Goalie Interference (NHL Scorpions)

by Worrell, Nikki

  As he began to move, Zoe had a fleeting thought about condoms. She knew he was clean because she was privy to his medical records, and when he bit her earlobe as he moved faster and harder, she forgot about birth control entirely.

  “I’m sorry, Zoe. I’m not going to last very long this time. Too. Fucking. Good.”

  Zoe ran her tongue up his neck and nipped at him. She widened her legs and grabbed his ass pulling him in tightly each time he thrust. “Just a little bit more, I’m so close.” It was amazing. She’d never come so many times before, in such a short period. Vlad really knew how to work her body. “Yes, that’s it. Please, don’t stop.” It was the most intensity she’d ever experienced, an almost punishing rhythm. “Fuck. Harder. Yes, faster!”

  Vlad felt her squeeze around him, and he came hard. It felt like the longest orgasm he’d ever had. He kept pumping into her as she called out his name, but as he slowed his movements, he didn’t withdraw. Putting his forehead to hers, both of them still panting, he asked, “Is this a bad time to ask if you’re taking birth control?”

  Zoe laughed. “Yes, this would be a bad time. I am, but I don’t always remember to take my pill. We might want to use condoms next time.”

  “You feel incredible, you know that?” Vlad didn’t want to move, but he knew he had to be crushing her. With reluctance, he rolled to the side. He pulled her with him and told her to get some rest. “You’re going to need it. In an hour or so, I’m going to make you scream in the shower. Think you can handle that, Doc?”

  The smile on Zoe’s face assured him she was up to the challenge. “I think I can handle anything you give me, Impaler.”

  They didn’t make it downstairs until well after dawn the next morning.

  As they were sitting at her kitchen counter, Vlad told her his story. He hadn’t talked about any of it through the night, spending all his time loving Zoe. “What am I going to do?”

  Wetting her lips, she got ready to tell him exactly what he didn’t want to hear. “Well, I think you know what you need to do.”

  He raked a hand through his hair, trying unsuccessfully to keep his cool. “Goddamit Zoe! Don’t fucking psychoanalyze me! Just tell me what to do!” He knew he was out of line, but he didn’t know what to do with all of his pent up anger. Well, he knew something that helped, but they had to take a break to recharge at some point.

  Zoe tried to calm him. “I’m not, sweetie. I’m not trying to, anyway. I just don’t see that you have much of a choice. Finish the year and possibly hurt yourself beyond healing, or call it quits for this year and see what the next brings.” Realistically, Zoe knew that if he made the decision to have the surgery soon, his career was over. He was a thirty-eight year old—thirty-nine by the end of the season—goalie, with a contract that expired at the end of the season. She knew he was well aware that there weren’t too many teams looking for a goalie his age coming off a hip surgery.

  Vlad’s breath came out in a rush. “Shit, this sucks, Zoe.” His voice broke, and he turned away. She pretended not to notice, and he continued, “I’m not smart like you. I never did well in school. If I’m not a hockey player, what the hell am I? What do I have to contribute? Who am I? Fuck! I just don’t know what to do. Tell me what to do.” The way he stood there with his hands stuffed into his pockets, his head down, not even looking at her, was heartbreaking.

  “Vlad, you know I can’t tell you what to do. Only you can decide that. But if you’re asking for my opinion, based on what you told me, I’d play one last big game, give it my all, and then have the surgery. Maybe you could try being a bit nicer to Cage, too. As much as he razzes you, you are his mentor. Surely you see that. You’ve had over sixteen years in the NHL, Vlad. That’s pretty damn impressive. Maybe it’s time to start a new chapter in your life.” Zoe didn’t want to mention that she could then be a part of his life if he retired. She didn’t like to think of herself as a consolation prize.

  Vlad released a pent up breath, raking his fingers through his hair. “I know you’re right. I guess it’s just going to take some time to get used to. I’ll talk to the coach tomorrow. I really want to play the Halloween game. Then I’ll retire.” Zoe could almost hear Vlad’s teeth grinding in anguish. “I can’t believe I just said that. I’m actually going to retire.” It really would take some getting used to. What the hell would he do all day? “Thanks for listening, Zoe.” Vlad finally gave her a playful smile. “And for the other.”

  “The other? The other?” How dare he call incredible sex with her, ‘other’! Zoe flew at him and almost knocked him off his stool. Laughing, he grabbed her and held her tightly, his breath hitching in his throat. She was the one bright spot in his life at that moment; he never wanted to let her go.

  The next morning at practice, Vlad pulled the coach aside in the locker room and asked if he could have a minute of his time before they hit the ice. Talking to Coach DeLeon was even tougher than he imagined. He hardly knew where to start. First, he had to come clean with the fact that he went behind the organization’s back and saw another doctor. Then he had to apologize for not playing at top form when they had lost a couple of their games. Lastly, he had to admit to himself that he’d let his entire team down because of his own pride. It was a hell of a day.

  He told him everything. After he heard it, he doubted the coach would let him play again, but he had to try. “I’d really like to play the Halloween game. After that, I’ll call it quits and have the surgery. I give you my word that if I’m not up to playing the whole game, I’ll pull myself out. I won’t let the team suffer for my bad play again.”

  Coach DeLeon was still trying to digest everything Vlad had told him. “You know our doctors are going to want to check you out themselves. Will you willingly make yourself available for that?”

  “Of course. I’ll do anything you want me to do. I really am sorry, Coach. I guess I was afraid of finding out exactly what I found out. My hip has always bothered me a little. I just thought it was the life of a goalie, you know? I already got copies of all of my records from the medical center.” Vlad took a large file out of his bag and handed it to the coach.

  Frustration evident by his tension-filled expression, Coach DeLeon took the file. “Okay, Vlad. I’ll give this to Dr. Vane. Halloween is only a couple of days away. Go suit up and get out there. Practice with the guys for a while and see how you feel. I’ll leave it up to you whether to tell them or not. It’s your decision. If you decide not to, we’ll have a meeting after the Halloween game.”

  “You’re going to let me play?” Vlad couldn’t help the feeling of elation that washed over him. Knowing it could be his last game ever would make it the most special game of his life.

  “I am, as long as you give me your word, on your honor, that you’ll pull yourself out if you can’t give me one hundred percent.”

  “I swear it, Coach. You have my word.” Vlad was humbled by the coach’s support. “Thank you.”

  Practice went better than he expected. Before Vlad could enter the locker room afterward, Dr. Vane grabbed him. “Come to the training room with me for a second, would you?”

  Vlad followed him down the hallway, wondering how pissed he was that he had gone to the medical center. When they reached the end of the hallway, they turned right and went into the first training room.

  Dr. Vane threw the folder down with enough force to spill some of the papers. “Want to explain this? You have one of the best medical teams available to you twenty-four-seven. Not everyone is lucky enough to have that kind of experience and expertise at their beck and call, yet you went to the medical center for a hip issue. Does that sound about right?”

  Immediately, Vlad could feel his body tensing up. He tried to remind himself that he did, in fact, go behind their backs. Anyone would be angry about that; however, he was not some errant child to be talked down to.

  “Look, Doc. I’ve already apologized to Coach. I’m sure he explained the situation to you. It was nothing personal about the ca
re your team gives us, okay? This isn’t about you. Try to understand that.”

  Dr. Vane seemed to back down a bit, slightly cooling off. “Fine, let’s move forward. I’ve reviewed your test results and spoken to Dr. Culp. Unfortunately, I agree with his findings and his course of action. I’m not pleased that you went to him, but I am sorry this is a career-ending situation.” Vlad could tell Dr. Vane was upset; he’d always had an amiable relationship with him. “I can imagine it’s going to be hard to hang up your skates, but you’re actually lucky you caught it in time. You should be able to play hockey again, just not on a professional level. Make sure you do all of the therapy required afterward. You’re young and in good shape, so you should come out of the surgery well enough.”

  “Yeah, okay. Thanks.” He walked out of the room feeling worse than he did before. He didn’t mean to step on the doctor’s toes, which he obviously did, but he didn’t appreciate being pinned as the bad guy either. He was dealing with enough as it was.

  When Vlad left, Zoe called Lacey. “Hey Lace, how are you today?”

  “Hungry—same as every day. I’m almost five months pregnant, and I’ve gained fifteen pounds. From what I’ve been reading, I’m already about five pounds over what I should have gained at this point. I have a doctor’s appointment tomorrow. We’ll see if I get in trouble.”

  Zoe thought she looked exactly like she should. Healthy, but rounder. “Well, how about if we pig out today. I’ll help you plan a better diet tomorrow if the doctor says it’s necessary. What do you think? What do you feel like?”

  “You know what I could go for? Some Mexican food. Extra, extra spicy. If I call in an order, will you stop at La Esperanza’s? I made pineapple ice cream last night, so we can have that for dessert.” Zoe could practically hear Lacey’s stomach grumble through the line.

  She tried to keep her laughing to a minimum. “You’re making your own ice cream now, too? Is this the same girl who yelled at me for not getting enough vegetables at the grocery store when you lived with me?”

  “Hey, I’m eating for two! As sweet as Jody’s been, he gently suggested that maybe it would be easier to buy an ice cream maker instead of him constantly running to the store at odd hours.”

  “Sounds logical. Okay, order me some General’s chicken. I’ll be there soon.”

  It took Zoe two trips to bring in the food and drinks. She had stopped at the store and picked up a few of Lacey’s other pregnancy-inspired favorite foods too.

  Lacey was poking through the bags when Zoe returned with the last bag of food. “Ick, I don’t eat pork rinds anymore. God, they’re disgusting. I don’t know what I was thinking.”

  “Jesus, Lace. You loved them just last week. You’re a mess.” Zoe took the pork rinds and set them aside. “Still into these?” She held up a value-size jar of stuffed cherry peppers.

  “Oh my God, yes. Let me get some plates. You can open them now if you want.”

  As they were eating their array of food, Zoe got down to the topic at hand. “Okay. There was a specific reason I wanted to come over here today. I need to talk to you, but you have to promise not to get mad.”

  “I can’t promise I won’t get mad, Zoe. What did you do?”

  Zoe took a deep breath and looked Lacey directly in the eye. “Vlad and I spent the night together last night. And it wasn’t the first time.” Zoe typically didn’t give a shit what anyone thought of her. For the most part, she was pretty tough. Lacey was different, though. Lacey had her respect, and Zoe couldn’t stand it if she thought less of her, which was why she’d never told her about her first night with Vlad. “I’m sorry I kept it from you, but I don’t ever want to disappoint you. I guess that sounds stupid, but you’re the one person I need to be proud of me.”

  “Oh my God. Okay.” Lacey’s eyes widened. “Wait! Was he the OCD guy you were with that night you called me when I lived in Maine?” At Zoe’s affirmative nod, Lacey continued, “I always wondered what happened to that mysterious guy, but it was beyond obvious that you didn’t want to talk about him. I just figured he did something crappy and you were done with him.”

  Lacey took another bite of a cherry pepper along with some of her enchiladas. She pointed her fork at Zoe while she kept talking. “You know, thinking back, I remember how happy you sounded on the phone that day. You loved him even then, didn’t you?”

  “You’re not going to chastise me? Sleeping with the players and all that? You seemed to have plenty to say about it back then. And you didn’t even know that I’d slept with one.” Zoe sat with her hands together, waiting for Lacey’s answer.

  “No, I’m not going to chastise you. You know what you did was wrong, and you did it anyway. I’d say that speaks volumes. Zoe, you’re a good person with a strict set of moral and ethical codes. I’m not going to judge you for falling for the wrong guy.” Lacey put her hand over Zoe’s when she didn’t say anything else. “What are you going to do about it?”

  Zoe bit her lip and looked around the room, stalling for time. It was a shitty situation, and she didn’t even like thinking about it, let alone talking about it. Responding slowly, she started to tell her about Vlad’s upcoming surgery. “It’s not going to be an issue for much longer. Vlad has to retire.” Zoe was surprised to feel her eyes burning. She believed everything she had told Vlad. He’d had a great career, and was more than likely nearing the end of it anyway, but that didn’t make the fact that it was not by his choice that he had to retire any easier.

  “Wow. I did not see that coming. Is that why he’s been such an asshole lately?”

  Zoe instantly felt angry on Vlad’s behalf. She was now firmly in his corner, and she would defend him. “Maybe asshole isn’t quite fair. He’s been a bit edgy, but he’s had reason to be, okay?” Seeing Lacey smile, Zoe smiled herself. “Yes, I feel defensive of him, happy? It’s not like you didn’t know how I felt about him. Anyway, he’s got a hip disease and is going to need surgery. The longer he waits to have it, the worse it will get. He’ll probably still be able to play again someday, but he’ll never be like he was. He’ll never play professionally again.”

  “Holy cow. How’s he taking that bit of news? I know it was hard for Jody to retire, and he did it by his own choice. Hockey gets in their blood. It’s how they define themselves.”

  “I think he’s taking it okay. He has his moments, of course, but all in all, he seems like to be dealing with it. I think his biggest concern is what he’s going to do afterward. He about broke my heart when he came over yesterday. He had actual tears in his eyes.” Seeing big, tough men like Vlad cry wasn’t something you saw every day.

  “Oh God. That must have been tough to witness. Poor Vlad. Did he tell the team yet? Does Jody know?”

  “He’s talking to the coach today. He hasn’t told Jody yet either. I know it’s asking a lot, but could you please not tell him? I didn’t ask Vlad if it was okay to tell you, although I think he’d assume I would.” Zoe knew that if she asked Lacey to keep quiet, she would.

  “Of course. I won’t say a word.” Lacey grabbed Zoe’s hands. “You know, there is one silver lining here.”

  Zoe smiled. “Yes, I do. I’m not sure Vlad’s even realized that yet, but he sure did a fine job of showing me how he feels last night. Five times to be exact. Well, five times for me. Only three times for him.”

  “Sounds like a hell of a night. I miss those nights. I run so hot and cold lately. Last night I wore poor Jody out, but last week I almost bit his head off for trying to touch me. The man really is a saint.”

  After Vlad talked to the coach, he shot Jody a text asking him if he was done for the day and had time to talk. Jody worked as the head coach for the youth team that the Scorpions’ owner had started. They used the second rink in the same building the Scorpions practiced in, so he knew Jody would be around somewhere.

  Vlad was sitting on the picnic table in the back parking lot when Jody strolled out. “Hey Jody, how are the kids looking?”

  The kids ca
me from all over the area. Some were only able to be there because they were sponsored by the Scorpions’ Wives Club. They were a non-profit organization who helped out anywhere they could, but mostly with children. The youth league gave kids a chance to stay out of trouble while building team skills. They also got the chance to learn life skills, such as hard work and tolerance of others, from great mentors, like Jody. Unfortunately, a lot of the kids didn’t have any of that at home.

  “It’s going pretty well. The kids are great to work with. They’re so enthusiastic, and I think a lot of them are just relieved they have somewhere to go after school.”

  “I’m sure their parents are, too. So listen, I wanted to talk to you about why I’ve been such an asshole lately.”

  Jody stood there, obviously waiting for him to continue. “I figured there was a reason. People don’t change personalities the way you have without one. So, what is it?”

  “You know how I’ve been a little sore lately? Falling on the ice? Almost falling the night of your wedding?”

  “Yeah. I noticed.”

  “Turns out I have avascular necrosis. It’s a career-ending disease for me. The Halloween game will be my last. I’m going on long-term injured reserve for the rest of the season, and then I’m done. I’m going for a surgery consult a couple of days after the game.”

  Jody stood immobile, stunned into silence. After Vlad’s words sunk in, he rubbed his hands down his face. “Holy shit, man. I’m really sorry to hear that. I sure didn’t expect you to say that. I don’t know what I thought it was. I guess I just figured it was Zoe.”

  Vlad told him the rest of the story and what the doctors had told him about the likelihood of him playing professionally again. “I’m not ever sure I’d want to come back if I couldn’t be one hundred percent. At least this way, I can go on LTIR so my salary doesn’t affect the cap. Then they can hire another goalie.” As he was talking, Jody got a peculiar look on his face. “I know that face. You’ve got an idea or something. Spill it.”