Depravity

Chapter 2

Scott was glad to be back on Canadian soil. He felt like he could finally breathe after what had been a rollercoaster ride. The fact that he was back home didn't mean there were any less interviews or prodding journalists, but he felt an air of support behind his back.

Truth be told, he was terrified of returning to his home country bearing nothing but failure. A failure, that's what he was. He had ended the Canadian winning streak, and he had ruined the brand of the Golden Moir Brothers. Had Danny felt this way four years ago? He didn't know, but he knew that nothing could compare with the heaviness of the lead hanging around his neck. Regretfully, Scott had jealously watched Danny and Tessa as they had given their Air Canada-sponsored interviews to the adoring airport public. He had also declined any interviews, both with and without Danny and Tessa, even though he had known his PR team would pester him for days for doing so. He was angry with himself for being envious of their success. How could he possibly complain when Danny and Tessa had been so supportive in Sochi?

The week long break they all took after arriving home served as a great mental break for Tessa and a chance for Danny to spend time with his children, but to Scott, it became an opportunity to take pity on himself. It had been so long since he had experienced failure that he had forgotten how dark it was. Five months ago, Scott had been at the absolute height of his career. He had won three consecutive Stanley Cup Championships with the Leafs and had been consistently ranked as the No. 1 player in the league. He was recognized everywhere. At the diner, the bar, and even on the streets. He was always accompanied by his beautiful girlfriend Lara, and together they turned heads every which way.

When Scott had decided to pursue the Olympics, he had hoped that his teammates and friends would join him. He had dreamed of standing on the podium with the Canadian flag over his head and his friends' smiles lighting up the arena. But instead of joining him, his friends had criticized him. Vitriolic comments surfaced on the internet, and soon Scott had no more texts from his friends to ask him about going out on Saturday nights.

So he had lost his friends while partaking in something he believed him. Scott could deal with that. They had never been his true buddies, anyway. But the loss that shattered Scott into seemingly irreparable pieces was Lara. Less than a month after his announcement, she had left in the middle of the night with no note and no way to contact her. It had been straight out of a goddamn movie. He didn't understand why she left. He had loved her with everything he had, and he had all but given her a ring. He refused to believe that he had misjudged her character so severely, because Lara had been perfect. She was supposed to be his partner in crime, for life. So he tried to forget about her and threw himself into his training.

Now, Scott sat on his parents' couch for more than eight hours a day watching Netflix. He didn't have the courage to face his neighbors back in Toronto, so he had decided to stay in his hometown and lay low for the next little while. Life wasn't great, but it was as good as it could be considering the circumstances. He had unlimited amounts of pizza at his disposal and easy access to beer whenever he wanted it. He was halfway through the season finale of Friends when his phone buzzed next to him. Tessa Virtue. That was a little strange.

"Hello?"

"Hey Scott, it's Tessa. I know you're at home right now, but I need you to get down to Montreal. Danny's hurt, and he's going to the hospital right now,"

"Oh, my god. What happened? I'll be on the next flight out," he said, already scrambling up the stairs for his suitcase.

"I don't really know. We were-we we're doing a lift and I guess he tripped, and we just landed really badly. Just get here as soon as you can, please. It's the McGill University Centre."

"I'll be there, T. Does my mom know? She's at work."

"Danny called her," she said in a quivering voice.

"Breathe. Just hang tight, okay? I'll be there."

Scott heard a deep breath and an 'okay' before the line disconnected.

//

"Tessa!" Scott called out. She saw him and instantly breathed a sigh of relief. She embraced him tightly and held on until he let go.

"Thank god you're here," she said. "Patch—Patrice, our coach, is here too." She gestured toward the man sitting next to her.

"Thanks for staying," Scott said shaking his hand. "Can I go see him?"

"I think he's talking with the doctor right now, but you can go check."

Scott nodded and gave both of Tessa's hand a squeeze before he left to go ask the front desk of Danny's whereabouts. When he got to Danny's room, no one seemed to be inside, so he knocked and then quietly opened the door. Danny stirred, and then woke up.

"Hey, man. You doing okay?"

Danny chuckled. "If you call this okay," he said in a hoarse voice.

"What'd the doctor say?"

"A few cracked ribs and an ankle tear. I'm gonna be out for a while."

Scott sighed. "How'd this even happen?"

"Bad ice, or sucky skating skills. Or both."

"You almost gave mom a heart attack."

"I know. She didn't come out here, did she?"

"You know mom. She's always there for her babies. She's coming in a little later, but she's on the way, yeah."

Danny wheezed painfully. "Can you do something for me?"

"Yeah, whatever you need."

"Keep Tessa company. Please."

"Yeah, sure."

"She's gonna need a friend."

"I'll be there, don't worry." Scott said. "You get some rest." He gently put his hand on Danny's shoulder and walked out.

Tessa stood up when she saw Scott approaching her in the main lobby. "What'd he say?" she asked with wide eyes.

"He said he had some cracked ribs and an ankle tear. He's gonna have to rest for a while."

Tessa's face fell. She felt awful. As skating partners, the one person Danny trusted the most was Tessa. She felt like she had let him down and caused him so much pain, and right after they had worked for 20 years to achieve their goal. She couldn't help but feel like this was her fault.

"I know what you're thinking," Scott said. "Don't you dare blame yourself for this."

"I'm not," she lied.

"It was a freak accident. It was no one's fault."

Tessa looked at the ground, clearly uncomfortable. "Why don't we get you home? Tessa's gonna be back in a little bit. She had to leave to go pick up the kids."

"I can stay at a hotel. I don't want to add more stress on Tessa, or you."

"No, you can stay at my place. I have a guest bedroom that I'm not using. It's the least I can do."

"Tess, I'm fine staying at a hotel."

"Yeah? Who's gonna drive you to a hotel?"

//

Scott reluctantly agreed to lodge at Tessa's house after half an hour of insisting that he check in at a hotel. Whenever Tessa wanted something badly enough, she got it.

She showed him to the guest bedroom, complete with blue pillows on the bed and antique art decor on the wall. "The guest bathroom's to the left, and I'm right next door if you need anything," she said.

"Thanks again, T."

"Stop. You can thank me by getting a good night's rest."

"Okay," he smiled. "Good night, Tess."

"Good night."