Love Rivalry (A Gabriel Landeskog and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins Fanfiction)

Chapter 38 - Lonely is the Night

"You can close you eyes to things you don't want to see, but you can't close your heart to things you don't want to feel."

- Johnny Depp

Ashley's POV

My alarm went off the next morning at 9:00. My eyes bloodshot and tear-stained from the night before, and my pillow damp from tears and sweat.

I sat up from my bed, greeted by the Denver sunshine. My head still ached for reasons that I was still unsure of. The pain was down from the night before, but it wasn't exactly tolerable.

I got out of the guest room's bed and slowly dragged myself downstairs to try and find some sort of painkiller.

I rummaged through Gabe's cabinets, not being able to find anything, and knowing that he was still in the hospital, I knew I wasn't going to be getting pain relief anytime soon.

My mind went back to the night before.

The game.

The hit.

Seeing Ryan.

It all flashed in my head over and over. Besides the pain from the headache, that's all I remember last night.

Bits of those three events were all that my mind would play.

I don't remember coming home.

I don't remember any other part of the game.

I don't remember anything.

I decided that I needed to get my mind off of things and decided to take a shower.

I stripped down and turned on the hot water in the guest bathroom, stepping inside and closing the curtain.

I let the warm water wash over my skin, the gentle flow allowing my mind to be at ease for the moment. The serenity took my mind off of everything for a short time, and it felt good to get that mental weight off of my shoulders.

I stayed under the warm, gentle stream for a few more minutes before stepping out onto the cold tile floor. I wrapped a towel around my body and made my way back into the bedroom to change into something comfortable, seeing as I didn't know when Gabe would be home.

I slipped into some yoga pants and a t-shirt and decided to make myself some breakfast.

I searched through Gabe's pantry to try and find something suitable for a breakfast for one. I grabbed some eggs from the fridge and decided on a simple scrambled egg recipe.

I grabbed some bread and put it in the toaster oven. After about 15 minutes of cooking, I had my breakfast.

I went into the living room and sat down on the couch and put on the TV.

I was an hour into "Friends with Benefits" when I heard the front door unlock.

Gabe walked through, wearing sweat pants and a baggy t-shirt from the hospital. He set down some of the things he was carrying and I greeted him at the front door.

"Hey, how are you feeling?" I asked him, a small smile appearing on his face.

"I guess I've been better, but I'm alright I guess." He laughed.

"Yeah, I'm really sorry about him. He's pretty sore over this whole thing." I told him.

"Don't worry about it, it's his problem, not yours." Gabe smiled, walking towards his bedroom.

"Do you want me to make you something to eat or get you anything?" I asked him.

"No, thanks, Ash. I think I'm gonna just go and lie down for a bit." Gabe said, departing for his bedroom.

I cleaned up what was left from my breakfast and laid down in the couch to take in some TV. I was happy that Gabe was home and he could recover and get back to playing in a few weeks.

But I was starting to get homesick. I feel like I've spent more time here than in Edmonton. I was leaving tomorrow, but I was getting bored here.

That sounds terrible, I know, but I'm missing home.

I spent the rest of the day lounging around Gabe's apartment while he caught up on some rest.

I just couldn't wait to get back home.

For some reason, I felt like there was something waiting for me back in Edmonton.

***

The Next Evening

Gabe pulled up to the entrance of the airport, getting out of the car to help me with my bags.

"Thanks, Gabe." I smiled, taking the other bags from Gabe.

"No problem. Thanks for looking after me with the injury and everything." He smiled.

"You're welcome." I smiled, giving him a hug.

"I'll see you around, Ashley." Gabe said, flashing his all white smile.

"See you, Gabe." I said, departing from him and into the crowded airport.

***

My plane landed in Edmonton later that night. I grabbed my things from the baggage claim and headed to the parking garage to find my car.

I left the airport and was home twenty minutes later. I walked up to the apartment door to find it locked. I dug through all of my bags but didn't have the key.

I went back to my car, wondering if I left it in there, which only made me realize that my car keys were locked in my car.

"You've got to be kidding right now." I mumbled, realizing I had no where to stay for the night.

I decided to wander around Edmonton, seeing that I had nothing better to do. But even that grew old very quickly. I found a park a ways from the apartment building and walked through it's barren trees and snow covered cobblestone paths. I could feel my body seize up in a sharp pain that engulfed my head and my torso.

I grabbed onto a bench for support. I could feel my body ache in an unbearable pain, as winces turned into light sobs. My body was fighting something off.

And it was losing.

I collapsed onto the bench, curling up into a ball. I pulled my hoodie over my head and braced my face from the cold, whipping winds by covering my face with my arms.

My attempts to retain body heat were futile, as I grew colder. I could feel my nose beginning to run, while the rest of my body began to shake.

My trembling legs, covered only by a thin pair of yoga pants, began to cramp, forcing my sobs to become more audible.

I could feel my body giving up on me. I couldn't stay here, but I had no where else to go.

No one could hear me.

And I realized that no one was coming to save me tonight.