Slapshots {BOYXBOY}✔

Forty-Four {Routine}

"Your head is looking a lot better. The MRI showed no abnormal signs. Your ribs are healing nicely, and you're walking a lot better, even without the cane. I'm very hopeful that you'll be back to normal in no time." Dr. Patterson said and I could feel Jorden and I both let out deep breaths that I knew we both had been holding. Normally he wouldn't come into the office with me. But I felt like I needed him there, so when they called my name, I made sure to make it clear that I wanted him to follow. One question still needed to be answered, and I needed him there for that. If the answer wasn't the one I wanted.

"What about Hockey?"

The doctor cleared his throat turning from where he typed on the computer to face me. "We spoke before about taking the year off. And I think that's for the best. But, in saying that you and your coach need to have a long chat about your ice time. One bad hit Matt and I can't tell you what the odds of you being able to get up from that again. In a year, it could be totally different. We'll scan again in six months. And we'll go from there. But in the meantime, I think it should be fine. As long as you take it easy. Limit screen time, stress, sounds,  don't go onto the ice until we have that six months scan. If you fall it could jeopardize everything."

"That's better then I was expecting. A year off isn't bad. You'll need to do a press conference. I start back to work the week after next. We can stop at the arena on the way home and you can talk to coach. Give him the note."

I nodded, holding the paper tight in my grip. That small sheet of paper held my whole career. If something in that MRI had been different today, or if something happens between now and the next one. That sheet of paper could ruin my life.

The drive to the arena wasn't a long one, but it felt like it took forever. I knew the schedule, and I knew everyone would be on the ice, they had been for about fifteen minutes. Jorden took his bag out of the truck, throwing it over his shoulder. He wasn't playing any games but he was making it to all the skate time he could, and with a game coming up tomorrow night the team was in town and it made things a lot easier for the both of us.

Walking into the arena was like hitting a wall, the thin cold air, the smell of the ice, the smell of hockey. It all hit me at that moment. If that night had turned out different I might have never walked into an arena again in my life. And that hit me in the gut. I wanted to double over in pain but I pushed through and walked beside Jorden to the dressing room. He got dressed, having a quick chat with the other late teammates that were just crawling out of the dressing room in their gear. "Eh, Chandlers. Good to see you, bro!" Dickson said on his way out with Murphy. I smiled, laughed at the crude jokes that they made on their way, and waited for Jorden.

Once he was ready and on the ice, I waved to coach who slid across the ice to the opening that I was standing in. He was standing at the far end of the ice in his shoes talking to a ref while looking at a playbook in his hands. But once he saw me he wasn't long handing it over and making his way.

"Matty, boy am I glad to see you." He said, and I could hear the sincerity in his words as he wrapped an arm around me. "You're looking good boy. Going to be at the game tomorrow? Sit on the bench with us?"

I laughed shaking my head. "I wish, I can't be around loud noise yet. Give it another month and I'll sit with yea'"

"I'll hold yea' to it." He grinned taking the envelope in my hand and opening it, He tisked at first, shaking his head but he looked back at me with a small smile. "Shitty as that is, I'm just glad you're ok. Anyone else gets hit like that and they'd be out for good. I'll set a conference with TSN tonight. You busy at the weekend?"

"Going to BC this weekend hopefully. Should be back in Tronto Wednesday."

"Alright. Next Friday night we'll have it here." He tucked the note under his arm. "You rest now. I know Jorden has been staying with yea', don't let him get you into stupid shit. Boy only has half a brain sometimes." I couldn't help but laugh, and agree. Sometimes Jorden did questionable things. But it was something I liked about him, you could never really guess what he was going to do.

Henry got home Monday, and that next weekend Jorden was gone. I was going to fly with him, but the doctor knocked that one out of the ballpark after we had brought it up at my second appointment.

Henry and I did just as much as Jorden and I did on the weekend that he was away. We sat together in the living room and watched movies, we stayed inside a lot, and just spent time together.

It was nice being able to be with them both one on one. It made me learn more about them both, like that Henry likes to brush his teeth after he ate dinner, and didn't like romantic movies, or Christmas movies. And he enjoyed getting his hair played with.

Jorden didn't like Christmas movies either, but he was a sap for romance, and he liked to dance along to the radio while cooking. He also had a radio in his bathroom that turned on when every the light came on because he couldn't handle it being quit.

And I learned that when one was away, I missed them. I longed for them to come home and join us. I wanted Jorden to play with my hair while I sat my head on Henry's chest. I wanted Henry to make his soup for dinner, and I wanted them both to tell me about their days when it was over.

When Jorden finally came home there was one elephant left in the room.

More specifically it was the living room. And the elephant was my bed.

"You can have my room, I don't mind the sofa," Henry said at dinner on Wednesday night, Jorden nodded.

"Yea, kick him out on the couch. His bed is the biggest."

I snorted, shaking my head. "I'm not kicking him out of his room. I don't mind my bed where it is, really."

"You do, you complain about it all the time." Jorden pointed out, stuffing a ravioli noddle in his mouth.

"Ok, I do. But I mean, it's all I have right now."

"No, it's not." Henry cut in. "You know, we can sleep together, and not sleep together right?"

I sheepishly looked down at my bowl, nibbling on my inner lip. "I— I know. I just."

"Would it help if we made things more official? Because if being in a bed with us is making your nervous, I would like to point out you weren't nervous this morning while we made out." Jorden said.

I gaped at him, I could feel the blood rushing to my face. "Jorden!" Henry called with a laugh.

"What? It's true." He shrugged. "You can have your bed tonight. But we're getting rid of it tomorrow, you can sleep in Henry's bed if you want. But Henry will be in my bed, while you're in his. Because let's face it. He's too posh for a couch."

"Jor— "

"Ah, ah." He got up, taking his empty plate with him, and walked over to where I sat, taking my plate with his, bending over and kissing right under my ear while he did it. "I'm making the rules for this. You always get to be bossy. My turn." Before I could say anything back to him he walked to the sink, turning on his radio and the sink, letting the plates slink loudly together as he started to wash them.

I looked at Henry for help, but he just smirked and got up, leaning over and kissing me quickly on the lips before bringing Jorden his plate.

I wasn't mad about it. As much as I liked to front that I was, I wasn't I liked the idea of being with them in a bed. But I was just nervous because making out in the bathroom before a shower wasn't the same as making out in a bed where things can get.. Well, out of hand.

I had gotten comfortable with them both. So comfortable that it was almost scary. But I liked it. I liked the routine we had.

And I guess it was up to me to make a new one.