Hockey Imagines

Better | Auston Matthews

#34, Center for the Toronto Maple Leafs
Word Count: 1.2 K

"Don't walk away
'Cause it's cold in LA
Every time that you leave me behind
So stay at my place
'Cause I can tell by the way
You're lookin' at me, you'll be fine"
- "Cold In LA," Why Don't We

"Aust." I look up at him, tears building in my eyes.

"I know, baby." Auston tells me with a small smile. "I know. I'll be back before you know it, though."

"But—"

He gently places a hand on my swollen belly, the other one coming around to my back. He gently pulls me closer to him, his hand staying on my stomach the entire time. "It'll be okay."

"But it won't. Not when you're not here. We need you."

"You will be okay without me until I come back. I'll be back so soon, you'll forget I was ever gone. I swear to you."

"Okay." I mumble and lean up on my toes to place a kiss on his cheek. "Be careful."

"I will." He slowly backs up, a sad smile on his face. Him and Mitch are the last guys left to go through security, and Mitch is waiting on him. "I love you two."

"I love you."

- - - - -

Six Months Later

"But in my mind, I play it back
Spinning faster than the plane that took you
And this is when the feeling sinks in
I don't wanna miss you like this
Come back, be here, come back, be here"
- "Come Back. . . Be Here (Taylor's Version), Taylor Swift

I slowly shuffle back to bed, being careful not to wake the baby. I'm drained, mentally and physically. I'm the only one caring for her and I have no help whatsoever. Even if I did, I doubt anyone would be willing to help me.

My phone starts to ring and I pick it up quickly before it wakes her and slip out of my room. "Hello?"

"Y/N, thank God. How are you?"

I smile softly. "I'm okay. How are you, Mitch?"

"I'm good. I love all these pictures I'm seeing of you and the baby. She's precious."

"Thank you. We're missing Auston immensely."

"Right." Mitch clears his throat. "About Auston."

My heart stops for a second. "Auston? What about him? Is everything okay?"

"He hasn't texted since yesterday because he's sick and they have him hospitalized. It's COVID. And he's struggling some right now."

"Oh my god. Holy shit, Mitch, why didn't anyone tell me?" I demand, shutting the door behind me so Addison doesn't wake up. "Nobody thought to tell me?"

"It's not that. We just didn't want to worry you. Auston didn't want to worry you. But he's getting worse."

My eyes fill with tears. "What if I never get to see him again, Mitch? What if he never gets to meet his baby girl? What happens then?"

"I know, I know. I'm sorry for not telling you. But there's not much we can do. With this pandemic, you're stuck there, and he's stuck here."

"Is he awake at least?" I whisper.

"Yes. He's sleeping a lot, but right now he's awake."

"Can I FaceTime him? Please?"

"I'll see what I can do. I'll text you soon, okay?"

I fight back the tears at the thought of not being able to talk to my husband. "Okay."

I busy myself with cleaning up the house, something I have a hard time doing when Addison is awake because she always needs me to do something for her. It's difficult to force myself to not check my phone every five seconds for a text from Mitch.

After about an hour, my phone rings and I hurry to pick it up. I smile when I see Auston's name and answer it quickly. His tired but always handsome face pops up on the screen.

"Hi."

"Hey, baby." He smiles softly. "How's my little girl?"

I laugh. "Of course your first question is about her. She's good. How are you feeling?"

He shrugs. "As good as I can be. They've been giving me meds and antibiotics and all that stuff. I have like a constant headache and a little trouble breathing but I have an inhaler and the headache goes away with some ibuprofen."

"I'm sorry, my love. I wish I was there with you."

He shakes his head. "No, you should be there. With Addison. It's better that I'm here, less of a risk of you two getting sick."

"I know but. . ." I turn my head away. I can't let him see me cry. "I miss you is all."

"I miss you, too, baby. But I'll be back soon. And I'll get to see you and my little princess Addison and all will be right again." I hear a door in the background open and someone say something to Auston before he turns his attention back to me. "I gotta go, baby. I'll call you later so I can see our girl, too, okay?"

I nod. "I love you, Austy."

"I love you."

- - - - -

Three Week Later:

"I'm coming home, baby."

I'm pacing back and forth in front of the door in anticipation. Auston's flight was scheduled to land an hour ago, he should be home by now.

I clench my fist to prevent myself from calling him. Again. I've already called three times.

Finally, I hear the door start to open and I lift my head, my breath catching.

Auston peeks his head in the door, looking exhausted. But there's a huge smile on his face when he locks eyes with me. He closes the door and immediately drops his things, opening his arms for me. I quickly hug him, tears building in my eyes.

He's home.

As if on cue, the baby monitor sitting on the entryway table makes a noise and I then hear Addison's cry.

Auston laughs. "Time for me to finally meet my baby, huh?"

I grin and take his hand, pulling him in the direction of Addison's room. I just recently switched her into sleeping in there instead of me and Auston's room, and it's been a sort of rough transition so far.

Auston immediately goes over to the crib to pick her up, and she stops crying the second she settles in his arms. I guess our baby girl can sense that her dad's finally home.

"I guess she was anticipating you coming home as much as I was."

Auston grins. "I'm so happy to be home." He doesn't take his eyes off of Addison, completely entranced by her.

"I'm happy you're home, baby. We both are." I brush Addison's hair back off of her forehead. She has an insane amount of hair for a five-month-0ld.

He carries her out into the living room and I follow him. I curl up on the couch beside him as he holds her. I know we're not really doing anything, but I just suddenly feel so content. Having Auston home makes everything feel perfect. Better.