Chapter Text
The final buzzer sounded, and the crowd erupted. Loud clapping and cheering filled the arena as the Ottawa team had just defeated Montreal in the sixth playoff game on home ice.
Shane had hoped Montreal would win this match, since he would have liked a longer break before going up against another team, but now Ottawa and Montreal were tied 3–3.
He had been so relieved that both he and Ilya had been allowed in the playoff games after they had accidentally been outed some weeks back.
Now he was even more determined to win, so he and his team could get another Stanley Cup. They were last year’s champions, for fuck’s sake.
After a loss, Shane would normally join his teammates in the locker room and make sure every one of them was alright after the game.
He felt it was the proper thing to do as the team’s captain.
But today he got changed, took a quick shower in silence, and then went straight to the parking lot.
The sound of the buzzer had been both deafening and a relief for Shane that afternoon. For the past few days, he had been very sensitive to noise.
He would get sudden headaches or start to feel very dizzy when exposed for too long. Sometimes certain smells would provoke the same reaction, adding nausea to the list.
A long hockey game with loud music, sweaty teammates, and that damn buzzer had nearly been too much. He felt responsible for not leading his team to victory, but he had barely been able to keep himself steady on his skates while pretending to feel fine.
Just before the game, Hayden came up to Shane and placed a firm hand on his shoulder.
“You look a little green, buddy. Are you feeling, okay?”
“Yeah, I just didn’t get much sleep last night, and I really want to win today,” Shane had assured Hayden.
The first time Shane noticed something was off was two weeks ago, the day before the first playoff game. He was lying on the sofa in his apartment when the phone rang. He stood up as he answered it, but only managed to mumble a few words before his vision went blurry. A short moment later, he landed hard on the wooden floor.
“Shane...? Are you there? What happened?” Shane was confused when he opened his eyes. He heard his mom’s panicked voice coming from the phone beside him and sat up slowly.
“I think I just passed out,” Shane said in a groggy voice and placed a hand on his forehead.
Yuna then insisted that Shane should go see a doctor to get tested for a concussion.
Shane called Hayden and asked him for a lift to the hospital.
At the hospital, Shane was greeted by a tall doctor with green eyes and short dark blond hair, wearing an open white coat with rolled-up sleeves.
Shane couldn’t help but notice his abs, which were visible under the tight grey T-shirt he wore beneath the coat.
“I’m Dr. Matt Hayes, nice to meet you, Shane,” he said, stretching out his hand. “I specialize in sports medicine. I believe you’re here because you fainted?”
Shane explained what had happened and also told him about his, at the time still mild, headaches and dizziness.
Hayes gave Shane a full physical examination, including checking for any signs of a concussion.
“I believe you’ve avoided any head injuries. But I would like to take a blood sample to see if everything is as it should be.
The results should be ready in a couple of weeks,” Hayes assured him.
After the defeat in Ottawa, Shane was now driving towards Montreal to get the results.
No matter the outcome of the tests, he knew he wanted Ilya to be there when he got home.
He knew that Ilya was probably planning to go out with his team to celebrate their victory, so Shane called him as soon as he got into his car.
“Good game,” Shane said in a flat tone as Ilya picked up the phone. “I’m going to Montreal. Will you meet me at home later? I might not be there when you arrive, but just wait for me, okay?”
Ilya was still celebrating with his teammates in their locker room and therefore kept his response short: “Okay, see you.”