Hat Trick 3: Penalty Shot (19 page)

“Mr. Roberts?” a nurse said, interrupting us.

“Yes?” I gave her my full attention as my nerves kicked into overdrive.

“I’m Ms. Pascal. Could I speak with you for a moment?”

“Of course.” I followed her towards the nurse’s station. “Is everything okay?”

“Oh, yes. Sorry. I just can’t discuss Mr. Miller around your friends.”

I relaxed a little. “I have to stop thinking every time I see a doctor or nurse that something’s wrong.”

“This is actually good news.” She stopped in front of the desk and spoke softly. I didn’t think even the nurse sitting behind the desk could hear. “During the tests, Mr. Miller started moving his left leg freely. He requested to try and walk, which wasn’t related to the test. He was able to stand and take steps. He reported that it felt like nothing had happened. He wanted to make sure we told you right away.”

I swallowed a whoop of excitement. This was good news. “Thank you, Ms. Pascal. I know it’s all still inconclusive, but that’s the best news I’ve heard in hours.”

“If I hear anything else, I’ll let you know. He should be back in about an hour. As soon as he’s settled I’ll get you.”

“Thank you.” No sooner did I return to the group than they all focused on me. “It was good news. He’s started moving his leg, actually did some walking.”

Mimi gave me an awkward hug and the others voiced their approval.

The elevator opened and I caught sight of Alex’s parents before they saw me. I jumped up and went over to them.

“Simon,” Martha said, not sounding like her usual self, while John hugged me across the shoulders. “Do you know anything since last night?” she asked.

“Not much new,” I said. I went to the desk to see if there was a private place we could talk and Ms. Pascal said we could use Alex’s room. I didn’t think there was a need for the rest of the team to hear everything since there were so many questions left hanging. “Let’s talk back here. Was the flight okay?”

“It was fine,” John said. “We didn’t sleep much. I imagine you didn’t either.”

“No. I was in with him all night. He was able to get some sleep,” I said as we got into the room. “He’s out for tests for about another hour. They’re putting him through all kinds of neurological tests. They told me just before you got here that he’s been up walking.”

“Oh, that’s good news,” Martha said, clasping her hands to her face.

I indicated the chair in the room. Martha sat and John stood behind her while I sat on the edge of the bed just in front of them.

“Unfortunately right now they don’t have enough information to base a diagnosis on. I told you last night about the MRI and the lesions they found. The results were sent over to a facility here that specializes in neurological cases. The spinal tap they did last night didn’t reveal much more, which is why they’re doing all these tests today.”

I took a breath to go on with some of the more difficult stuff.

“The doctor’s been up front that Alex may not play hockey at the level he is now, but it’s not for sure.” John flinched at that while Martha started to cry. “They’re talking about physical therapy, but they haven’t said anything specific. The doctor hasn’t wanted to say much since they don’t have a clear understanding yet. I’m not sure if he’s not wanting to get our hopes up, or if he’s trying not to be too dire. It’s frustrating Alex and I’m doing my best to keep him in a good head space about it.”

“Well, if anyone can do that, it’s you,” John said with a weak smile.

“Do we need another doctor, maybe one who’ll talk more?” Martha asked.

“I think we’ve got the best, especially since this other place is consulting. The team brought in the doctor he’s seeing. He also happens to be the father of one of our best friends, so he’s even more invested than he might be otherwise. I like him, and I think deep down Alex does, too. It’s just the not knowing that’s scary.”

“If they’re talking that he’s not going to play again, this is really serious,” John said. I nodded. “Your team doctor didn’t see this coming?”

“It seemed like the treatments were working. It’d been weeks since there’d been a flare up. Maybe he should’ve been seeing someone else, too. I’ve been rehashing it all night to see if I should’ve pushed for something else.”

“We should get him home.” Martha looked to John. “Make sure he gets the right care.”

What? Take him home?

“So far there’s no indication the right care isn’t here. Plus, I’m here, the team’s here. He’s got a lot of support.”

“We’re his parents.” Martha’s demeanor turned to ice on the spot. “He’ll be better taken care of with us. Plus, how do we know you’re not going to bolt now that he’s injured?”

“Martha, you can’t ask him that.” John stepped around the chair so he could look at her. “It’s not…”

“I can ask, and I did. We don’t know what his intentions are if this gets worse. He broke up with him before when things got bad.”

“Martha!” John sounded like he was trying to quiet a child, rather than his wife.

Her words slammed into me, knocking the breath out of me as if I’d been checked hard and knocked to the ice. How could she bring up that awful moment? This was the last thing I expected to hear from his parents since they’d been among our earliest supporters.

“I can’t say it any clearer. I’m not breaking up with Alex.”

I said that as calmly as I could, leveraging every bit of training I had in how to not let your emotions get the best of you in a stressful situation. My instructors and Trevor would’ve been proud if they were here.

“Simon, I’m sorry,” John said. “I…”

“Don’t apologize for me.” She said, scowling up at him. “It’s a valid question.”

There was a knock on the door and I was relieved for the break. It was Ms. Pascal.

“Sorry to interrupt. Alex is on his way back down. We need to clear the room so we can bring him in and get him settled. As soon as that’s done, you’ll be able to come back. Probably take about thirty minutes.”

“Thanks, Ms. Pascal.” I gave no clue about the issues that had just come up. “We’ll head back to the waiting room. I’ve got them as up to speed on things as best I can.”

“We’ll take that time,” John said, “to get to the hotel and unpack, maybe freshen up a bit.”

“I want to be here when he gets back,” Martha said as we all went for the door.

“It’ll be better if we get checked in and maybe try to get some rest,” he said. “We need to be as positive as we can for Alex when he sees us.”

She was quiet as we entered the waiting area and John steered her for the elevator.

“Will you let him know we’re here?” Martha asked me. “And that we’ll be back soon?”

“Of course,” I said. “It’ll be the first thing I tell him.”

“Thank you, Simon,” John said, silently conveying an apology as the elevator closed.

I looked across the waiting room. Mimi was gone. Danny and Trent weren’t back. These other guys, while teammates, weren’t super close. I couldn’t unload on them. I went to the private phone kiosk that was adjacent to the waiting room, pulled my phone, and called Leo.

“Simon!” He picked up on the second ring. “Any news?”

I was quiet for a moment, trying to steady myself. I didn’t want to break down. I needed to be stronger than that.

“Simon?”

“Sorry. There’s not much news outside of what Hillary told you last night. There’s lots of testing going on. The doctor brought in a neurological consultant. The not knowing is making us a little frustrated and scared.”

“Shit, man. I wish I could get there, if only just to, ya know, be there.”

“Yeah.”

“What else is going on? You’re hesitating.”

I managed to calmly tell him what Alex’s mom hit me with and how his dad tried to get her to stop. As I talked, I paced the closet of a room. I could take about four steps before having to turn around. This room wasn’t designed for pacing.

“The trained part of my mind knows that she’s tired, upset, and scared as much as I am, but, man, it was harsh.”

“Do you think she really meant it?”

“I hope not. Stress can make you say things you would filter otherwise. I’ve always thought I had a great relationship with her. Alex has already asked me if we’re okay.”

“No way? Really?”

“But for him to say it, I mean it goes with the chaos. I think he’s more reassuring himself. He’s worried about a lot, so it makes sense that he’s confirming that I’m staying put. I just hope his mom doesn’t fill his head with stupid stuff. I think his dad would stop her.” I paused and Leo was silent, too. “I’m sorry to lay all this on you.”

“Completely okay. What’re you going to do?”

“I’m going to leave it alone unless she brings it up. She should know me better than that given the years that have passed.” There was a knock on the door. I’m not used to so many door knocks. “Hold on, Leo.” I opened the door and found Ms. Pascal.

“Mr. Miller’s back. He’s insistent on seeing you. You can go back when you’re ready.”

“Great, thanks. I’ll wrap this up and go right in.” She smiled, nodded, and closed the door. “Leo…”

“I heard, go. And remember, you can call me anytime.”

“Will do. Thanks, man.”

You’d think it was a major press conference happening. The doctor requested that everyone be at the hospital at four because he wanted to discuss the diagnosis. We were in a conference room down the hall from Alex’s room. I took it as a good sign that they let him walk to get there, rather than force him into a wheelchair. His parents and my mom were present, as were a number of other doctors.

As Dr. Bentley got down to business, Alex went for my hand.

“From all the data we collected in our tests, we’re fairly certain Alex has relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis. We say fairly because this is a difficult disease to diagnose, but from everything we’ve seen since he was admitted, it’s the diagnosis we’re making.”

The room was silent, as if all the air had been sucked out. Alex quaked, I felt it all the way up my arm. I could only imagine how he felt. This was no small disease. It seemed like one of the worst possible things that could’ve been said. While my insides were freaking, I did my best to maintain a calm exterior.

“Oh my God,” Martha said in a hushed voice. “Doctor, what’s next? We’ll take him wherever he needs to go to get the best treatment.”

“The good news, Mrs. Miller, is that we have excellent facilities right here. That’s why I brought in Dr. Donaldson,” he gestured to the man who was with him at the head of the table. “He’s from Holtom-Garrett, one of the very best MS facilities. Should he choose, Alex can get excellent care there.”

“What about in Pittsburgh? He should be close to his family to deal with this.”

“Mom,” Alex said, sounding surprisingly firm and together. “You need to let Dr. Bentley finish. I need to know everything so Simon and I can make the right decisions along with you and Dad.”

As if enough wasn’t going on, his declaration that it was
our decision
filled me with so much love that I thought I might explode.

Martha opened her mouth to speak, but John put his hand over hers and cut her off. “He’s right, Martha. Whatever happens is primarily his decision and we need to respect that.”

Alex nodded at his father.

“It’s important for you to know that MS doesn’t necessarily mean your life radically changes,” Dr. Bentley continued. “The condition you’re in right now is the way you could be for the rest of your life, with periodic flare ups of one sort or another. It could also worsen over time. And, I won’t lie, it’s possible the disease could kill you, but it’s unlikely. Life expectancy for someone with MS is pretty much the same as the average person. What you have to do now, no matter what, is learn how to manage and live with it. The people closest to you should be educated as well.”

I squeezed his arm again, just to remind him I was here. He released his grip a little, which was welcome and a sign that he was relaxing a bit. He wasn’t quaking anymore either. I hoped he wasn’t just numb from the news. The way he was turned, I couldn’t see his face so it was hard for me to be sure.

Alex nodded. “So what’s next? You already said I’m going home tonight. Is it back to normal while I learn how to manage? What about hockey?”

“I know hockey is important to you,” said Dr. Donaldson, “There’s an NHL goalie, Josh Harding, who continued to play after his MS diagnosis. In fact, there are many professional athletes who continue their careers after a diagnosis. We just have to do the work to ensure that you’re taking care of yourself while playing so you don’t do serious injury to yourself or others.”

“Okay,” Alex said. “Let’s figure that out as quickly as possible.”

“We will,” Dr. Bentley said, while Dr. Donaldson nodded. “Figuring out how you manage this in every aspect is our top priority. We know you’re carrying a full class and work schedule, so we’ll do our best to work around that but we may need some flexibility.”

“I’m sure…” his mother spoke up, but Alex raised a hand to stop her.

“Let me know the optimal schedule and I’ll do my best to meet that.”

“Excellent. That’ll make it easier to move quickly. Now, in the short term, as we assess more, we recommend getting rest, try to get eight hours a night, and make sure to hydrate. I know you already understand the importance of that, but it’s all the more critical now. Until physical therapy sees you, no working out, nothing strenuous outside of just walking and if you feel tired, stop. Don’t push too hard. And no driving either. Again, we want to make sure you stay safe.”

“Got it,” he said. “When can we start?”

“Tomorrow, if you want. I’ve made arrangements that we can get you with your physical therapist at ten.”

“Let’s book it. Is there anything else for today?”

“Only if there are questions. Everything else you’ll get in the coming days.”

“Mr. Roberts,” Dr. Donaldson said, “we’ve got support programs as well that I’d recommend you attend as we start crafting things for Mr. Miller. Of course, other family members are also welcome.”

“Thank you,” I said. “I want to get involved so I have all the information to support Alex.”