Chapter 4. Guard duty.
The hospital waiting room was crammed full of ducks, some sitting in chairs, on the couch, on the floor and even some standing propped against a wall.
"The question is why would a bear just go after the Cat?" Luis asked after listening to Connie voice her suspicions.
"Man I don't know, because it would throw off our game a little?" Jessie shrugged.
"No, it was too deliberate." Guy said grimly.
"So why?" Ken asked.
"Pay back." Portman spoke up for the first time since they' arrived.
"What do you mean? She didn't do anything to that guy." Luis asked frowning and it was Fulton who replied.
"Riley."
"But he wasn't even there." Charlie pointed out.
"He was." Portman replied and all eyes were once again on him.
"What are you talking about?" Goldberg demanded.
"I saw him after the check; he was by the penalty box. He handed that creep money or something." He explained.
"Are you sure?" Charlie asked and Portman nodded. "We have to tell Coach O'ryan." Charlie said but Fulton shook his head.
"What's he going to do? We don't have any proof, just Portman's word. Besides with all of the friction between us and the varsity team do you think anyone would believe a duck?"
"So what we sit on our hands?" Connie demanded angry now.
"What else can we do?"
"All I know is that we should do more than check one of them." Russ said grimly.
Just then in came the coach.
"She's been moved into a room." He said.
"Their keeping her?" Connie asked alarmed.
"Yes. She received a broken ankle and a concussion." O'ryan informed them all. "So they want to keep her for observation." He finished and Connie bit her lip.
"Can we see her?"
"Only one of you. She was given a mild sedative."
Connie looked around at her team mates and received nods from each of her friends.
"We'll wait out here." Guy told her with a won smile and she returned it and headed off towards the room.
*****
Julie lay there fading in and out of consciousness. The She'd heard the doctor's talking to her, had even managed to answer them but she felt so dizzy, so tired. The darkness was getting thicker. She had the feeling there was something she was supposed to do but what? She couldn't think, let alone search her memory for some detail.
Hearing the opening of the door she attempted to open her eyes.
Hey." She knew that voice. It took a few seconds before she was able to place it.
"Connie?" Was that her voice? It sounded like a frog. She felt her eyes drifting again and fought to keep them open. The game, what had happened? "Did we win?" Julie managed wanly.
"You better believe it." Connie said and Julie attempted a smile but an ache began somewhere in her head so settled for that.
"I have to get some so I'll come by tomorrow after practice to see how your doing." Connie said even as the darkness closed in around her.
*****
"You guys?" Connie asked as they all regrouped back in the hall. She was fussing with her keys.
"Yeah?" Charlie answered first being the closest to her.
"You don't think they'll try anything else now that she's laid up?" She asked and the entire group went quiet.
Charlie wasn't sure if it was just because Connie had voiced his own worry or because he was exhausted but for once he wished he wasn't the captain. To confirm her suspicions.
"No, they'd be stupid to even try." Guy answered before Charlie could even come up with a lie. His friend had draped an arm over Connie's shoulders in a comforting manner and for the first time since returning from the Good Will games she didn't object.
"Yeah I guess." She supposed but it was obvious that he didn't believe it. Still, Connie let him lead her down the hallway with no protests.
"Come on." Charlie headed off after his friends leaving the rest to follow.
"Dude you coming?" Fulton asked when Dean didn't fall into step beside him.
"I got a feeling it isn't over." Portman replied and Fulton looked at his friend for a minute then nodded. Without a word Fulton started back towards their teammate's room.
*****
The first solid thing Julie saw when she awoke was an unfamiliar ceiling. It was white and plain, she knew it wasn't' her room, so where was she?
Julie could tell it was still dark outside because the room's only illumination came from the light above the bed. She realized she was in the hospital but why? What had happened? The more she tried to think the more her head ached and she raised a hand gingerly to her forehead.
"You took a nasty hit." The deep voice said and she scanned the room once again. She quickly found Portman then, where he was sitting beside her. He looks like Hell, she thought to herself, taking in his bleary eyes, rumpled clothes and the stubble marring his stubborn jaw. Confusion hit her and it must have shown on her face because she felt the hand on hers.
"What do you remember?" He asked gruffly.
"I." The cheering, a crunch, the pain and.
"The Bears game, I was waiting for the puck and."
"Oh your awake." Julie looked to the door and found Fulton Reed coming in with two cans of soda in hand.
"I don't understand what's." A wave of dizziness hit her and she felt her stomached churning.
"Jules?" Fulton asked even as his best friend grabbed the bedpan from the bedside table.
Julie had no time for thought as she emptied the contents of her stomach into the little yellow basin. She slumped back in the bed when she was finished and felt her cheeks going red, she had just puked in front of two guys, and they were her team but still.
"Sorry about that." She managed to say and the door opened. Opening her eyes she found a nurse crossing the floor. Fulton stood In the doorway and Julie watched as Portman got up and they left her with the nurse.
*****
Standing in the hall Portman leaned back against the wall. He shut his eyes and took a slow breath. He'd known she'd be sick but he never did real well with watching people puke. At least he'd not followed suit. He felt the can pushed into his hand and reopened his eyes to find his friend looking just as green as he felt.
"They haven't tried anything yet." Fulton began after a few minutes and Portman nodded.
"You might as well head back."
"You?"
"I don't like leaving her completely alone." Portman admitted and Fulton studied him for a long minute.
"You like her." The words now spoken aloud made Portman take a better look at the day's events. The minute he'd seen her pain he'd slid under the lunch table, then he wanted to bash Adam's face in for inadvertently hitting her in the head. Then there was his reaction to the varsity confrontation. His first thought was to deck Riley and kill Cole.
"I just think they're not finished with her. Riley isn't the kind of guy to like being thwarted." Portman said grimly.
"Right. I'll catch you later." Fulton said and banged his fist off of Portman's before heading home.
TBC
The hospital waiting room was crammed full of ducks, some sitting in chairs, on the couch, on the floor and even some standing propped against a wall.
"The question is why would a bear just go after the Cat?" Luis asked after listening to Connie voice her suspicions.
"Man I don't know, because it would throw off our game a little?" Jessie shrugged.
"No, it was too deliberate." Guy said grimly.
"So why?" Ken asked.
"Pay back." Portman spoke up for the first time since they' arrived.
"What do you mean? She didn't do anything to that guy." Luis asked frowning and it was Fulton who replied.
"Riley."
"But he wasn't even there." Charlie pointed out.
"He was." Portman replied and all eyes were once again on him.
"What are you talking about?" Goldberg demanded.
"I saw him after the check; he was by the penalty box. He handed that creep money or something." He explained.
"Are you sure?" Charlie asked and Portman nodded. "We have to tell Coach O'ryan." Charlie said but Fulton shook his head.
"What's he going to do? We don't have any proof, just Portman's word. Besides with all of the friction between us and the varsity team do you think anyone would believe a duck?"
"So what we sit on our hands?" Connie demanded angry now.
"What else can we do?"
"All I know is that we should do more than check one of them." Russ said grimly.
Just then in came the coach.
"She's been moved into a room." He said.
"Their keeping her?" Connie asked alarmed.
"Yes. She received a broken ankle and a concussion." O'ryan informed them all. "So they want to keep her for observation." He finished and Connie bit her lip.
"Can we see her?"
"Only one of you. She was given a mild sedative."
Connie looked around at her team mates and received nods from each of her friends.
"We'll wait out here." Guy told her with a won smile and she returned it and headed off towards the room.
*****
Julie lay there fading in and out of consciousness. The She'd heard the doctor's talking to her, had even managed to answer them but she felt so dizzy, so tired. The darkness was getting thicker. She had the feeling there was something she was supposed to do but what? She couldn't think, let alone search her memory for some detail.
Hearing the opening of the door she attempted to open her eyes.
Hey." She knew that voice. It took a few seconds before she was able to place it.
"Connie?" Was that her voice? It sounded like a frog. She felt her eyes drifting again and fought to keep them open. The game, what had happened? "Did we win?" Julie managed wanly.
"You better believe it." Connie said and Julie attempted a smile but an ache began somewhere in her head so settled for that.
"I have to get some so I'll come by tomorrow after practice to see how your doing." Connie said even as the darkness closed in around her.
*****
"You guys?" Connie asked as they all regrouped back in the hall. She was fussing with her keys.
"Yeah?" Charlie answered first being the closest to her.
"You don't think they'll try anything else now that she's laid up?" She asked and the entire group went quiet.
Charlie wasn't sure if it was just because Connie had voiced his own worry or because he was exhausted but for once he wished he wasn't the captain. To confirm her suspicions.
"No, they'd be stupid to even try." Guy answered before Charlie could even come up with a lie. His friend had draped an arm over Connie's shoulders in a comforting manner and for the first time since returning from the Good Will games she didn't object.
"Yeah I guess." She supposed but it was obvious that he didn't believe it. Still, Connie let him lead her down the hallway with no protests.
"Come on." Charlie headed off after his friends leaving the rest to follow.
"Dude you coming?" Fulton asked when Dean didn't fall into step beside him.
"I got a feeling it isn't over." Portman replied and Fulton looked at his friend for a minute then nodded. Without a word Fulton started back towards their teammate's room.
*****
The first solid thing Julie saw when she awoke was an unfamiliar ceiling. It was white and plain, she knew it wasn't' her room, so where was she?
Julie could tell it was still dark outside because the room's only illumination came from the light above the bed. She realized she was in the hospital but why? What had happened? The more she tried to think the more her head ached and she raised a hand gingerly to her forehead.
"You took a nasty hit." The deep voice said and she scanned the room once again. She quickly found Portman then, where he was sitting beside her. He looks like Hell, she thought to herself, taking in his bleary eyes, rumpled clothes and the stubble marring his stubborn jaw. Confusion hit her and it must have shown on her face because she felt the hand on hers.
"What do you remember?" He asked gruffly.
"I." The cheering, a crunch, the pain and.
"The Bears game, I was waiting for the puck and."
"Oh your awake." Julie looked to the door and found Fulton Reed coming in with two cans of soda in hand.
"I don't understand what's." A wave of dizziness hit her and she felt her stomached churning.
"Jules?" Fulton asked even as his best friend grabbed the bedpan from the bedside table.
Julie had no time for thought as she emptied the contents of her stomach into the little yellow basin. She slumped back in the bed when she was finished and felt her cheeks going red, she had just puked in front of two guys, and they were her team but still.
"Sorry about that." She managed to say and the door opened. Opening her eyes she found a nurse crossing the floor. Fulton stood In the doorway and Julie watched as Portman got up and they left her with the nurse.
*****
Standing in the hall Portman leaned back against the wall. He shut his eyes and took a slow breath. He'd known she'd be sick but he never did real well with watching people puke. At least he'd not followed suit. He felt the can pushed into his hand and reopened his eyes to find his friend looking just as green as he felt.
"They haven't tried anything yet." Fulton began after a few minutes and Portman nodded.
"You might as well head back."
"You?"
"I don't like leaving her completely alone." Portman admitted and Fulton studied him for a long minute.
"You like her." The words now spoken aloud made Portman take a better look at the day's events. The minute he'd seen her pain he'd slid under the lunch table, then he wanted to bash Adam's face in for inadvertently hitting her in the head. Then there was his reaction to the varsity confrontation. His first thought was to deck Riley and kill Cole.
"I just think they're not finished with her. Riley isn't the kind of guy to like being thwarted." Portman said grimly.
"Right. I'll catch you later." Fulton said and banged his fist off of Portman's before heading home.
TBC