by Kat Obie
The three of them settled into watching the hockey game. At the end of the first period, Alice made her way out. The room got quieter the moment Alice left. It didn’t help things that the Sound were struggling to get going tonight. Thankfully, they pulled it together in the second and third period to squeak out a win.
30
Corey
Corey felt absolutely useless lying in bed again. The stomach surgery had knocked him on the ass. It didn’t help that he was still adjusting to smaller portions and food not wanting to fully settle down. He’s been living on fluids trying to stay hydrated.
He was starting to think about his post hockey career. If he couldn’t play next year, his huge-ass contract would be dead. He wished he had done more than a year at Boston College and had finished his degree. But he was so focused on getting to the NHL that he gave it all up. He always thought he would go back. He just had no idea it might be so soon after leaving college. The last thing he wanted was for Jenna to support him financially at the end of his career. He needed to figure out his life.
Before he could think about what to do with himself, Jenna climbed into bed with him. She was the perfect distraction for his thoughts of not having a future. He grabbed her into a tight hug. She smelled as sweet as she was.
She was silent as he took his time and relaxed in the moment. Since she was working upstairs most of the day, she asked her obligatory, “Hey, baby. How are you feeling?”
Corey sighed and said, “Meh.” At least he didn’t have to put up a facade with Jenna. He could tell her when things really sucked.
She looked up and said, “So on a scale of one to ten, how bored are you?”
“Hmm. Pretty bored. But I have an idea of what we could do.”
“Let me guess, it’s something that requires one or both us being naked.”
“I definitely wouldn’t complain and I know you wouldn’t be in my arms right now if you weren’t interested.” While he wasn’t willing to let go of her, he softened his hold on her so she could initiate things. With the surgeries, as much as he wanted to be on top, he just couldn’t yet. Yet at the same time, it was sexy to have Jenna be in control.
“True,” she said as she straddled him and pulled off her shirt. She shook out her long hair and smiled with lust in her eyes. She leaned over and he pulled her close for a long kiss. He kept one hand on the nape of her neck and the other hand started to massage one of her wonderfully tender breasts.
She worked to get herself free of her pants and lacy thong. He smiled at the realization she put the lace on for him. “I love you in lace, beautiful.”
She smiled as she tugged his boxers off and flicked them in the same general direction as her thong. He was grateful that he stayed away from the Percocets tonight so he could get hard quickly. Not that it was really an issue when Jenna was around, but the drugs did mess with his control at times and he didn’t like not being in control. He didn’t want to hurt her or be self-serving so he started to massage her clit with one hand as she started to create some space. He couldn’t help himself and said, “Oh, you’re so wet.”
“Mm-hmm. Just like you’re ready too.”
She lowered herself onto his dick, and he started to thrust some. It was killer on both his back and stomach wounds, but he didn’t give a fuck at that moment since it was that good. He wanted to climax and watch her reach her orgasm as well. So he continued to apply pressure to her clit as he was thrusting in and out. By some miracle of God, he could feel her start to tense just like she would always do just before the final release and man, did she release. He let his load explode inside of her. Then she rolled off of him but stayed in the crook of his arm.
He started to spoon her and held her even closer. His penis started to rise inside her body, ready for it again. He patted down the hair that he turned into a mass of knots by pulling on it. They stayed close together. But as his body started to recover, he realized he overdid it and pulled something. He was in so much damn pain and he swore to himself. Or at least he thought he swore to himself until she said, “You need a painkiller, babe?”
“No.” Before he could even try to push himself upward, she pulled away, not believing him. Then again he knew that he should take something. “Advil.”
She grabbed two tablets and brought them to him. He pushed himself up into a more seated position. He grabbed the water from his nightstand.
“You know you shouldn’t be killing yourself. We can wait until you’re stronger.”
“I know. If I wasn’t up for it, I wouldn’t have tried to do it,” he said probably a bit more gruffly than he would have liked. He hated how limited he felt in the activities he could do, but didn’t want it to be bad for her. “Was it bad for you?”
“No,” she said with so much conviction that he knew wasn’t being bullshitted. “No, I just don’t want you to be hurt when we do it.”
He knew that feeling all too well. He was always making sure to balance his weight since he didn’t want to hurt her by letting his muscle mass crush her. He could understand not wanting to hurt her. He reached up and started to rub his jawline with his thumb. “When we do it I never want to hurt you either. Don’t worry about my medical stuff so much. I hate to say this, I really want to sleep.”
She leaned into his hand. “You don’t need dinner?”
He shook his head. He knew that he should eat but he wanted to rest. “Not right now, beautiful. I need a nap first.”
“I guess I wore you out.”
31
Jenna
Jenna was surprised how quickly they were settling into the new normal. There was a part of her that thought Corey was going to be driving her crazy with not being able to play or work out. Instead, he let her work almost all day without any interruptions. The biggest issue had been his energy levels. They were almost nonexistent half the time and it didn’t help that he was struggling with eating.
She rolled over and was surprised that Corey wasn’t in the bed beside her. The one thing that killed her was realizing that there were clumps of hair on his pillow. While it was something that they were expecting with the chemo, it still sucked.
She approached the bathroom and heard the retching. Her stomach dropped. While she wasn’t actually surprised that he was vomiting, she was hoping that he was actually having a midnight snack instead of using the bathroom. The door was shut, so she knocked. “Are you okay?”
She heard one more retch before he said, “No.” He threw up again and he said, “Go back to bed.”
She turned the bathroom knob. She was so glad that the door wasn’t locked. She went in and sat down beside him. She started to rub his back. His head never left the toilet. She murmured, “Oh, baby, I’m sorry.”
He just took some deep breaths. Eventually he lifted his head from the toilet seat. He pushed his hand over his newly bald head much like how he liked to rake his hand through his hair when he was stressed. “I didn’t want you to see me this way.”
It was almost a little funny to see him with a bald head and full beard. She guessed he wasn’t ready to lose that just yet. But she didn’t blame him for shaving off his hair if he found that clump on the pillow. He didn’t exactly look hotter bald since his head was a little bumpy and pale. Yet at the same time, it was still her boyfriend and he didn’t look that much different. She hoped she had more conviction in her voice than she really felt and said, “You look good that way.”
He pulled her close and said, “You don’t need to lie to me. I know it’s awful.”
“Babe, don’t be so hard on yourself. It’s different, not awful. I’m not going to pretend and say I’m used to it. You do look like you could be an extra on a prison show right now.”
He had a chuckle. “What about Sons of Anarchy?”
“Maybe. You might have to grow your beard out some more and invest in some bandanas.” She went to kiss him. But almost anticipating the move, he turned his face away. She couldn’t help to get a whiff of the bile
on his breath.
“Not now, beautiful, my breath is vile. I love you but let me brush my teeth first.” Then he prayed to the porcelain god one more time. It was heartbreaking to see him so sick. He forced himself up and went to the sink to brush his teeth. “God, I hope I can keep the beard. At least as long as possible. Are you sure you’re okay with it?”
She wrapped her arms around his waist and looked at their image in the mirror. It was a change that they knew was coming. “Of course I am, babe. It’s going to take some time to get used to it but in the end, it’s just hair. It’ll grow back. Did you not want me to see your bald head? It’s not like you can just hide it easily.”
He was a little sheepish and said, “I don’t know. I guess I was going to put one of my beanies on at breakfast and pretend that you didn’t notice. I definitely didn’t want you to see it while I was puking.”
She felt for him. She hated the times in college that Alice and others would help care for her when she was throwing up. While she loved being that person for him but she knew he felt vulnerable. She wanted to give him the strength that he needed in that moment.
“Were you going to sleep in the beanie? And what woke you up in the first place?”
“Yeah. I kinda want the beanie to keep my head warm.” She had to laugh at that comment and he started to rub his head again. She wanted to feel it to see if it felt as smooth as it looked but she didn’t give in to the temptation since it felt wrong. “I’m up since my stomach was being evil.”
She nodded. She kind of knew what happened after he emptied out his stomach. He either saw the hair falling out on the pillow or noticed a bald spot and decided to buzz the rest off.
“Is your stomach settling down some?”
He nodded. She dropped her arms and they headed back to the bedroom. He went into the closet presumably for one of his beanies. When he climbed into bed, she said, “Love you, babe.”
Corey
Corey was taking his round of pills for the morning. In addition to his supplements, he now had to take a bunch of medicine. He hated the frequency of the meds but they were necessary. In all honesty, he was doing more in the realm of supplements too, just to help to keep his nutrition levels up. He was glad that he was starting to get a grip on his nausea. Then again, it meant nonstop chewing on the CBD oil–dipped toothpicks. At least he had found something that worked for him.
Jenna walked into the kitchen and gave him a kiss. He was still amazed how chill she was about how he shaved everything off. If anything, she accepted it faster than he did. Whenever he caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror not wearing a beanie, it was like looking at an alien.
“What’s on tap for you today?” asked Jenna.
“Scotty’s been trying to get me to go to the rink and work out with the guys. It seems like today will be a good day. How about you?”
“That’ll be nice. I got to finish up a few things and then get ready for tomorrow’s trip. Got any cravings for dinner?”
“Not really. Anything that I keep down is a win but that still seems like a mystery most days. Make whatever you want, beautiful. Is it really almost time for you to go back to Philly?”
“Yeah, sorry. But don’t worry about it. I’ll be back.”
“I’m not worried about you not coming back. It’s just way less fun without you here. I miss you.”
“Awww. I miss you too. But go have fun with the boys today.”
“Don’t tell me you want me out of the house,” he teased, drawing out a giggle from Jenna. He always loved when she giggled; it was so soft and genuine.
“Not at all. Half the time I forget that you’re here during the day unless you are playing around on the guitar. I just know you went from hanging out with them for a long time to not hanging out with anyone too much lately.”
He pulled a tight smile. He knew it was true. It seemed like he slept most of the day and evening. Everything just wiped him out. So while he tried to keep up with training, if he was going to hang out with anyone, it would be Jenna. He loved her.
Jenna made a simple breakfast for them. After that, he drove the short drive to the practice rink. He knew it like the back of his hand.
He walked into the rink like he owned it. It felt good to be there again and he didn’t realize how being away from the team was weighing on him. He knew that he should be arriving at just about the time that guys would be coming in.
“Yo, look at what the cat dragged in!” shouted Lager from behind him.
Corey turned around to see both Lager and Petey walking into the facility. Both the guys gave him bro hugs and a pretty good look over. Corey was a little self-conscious since he knew he was down about fifteen pounds and now newly bald but theoretically that was fully covered up with his beanie. He still had managed to keep the beard but he wasn’t sure for how much longer. His skin was itching in a similar way as his scalp did before he lost the hair up there.
“Please tell me you’re going to skate today,” said Petey.
Corey shrugged. He was going to ask Doc Curren if he could. He’s been skating some at home so he knew he could handle it. “I got to see if Doc and Coach will let me.”
“Go talk to them now,” said Lager.
Corey nodded. So instead of heading to the locker room, he headed first to Coach Berman’s office. The door was shut so he knocked. Almost immediately, he was let in.
“Oh, hey. Look at you,” said Berman with the widest smile that Corey had ever seen. Even wider than when they won the Stanley Cup, which was just downright freaky. “How are you feeling?”
“Finally starting to feel halfway normal. Finding some ways to deal with everything. I was hoping that you might let me skate with the guys.”
“Sure, as long as Doc says it’s okay. I’m sure the guys will love for you to be there. Although don’t hesitate to pull off when you need to do so. But good to see you today.”
“Thanks, Coach.”
Corey rushed over to the trainers’ room. Dima, Scotty and PK were all getting taped up. While he didn’t realize Scotty and PK had any injuries, he wasn’t actually too surprised. Hockey could be brutal on the body and nobody wanted to look weak. Scotty immediately said, “Hey, Cor. You finally came.”
Corey just nodded. Dr. Curren immediately said, “CC, take a seat. Let me finish up with Dima.”
So he sat down on one of the examination tables and waited for his turn. He continued to chew on the CBD toothpick and willed himself to look as good as possible. He didn’t want to be kept off the ice. Doc finished taping up Dima’s ankle and stood up. “So how’s it going? How bad are the side effects?”
“They were pretty bad for a while. Your suggestion about using more CBD oil has been a godsend for the nausea.” He’d been in contact with Doc a fair amount. “Definitely easier on my stomach than the ginger, and I’ve been starting to train some at home for short bursts.”
“Great.” Doc nodded and asked, “How is the wrist holding up?”
“Fine. No issues whatsoever.”
“Good. Bag skate today. No contact and the moment you get tired or nauseous, get your ass off the ice.”
“Got it.”
Corey went into the locker room. It was practically empty but his stuff was up hanging up in the normal spot. Scotty was in the room. He was looking happy and was casually wrapping the tape around his hockey socks to keep both the shin pads and hockey socks In place. The rock music was playing still but he didn’t know whose mix it was. Corey started to get switched into his stuff.
“I’m glad you can skate with us today,” said Scotty.
“Yeah, me too,” he said as he was debating what to do with the helmet. Normally he would wear a bandana to keep some sweat off his face but now that he didn’t have hair did he really need it? For a split second he thought about skating with his beanie on but he knew it wouldn’t fit in his helmet. So he stuffed the beanie into his stall.
As he was tying the bandana, Scotty said, “Why didn’t
you say anything about losing the hair? Petey and I were going to do a thing for St. Baldwick’s for you.”
“’Cause I hate it and it’s not a big deal,” he said as he quickly readjusted the fit of his helmet.
“So things are good at home?”
“Yeah. Real good. I don’t know how I would have handled everything without Jenna. I just feel bad that I’ve been sleeping or sick so much. How are things with you and Al?”
“They’re good. I think Al’s missing the double date nights. “
“Yeah, we should do one soon. As long you guys are good with last minute notice.”
“Yeah, no problem. Come on, let’s get our asses out there.”
So the two of them walked out to the ice. It actually felt good to be there. Everyone was so positive and happy to see him. He struggled to keep up since his stamina got obliterated with all the time away from the ice. While he’d been on the ice at home, it wasn’t the same. There was something about being with the guys that made it more fun. Although most of them started to give him shit about being bald but if they didn’t give him shit about something, he would have been worried.
32
Jenna
Jenna was starting to worry about Corey. She already was feeling guilty about leaving for Philly over the weekend. She was having a bad feeling about everything but it didn’t seem to make any sense. He was in perfect health before she left. Hell, he even did a full day at the rink with the team. So there was nothing that should have been triggering alarm bells.
She called Corey and he picked up on the second ring and said in a sleepy voice, “Hey, beautiful.” Then he started to cough a little.
