One Month Later

Nicki woke up to Tyler’s lips against hers. She grabbed the back of his head and pulled him closer.

“Good morning.”

“What a nice way to wake up,” she said when she opened her eyes.

She stretched and composed herself. Oh no.

“What time is it?” she asked him.

He groaned. “Almost time for me to leave.”

Nicki pouted. It was her first day of spring break, and Tyler had to go on a road trip. It was a four game stretch. The first was that night against the Penguins.

She rubbed her eyes, trying to wake up.

“Want me to make you breakfast before you go?”

“Only if you don’t mind…” he said, grinning.

It had become routine for Nicki to sleep over the night before Tyler left. She had gotten accustomed to making breakfast for him and Freddy every time she did. She got up out of bed, forgetting that she was only wearing his shirt. She pulled on a pair of pants and made her way to the kitchen. Freddy was at the island drinking coffee. He covered his eyes with his arm.

“Is it safe? Can I look?” he asked, teasing her.

He had walked in on her and Tyler last night. It was his fault. He should be expecting it by now. Nicki had spent a lot of time at the apartment lately, and at least half of it was with Tyler in bed. Or the shower. Or the couch, when Freddy wasn’t there. Even once on the island. They promised they would never tell Freddy, and laughed every time he sat there.

“Yes, you can look.”

“Good.” He faked a shiver. “I saw more of Ty last night than I ever wanted to. You weren’t so bad, though.”

Nicki laughed. “Well if I ever walk in on you and Evaline, I’ll make sure to make it nice and awkward for you.”

Freddy met Evaline when he was in Canada for school. He brought her down for a weekend a couple of weeks ago. She was pretty and had a sense of humor that challenged Freddy’s. Nicki thought they were perfect for each other. It had actually been Nicki that pushed Freddy to try to make things work with her. She was a student in Quebec, so it was hard for them to see each other. But he hadn’t given up on her and Tyler, so she wouldn’t give up on him. She had even gotten Evaline’s phone number. They hit it off really well.

“Speaking of Evaline, I’m going to pick her up today. She’s staying here her whole spring break. You don’t mind, do you?”

“Freddy, it’s your apartment. You don’t have to ask me that.”

“I know I don’t. But you basically live here. I just wanted to make sure it was okay with you.”

“Of course it is! I’m so happy for you. And she’s really awesome. You don’t mind if I hang out with you guys, do you? I have nothing else to do.”

It looked like the three of them would at least be spending the week together. Even though Freddy was there to take care of Marshall, Nicki still stayed over every time Tyler went away. Usually because Freddy begged her to, saying he would be bored by himself. They had grown even closer over the last month. And he had been teaching her how to play the guitar. She had become pretty good at it.

“Nah. But let’s establish a rule. If there’s any kind of clothing on or around the door, please don’t come in.”

“I’m not an idiot Freddy! We left a perfectly clear sign for you last night…”

“But I was drunk. I’m not going to notice a bra lying on the floor when I’m drunk.”

She shook her head as she got out the ingredients to make omelets. If she could, she would make pancakes and French toast every day. But Freddy and Tyler had put on a few pounds, so she had to make things that were a little healthier.

“Ugh. Do you have to ruin it with all of those vegetables?”

“Stop complaining. I don’t have to cook you shit,” she responded.

“Bitch.”

“Douche.”

“Did you just call my girlfriend a bitch?” Tyler came into the room and got Freddy into a head lock.

Nicki giggled. “Thanks for sticking up for me, love.”

He came over and kissed her cheek. She loved spending time with the two of them. They had become family to her. Her father called them the three amigos; they did nearly everything together.

“Voila! Deux omelettes. Bon apetite."

Nicki had been brushing up on her French. It was Evaline’s first language, and Nicki had taken it in high school. They realized that they could have entire conversations without the boys being any the wiser. They hated it when either of them switched languages.

“Shut up,” said Freddy. “You’re gonna make this one long week, aren’t you?”

She laughed and put their plates in front of them. She poured a glass of orange juice for Tyler and one for herself. In minutes, Freddy had finished and put his plate in the sink. He grabbed a jacket and his keys.

“Alright, I’m off.”

Nicki stopped him. “Are you driving all the way to Canada?”

“Clearly not. She took a train. I’m picking her up in Boston. Dumbass.”

“Jerk.”

He smiled at her and said goodbye to Tyler.

“Now you have to leave me too, huh?” she asked.

“I have a few minutes.”

Nicki cleaned up the rest of the dishes and put them in the sink.

“Let’s make ‘em count,” she said, nodding at the island.

** * * * * *

“Oh, come on Nicki! Seriously?” Freddy said as he walked through the door.

She was lying on the couch with Marshall.

“What?!”

“I know what you did.”

“And what was that, Freddy?”

“It reeks of sex in here. You couldn’t have cracked a window or something?”

Nicki laughed. Oops. She heard another laugh and got up off of the couch.

“Hey Evaline!” she said, giving her a hug.

“Hi! Don’t listen to Freddy. Good for you.”

Nicki smiled. She had to admit, it was nice having another girl around.

“It’s so good to see you, you look great,” said Nicki.

“You too! So Freddy tells me the three of us are spending the week together?”

“Only if you don’t mind. I totally understand if you two want some time alone.” She knew what that was like.

“Nonsense.” She leaned in to whisper in Nicki’s ear. “I’ll let you know when to leave.”

They giggled. It was going to be a fun week.

** * * * * *

Tyler stretched out on the ice. He was feeling good. He knew that he was going to have a good game. Everyone else was feeling it, too. Adam skated over to him.

“Hey Segs, you worried about tonight?”

“No. Why would I be?”

“I don’t know, man. Looks like Crosby’s out for your head on a stick.”

“Are you talking about that last game? Nah. He was just frustrated.” He had shaken up Tyler pretty bad, but he knew Sydney a little bit off the ice. He seemed like a nice guy. And he wasn’t a dirty player.

“Think whatever you want. Just know I got your back if anything happens. I’m itchin’ to bash in that pretty boy’s face anyways.”

Tyler laughed. Before every game, Adam picked someone on the team that he would provoke. He loved to fight. He had the most penalty minutes out of anyone on the team by a long shot. It did feel good to know someone like him had your back, though.

“Thanks man.”

Claude called to them from across the ice. It was time for the pre-game speech.

** * * * * *

Nicki reclined on the couch. The place where she and Tyler always sat had been designated as “their spot”. She never sat anywhere else. Marshall hopped up and squeezed in between her and the armrest. She rubbed his ears. Freddy and Evaline came over a moment later with a box of pizza and Solo cups.

“You have to try this stuff Evy brought down from Canada. It’s soo good,” Freddy said, slurring his words a little.

Evaline had bought some strange looking lacquer for her trip down. Freddy handed her a cup. It tasted like cream soda.

“This is actually really good,” she said after taking a sip.

Nicki was ready to have a good night. They had pizza, alcohol, and ice cream for later. And she got to watch Tyler play. As much as she missed him when he was gone, she loved watching him. He was so good. Out of all the girls watching him that night, he only cared about one. And it was her. Nicki smiled to herself.

“Aw, look at you in Ty’s jersey,” Freddy said. “How cute.”

When he was on the road, she always borrowed the same jersey she had worn the night he won the shootout. It was one of their many good luck charms. Like sex every morning before he left…

“Doesn’t it make you nervous to watch him play?” asked Evaline. “I feel like I’m going to pee my pants every time I watch Freddy.”

He put his arm around her and kissed her cheek. “Thanks babe.”

They were too cute. She was so happy for Freddy. He deserved a nice girl.

“Yeah, sometimes I can barely even watch. If they make the playoffs, forget about it. But, it’s better when I’m watching with Freddy or my dad. When I’m by myself I basically have an anxiety attack.”

“Well we’re both here tonight!” said Evaline. She was so sweet.

“I’m glad,” Nicki said as she grabbed a slice of pizza.

“Alright guys, here we go,” Freddy said.

They watched the TV as the game started. Brad scored within the first minute. Nicki threw her arms in the air. Freddy and Evaline cheered, too. For once, she didn’t feel like an idiot celebrating by herself.

At the end of the first period, the Bruins were up two nothing. Right before the buzzer, Nathan slapped a shot through the five hole. They watched as Naoko interviewed a Penguins player. Nicki could care less. She didn’t even know half of their names. She only cared about one team.

“Did you see the way Ty was throwing around Crosby? He made him look like a fool,” Freddy said, laughing.

Nicki didn’t laugh. She remembered all too well the last time Tyler messed with him. He had gotten off lucky with a bruised hip.

“Lighten up Nicki. He’s a big boy. He can take care of himself out there.”

“I know,” she said.

“She’s worried about her man! Leave her alone,” Evaline said, giving Freddy a shove.

“Thanks, Evy. See Freddy? She gets it. It’s a girl thing.”

“Whore,” said Freddy.

“Shithead.”

“Hoebag,” said Evaline. Nicki and Freddy cracked up.

“Who was that directed at?” he asked her.

“No one. I just felt left out.” He laughed again and kissed her. Nicki looked away.

They talked through the intermission. Their conversation ceased as the second period started. The camera was zoomed in on Tyler. He had a big scratch on his face. She wondered what happened – she didn’t remember seeing anything.

A little less than five minutes in, they went on a power play. Claude sent out Tyler, Brad, Chara, Milan, and Dougie. They were playing strong and were getting a bunch of chances to score. Chris Kunitz slapped the puck back into the Bruin’s zone. Tuuka tipped it to Brad, who passed it to Tyler. Tyler flew up the ice and passed to Milan, who gave it right back. Tyler drove in to score. Out of nowhere, Sydney came flying into him, hitting him across the neck with his stick and pushing him into the boards.

Nicki held her breath. She watched, waiting. The announcers were eerily silent.

“Tyler Seguin does not seem to be moving, Phil.”

“Oh God…” She couldn’t take her eyes off of the TV.

The trainers rushed over to him, and the players backed off. Tyler was curled up on his side, facing the boards.

“Looks like they’re bringing out the stretcher and the neck brace,” said one of the announcers.

Nicki felt herself starting to shake. Why couldn’t they just say whether or not he was okay?! She watched as they got him on the stretcher. He still wasn’t moving. They went to a commercial break. Evaline moved over on the couch to hug her. Freddy sat down on the arm rest next to her and put an arm around her. None of them spoke.

The game came back on.

“We just got word of Seguin’s condition. He’s stable but unconscious. It doesn’t look good for him, Phil. They’re getting him onto the ambulance now. It looks like Sydney Crosby will be ejected from this game.”

Nicki burst into tears. She tried to hold it in, making it worse.

“What if he’s not okay?!” she sobbed. “I can’t lose him too.”

“Ty’s going to be fine. They said he’s stable,” Freddy said, trying to soothe her.

“Stable? What if he’s paralyzed? We don’t know anything.” A new wave of shakes tore through her.

“You can’t think like that,” Evaline said.

Freddy’s phone started to ring from across the room. He jumped up to answer it.

“Hello?”

“Hi Jackie.”

Tyler’s mom? Oh my God. Did she see it too?

“Yeah, we saw.”

“Already?”

“Okay. Drive safe. Thanks for calling.”

Nicki looked at him, praying for good news.

“You can relax, Nicki. He’s gonna be okay. He has a concussion and a cracked vertebra in his neck. They’re putting him on a helicopter and bringing him to Mass General. He needs surgery. His family is getting in the car now; they’re coming down to see him.”

She let out a sigh and wiped the tears from her eyes. It was good news. But he still needed surgery.

“I’m going to the hospital.”

“We’re coming with you,” said Evaline. Freddy nodded.

“I’ll take Marshall for a walk in case he needs to go. You girls get ready. I’ll be back in five and we’ll head over.”

“Thank you guys. You’re the best,” said Nicki.

She cleaned up their mess while she waited for Freddy. She needed to preoccupy herself. When everything was picked up, she went into Tyler’s bathroom to fix her makeup. She was a mess. And now she had to meet his family looking like a train wreck. Lovely. Nicki reapplied her makeup and used the waterproof mascara that Tyler had convinced her to buy. It was a good idea.

She stood in his bedroom and took a deep breath, trying to find her center. He was going to be fine. He had to. She heard her phone ring in the distance. It was lying on the couch. Her father was calling her.

“Hello?”

“Hey sweetie. I’m watching the game. Is Tyler okay?”

“I’m not really sure. They’re bringing him to Mass General. We’re heading over there now.”

“I’m so sorry, hon. Hang in there. Do you want me to come?”

“No, you don’t have to do that. I’ll let you know what’s going on when I find out.”

“I hope he’s okay. I love you.”

“Love you too, dad.”

She hung up the phone. Talking to her father helped a little bit. It surprised her how much he cared for Tyler. He never even warmed up to Mark. Freddy walked through the door with Marshall.

“Where’s Evy?” he asked Nicki. She shrugged.

“Right here! Sorry, I was changing,” she said. She had been in her pajamas before.

“Let’s go, then.”

They got to the hospital before Tyler did. One of the women working behind the front desk asked for some kind of verification that they knew him.

“I’m his roommate,” said Freddy. “This is his girlfriend. And this is my girlfriend.”

“I’m sorry, I need something more than that. It’s a security measure.”

“What about a picture? Do you know what he looks like?” Freddy asked. He was desperate.

“A picture would be fine, as long as it shows me enough evidence to believe that you truly know him.”

Freddy sighed with frustration. “Nicki, show her a picture.”

Nicki unlocked her phone and pulled up the picture of them in California when they were at dinner. She showed it to the woman. For insurance, she showed her the one of them kissing. Everything had to be so difficult.

“Okay. You’re going to want to go to the ninth floor and take a left out of the elevators. That will put you in a waiting room. You can sign in and wait for him there.”

“Thank you,” Freddy said, sarcastically.

Nicki got the feeling that he wasn’t feeling so good about Tyler, either. Freddy never got impatient. She watched Evaline grab his hand. They got to the waiting room and signed in. Thirty minutes later, they heard some commotion coming from down the hallway. They all looked to their left.

A group of three men were speed walking down the hallway with a stretcher. Nicki knew who was on it. They brought Tyler right past them. She brought a hand to her mouth trying not to cry. He was still out cold. She hoped they had given him something, and that it wasn’t still from the hit. She felt Freddy rub her back. He didn’t say anything.

They sat in silence for hours. One of the nurses had put on some stupid soap opera. They watched it, but weren’t paying any attention. Nicki leaned forward and put her head between her knees. She was feeling lightheaded.

“You okay?” Freddy asked her. It was the first time they had spoken since sitting down.

“I don’t feel so hot,” she said. “I feel like I’m gonna puke. I think I’m just anxious.”

“I’ll get you some water,” Evaline offered, “I have to get up and stretch anyways.”

“Thanks Evy.”

She got up in search of a vending machine. Freddy grabbed Nicki’s hand. Someone called Freddy’s name. They looked up.

“That’s his family,” Freddy whispered to Nicki. They got up. Tyler’s mom came running over to him and hugged him.

“It’s good to see you Jackie. But there’s no way you should be here right now. It didn’t even take you five hours to get here.”

She pulled away. “Don’t even ask me how fast I drove. I think Candice and Cass are going to have to see a therapist after that ride.”

She looked at Nicki. “You must be Nicki,” she said. Nicki wondered how she knew that, and then realized that she was wearing Tyler’s jersey.

“I am. It’s really nice to meet you. I just wish it didn’t have to be here.”

His mom hugged her, catching her off guard. She hugged her back.

“These are my daughters – Candace and Cassidy.” Two petite blonde girls stepped out from behind their mom.

“I’m Nicki. It’s nice to meet you. Ty’s told me a lot about you. He really loves you guys.”

Each of them hugged her, too. It was fine with Nicki. She loved hugs.

“He really loves you, too,” Cassidy said quietly.

“Cass, shut up!” Candace yelled at her.

Nicki blushed.

“Girls, not here,” his mother scolded. She turned back to Nicki and Freddy. “Have you been here the whole time?”

“Yeah, we came as soon as you called. We got here before Ty. We saw them bring him in.”

Nicki had a flashback of him on the stretcher. She felt her eyes moisten. Don’t cry, don’t cry, she told herself.

“Oh God, are you a crier too?” Candace asked Nicki.

She nodded as the tears fell.

“Well mom, looks like you just made yourself a friend.” She looked at her mom, who was starting to cry, too. “Seriously?”

After the crying stopped and everyone settled down, they sat together in the waiting room. They were running out of chairs. Evaline came back with three waters. She saw Tyler’s family.

“Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t know you would be here so soon. I would have gotten more waters,” she apologized.

“This is my girlfriend, Evaline,” Freddy said. She shook hands with them after handing Nicki and Freddy their waters.

Nicki took a long sip. It made her feel a little better.

“Do you guys want some?” she offered the girls.

They said they were all set. Normally, Nicki would love to have gotten to know his family. But she was too drained to think of anything to say. She just wanted to see Tyler. As if answering her prayers, a man in scrubs came out of a room and walked towards them.

“Are you the Seguin party?” he asked.

“Yes,” answered Jackie.

He nodded. “The surgery went very smoothly. He’ll be out for another hour or so. You can wait in his room, if you’d like. I’ll send a doctor in shortly to explain everything to you.”

He showed them where Tyler’s room was and bid them goodnight. They walked into Tyler’s room. He was propped up on a bunch of pillows, asleep. Nicki didn’t bother trying to hold back her tears. He looked so helpless and fragile. She wanted to sit down next to him, but she didn’t. Instead, she hung back, not sure what to do in front of his family. She noticed that his mother was crying again, too. Nicki felt a hand on her back.

“Go on,” said Freddy. “They won’t care.”

How did he know what she was thinking? She walked timidly over to the bed, taking a seat on the side of it, afraid to hurt him somehow. She brushed the back of her hand against his cheek and leaned in to press her lips against his forehead. More tears streamed down her face. She just wanted him to wake up.

Jackie pulled up a chair on the other side of his bed. She smiled at Nicki. Somehow Nicki felt that their inability to hold it together had already created a strong bond between them.

A small female doctor walked into the room.

“Hi, I’m Dr. Newton,” she said, introducing herself. “I’m going to have to ask any non-family members to leave the room for just a moment.”

Freddy and Evaline nodded and walked out of the room. Nicki didn’t want to move.

“Are you a family member?” she asked Nicki. Before she could answer, Jackie spoke up.

“She’s his fiancé. She needs to be here.”

Nicki quickly hid her hand between her legs so that the doctor wouldn’t notice the absence of a ring. She looked at Jackie to thank her.

“That’s fine. Tyler had a very scary accident, as I’m sure you know. If he was hit any harder, he could have broken his neck. Luckily, he had a single cracked vertebra which we were able to repair in surgery. It will heal stronger than it was before, but we’ll need to be on the lookout for scar tissue build up. Now, he also has a moderate concussion. There was no damage to the brain that we can see, but we’ll have to keep an eye on that as well. He should make a full recovery. As much as I would recommend that he doesn’t play hockey for at least a month, I know he won’t stay out that long. It was a minor surgery and we can give the trainers clearance to let him play in about two and a half weeks. Do you have any questions?”

Nicki took a moment to absorb everything. He was going to be okay.

“When can he come home?” she asked.

“As long as everything goes as planned tonight, he can be discharged tomorrow at noon. However, he is going to need someone to be with him constantly until he heals. If none of you can do that, I would suggest hiring a home nurse to look after him. We have to make sure he doesn’t get an infection. Also, he is going to need to wear a neck brace for a few days to make sure the vertebra sets correctly. Otherwise he would need another surgery.”

No one else had any questions. The doctor left the room and Freddy and Evaline came back. Jackie filled them in on everything the doctor said. She heard Freddy breathe a sigh of relief.

“I’ll take care of him,” Nicki offered.

“You don’t have to do that. I was going to take the week off from work,” Jackie said.

“I’m on spring break for the next two weeks. Really… I want to.” She wrapped her hand around Tyler’s.

“So you really are as nice as Tyler tells me. I’m glad he found himself someone like you. I was starting to get worried about his, well, behavior.”

“Ew, mom,” said Candace.

Nicki laughed a little. “Ty’s changed a lot since we first met. He’s helped me through some really tough times. You have a really amazing son.”

She felt a squeeze on her hand and looked at Tyler.

“I heard that,” he choked out, trying to smile. He sounded hoarse.

Nicki kissed him gently, trying not to hurt him. He brought his hand up to touch her face.

“Oh Tyler I was so worried. I thought I was going to lose you too…” she said, drawing fresh tears.

He reached up to wipe them away. “I’m right here. I’m not going anywhere.” Once he had calmed her down he asked, “What happened?”

Everyone took turns telling their side of the story, ending with the information the doctor had just given them. He looked at his family.

“You guys drove all the way down here?”

“Of course we did. It was really scary, Tyler,” Jackie said, squeezing the hand that Nicki wasn’t holding.

“Yeah, almost as scary as the car ride here,” joked Cassidy.

“Jesus, mom. How fast did you drive?” His voice cracked in and out. She didn’t say anything.

“Do you want some water?” asked Nicki. He nodded his head. She lifted her water bottle up to his lips.

“That’s so much better,” he said, sounding normal again. “So which one of you lucky people gets to take care of me?”

Nicki smiled at him.

“You don’t want to spend your entire spring break waiting on me.”

“Actually, that’s exactly what I want to do. I was probably going to spend most of it at your place, anyways.”

“Mom, now that he’s awake, can we go? I’m tired. No offense, Ty,” said Cassidy.

“Are you going all the way home?” asked Tyler.

“No, I figured we would just rent a hotel room,” Jackie replied.

“Don’t do that. Just stay at our place. Thanks to Nicki we can fit about thirty people on the couch,” he said, smiling at her.

“Yeah,” said Freddy, “Just follow us back. We should get going, too.”

“Okay, girls, we can get going. Thanks boys.”

Everyone gathered their things and said goodbye to Tyler. Nicki stayed seated on his bed.

“You ready, Nicki?” Freddy asked.

She looked at Tyler, then at Freddy. “I’m just gonna spend the night here.”

“Suit yourself,” he said, grabbing Evaline’s hand.

“We’ll be back to get you tomorrow. I love you,” Jackie said.

“Love you too, mom.”

They filed out of the room.

“If I kiss you, will it hurt?”

“I should be fine.”

Nicki leaned forward slowly. They kissed for what felt like hours. They probably would have kept going had it not been for Tyler’s phone going off.

“I don’t even know where my phone is,” he said.

She looked around the room. There was a plastic bag labeled ‘personal items’. She went over and opened it. His phone was right on top. She grabbed it and brought it back over to him. He looked at it and smiled.

“Candace just texted me,” he said, showing her his phone.

Candace 03:55:17: WE <3 HER!!!

“Aw, that is so sweet. I’m so glad they like me! But I don’t get it. I barely said anything to them.”

Nicki watched Tyler text back.

Wat makes u say that?

“Let’s find out why,” he said to her. “I can think of a million or so reasons.”

Nicki leaned in to kiss him again. She adored when he said sweet things to her.

Candace 04:02:56: Shes really pretty and nice. And shes real not like that last bitch. You should have seen her when we walked into the room and she sat on your bed. Adorbs <3

Candace 04:03:04: FYI cass told her you loved her. Good luck with that. Love you bro. Night night

Tyler quickly turned his phone away after reading her last text. Nicki had seen it, but she wasn’t going to say anything. She didn’t want to make him feel uncomfortable. If he loved her, he’d tell her when he was ready.

“What did you do when you walked in?” he asked her.

“This,” she said as she stroked his face and kissed him on the forehead. “Oh and I cried a lot.”

His phone buzzed again.

Candace 04:05:01: PS mom told your dr that she was your fiance. Good luck with that too :)

“My mom did what?!” He looked at Nicki.

“Please calm down. I don’t want you to mess anything up. The doctor said only family members could listen to what was going on with you, so your mom lied and said I was your fiancé so I could stay. She was just trying to be nice to me.”

“Oh. I guess that’s okay.”

He was silent for a moment. Nicki grabbed his hand and started playing with it. Was it really that preposterous to think of her that way?

“I’m really sorry you had to go through all of that today,” he said, “you must have been a wreck.”

“You nearly broke your neck and you’re apologizing to me for it? You’re too much.”

“I’m serious. If we switched places, I don’t know what I would have done.”

Nicki looked at him. “I’m just really glad you’re okay.” Her voice cracked and a tear rolled down her cheek.

“Come here,” he said, opening up his arms.

Nicki swung her feet up onto the bed. Miraculously, both of them fit on it comfortably. She rested her head on his chest and felt him wrap his arms around her.

“I… never mind. Goodnight Ty.”

She had almost said it.