Megan smiled at the smack she got on the butt as she made her way to her locker. It was Hank's stick. "Great game, M&M. Two goals in your first game? You're a star player", he said, teasing her on the last part. Megan stuck her tongue out at him. "Hank, I am a star. You just don't know it yet", she teased back. Hank was ready with another smart-mouth remark but was cut off because of Megan's phone ringing. She took it out in the hallway to answer it. She was gone for a while and when she came back her eyes were red and she had red spots on her face. Val tilted his head at her, concerned, but she just shook her head. She got her clothes and went to the showers after checking to make sure no one else was in there. She came out and packed her stuff, getting ready to leave. Hank and Pav left, leaving her, Val, and Nick. "Meggie, your eyes were red when you came back from talking on the phone. Are you okay", Val asked, placing a gentle hand on her arm. Megan swallowed hard. "My dad has a relapse of cancer", she replied, fighting the tears that came down her face. Val instantly wrapped her in a hug. "I'm sorry, Meg", he said, gently rubbing her back. They sat there like that for several minutes before Megan felt a tap on her shoulder from behind. She turned and saw Nick standing behind her. "Do you need someone to drive you home, Meggie", he asked. Megan nodded. "You can drive me, Kronner, because you live closer", she said. She turned back to Val and he offered her a soft smile. "I'll see you hopefully tomorrow, line-mate, okay", he said, brushing the black hair from her face. She nodded, feeling just so tired. Val left and Kronner held a hand out to his teammate. Megan gladly took it and was pulled up into a hug. She started crying again and rested her head against her friend's shoulder. She almost collapsed and was caught by her teammate. "Nicky, please take me home", Megan said, her voice cracking. Nick nodded, his hand resting gently on her shoulder.
Megan walked quietly into the house, not wanting to wake up her boyfriend, David. She ate a small snack and then made her way up to her room. She frowned when she saw a light coming under the door of David's room. She slowly opened the door and found David packing. "Davy, where are you going", she asked. David spun around with an angry look on his face. "I'm leaving. You seem to be more interested in your teammates than me", he snapped. Megan shook her head. "Davy, I had a breakdown after my mom called to tell me that my dad has a relapse of cancer", she said. "Well, I feel sorry for you, but I'm leaving. I have another girl, one that won't be more interested in her friends than me", he said, snapping his suitcase shut.
He pushed past her, went down the steps and slammed the door behind him. Megan went to her own room and sobbed. She felt so heartbroken. She suddenly reached for her phone, wanting some company. She thought about it and dialed Nick's number. Megan soon heard his sleepy voice come over the phone. "Nicky, I know it's late, but can you come over? David just left me", she said, trying not to cry. "Sure. I'll be there in about five minutes, okay?" Megan agreed and hung up. Minutes later, it seemed, she heard footsteps in the hallway. "I'm upstairs, Nicky", Megan called. She heard footsteps and the door to her room flung open. Nick sat on the bed next to her and wrapped an arm around her shoulder. Megan started to cry and Nick gently pulled her head to his shoulder. She just cried and cried until she felt way too tired to do it anymore. "I suppose you have to go home now, right", Megan asked. Nick smiled and brushed a hand along her cheek. "I'm not going to leave you, Meggie. And no, I don't need to go home", he said. Megan nodded and then blushed. "I should go make a bed for you", she said, standing up. Nick stood up next to her and gripped her arms firmly. "I can use your guest bedroom. It's fine. You need some sleep. We don't have practice tomorrow, so you can sleep as much as you need", he said. Megan nodded and crawled into bed. "Nicky", she murmured sleepily. "What, M&M", he asked. "Thanks for doing this for me", Megan replied before drifting off into sleep. Nick watched her for a couple minutes, then leaned over and gently kissed her forehead. "You're welcome", he said in a whisper.
Megan woke up feeling sick to her stomach the next morning. She got to the bathroom just in time for her to get sick. She was still leaning over the toilet when she heard footsteps behind her. "Meg, are you okay"? It was Nick's voice. "I… I think so", she said. A hand came in front of her face and she took it. Nick pulled her up and rested his hand on her shoulder. "Are you hungry? I made breakfast", he said, rubbing his friend's shoulder in slow circles. They were sitting at the breakfast table a few minutes later when Megan looked up from her food. "I think I owe you, Nicky. For what you did last night", she said. Nick had been busy cutting up his sausage, but he looked over at his friend. "You don't owe me, Meg. I wanted to do it", he said. Just then, the doorbell rang and Megan answered it, letting her teammate in. "Hi, Val", she said. Her line-mate smiled and hugged her. "Hi, Meggie. Feeling better this morning", he asked. Megan chewed her lip. "I had a rough night". She led Val into the kitchen and he sat down. "You mean after I left", he asked. Megan and Nick shared a looked before the girl nodded. She told Val everything that had happened the night before. Val reached over and touched Megan's hand when she was done. "David always seemed jealous, I mean, from when I've been around him", he said. Megan nodded. "He seemed really jealous of you, Val. Whenever I would laugh at something you said, or tease you, or make faces at you, he looked angry", she said. Nick glanced at his watch. "Val, we've got to get going. Aren't we picking your brother up from the airport?" Val nodded. "We shouldn't be gone long. Are you going to be okay by yourself", he asked, gently rubbing Megan's shoulder. "Yeah, I'll be okay. If I'm not, I can call one of our other teammates to come over", she said.