The Day Has Come (Counting on Hockey #4)

Chapter 2: First Game

"Jamie!" I yell from my office. He rushes in excitedly.

"Yes?"

"Our first game is tonight. You can leave now if you, but I need you back here at six. If I'm not here, I'm either in the locker room with the Wild or on the bench with them. Either way, I'll most likely be with the team. The Jets conference will be at six thirty, and I need you to be there. Write down everything, just like I taught you, and I will make sure everything is good with you through out the night. As soon as the game is over, I need you back up here with your notes and writing. We need the summary up on the website before midnight, like always".

"Okay, I will be back then".

Just as Jamie leaves the department, my phone starts to ring. "Adams", I answer it with a smile on my face.

"Hello Miss. Adams. How has your day been?"

I realize it's Cole with a phony accent. I knew I recognized the number. "Hello Mr. Anderson. My day has been great so far. Yours?"

"It's better now", he replies. "When you coming down?"

"I'll be down in the next few minutes, just have to shut everything down up here, then I'll be down. I'll see you in a few".

Cole hangs up the phone and I set mine back on it's holder. I shut down my computer, and pack my small messenger bag of my notebooks and pencils, a water bottle, and a granola bar, in case I get hungry.

I take my walk to the locker room and find the team sitting around in their connected lounge. Cole sits in the back on the couch, talking to a few of the guys. Their girlfriends sit with them on the couch, though they seem to not care about the conversation. I go over and sit on the arm of the couch, placing a kiss on top of Cole's head. He smiles a little, looking up at me.

Before I know it, an arm wraps around my waist and Cole pulls me onto his lap. He plants a kiss on my lips. "Hello there", he says to me.

Cole continues his conversation with his teammates, and a few of the wives start conversation with me. His hand rests on my thigh. I feel his hand tense when he starts to laugh, then release when he calms down. I cherish everything that happens between us. Since our break last year, I feel like it's going to happen again, though now that I live here, the break wouldn't happen. I'm keeping myself positive, sue me.

"Meredith?" I hear someone say from the door. I look up to see Jamie standing there, still looking a little nervous. This is his first time in the locker room. I always had him in the box before the game. He never came with me when I started my job in the locker room.

I jump off of Cole's lap and walk over to him, just as Coach Boudreau walks into the room. Everyone goes quiet. I put my finger to my lips to signal to Jamie I'll talk when he's done. He nods his head. Boudreau starts on his pregame speech, then tells the team to start getting dressed. I walk outside with Jamie into the hallway.

"Okay, so. Our training the past few weeks has been preparing you for your first 'on your own' game. I want to put you in my first spot I was in when I started here. You will sit in the penalty box. Do everything that I taught you to do from the past few weeks, and I will come to find you at the end of each period. I will be on the bench if you happen to need anything, but I've done this on my own for almost two years, and you know everything I do", I say to Jamie.

Jamie takes a deep breath. "Okay. That sounds good. I will do everything, and I hope not to have any trouble. If I do, I can try to do it".

"I believe in you Jamie. You are a good journalist. Everything will be absolutely fine. I promise, nothing will go wrong. Just believe", I try to motivate Jamie. He smiles. "Now go get 'em", I laugh.

Jamie heads to the penalty box and I wait in the hallway for a few minutes before the players open the door and start to hype themselves up. A few of the wives stand by my side when their husbands and boyfriends come out. They find their partners and give them kisses, then walk to the staircase and elevators to the box, where they watch the game from.

I start on my walk out through the tunnel and onto the bench, in 'my' corner where I can see everything I need to perfectly. First, the Jets come from their locker room and through the tunnel. The crowd cheers softly, knowing that there aren't many Jets fans here for the game. 

The Wild are finally announced and I cheer along with the crowd. They skate out onto the ice and start their lap around for the crowd. I look across the ice and see Jamie standing nervously at the glass, writing something down. He finally looks up and sees me. I give him a thumbs up, and he gives one back.