Crossing Center Ice

by Kimberly Rae Jordan

  “That boy is all about the numbers,” Sally said. “He wasn’t really into hockey until Benjie started playing. Then they zeroed in on you since you were a Winnipeg boy who made it big. You are their hero.”

  Kenton felt strangely humbled by the woman’s words. There was also a weight to them that he hadn’t experienced before. He came in contact with fans all the time but rarely was it this up close and personal. Usually, he met fans, signed autographs then moved on. It was rare that he actually hung out with them like this. Eating cookies, drinking coffee, and chatting.

  “Here,” Benjie said as he came back into the living room with Elliot right behind him.

  Kenton laughed at the armful of stuff they dropped onto the ottoman then began to sort through. Though normally he only signed one or two things for people, he would happily sign everything they had brought to him.

  “You can use this,” Elliot said, handing him a marker. “I think it will work.”

  Benjie handed him a current year’s calendar open to his page. It was a picture of him dressed in hockey gear sans his helmet, leaning on his stick with a smile. He recalled the photo shoot when that picture had been taken.

  After determining where the signature would show best, Kenton scrawled his name. Next came an article in a sports magazine. Then two light gray ballcaps with the Kings logo on them. At their request, he signed the bill of each one. Then, another calendar. This picture was more of an action shot, his stick pulled back in preparation for hitting the puck. Two T-shirts with the Kings logo which Avery helped to spread flat so that he could get a clean signature on them.

  It didn’t escape Kenton’s notice that most of the items were the cheapest that could be purchased, and he made a mental note to ask Vlad to have some jerseys made up and shipped to him for the boys along with a few other souvenirs. He wondered if they could get them in time for Christmas.

  “Do you have a favorite Jets’ player?” Kenton asked as he signed the last item which was another article and picture of him in yet another sports magazine.

  “Mark Scheifele is my favorite,” Benjie said. “I play center like he does. Like you do.”

  “How about you, Elliot?” Kenton handed him the magazine, watching as he closed it with care. “Do you have a favorite?”

  “I like Mark, but I also like Blake Wheeler and Adam Lowry.”

  “So who do you cheer for when the Jets play the Kings?” Kenton asked with a grin.

  Benjie returned his grin. “Sorry. Gotta be the Jets.”

  Kenton sighed. “Well, I guess I can see that.”

  “In a perfect world, you’d be playing for Winnipeg,” Elliot remarked.

  “My parents would agree with you,” Tristan said. “As would I.”

  Benjie’s eyes went wide. “Would that ever happen?”

  “I never say never when it comes to hockey, trades, and contracts. However, I will say that for the time being, that is not a possibility. But for the future?” Kenton shrugged. “Who knows.”

  Though he would never say the words aloud, for the first time in a long time, Kenton was thinking that a trade to Winnipeg might not be the worst thing. After that emergency trip back to Winnipeg in September when his mom had suffered her aneurysm, he had felt the pull to come back more than ever. Maybe it was time to start shifting some of his interests to Winnipeg.

  “That would be so awesome if you played for the Jets,” Benjie gushed. “I could cheer for my favorite team and my favorite player at the same time.” He paused. “Would we still get to see you? Would you remember us?”

  “What?” Kenton asked, not sure what the boy was saying.

  “I know you meet lots of people, so maybe you’ll forget who we are,” Benjie said, his expression a bit downcast.

  “You don’t have to worry about that. Even after I go back to LA, I’ll remember you guys. I hope that maybe we can hang out again while I’m still here.”

  “Really?” Benjie looked just like he had when he’d opened the door and seen Kenton standing there. He turned to Elliot and then they both looked at him, excitement on their faces. “That would be so cool.”

  “It would be,” Tristan said, and Kenton knew he wasn’t the only one drawn to the two kids. “Maybe you can come and meet the rest of our brothers. They’re not quite as cool as Kenton, but they love hockey too.”

  “My dad used to do a rink for us every year in the backyard,” Kenton said. “I might have to see if he’ll tell me how to do it this year.”

  “As long as you’re not planning to skate,” Avery cautioned.

  He looked at her and grinned. “Of course not.”

  The look she gave him was full of skepticism of his agreement with her.

  “You have a rink in your backyard?” Benjie asked.

  “Yep. Once the weather gets cold enough,” Tristan said. “My dad started to do it so we had a place to play when we couldn’t get to the community rink. Kenton spent the most time on it which is probably why he’s playing in the NHL, and the rest of us have day jobs.”

  “We don’t have a backyard big enough to do that,” Benjie said. “I just get to skate when I practice with the team or have a game.” The kid’s eyes went wide again—which seemed to be his default expression since they’d arrived. “Would you come to one of my games?”

  Avery laid her hand on Benjie’s shoulder. “You have to remember that Kenton might not want people to know he’s here in Winnipeg.”

  Benjie’s shoulders slumped. “Yeah. I forgot about that. The guys on TV were talking about how he wasn’t in LA anymore but that no one knew for sure where he was. They did say maybe he was in Winnipeg, but they didn’t have proof of that.”

  Kenton hadn’t been trying too hard to keep a low profile, but there hadn’t been much reason to go out in public. “I’ll tell you what, just give me a few more days then you can tell people about meeting me. How about that?”

  “So you might come to a game after that?” Benjie asked.

  “Depending on the time, I will see if I can make it.” Kenton wasn’t keen to make any promises until he had a chance to talk to Avery. He wanted to do more with his young superfans, but he also knew that he needed Avery to be okay with it.

  “I hate to put an end to the visit,” Avery began, “but it is a school night, so you guys need to go to bed pretty soon.”

  Kenton glanced at his watch, surprised to see that they had been there for almost an hour and a half. He felt as disappointed as Benjie and Elliot looked, but hopefully, it wouldn’t be the last time they got to hang out together. Even if Avery vetoed them going to the hockey game, he had a feeling that Benjie and Elliot would pester her to make arrangements for another meeting.

  Tristan got to his feet and handed Kenton the crutches, then he turned to the boys and bumped fists first with Elliot and then Benjie. “It’s been really great meeting the two of you. I hope we can hang out again.”

  Kenton high-fived each of the boys, echoing Tristan’s words, then he turned to Avery. “Thank you for setting this up.”

  “You’re welcome.” She gave him a quick smile as she turned to lead the way to the front door.

  Once they had their jackets on, they stepped out into the dark, cold night. After saying a final goodbye, they made their way back down the steps to Tristan’s car. He had started it up while they were still in the house, so it was warm when they climbed inside.

  “That was pretty cool,” Tristan said as he backed out of the driveway. “Not at all what I expected. Elliot has really been tracking your games, and he’s better at remembering some of your stats than I am.”

  “I was thinking how much they were like a younger version of us, except the roles are reversed since you’re the younger and Elliot is the older.” Kenton shifted to stretch his leg out a bit. “I hope Avery will let them hang out with us again soon. I was thinking about asking if I could use the season tickets for the Kings game next week.”

  Tristan slowed to a stop at a red light then glanc
ed over at him. “I think that would be fine. We only try to make it to the Kings games because it means seeing you play, but since you won’t be playing, I think the guys would give up the tickets.”

  “You’ll come too?” Kenton asked. “If Avery agrees that the boys can go?”

  “For sure,” Tristan said with a nod. “You know I’d love to hang out with you at a game.”

  Most people didn’t realize that, of all his siblings, Kenton was closest to Tristan. They talked every other day at least, and Tristan was always on board to chat with him about his games. Usually the day after a game, Tristan would call him up, and they’d go over the game and what Tristan had seen as a spectator. And Tristan attended every Jets’ home game, so he also analyzed the different players and teams they played against. Often, he had advice for Kenton about playing against certain goalies and players.

  Kenton knew that Tristan was solidly in his corner and understood him in a way the other guys in the family didn’t. Though Tristan hadn’t enjoyed playing hockey, much like Elliot, he loved watching it.

  Over the past few days, an idea had been growing in his mind, and after tonight, he felt it solidify into something he wanted. “So, what do you think about designing me a house?”

  “Huh?” Tristan turned onto the highway leading north out of the city. “You planning to build in LA?”

  “Nope. I want to build here.”

  That got another look from his brother. “Seriously? You’ve still got a year and a half on your contract. I know you’re not planning to retire.”

  “No. I’m not gonna retire before the contract is up.” Kenton paused, staring out the window at the Christmas lights that were decorating some of the homes along the highway. “It’s just that between what’s happened with Mom and now my injury…I’ve had some time to think.”

  “You’d consider retiring when your contract is up? Or asking for a trade?”

  “I think I’d probably ask for a trade first, then if I couldn’t arrange that, I might retire. Maybe? I don’t know.” He sighed. “I don’t really need the game anymore. What have I got left to prove? Well, I’d like to prove that I can come back from this injury as strong as ever, but beyond that, I don’t know. I love the game, but I’ve realized that I’m just one injury away from being replaced.”

  “Is it bothering you? What they’re saying about O’Neal?”

  “Yeah. A bit. No one likes to hear that someone else is playing their position as well—or better—than they had played it. And it doesn’t help that O’Neal is being cocky about it.”

  “That will be his downfall, so don’t worry.”

  “He’s not meshing really well with the team,” Kenton confided. “Vlad said he’s making more enemies than friends with the guys.”

  “You’ve been keeping in touch with Vlad?”

  Kenton and Vladimir Stepanov had played against each other in the Junior World Hockey Championships but then had ended up as roommates their first year in the NHL. Then, after playing on different teams for a couple of years, they’d ended up together again playing for the Kings. Even when on opposing teams they’d remained friends, and now, next to Tristan, Kenton considered Vlad one of his closest friends.

  “Yeah. We text, and he called the other night. It’s nice to be kept up on what’s going on with the team. You know, the gossip.”

  Tristan laughed. “Yeah. Why discuss the game when you can talk about who’s dating who and who’s breaking up?”

  “Exactly.”

  After a little bit of silence, Tristan said, “Well, you know that if you did move back here, it would be an answer to prayer. And not just Mom and Dad’s.”

  “Yeah, I know. It’s definitely been on my mind recently. Maybe it’s God’s will.”

  Tristan gave a snort. “Since when are you concerned about God’s will?”

  It was a question Kenton had considered himself over the past few weeks since his injury. Given that hockey wasn’t exactly something that changed the world or won people for God’s kingdom, Kenton hadn’t really wanted to consider if playing professionally was God’s will for him. He did know some Christians in the sport, but he had never spoken to them much about his past and the faith in which he’d been raised.

  He had never really seen a way to combine playing professional hockey with having a faith that had an impact on anyone. And maybe he was just a bit concerned about the reaction of fans. When Tim Tebow had been vocal about his faith, he’d faced as much flack for it as he had appreciation. For Kenton, it had just been easier to let his faith fade into the background, a distant memory.

  Being home was changing that though. He still hadn’t made it to church, but he knew it was just a matter of time before his dad asked him about going with them. When he’d first come home, his immediate answer would have been no, but now…now, he was thinking he’d probably go.

  “So you want a house here? Maybe on the land Dad and Bennett bought?”

  “They bought land?” Kenton asked.

  “Yeah. They were offered a piece of land by someone at the church. It’s sixteen acres, I believe. Along Henderson Highway. It’s sub-dividable, so they were talking about dividing it up among some of the older siblings. The ones who are getting married and having kids. Like Makayla and Bennett. Probably Gabe before too long.”

  “What about Sammi and her guy?”

  “He has a place, so I’m thinking once they’re married, Sammi will move in with him.”

  “So they all want to be that close together?”

  “It’s no different than how they are now. All in that apartment block. At least the houses would be a little further apart.”

  Kenton wasn’t completely sure if he wanted to live that closely to his siblings once he came back to Winnipeg. He and Bennett were still dealing with some tension between them, but maybe if they could get that sorted out, being neighbors wouldn’t be so bad. Now that Bennett and Grace were officially together, it was possible they could put the past behind them and move forward.

  And maybe Kenton would be able to focus on finding someone for himself. A woman who would put up with his schedule if he managed a trade to the Jets. Even as the thought came to mind, he couldn’t believe he was even seriously considering the possibility.

  Strangely enough, Avery’s face came to mind as he continued to think about that scenario, not shutting it down like he normally would have. She struck him as someone who could handle the lifestyle that came with being in a relationship with a professional hockey player. He could be gone for a week or so at a time, so he needed someone who wasn’t terribly high maintenance and could focus on things in her own life. And he found the idea of having a kid like Benjie somewhat appealing.

  Kenton gave his head a shake. He couldn’t allow himself to think of Avery that way. She was still his therapist and in addition to that, she was firmly ensconced in Winnipeg with her family. When he left to go back to LA, she wouldn’t be going with him, even if something developed between them. He needed to shut down thoughts like that before things like feelings got involved. No matter how much Avery and her family appealed to him.

  CHAPTER TEN

  Avery moved the curtain aside to meet the person she was going to be working with. Since taking on Kenton in addition to Emily, she now only had time for two patients each morning at the clinic. She’d set her first patient up with a TENS machine on her lower back and was now moving on to her second one.

  The older man on the table reeked of body odor, unwashed clothes, and alcohol, which wasn’t an unusual occurrence at the clinic given who their clientele was. Avery glanced at his chart to see that he had an issue with his right shoulder. She approached him with a smile, hoping that he wasn’t so hungover as to resist her efforts to help him. He shouldn’t be drunk, even though he smelled as if he’d been drinking recently, since the clinic policy was that they didn’t treat anyone who was under the influence of a substance.

  “How are you today, Mr. Donovan?” Avery said
as she closed the curtain around the bed.

  “Sore.” His single, grumbled word response didn’t bode well.

  “If you’ll take your shirt off, we’ll see what we can do about that.”

  With a grunt of pain, the man removed his shirt. He’d already taken off his jacket, and it lay in a dirty heap on a nearby chair.

  Avery pulled on the gloves all staff wore as they worked with patients and gently probed his shoulder. She’d barely touched him when he suddenly lashed out at her. Abusive language flowed from his mouth, and Avery froze, uncertain how to proceed. Unfortunately, he took advantage of her momentary immobility to attack her physically. Avery didn’t have enough time to cover her head before he landed a couple of blows on her face.

  Too late, Avery sank to the floor, her arms covering her head, her breaths coming in gasps as memories flooded her, and the two attacks merged in her mind. She couldn’t stop shaking. Couldn’t stop the fear that robbed her of air. She kept trying to take a deep breath, but the tight band of fear and anxiety around her chest resisted her efforts.

  “Avery?” There was a gentle touch on her shoulder then it slid down her back, moving in soothing circles. “Take a breath. In and hold it for three counts and then let it out. Slowly. That’s great. And again. One. Two. Three. And let it out.”

  Avery focused on the woman’s voice, trying desperately to come back from the place her mind had gone to when the first blow had landed. With each breath, she found she could breathe easier and more deeply. She lowered her arms, bracing her hands on the floor as she continued to suck in air.

  As the fear and anxiety loosened their grip on her, pain began to take its place. Her eye and cheek throbbed, and the man must have landed a few blows on her arm too because it hurt just below her shoulder. This was not good. The attack had triggered all her anxieties, and it was going to do the same with her mom when she saw her. Unfortunately, there was no way she could hide this from her.

  The initial spike in adrenalin drained away, leaving her weak, and the pain was distracting in its intensity. Even with the ice packs they gave her for her eye and cheek, the pain in her face was a reminder of a time she’d rather forget. She hoped there were no broken or shattered bones in her face this time like there had been the previous time.