by Anne Stone
“Okay, dear. Don’t forget dinner tomorrow night.”
“I won’t. Ryne’s looking forward to it.”
She kissed her grandparent’s goodbye and ran by the store. Just those few errands caused the little energy she had to wane. She dragged herself back home, put away the few groceries she’d purchased, and dozed off waiting for Ryne.
The next thing she knew, she felt something— a whisper touch against her forehead. She fought to open her eyes and there, standing before her, was her handsome husband. “You looked so peaceful lying there. Did I wake you? I hope not.”
He slid down beside her on the bed and pulled her into his arms. He brushed a feather kiss across her brow. “This feels good,” he said before he leaned over and brushed his lips against hers. “It seems like an eternity since I last held you in my arms.”
“You’ve got that right. This road trip seems like it’s lasted a month instead of a week.”
“I can’t agree with you more.” He moved closer to her, snuggling her neck. “I’d love to stay here with you, but I need to head back to the arena soon.”
“I know. By the way, Ed texted me and asked if I would sit in his box tonight. I hope that’s okay.”
“Why wouldn’t it be? After all, he is like a father to you.”
“I just thought I needed to be…”
“Honey, we’re not in Calgary and this is your hometown.”
“I know…”
“Enough. Let’s take a quick nap before I need to go. Then, in a few short hours, we’ll have some quality time to ourselves. Did you see Rose?”
“I did and she told me to remind you about dinner.”
“I haven’t forgotten. I look forward to it.” She nestled deeper into his embrace and drifted back to sleep.
She slept so soundly that she didn’t hear him leave. She was startled awake when she heard her phone and answered. “Hi, Lauren.”
“Are you almost ready?”
“Ahh, I’m just waking from a nap. Give me twenty minutes and I’ll be ready.”
“Another nap.”
“I know. I think I’m fighting some kind of virus or something. I need to go if I’m going to be ready when you arrive.”
Jen rushed to dress and got to the living room only moments before Lauren rang the doorbell. “You still look tired,” Lauren squawked at her as she made her way inside.
“I am. Maybe I need to get used to the time change.”
“Jen, it’s not like you traveled from New York to California. You’re only dealing with an hour’s difference.”
“I know.” She reached for her purse. “Come on, I have a surprise for you.”
“A surprise? I love surprises.”
“I think you’re really going to like this one. We’re sitting in Ed’s box.”
Lauren’s eyes grew wide, “I love this surprise.”
“Thought you would.”
They arrived at their usual time and instead of going to Faceoff’s before the game, they made their way to the Storm’s locker room.
As they strolled down the hallway, she ran into Ray.
“Hey there, Jen, Ryne’s suiting up.”
“I came to see Etienne and Philippe.”
“Not your husband?”
“Him too, but I’ve already seen him today. I haven’t seen my brothers-in-law yet.”
“Wait here and I’ll send them out.”
A few moments later, Philippe came bustling through the doorway. “Oh hi, Jen,” He pulled her into his arms. “I bet you’re glad to be home.”
“It’s nice, yes, and I get to visit with my grandparents so that makes it even better.” As he released her from his embrace, he noticed Lauren.
“Lauren, I didn’t see you standing there.” He leaned over and kissed her cheek. “It’s so good to see you again.”
Before Philippe could carry on his conversation, he was interrupted by Etienne. “Looky here, Ryne,” he called over his shoulder. “Your wife is here.” He became aware of Lauren and added, “Lauren’s here too.” Etienne welcomed Jen in the same manner as Philippe, pulling her into a tight embrace and kissing her cheek. “You look tired. Everything okay?”
“I missed my husband,” she stated. “But you wouldn’t know what that’s like, would you?”
“What a low blow,” he clamored as he reached Lauren and pulled her into hug. “I’m not sure I can forgive you for that…”
“Forgive who,” Ryne asked as he made his way into the hallway, reaching for Jen. He dropped a kiss on her cheek and pulled her near.
“Don’t worry about it,” Jen added as she leaned into Ryne. “Lauren and I decided to stop by and give you our well wishes before the game. Plus, I haven’t seen those two scallywags in a while.” She gestured to his brothers. “How about coming over after the game?”
“We can’t,” Philippe stated. “We’re scheduled to fly home with the team. Ryne here’s the only one not traveling home with us.”
“Then I consider myself lucky,” Jen tightened her arm around Ryne.
“Aren’t you having dinner with Rowena this trip?” Lauren asked as she smiled at Philippe.
Ryne groaned. “After Christmas we’re heading up to Greenwich. We have dinner plans with Rose and Wilford tomorrow night, right honey?”
“We do.” She looked at her friend and noticed Lauren only had eyes for Philippe. What’s up with that? In that moment, she decided to commit that look to memory. Maybe she could become a matchmaker to her two friends. Philippe needed to find someone to share his life with, and Lauren needed to get a life. She definitely worked way too hard. My New Year’s resolution…Find a way to set these two up!
They didn’t have much time to visit before Oscar stuck his head out looking for his missing players. He always did a quick assessment to make sure they were game ready. “Sorry about the interruption but we do have a game to prepare for.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Etienne said as he quickly hugged Jen goodbye. “We’ll see you back home.”
“Have a good Christmas,” Philippe softly spoke to Lauren as he reached for her hand, squeezing it before saying a final goodbye to Jen.
“Stay safe,” he called back over his shoulder to Jen as he made his way into the locker room.
Jen reached up kissed Ryne and patted him on the chest. “Play your best and I’ll be waiting right here when the game’s over.”
Ryne squeezed her one more time, raised his hand in a farewell to Lauren, and proceeded back through the door, closing it behind him.
Jen turned to her friend with a broad smile. “What’s the look for?” Lauren questioned.
“Ahh, nothing.” Jen had seen the way Philippe squeezed Lauren’s hand. She felt a good vibe between them and needed to figure out a way to bring them together for an extended period of time. She couldn’t easily arrange a date. Philippe lived in Calgary year-round and Lauren in St. Louis. It would take some creative planning on her part but she would find a way.
Chapter Thirty-Five
After saying their goodbye, Jen and Lauren went directly to Ed’s box. She was excited to see him and practically ran into his arms. They generally spoke weekly but with the season in full swing he’d been hard to get ahold of.
They lost track of time and almost missed the player introductions. She stood at the edge of the box and waved at Ryne and his brothers when their names were announced.
She was thrilled to be back in the Generaldome. Although her allegiance was now with the Storm, the Generals still held a special place in her heart.
As the players stood on the ice during the National Anthems, she couldn’t help but notice Lauren’s eyes focused solely on Philippe. As Philippe made his way to the bench, he raised his stick and motioned in their direction.
“What’s that all about?” Jen giggled and turned to her friend.
“I guess he was saying hi.”
“If that’s what you want to believe, okay. I think it’s a little more meaningful.”
<
br /> “I don’t know what you’re implying…”
Before she could finish her thought, the fans were on their feet cheering as the players retook the ice.
Ed’s box was close to the Hockey Tonight crew. She could hear Kelly Rhodes and Ted Jackson getting ready to call the game.
“Ted, this is a big night for Ryne Ferguson. He’s returning to the Generaldome for the first time since being traded.”
“You’re right, Kelly. The two teams played earlier this year in Calgary and it was a pretty tame game. I expect it to be a little more physical tonight especially with the Generals’ losing streak. They’re going to come out fighting. Ferguson’s having a stellar year— the best of his career although the last couple of games have been a little shaky for him. I have to wonder if he’s got an injury.”
“You never know. These hockey players are tough as nails and play under extreme conditions. Time will tell.”
“Okay, here’s the lineup for the game…” Jen tuned out the rest of their spiel as she watched Ryne head towards the faceoff circle.
Since becoming involved with Ryne, Jen was a nervous fan. She worried the entire game that he would get injured. As the players lined up around the faceoff circle, she raised her fingers to her mouth. She had a nervous habit of chewing on them at the outset of the game and tonight was no different.
Ryne stood in the circle ready to face-off against Derek. She’d noticed they’d spoken during the warm-ups. They were no longer friends on the ice, they were rivals. The Storm was on a one game winning streak while the Generals had lost four of their last five. Jen knew Ryne felt good going into the game.
Nervously, she watched as the referee prepared to drop the puck. As a visitor, Ryne was the first to place his stick on the ice. She held her breath waiting for the puck to drop. In a blink of an eye, the puck was on the ice, and Ryne took control. The puck moved to Josh’s stick as he crossed the blue line.
Ryne circled behind the net, waiting for a pass. Ice sprayed along the boards as his skates cut through the rink’s surface. He stopped at the side of the net waiting for Philippe to pass him the puck. His stick lay flush against the ice, waiting, anticipating Philippe’s next move. And then the whistle blew. Less than a minute into the game, Etienne was involved in a skirmish. She was surprised by the quickness of the fight and wondered what led to gloves being dropped and Etienne’s head in a head lock.
“Wow, this game is starting out intense. Tucker jumped right on Etienne Ferguson. This is going to be a physical game, Ted.” Jen caught Kelly Rhodes’ voice as he described the fight on the ice.
“The fight didn’t last long, that’s for sure, Kelly.”
“No, it didn’t. It looks like the officials are going to have to be on their toes tonight.” Kelly added as the players were escorted directly to the penalty box.
Both players were sent off the ice with fighting penalties and wouldn’t be seen again for five minutes. Ryne shook his head at his brother, seemingly disgusted that he took a penalty so early in the game.
Derek won the faceoff after the penalty. Ryne hurried down the ice to help defend his goal. Philippe somehow intercepted an errant pass and sent it across the ice to Ryne who raced down the rink. He crossed the blue line, and carried the puck behind the goal. He spun around, still in control, and flipped the puck towards the net. It bounced on the ice and skipped by the Generals’ goalie. The blue light lit and Ryne had his first goal of the game.
Jen exhaled the breath she’d been holding and felt relieved. Ryne seemed like he was on his game, playing with a high level of intensity. Ray pulled his line and Ryne sat leaning over the boards, waiting, ready to return to the ice. She kept one eye on the penalty clock and the other on Ryne. In her gut she knew he was going to return to the ice shortly and he did. Vladamir Pantengelo stole the puck from one of the Generals’ players. Just as he started up ice, Ryne flew over the side of the boards. His skates had barely touched the ice when he received a pass directly onto his stick from Vlad.
“Look at Ferguson go,” Ted announced to the Hockey Today audience. “I haven’t seen him skate this fast in a long time.”
“You’re right, Ted,” Kelly stated as they looked on. “He’s in phenomenal shape.”
Ryne sped down the ice towards the Generals’ goal. As long as Jen followed hockey, she’d never seen a slap shot like her husband’s. Ryne’s was the best in the NHL, averaging more than one hundred miles an hour. She felt the play setting-up and wasn’t surprised when he stopped on a dime, raised his stick and slapped at the puck. It flew over the goalie’s shoulder into the net. The blue light went off again. In a matter of minutes, Ryne had scored his second goal of the game and the Storm led 2-0.
“Look at that— two goals in less than five minutes. I have to wonder why we traded him.” Ted seemed to shout above the boos coming from the sellout crowd.
Jen was beside herself with excitement. She high-fived Lauren and turned to Ed who shook his head. “Who do you think I’m rooting for? Not the Storm.” They all burst out laughing at Ed’s comment. His team was losing.
Ryne’s line was again pulled from the ice to catch a breather. “There goes Ryne Ferguson off the ice. He’s deserving of this little breather,” Ted stated.
“He definitely is,” responded Kelly. “There’s five seconds left in Etienne Ferguson’s penalty. And here goes his brother, Ryne, back onto the ice.”
Just as Etienne was returning to the ice, Ryne pitched over the boards, catching another pass from Vlad. Ryne, in turn, shot the pass onto Etienne’s stick. He rushed in behind the play hoping his brother would shoot the puck along the boards.
Etienne seemed to read his mind. He ran the puck along the boards hitting Ryne’s stick square in the middle of his blade. He eased along the boards coming out to the post. He faked a slap shot, instead passing the puck back to Josh. He, in turn, directed the puck back to Ryne. Ryne expected the pass and raised his stick and struck the puck. A loud clang rang out as it deflected off the crossbar. The crowd oohed in the background thankful of the missed shot.
“Did you see that slap shot?” Kelly practically screamed.
“He’s a powerhouse.”
“That he is, Ted,” Kelly stated.
Ryne circled back around again, apparently hoping Josh would send it back his way. Josh lost control and turned it over to Derek who shot the puck down the length of the ice.
“That’s icing to stop the play,” Ted called as the official grabbed the puck from the ice.
Play returned to the Generals’ end of the ice. Ryne was again in the faceoff circle against Derek.
When the puck was dropped, Ryne handily won control.
“Ferguson’s in control again, Kelly. Can he make it a hat trick?”
“Only time will tell, Ted.”
Ryne passed the puck to Vlad who spun around and sent it back to Ryne. Ryne had a clear shot. He raised his stick and smacked the puck. This time it soared over the shoulder of the Generals’ goalie. The blue light lit a third time. Ryne had a hat trick. All three goals were scored within the first nine minutes of play.
“Can you believe it, we’re still in what I call the opening minutes of the first period and Ryne Ferguson has another hat trick. He’s on fire tonight,” said Ted.
“That he is,” Jen heard Kelly Rhodes say as hats flew onto the ice. Ryne was still respected by the St. Louis fans, and she was excited to see how they responded to his achievement.
Ryne’s celebration lasted only a moment when after the next faceoff things got rough. The Generals were frustrated with their play and the play of their friend. From that moment everything went downhill.
The Generals won the faceoff and headed to the Storm’s end of the ice. Ryne skated hard and did his best to defend. The puck was being played along the boards, and Ryne rushed to try and kick it out. Instead of fighting for the puck, he was upended from behind. He crashed hard to the ice falling directly onto his hip.
“Ferguson�
��s down; he appears injured.” Kelly Rhodes said as the crowd looked on.
Ryne was surrounded by his brothers. As soon as he hit the ice, the crowd grew quiet. Philippe knelt beside him as they waited for Oscar to rush onto the ice.
He lay on the ice for several minutes before Etienne and Philippe helped him stand. With their support, they skated alongside him until he reached the boards where Oscar and Ty escorted him to the locker room.
Jen winced when Ryne fell so hard. She held her breath, waiting and watching as Etienne and Philippe helped him from the ice. She couldn’t take her eyes off her husband as he lay writhing in pain. She knew instantly what was wrong and feared his season was in jeopardy yet again and even possibly his career.
She didn’t know what to do. She was shaking. Her worst fears were unfolding right before her eyes. Ryne was hurt again. She knew it wasn’t good by the way he fell.
Lauren draped her arm around her. “He’s going to be alright.”
“It’s his hip,” she whispered.
“What did you say?”
“I’m sure it’s his hip. He’s been so worried about reinjuring it.”
“Don’t jump to conclusions, Jen,” Ed said as he reached for her. “We have the best of doctors. We’ll check him out.”
“Thanks, Ed. I know that. I should go to him.”
“Just wait here and we’ll get word on his condition.”
Lauren led Jen to a nearby chair, then grabbed a bottle of water and handed it to her.
Jen couldn’t focus. She was a mess. Her hands were trembling so badly she couldn’t hold onto the water bottle. As she set it down, she began to break out in a cold sweat. All of a sudden the nausea that had subsided had returned. I can’t get sick. I can’t. No sooner had those thoughts crossed her mind, she jumped from her seat and ran to the bathroom, practically slamming the door behind her.
She was breathless. She leaned over the sink and ran cold water over her wrists, hoping that would calm her. She dropped her head to her chest and gnawed on her lower lip—anything to prevent herself from being ill.
