2nd Intermissions

It was the night of the Christmas party, and Angelina had been texting me all night, while I was trying to work.
They had managed to shut out the Red Wings a couple nights before, but against the Dallas Stars, they lost- and the only real job I had to do was stitch up Hjalmarsson's earlobe.

"Shh. It's okay." I said to him, blowing on the wound where the antiseptic burned. I treated him like a little boy because of the look he had given me when he came into the sports medicine room. Hammer was the baby of the team, by far.
I stitched it up as quickly as possible, closing the wound made by an errant puck that sailed straight into the bench.

Adam had been out on the ice when I had gotten there. Sharp picked him up and when he walked past the examination room alone, I asked him where Adam was. He just chuckled and said, "The ice."
My eyebrows had furrowed in confusion, he had just gotten used to walking somewhat normally in the brace, using all of his willpower to not bend that knee. How was he skating?
I walked briskly out of the tunnel that the players used and found myself behind the players bench. I hadn't taken this route since Wisniewski had injured himself and couldn't get off the ice. As part of my review, Dr. Harper had sent me out to examine him.
My thoughts broke when I saw something move out of the corner of my eye and saw Adam skating.
His long athletic pants covered the ankles of his skates, but the undeniable sound of swish-swish gave away his activity. Adam hadn't seen me yet; you could tell that he was unaware of anyone watching. The brace was still in place, and his stride was less of skating, but the kind of movement that was more of the rocking from foot to foot. The simple shifting of weight was propelling him around the crease, and he headed towards the blue line, near the penalty boxes.
His eyes were closed and his hair was moving slightly. He began to skate faster, using his bad leg to direct and the other to propel him forward. One leg kept pushing and pushing behind him, until he soared around the other crease and was approaching the bench.
I looked at the boards that separated where I was from the ice and brushed off the top. Sitting on it, swinging my heels into the polycarbonate, I waited for him to hear me.
Adam opened his eyes and used the boards to stop himself in front of me.
"Do you think that's a good idea?" I asked, looking down at him next to me; his face flushed and hair pushed back.
He laughed and walked through the swinging door to sit on the bench, untying his skates. Hopping off the divider, I looked down the tunnel, seeing no one- I did a sweep of the stands. Empty. My hand moved of its own power and stroked his cheek. Sitting on the bench next to him, I let him lean on my slightly.
"I know you miss it already, Adam, but you don't want to hurt the new ligament and be on the IR for longer."
I felt him sigh and saw him jerk his first skate off.
"Sam- I don't think you understand. I need to make sure I skate as much as I walk." He looked up at me, one hand on the bench at his side, and the other inbetween us, touching just enough.
I nodded and replied, "Just don't hurt yourself, okay?" Standing, I walked back through the tunnel, my nervous fingers playing with my bracelets.

The Christmas party was right after the game, and right after the party, Adam and I had a late-night train to catch.
Knowing that this party would only be attended by players, I deemed it safe for Sam-and-Adam and not just Samantha the doctor. The game ended with a loss and Gina would meet us outside the bar this shin-dig would be at.
We saw her nervously playing with her keys near the parking lot, so after I parked and Adam let me into the bar, Angelina eagerly followed along. Adam made sure the first thing he did was get a drink in me and introduce Gina to the guys. She lingered near Brouwer (perhaps attracted by his pillowlips) and Adam held my hand as we searched for his group of friends.
I sipped my drink, savoring the taste of the only alcohol I would have that night and watched him talk with Patrick Sharp and his lovely girlfriend, Brent Seabrook and Duncan Keith.
When it was finally time to leave, I needed Angelina to drive us to the train station. Brouwer finally got her number after we had to practically bribe her into fulfilling her promise to drive us and take care of my car in my absence.

We were on the train, heading towards the northern Illinois wilderness. Adam held my hand, both of them resting on top the bags in his lap. The bottom of the train slowly emptied and Adam felt more at ease to talk. "So, Christmas with your parents, New Years with my boys?"
He was nervous about meeting my parents and I didn't blame him. The last time he was this deep in a relationship was high school.
I found myself reassuring him, saying, "They really aren't that bad. It's only two days, anyway."

"I know, Angelina told me, but-" a rumble shook the train. "What was that?" He finished.
"I still cant believe this is your first time on a train." I shook my head, glancing out into the inky darkness- the window reflected the image of Adam and I.
"Way to make fun of me." He retorted, squeezing my hand.

Now the team was on Christmas break. Two days. The sun had set long ago, and we left as soon as the Christmas party would allow, right after the home game ended with a loss to the Dallas Stars. We would get picked up by my mother, and in two days, take the early train back to Chicago to play the Predators at home.
Or, in my case, not play- but work, and for Adam: his main concern was to bother me during the intermissions.
His gift from me lay in my bag, hidden under my clothes, ready to be opened on tomorrow on Christmas eve, perhaps in the quiet of my old bedroom.
"It'll be fine, I promise." I told him, being used to the clanks and crashes that happened frequently. I rode the train often in my youth, back and forth- from Woodstock back to Chicago and vise versa.
Adam finally got used to the clanks in the dark when we passed Crystal Lake. "Come on, you big baby." I grabbed my bags and stood, leading him towards the doors.
The train grinded to a halt and threw us a little. The doors opened dramatically slow and we stepped out into the light snow, just adding onto the four inches that had landed two days ago, I looked for the Land Rover my mother was so proud of, searching the parking lot with my eyes.
Finding the dark green SUV, I stepped through the snow, leading Adam by the hand. I glanced back at him and he saw me look at him with my worried face and he stuck his tongue out, signaling that he was okay. I opened the back of the trunk up to throw in our bags, and Adam gently put his in. When we came around to the other side of the car, my mother was standing there, long pea coat catching bright snowflakes in the streetlight. "Samantha." I ran to her, and she enveloped me in a hug. We broke the hug and she kissed me on the forehead.
"Introduce me." She whispered, her identical eyes staring back into mine.
I quickly remembered Adam standing behind me and spun around, dragging him closer by his hand.
"Mom, this is Adam." I said, confident she would approve.
He flashed his charming, trustworthy smile and adjusted his hat.
"Nice to meet you, Adam. Heard so much about you." Her eyes laughed and glanced at me.
"Nice to meet you too, ma'am. Sam hasn't stopped talking about you for weeks when I agreed to come."
"Well that's nice to know she still loves her family. You can call me Dawn, it's fine." She jerked her head towards the car and we all got in, Adam sitting in the back and me taking the passenger seat.
I heard him take off his snow covered hat and shake his hair out. Smiling, I asked how my mother was doing.

"Don't worry if they get into a conversation and it's moving too fast for you to join in. Her mom will appreciate that you don't mind being quiet." Angelina had told Adam, filling him with tidbits on the way to the station. "Also, she will ask a lot of questions. She does this to analyze people. Everyone goes through it- once she starts making fun of you, you know you're in."

"So Adam- what college did you go to?" My mother asked from the driver's seat, glancing back in the rearview mirror.
"University of Wisconsin. I majored in Engineering." Adam replied quickly.
"You were drafted by the Blackhawks after you graduated, yeah?"
"Mom- weren't you supposed to turn there?" I interrupted them, pointing at the exit that was fading in the absence of streetlights.
"Oh, I forgot to tell you- we're going to your cousins."
"Jim and Cindy?"
"Yes. Adam, when were you drafted?" My mother was un-deterred.
"Right after I graduated. That summer."

She pulled into the dark gravel driveway of my cousin's ranch home and I held Adam's hand as we walked inside, my mother calling out, "CINDY!"
Introductions were made between my cousins, but I noticed something.
"Mom, Cindy, where is my dad and Jim?"
Cindy told us her husband and my father were outside, starting up the snowmobile.
At this word, Adam brightened and asked, "Snowmobile?"
"Two, actually. Your father bought one earlier this year." My mother clarified.
"Oh jesus." I said, as Adam tugged on my hand and laughed, "Let's go meet your dad!"
I left the two women drinking coffee and laughing as I led him outside.
"Adam. Listen to me."
"Hmm?"
"Do not race my father."
"Why not?" He asked, looking at me, trodding through the snow at my side as we walked out onto their property.
"Because he can be stupid and I know that you used to race snowmobiles in Wisconsin."
"It'll be fine." Adam said as we heard the familiar sound of a fuel-injected engine rumble to life.

I saw them over by the garage, beers in hand and standing near two machines warming up, headlights pointed onto the land next to their pond.
"Sam!" My dad called, when he saw who burst the man-time bubble.
"Dad!" I dropped Adam's hand and hugged my father, inhaling the scent of him- Icehouse beer, gasoline, and the cologne my mom bought him.
I released him when he said, "Dear lord, woman! Get those things off of me!" He joked, referring to my breasts, which had bothered him since I hit puberty.
"Dad, I'd like you to meet Adam." I said, taking him by the hand like I did earlier with my mother.
My dad replied with, "Nice you meet you, boy." and stuck his hand out.
I dropped Adam's hand again so he could firmly grip my fathers while my dad pumped them up and down.
"Nice to meet you too, sir."
"Jim, this is Adam." I pointed to my cousin, and realized you could barely see his face- he was so bundled up.
"Adam..Burish?" I heard from underneath his face mask.
Adam nodded and put his hands in his pockets.
"Nice to meet you kid."
"Ride with me for old times sake?" My dad waved his arm around, hand still clutching his beer.
"No chance- so you can fart on me? Which one is yours?" I pointed at the machines, still rumbling.
"The red one, you know me." He laughed.
I stepped over to it, straddling it near the front. I called to Adam, "Get on!" and felt him climb on behind me, gingerly moving his knee.
"You gonna be okay?" I asked him, turning my head around.
"Hell yes!" He replied, his breath hot on my ear.
I turned my head and saw my father jump on Jim's machine, shoving his beer in the snow near Jim.
He flashed a smile at me and took off, leaving Adam and I blinded with snow.
"Go, GO!" Jim called to us.

"Hold on, hot stuff!" I said to Adam, and took off into the darkness when I felt his arms snake around my waist, lacing together against my torso.
The wind was cold against my face and I quickly familiarized myself with the throttle and my surroundings. The two small headlights bled light in front of us about twenty feet and I struggled to catch my dad. I saw his brake lights flash and I tapped the brake on the left handle bar, releasing the throttle on the right. His tail lights turned and I followed him around the pond, recognizing the path we would take. I allowed myself to accelerate quickly out of the turn, snow blasting up around us, his tail lights getting closer. A rabbit darted out in front of the head lights and I braked so quickly the machine started to spin, sliding on packed down snow.
"Oh shit!" I heard Adam yell from behind my head and I quickly unlocked the brakes and straightened out the snowmobile.
"Holy damn, Samantha!" He said into my ear, his voice deep. I asked him, "Does this turn you on?" and I hammered the throttle again, blasting down the path, eager to catch up to my father.