Chapter Text
One moment everything was fine Shane was gliding towards the goal and the next everything changed, he had only turned his head for 30 seconds to smile at Ilya and signal he was going to pass him the puck. The next moment he was laying on the ice in so much pain he felt like he was going to throw up and not knowing how he got there.
“Where is the damn medic?!”
“I didn’t think knees and legs could bend like that..”
“Bro I think I’m going to throw up”
The voices floated through Shane’s mind but he could quite place where they were coming from and all he focus on was the pain in his leg and how much he wanted his husband. “..lya…” he called weakly while reaching out his hand and searching for the one person who could make this better. The next thing he felt and could focus on was Ilya squeezing his hand. “ I’m here moya lyubov' I’m here everything is going to be ok”. Shane was too out of it to notice the shaking in Ilya’s voice and for that he was grateful.
Ilya was going to be sick one minute he and Shane were about to score the first goal of the night against Montreal and the next their new enforcer was barreling towards Shane out of nowhere and he was looking at his husband laying on the ice with his knee clearly not where it belonged. He was glad Shane seemed to be running on shock and/or adrenaline and couldn’t feel or focus on what was clearly a terrible injury. However that didn’t stop the terrible thoughts coursing through his head about how bad this injury was and what the recovery would look like. He prayed to mama that Shane would be ok and that this time tomorrow they would be home and watching some random documentary cuddling with their sweet Anya.
After what seemed like hours but was probably no more than a few minutes medics arrived with a board and what looked like a leg brace.
“Ok Shane before we do anything I’m going to try and set your leg enough that we can get you on the board comfortably and to the hospital to get it fixed up. Sound good?”
“My leg? What’s wrong with my leg?! Ilya, what is he talking about? What is wrong with my leg?!”
“ Shanya, moya lyubov' your knee is….” Ilya looked up at the medics as if asking permission to tell Shane the truth. The fact that he was still unaware of how serious the injury was suggested that he has a lot of adrenaline running through his system helping him not go into shock and he did not want to be the reason his love started to feel what he could online imagine would be incredible pain. With a sign Ilya saw the medic tentatively nod their head as they began to attach what looked to be a temporary IV while Shane was preoccupied looking at Ilya for an explanation. With a deep breath Ilya gently rubbed his thumb over the top of Shane’s hand that he was holding and with as calm of voice as possible tried to explain what was going on. “moya lyubov' please do not be scared because I promise everything will be ok but your knee is not where it belongs.”
With tears beginning to form in his eyes Shane asked quietly, almost too quiet to hear “What do you mean its not where it belongs? I don’t feel like anything is that wrong. How can something be that bad but I don’t feel it?” He began to try and move his head to see what Ilya was talking about but was immediately stopped by one of the medics who calmly and gently held his neck in place.
“Shane I need you to not move your head for me ok? I know this is scary and I know you want to see what Ilya is talking about but I need you to lay perfectly still and focus on your husband. Can you do that for me?”
While looking directly into his love’s eyes for strength he knew he currently didn’t have he gave the medic the only answer he knew would help right now. “Ya, ya I can do that.” Immediately he felt Ilya give a soft kiss to his hairline and touch their foreheads together like he had done all those years ago at the All Stars Game. He was brought back to the present when a medic who was by his leg and presumably he knee that Ilya had told him about began speaking to him.
“ Ok Shane on the count of three you’re going to feel me jerking your knee it is very important you don’t move against it. I am sorry to tell you it is going to hurt even though we have given you a temporary pain killer. Keep holding your husband’s hand and focusing on him. Ready?”
“I guess?”
“You will be ok malysh, I am right here.”
“One”
He took a deep breath and looked Ilya in the eye.
“Two”
He squeezed his hand as hard as could not caring who saw.
“Three”
At that moment without his body’s consent Shane let out a scream that would haunt Ilya’s nightmares for the rest of his life, closed his eyes and his hand went slack…..