Page 62 of Bro Code

Hours after he’d arrived, he slouched, exhausted, on a gurney in the discharge room, in his team hoodie and sweatpants, while the team’s clinician explained he had a jaw contusion and mild concussion, and would be on mandatory forty-eight-hour rest. He wasn’t allowed to drive himself home or be left alone. Coach Myers would take him back to the hotel.

Coach Myers? That was the absolute last person he wanted around while he was trying to rest. But he nodded dutifully and started gathering up his things. There was a knock on the door and the clinician said to come in. It opened to reveal Louis.

“Oh.” The doctor frowned. “What happened to Myers?”

“He went home. I’m taking Webb.”

“Who are you?”

“Louis Debonnes. I’m his…data analyst.”

The clinician looked at Riley, then back to Louis. “Have you been cleared for this? And briefed?”

Louis nodded briskly. “Keep the lights off. Wake him up every three hours. If there’s any sign of problems I bring him back here immediately.”

Riley met Louis’ eye across the room. He could feel a smile tugging at his mouth. The doctor hesitated, looking at him again. “And this is okay with you?” he said.

Riley nodded. On the other side of the room, Louis was smiling too.

“And he’s the what? Data analyst?”

“Not the data analyst,” said Riley. “My data analyst.”

Louis drove them back to Riley’s hotel and steered him through the empty lobby with their arms linked. He was being extremely careful about everything – opening doors, carrying Riley’s stuff, treating him like a porcelain doll that might break at any moment. Riley felt it was unnecessary, but…it was cute. So he let him do it.

He was starving, so Louis ordered him a sandwich from room service and sat on the bed with him while he ate it. He was taking his role as caretaker very seriously, and refused to turn on the lights even for this. Crumbs were probably getting everywhere.

When Riley had eaten they lay on their backs with Louis’ head in the crook of his shoulder, quietly breathing together. It was nice.

“Thanks for driving me,” said Riley.

“No problem.”

“Too bad you have to go to work tomorrow. We could hang out here in bed all day. The NHL would never give you time off for that, though.”

Louis chuckled. Then suddenly sighed. It didn’t sound like a happy sigh, and Riley frowned and stroked his shoulder with his thumb. “What?”

“Nothing.”

Riley pursed his lips. “Didn’t sound like nothing.”

“It’s fine. Sorry. I didn’t mean to make a noise.”

“Then it’s definitely not nothing.”

Sighing again, Louis shifted. “When you said ‘time off’ it just reminded me…I think I have to go see my mom.”

Riley let silence sit between them for a while, then ventured, “You haven’t really said anything about her.”

“I know.”

“I didn’t know if I should ask… How is she doing?”

He could hear Louis breathing in the dark for a long time before he said, “She has cancer.”

Riley’s stomach dropped. “Oh.”

“Yeah.”