Crossing Center Ice

by Kimberly Rae Jordan

  Travis spun around. “Who let this kid in here? He’s not even a Kings fan.”

  “He’s here with me, O’Neal,” Kenton said. “And he is a Kings fan. He’s just a bigger Jets fan. But clearly, he is not a fan of yours.”

  “That’s only because I’ve taken over your position,” Travis pointed out with a sneer.

  “For now,” the coach said, which was apparently enough to shut the younger player up.

  “Hey, KC, I got that stuff you asked me to bring. Still have a few things in the works though,” Vlad said as he handed a bag to Tristan. The two had been introduced a few years earlier when the team had come to Winnipeg to play, and then they’d met several times since. “Good to see you again, Tristan.”

  The team managed to circle around them, preventing O’Neal from having any further conversation with Benjie. They were once again offering the kid high fives, apparently happy to see O’Neal taken down a few notches.

  Big egos and cockiness were a part of the game at such an elite level, but most players knew that alienating teammates was never the way to be part of a team. They had to believe in their skills and their ability to get the job done, but off the ice, ongoing friction between players only led to fractured teams. And people like Vlad and those who had been in the NHL for a decade or longer had earned the right to claim to be an elite player. O’Neal, who had spent the last couple of years up and down between the major and the minors, had not.

  After they talked for a bit more, they left the team to finish their post-game routines. Kenton felt a strange mixture of relief and anxiety as he walked away from the arena. Once in the car, Tristan dropped the duffle bag in Kenton’s lap. He unzipped it and began to look through it, happy to see what all Vlad had come up with.

  “By the way, Benjie, thanks for sticking up for me with O’Neal.”

  “Well, he was rude,” Benjie said indignantly then paused. “Of course, I was kind of rude too, talking to an adult like that. You won’t tell Mom will you, Ell?”

  “She won’t hear it from me,” the other boy assured him.

  “And not from us either,” Tristan said. “If you hadn’t said it, I would have. I mean, the kid has skills, but he’s not that good.”

  “He’s nowhere near as good as you were at that age, Kenton,” Elliot said.

  Kenton shifted in his seat to look back at the teen. “You know my stats from back then?”

  “Uh, pretty much. I kinda have a thing for numbers and such.”

  Kenton grinned. “You and Tristan.”

  It was late by the time they got back to Avery’s house, so after dropping off the boys and the duffle bag, he and Tristan headed for home.

  “Does hanging out with those two make you think about having a family of your own?” Tristan asked.

  “Not really. It’s a lot easier to just enjoy other people’s kids. They have the challenge of raising them, while I can just do fun stuff with them. And it’s not like Mom needs me to give her grandkids. Between Makayla, Bennett, and Sammi, she’s well on her way.”

  “That doesn’t mean she wouldn’t like to have your kids to spoil too.”

  “And yours.” Kenton slanted him a look in the darkened car. “But I bet you’re not planning to have kids anytime soon either. Unless there’s something you haven’t told me.”

  “No. There’s nothing to tell.”

  “Maybe we can just be the fun uncles.”

  “Never said I didn’t want kids, but that there’s nothing going on that would be a precursor to getting married and having kids.”

  Despite what he’d told Tristan, spending time with Benjie and Elliot had taken him back to what it had been like to be excited about his sport. Kenton remembered what it had been like when he’d been their age, the time his dad had taken to spend with him in support of his passion for hockey. He couldn’t see himself having that kind of time for a family while he was still playing in the NHL, and at only thirty-one years old, nothing short of a career ending injury would force him into retirement.

  Maybe he could start a family later in life. He wouldn’t be the first to have done that. There was just no way he could do justice to his career, a marriage, and kids if he tried to do them all at the same time. Something would suffer, and it would most likely be the marriage and the kids.

  It was already apparent in how his life had unfolded that he didn’t allow his focus to be split. Early on in his career, when the choice had been between church and an optional workout, he’d always taken the workout. He’d felt that it was more important to focus on his career. That he’d have time for religion—and marriage and family—later.

  Had later arrived?

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  After a busy weekend, Avery was dragging a bit when she got to work on Monday. Saturday morning had been devoted to running errands, and then Benjie had had a game in the afternoon. Sunday had been church for the three of them, then she had helped Benjie with a project that, because of his hockey outing on Friday night and the busyness of Saturday, he hadn’t been able to finish earlier.

  Even though she hadn’t been going to the clinic in the mornings anymore, her days still seemed to be as full as ever. That morning, she’d gone to a meeting with a physical therapist at the sports clinic to get a bit more information on some of the protocols Kenton’s trainer had sent her. The PT was a guy she’d gone to school with who had been very willing to meet with her and discuss the questions she’d had.

  She hadn’t mentioned Kenton’s name to him, just that she’d been hired by someone who had had surgery for a torn ACL and needed to get back on the ice to play hockey. The PT hadn’t seemed to guess who she was talking about—for which she was grateful. He also hadn’t questioned her about the bruises that were still noticeable even with the extra makeup she wore.

  “Good morning,” Avery said as Kenton walked into the room using one crutch, just as they’d been practicing.

  “Morning.” His greeting didn’t hold the warmth that she had come to expect from him.

  His expression was eerily similar to the one he’d had that day a couple of weeks back. She wondered what had happened to cause it this time. Had seeing his team play—and lose—done something to his mindset? The boys had seemed to think he was okay with the Kings having lost and that he’d been happy to see his friends.

  The boys had returned home on Friday night flying high from the experience and loaded down with even more merchandise that Kenton had given them. It had been too much, in Avery’s mind, but there was no way she would have said that to them. Knowing that this was probably the best night they’d ever have at this age with regards to hockey, Avery had just let them enjoy it. Listening as they’d talked for ages about how much fun they’d had.

  “Did your knee give you any trouble over the weekend?” Avery knew that at this point, unless he really overdid it, there shouldn’t be any significant pain, but she felt the need to make some sort of conversation. She didn’t want to ask him if everything was okay. She didn’t want to get drawn into another in-depth conversation with him. It was already too much that she was so grateful to him for what he’d done for Benjie and Elliot.

  “No trouble. I wore the brace and used the crutches like you told me to on Friday night.” He sat with his leg stretched out in front of him on the exam table. The extension of the knee was looking good, and Avery knew that the team in LA would be pleased with the progress when she reported the measurements.

  “That’s good. I’ve gotten instructions from your trainers to add more exercises again this week based on the reports from last week. Ready to up things?”

  Avery was grateful for the music playing in the background because the silence would have been uncomfortable otherwise. Kenton had an intense look on his face as he did the new exercises that had been added to his program.

  Once they were done, Avery said, “I want to thank you again for what you and Tristan did for Benjie and Elliot. They were over the moon.”

  Kent
on’s features relaxed a bit as the corner of his mouth lifted in a smile. “It was a lot of fun. I’m glad the timing worked out for us to be able to take them.”

  “And all the stuff you gave them too.” As she spoke, Avery recalled the notes that Elliot and Benjie had given her that morning before they’d left for school. “Oh. They asked me to give you these.” She got her purse and pulled out the folded pieces of paper. “I’m pretty sure that’s an evening they’re never going to forget.”

  “Well, I’m pretty sure it’s an evening Tristan and I won’t forget either. The boys really are great kids. You should be very proud of them.”

  “I am,” Avery said, fighting the urge to explain exactly why she was so proud of them. She didn’t really want to go into the details of their past, but she wouldn’t have been surprised if the boys—Benjie, in particular—had spilled some information about their lives. Given that all he knew about his dad was that he was in jail, Benjie probably wouldn’t share about him, but he would likely share about his grandad’s death, and his grandma never leaving the house. “I don’t want you to feel obliged after you’ve done so much already, but I told Benjie I’d ask. If you have the time and the interest, he would love it if you could come to a practice or a game.”

  “Sure. Why don’t you send me a text with details of his next practices and games, and I’ll see what I can work out.”

  “Thanks. I hesitated to ask after you’ve already done so much for him. Don’t feel pressured to agree to come if you’d rather not.”

  He leaned back against the exam table, crossing his arms. “I really like the boys, Avery. Going to a game or practice won’t be a hardship for me. Tristan would probably come along too. Don’t hesitate to ask me anything. If I can’t do it for you, I’ll let you know.”

  “Okay. Thank you.”

  Kenton straightened and grabbed his crutch. He took a couple of steps toward the door leading to the main house then turned back. “I guess I should warn you that my mom hasn’t had a great morning. She refused to leave the bedroom to work with Rowena, so she’s been with her in the house. I’m not sure if she’ll be willing to come here to work with you either.”

  Well, that explained Kenton’s distracted mood. It wasn’t unusual for one person’s mood to dictate the moods of those around them. “I’m sorry to hear that. Maybe I can do a bit of work with her in the bed, even though I know we were trying to keep her rehab program outside of her and your dad’s bedroom.”

  Kenton shrugged. “Sometimes you have to do what you have to do, and I’m sure my dad would rather she engage in some sort of therapy today rather than avoid it just because it has to be done in the bedroom.”

  “I’ll do up my report on you and then see what Rowena and the nurse think. I don’t want to pressure your mom, but sometimes when she’s resistant to exercises, I’ll just give her a massage.”

  “Kind of like you did with me that one day?”

  “Yep. Sometimes it helps to relax her, because often when she’s upset like this, she’s tense. A massage can help to relieve that tension and change her mindset a bit.”

  “I think she likes you the best of the people who come to work with her,” Kenton said.

  Avery frowned. “Really?”

  “Yeah. She talks about you more than the others. About how you help her to feel better.”

  “Ah, so maybe it’s my massage skills.”

  “I know they’d win me over.” Kenton grinned. “If you hadn’t won me over already.”

  Not quite sure how to take his words, Avery gestured to the laptop. “Well, let me take care of this before I forget everything, then I’ll check in with your mom and see what she might feel up to.”

  “See you in a few.”

  As she sank down onto the chair in front of the laptop, Avery gathered her thoughts from Kenton’s session. She needed to just focus on one thing at a time. Kenton first, then Emily. As she recorded the progress Kenton had made so far, Avery was reminded of why she’d chosen this profession. Seeing him make strides toward the goal of being back on the ice was gratifying. She knew that anyone with her experience could have helped him to this point, but since it had been her, she embraced that feeling of accomplishment. Of course, it would be nothing compared to what she would feel when he was finally allowed back on the ice.

  Rowena showed up a few minutes later, and they had a conversation about Emily’s current state of mind. It wasn’t the first time they’d dealt with her when she was like this, and it probably wouldn’t be the last, but it was a struggle to know when she was going to turn the corner. Rowena had worked with post-aneurysm patients before, and she had told Avery it wasn’t uncommon to deal with emotional ups and downs, but Emily’s mood swings seemed to be lasting longer than she had anticipated.

  When she went into the house after talking to Rowena, Avery heard voices coming from Emily’s room, and she recognized one as Kenton’s. Not wanting to interrupt, she waited in the hallway to see if it was a good time for her to work with Emily.

  “Mom, you know what I thought of when they first told me about my injury and what I would need to do to get back into the game?” He paused. “My very first thought was…there’s no guarantee that anything I do will work. And for a moment, I didn’t want to do it. Only for a moment, mind you, because then I got a mental slap upside the head from Dad and a mental, verbal reprimand from you. Neither of you would have let me get away with that kind of thinking. You wouldn’t have let me give up without even trying. You never have, and you wouldn’t have started with this injury.”

  There was a moment of silence before Kenton spoke again. “Can you tell me why, Mom? Why you’re not even trying to get better?” There was a murmur that Avery couldn’t hear before Kenton said, “When I was worried about not making it in the NHL, and wondering if it was better to not even try, you and Dad were always the ones who told me that the only way to guarantee that I wouldn’t make it was to not try at all. And that’s the same here for you, Mom. You’re afraid of failing? Of not being able to do what you once did? The only sure way for that to happen is to not even try.”

  More murmurs that had Avery fighting the urge to step closer.

  “We love you, Mom, and we’re so grateful you’re still with us. It doesn’t matter to us if you can’t do everything you once did, but we want you to be happy. You’re not happy now. Would you have rather died?”

  Avery frowned, not completely convinced that particular approach was the best. When you asked a question like that, you had to be prepared for any answer.

  “Then you owe it to yourself to try, Mom. Please, try. Try for Makayla and Sammi and their babies. Try for Bennett and his little girl. Try for Mitch and for Gabe who has fought his own hard battle this year. Try for Tristan, Dalton, and Danica. Try for Dad. You have so many reasons to try. So many people who are cheering you on. Just try, Mom. Please.”

  Avery fell a little bit more for Kenton as she listened to him talk to his mom and heard his voice crack with emotion. There was no doubting that he loved Emily. Her heart warmed to him as she realized that he was so much more than the professional persona he showed to the world or the easygoing, joking man she’d seen interact with her son.

  She stepped back and leaned against the wall, waiting for Kenton to exit the room. Kenton’s voice had dropped to an indecipherable murmur, which was fine. This was a conversation that was between mother and son, even if she had heard part of it. Would Kenton’s encouragement be what turned things around for Emily? Avery really hoped so. From what her doctors had said during their meetings about Emily, there was no reason that with consistent work, she couldn’t regain much—if not all—of her previous abilities.

  As she stood there, Avery bent her head and said a prayer for Kenton and Emily. It wasn’t the first time she’d prayed for the woman, but never for something that was so specific, so immediate. That Kenton’s words would take hold in the woman. She prayed that Emily would accept the help being offered to her.
She prayed that she would see the important role she played in her children’s lives and would want to work hard to be a part of their lives again. It was not easy dealing with a significant change in a parent’s life either, so she prayed for the kids too. And for Steve. Seeing such a drastic change in his wife had to be difficult beyond words.

  “Avery?” She lifted her head to see Kenton standing in front of her. “Everything alright?”

  “Yes. I just didn’t want to interrupt.” She looked past Kenton to the open door. “Is it okay for me to go in?”

  “I think so. She’s exhausted though. I don’t think she’s up to any work today, but maybe one of your massages would help.”

  She lifted the supplies she held. “Good thing I came prepared for that.”

  “I sent my dad off to the office to spend some time there,” he said. “Is it okay if I come sit in with you and Mom?”

  “Sure.” Avery shifted the towel and lotion she held in her hands. “As long as she doesn’t mind.”

  Kenton nodded then followed her into the room. He went to the armchair that was placed close to the head of the bed and sat down. There was a stool with a padded seat on it next to the middle of the bed. There was also a tray on wheels which was where Avery placed her things before pulling it close to the stool as she sat down.

  “Hi Emily,” she said, smiling softly at the woman. She took in the pale skin, and the dark circles under her eyes along with their puffiness. “Rowena said you’re not feeling up to working with us today.” The woman gave a slight nod, her gaze darting to where Kenton sat. “So maybe just some massage?”

  Emily lifted her hand slightly, so Avery laid her towel on the edge of the bed before pouring some lotion into her hands. “I see you’ve had your nails done. Very nice.”

  “Maya.”

  “Oh, Maya did them for you?” Avery asked, recognizing the name of Max’s daughter who was also dating one of Kenton’s brothers.

  “Yes.”

  “They’re very pretty. I like that baby pink.” After rubbing her palms together to warm the oil, Avery began to work with the muscles in Emily’s hand and forearm.