After saying their goodbye, Jen and Lauren went directly to Ed’s box. She was excited to see him and practically ran into his arms. They generally spoke weekly but with the season in full swing he’d been hard to get ahold of.
They lost track of time and almost missed the player introductions. She stood at the edge of the box and waved at Ryne and his brothers when their names were announced.
She was thrilled to be back in the Generaldome. Although her allegiance was now with the Storm, the Generals still held a special place in her heart.
As the players stood on the ice during the National Anthems, she couldn’t help but notice Lauren’s eyes focused solely on Philippe. As Philippe made his way to the bench, he raised his stick and motioned in their direction.
“What’s that all about?” Jen giggled and turned to her friend.
“I guess he was saying hi.”
“If that’s what you want to believe, okay. I think it’s a little more meaningful.”
“I don’t know what you’re implying…”
Before she could finish her thought, the fans were on their feet cheering as the players retook the ice.
Ed’s box was close to the Hockey Tonight crew. She could hear Kelly Rhodes and Ted Jackson getting ready to call the game.
“Ted, this is a big night for Ryne Ferguson. He’s returning to the Generaldome for the first time since being traded.”
“You’re right, Kelly. The two teams played earlier this year in Calgary and it was a pretty tame game. I expect it to be a little more physical tonight especially with the Generals’ losing streak. They’re going to come out fighting. Ferguson’s having a stellar year— the best of his career although the last couple of games have been a little shaky for him. I have to wonder if he’s got an injury.”
“You never know. These hockey players are tough as nails and play under extreme conditions. Time will tell.”
“Okay, here’s the lineup for the game…” Jen tuned out the rest of their spiel as she watched Ryne head towards the faceoff circle.
Since becoming involved with Ryne, Jen was a nervous fan. She worried the entire game that he would get injured. As the players lined up around the faceoff circle, she raised her fingers to her mouth. She had a nervous habit of chewing on them at the outset of the game and tonight was no different.
Ryne stood in the circle ready to face-off against Derek. She’d noticed they’d spoken during the warm-ups. They were no longer friends on the ice, they were rivals. The Storm was on a one game winning streak while the Generals had lost four of their last five. Jen knew Ryne felt good going into the game.
Nervously, she watched as the referee prepared to drop the puck. As a visitor, Ryne was the first to place his stick on the ice. She held her breath waiting for the puck to drop. In a blink of an eye, the puck was on the ice, and Ryne took control. The puck moved to Josh’s stick as he crossed the blue line.
Ryne circled behind the net, waiting for a pass. Ice sprayed along the boards as his skates cut through the rink’s surface. He stopped at the side of the net waiting for Philippe to pass him the puck. His stick lay flush against the ice, waiting, anticipating Philippe’s next move. And then the whistle blew. Less than a minute into the game, Etienne was involved in a skirmish. She was surprised by the quickness of the fight and wondered what led to gloves being dropped and Etienne’s head in a head lock.
“Wow, this game is starting out intense. Tucker jumped right on Etienne Ferguson. This is going to be a physical game, Ted.” Jen caught Kelly Rhodes’ voice as he described the fight on the ice.
“The fight didn’t last long, that’s for sure, Kelly.”
“No, it didn’t. It looks like the officials are going to have to be on their toes tonight.” Kelly added as the players were escorted directly to the penalty box.
Both players were sent off the ice with fighting penalties and wouldn’t be seen again for five minutes. Ryne shook his head at his brother, seemingly disgusted that he took a penalty so early in the game.
Derek won the faceoff after the penalty. Ryne hurried down the ice to help defend his goal. Philippe somehow intercepted an errant pass and sent it across the ice to Ryne who raced down the rink. He crossed the blue line, and carried the puck behind the goal. He spun around, still in control, and flipped the puck towards the net. It bounced on the ice and skipped by the Generals’ goalie. The blue light lit and Ryne had his first goal of the game.
Jen exhaled the breath she’d been holding and felt relieved. Ryne seemed like he was on his game, playing with a high level of intensity. Ray pulled his line and Ryne sat leaning over the boards, waiting, ready to return to the ice. She kept one eye on the penalty clock and the other on Ryne. In her gut she knew he was going to return to the ice shortly and he did. Vladamir Pantengelo stole the puck from one of the Generals’ players. Just as he started up ice, Ryne flew over the side of the boards. His skates had barely touched the ice when he received a pass directly onto his stick from Vlad.
“Look at Ferguson go,” Ted announced to the Hockey Today audience. “I haven’t seen him skate this fast in a long time.”
“You’re right, Ted,” Kelly stated as they looked on. “He’s in phenomenal shape.”
Ryne sped down the ice towards the Generals’ goal. As long as Jen followed hockey, she’d never seen a slap shot like her husband’s. Ryne’s was the best in the NHL, averaging more than one hundred miles an hour. She felt the play setting-up and wasn’t surprised when he stopped on a dime, raised his stick and slapped at the puck. It flew over the goalie’s shoulder into the net. The blue light went off again. In a matter of minutes, Ryne had scored his second goal of the game and the Storm led 2-0.
“Look at that— two goals in less than five minutes. I have to wonder why we traded him.” Ted seemed to shout above the boos coming from the sellout crowd.
Jen was beside herself with excitement. She high-fived Lauren and turned to Ed who shook his head. “Who do you think I’m rooting for? Not the Storm.” They all burst out laughing at Ed’s comment. His team was losing.
Ryne’s line was again pulled from the ice to catch a breather. “There goes Ryne Ferguson off the ice. He’s deserving of this little breather,” Ted stated.
“He definitely is,” responded Kelly. “There’s five seconds left in Etienne Ferguson’s penalty. And here goes his brother, Ryne, back onto the ice.”
Just as Etienne was returning to the ice, Ryne pitched over the boards, catching another pass from Vlad. Ryne, in turn, shot the pass onto Etienne’s stick. He rushed in behind the play hoping his brother would shoot the puck along the boards.
Etienne seemed to read his mind. He ran the puck along the boards hitting Ryne’s stick square in the middle of his blade. He eased along the boards coming out to the post. He faked a slap shot, instead passing the puck back to Josh. He, in turn, directed the puck back to Ryne. Ryne expected the pass and raised his stick and struck the puck. A loud clang rang out as it deflected off the crossbar. The crowd oohed in the background thankful of the missed shot.
“Did you see that slap shot?” Kelly practically screamed.
“He’s a powerhouse.”
“That he is, Ted,” Kelly stated.
Ryne circled back around again, apparently hoping Josh would send it back his way. Josh lost control and turned it over to Derek who shot the puck down the length of the ice.
“That’s icing to stop the play,” Ted called as the official grabbed the puck from the ice.
Play returned to the Generals’ end of the ice. Ryne was again in the faceoff circle against Derek.
When the puck was dropped, Ryne handily won control.
“Ferguson’s in control again, Kelly. Can he make it a hat trick?”
“Only time will tell, Ted.”
Ryne passed the puck to Vlad who spun around and sent it back to Ryne. Ryne had a clear shot. He raised his stick and smacked the puck. This time it soared over the shoulder of the Generals’ goalie. The blue light lit a third time. Ryne had a hat trick. All three goals were scored within the first nine minutes of play.
“Can you believe it, we’re still in what I call the opening minutes of the first period and Ryne Ferguson has another hat trick. He’s on fire tonight,” said Ted.
“That he is,” Jen heard Kelly Rhodes say as hats flew onto the ice. Ryne was still respected by the St. Louis fans, and she was excited to see how they responded to his achievement.
Ryne’s celebration lasted only a moment when after the next faceoff things got rough. The Generals were frustrated with their play and the play of their friend. From that moment everything went downhill.
The Generals won the faceoff and headed to the Storm’s end of the ice. Ryne skated hard and did his best to defend. The puck was being played along the boards, and Ryne rushed to try and kick it out. Instead of fighting for the puck, he was upended from behind. He crashed hard to the ice falling directly onto his hip.
“Ferguson’s down; he appears injured.” Kelly Rhodes said as the crowd looked on.
Ryne was surrounded by his brothers. As soon as he hit the ice, the crowd grew quiet. Philippe knelt beside him as they waited for Oscar to rush onto the ice.
He lay on the ice for several minutes before Etienne and Philippe helped him stand. With their support, they skated alongside him until he reached the boards where Oscar and Ty escorted him to the locker room.
Jen winced when Ryne fell so hard. She held her breath, waiting and watching as Etienne and Philippe helped him from the ice. She couldn’t take her eyes off her husband as he lay writhing in pain. She knew instantly what was wrong and feared his season was in jeopardy yet again and even possibly his career.
She didn’t know what to do. She was shaking. Her worst fears were unfolding right before her eyes. Ryne was hurt again. She knew it wasn’t good by the way he fell.
Lauren draped her arm around her. “He’s going to be alright.”
“It’s his hip,” she whispered.
“What did you say?”
“I’m sure it’s his hip. He’s been so worried about reinjuring it.”
“Don’t jump to conclusions, Jen,” Ed said as he reached for her. “We have the best of doctors. We’ll check him out.”
“Thanks, Ed. I know that. I should go to him.”
“Just wait here and we’ll get word on his condition.”
Lauren led Jen to a nearby chair, then grabbed a bottle of water and handed it to her.
Jen couldn’t focus. She was a mess. Her hands were trembling so badly she couldn’t hold onto the water bottle. As she set it down, she began to break out in a cold sweat. All of a sudden the nausea that had subsided had returned. I can’t get sick. I can’t. No sooner had those thoughts crossed her mind, she jumped from her seat and ran to the bathroom, practically slamming the door behind her.
She was breathless. She leaned over the sink and ran cold water over her wrists, hoping that would calm her. She dropped her head to her chest and gnawed on her lower lip—anything to prevent herself from being ill.
She reached for a paper towel and wet it, then applied the coolness to her neck, thinking about her husband and praying she wouldn’t get sick.
Several minutes passed before she heard a soft knock on the door. “Jen, are you okay?”
“Give me a minute, Lauren.”
“Take all the time you need.”
Jen leaned against the door. Her nausea had given way to tears. He has to be alright; he just has to. The tears fell one right after the other. She swiped at them but that didn’t do any good. They kept coming and along with the tears came sobs.
She knew Lauren heard her crying because the door handle turned, and she soon found herself in her best friend’s arms. “He’s strong. He’ll be fine.”
“You don’t know that. Lauren, his hip…his hip.” She hiccupped as the tears began to lessen. “He’s been worried all year that he’d reinjure it. It was bad last year and I hope…”
“You can’t speculate until he’s examined. Don’t go there, Jen. You need to stay strong. Come on, let’s see if we can find out how he is.”
Jen blew her nose and wiped her eyes once again before she left the bathroom. She was feeling better. She had the support of her best friend and Ed and that’s what mattered.
When they entered the room, Ed was on the phone. He raised his hand stopping them from leaving. Jen clung onto Lauren as Ed ended his call.
“Here’s the deal…They’re taking him to the hospital…”
Jen gasped. “Now don’t go there, Jen. It’s precautionary. They’re going to run an MRI, take some X-rays, and then more than likely send him home. In all honesty, I don’t think they think it’s too serious.”
“But Ed…”
“Stop worrying until you need to, okay? The ambulance has already left for the hospital. I have my car waiting. Let’s go and maybe you can see him before he starts in with his tests.”
Jen found herself in Ed’s arms. A father’s embrace, she thought. He would stay by her side until they knew what they were dealing with.
“Lauren, why don’t you go home? I know you have a deposition tomorrow. Ed will take good care of me.” She did her best to smile.
“Call me when you know anything.”
“I will.” Jen drew her friend into a tight hug. “Thanks for being here for me. You’re one in a million.”
“Ed, you make sure she takes care of herself.”
“Oh, I will. I won’t let her out of my sight until I know Ryne’s going to be alright.”
As promised, Ed’s car was waiting. As they drove to the hospital, Jen reached for his hand. “I just know it’s his hip. And if it is, I don’t know if he has it in him to rehab it again.”
“Let’s cross that bridge when we need to.” He squeezed her hand. “Ryne is old school. He’s not going to let this injury send him to the woodpile. He has a lot of good years left in his career. Stop fretting until you need to. You need to be strong for him.”
“I will.”
In a matter of minutes, they were walking through the doors to the Emergency Room. Jen approached the receptionist. “My husband, Ryne Ferguson, was just brought in. He’s a hockey player.”
“Oh yes, he’s in X-ray right now. Have a seat and we’ll call you when he returns,” a nurse interjected. Jen smiled and thanked the nurse. She reached for Ed’s arm and he guided her to a quiet corner.
She didn’t know what else to do so she closed her eyes and said a prayer. She knew how much this season meant to him: being traded to the Storm and vying for the Stanley Cup. Those were his dreams. He’d faced the first— that of being traded home to Calgary. His dream of winning a Stanley Cup was still alive, and she needed to find a way to allow him to achieve it. Whether she sat listening to him blow off steam because of his injury or holding his hand through the pain of rehab. Whatever it took, she’d remain by his side. She loved him more than she ever imagined loving anyone.
She pulled herself out of her thoughts. “I better call Jacques and Jacklynne. I’m sure they were watching Hockey Tonight and saw him go down. Jacklynne must be frantic.”
“Why not wait until you know what he’s facing?”
“I should but my heart tells me I need to call her. I need to hear her voice.”
Jen patted Ed’s arms and walked from the room. She started down a long hallway and noticed an empty waiting room. Visiting hours at the hospital were over and it was quiet. She made her way into the darkened room. There was a dim light lit on the corner table. She sat and phoned Ryne’s parents.
Jacklynne was quick to answer the phone. “How is he? How’s my son?”
As soon as she’d heard Jacklynne’s voice, she became emotional. And then the dam burst. She knew Jacklynne would hear her crying and held the phone away from her face, pausing before speaking. “I don’t know,” she sniffled as she wiped the tears from her eyes. “He’s at the hospital and they’re X-raying him and then he’s going to have an MRI. I haven’t seen him, Jacklynne.”
“I certainly hope you’re not alone.”
“No, Ed’s with me.” She hesitated afraid to voice aloud her fears. “Jacklynne, I think it’s his hip. I don’t know what he’ll do if he’s injured it again.”
“He’ll do what’s he’s done in the past— rehab it. Ah honey, I know how upset you are, but Ryne’s tough. He’ll recover just like he has in the past.”
“But…”
“No but’s, dear. You can’t get upset until we know what we’re dealing with. He’s strong and so are you. You’ll get through this together, and before you know it he’ll be back on the ice, ripping a slap shot and celebrating another hat trick.
“I know this is hard but you may be worrying over nothing. I’ve seen my children take enough jaw-dropping spills during their careers. Over time, you learn to develop a thick skin. He may be a little beat up but he’ll be just fine. You know Ryne; he’s going to want to be in that Stanley Cup final game. He’ll do anything to come out on the other side of any injury as long as he can fulfill that dream.”
“You’re right,” she chuckled. “I don’t know why I got so upset. It’s not like I haven’t seen him take a hard spill before and need to be helped from the ice.”
“That’s it, my dear. Positive thoughts.”
“Yes, positive thoughts. Thank you Jacklynne— Mom. It means a lot to me.” It was one of the first time’s she’d called Jacklynne Mom and it felt right. She needed her ‘Mom’ and she needed Jacklynne.
“Honey, you have a special place in my heart. Now, go take care of my son. Call me when you know more. I love you, Jen.”
“I love you too.” Jen ended the call and sat in the quiet of the darkened room and didn’t hear Ed as he approached. He sat down beside her and pulled her close.
“Everything okay?”
“Yeah. Jacklynne helped me see things a little more clearly.”
“Glad to hear. Now, would you like to see your husband? He’s back and they’re waiting on the results.”
With Ed’s arm draped around her shoulders, they returned to the ER. As they approached the waiting room, she heard a commotion and discovered Etienne and Philippe standing just inside the doors.
Jen moved out of Ed’s embrace and right into the arms of Philippe. “Jen, he’s going to be just fine. You know Ryne.”
“He’s strong. We won’t let this injury sideline him,” Etienne said as he reached to give her a hug.
“I thought you were flying out with the team.”
“We wanted to be here so you wouldn’t be alone. Good to see you, Ed,” Philippe said as he reached to shake his hand. “How’s Ryne?”
“We were on our way to find out. He’s just back from an MRI. I think he’s waiting on the results.”
Etienne wrapped his arm around her. “We’ll be here,” he said motioning to the waiting room.
Jen kissed both of her brothers-in-law on their cheeks.
A nurse had been patiently waiting to take her to Ryne. She smiled at Jen and said, “Follow me.”
Jen walked alongside the nurse as she led the way to Ryne. She approached his bedside and laid her hand on his leg. His eyes immediately popped open. She knew she looked a fright. Her eyelids were swollen from crying, her nose was red. It wasn’t as though he hadn’t seen her upset before. She looked a mess and really couldn’t have cared less. Her main focus was on Ryne: his pain and injury.
She swept her hand along his forehead dropping a kiss on his brow. She grabbed his hand and squeezed it tightly. “Have you seen a doctor yet? Do you have your test results? When can you go home?”
“Sweetheart, please one question at a time, okay? I’m not thinking too clearly right now…”
“Alright.” She grabbed the nearby chair and brought it to his bedside and dropped onto it. Exhaustion was starting to claim her. She needed answers, now. She wasn’t thinking clearly either. She just wanted to know what was going on.
“To answer your questions…One: yes, I’ve seen a doctor. In fact, he’s pretty good. I really like him. Too bad he’s an ER doctor.”
“Ryne, can you just give me the answers I’m searching for.”
“Wow, what’s gotten into you?”
“Do you have to ask? I’m worried about you, I’m about ready to drop with exhaustion. Do I need to explain any further?”
“No, you don’t.” He reached for her hand and drew her into his arms. She knew he was in pain although she was sure it had been lessened with a pain killer. She wasn’t sure how she ended up in bed with him but one pull of his hand and she was lying next to him. She cuddled up beside him, and nestled her head against his chest.
“So what’s this with you being so tired? I thought you took a nap today.”
“I did,” she said as she ran her hand along his chest. “Ever since I got on the plane yesterday I haven’t felt myself. I guess I have a bug of some kind.” She smoothed the hair away from his eyes. “Please tell me what the doctor had to say.” She drew in her lips. “I’m scared, Ryne, really scared for you.”
This was the first time she’d been in this position. Ryne was her husband, and she didn’t want to see him in pain. She didn’t want to see him upset. She didn’t want him questioning his future.
“I’m sure you’ve already guessed it’s my hip. The hit came out of nowhere. I was blindsided and when my feet were taken out from under me, I couldn’t do a thing. I went down like a ton of bricks. So much for my new hip pads.
“Anyway, I’m back to the drawing board. They don’t think my injury is quite as bad as last year’s but time will tell. Of course, I’m going on the injured reserve. I’ll be out at least a month, maybe longer.”
She ran her hand along his jaw as she looked into his eyes.
“I guess it could be worse, right? It’s not like I haven’t been down this road before. Maybe this time, I can get through rehab more quickly. After all, I have the best wife in the world to take care of me, right?” She nodded at his comment. “I guess the bright side of this whole situation is that we can spend a little more time visiting your grandparents. I’ll be on crutches for a while, and when the pain is manageable, I’ll start therapy. So that’s it in a nutshell. Are you sure you want to stay married to me? It seems like I’m a walking injury lately.”
She rolled her eyes and playfully slapped her hand against his chest. “Why would you even ask me that? I love you. And did we not vow to stand by each other in sickness and health…Well, I’m standing by my man.”
Ryne chuckled at her comment and tightened his hold on her. “I love you so much. Jen, I’m sorry.”
“Sorry for what?”
“What do you think? Getting injured…Not being able to play and help my team make the playoffs and, most of all, letting my teammates down.”
“Ryne, you can’t help that you took a cheap shot.” She felt him flinch with her comment and raised her hand defending herself. “I don’t care what you think— it was a cheap shot. Just because you’re out for a few weeks doesn’t mean the Storm isn’t going to make the playoffs. Heck, you’re leading the league in points. The finals are over four months in the future. There’s plenty of time for you to get back in the game and be there when the team goes all the way.”
She reached up and patted his cheek. “Now let’s see about getting you out of here. I think we may have a few additional houseguests. Your brothers are waiting outside to hear what kind of damage you sustained. In fact, I’ll go get them and Ed and bring them back.”
“Ed’s here?”
“He drove me.” She started out the door and turned. “I hope the doctors allow a party in your room because I’m bringing them all back.” She blew him a kiss as she left.
As she made her way to the waiting room, she sighed. He’d be okay. She’d be right there beside him throughout his recovery. He was her life and she’d do everything in her power so he could return to the game he loved.