2nd Intermissions

Angelina shouted from her kitchen, "What flavor?!"
I made myself comfortable on her couch and yelled back laughing, "Fufu berry, baby!"
We had agreed to watch the Blackhawks/Red Wings game at her house, because her television was so much larger and had a clearer picture.
She entered the room and sat on the love seat, throwing a bright pink soda at me. I twisted off the cap and took a sip.
"I haven't had Jones in forever." I said, admiring the glass bottle.
"Shut up, it's on." Angelina said, turning up the volume on the television.
"Antti is in net!" I shouted, sitting upright on the couch.
I had told her about the late-night call and she approved whole-heartedly. When asked why she approved, her answer was, "Have you heard his accent? Have you seen the way he's played? Come on, Sam- how could I not approve?"

Within the first period, my mind was blown. Snap shot! Brouwer scored and Angelina started to yell in a high pitched voice. I finally shushed her and then wrist shot! Kaner makes it in and Versteeg and Eaves get into a fight. We were both on our feet, yelling, "Kill him, 'Steeg!" and "Go Kris, go!" The score was 2-1 when the period ended and Angelina and I were sitting on our respective couches, breathing heavy.
"THIS IS SO INTENSE!" She yelled, throwing a pillow at me.
I blocked it and shouted, "Damn, I'm almost as good as Antti!"
"Oh hell no!" More pillows came flying at me and before we knew it, the next period was about to begin.
"I HATE YOU ZETTERBERG." We shouted at the same time as Henrik Zetterberg tied the game at two.
So far, Byfuglien had to go back to the dressing room in the first period and I ached to be the one to help him. I knew Dr. Harper would be in there, ready and capable.
Then Versteeg went back into the locker room after the fight and I ran through the inventory in my mind to check if I packed extra ice packs for his knuckles.
In the second, Sopel hurt his wrist and left the ice. I started to fidget and Gina threw another pillow at me.
"They'll be fine."
I knew she was right, but it was still strange, not being able to be the one helping them.
At the end of the second period, Sharp made it 3-2 and Niemi looked solid as always in the net.
The third was a struggle for dominance that left Angelina and I on the floor, as close to the t.v. as possible. Eaves scored and tied it. We were clutching each other as the period ended with more intensity than the playoffs and the overtime began.
As the puck went back and forth, we were now kneeling, yelling at the screen.
"Come on!"
"Shoot it!"
We were definitely overzealous, and once they took a break to have the middle of the ice zambonied for the shoot out, we were clutching our hearts.
"I'm too old for this. I am way too old for this." Angelina said, retreating to her place on the couch.
I decided I wasn't stable enough to stand and move back, so I stayed very close to the television as the shoot out started. More yelling happened, and I groaned every time one slipped past Antti.
"Keep your head up! You can do it!" I shouted over Angelina.
Finally, they won and we managed to catch our breath.
"That was..intense. I think I need a cigarette." Gina said, fanning herself.
I mumbled something and laid down on her floor, staring at the ceiling as the post game started.

She drove me home a couple hours later and we jammed in the car to a new song she had just heard of.
"This time baby, I'll be bulletproof!" I sang, off key and in harmony with Angelina's off key vocals as well as she dropped me off in front of my apartment.
I settled into my bed with a book. Another thing about working for the Blackhawks is that I never had any time to myself during the season anymore. I thought that maybe working a regular job would help me with that.
Eight chapters later, my phone started to ring and I answered it eagerly once I saw who it was.
"You were amazing!" I shouted as a greeting.
I could hear him laughing and Antti replied, "If I was, we wouldn't have gone into a shoot out."
At the same time, I heard Tomas yell as I did, "Shut up!" I added, "You did wonderful and I am so so so proud of you."
I heard Tomas 'awww' in the background and a scuffle.
"What did you do?" I asked.
"Threw a pillow at him. He is too noisy." He laughed as I heard a pillow hit him back.
"I miss you guys so much!" I said, curling up on my side in my bed, pushing my book away.
"Hopefully you miss me more than Tomas, though." Another pillow hit him.
"You're having me pick favorites now?" I asked and heard a door close on the other end.
"I'm alone now, you can tell me." His voice echoed off the walls and I assumed he had locked himself in the bathroom.
"Oh, Antti darling. Once you come back to Chicago, maybe we can talk about that more in depth."
"In depth?" His voice lowered in volume and pitch.
I bit my knuckle, trying not to openly giggle.
"In..depth." I shoved my phone into the pillow before the laugh bubbled out. Calming myself I brought the phone back to my ear and he asked, "What was that noise?"
I quickly answered, "Oh, I dropped my phone."
"Ahh."
"Hey, why don't you ever text me?" I wondered as I brought the blankets closer to my chin.
"I'm not very good with the keyboard on my phone. When I come back..teach me?" His voice was still that lower baritone and I nodded before I realized he couldn't see me.
"Sure." I replied and heard banging on his bathroom door.
"Call you tomorrow?"

The six remaining games passed quickly, mostly at Angelina's house. Upon entering my interview on Tuesday, I had to answer very little questions. My friend's husband, Dr. Orfner hired me on the spot. Apparently, he had called a couple of my references and after the glowing review from Rocky Wirtz, he decided I would be an excellent addition to his practice.
The nights passed better than they ever have. I didn't hear from Adam, although Antti called me every night and no matter the time, I answered. We talked and talked, most of the time being interrupted by Tomas, but it was all in good fun.

The night that they came back, my doorbell rang. I smiled as I flew down the two flights of stairs and stopped dead in my tracks when I saw who was there.
Antti stood talking with another man, flowers clutched in his right hand, and a bundle under his left arm. He wore a dark tee shirt and jeans, standing confidently in the entry way. He was talking to Adam, who looked like he hadn't shaved in a couple weeks.
They must have sensed me staring, because they turned as one and I shifted my eyes from one man to the other. Opening the door, I invited them both up.
We sat in my front room, Adam on the love seat, Antti sitting next to me on the couch, still holding the flowers.
An awkward silence blanketed us before he spoke.
"Sam," Adam leaned forward in his seat, scratching at his beard. "Please. I'm- I'm so sorry. I didn't..I didn't know they would sack you. I honestly-"
I cut him off by putting my hand in the air.
"Adam. Why are you here?"
"I..I wanted to say sorry."
"And?"
"I still want to be with you." He looked up at me pitifully and I felt Antti shift in his seat away from me, attempting to give me some space.
I stood and walked towards the door.
"I think you should leave, Adam."
He stood, walking to me.
"Just, please please accept my apology. I already tried to tell them, but they..they won't take you back."
"I'll think about it. But you know, you lost all my trust." I opened the door for him.
His head hung and he waved his goodbye to Antti. After shutting and locking the door behind him, I sat back down next to Antti, leaning my head on his shoulder. I waited to speak until after I heard Adam's truck start up and leave.
"Hey."
He shifted again, this time into me, and held out the flowers.
"Congra...Congratulations on getting the job. These are from Tomas and I."
I grinned at him, all my good humor coming back as I accepted the clear wrapped flowers and set them on the table next to us. I turned towards him before he added, "We told all of the guys about your new job. Expect visitors."
I laughed and leaned my head into his chest. I hadn't straightened my hair because I didn't need to work today because it was a Sunday, and the short blond waves fell around my face.
"Antti, you and Tomas are just too damn nice."
"It's the least we can do. Uh.. what are you doing Wednesday night?"
I picked my head up and tilted it. "Just watching the game, I guess."
"Well, if you want, I could get some tickets for you and Angelina..I'm sure Troy already offered them to her, but if you want to go-"
"Of course I do! I need to cheer you on!" I laughed, smiling up at him.
A large smile appeared on his face. Usually his small smiles were crooked and off to one side, but this one encompassed his mouth evenly.
"Anything else, Antti?" I verbally prodded him, because he looked like he wanted to say something else.
He took the light blue bundle from next to him and handed it to me while saying, "You could wear this if you wanted..When you come to the game."
I glanced up at him from under my bangs as I unfolded the cloth. It was a darker baby blue and rough to the touch. I realized as it unfolded and I held it up, that it was Antti's old Lahti Pelicans jersey.
"No...way. I can't wear this, Antti! I'll be afraid I'll spill something on it!" I folded up the jersey so the Pelicans crest faced up. I already knew that his number would still be 31.
Antti just smiled at me and said, "Try it on. It'll be massive on you."
I stuck my tongue out and decided to humor him. Standing, I slid the jersey over my head, but didn't put my arms through the sleeves until I took off my under shirt and tossed it out from inside the jersey. I slid my arms through and turned for him.
"You're swimming in it." He commented, grabbing one of the sides and pulling it to show all the excess.
"Well you wear a bunch of pads, no wonder it's huge." I added, secretly liking the way it felt to have Antti's old jersey on. Adam never even offered his jersey to me- ever.
He laughed and used the fabric he still had in his hands to pull me into his lap. I fell unladylike and said while laughing, "My word, Antti. You sure are forward, tonight."
Antti buried his face in my neck and his breath tickled me as he said, "I haven't seen you in a while."
I tried to pry him out of my neck but he wouldn't budge and I just leaned my head on his.
"Speak Finnish to me." I asked him. I felt him laugh before he said quickly in fluid Finnish, "Rakastan tuoksu olet."* His nose buried deeper and he continued, "Teet minut tuntemaan itseni teini jälleen**..Täytyy käyttää minun Jerseystä pelin niin voin ottaa sen pois teistä myöhemmin***..." He let his sentence trail.
"Okay, I understood one word."
"Hmm?" Antti mumbled into my hair.
"Jersey. What about it?"
"Oh nothing." He made a noise low in his throat.
"Antti...What did you say?" I managed to get him out of my chin and held his face between my hands. His jaw was rounded in my palms and I felt his ever-present stubble as he leaned into them and I rubbed my thumb along his cheek.
"I'll tell you Wednesday night..More in depth." His eyes closed and he let his head rest in my right hand.
"In depth? You.." I said, knowing he was using my own words against me. Antti's eyes opened again and it seemed like he finally took in our position. Our faces were relatively close and I was still perched in his lap, wearing his jersey.
He wrapped his arms around my waist and his fingers just brushed the skin underneath the large jersey. My mouth opened and I had the chance to look at him for a second before he latched his lips to mine.
The kiss began like the last one. It was heated and to the point. His right hand stayed on my waist and his fingers ran along the edge of my pants. My hands had found their way around his neck and I played with his hair as our mouths clashed. The heat that we were producing caused us to break apart for air and to cool off.
"Näytät niin seksikäs ja vaatteet.****" He said against my lips.
"What does that mean?"

He just shook his head and rubbed his chapped lips against mine before capturing them again. We finally shifted so we were laying down on the floor, in the same exact position we had been last time, except now his hips were pressed fully into mine, and my hands didn't rest on his biceps. They were tangled in the thin strands of his sandy hair, and his hands were still resting on my hips.
We broke apart again and my chest heaved, attempting to breath through the heavy pounding of my heart.
"What did Tomas say about playing or pulling your hair again..?" I asked through gulps of air. Antti just growled and attacked my mouth again.
I could feel him loosening up as I played with his hair, alternating between twirling it around my fingers to tugging lightly on it, and just tangling my fingers in it.
His left hand started to creep up under the jersey, just kneading my bare hip. My head spun when I felt him touch my bare skin, but when his right hand started to caress my side on top of the jersey and he just brushed the side of my boob, I got instantly lightheaded and bit his lower lip. Both of his hands moved up and placed themselves on either side of my face when he began to explore my mouth again. I tugged on his hair while I lightly sucked on his tongue. As I released both, I heard him groan and say in a strained voice, "Sinut kuoleman minua, olen varma."
I just stared into his ice blue eyes and raised an eyebrow. This time, he granted me with a translation.
"You will be the death of me, I'm sure." He rest his forehead against mine.
"Hmm." I said in way of an answer, allowing him to come to rest his whole body against mine. This time I was not surprised when I felt something against my hip. This time, because clearly I was overly-hormonal, I pushed into it.
Antti's eyes locked on mine and he gently shook his head.
"I don't want you to do anything you will regret tonight."
"I'm not going to have sex with you tonight, Antti. How early do you have practice tomorrow?" I whispered.
"Noon."
"Come sleep with me." I said, my eyes darting to the hallway that led to my bedroom.
He started to get up and he asked, "Are..are you sure?"
I stood and pulled him up with me. "Yeah, just snuggle with me, okay? I have to leave early for work, but you can leave whenever you need to. Just lock the door."
Antti nodded and I led him into the bedroom.
"Turn around." I said as I grabbed a large baggy shirt out of my dresser. He gave me a confused look and I quickly undressed, slipping my jeans off and kicking them into the corner and draping the jersey over the dresser. I slid the big shirt on and climbed into bed, secure under the covers before I said, "Okay, it's safe."
He eyed me warily as he flicked the lights off. The dull glow of the street lamp allowed me to watch simple lines as he pulled his shirt over his head and climbed into the bed next to me. I turned over as he wrapped one arm around my waist and the other under my pillow.
"You..You aren't wearing pants, are you?" He breathed into my neck.
I laughed and said, "No, but you aren't wearing a shirt. You're lucky I'm so virtuous. I'd totally take advantage of you being shirtless in my bed."
"Another time." He rubbed his socked foot up my bare leg.
"You too, mister. I have to work in the morning."
"Okay, go to bed. On kaunis unet, rakkaus*****."
With a couple softly spoken words in Finnish and Antti's warm body spooned against mine, I fell into a deep sleep.

The next morning, I was driving to work when I touched my lips again. He had kissed me goodbye and quickly fallen back to sleep.
I took the flowers he had brought me and when I arrived at the medium sized practice, I put them in a vase near the receptionists desk.
"Pretty flowers. I bet I know who got them for you." The voice was all too familiar and I looked into the waiting room to see Brent Sopel lounging in one of the chairs. I walked around the separator and hugged him briefly.
"What are you doing here?" I asked him, standing with my hand on my hip.
"I messed up my wrist a couple games ago." He held it up.
"You're perfectly fine! You played every game after that!" I argued as the receptionist entered the room.
"Oh, Doctor, I see you've met your first regular. He's already scheduled eight future appointments!" The old lady preened.
"Suzy, I know him. He plays for the team I used to work for." I turned to her and checked the log book. Turns out, he did make more appointments.
"Well, come on in, Mr. Sopel, let's check that 'injured wrist'" I made air quotes and led him into an examination room.
"Geez, it's kind of dull colored here, hmm?" He jumped up on the table.
"Well, it's not all red, black, and white. Just..beige."
"When you run the place, make sure to repaint it."
I laughed and grabbed a sheet out of the desk and clipped it to my clipboard. Taking a pen from the cup and sitting in the small rolling stool, I asked the usual questions and took notes. After I marked down his sarcastic answers, I rolled over and began examining his actual wrist. Sighing, I dropped it and said, "Sopes, I appreciate you coming out, but Dr. Harper already cleared you. Your wrist is fine."
Sopel lifted it to his face and rotated it around cleanly.
"You fixed it! Thanks doc!" He jumped off the table and showed himself out.
I let go of another sigh as Dr. Orfner came in.
"Was that..Brent Sopel. Like, Brent Sopel who plays for the Chicago Blackhawks."
"The very same." I put away the clipboard and stood.
"I didn't know your clients would follow you over. This is great!" He strode out of the little room.
"I didn't know they would, either."

Within the next two hours before noon, I had Kris Versteeg come in for a cut that had nothing to do with sports medicine, but insisted on getting a check-up and paying the co-pay anyway. Marian Hossa, Brent Seabrook, and Cristobal Huet also visited me.
A half-hour before noon, my visitors trickled out and Dr. Orfner came to me again.
"Wow, that was.. impressive, Doctor. Should I expect this much traffic often for you?"
I shrugged and found myself smiling.
"I honestly don't know what to expect from them."

In a good spirit, I came home that night at seven, feeling giddy as ever. My friends were pulling through for me and making the new job a lot easier with old faces. They kept up the morale all day and when I entered my apartment, I was actually somewhat depressed to find it empty.
I walked into my room, stripping off my suit jacket when something caught my eye.
His jersey was neatly folded on the dresser, next to a new bouquet of flowers. I laughed at how cute Antti was and saw the little card that was resting on top of the jersey. I briefly noticed how he folded it, with his name and number up- before I read the card out loud to my empty apartment.
"Does this mean you're my girlfriend now?" His scrawl read.
I laughed again and undressed, putting on pajamas tonight. I grabbed my phone and sent a text to him- a simple, "Yes, it does."