guys fist fighting in front of him. Marlow and Evan were towering over a few Metros. He could see Ilya’s direct hits on Hayden, but he couldn’t understand what all was being said. Then it all came crashing down as a blood curdling scream tore through his throat. His stomach was severely cramping. He seized for a brief second. He might throw up and pass out. He couldn’t tell if he was peeing himself or leaking, but this wasn’t something that happened from a simple hit to the stomach.
Shane and Troy were next to him quickly. Troy was pulling off his helmet so they could see his face. He was crying hard and hyperventilating. Small pleas were leaving his mouth as he begged for someone to explain to him why Shane looked so concerned. His body was too tense to relax, but he was trying his best to listen to Shane’s directions.
Troy’s head turned toward Shane, “there’s too much blood, don’t move him!”
He tugged on Troy’s arm at the sound of his panic, “my baby?”
It was all he could muster up, and Troy’s distressed face made his body shake harder. His brain melting at the implications. His voice ripped out of him again as he called for Marlow. Begging him to “help” and “make it stop” knowing there was nothing his alpha could do, and he couldn't get over to Luca quick enough as the medics were there lifting him up. He had no clue what was going on besides the fact he was terrified, and he was immediately rushed to the hospital.
He blanked in and out unable to stay present in the moment. There were so many people running around him, sticking him with things, asking him questions he couldn't answer, and overwhelming his mind. He just wanted to know if their baby was fine, and he wanted his alpha. He wasn’t sure how long he’d been there before the nurse appeared only allowing Marlow in.
Too many complications later, Luca was sent home with clear instructions to make himself comfortable—in their bathroom—so he could pass their baby. It would take one to four hours after the initial medicine is taken, and then another six to eight hours to pass. He’d be bleeding excessively until it was through, and potentially spotting for the next month. He wanted to die. This was supposed to be their final game before they went on leave. Now he was going on leave for recovery from a medically induced miscarriage.
His teammates wanted to see him, but he couldn’t face them after everything. There was a risk to playing, and he took the risk for a game that killed their baby. He wasn't entirely sure how Marlow didn't hate him, and the intrusive thoughts were incessant. He was fully convinced Marlow was going to leave him. That he hated him for everything. He was so excited to be a dad. They both were. He ruined it, and he couldn’t face anyone. Marlow handled it all for him instead.
He walked into the bathroom, it had been an hour after the medication. The cramping wasn’t so bad, so he continued to build a nest in their tub. He was ready to get this over with. He chose not to lock the door despite his impulse to lock Marlow out. He'd done enough damage as is, and he silently begged Marlow didn't hate him. He’d walk through the door any moment, and Luca could’ve sobbed when he did.
“Beautiful?”
Luca was faced away as he felt Marlow step over him to lay down in their tub with him. He made sure to be face to face with him so he could find any kind of solace there was. Marlow pulled him close, and—for what felt like forever—they laid there silently. Neither could bring themselves to speak at a time like this. In a state like this, Luca only waited for when his mind would inevitably break down and wonder what could've been.
“We’ll never know who they are or who they could've been,” Luca bawled into Marlow’s chest as they lay curled up—crowded together—in the tub, “and it’s all my fault, Marly.”
None of the reassurance mattered after Marlow lifted Luca’s weakened body out of the tub so he could start the passing. Marlow said everything he could under the sun during the hours Luca bled and cramped through the miscarriage, but none of it could ease his distraught mind.
“It’s not your fault.”
“I’d never blame you.”
“I don’t blame you.”
“Please don’t blame yourself.”
“I love you. I’ll never leave you.”
“Just focus on me. Look at me.”
“We’ll get through this, take a breath.”
“You're so strong.”
“I’ll always be here. No matter what.”
“If nothing else, just trust me. Believe me. Lean on me.”
Luca knew it was all true. Marlow wouldn’t lie to him. Deep down he knew his mind was traumatized, and he was in the process of coping and processing the violence of this incident. He couldn’t have known, and he shouldn't have had to account for it. He’d get better eventually, so—for now—he’d choose to have faith Marlow would love him through it all. Even if he coudln’t entirely believe it wasn’t his fault.