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Hayden knew that something was amiss with his best friend, he just didn’t know what. But what he did know was that he wanted to get to the bottom of it. He’d taken all the notes, compiled all the signs, looked at all the clues and signals that Shane could have possibly been hinting at—all he needed now was to solve the puzzle and get an answer. Jackie Pike knew that something was amiss with her husband’s best friend, someone who she also thought of as family herself, and she also just didn’t know what. But what she did know was that she wanted to get to the bottom of it as well.
So here they were, on their living room couch with their children asleep upstairs, notes apps opened and discussing what they thought was going on and how they could help. And the conclusion they had come to was not one either of them wanted to be true.
“Ok,” Jackie leaned into the couch cushions, looking at Hayden anxiously, “I think I’ve got my answer.”
“Yep, me too. And I don’t fucking like it.”
“You want to go first?”
“Yea, I guess so,” Hayden sat up on his side of the couch and took a deep breath, “I just feel so weird doing this. It feels like I’m betraying his trust and invading his privacy, but I’m just so worried and if what these clues we got add up to what we think-”
“Hayden,” Jackie put her hand on his shoulder. Hayden thanked whatever supernatural being was out there for the birth of Jackie Pike, “You’ve tried the other ways. Shane’s safety is the most important right now.”
“Right, right,” Hayden replied, “Ok. Here goes,” Hayden looked down at his phone before looking back up at his wife, the dreadful words falling from his lips, “I think Shane’s in an abusive situation. And I think the abuser could be Boston Lily.”
Hayden’s stomach dropped when he saw Jackie nod, “Same. Unfortunately.”
“It just makes sense—and god, I don’t want it to, but it does. Ever since they got back together, Shane’s been coming to practice with so many bruises, and these are very much not the hockey kind. They’re everywhere even though he thinks I don’t see. Some of them are even in the shape of handprints.”
“Have you seen the ones on his wrists? He’s always covering them up. It looks like someone grabbed him.”
“This just looks bad Jackie, no matter how we try to spin it. I’ve mentioned it to him and he just says it’s nothing. ‘Probably from being bumped around during games’ is what he claims.”
“Why do you think it’s Boston Lily?” Jackie asked, placing her phone down on the table.
“Because they only ever happen when he goes to see her. He’ll go see her and then come back really late when he thinks I’m sleeping and he will just be covered,” Hayden grimaces, remembering the last time Shane had gone to see “Boston Lily” when they had last played that team. Hayden had been up reading a book when Shane came back to their shared hotel room attempting to hide a limp.
“Fucking hell,” Jackie breathed out, “This is more serious than we thought. I mean if she’s- if she really is beating the shit out of him that badly every time who’s to say she won’t try something worse?”
“On the rare occasion that he mentions her, there’s such a look of love in his eyes. He says there’s nothing between them but I just can’t believe that.”
“Right. Well, what do you think we should do?”
“I think,” Hayden said, “I should confront him.”
“Confront him, how? If you just bring this up he’ll probably deny it and we don’t want him to feel attacked.”
Hayden nodded, “Exactly. I think I’m just going to text him and ask him to talk in person. This isn’t something I want to do over the phone.”
“That sounds good. When are you thinking?”
“As soon as he’ll let me.”