Chapter 230: High Sticking
"How would you like a job where when you made a mistake, a big red light goes on and 18,000 people boo?" – Jacques Plante
"Ice hockey is a form of disorderly conduct in which the score is kept." – Doug Larson
"Half the game is mental; the other half is being mental." – Jim McKenny
"By the age of 18, the average American has witnessed 200,000 acts of violence on television, most of them occurring during Game 1 of the NHL playoff series." – Steve Rushin
By the end of the second period, as intermission in the game started, Will was winning 4 to 2. He triumphantly stood up, "K…well…that went well for the Bluejackets. I need a beer," he said walking off to the kitchen.
Sydney smiled at Vaughn as he looked over at her, "You'll beat him in the next period," she said confidently. "How are you fingers?" she asked, looking down at the controller in his hands.
"They're sort of stiff…and sore," he admitted.
"You wanna keep playing or call it a night – I'm sure you can save the game."
"No, we can finish."
"You're sure?"
"Yeah," he smiled, "It'll get better…"
"Yes it will," she said, running her hand over his cheek as he looked back at the controller.
"Can I have a beer too?" he asked after another minute, looking at her with pleading eyes.
She debated a minute, looking at his expression, "Ok…but if I get you one – then you have to beat Will…cause otherwise we'll never hear the end of it."
Vaughn chuckled, "I'll try…but he's winning right now."
"You can do it – I'll start cheering, I'll be your cheering section."
"You always are Syd," he said truthfully.
She softened and leaned over, pressing a soft kiss to his lips. Then she got up and went to get him a beer. She came back and handed it to him, "K, now kick his ass," she said as she sat down again.
Will looked back at her, "That's real nice Syd."
"Hey, I'm rooting for my team here."
Will looked back at Francie, "Well?"
She looked at him, "Go Will Go," she said unenthusiastically.
"Yeah, thanks."
"Anytime honey," Francie said smiling at Sydney.
As the game returned, Sydney started yelling for Vaughn to win. She started her own little cheer from the couch, laughing and clapping whenever Vaughn checked Will or scored. She shared amused looks with Francie as she pointed out how Will seemed to move his whole body as he moved the controller as if that would help the player go where he wanted him to. Vaughn was controlled as always, animated inside, but cool on the outside. She enjoyed watching this competitive side however, remembering times before when she'd gone to his hockey practices and games. She was always amazed at his ability, at his seemingly effortless skill as he flew across the icy surface. She remembered spending a lot of time on her feet in the stands as she got into the games, yelling when he was checked and cheering when he scored and assisted. There was something innately sensual and sexy about the sport, about watching him in a violent display. It was controlled enough not to be vulgar and uncontrolled enough to be arousing. And then, of course, there was the Zamboni, which just made her insanely happy.
With only seconds left, Vaughn scored. Sydney jumped off the couch and screamed, "SCORE!!!!"
Vaughn laughed at Sydney's display, "I tied him honey…I didn't win."
"But you didn't lose either!" she yelled, ruffling Will's hair and then turning back to Vaughn to give him what she called a 'victory kiss.'
When they parted and looked back at the screen, the imaginary players were skating off the ice and the Zamboni was sliding across in their stead. "Zamboni!" Sydney squealed.
Will looked over at Vaughn, "Well…you're injured…and you still tied me."
"Yeah I guess I haven't lost my touch too much…you were good."
Will smiled, "Really?"
"Yeah, very persistent."
"Thanks," Will beamed, "Well then we have to play a lot right now, before you get your dexterity fully back, then I'm toast every time."
"Only on real ice," Vaughn said winking.
Will smiled, "You wanna play another game?"
"I'd like to, but I think my fingers would revolt. They're not used to that much exercise."
"Of course," Will said, "You had fun though?"
"Yeah Will, it was great," Vaughn said nodding.
"Good," Will replied, smiling.
"That was a good game…good beer too," he said grinning.
Sydney smirked at him, "I'm glad honey…we should get you back to bed, get you settled, it's late."
"Ok," he said accepting her hand as she helped him stand.
"You need help?" Will asked.
"No, I think we've got it Will," Sydney said smiling as she and Vaughn began to walk back to the bedroom.
She closed the door on their way in and sat him down, starting to remove his clothes and retrieving pajamas for him to wear.
As she began to dress him, she noticed he seemed lost in thought. "What'cha thinkin' about?" she asked as she took his left arm and put it safely back in the sling.
He smiled at her as she adjusted the sling on his shoulder so it wouldn't rub. "The game just made me think about hockey."
"Yeah," she said, leaving it open-ended.
"I miss hockey."
Sydney smiled in understanding, standing to get her own pajamas, and kissing him on the forehead, "I know honey...soon."
He sighed heavily, "Yeah…but not really…"
"What do you mean?" she asked, returning to face him as she finished with her pajamas.
"Well…even when I'm better and I'm walking around and everything, I won't be able to play."
"Why not?"
"Because I won't be able to get smashed into boards or risk falling on the ice too hard…I'll just wind up back in bed."
"Well not if you wait long enough."
"But I don't want to wait that long."
Sydney took a deep breath and squatted between his legs, "Vaughn, look…I know this is hard for you." She shook her head, "Maybe it wasn't a good idea for Will to buy that game."
"No, that's not what this is about. I mean, yes it made me think about it, but I would have eventually. I miss hockey. I miss going out on the ice. All the time I've missed now, I'll be lucky if I can still skate."
"Vaughn, that's not true. It's like riding a bike. And you're so good at it anyway, you'll get out there again and it'll be like you never left. I'm sure honey. Plus, you can hone all your skills with the game. It'll keep you on your toes."
He looked at her, "Syd…k, let's be realistic here. I've spent, so far, a total of," he counted, "nine, count them NINE weeks including this week doing no physical activity. I'm so out of shape now it's gonna take me years to make that up. I mean, think about work. It's gonna take forever just to be field rated, much less hockey trained."
"Vaughn," Sydney said, with a raised brow, "I don't think you're as out of shape as you think you are. You keep up very well…"
"Syd…" he said, trying to word his speech carefully, "Sex is one thing, and even that – you're on top."
"You get exercise Vaughn every time you sit up or walk."
"I know, but look at how much trouble that gives me."
"Vaughn, listen," she said smiling, taking his hand in hers, "Look how far you've come in these last few weeks. You started off with like no mobility, you didn't move at all. And yeah, you had some setbacks, but you've bounced back from those. In six weeks, you've accomplished a whole helluva lot. And keep in mind; at the start of all of this, you were looking at fourteen weeks to be fully recovered. It's only week six…six out of fourteen. You've got a long way to go, and a lot more you're gonna accomplish. You gotta take it slow, or you'll only make it last longer. Maybe…maybe in a few weeks we can think about getting a physical therapist to come out here." She stopped, looking up at him and waiting for a response.
She smiled when she saw the smirk on his face, "What?"
"You just…amaze me."
Her smile widened, "Why?"
"Because…you always put things in perspective."
"Well that's my job, and you're a naturally determined person who likes to think ahead…and you always did the same for me – making me realize that I had to slow down and take it as it came…so, I'm just returning the favor."
"Thank you."
"You're welcome. Try not to be too hard on yourself. It'll be a fight back, but that's what we do best. And I'll be there every step of the way to help. Ok?"
He smiled, "I know." He brought his hand up to her cheek, "I love you."
"I love you," she said, rising and kissing him. She backed off and helped him move back on the bed, "See – now look…how long were you out on the couch?"
"A few hours I guess?"
"Right…and that whole time – I forgot your oxygen and you were fine. Even after all the demands you fulfilled today."
Vaughn smiled, "But I wasn't doing anything strenuous on the couch."
"Playing hockey in any form Vaughn, is strenuous." She walked to the bathroom and returned with her toothbrush in her mouth, handing him his. After helping him brush, she came back and turned off all the lights, save one, and got into bed with him. As she snuggled closer, she looked up at him, "Give yourself some credit. You've made it so far honey. I'm so proud of you."
"Well…without you I woulda never made it out of the hospital. You should take a lot of that credit."
"Vaughn, I was only there to help. YOU, YOU did the work."
He smiled at her and took a deep breath, "Thank you."
"Thank you…"
"For what?"
"For being you. For not giving up. For pushing yourself. For letting me help. For loving me."
He looked down at her with a complete look of admiration and love. He pulled her up and kissed her, their mouths molding like they had thousands of times before, but this was different, deeper. Their lips met slowly and softly, as though they had never tasted each other before. Lips gave way to tongues as they gently delved into each other's mouths. They breathed the same breath, synchronized like so many other things they shared. Body and soul as one with one simple, languid kiss. The earth had stopped turning, time stood still, oceans stopped churning. All that remained were these two, in this place, in this moment. Sleep seemed so easy after they broke the kiss; their faces pressed closely together, their slightly elevated breathing hot on each other's faces. "I love you," was the only phrase uttered…