Rating:

General Audiences

Archive Warning:

No Archive Warnings Apply

Category:

M/M

Fandom:

Heated Rivalry (TV)

Relationships:

Shane Hollander/Ilya Rozanov, Shane Hollander & Jackie Pike

Characters:

Jackie Pike, Shane Hollander, Ilya Rozanov

Additional Tags:

POV Jackie Pike, Good Friend Jackie Pike, Episode: s01e05 I'll Believe in Anything (Heated Rivalry)

Language:

English

Stats:

Published: 2026-01-18 Words: 1,038 Chapters: 1/1

Life Lessons Start Early

Summary

A heavily pregnant Jackie Pike can't sleep and heads to the hospital to sit with Shane. A trip to the bathroom at the start of visiting hours leads to her overhearing Ilya's visit.

When most people expressed sympathy about third trimester challenges, Jackie would reply with a joke. It was always some variation on, “at least it’s only one this time.” But even one set of feet kicking her from the inside was uncomfortable, and Jackie woke from her restless sleep feeling defeated. Once her feet touched the cold bathroom floor, she would be awake for the day.

“Life lesson, little one,” she grumbled to her daughter, “Mommy is a lot easier to deal with when she’s gotten some sleep.”

She shifted a little, burrowing into Hayden’s side of the bed for the cuddle she hadn’t gotten the night before. He’d gone from the arena to the hospital, and Jackie had desperately wanted to be with him. She wanted to hold his hand in the waiting room and assure him that everything would be ok, but her emergency babysitter, the man she called when other family or friends fell through, was the one in the hospital.

Amber shifted, putting unpleasant pressure on her mother’s hip, and Jackie sighed. She kissed Hayden on the shoulder and got up, the chill of the world outside her bed feeling particularly unpleasant when combined with her aching back and nagging headache.

As she made her way around the bed, she picked up Hayden’s phone and shut off the alarm. The kids would wake him at some point but not for a few more hours. He had been at the hospital until 2:00 am. He needed to sleep, and she could take a shift with Shane.

“The house is quiet, Amber” she whispered as she chose an outfit comfortable enough to wear to the hospital. “Life lesson, a quiet house is a precious rarity. Protect it as best you can.”

---

The beep of Shane’s monitors was oddly soothing. Jackie could read in peace by his bed, listening to the steady rhythm of his heart as he rested. She shifted in the chair, a more comfortable one than the room would normally have. Thankfully, Shane’s nurse was a Metros fan.

Outside the room, the general hum of activity stepped up, and Jackie checked the time. Visiting hours were starting. She considered finishing her chapter before texting Hayden, then Amber woke up again. The baby rolled and shifted, finishing off her acrobatics with a firm kick. Her mother sighed.

“Stop kicking me,” she whispered, giving her daughter a fond pat that she hoped she could feel through her sweatshirt. “Uncle Shane is sleeping, and you’re going to make me have to pee again.”

She flicked her eyes back down to her open book, resting on her belly, and sighed. She shifted to one side and picked up the faded receipt she was using as a bookmark. She set her book on the side table and heaved herself out of the chair. Fortunately, Shane’s private room had a bathroom attached to it.

A few minutes later, she winced at the noisy flush and shot a look at the closed door. “Well,” she whispered to her daughter, “the nurse was bound to wake Uncle Shane when she came to check his vitals anyway.” She washed her hands and stood at the sink for a long moment, trying to convince herself that she did not actually want a stale candy bar from the machine downstairs.

She set her hand on the doorknob and twisted, but, as the door cracked open, she heard Shane’s voice. It was slurred and slow, dragging out the vowels that her brain slowly interpreted as, “Ilya.”

Her eyebrows shot up, and she froze. Checking on an opposing player after a serious hit was a classy show of sportsmanship and respect. Jackie had never heard that Ilya Rozanov was the type to make such a gesture, but the stiffly accented voice that replied was definitely his.

She shuffled her feet, debating the merits of injecting herself into the awkward moment or letting a very medicated Shane handle it himself. Her hand dropped to her side as she heard him give a clear evaluation of his own injuries. She patted Amber rhythmically as she waiting for Rozanov to finish his courtesy visit.

It was an interesting insight into the man that Hayden loved to hate. She had heard Shane occasionally declare him not so bad and thought this was a side of Rozanov people didn’t often see. Then, Shane’s tone changed, and Jackie put her hand back on the door.

His, “Hey, heeyyy,” was slurred and a little dopey. The last thing Jackie wanted was for Shane to feel embarrassed about showing too much of himself to another player… a rival.

“You scared me.”

Jackie went still, and all her thoughts hushed as though they might accidentally drown out the voices on the opposite side of the door. She let their conversation wash over her, trying to ignore her racing heart. The words were vague enough for plausible deniability, if you didn’t know Shane. He didn’t make plans after games, especially not during the playoffs. And he would never invite a near stranger to his cottage, no matter how much mutual respect there was between them.

She drew in a deep breath through her mouth and let it out slowly through her nose. Tears pricked her eyes as she heard Rozanov say, “Maybe,” in a tone that would have Ruby whining, “That’s the No Maybe.”

A nurse entered the room, making a joke about Rozanov smothering his competition, and their moment was over. Jackie waited, hand still on the bathroom door, until the nurse had left again. She took a deep breath, bracing herself to let Shane know what she had heard.

Shane didn’t see her though. He had already dozed back off. She approached his bedside and brushed back a lock of hair like she would do with any of her children. “It’s ok, Shane. Your secret is safe with me.” A tear trailed down her cheek, and she sniffed. “I hope you’ll tell me yourself, one day.”

She took her seat again, resting her book on her belly and closing her eyes for a moment. Very softly, she addressed her daughter. “Life lesson, little one. We don’t out people. No matter who, and no matter what.”