On Thin Ice (22 page)

Blood pounded through Malory’s body and deadened the screams that erupted around her. Someone caught her and held her up so she wouldn’t slide to the floor. People raced to Christopher on the ice. She tried to go to him, but whoever had caught her wouldn’t let her go. His helmet had flown off and his blood stained the ice. He wasn’t moving.

It was Mac Stern whose arms she was in. “Are you okay?”

“Chris . . .” It was all she could get out.

“They’ve got the paramedics out there now.”

Maggie was by her side helping Mac get her to her feet. They looked out over the ice and the swarm of people who crowded in around him. Harvey lifted his head above the others and caught their eyes. He tucked in his lips and shook his head then disappeared back into the sea of people.

Malory swayed again and this time it was Maggie’s arm that came up around her. The woman was a rock even in a crisis.

Police escorted Quincy LeBlanc from the ice, for his own protection, as the crowd booed and hissed at him and some went after him, but the smile on his face was smug. Malory knew at that moment he’d signed on to take Christopher out for good. He’d never managed it as a professional but now he’d done his deed.

Once Quincy LeBlanc was gone the crowd grew silent. They moved Christopher to a board and lifted him to a gurney.

Malory’s eyes flooded with tears and his own mother patted her shoulder.

“He’s fine. He’s going to be fine.” She repeated again and again, but even the usually sturdy voice of Maggie Douglas shook.

Malory looked out at the crowd around him. He didn’t look fine to her at all.

Malory and Maggie followed the paramedics outside. A moment later a booming noise filled the night sky followed by bright lights as the helicopter they had called in to fly him to Denver landed in the back lot behind the arena. Her knees buckled again. Christopher was worse than she had thought.

Harvey ran toward her and Maggie. He laid a hand on Maggie’s shoulder; his eyes were far from dry. “You need to go with him. We’ll be right behind you.”

When he removed his hand from her shoulder, Malory noticed how much it shook. That told her everything. Christopher wasn’t okay.

The hour drive to Grand Junction with her father was silent. They’d turned off the radio; every station had picked up the story of poor sportsmanship gone bad. There was no way she wanted to hear Christopher’s fate from a reporter.

She cried again. She didn’t want to hear anything about Christopher. She wanted to hear from Christopher. Positive thoughts, she had to think positive thought, she reminded herself.  But it just wasn’t happening.

Harvey parked the car in the parking garage of the hospital, and the two of them ran through the doors of the emergency room. Media had crowded the entrance, but the reporters rushing them, asking questions, didn’t slow her and her father down as they raced through the doors. A guard waited for them and escorted them to the back where Maggie sat alone in a cold, white room.

She stood when she saw them and immediately she fell into Harvey’s arms and sobbed against his shoulder. Malory’s chest ached. She rubbed away the pain.

“Is he . . .” There wasn’t anything she wanted to end that sentence with.

“He’s in surgery. Head trauma and internal bleeding.” Maggie lifted her head and looked at them both. “They said one more concussion might kill him.” She sucked in a breath. “This is worse than a concussion.”

Malory felt the blood drain from her face. Her vision blurred and sweat beaded on her brow. For the second time that day Maggie went to her and helped her to a chair to sit. She wished she were as strong as the woman who had to be hurting as much as she was.

Maggie picked up the medal that hung from Malory’s neck and held it between her fingers. “Pray and ask that they keep him safe.” She swallowed hard. “No matter which side they chose to take him or leave him on.”

An hour dragged into another and finally a nurse came for them. They had taken Christopher to ICU. The doctor talked to Maggie and Harvey, but all Malory heard were the echoes of screams that lingered in her head from the moment Christopher hit the ice and his helmet flew off.

Maggie went in to see him first. Malory didn’t know if she’d been in there a few minutes or a few hours. Time had blurred. When Harvey touched her arm to tell her she could go in, she wasn’t sure she could.

He was going to die and she couldn’t watch that. She’d just reclaimed what she’d always wanted, and now she was going to lose it.

Maggie met her at the door to his room, wiping her eyes, she looked Malory and stepped to her.

“Go in. You need to let him hear your voice before you go tonight. Make your peace.”

Malory shook her head. That sounded to final to her. What was Maggie really telling her? She exchanged glances with her father.

“Go. Let him know you love him. He’ll need that.”

She stood a moment longer. How could she possibly go in to tell him good-bye? Hadn’t they just gotten started with hellos?

Reluctantly she walked back to his room and pulled the curtain. The man in the bed was not the one she kissed that morning or made love to last night. No, this was a stranger.

His head was bandaged, and wires and tubes were connected to him. His face was bruised, his nose obviously broken, his eyes black. If only she could kiss him to wake him and they could walk into that happily ever after land together.

She didn’t move at first. The sight of him kept her feet planted, the curtain still gripped in her hand. She chewed the inside of her cheek, fought back the new batch of tears that stung her eyes, and finally walked to him.

“They told me to come in here and make my peace with you, but as far as I’m concerned I am at peace with you. So, Christopher Douglas, I will not speak to you again if you do not come home to me.” Her hands trembled as she unclasped the necklace around her neck. She took his hand in hers. “I love you, you stubborn ass. I love you. I want to be your wife and I want to have a houseful of children with you.” She opened his fingers and laid the medal in the palm of his hand and then closed his fingers around it. “You gave this to me as I wept for you. You gave it to me because Saint Christopher would keep me safe in my travels.” She swallowed hard. “I don’t understand the words they use here or what they’re telling me, but at times it sounds like you’ll be traveling away from me, and that’s what has me most nervous. I want you to take this and be safe in your journey no matter where you may land. I want you to come back to me. I love you and I’ve spent the past fifteen years hating you only because I loved you so much. That doesn’t even make sense. I love you. I love you.” She sobbed.

Her father laid his hand on her shoulder. She hadn’t even realized he’d entered the room.

“It’s time to go.” He turned her from him and walked her out of the room. “I got us rooms at a hotel nearby. I’m going to take you, and you’re going to get some sleep.”

All she could do was nod her head. Yes, she needed sleep. A long sleep that would keep her captive until she met with Christopher again, no matter where he’d be.

Maggie moved to her and held her tight. “He’s too stubborn to leave you now that he has you. You know that, right?”

How could she answer that honestly? “I’m scared. How are you not scared?”

“I know my son. He’ll do what he needs to do. My bet is on you though. I’m absolutely sure he’ll come out of this to be with you.”

Malory wanted her optimism. She needed it. But no matter how far she dug within herself, she couldn’t find it.

Maggie kissed her forehead. “I love you like my own flesh. You go get some rest and come back for me. I’ll need your beautiful face to keep me chipper tomorrow, and he’ll need you so I can rest. We’ll take turns holding his hand until he’s better.”

Malory nodded.

The hotel room was small and dank, and when Harvey closed the door behind him, Malory fell to the bed. Her tears had dried, but her body ached. Her head spun and her stomach rolled. She was starving, but the very thought of food made her sick. She lay back on the bed and turned on the television for noise to occupy her mind. She surfed the channels until she found a M*A*S *H. marathon. It was perfect because it wasn’t a news channel telling her anything that her father, Maggie, or Christopher, for that matter, didn’t tell her themselves.

Her body was riddled with exhaustion, but her mind buzzed. The cell phone in her hand was like a lifeline that wasn’t being used. She wasn’t going to sleep until it rang and she got the news she wanted. And what she wanted was Christopher’s voice on the other end.

Minutes turned to hours and when the light interrupted the darkness that had stilled her mind, she realized she’d given in to sleep. Still dressed in the clothes she’d worn since she’d dressed at Christopher’s house, the phone still clutched in her hand, Malory kicked her feet over the edge of the bed and sat for a moment, regaining her composure. A shower and a pot of coffee would clear her mind.

A tapping at the door startled her. On shaky legs she walked across the room and opened the door to a weary-eyed Samantha.

“Malory, oh, I’m so sorry about everything.”

It was obvious to her that Samantha had been crying, and recently. She carried an overnight bag.

“I knew you and Maggie could use some clothes and toiletries. I didn’t know how long you’d be here, so I brought you some of my clothes. I think I’m a little taller, but that won’t matter too much. I have the restaurant under control. Oh, and Esther Madison heard what had happened and she made her husband turn around and come back to the valley. day before Christmas, can you believe it? Anyway, she came back to run the bakery for you until you get home. Do you have your key?” Malory stood dumbfounded, holding tight to the doorknob, while Samantha remained in the hallway of the hotel. “I’m sorry. I get a bit winded when I’m nervous.”

“No, no. Come in. Sorry. I’m a bit out of sorts.” She stepped back from the door and ran her fingers through her matted hair.

“I ran into your dad at the hospital, and he told me where to find you. He said he slept in a chair, but he didn’t look like he’d slept at all.” Malory only nodded. “He said Chris took a turn for the worse. You must feel awful.”

The air whooshed out of her lungs and she felt dizzy.  Instinctively she sat down on the bed and put her head between her knees. Samantha dropped the bag in the floor and ran to her.

“Are you okay?”

“Fine. I’m fine.”

“I’ll get you some water.” Samantha ran to the sink and pulled the paper off the top of the glass. She filled it with water and ran back to Malory. “Here, drink.”

Malory took the glass, her hands shaky, and sipped. Her breathing returned to normal, but her heart still pounded uncomfortably in her chest.

Samantha stood before her eyes wide and skin pale. “You haven’t talked to your dad, have you?”

“Not yet.”

“Oh, I’m sorry again. I have a big mouth. I should . . .”

“Sam, it’s okay.” She swallowed hard and then took another sip of water. “Where’s your son?”

“Sitters. I had to come. I knew you’d all need something.”

“Thank you. That was so thoughtful.”

“Least I could do, especially since Maggie and Chris have been so good to me. She understands me more than anyone ever has.”

Malory was sure she did.

“I should get a shower. Oh.” She looked around the room. “I don’t have my purse or my keys. I left them at the rink. Or in my Jeep.” She tried to think, but everything was fuzzy. “I don’t have a key to the bakery.”

“I’m sure we can figure it all out. Esther knows she left hers at her son’s in their rush.”

“Maggie’s office,” she blurted out, realizing her partner would have a key. “She’ll have one there.”

Samantha laid her hand on Malory’s arm. “We’ll find it.”

Malory nodded. “I should get a shower and get back down there.” She tried desperately to wipe out Samantha’s words about his condition, but they kept coming back to her, stabbing at her.

“I’ll wait and give you a ride.”

“I’d appreciate that. Thanks.”

The shower made her feel a little better. No more tears fell, but she was sure they were all dried up. She thought about Esther heading back to Aspen Creek to help her out and how Samantha sat in the other room having thought about them. That was how community worked. Everyone looked out for everyone else. Wouldn’t she have done the same thing for anyone else? That was how she was raised.

Then she thought about what else she’d said. She’d said Esther had made her husband turn around the day before Christmas.

Christmas Eve.

The Christmas spirit certainly wasn’t filling her. She didn’t even care.

Malory stepped out of the bathroom in a pair of jeans that she’d rolled up at the ankle and a University of Colorado sweatshirt. She’d pulled her hair into a ponytail so she wouldn’t have to worry about it though the day.

She saw Samantha sitting in the chair by the door, her eyes closed. It was obvious those in town hadn’t had any rest either.

Samantha stirred then woke as Malory walked through the room. “I must have dozed off.”

“It’s okay. I feel the same way.”

Samantha dropped her at the front of the hospital and made sure to step out of the car and hug her. She walked through the lobby of the hospital, ignoring the Christmas tree that twinkled and the stockings that hung from the wall.

Maggie and Harvey were outside the door of the ICU when she arrived, holding each other tight.

Malory stood as the elevator closed behind her. Her feet wouldn’t move her forward. Just the thickness of the air was hard to suck in.

Maggie nodded at something Harvey had said and she stepped back from him. Then, as though they felt her standing nearby, they both turned to her.

Her feet still wouldn’t move. Not moving toward them didn’t stop them from moving toward her, and Maggie wrapped her arms around her.

“We can’t go in for a bit. He’s not doing well.” Maggie ran her hands up and down Malory’s arms. “Did you get some rest?”

She nodded, but there were no words on her tongue.