Hockey boy

Present time

   Alex's P.O.V.

       When the 2nd period started the I could tell the boys weren't playing at 100 percent. We've had that problem and coach always gets on us about it "you need to play a 60 minute game not 40", is what he tells us. I caught myself talking to the boys trying to tell them what to do even though I know they can't hear me. At the end of the second period the score was 2-1 blues. I was happy we were still winning, because it should be 3 to 2 but our goalie made some really good saves. "Soooo", Katie said "what is my other present", she asked it with a big smile on her face. I chuckled and got up and went into my room, from my room I said you get one right now as I grabbed a box that had 2 of the 3 presents in it. I walked out of my room with a smile on my face and set it on the coffee table. I looked over are her with a smile and said "open it", when I said that she smiled and grabbed the box. There was a envelope and a box underneath the wrapping paper. "Open the box first", I told her and she gave me a confused look but then she said "ok". She opened the box that held a jersey, "thanks, I have a jersey but it doesn't fit very well but this is special because it is from you". She went and grabbed the envelop and opened it, she took out the cheesy happy birthday card, she read it then opened it. When she saw it was a season ticket for the rest of the season she had the largest smile on her face that I have ever seen. She leaned in and gave me a kiss and said "thanks for everything, I haven't had a night like this in a long time and it was nice". "Well", I said "I have two things your welcome, for you it's all worth it and the jersey is a game worn jersey so it has my sweat and everything on it". She looked at me with a gross look "no it's not", I said "but I have worn it for a couple of charity events". She put it up to her nose and said "it smells like you". The third period was about to begin and she leaned against me and put her head on my shoulder. I am going to enjoy this last period I thought.

        During the third period I tried to keep my mumbling down to a minimum especially because she was right there. At the end of the third the final score was 4-3 us but I have a feeling that coach isn't to happy about that score. I pulled out from underneath Katie "I'm sorry", I said "but I have one more present". "Ok", she said as I walked into my bed room. I stuck my head out of my room "close your eyes", I told her. "Closed", she said , and I trusted her I carried it out and set it on her lap. "Open", I said, when she opened her eyes they nearly popped out of her head. She picked up the stick that was signed by the team and flipped it around to look at all of the signatures. "The team gave this to me for my birthday and I have nothing to do with it, I mean it's just been sitting in the corner of my room since then". She looked at me and said "no..no.. I can't it yours and...". I cut her off "I insist" I told her and she finally gave up on her fighting back.

       We turned on the goonies and cuddled up with each other. "So what did you do today", she asked "other than plan this for me". "Well", I said "I went to the doctor to get my leg checked out, and I talked to Chase, that was my day, how about you". "Umm", she said "I went to a stupid meeting that I didn't need to go to, I got texts from like everyone but my dad, came home, changed, and now I'm here with you". I smiled and said "I can't believe it". "Can't believe what", she said looking worried "that my dad forgot about me". "No and yes", I said "but I can't believe I forgot that". So I got up mad walked into my room, and grabbed the envelope that her mom handed to me. Once I walked out of my room I handed the envelope straight to her. "Wait what is th...", she stopped her self when she saw her fathers hand writing. She opened it and looked at the writing inside of the card, I couldn't quite pick out what it said, but she took the check out and put it on the side. I sat down next to her and followed her eyes that went back and forth between looking at the card and at the wall. I heard her sniffle so I put my arm around her to try to comfort her. "I can't believe it", she said, I thought she was finished so I almost started talking. "He did this", she said, she looked over at me "he's paying for my apartment for the rest of the year, and he apologized for everything he put me through as a kid". She looked into my eyes deep into them "he left my mom and I so I had a hard time trusting men until Kyle, I thought he was good guy, and you see what happened, now you". I gave her a hug and said "I promise I will never hurt you, and always love you". She took her head off my shoulder and looked at me "that's what they both said". I pulled her in close and said "I will never let you go unless you want me to". I felt my shoulder become damp and heard a sniffle I knew she was crying, I didn't know what to do so I just made sure I didn't let go.

      When she let go then I let go and she sat straight up on the couch and said "thanks for, you know everything, I need to get home it's almost midnight and I need my sleep", with a smile. So I got up and walked her to the door, once we got there there was an awkward moment of silence. I broke it by saying "Well, good night, happy birthday, and I love you, I truly do". I put my hands up and tucked a piece of her hair behind her ear, then she leaned in and the rest was magic, it was like we were ment to be together. I pulled her closer to me and we fit perfectly together, and all of the pain in me disappeared. We stood there held together by our arms, until she said "well, it's late I need to get back I need to get up early in the morning, so see ya". She started walking away and I said "good night Katie I'll see you tomorrow". She looked back and smiled then disappeared into her apartment.

       So I closed my door and went straight into my kitchen to get my medicine, since she left my leg started to hurt again. I went into my bedroom I know that tomorrow will be hard because I'm going to have physical therapy.

        When I wake up the sun is shining bright and it's 9:03, my therapy session is at 10:30 so I go ahead and take a shower. After my shower I make myself a piece of toast and eat some yogurt. At 10 I go ahead and leave for the doctors, it's downtown so I take my time. I take as many back roads as I can taking in the scene that is downtown St. Louis, I look at the people old and young that walk down the streets that most people pay no attention to. I got to the doctors office around 10:25, when I walk in they ask no questions I just hand them over my insurance card. I go and sit in the waiting room and check/play on my phone until my doctor comes and said "let's go Alex". So I hobbled behind him until we reach a room that I am to familiar with, the x-ray room. He took 3 pictures each of my knee at a different angle them we go into a actual room. He takes all of the normal things, blood pressure, temperature, and heart rate. He takes me knee into his hands and said "I'm just going to check how it feels and it might hurt a little". I knew what that ment so I grabbed on the side of the table as he poked, and prodded my knee. He left I guess to look at my x-rays, he came back about 7 minutes later with a folder and a not so happy look on his face. He sat in his chair and said "well, what I told you about being out for only a week or two well, your knee is not getting better, and if it stays the way it is for another week we may have to go in and do surgery, the key now is just to make sure you stay off of it". The rest of it was blur all these medical facts and things like that, all I remember is he told me to go home rest my knee, and forget about therapy.

     At 2:30 I looked at the clock, knowing she's going to be home soon. I just want to see her face, and her smile that makes all of my pain float off into the sunset. I sat and looked out the window wanting her car to pull in next to my truck as soon as possible. I looked at the clock again, what had felt like hours, had only been 30 minutes. I looked threw my messages, and she didn't say anything about staying late, when I looked out onto the street and it was flowing at it's normal pace now I'm worried. At 3:45 I was extra worried, no text no nothing, but then I felt my vibrate, it was a phone call. The call was from Stephanie, Katie's mom, she talked fast and didn't even give me a chance to speak before she hung up. She didn't say much except, Katie was in a car accident, she's at st.John's Mercy, and it doesn't look good. So I got up and went towards my truck as fast as my knee would take me.

      As I drove to the hospital, I was probably speeding, I passed the seen of the accident, her car didn't look good, but I tried to ignore that. I tried to think of positive things like well there wasn't much damage to her side of the car, and the car didn't look totalled. I pulled off the highway I tried to remember the room number 716. I found a parking space and I was not even worried about locking my door, I just walked as fast as I could to a nurses station to ask where room 716 was. They showed me a hallway that led down to the icu waiting room. I looked around for a minute and I saw her mom walking towards me. "How's she doing", I asked her as she gave me a hug. She pulled back and took a breath "the doctor came out a couple of minutes ago and said she is stable and awake but I was just waiting for you to go back there". I nodded my head and followed her mom down to a room where there were two nurses and a doctor in there nursing her cuts and brushes.

     Her head was wrapped up in a bandage, and she had a soft cast on her wrist. Then I looked down she had a bandage wrapped around where the bottom of her shirt should have been. It looked as if they were about to change her so I turned around giving her some privacy. When the doctor came out he said "she's sore, and had some bleeding in her side we were also afraid that she had some internal bleeding, but thank the lord she didn't, but you can go in now". I was scared what she was going to say so I followed her mom into the room.