Daisy
"I GOT THE video," Dad said as he answered my call. "But I’ve already seen it."
"What?" I gasped. "You have?"
"Yeah, I saw it happen live. I was watching the ga the night it happened, honey."
"Well, who the fuck is the asshole who so obviously took him out on purpose?" I hissed.
A deep sigh ca over the line. "Okay, so that’s what you’re askin’ to look into, baby girl?"
"Yes. I want everything on him. Deep dive. And then I want to destroy him."
"You know, you can find all this information out yourself," he pointed out. "You don’t need ."
I bit back tears. "I don’t know that I can, Daddy."
"Afraid of what you might find?"
"That’s the understatent of the year." I closed my laptop. "Will you filter for , please?"
"Yeah, Ducky, I’ll do that for you."
"Thanks, Daddy."
"You’re welco. Now, when you think you have an opening, you might want to talk to Huck about seein’ Gina."
Dr. Gina Christakos was married to Clutch who happened to be the VP of the Burnings Saints MC. The president of that MC, Minus, was married to Hatch’s sister, Cricket, so they were, by default, considered a friendly club.
Sort of, anyway.
Gina was amazing. Not only was she a gifted doctor, but she also knew everyone. And by everyone, I an, everyone, including the head of orthopedics at OHSU.
"He’s probably already seen the best doctors the NHL can buy," I said.
"Yeah, but they’re not unbiased, are they?"
"As in, you think this might have been an inside job?" I asked. "Are you saying this was so big conspiracy?"
"I’m not saying that, but I’m also not not saying that. But it’s probably not an inside job, Ducky."
"Holy shit." I frowned. "Well, don’t filter if it is, okay?"
"Okay. Does Huck know you’re doin’ this? Looking into his ’accident.’"
"Nope," I admitted.
"Right. Well, you’re gonna have to do that, honey. Tell him, I an."
I grimaced. "I know. But let’s wait and see what you find first, okay?"
"Dais—"
"Daddy, I get it. Lying is never good, and I get that this is technically lying by omission, but I cannot believe that no one has raised the alarm about this. He was attacked, seemingly out of nowhere, and his career’s just done? And who the fuck’s this Keith guy? He takes Huck’s place, bada bing, bada boom, yada yada, whatever?"
"Keith Cherkowsky," Dad supplied with a chuckle. "In layman’s terms, he was the second-best player on the team. They’re buddies. Roommates in college and I think they grew up together as well. Not sure, but you can always ask your man about that. Doesn’t matter. It’s the natural order of things that Keith would take his place. But he wasn’t the one who hurt Huck."
"I get that, but why didn’t he say, ’You know, my best friend might never play again, so out of respect for him, I’ll pass’?"
"Baby girl, life doesn’t work like that."
"Well, it should!" I snapped.
"I need you to take off your daisy-rimd, rose-colored glasses, honey, and take a breath."
I scowled. "Sothing’s not right, Daddy, and you fucking know it."
"Not saying you’re wrong, Ducky. I’m just saying that if you start looking for the devil around every corner, you’re going to find him, and you can’t start attacking his friends. Talk to Huck. Don’t put words in his mouth. Ask him to fill you in on the shit you don’t know."
I blew out a breath through flappy lips.
"But you’re gonna have to go gentle. This is still fresh. He’s lookin’ at more surgery, and that’s public knowledge, stuff he’s shared in interviews, so he’s still in the thick of his recovery. I have a feelin’ that his thoughts aren’t just on the fact he’s gotta deal with this health shit, it’s also on the fact he’s t you and now he’s gotta figure out how to navigate his feelings for you and his feelings for losing his career."
"Oh, yeah, I hadn’t really thought about that."
"It’s heavy, baby. Especially for a man."
"Why, ’especially for a man’?"
"Because it doesn’t matter that won have all the sa rights and are just as equal, when a man is a real man, he wants to provide for his woman. Whether it be financially, physically, spiritually, or emotionally, and in the case of a man like Huck, or a man like your daddy, it’s all of the fuckin’ above. So, if he’s lookin’ down the barrel of the gun of what he sees as the end of his career, he’s probably worryin’ about how the fuck he’s gonna provide for the woman he’s just t and is fallin’ for across the hall."
"He is not."
"He is too. If he’s any man at all, that is."
I dropped my head and glanced at my ring finger. Maybe my dad was right.
"I’m gonna do a deep dive in the morning, Ducky, and I’ll see what I can find. You think you can sleep?"
"I’m gonna do my best," I breathed out.
"Good. Love you, honey."
"Love you too, Daddy."
"Night."
"Night."
We rang off and I texted Huck to let him know I was finally heading to bed. I was surprised to see him text back. I frowned as I read his ssage.
Huck: Good night, beautiful. Sleep well.
: Why aren’t you asleep? Pain?
Huck: I’m okay. Took a pain pill. Breakfast?
: Sure. 11? My place?
Huck: It’s a date.
: See you then.
Huck:
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