“Great game,” I said lamely.

He glanced up, smiling, but the smile dropped off his face when he realized I was the one talking. “Thanks.”

He bent down to pick up his skates, and I recognized a dismissal when I saw one. I beat a hasty retreat, considering it an improvement I didn’t walk away with another black eye.

The coach entered the room, and we turned to him, waiting for the news on Brick. He cleared his throat, but he didn’t need to get our attention. All eyes were on him.

“Good game tonight under challenging conditions, boys. It’s never easy to see a teammate go down like that, but you held yourselves together in a manner that would make Brick proud. I’m pleased to say he’s not suffering any sort of spinal injury and will have a full recovery.”

We breathed a collective sigh of relief as a team.

“But—”

I stopped breathing for a moment.

“I’m afraid he’s going to need major wrist surgery and will be out for the remainder of this season, including the playoffs.”

Sighs went around the room, peppered with fucks and damn its.

“It’s unfortunate, but that’s hockey. We’ve all been there. We’ve all experienced injuries among teammates and ourselves. What’s important is to stay together and battle together. We have an exceptional backup goalie in Frontier, and we’re going to support him by playing the best hockey we can play.”

I stole a glance at Jock. He was staring at his hands, firmly clasped in his lap. He didn’t like being the center of attention, unlike some of us, which was good considering he’d been in the background for most of his career.

I’d been debating on talking to Jock about his ex visiting me, but I couldn’t bring myself to pile it on. He already had a lot to handle. Besides, he was better off without her, and I was better off not reminding him that a guy he had to see every day slept with his wife.

The coach finished his speech, and I showered and changed into street clothes. The Puck Brothers, except Easton, were going out to party, and I was joining them. I needed a good night of drunken partying, and this was my last shot before the road trip where Jock and I would be joined at the hip due to the coach’s requirements.

Geneva would be on that road trip, too, and I was looking forward to seeing more of her, as stupid as I knew that was.

~~Geneva~~

Road trips were hard on equipment staff. We worked sixteen-plus-hour days packing and unpacking equipment, setting up in different locker rooms, washing jerseys, and all the other stuff that went along with maintaining a player’s equipment. The work was endless, but I liked it. There was something rewarding about playing a small part in a team’s success. The guys treated us well and recognized the valuable role we played in their daily routines. If someone had told me last summer that I’d enjoy spending the majority of my day washing and drying clothes and towels rather than on a Harley, I’d have laughed in their face, but people change.