Beyond the Breaking Point

Chapter 2

Notes: Thank you so much for the reception of the first chapter. I am immensely grateful for your kind words and support :)

Warnings: I have to stress that I am not a medical professional, and research for a story does not replace that. I apologize for any mistake.
Once again, there are also some intentional misconceptions due to the third-person limited POV and the fact that the narrators are teens with a very nebulous idea of what they're talking about.

I hope you'll enjoy this chapter as well! And please review :)

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Chapter Two

The mattress under Matthew's body was oddly hard. Something cold was pressed against his back and seeped into his pyjama top in wet, unpleasant patches.

Is this a joke from Al?

Matthew whimpered, tossing his head to a side. He was surprised to find a gloved hand touching his face. And, along with the hand, came a concerned voice that slowly started making sense above the ringing in his ears.

"Matthew? Matthew, can you hear me? Come on, Matthew..."

"Oh my God, he's not dead. Oh, thank goodness."

Matthew's hazy brain finally recognized the first voice as belonging to Tolys.

What the...

He pried his eyes open. After a couple of blinks, the array of helmet-cased faces hovering over him lost its blurred edges. The closest one was Tolys, with terror glimmering in his eyes and his brow furrowed in concern.

"Am I dreaming?" Matthew wondered out loud in a weak voice, voicing the only explanation that could excuse the presence of his teammates around his bed.

"Man, he's fucking delusional. For God's sake, somebody needs to call an ambulance. I don't care if we get in trouble, there's something wrong with him!"

At Mikkel's ominous words, the memories slammed against Matthew with the force of the waterfall. He gasped, his eyes widening as he tried to jerk up. Tolys's hands pressed against his shoulders, holding him in place.

"Matthew! Don't to get up! You fainted like that, you might be seriously hurt..."

Matthew shook his head. Tolys's plea had suddenly made him aware of an uncomfortable throbbing in his lower abdomen, but it was nothing compared to the searing agony he remembered. It didn't feel any worse than a painful bruise.

"N—no, I'm fine. Really, I am. There's nothing wrong with me."

Matthew pushed Tolys's hands away and sat up, schooling his features in determination as he looked at the boys surrounding him.

"Man, you just fainted," Mikkel noted at his lefts, shifting on his skates. "This isn't exactly the definition of 'fine'."

Before Matthew could even open his mouth to protest, Ivan's voice followed Mikkel's one.

"He's right, Matthew. And I am so sorry... I didn't mean to hit you that hard, I thought you would move away."

Ivan was the only one standing a bit to the side, closer to the edge of the rink. He had taken off his helmet, putting on display his features, soft with regret. A hot wave of shame crept up over Matthew.

"It's fine," he murmured with a small shake of his head, "It's my fault, I should have paid more attention. I was just... I hadn't had lunch and I was feeling quite dizzy. You didn't even hit me that hard, really, it's nothing!"