2nd Intermissions

I woke up the next morning with determination. I would not allow any feelings for Antti bloom without knowing what is going on with Adam.
Today we played the Ducks at home, and James Wisniewski had called me- wanting to have dinner before the pre-game.
I hadn't seen Wiz since he was released, and I was eager to see how his ACL was holding up.

"Doc!" He greeted me as I entered the restaurant, taking off my black pea coat.
"You know you don't have to call me doc anymore, wiz." I laughed and he gathered me into a hug and boomed, "I missed you!"
After he released me, I sat down, still chuckling at him. I missed having him on the Blackhawks and having someone to joke around with. He reminded me of a funnier version of my brother- and to prove this, while we were laughing together and waiting for the bill, he noticed an older woman staring at his black eye and pursing her lips at his volume. James winked at me and turned to face the older lady, popping his fake upper teeth in and out. She gasped and quickly turned her head to whisper to her companion.
"Wiz! Must you do that every time you're in public?"
"Yes, and that, my dear friend, is why I cannot keep a girlfriend." James laughed more, allowing me to split the bill with him.
When he was walking me to my car, he asked, "Where to next? You don't have to be at the rink for a while longer."
I told him what's been going on with Adam and my plan to corner him and get an answer. A sympathetic look crossed his face and he asked, "You're still going out with him?"
I narrowed my eyes and confirmed, trying to disconcert the reason for the look he gave me. "Well, have fun with that."
I got in my car and before I left, told him, "I'd wish you luck, but I don't want you to win!" and with that, I drove off.

The ride to Adam's apartment was quiet, I had not turned the radio on, choosing instead to drive in silence, thinking about him while driving the grid-like streets of Chicago. I knocked on his door, eight minutes later, ready to forgive and forget his strange behaviors.
"Hey, can I hitch a ride to the rink with you?" When he opened the door and saw who it was, he quickly asked me. I cocked my hip and asked, "Why have you been avoiding me?"
Adam looked confused and answered, "I thought you were mad at me." I now wore the same confused look before I inquired, "Why would I be mad at you?"
Shaking his head, he enveloped me in a hug and kissed my forehead. I melted under his affection and deemed it unnecessary to ask any more questions of him.
"Let's go to the game." He led me back to my car, holding my hand.
Maybe I was wrong in giving Antti my number, I worried. Would Adam get mad? He shouldn't- Antti is just a friend, even with those eyes and he would never worry me like that- the same thing I had thought of Adam.
I glanced over at him in the passenger seat at a red light.
"Hmm?" He must have felt my gaze.
"Glad you're back to normal." I said, turning my eyes back to the road. I noticed he shrugged and just kept looking out the window.

I could have told myself everything was fine, but I didn't even know where I stood with Adam. I dropped him off at the front and parked in my usual spot, taking longer than usual to walk into the offices. I hated walking on egg shells with him, not knowing what I did wrong. I didn't even know if I should ask him again what I might have done wrong- would that just irritate him more?
I couldn't let myself wallow in angst for long, because as I rounded the corner to enter the sports medicine area, I was greeted by Coach Q and Torchetti, standing over my desk, accompanied by two linesman. One held the phone receiver to his shoulder, clearly waiting for my entrance.
"Doctor, we need you to confirm quickly for us whether or not you had applied tape to Ben Eager's knuckles for medical purposes." Said the lineman without the phone. I noticed him leaning against my desk, toying with the rolodex, showing no respect. I mustered my greatest look of contempt and replied, "Two days ago after Eager's major in the first period I had taped gauze to his knuckles to insure no further bleeding would occur. Is there a problem, sir?"
Torch disguised a laugh as a cough and I could see Coach Q's eyes widen.
"Now there isn't." He answered curtly, and the younger lineman spoke few words into the phone and hung up. The two men were escorted out by Torchetti and I looked at the head coach with a questioning look.
"They were under the impression that Ben had taped his knuckles for the fight- and that would end up in a match penalty."
"He can play tonight now, right?" I asked, dropping my things in the corner behind the desk.
"Now he can." He said as a good-bye and left.

I sighed a breath of relief. I would have felt horrible if it was my fault that Eager had to sit out a game with a match penalty. The guys came in from the warm up and the usual customers came in, with the addition of Troy Brouwer.
"Hey killer. How's Angelina?" I asked, tossing him a roll of tape.
He smiled and I saw the missing tooth she thought looked so roguish. "She's good. Really good." Troy wobbled out of the room on his skates, still smiling.

The goals kept coming for Chicago and near the end of the third period, I was standing close to the television in the coaches room (Adam had not invited me up to watch the game with him in his box) and I knew that the word on all of the Blackhawks fan's lips were, "Shut out."
I cheered Niemi on from the coach's room, watching the clock tick down.
He let a goal through. "Dammit!" I yelled, and just from watching the way he moved after they scored one and ruined his shut out, I knew they would score again if he didn't stop being hard on himself.
Sure enough, his guilt made him sluggish and another one slipped through. The game ended, preventing further damage to the score and the Finnish goaltender's fragile temperament.
The game was won, 5-2 with goals from Versteeg, Brouwer, Hossa, and Toews.
Byfuglien came in for an ice pack and anti-inflammatory for his face, and he was followed by Antti, wanting more water.
I punched him lightly in the upper arm. "Good game, kid." I smiled, leaning back in my desk chair. He smiled slightly and asked, "Wednesday night, Tomas and I are going bowling- you join?"
I thought about the date and realized it was Adam's birthday. "Eh. Sorry- I can't. I have plans," then it hit me, Adam might not even want to spend it with me. "I'll call you if there are any changes?" I added, not wanting to dampen his smile.
He nodded and left me thinking. Wednesday would still be an opportune time to FINALLY sleep with Adam, if he even wanted to see me still. I decided to wait until his birthday to ask him, giving him time to cool off. I looked down and realized as I was worrying about him, I was gliding the bracelet Adam gave me around and around my wrist.

The next morning they didn't have practice, so I decided to call up Angelina and tell her what was going on.
Telling her about Antti was difficult and I found myself still feeling guilty about trading numbers.
"Well, even if Adam and you are no more, it's still risky to date your clients. You know what happens if they catch you."
A pit seemed to open at the bottom of my stomach, wide and gaping. I found it hard to breathe when I remembered what I was dealing with- I was risking my dream job and a lot of my friends to be with Adam.

We played the Wild at home the next day, winning with another two goals by Hossa, and Huet only letting one goal through. Adam still managed to avoid me, answering texts with one word. I gave him his room and waited.
Practice the next morning- on Adam's birthday.

Later that night I called him, sure he would invite me over. I pulled the bag out from under my bed while the phone rang.
"Hey." He answered.
"Hey," I replied, "Happy Birthday, Adam."
"Thank you." I could hear the hint of a smile in his voice.
I waited for the invitation and found only silence. Holding the black bra with red lace up to my chest, I asked, "Do you have plans or do you want to get together at your place?"
Silence.
"Actually, I had planned something with the guys for a while now, I'm really sorry." The apology was there, but the sincerity was missing.
"Okay, that's cool. I'll talk to you later." I hung up with him before my emotions got the better of me.
Just dating him left me an emotional wreck, but usually it was the good kind of emotional wreck. Lately he had been putting me through mass amounts of worry and angst. Why was I wasting my time if he didn't want me anymore? What happened to the, "I love you" and "You're my girl"? Normally, I never found myself this far in a relationship with anyone, and he was ruining it for me. I found myself curled in my bed, still clutching my phone. When it rang I jumped and quickly answered it, hoping for Adam.
"Hey!" Angelina said cheerily. "Am I interrupting something?"
"No." I replied, unable to fathom what was going on.
She gently prodded the story out of me and then gave her advice, which helped me through a lot of difficult times.
"Why are you still at home? Call Antti, the cutie, and have fun. If Adam wants to go out and do whatever with the guys, that's his fault. He knows what you have to risk to date him, but he clearly doesn't care. Go, have fun, and do everything I would do."
Smiling, and slightly confused as to why I was grinning, I did what she said.
Before we hung up, I heard her studder. She never had a speech impediment, so I asked what was wrong.
"Well. I'm only telling you this because you're my best friend, okay?"
The smile wiped off my face and I sat upright on the bed, "What's going on."
She had heard that Patrick Kane and Adam Burish found themselves at the New Years Eve party at the Hilton, hosted by Playboy.
I brushed it off, thinking that wasn't too bad. "I heard they were in the company of some bunnies. Even.. at midnight." She breathed out.
I could feel my face blanch and Gina quickly added, "But it's not confirmed yet, I'm just telling you what's circling around. You know you can't trust anything without pictures."
I sighed, knowing she was right and told her not to worry about it, because I wasn't.
We hung up and I picked out my clothes. Angelina would advise me to wear the sexy undies to the bowling alley. I smirked and got dressed, knowing that I was the only one aware of the Blackhawks colored bra and panty set I had on under my jeans and v-neck.
I called Niemi, hoping the invitation was still open.

Driving in the car, and infinitely glad that Gina had called me and that Antti confirmed the invite was still out there, I found the bowling alley they had picked.
"Hey doc!" I was greeted from one of the last lanes, and saw Tomas waving his arm. Antti stopped in mid-swing and greeted me when I made it down there.
"We got you shoes. I guessed 9 and a half." Tomas said, pointing to the shoes. I smiled and slipped them on, assuring him that he was accurate in his guess.
"How come they let you grab an extra pair without trading?" I held up my tennis shoes.
Antti shrugged and replied, "They know us well here, I guess." I smiled and found a ball that was perfect.
"You would pick red and black." Tomas commented on my choice of bowling ball. I blushed and replied, "You have no idea how far my love goes, Pecky. No idea." Smiling, I set it down with the others and watched as Antti bent over the score card, adding me in.

"I'm not very good, I'll admit. Most will be..." I waved my hand at the sides of the lane, the word escaping my mind.
"Gutter balls?" Niemi supplied. I snapped and said, "Yup!"
"I doubt it, you have to have some skill!" Tomas laughed.
"Definately not." Antti and I said at the same time. "Oh ho ho, do I sense a challenge?" I asked, placing my hand on my chest and tilting my head towards him.
After getting my ass kicked in bowling by the both of them, and catching myself with my chin in my palm, watching Antti bowl, his biceps strain. Whenever I shook myself out of the daze, I was nervous that they had seen me looking.

We decided to go to a bar after the bowling alley closed. I followed behind Tomas' truck in my SUV, parking along side of them when they decided on a place to go. Walking to the front, I noticed Kopecky walked faster, leaving Antti and I behind him. I put my hands in my pockets and shoved him with my shoulder a little.
"Ay! Are you trying to hurt me?" He put his hand over his heart and sighed.
"Oh wow, Antti. Woow."
We entered the bar and made our way to the back before scanning the place.
"Oh shit." I said, seeing a familiar mop of dark wavy hair and a large jawline.
"Hey, it's bur." Tomas noticed now, too.
"Don't call him over, please." I hung my head low to the table.
"Why not?" Antti asked, craning his neck. "Don't stare!" I said, tugging his hair.
"He likes that kind of stuff, don't encourage him." Tomas laughed and my face turned bright red, along with Antti's.
"What's going on with you and him?" He asked.
"He's been avoiding me. It's his birthday, and he said he had something planned with the guys for a while."
"Oh." Antti said.
I picked my head up and looked at him, "What was that for?"
Tomas cut in, saying, "Don't look now, but I think he has a lady in his lap."
Sure enough, when I raised my head to look- there was his head, and sitting in his lap, was someone who didn't even resemble me.