Ch. 12 An Affair To Remember?

Rating: PG

Dylan yawned as he opened his eyes. Blinking his eyes, he realized he wasn't in his room.

It all flooded back: the accident… and Marco. He smiled.

"Hey sleepyhead." Marco walked into the room rubbing his eyes. "What are you smiling about?"

"Nothing. Where'd you go?"

"To the bathroom." His clothes were wrinkled and his hair was a mess. Dylan thought he never looked cuter.

"Where's my mom?"

Marco pointed out the door, "Checking on Paige." He sat down. "My turn. Are you okay?"

"Yeah." Dylan shifted a little. "My legs are still numb though. Probably from the painkillers."

Marco lost his smile and looked away.

"What?" Dylan craned his neck as he tried to see Marco's face.

"I don't know if I should be the one to tell you…"

"Tell me what?" The tone of Marco's voice was scaring Dylan. "Marco! Tell me what?"

He was tearing up. "The accident was so bad… The doctor said your spine was almost crushed."

"No…" Dylan's voice was shaky. He knew what was coming.

Marco ignored him and continued. "He said you're paralyzed from the waist down."

"No." Dylan repeated, though he believed it. Thought's raced through Dylan's head.

Oh my God. I'm gonna be in a wheelchair the rest of my life. I can't drive, walk, go upstairs- Stairs… How am I gonna get into school? And with hockey- Hockey! Oh my God! I can't play hockey! If I can't play hockey, I can't get a college scholarship. I can't go to college. No one will hire a high school graduate in a wheelchair. I'll end up poor and on the streets-

Suddenly, a pair of arms wrapping around him yanked him from his thoughts. His mom was back.

"Now don't you worry baby." She wiped away Dylan's tears and put her forehead on his. She looked straight into his eyes and swore, "It'll be alright Dyl. I promise, we'll get through this. Don't worry about a thing." Dylan nodded, temporarily agreeing. "That's my boy."

Paige groggily woke up. She realized that she had fallen asleep on the living room couch. The previous night was a total blur. There was a note on the table.

Dear Paige,

I had Tammy drive you home last night from the hospital. I stopped by this morning but you were asleep and I didn't want to wake you. I have a favor to ask, but only if you want to. In all the hubbub I totally forgot about your father. I keep calling his cell but it's turned off. Could you please look up the number of his hotel and try to get a hold of him? I'd really appreciate it. Don't worry about Dylan. He's gonna be fine. You can drop by if you want.

Love,
Mom

Paige began rifling through phone books. Her father's hotel was about three hours away.

"Ah!" She finally found it. Quickly, she punched the numbers. "Hello? Could I have the number for a Greg Michaelchuk? M-I-C-H-A-E-L-C-H-U-K. Thank you." She hung up and dialed the number the receptionist had given her.

"Hello?" A woman answered the phone.

"Hi…" Paige was confused. "I think I have the wrong number. I'm looking for Greg Michaelchuk?"

"Oh no. He's here."

Paige listened carefully to the conversation going on off of the phone.

"Greg-i-poo!" What?! Greg-i-poo? What the hell?

"Yeah babe?" Oh my God! That's my dad! I don't believe this…

"Someone on the phone for you!" Maybe there's an explanation. Yeah, there has to be one.

"Who?" Relax Paige. Explanation, remember?

"Some woman. You wouldn't be sneaking around on me, would you?" Not on you, just my mother!

"Of course not Shelby. You know you are my one and only love." Oh my God!!! That son of a- That's it!!!

Paige quickly slammed the phone down. She was fuming. "Explanation…" She threw her jacket on. "The only explanation is that he's a lying, cheating, sob… AGG!" She screeched as she slammed the front door behind her. Without even thinking about it, she decided to confront her father: face, to face.

Author's Note: I know absolutely nothing about Mr. Michaelchuk. I just decided to steer away from Dylan for a while. This seemed like an interesting way to do it. (I will go back to Dyl, don't worry.)

Is Mr. Michaelchuk having an affair? Also, a never-before-seen-heard-or-talked-about-in-this-story character arrives next chapter with a whole new attitude. Who? Keep going…