Deflected Hearts: Chapter 29

Staring at my phone, a wave of nausea rolls in the pit of my stomach. I reread Poppy’s last message, that she was getting ready to have dinner with her mother and stepfather and would text me afterward. She never responded after that.

And the last two messages I sent still haven’t been read.

Nothing about this feels right and it isn’t sitting well with me. After the pain Poppy had last night, I’ve spent the entire day worrying about her. Which is about half of the reason why I continued to bother her all damn day. The fact that she isn’t answering me now has me questioning fucking everything.

“Whitley!” Cam calls my name as he strides over on his skates. “What the fuck are you doing?”

Lifting my head, I glance at him, my mind not fully registering him and Hayden standing in front of me right now. Hayden’s eyebrows draw together as his eyes scan me still sitting on the bench in the locker room.

“Dude, you’re not even fully dressed,” he points out, the concern laced in his words. “We’re supposed to be on the ice in two minutes and your skates aren’t even on.”

Cam drops down onto the bench beside me. “August, you good?”

My gaze meets his, but I don’t feel like I’m even really looking at him. Glancing back at my phone, I see Poppy still hasn’t said anything and I know what I have to do. Looking back at Hayden and Cam, I begin to unstrap my shin guards. “I have to go.”

“Go where?” Logan interjects as he walks over to the three of us. “What’s going on, August?”

“Poppy.” I look at Logan for a moment before shoving my gear into my bag. Grabbing my sweatpants, I pull them on and slip my feet into my sneakers as I grab my t-shirt. “Something is wrong and she isn’t responding.”

“Fuck,” Logan mumbles, his eyes filled with panic as he runs a frustrated hand through his hair. “What do you want me to tell Coach? You know if you leave, you’re out for the rest of the tournament.”

Shrugging, I pull my shirt over my head, following with my sweatshirt before I grab the handle of my bag and stick. “The truth? I don’t give a shit what you tell him, but I have to go.”

Logan nods in understanding and the other guys watch me with a curious, yet sympathetic gaze. None of them are going to question me in this moment and Logan knows damn well that if it were Isla instead of Poppy, he would be leaving without hesitation.

“Fuck the other team up,” I tell him over my shoulder as I stride to the door of the locker room.

“Let us know what’s going on,” Cam calls out and I pause, glancing back at the three of them still watching us. “You’re our brother, so that makes Poppy and the baby family too.”

Emotion wells in my throat and I nod, swallowing roughly over the lump that forms. “I’ll let you know as soon as I do.”

Leaving the three of them behind, I head through the arena and follow my heart and soul as I walk out to my car. Popping the trunk, I shove all of my stuff inside and slam the door shut before climbing in behind the wheel. Pulling out my phone, I tap on Poppy’s name, calling her instead of sending her another message.

My knuckles turn white as I tighten my grip on the steering wheel, listening to the phone ring before her voicemail picks up the call. “Fuck!” I roar, dropping my phone down onto my lap. “Fuck!” Curling my hand into a fist, I slam it against the steering wheel, unable to control my emotions.

I have to go to her.

My nostrils flare as I inhale deeply and close my eyes, collecting myself for a moment before I put the car in drive. Whipping it out of the parking lot, I speed down the street, heading in the direction of Poppy’s house. My phone begins to vibrate in my lap and I quickly grab it, holding it up in front of my face. Relief floods my system as I see Poppy’s name on the screen.

“Poppy,” I breathe as I answer it. “I’ve been fucking worried.”

There’s silence for a moment, before I hear her voice. “August, it’s Claudia.” Not the voice I wanted to hear. My stomach sinks and the color drains from my face. “You need to get to the hospital. It’s Poppy and the baby.”

Bile rises up my throat and I swallow it back down as I make an illegal turn, whipping the car in the direction of the hospital. “What’s going on? Are they okay?”

“I don’t know,” Claudia admits, her voice cracking around the words. “The doctors have another test to run, but it’s better if you come here.”

“I’m on my way,” I whisper, not fully trusting my voice as the panic builds inside. Claudia ends the call and I drop my phone back onto my lap as a sob tears through me. Shaking my head, I swallow it back.

I can’t let myself go there without knowing what is really happening. The doctors don’t have all of the information they need yet, so it doesn’t mean that this is bad. They’re going to be okay—Poppy and the baby.

They have to be okay…

When I get to the hospital, I move like a tornado, tearing into the parking lot and racing inside. They direct me to the maternity unit, which is on the other side of the building. It feels like time is suspended, moving in slow motion as I get there as quickly as I can.

As I enter the part of the hospital where Poppy is, the woman at the front desk makes me go through a series of security checks and actually calls the room to confirm with Claudia that I am in fact supposed to be here. I hate the way it wastes time, but I understand the reasoning behind it.

The woman gives me a badge and Poppy’s room number, pointing in the direction of where I should go. The only thing that registers in my mind is her room number before I’m sprinting down the hall, my eyes scanning the doors before I find hers.

Taking a deep breath, I collect myself for a moment, before knocking on the door and entering. Claudia’s bloodshot eyes meet mine as I walk deeper into the room, stopping as I reach the bottom end of the bed. My heart clenches in my chest and tears burn my eyes as I see Poppy.

She looks so small, so fragile, lying in the hospital bed with a bunch of monitors connected to her. Her eyes slowly open, her eyebrows pulling together when she sees me standing here.

“August?” she whispers, almost as if she doesn’t fully believe she’s seeing me right now. Like I’m just a figment of her imagination. “What are you doing here? Your game…”

My feet move quickly as I walk over to the side of her bed, dropping to my knees beside her. Finding her hand, I take it in mine and squeeze it lightly before I drop my head. Resting my forehead against her arm, a shaky breath slips from my lips. “Fuck the game,” I tell her, lifting my head as my gaze meets hers. “None of that shit matters. You’re more important than anything else.”

Her eyes fill with tears as they desperately search mine. “But the tournament… You’ve worked so hard to get this far.”

“Poppy,” I breathe, leaning up to her as I take her face in my hands. “I don’t care about any of that. You and the baby are the only things I care about.” Pausing, I swallow hard over the lump in my throat as I watch the tears stream down the sides of her face. “I love you, Poppy. More than anything else. You two will always come first, do you understand?”

She nods, a smile tugging at the corners of her lips as I wipe the tears from her face with the pads of my thumbs. A soft knock echoes in the room and the door is pushed open as two doctors walk in, along with a nurse. I watch the color drain from Poppy’s face and she attempts to sit up straighter as they form a semicircle around the end of the bed.

“Hello, I’m Dr. Caldwell,” the older woman says to me, extending her hand before she looks at Poppy. “We have all of the results back. Is it okay to discuss this in front of him?”

“Of course,” Poppy tells her, before directing her gaze to me. “August is my boyfriend and the father.”

My heart triples in size, swelling from her words as she warms my soul with her gaze. Even though I showed up here tonight, choosing her and the baby over hockey, I still don’t feel as if I’ve done enough to prove myself to her. But I will spend every day of my life making sure Poppy feels appreciated and that the love I give her is exactly what she deserves.

Because this girl deserves the fucking world.