Page 78 of Always Been You

“Babe, do we still have the jar of pickles?” I call as I make my way to him.

“Yeah, they’re right here.”

When I get to the kitchen, I open the jar and grab a pickle. “Was Matt right? You back into your pickle phase from when we were kids?”

I shrug. “Not sure, I just all of a sudden really wanted some pickles. I don’t know what brought it on. Any thoughts on dinner? I was thinking Chinese?”

“Sure, babe, sounds good. I have to answer some emails before work tomorrow. Why don’t you curl up on the couch and I’ll order us some food shortly.”

“Okay, have fun,” I say, walking over and giving him a quick kiss before settling onto the couch.

I spend the evening reading on the couch before dinner shows up and we eat together before I jump in the shower and climb into bed.

On Monday, I fold and put away our laundry, plan out our meals for the week, and read a little before getting dinner ready for us.

Tuesday is Josh’s hockey game, so I spend the day around the house until Josh comes home to pick me up. We head to the rink and I give him a quick kiss before leaving the car and he goes into the dressing room to change. The girls decided to join me again tonight and we find our seats on the bleachers right beside their bench. When Josh comes out, we do our pre-game routine before puck drop.

The puck drops, and the other team gains possession, passing behind to the defence man. He passes it cross ice to another player who crosses centre before drop passing it and the next player manages to make it into our d-zone. A quick shove into the boards has us gaining possession and shooting it down the ice. Josh picks it up, before passing backwards to Grayson, who brings his stick back and shoots it, aiming for the top shelf, their goalie gloves it and the whistle blows.

Josh wins this face-off and passes back to Matt, who connects with it. He sends it across to Luke, who wraps around the goal before passing to Josh, who manages to make it just over the pads of the goalie and scores.

The girls and I cheer. As the guys come and do a shift change, the rest of the period moves quickly, ending in a 1-0 score. They move to centre ice for the beginning of the second period. This period feels more intense than before and more physical. Both teams have shoots on goal, but none go in.

Between the second and third, I ask the guys, “What’s up with this team? Seems like there’s more to it than this game.”

Grayson takes his mouth guard out before saying, “Last season, we kind of whipped their asses. Looks like they are trying to pay us back for it.”

I nod and settle back on the bench. The third period starts, and I can feel the tension. Ten minutes in, Josh gets possession of the puck and makes a wraparound goal. They meet at centre ice, and the puck drops. From the second it drops, it seems like the other team’s #7 is targeting Josh. Josh sees the guy coming and passes the puck and five seconds later the guy cross-checks Josh so hard that he’s falling backward and his head bounces off the ice.

I yell and feel my entire body go cold. My hands are in fists so tight I can feel my nails digging into my palms. When after thirty seconds I don’t see Josh move, I am off the bleachers and pushing past the guys on the bench, moving through the open door, and running onto the ice.

There is a group gathered around Josh, including the guy who hit him. I try my best to stay upright as I run toward him. I make my way between people and fall to my knees beside him. I can feel the tears running down my cheeks. I place my hands on either side of his face and speak softly to him, “Josh, look at me, you’re okay.”

He doesn’t move, and the tears continue to run down my face. I brush his hair off his forehead. “Babe, look at me, you’re okay, you’ve got to be okay.”

He groans and opens his eyes, looking at me. “Olivia, what are you doing on the ice?” he asks.

“You scared the shit out of me when you didn’t get up. You can’t do that to me,” I say through my tears.

Matt and Grayson help him get up and I stand, turn, and face #7, without much thought, I pull back my right arm and punch the guy, hitting him straight in the jaw. He falters back at the contact and holds a gloved hand up to the place I hit him. “That was a dirty check and we all know it,” I say. “Maybe next time you should pull your head out of your assbefore you go playing dirty,” I say, poking my finger into his chest, so hard my finger hurts, but I can feel the anger boiling in me. Arms wrap around my centre, pulling me back into a chest. “Olivia, babe, I’m fine. You can leave him be now.”

I spin in Josh’s arms, pulling myself out of them. “Don’t ‘babe, I’m fine’ me. You didn’t get up right away. I remember when you took hits in high school, you were up right away. You scared the shit out of me.”

I open my palms and show him the crescent shapes my nails dug in. “I clenched my fists so tight this happened.” I let out a huge sigh when he grabs both my wrists and kisses each palm.

“I’m sorry I scared you. I’m okay. I’m not as young and spry as I was in high school.”

I close my eyes and let out another sigh. “Okay,” I say, “We have to get you checked for a concussion, though. Promise me.”

“I promise.”

“Your girl packs a mean right hook there,” #7 says to Josh, who full-on belly laughs, and says, “I’m sure she does, haven’t been on the receiving end of one.” He looks down at me with a smile on his face. “Babe, let’s get you off the ice so that the game can finish.”

“Fine, but you’re not playing anymore,” I say before turning around and walking back to the bench. I can feel the stares from Josh’s team and the girls are watching me with shit-eating grins on their faces, probably over me fussing over Josh.

When Josh steps off the ice, I grab his hand and pull him towards Hannah. “Han, can you please do concussion protocol on my boyfriend here?” she smiles and nods, motioning for Josh to take a seat. She goes through everything andsays that he looks fine, but to monitor him and if he starts displaying symptoms to have him see a doctor.

There is still some time in the game when Josh heads into the dressing room, he assures me that he’s fine and will let me know if he starts to feel sick, the girls and I head upstairs as he showers and changes, poor Josh is probably going to have to answer some questions from my brother.

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