When The Whistle Blows

Chapter 7

Luka

Astrid's arm clung to my shoulder as I walked her up the stairs to her apartment.

She tried to hide her winces of pain, but I heard every single one of them. We reached the door and I unlocked it; pushing it open with one hand while the other clutched at Astrid's hip.

"Couch or chair?" I asked her.

"Couch."

I led her over to the couch and helped her sit down.

I patted my pockets and cursed. "Shit, I left your medicine in the truck. Just hold tight." I held my hand out, palm up, motioning for her to stay put.

I walked back through the front door, towards my truck. The cold air greeted me on my way, biting at my cheeks.

The Minnesota winter was close to full swing as it was the middle of December.

Soon piles of snow and ice would prevent many people from even leaving their homes. But that's just a regular winter day here.

A front door slammed and I heard a familiar voice.

"How's Aid?" Henrik hollered to me as I reached into my truck and grabbed her medicine.

"Fine. Going to need a while to recover, but Aiden will be fine." Henrik leaned against the railing on his front porch. He glanced slightly at her apartment as he spoke again.

"Need any help?" Henrik asked, which surprised me.

"Nah, I'm good. But I'm sure Aiden will need plenty when I have to leave to go to work." I would feel better knowing that people were around to keep an eye on her. Especially since she's too stubborn to ask for help.

"Sounds good. I'll bring over dinner." Henrik turned and went inside.

I locked my truck and went back into Astrid's house. Astrid remained in the same spot.

She was already asleep. Her body more than exhausted, after everything it's been put through these past couple of days.

Even though she was in the hospital for four days, she hasn't been sleeping well. Whether it be from pain or anxiety I didn't know.

I could hear the music blaring next door as it filled the nearly silent room. Huffing in annoyance, I turned and found myself at Ryder's and Henrik's apartment.

I knocked and Ryder answered a few seconds later.

"Luka?" His eyebrows squinted. "What are you doing here?" He peeked over my shoulder as if looking for someone.

"Well I'm currently helping Aiden, who just fell asleep, and I can hear your music through the wall." I willed my voice to sound civil.

A grin split Ryder's face.

"Aiden's good?"

"Just fine."

"I heard he needed surgery?" Henrik appeared behind Ryder's shoulder.

"Yeah, they had to drain the collapsed lung. But the surgery went smoothly and he seems to be doing better. Now could you please turn down your music?"

"Well I-"

Henrik cut Ryder off. "We will turn it down, thanks for updating us."

I nodded at them then turned and went back to Astrid's apartment.

She was still sound asleep. Her body in the same position as if it knew the pain that could be caused by even the simplest of movements.

My phone buzzed and I pulled it out reading a text from Doc, he needed my help. I threw a blanket around her small sleeping form and reluctantly left.

The walk to my truck was difficult as I found myself not wanting to leave her alone. Though she did have neighbors, she would suffer before she ever asked any of them for help.

Four days ago, when I saw that defender lock onto her small frame, I felt scared for her. Then when she slammed into the ice, then the boards, I couldn't hold myself back as I rushed onto the ice.

I was not surprised to hear her mouthing off to Ryder as I approached. Nor was I surprised to see her acting tough, even though her agony was written all over her face.

I remember feeling ill as Ryder and Bentley lifted her off the ice. Her screams of agony could only be heard by those close, because of how tightly she had her mouth shut.

When I heard her lungs, I'd barely kept myself together as I called Doc.

It's different you know. When you're working with an acquaintance and when you're working with a friend. It's easier to push past your feelings when you don't have any towards somebody. But helping Astrid was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do. I hated seeing her hurt and knowing I couldn't do anything to help her. I also had to restrain myself from going back out on that ice and beating the shit out of that defender. Instead, I had to settle for the beating that Ozzy delivered to him.

When the doctors took her away for surgery it was almost as if they had taken a piece of me with. I paced relentlessly and my hair was spiked by the end of the night, as I kept running my hands through it.

The drive back to town was the worst part though. She was in and out of consciousness, the drugs from the hospital slowly wore off, which meant her pain returned full swing. When she wasn't asleep, she was sobbing silently.

I'd never felt so powerless as I did when Astrid started throwing up because of the pain. All I could do was watch and hold her hair. Every time she gagged and vomited, her body would rack with pain as the movements caused her more harm.

But she's better. My Astrid is getting better. Soon she'll be back to full health and we can go back to our old banter as she refuses to get my help when she gets hurt in practice. Just like always.

I drove to the sports complex as my thoughts focused on Astrid.

Her smile

Her laugh

Her smell

Her voice

I think I love this girl. I realized as my thoughts refused to stray from the beautiful redhead that loved to complicate my life.

One day I'll tell her how I feel. But that day is not today. I sighed, dragging my feet into the complex. Another day of work.

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Thank you for reading Chapter 7. I hope you liked this chapter. Let me know what you think in the comments.
~Until Next Chapter