Page 85 of The Callahan Effect

The conversation bounced from one subject to another with the effortless rhythm that only existed inside a hockey locker room. Somebody described Ryan's spectacular attempt to motivate everyone during practice that morning, Ben claimed the freshmen had somehow managed to tape two sticks together by accident, and Graham swore he'd found three pairs of gloves abandoned in places they had absolutely no business being.

Graham complained. "I still don't understand how a skate ended up in the video room."

Ryan spread his hands.

"Don't ask me. I gave up trying to understand this team a long time ago."

Ben grinned.

"I blame Oscar."

Oscar looked genuinely offended.

"I wasn't even in the building."

"Exactly."

Everyone laughed and Cameron slapped Oscar’s shoulder.

For a little while it felt less like a hospital room and more like the locker room after practice. Nobody tiptoed around me. Nobody spoke in hushed voices or treated me as though I might break if they joked too loudly. They just carried on being exactly who they always were.

Somewhere in the middle of the chaos Jack wandered across to refill my water before returning to my bedside. Without giving the movement any thought, he reached down and slipped his fingers through mine exactly as he'd done dozens of times over the previous weeks.

The conversation continued uninterrupted until Oscar's attention dropped toward our joined hands and he stopped in the middle of whatever he was saying.

"...Hang on."

Every conversation in the room faded when Oscar pointed directly at us.

"Does that mean you two are together?"

The silence lasted all of two seconds before Ryan rolled his eyes so dramatically I thought they might disappear into the back of his head.

"Of course they're together, dumbass." Ryan replied.

Oscar frowned.

"They are?"

Ryan shrugged.

"I wasn't completely sure until last night. Looking back, though, there were plenty of clues."

"What changed?"

Oscar looked even more confused.

"The second Mason hit the ice, Jack was over the boards before half the medical staff reached him. He never left his side and was holding his hand."

Ben nodded slowly.

"I noticed that too."

"So did I," Caleb admitted. "I figured there had to be more going on than friendship."

Harvey rubbed the back of his neck.

"I wasn't sure what I was seeing."