My Girl (Jonathan Toews)

29

Alexis

Once the hockey season was done and I didn't have to be a ice girl anymore I decide to get my knee procedure done. The Blackhawks hook me up with their team doctor as he fixes up the guys after a really intense but short season. Usually a lot of the guys undergo some kind of maintenance things and I was too. I would only be off the ice for a week or two depending on how bad it is in there and how quickly I heal.

So I head to the hospital and they put me under. They get me all fixed up and bandaged before letting me go rest at home. I'll be back again next week to see if there's anything else that needs done or if I can just hop back into training picking up where I left off. I wanted some physical therapy but I wanted it to be more like personal training so hopefully we can figure something out. But for right now I was still effected by the medication and wanted to sleep for the rest of the day. So Jon takes me home and helps me to the couch. Kimberly joins me as Jon has to make lunch for once.

"How do you make this look so easy" he asks as I hear the pan start to simmer again. I don't know what he's doing but if he's using oil he might want to turn the stove down some.

"Anything's easy when you have to do it in order to survive" I assure him.

"Well it looks like I'm ordering some take out because this isn't going very well for me" he claims.

"It can't be that bad" I insist.

"I burnt the oil..." he trails off and I sleepily giggle.

"I could go for some Chinese food" I admit.

"When don't you want Chinese food" he teases.

"When I'm dead" I joke.

So he orders us some Chinese food and joins me on the couch. He takes a look at my knee and I can see that he didn't like this. Even though it was a little procedure and it couldn't hurt me, I can tell he didn't like it. He softly runs his hand over my knee and I try not to flinch.

"Does it hurt" he asks carefully.

"I can't feel much right now" I admit.

"Are you scared" he wonders as I shake my head.

"Not anymore" I say. "I used to be. Man... I used to be so scared. I would wake up and I would wonder if I could stop walk. It would hurt so bad, and not just from the surgery but from the pain of feeling so useless. People would look at me and they knew everything changed. They knew I would never be the same again. I felt like I was at my own funeral, people were already writing me off and I was still here" I whisper.

"You're so strong" he says as he places his large hand on my thigh.

"I had to be. I didn't have another choice" I insist.

"But you did. You could have gave up and been homeless. You could have broke down and started skating again knowing that you weren't ready yet. You could have sold yourself out so people could keep using you.

But instead you fought for yourself, your integrity. You stood strong and when life hit you you got back up. You kept fighting and now look at you. You're on top of the world" he insists.

"Because I finally see that my knee wasn't the problem. Many people tear their ACL's and come back. My problem was that I wasn't strong enough to handle life again. I didn't want to face the world and it be disappointed because things aren't the same and they'll never be the same again. I was afraid that I couldn't be that girl I used to be. But I don't want to be her, her strength was on the ice and was nothing off of it. I wanted to be someone looked to as a person and not just a skater. And I'm finally getting to be that girl" I smile.

"You're the good anyone would be lucky to have. As a fighter, as a sister, as a girlfriend fiancé and wife. Even just as a friend" he claims.

"I don't want to be popular anymore. I don't care about having a bunch of people in my life of they don't care about me. Having you and Kim... that's all I need" I say as I rest my hand on top of his. I lace my fingers through his and give his hand a squeeze as he smiles at me.

"So you're gonna be okay" he questions.

"I'm gonna be great. I'll be back in my feet in no time and back on the ice" I promise.

"Good" he sighs.

Finally our food comes and I take no time digging in. While I do have a diet I like to follow to make sure I'm in good shape, I always break for Chinese food. Even Jonny broke his diet because not even him can resist the temptation of port fried rice and sweet and sour chicken.

Once we were gone with dinner we find the fortune cookies and crack them open. Jonny starts to laugh as he reads his out loud.

"You will find a lot of success in your career" he reads and I laugh along with him.

"Well that's pretty accurate" I admit.

"What does mine say" Kimmy asks as she hands me her paper. She can read... she just doesn't like to.

"Good things come to those who wait" I say.

"What does that mean" she wonders.

"It means you need to have patience" I tease.

"Oh... well that's more like a unfortunate cookie" she accuses making me giggle.

"How do you even know how to use that word" I ask.

"I hear things" she shrugs. I was afraid she was going to say that.

"What about you? What does yours say" Jonny wonder.

"Nothing is impossible with a willing heart" I read.

"I really like that" he admits.

"Yeah, me too" I agree.