ondrej

Chapter 14

I forced my eyes open, the room leaking with light from the morning sun. I found myself stationed, upright in a god-awfully uncomfortable chair, resting my head on the hospital bed. Ondrej rested peacefully, his head tilted slightly, with soft snores escaping his mouth. I didn't remember falling asleep, but I did remember Alex dropping me back off at the hospital around two in the morning, freshly showered and utterly exhausted. I sent Felica home with her fiance, along with Tyler, as Felicia had work in six hours after and the boys had morning skate.

I tried contacting Ondrej's parents, but since I didn't know how badly the time difference was or how to even moderately speak Czech, it was unsuccessful. Surely, management would find a way to contact them. I stretched up in the chair, the wood creaking with the uneven pressure, and looked for a clock. The one hanging next to the television read seven in the morning. I ran my fingers through my clean hair to toss into a bun, and looked at Ondrej, whose eyes were slowly opening.

I leaned closer, "Hey Dre." I whispered, smiling slightly.

His eyes searched the room, unaware of where he was.

"You're at the hospital," my face completely dropped, "Do you remember what happened?"

He tried to lift himself higher in the bed, but the literal crack in his back prevented him from doing so.

He sighed and replied quietly, "Took a bad hit." He smirked and exhaled slowly.

I matched his small smile.

"What's the conclusion?" He asked.

Just then, Dr. Rose walked through the door quietly. "Oh, you're up! How're you feeling?"

He shut the door and came to the foot of the bed looking between Ondrej and I.

Dre nodded, "I don't really feel anything." He replied bluntly.

The doctor rested his clipboard on the handle, "Well, that's the morphine." he cleared his throat, "You have a fractured vertebra and two broken ribs, and you're a very lucky man, because if it was the vertebra above it, you'd be paralyzed from the waist down."

Ondrej's eyebrows raised and he looked down at my hand. I quickly intertwined my fingers with his and looked to the doctor for him to continue.

"For the next two weeks, we'll have you rest here, then have you on bed rest for a few weeks after that. There's no rushing this, Mr. Palat." He nodded and looked down again.

The sheer disappointment in his face broke my heart. We didn't even have to tell him he was out for the season and possibly the next, he knew. Everyone knew.  After Dr. Rose explained all the X-rays and precautions, he exited the room and left Ondrej and me in silence. I didn't know what to say, if I should've said anything at all. Ondrej's had some injuries in his career, but never like this; it was every professional hockey player's nightmare. 

"How much sleep did you get?" He finally broke the silence.

 His thumb brushed over the top of my hand. I was taking it a lot harder than I ever thought I would. I hoped, for Ondrej's sake, we'd never be in this situation, but luck was obviously not on our side.

I smiled up at him and sighed, "A few hours."

I probably looked like hell, from lack of sleep and lack of makeup. It wasn't the greatest sight to be awaken by, but I wasn't leaving his side again.

"Kay, go home and get some sleep. I'll be fine." He said softly.

My eyes were watering again and I bit the inside of my lip to prevent the tears from sliding down my face. I was so scared. I was scared for him, for his career, for us. I knew he was in good hands, but the whole situation made me nervous. It was out of my control and no matter what I tried I couldn't help.

"Baby, don't cry," He tugged at my hand, "Come here."

I lifted from the chair and sat on the bed, facing him. His normally rough features turned into soft, delicate ones, almost child-like. I wanted to be strong for him because he needed it, but I couldn't; I was physically and mentally unable to.

"I'm sorry." I said, wiping my damp eyes.

His rough hand, which was attached to all sorts of machines, found my cheek and held it gently. I leaned into his touch and placed my palm over it.

"Why are you crying?" He smiled, hoping to lighten the air in the hospital room.

I shook my head and looked down, unable to make eye contact with him.

"I was so scared, Ondrej." My voice was shaky.

His mouth let out soft shushes and his palm guided my head to his chest.

"It'll be okay," He kissed my forehead, "It'll be okay."

*~*

Throughout the day, Ondrej had many visitors. Tyler stopped by again, along with half the team to check on their rookie. Even Steve Yzerman and Coach Cooper, accompanied by his wife and three kids, came for a visit. I got multiple calls from Felicia for checkups, mainly to see if I was doing okay, and she was planning on swinging by after her research project for university was done.

Once I saw the boys were gone, I returned from my hiding spot in the lounge into his room. His eyes were hooded, with a phone wedged between his ear and his fingers. It was a long day, the first of many, and both of us were well worn out.

Ondrej began speaking in Czech quietly, finally getting ahold of a very concerned mother. I took a seat at the edge of the bed and played with the free hand relaxing against the sheets. I looked up to him, as he said his goodbyes and dropped the phone on the bed.

"She's getting on a plane in a few hours and will be here tomorrow afternoon." He mentioned, turning his attention to our intertwined fingers, "Thank you for everything," He said, meeting my eyes, "I know this isn't easy for you, but I can't put into words how grateful I am that you're here."

I carefully cuddled into his side, making sure not to touch his lower chest or abdomen, and kissed his shoulder. He couldn't wrap an arm around me so we linked fingers and held them in between us.

"I'm here to stay."