Patins et pilules

Chapitre 22

Liam

15 mars

- Did you think about what you would like for your 30th birthday, Liam?

Virginie is asking me this question again as I am putting on my dress pants, my button down shirt and my jacket for the first time in almost a month. I've been living in sweatpants and t-shirts for the last weeks and getting dressed up today brings me some sense of normalcy. I stayed at home for the first 2 weeks after my injury. At first, my concussion was the more problematic. I had a continuous headache and I was dizzy each time I stood up so I was dependant on the people around me for everything. That period was pretty hard for me and I had to look at the puck I kept from Jay's goal in Vancouver to remember that I would eventually get better. It lasted for about 10 days and then it went away. My mom stayed with me for that period and Virginie moved in to give her a break during the evening and the night. They were both very patient and I'll be forever grateful for that. My mom is back in Red Deer since the beginning of last week but Virginie is still living in my house and I really like having her with me.

Now, I'm feeling better and I started physical therapy for my shoulder. I'm also back to train at Bell Complex. For now, I'm mostly doing leg work in the gym but I started to skate 3 days ago with my teammate James. Yes, the 2 concussion guys are training together. My legs will never be as strong and watch me skating when I'm back for real!

And today, I'm going with the guys on a road trip. We're going to Boston and New York for 2 games, tomorrow night and Saturday. I won't play, of course, but I'll be there to cheer my boys and especially Jay who had a tough time since my injury. He's better now, but it's still not back to his normal. The guys lost their last two games and it was the first time since January that they lost two games in a row. I can't wait to be with them again. I've been living with teammates for most of my life and I feel like something is missing when I'm by myself. But before being with them, I have to reply to Virginie's question.

- I don't need anything, I have you, babe!

She's been asking me this question for 2 weeks now, almost every day. At first, I took the time to think about it. I have 2 houses, 3 cars, dozens of signed helmets, caps, hockey sticks, bats, rackets and jerseys from my sports idols, a PS5, the latest iPhone, 4 wide screen TVs, subscriptions to Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney Plus, HBO max, Hulu... I could buy a plane ticket for every destination that I want without having to worry about my bank account. I can go to every restaurant in Montreal, every night, if I want to. My wardrobe is filled with all kinds of clothes, hats and shoes. Really, there's nothing material that I need. But when I think about it, there is something that I want. It's something that Virginie can't give me now. Or, to be more specific, it's something that I can't request from her now. It's really not that I don't want her to give it to me, in fact, she'd be the only person that I would want to give it to me but it's not the right moment. But I'm starting to be out of ways of responding to her question and, as I know myself, if she asks a few more times, I won't be able to hide it anymore and I'll tell her the truth.

- Really Liam? There's certainly something!

- I told you, you're all I need!

She rolls her eyes.

- Come on, let's go then or you'll be late.

We get in her car as she's driving me to Brossard where I'll meet the guys before taking the bus toward the airport, after their practice. On the way, she puts her hand on my knee.

- I'll miss sleeping with you!

- Just sleeping?

She chuckles.