Some People Stay

Jonathan Toews sat in his living room, flipping through channels, debating whether he wanted to just give up on finding something to watch and just go work out instead. He hated the off-season, not knowing what to do when he had time off from hockey.

He pushed the power button on his remote before tossing it aside on the couch, standing up and walking back towards his bedroom. He took off his sweatpants and shirt he was wearing, exchanging them for a pair of athletic shorts and a Blackhawks t-shirt, preparing on going to get a workout in.

He had just grabbed his keys when his phone began to ring. He glanced at it, surprised to see the name Bridget Ackerman flashing on the screen. He and Bridget had been friends when they were younger, having lived next door to each other for a few years. They had continued to stay in touch, and they texted each other fairly often. But, it was a surprise to see her calling him. “Hey Bridge, what’s up?” Jonathan asked, setting his keys back down for the moment, wondering what she was calling for.

“Hey Jon,” she said, and he could tell that she sounded exhausted.

He suddenly recalled that Bridget’s brother-in-law’s funeral had been yesterday, and he wasn’t as surprised to hear her sounding like this. “How are you doing?” he asked.

“I’m okay,” she said, though Jonathan knew that wasn’t the entire truth. “I’m actually more concerned about Amelia,” she told him. While Jonathan and Bridget had been close friends when they were younger, he and Amelia hadn’t been as close. They were still friends, but they didn’t hang out together if Bridget wasn’t with them. And, since Jonathan had begun to focus on hockey and had ultimately made it his career, he hadn’t really talked to Amelia at all. He had always stayed updated on her life a little bit with what Bridget told him, but he hadn’t really stayed in contact with Amelia herself. In fact, the last time he had even talked to her was when he had gone to her wedding a little over a year ago at the request of Bridget.

“She doing awful?” he asked, and immediately, he knew that was a stupid question. “I mean, I know she is,” he tried to backtrack.

“She’s worse than I expected,” Bridget told him. “She’s devastated, obviously. But, she won’t talk to me. Me, Jon, she won’t talk to me!” He knew the fact that Amelia wasn’t talking to Bridget was a big deal. Those two had been best friends since they were babies, being practically inseparable. They were closer than close, and he knew that they shared everything. Amelia not talking to Bridget was not a good sign at all.

“Bridge, she just lost her husband,” Jonathan tried to give an explanation. “You can’t really blame her.”

“I know she’s hurting, and I don’t blame her. But, she can’t just shut herself off from the entire world. Jon, that’s exactly what she’s been doing. She’s been pushing me away since she first found out, since I found her sobbing on the floor when she had gotten the news. She hasn’t talked to me, she hasn’t talked to anybody. That’s not healthy,” Bridget told him.

Jonathan sat down on the couch, sighing. He didn’t really know what to tell Bridget right now. He’d never had anyone that close to him die, and he’d never been put in Bridget’s situation either. He didn’t know what kind of advice to give her. “Bridget, I don’t know what to say,” Jonathan said honestly. “You’ve just got to be there for her, let her know she’s not alone.”

“Can you come out here?” Bridget blurted out, and Jonathan wasn’t sure he had heard her correctly at first.

“What?” he asked. “You want me to come out to Nashville? Why?”

“I think you could help,” Bridget told him.

“Bridge, how could I help?” he asked, really not understanding her train of thought.

“I think you could help Amelia,” she stated.

“How? I don’t think I could really do anything for her, Bridget. I mean, she and I haven’t even talked since her wedding. I don’t think me being there is going to help her at all. She won’t talk to you. She’s not going to talk to me. I’m not going to be able to help her at all,” Jonathan argued.

“Jon, you used to be able to make her smile all the time when we were younger,” she reminded him. “Even when I couldn’t. You always could.” Jonathan thought back nearly fifteen years to when they all used to hang out as kids. He used to be the jokester back then, not that anyone would really believe that now when he had the nickname “Captain Serious.”

“That was back then,” Jonathan told her. “We’re not the same people. And, especially after a tragedy like this. I really don’t think that I could do anything for her. I can’t bring David back. I wish I could, I wish I knew how to help you.”

“Please, Jon, can you please just come out here? I’m begging you. I’m sure you’re busy, but please, please do this for me.”

Jonathan knew she was wearing him down. And, if she asked him one more time, he was likely to cave completely and be on the next flight to Nashville. And, as if she could read his thoughts, Bridget said, “Please, Jon? Can you please come here and just try to help?”

Jonathan couldn’t believe what he was about to say. “Fine, Bridget, I’ll come out there.”

“Thank you so much!” Bridget told him, and he could tell that she was truly happy and grateful that he was going to fly out there. “Jon, you don’t know how much this means to me.”

“I really don’t think that I’m going to be able to help Amelia that much. I don’t know that anyone can right now. Has she seen someone? You know, like a psychiatrist or someone to talk to?” Jonathan inquired. While he didn’t think that he could help Amelia, he was hoping that a professional could help her, especially at a time like this.

“She won’t,” Bridget answered.

“She won’t?”

“Nope, I’ve tried to get her to go. She just says no, and then either stops talking to me or walks away. I don’t know what to do anymore. I’ve tried everything. And, I know I have to give her time, and I know that it’s only been a week since he died, but I’m really scared for her.”

“I’ll try to get a flight out tonight,” Jonathan told her. He was starting to see that maybe he needed to be there for Bridget as much as for Amelia. While Bridget hadn’t lost her husband, she was feeling like she was losing her sister, her best friend. And, while Jonathan knew that she was asking him to come to Nashville to try to help Amelia, maybe he could help Bridget as well.

“I owe you,” Bridget told him.

“I’ll text you later, letting you know when I’ll be there.”

“Thank you,” she said one last time.

“You’re welcome. I’ll see you soon.”

“Bye,” she said, hanging up.

Jonathan went over to his computer, turning it on so that he could try to find a flight. He couldn’t believe that he was about to just hop on a plane to Nashville, but he knew he was needed there, and he knew Bridget wouldn’t have asked him if she didn’t really need his help. He found a flight that left late that night with only one stop in Minneapolis before heading to Nashville. It was going to take a little over seven hours, but he would get there in the early morning tomorrow.

He texted Bridget asking her if that would be okay, and she responded saying yes and that she could pick him up, but he assured her he could just take a taxi to her place.

Jonathan booked his flight before heading back to his bedroom, not really knowing what he should pack since he didn’t know how long he would be there. He knew it couldn’t be more than a couple of weeks since the NHL preseason would start then, though he didn’t expect to stay nearly that long at all. He threw a variety of clothes into his suitcase, not wanting to regret not having something when he was there.

By the time he had finished packing, it was about time for him to head to the airport, not really sure how bad security was going to be. He walked back into his living room, grabbing his keys once again, realizing his workout was going to have to wait a while. In the meantime, he was going to go help out an old friend.