Chapter 9: Shocking News

The rest of the week went by even slower for Teddi. When Friday night rolled around, she was in no mood to go to the hockey game. It may have seemed selfish and petty, but she wasn't in the mood to be at a hockey game where she wasn't playing and co-leading the team with Evan. If anything, she felt that being at that game would just make the stab in her heart hemorrhage even more, especially if the team performed poorly.

Instead of going to the home arena with Sofi, Lauren, and Maya to cheer on the boys, she took the bus back to Minneapolis, deciding that she'd rather spend the weekend in her own house with her grandparents. Because if she was being honest, she was homesick. She missed the cramped little bedroom that she shared with her brother even though she got to come home to it every weekend, her nana's home cooking of some of the best dishes from Mickey's Dining Car, her step-grandfather's warm laughter accompanied by his special hot cocoa, and above all, being able to skate across the blacktop pavement of her driveway, practicing her triple deke. She found herself craving her grandmother's lasagna, which Casey made every Friday night.

Sighing, she got off the bus that stopped outside Mickey's Dining Car and walked across town to her house. It would've been faster if she roller-skated, but she wanted to take the time to clear her head. She still had a lot of anger toward Coach Vargas stewing inside her; she was infuriated that the school took her wanting to start a girls' hockey program at Minnetonka Prep as a colossal joke. She was sick of seeing gossip published about her and her friends in the paper every week. Not to mention, the workload the teachers thrust upon her was just too much. She didn't understand how she was supposed to complete five different homework assignments for each class, let alone keep up with the tests and quizzes she got each week.

When she reached her street, she jogged until she reached her house; she reached inside her backpack pocket and pulled out her house key, inserting it into the lock and jiggling it a few times until the door opened. As soon as she entered, the spicy aroma of lasagna hit her nose and caused her mouth to water as she heard her nana humming in the kitchen.

"Nana, Grandpa, I'm home!" she called as Gordon came downstairs, wearing an easy, lopsided grin.

"Hi, sweetheart." Gordon walked over and draped his arm around her shoulders, dropping a kiss to the top of her head. "Why are you home so early? I thought you'd cheer your brother and boyfriend on at the game." Teddi thought his voice was a little hoarse, but she didn't comment on it.

Teddi shook her head. "And need to breathe the same air as those preppy snobs? No, thank you."

Gordon sighed, and Teddi thought it wheezed a little bit. She wondered how much her dad had told him. She spoke on the phone with Charlie every night, venting her frustrations that she just couldn't seem to make her voice heard, whining about the school bullies who seemed determined to harass them until they dropped out of Minnetonka Prep. She knew Charlie told Gordon everything and that there wasn't much they didn't talk about. Still, she wouldn't lie and say she wasn't annoyed that Charlie and Gordon were talking behind her back.

"Come on, sit down and eat some dinner," Gordon said, leading her to the table, where the casserole dish filled with lasagna awaited them. Casey grabbed a Dr. Pepper out of the refrigerator for Teddi. Teddi watched in disdain as Gordon turned his phone on and put on the podcast covering the Barbarians versus Cardinals game.

"Do we have to listen to that right now?" she grumbled as Casey plated up some lasagna and salad for her.

"We listen to the game every Friday," Casey said.

"I don't know why you bother. It's not like I'm out there playing or anything." Teddi grabbed her fork and stabbed it at her lasagna, shoveling the burning hot food into her mouth. It stung the roof of her mouth, but she hardly cared.

"Teddi, just because you aren't on the team, that doesn't mean they don't still need you," Gordon whispered, his voice raspy. "You may not have the 'C,' and you may not be on the team anymore, but your friends will always need you. Sure, Evan may be the body, but you are the heart. And you're not a little girl anymore, either. Please stop acting this way."

Teddi rolled her eyes. She didn't know when Gordon turned into Jan or Hans, the two Scandinavians who ran the local skate shop and co-owned the Ice Palace before they passed away, but she decided she was already tired of Gordon getting all philosophical on her, trying to make her feel better. "I just don't understand why it's got to get more complicated! I mean, it's bad enough that the school has archaic views on women's rights. But Coach Vargas, he has no excuse going along with that, not when he has a daughter."

"I told you, Teddi, Vargas is between a rock and a hard place," Gordon said gently. "He's truly doing his very best, and he's trying to teach not only the boys but also you the importance of growing and maturing. He wants to see you guys become the adults he knows you can be because he knows it's inside of you."

"But we're not adults yet! We're still kids!" Teddi felt tears press behind her eyes. "I mean, it's bad enough that I lost my mom when I was eleven! I thought that was the worst thing I'd ever have to go through."

Gordon nodded in sympathy. "You know I know how you feel. I know what it's like to lose a parent. But that's only half the battle. As you get older, the world isn't going to go out of its way for you. You're going to find that even after you leave high school, you're still gonna deal with goons and bullies who want to tear you down. It's about how you tackle things head-on even when you don't have any control."

"Part of me knows that," she admitted, eating more of her lasagna. "But I don't know if I am ready yet to accept that."

"And I know that takes time. You just have to be patient."

Teddi nodded. The three of them continued eating dinner quietly, though Teddi grew increasingly concerned that Gordon was starting to cough and that his breathing sounded a bit raspy and shaky. He was no spring chicken; he was in his early sixties, and while Teddi knew Gordon took good care of his health and that a lot of the problems he'd had when he'd been an alcoholic were remedied, he was also getting older and older and at risk for things like cancer and other physical problems. But there was also a part of her that was not too worried; her grandmother was a nurse and took very good care of him, and Gordon exercised regularly; he ran two miles a day and frequently skated at the Ice Palace. Still, she couldn't help worrying about him, considering she'd just gained him as an official grandparent two years ago, and she wasn't ready to let him go yet.

"Are you okay, Grandpa?" she asked, pushing her plate away.

"I'm fine. It's just a cold," Gordon said, clearing his throat and drinking some water.

"But it's been there for the past couple of days," Casey said, concerned. "I gave him some medicine to try and help, but it seems to be getting worse. I think it could be bronchitis. But we won't know until we go to the doctor."

"Well, when are you guys going?" Teddi asked.

"Monday," Gordon answered, sipping more water.

"Why are you waiting until Monday?" Teddi demanded.

"Because that's when he can take me next; he's unavailable until then."

Teddi sighed; she always worried about Gordon's health, though she tried her best not to because she would work herself up into an even bigger worry than necessary.

"But you're breathing very heavy," Teddi commented. She got up from her chair and moved, resting her hand on Gordon's forehead. He didn't feel warm, but it was still disconcerting to her that his breathing seemed to worsen. "I don't like this; I think you should try and get to the doctor earlier than Monday."

"Teddi, I'm okay. You worry too much."

"Can you blame me?" Teddi asked, quirking an eyebrow. "Henry and I already lost our mom. We don't wanna lose our grandpa, and I don't want my dad losing another father."

Gordon closed his eyes, sighing audibly; again, it sounded raspy, and he coughed again, this time, the coughs coming even harder as Teddi rubbed his back gently. Except when Gordon pulled his hand away from his mouth, Teddi was shocked to see blood trickling from his mouth, mixing with the saliva, and that his eyes were rolling back into his head as he got dizzy.

"Oh, God! Grandpa!" Teddi screamed, watching as he collapsed from his chair. She darted to his side, kneeling next to him as Casey called for an ambulance. She flattened him out as Casey knelt near them, beginning chest compressions.

Teddi felt her eyes burning as her throat tightened; she barely registered the tears rolling down her face as she watched Casey desperately try to save her husband, who was losing oxygen the longer they waited for the ambulance. Shakily, she reached for her cell phone and dialed her dad's number, pressing the phone to her ear.

"Hello?" Charlie picked up on the first ring.

"Daddy!" Teddi sobbed uncontrollably, watching as her grandmother kept up the chest compressions. "You – You have to head over here! Now! Grandpa's not breathing! He's – We called an ambulance!"

"What do you mean he's not breathing?" She heard the panic in her dad's voice as he realized he could possibly lose his father.

"I . . . He started coughing up blood! And he passed out! He's not waking up! You've gotta come home!" Teddi screeched into the phone as they heard the wailing sirens outside, and she raced through the house to open the door. She watched as the paramedics pushed Casey away to begin working on Gordon, putting him on an oxygen mask. Her vision blurred with the tears that burned in her eyes as the scene unfolded before her eyes, her breathing coming out in hysterics as the paramedics got Gordon onto a stretcher and wheeled him out of the house into the back of the ambulance. Teddi raced after them, desperate to come with them; Casey followed closely behind her, sitting next to her in the ambulance while the vehicle sped away into the night.

In the locker room, the J.V. Barbarians were panting hard. They just completed the first period and were behind by two goals. But Evan, ever the leader, was determined to keep their heads up so that they had a chance to win.

"We've still got two more periods to go," he said, trying for optimism.

"But these Cardinals are tougher than the ones we played during the Peewees, Evan," said Nick. "There's no way we can beat them."

"Don't think like that, Nick! Come on! We gotta look for the weak spot in the defense and attack it," Evan said, but before he could say more, Coach Vargas came into the locker room; he was followed closely by Henry's dad, Evan's mom, Sofi, Lauren, and Maya. Sofi, Lauren, and Maya were all crying, and even Alex looked near tears.

"Mom? What's wrong?" Evan demanded, getting up and going to her.

"Teddi just called from the house," Charlie whispered. "Gordon's on his way to the hospital."

"What?" breathed Henry, looking like he wanted to deny it. "What – What's wrong with him?"

"Teddi noticed he was breathing heavily and kept asking if he was all right. Mom mentioned she'd be taking him to the doctor, but then he started coughing up blood," Charlie explained, his voice cracking, his blue eyes stained with tears that threatened to fall.

The boys all shared worried glances. Even the sophomores and other freshmen who didn't know Gordon glanced at each other in worry. For Evan, Nick, Sam, Henry, Logan, Koobler, and Gordy, this was the worst news they could ever hear; Evan felt the tears flooding his eyes at the very thought. Ever since he met Gordon, the man had become like another fatherly figure to him; he'd acted as a trainer for the Don't Bothers and even made the Ice Palace their new pond. To even imagine a life without him was unthinkable, and Evan was barely aware of the tears streaming down his face as he shook his head in disbelief, his chest feeling hollow, like someone had reached inside and ripped his beating heart right out.

He could only stare back at Charlie while Henry raced over and hugged his dad, crying fiercely. Nick and Koobler looked distraught, and Logan looked just as terrified. For Koobler, Nick, and Logan, Gordon filled a particular fatherly role in their lives.

"But is he okay?" demanded Koob, looking particularly scared – it had been Gordon who'd helped save his life after he nearly stopped eating altogether during their first summer at the EPIC camp.

"They don't know anything yet. I just came by to let you know I'm going to the hospital right now to be with Teddi and my mom," Charlie said roughly.

"We're coming with you!" said Sam.

"But if you leave, you'd have to forfeit the game," said Coach Vargas. "Is that really what you wanna do?"

"Gordon's family," said Logan, sniffling.

"Screw the game," said Nick. "There will be plenty others this season."

"Yeah," said Gordy.

"Okay, I'll go let the refs know we're forfeiting," said Coach Vargas. "If any of you boys need a ride, I'll take you."

"Really?" Evan asked, stunned. This was the last thing he would've expected from Hal Vargas, who'd split the Ducks apart and had given up fighting to let girls play hockey. But looking at Vargas, he saw a hint of worry in the man's gaze at the sheer thought of Gordon being in the hospital. It was the first time Evan saw Vargas look genuinely scared of anything.

Coach Vargas looked back at him in understanding, his gaze reflecting sympathy. "Gordon's an old friend. This is the least I can do," he said, exiting the locker room.

When Charlie raced through the ER's front doors, he spotted his mother and Teddi sitting in chairs in the waiting area, talking to the doctor. He was followed by the Ducks from the J.V. team, as well as Vargas, Alex, and Adam and Julie Banks, who were flanked by Billy. Quickly, Charlie approached the doctor.

"Are you part of Gordon Bombay's family?" the doctor asked.

"Yes, I'm his son," Charlie said quickly as Teddi raced to his side, jumping on him in a fierce hug. "How is he? Is he all right?"

"For the moment," the doctor said. "He had a pulmonary embolism that went up into his lungs. Luckily, your daughter and mother caught it in time, but we had to put him in a medically induced coma. He'll be in a coma until he starts breathing on his own."

"But when's he gonna wake up?" Teddi demanded tearfully, looking absolutely devastated. Charlie felt his chest ache when he heard her say that; he never wanted either of his children to experience the horror of losing a family member again, but the sadness and hurt his children dealt with as they grieved was something he could never remove, no matter how badly he wanted to take all of their pain and suck it into his own mind and body so that they never had to feel any grief or loss ever again.

"There's no way to tell for sure, honey," the doctor said gently. "But we'll be monitoring him closely, and we're keeping him on a ventilator to give him breathing assistance. Right now, he's hanging in there strong, so we have some faith that he could make it. You can come back there and see him now if you want to."

Teddi nodded, but before she, Charlie, Casey, and Henry could follow the doctor to Gordon's hospital room, they heard the doors flying open, and Ted Orion came bursting into the room, looking more worried than Teddi had ever seen him.

"Is he all right?" Ted demanded.

"He's in a coma, Ted," Charlie said thickly; just saying those words was enough to bring more tears to his eyes as he hugged his kids closely to him.

Ted shook his head, his blue eyes filling as he buried his face into his hands, and Vargas walked over, leaning a soft hand on Ted's shoulder and patting it gently.

"He'll be all right, Ted," Vargas said quietly. "You know him. He never quits."

But Charlie was already leading his family down the hallway to Gordon's hospital room. He knew the other Ducks wanted to see Gordon, but he also knew that only family could be back there for now and that they would also be the only ones permitted to stay in the hospital room overnight. Suddenly, any thoughts he had about needing to grade homework assignments went out the window as he ventured down the sterile, cold hospital to his father's room. But when he got a glimpse inside the room, he felt his breath hitch so far back that he thought he'd throw up.

Gordon lay in the railed hospital bed, a ventilator across his mouth and nose and breathing tubes down his throat. He was hooked up to all sorts of machines, keeping him alive and monitoring his blood pressure, heartbeat, breathing, and other vital signs. Shakily, Charlie wrenched the door handle down and walked into the room; hot tears fell from his eyes as he pulled up a chair and sat at Gordon's bedside, taking his hand while Teddi, Henry, and Casey stood off to the side, all three crying.

Charlie's mouth felt dry. He didn't know what to say or do. Never before had he had to worry like this, not even when Teddi had been hospitalized with the flu, or when Billy had gotten his jugular sliced open at Camp EPIC that one summer. At least during those times, there was certainty that Billy and Teddi were going to be all right. But Gordon's life hung in the balance, and there was uncertainty about whether he'd come out of this and that he'd be okay. Shakily, Charlie wiped his eyes, but it was useless as more tears flowed down his face.

Closing his eyes, Charlie leaned over and pressed a kiss onto Gordon's forehead, and he broke, sobbing loudly as he collapsed back into his chair, burying his face into his hands as he wailed, his cries ripping through his raw throat as a profound helplessness overwhelmed him. And while he wasn't a religious man, Charlie now prayed and prayed; he prayed for Gordon to fight through his coma, he prayed that Teddi and Henry wouldn't have to lose their grandfather, he prayed that he wouldn't lose another father, and above all, he prayed that the love of his mom's life would live.