On Thin Ice (The Baltimore Banners Book 8) (20 page)

As soon as she had that thought, she realized Dale must not have been the old who sold it to her. There was no way he would have let Lindsay in, no matter how much she paid. She had no idea what to say, not with Lindsay standing there, looking she expected Lauren to say
something
.

She reached down and grabbed her helmet and gloves, holding the helmet under her arm as she picked up her stick. She cleared her throat and tried to smile as she stepped around Lindsay. "Well, it's for a good cause. You should have fun."

Lindsay stepped in front of her, blocking the door. "I'm not going to ask to move back in. I know better." Lindsay's smile was too brief, sad. "But I want to start making it up to you. To prove I'm trying."

"Lindsay, I need to get out there. You don't have to prove anything—"

"But I do. For me, I mean." She shifted her weight from one foot to the other, not quite looking at Lauren. Then she reached into her back pocket and pulled out a crumpled bill. "Let me buy you one of those sports drinks. I know it's not much but—"

"Lindsay, really, you don't have to."

"But I want to."

"I don't need—" Lauren snapped her mouth closed at the look of impatience and disappointment that crossed her sister's pale face. What was she doing? Why was she being so rude about it? Lindsay wanted to buy her a drink. Two dollars for a sports drink as some small way to apologize. Why couldn't Lauren just say yes and let it go at that? If Lindsay could try, she certainly could.

Lauren finally nodded, forcing a smile that felt too stiff on her face. "Okay, I'll let you buy me a sports drink. But I really need to get out there, Lindsay."

Lindsay gave a small bounce, a bright smile spreading across her face as she held the door open for Lauren. "Perfect. I'll be right back with it."

Lauren watched her sprint away, not understanding why Lindsay looked so happy about it. It was nothing more than a silly drink. At least to her. Maybe it was much more than that to Lindsay. Maybe she really was trying.

And maybe Lauren shouldn't get her hopes up too much.

"What the hell is she doing here?" Dale came up beside her, his voice a low hiss as he stared after their sister. Lauren sighed and jammed the helmet on her head.

"Let it go, Dale. She came to apologize."

"And you believe her?"

"No, not really. But she's not hurting anything so just let it go."

"How in the hell did she even get here?"

"I don't know but she actually bought a ticket, Dale. She didn't sneak in. She said she has a job now."

"Yeah, I'll just bet she does."

"Knock it off, okay? Don't you need to go take care of something or go do something before we get started?"

Dale shot her an impatient look then walked away, muttering under his breath. Lauren snapped the chinstrap in place then jumped when a hand closed over her shoulder. She looked up, smiling when she realized it was Kenny.

"Everything okay?"

"Yeah, fine. Dale's just being an ass. Again."

"Why? What happened?"

"Nothing. He's just not happy about Lindsay being here."

"Your sister's here?" Kenny frowned, his gaze moving around the growing crowd filling the stands. It still wasn't as crowded as Lauren had expected, but it wasn't as bad as she'd feared, either. She nudged Kenny in the side, calling his attention back to her.

"It's not a big deal, okay? I'm not worried about it, nobody else should be, either."

The frown on Kenny's face deepened and it looked like he wanted to say something. Whatever it was, he kept it to himself because Lindsay was heading toward them, a bottle in her hand. Her steps faltered, the smile falling from her face for a split-second when she noticed Kenny standing with Lauren. Was she embarrassed—or something else? Lauren didn't know, and it didn't matter because the bright smile was back on her face as she closed the distance between them.

Lindsay glanced at Kenny then turned back to Lauren, holding out the sports drink. "I took a sip, I hope you don't mind."

"Uh, sure, no problem." Lauren tucked the bottle under her arm and pulled on her right glove as Dale called her name. She gave him a quick wave to let him know she heard then turned back to Lindsay. "Thanks. You should probably get a seat, we're getting ready to start."

"I will. And Lauren—thank you."

"Uh, okay." Lauren frowned, not understanding the words, then figuring it didn't matter. Kenny stepped behind her, opening the door, waiting for her. She turned back to Lindsay once more. "If you can stay for the whole thing, you should. It's going to be fun."

"Oh, I have no doubt it will be. I'm looking forward to it." Lindsay's smile grew wider, her eyes shining with excitement. "I'm really looking forward to watching you."

Lindsay turned and headed for the bleachers, leaving Lauren standing there like an idiot as she watched after her. Kenny called her name and she turned to step onto the ice, pushing Lindsay from her mind.

Chapter Twenty-Five

"I think your girlfriend plays better than you."

"Shut up. Seriously? Kiss my ass." Kenny whacked Mat on the leg with his stick, laughing as they skated over to the players' bench. The third period had just started and the ragtag team of firefighters and paramedics was only trailing them by one point. Not that it was a fair game to start with, not when they were playing a bunch of pros. But the other team wasn't that bad, even if they were losing.

Not that what they were doing could really be called a game.

Maybe one out of every four plays was actual real playing, with each team deliberately trying to score. Not entirely serious, but not completely filled with the antics that seemed to permeate all the other plays. And nobody was complaining. How could they, when everyone was laughing and having fun?

That didn't take away from some of the talent he and his teammates were noticing. No, maybe the firefighters weren't seriously playing, but that didn't mean they weren't able to.

That included Lauren, which surprised him. It shouldn't have but it did, and he wondered why, not quite able to admit to himself that maybe he'd been just a little sexist with his expectations. And he had a feeling Lauren could read his mind, because she didn't hesitate with some good-natured chirping whenever she skated past him.

In fact, she just came damn close to scoring, which would have really been embarrassing because he was the one who was supposed to be covering her. She faked him out at the last minute, passing the puck between her legs as she slid left, laughing as she skated past him and shot. Corbin had stopped it, though. Barely. And thank God for small favors because Kenny didn't think he'd ever live it down if the puck had actually crossed the line.

He leaned against the boards and took a long swallow from the water bottle, watching Lauren as she skated over, bent over with the stick braced against her legs. She shook her head, a quick sharp move, then came to a stop in front of the boards, almost stumbling before righting herself. Kenny frowned and skated over to her.

"You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm good." She leaned over the boards and grabbed a bottle, taking a long swallow as she caught her breath. Why was she out of breath? She shouldn't be, they weren't playing hard, not really.

"Are you sure?"

She took a few more long swallows then gave him a smile, one that looked a little strained. "I'm fine. Just got a little dizzy, that's all."

Worry creased his face and he slid closer, resting his hand on her shoulder. "Do you need to sit down? Maybe you should take a break—"

"I'm fine, don't worry. And I'm not sitting down." She took another long swallow from the bottle then leaned her hip against the boards as the next play started. Kenny glanced over his shoulder, making sure they weren't in danger of being hit. It wouldn't be a concern if everyone was actually on the bench, but they had stopped sitting half-way through the first period, everyone just taking a spot near the players' bench instead. Not exactly regulation but Kenny realized early on that the regulations weren't exactly a big priority in this game.

Kenny turned back to Lauren, watching her. Her face was pale instead of being flushed with exertion and she was blinking her eyes, squeezing them tight then reopening them, like she was having trouble focusing.

"Are you sure you're okay?"

Lauren sighed, long and loud, then shot him a look of pure feminine impatience. "I'm fine. Stop worrying. I'm probably just coming down with something, though. I'll sweat it out and be good to go."

"You don't look like you're sweating much to me. In fact, you look like you're cold, not hot."

Lauren slid closer and placed her hand high on his chest, her eyes soft as she blinked and focused on him. "I'm fine, I promise. If I start feeling worse, I'll take a break."

"Are you sure? You shouldn't overdo it—"

"You just want me to stop playing so I don't score, don't you?" She smiled but it was a brief one, her lips trembling just the slightest bit. He leaned forward and tapped his helmet against hers, wishing he could kiss her instead. Not much luck of that happening, not right now anyway.

"Haskell, we're up. Let's go." Randy's voice was filled with suppressed laughter as he tugged on Kenny's jersey, pulling him away from Lauren. What the hell was up with all of his teammates doing their best to keep them separated? First Harland, now Randy. He'd have to have a talk with them later.

He gave Lauren a quick wink then skated out to the neutral zone, getting into position across from Dale. He glanced back at Lauren, saw her leaning against the boards, then turned back to her brother. "I think something's wrong with Lauren."

Dale straightened and automatically looked behind him, searching out his sister. He turned back to Kenny, frowning. "She looks fine to me."

"She said she was dizzy earlier. And she keeps blinking, like she's trying to clear her head or something."

"What'd she say?"

"That she was fine, that she was probably just coming down with something."

"She's not stupid. If something's wrong, she'd say something."

Maybe. Then again, maybe not. Kenny glanced over at Lauren then frowned at Dale. "Aren't you the one who warned me about how stubborn she could be?"

"Yeah but—"

"Are you two done over there? Think we could maybe start playing?" The single official interrupted them, the puck cradled in his hand. Kenny had no idea who the guy was, whether he was a real ref or just someone from the fire department. Had to be someone from the fire department. He didn't seem too concerned with calling any penalties, and Kenny was pretty sure the guy had no clue what icing was.

"We're good, don't let us stop you." Kenny heard some choked laughter at his reply but nobody said anything. The ref dropped the puck but neither him nor Dale were in any hurry to play. They skated down the ice, well behind everyone as they continued their conversation.

"Can you just check on her when you get back there? Maybe she'll tell you if something's wrong."

"If she wouldn't tell you, what makes you think she'd tell me?"

"Because you're her brother."

"Her brother, yeah. Not the one she's in love with."

Kenny stopped so fast he nearly tripped. He opened his mouth then snapped it shut with an audible click. Dale didn't say anything, just stood there watching him, his eyes carefully blank.

No, not blank. Judging. Waiting. Threatening.

Kenny swallowed, his throat suddenly tight. He wished he could sit down, wished there was something close by he could grab for support. "What—" The words came out in a hoarse strangle and he swallowed again, tried to clear his throat. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Just what you think it means."

But Kenny was afraid to think, afraid to take Dale's words at face value. His stomach knotted and made a funny dip and his heart felt like it was ready to burst, to just explode right out of his chest. What was Dale trying to tell him? That Lauren loved him? No. No way. He couldn't be that lucky, he had to be imagining things.

Had to be hoping too much.

Kenny saw movement from the corner of his eye and looked over, noticed the puck flying toward him. He put the blade of his stick on the ice, caught the puck on the tape, and sent it back in the direction it had come from.

"Kenny, dude! What the hell? You gave it back to them."

"Not now, Mat." He turned back to Dale, suddenly angry, thinking this was nothing more than a joke. A cruel twisted joke. "Why would you say something like that? You think you're being funny or something?"

"No, man. Really. That's what she told me. This morning."

"What the hell?" Kenny raised his voice and stepped closer to Dale, his fingers curling into a fist inside his gloves. "Why would you tell me that! It's not your place to say anything. If she wanted me to know—"

"Stubborn, remember? She's too afraid to tell you." Dale pushed Kenny away, grinning. But he saw the steel in the other man's eyes, saw the unspoken question, the unspoken threat.

His sister loved him. Was he man enough to do anything about it? And if he wasn't, Dale was prepared to kick his ass, of that he had no doubt.

Kenny took a deep breath and looked toward the players' bench, his gaze resting on Lauren. She loved him. It was too good to be true, it couldn't be true.

She loved him.

"Well? What about you?" Dale's voice was sharp, laced with warning and expectation. Kenny didn't bother looking at him, not when he was too busy smiling, too busy watching as all the missing pieces of his world finally clicked into place. Something hit him on the shoulder, throwing him momentarily off-balance.

"Yeah, I thought so. But you're going to need to be the first one to say it because she won't. I know Lauren. She'll be too afraid to."

"I can do that." Kenny nodded, not caring how stupid the words sounded. His smile widened and he took a step toward the bench, his eyes still focused on Lauren. She looked over at them, like she knew they were talking about her, and he could see her frown even from where they were. Then she grabbed her stomach and grimaced, a look of pain crossing her face. She looked back at him, tried to smile, then slowly crumpled to the ice.

"Lauren!" Kenny raced across the ice, knocking into Harland and sending him flying in his hurry to reach her. He heard the impatient questions, heard someone shout, heard the shouts and questions fade away as others started to realize something was wrong. He threw his stick and gloves to the side, already on his knees as he slid next to Lauren. She was curled on her side, her breathing too shallow, her skin too pale as pain creased her face.

"Lauren, what is it? What's wrong?"

"I'm…fine."

"You're not fine. What's wrong?" Dale was kneeling beside her now as well, his face a calm mask that hid the worry in his eyes. He reached out for her, carefully removing her gloves and helmet, his voice low and steady as he kept talking. Calm, reassuring. Asking her where it hurt, asking her what was wrong.

"I'm just…woozy. Sick to my stomach. Cold." She pushed up on her elbow and Kenny grabbed her, helped her sit up, letting her lean against him as he closed his arms around her.

"Let's get her up, get her off the ice." Kenny sensed the urgency in Dale's clipped words, felt his heart race in panic. Kenny took a deep breath, tamping down his own urgency as he got to his feet. People were gathered around them now, everyone asking questions. Hands grabbed him, steadying and supporting as he lifted Lauren to her feet then leaned down and scooped her into his arms. He didn't bother to move—he didn't have to because Mat and Harland were next to him, pulling him across the ice, slow and steady. Dale was right in front of him, skating backward, his eyes completely focused on Lauren and nothing else.

"I know I was teasing this morning but are you sure you aren't pregnant?"

Kenny almost stumbled, heard the sharp intake of breath in stereo from Mat and Harland. But then he heard the small snort from Lauren, just a whisper of sound. He looked down, felt the tightness in his chest ease just a little when she glared at her brother.

"You're…an…ass." She shook her head, gasping for breath between each word. Kenny's chest tightened again as anxiety threatened to overtake him. They had almost reached the other side when Lauren stiffened in his arms, one hand clutching at her stomach as a sharp hiss of pain escaped from between her pale lips. Someone opened the door and Kenny carried her through, Mat and Harland clearing space around them as he walked over to a bench and sat down.

People were starting to gather around, no longer content to watch from the bleachers as they asked questions. The firefighters pushed them back, holding their arms out to the sides, blocking them. No, not just the firefighters. His teammates, too. All of them.

A man pushed through, tall and muscular, his dark hair cut military short, a large blue bag over his shoulder. A curvy petite blonde followed him, all business as she carried another large bag in her hand.

Kenny's eyes scanned the crowd, not really seeing faces, seeing only concern. His gaze passed over someone with blonde hair, stopped, went back. Lauren's sister, Lindsay. She stood at the edge of the crowd, a big smile on her face as she watched.

"What's wrong?" The taller man knelt in front of them, his hands moving along Lauren's neck and arms. He grabbed her wrist and held it for a few minutes, frowning, then leaned forward and peered into Lauren's eyes.

"She, uh, said she was dizzy earlier. And she kept blinking, like she couldn't see." Kenny forced the words out, hoping they didn't sound as panicked as he felt.

"I'm…fine."

"Lauren, shut-up, let Dave work." Dale moved closer, no longer hiding his concern, which only made Kenny's anxiety jump through the roof. He tightened his arms around Lauren, like holding her would be enough to make her feel better.

"And she was gasping for breath, like she couldn't breathe."

"Was…not." Kenny heard the stubbornness in her weak voice and wanted to take comfort from it but he was afraid to, not when she looked so pale, so fragile, not when she grabbed her stomach again and winced.

The bigger man, Dave, noticed the reaction and gently moved her hand away, pushing up her jersey and pushing in on her stomach with small little circles. He frowned and reached for a BP cuff, quickly wrapping it around her arm.