I'll Be Right Beside You

Cam

“Please?” I begged, seeing the condescending look the doctor gave me. I let out a huff, frustrated beyond belief. The past few weeks I’d been seeing him once a week, and went through routine checks, trying to decide whether my health was continuing to improve. I’d been away from hockey for month and a half already, and I was more than ready to get back. I was healthy again, I’d been working out – under the careful eyes of Mike Kadar, Jordan, Steve, and Sidney – and I was more than ready to get back to practicing with the guys.

“I really want to wait until you’ve been going to the therapist for a while before we throw you back into it,” he sighed, obviously exasperated with my childlike behaviour in begging him to let me return to practicing.

“I understand that, and I really do believe that it will help me, but is that the only reason I can’t start back in already?”

“I just don’t think you’re emotionally ready to return to hockey,” he explained, and I let out a groan.

“Please? Just practices? I just need to get back,” I insisted, and finally he caved, saying I would be cleared for light practices with the team. I could’ve hugged him I was so happy, and as I went out to the waiting room where Jordan and Becka were waiting I was nearly skipping.

“Good news?” Becka asked, and I nodded.

“I can practice!” I whooped, and she pulled me into a hug, a happy shriek escaping her as well. As soon as our little happy dance ended Jordan pulled me into a tight hug, his lips lingering against my cheek.

“I’m so happy for you! This is fantastic! We have to celebrate!” Becka decided, texting Sid as we walked out to Jordan’s car. I’d learned she’d all but moved in with Sidney when I’d returned home. I was still spending several nights a week at Sullivan’s, and the other nights were spent with Jordan, whether it was at my place or his.

“Tonight. Sid’s. Dinner,” she told me as we stopped at CONSOL. I had to deliver the good news to Dan, and she was catching a ride home with Sidney after practice. Jordan had asked for the day off to go with me to the doctor.

“Okay, okay. See you tonight Becks,” I pulled her into another tight hug, and soon after she headed down towards the locker room while Jordan and I headed for Ray’s office to deliver the good news.

“Fantastic! Dan and the guys will be so happy to hear you’re back,” he beamed, giving me a one-armed hug and repeating the gesture with Jordan. We chatted a little more, before we headed towards Dan’s office, and his reaction was basically the same. I’d be back on the ice with the guys on Thursday.

“This is so great! Oh my God I can’t believe it!” I let out a whoop, twirling in a circle in the middle of the player’s lot. Jordan just laughed where he stood leaning against his Escalade, his eyes on me as I danced around, ecstatic to have the news about practicing. Even if it was only light practicing, it was better than nothing.

“Happy?” he asked, a chuckle in his voice as I let out another whoop before giggling as I ran into his outstretched arms.

“Just a little,” I admitted, before pushing myself up on my tiptoes to kiss him. He hugged me tighter to him, letting himself laugh as he spun me around once quickly, then set me back down on my feet. We kissed once more before he opened up the car door for me, and shut it once I was in. When we got back to his place the first thing I did was phone Uncle Rob, and then my mom – who was staying with Steve and Shelley.

“Sweetheart I’m so happy for you! Are you sure you’re ready?” she worried, and I laughed as I leaned into Jordan. I was sitting on his lap on the couch, wearing one of his old T-shirts and a pair of leggings, Jordan’s huge hand on my knee, and the other on my arm, his chin leaning on top of my head, a comforting weight.

“Yeah, I think I am. It’s all I’ve been thinking about for weeks mom – I miss it so much,”

“Well as long as they’re looking after you and you’re not going to fall back into that pattern again,” that’s what she referred to it as, ‘that pattern’, as if that somehow made it less severe by not naming it.

“I won’t mom,”

“That’s what you said last time Cam. I just want you to be safe and healthy baby girl, that’s all,” she softly reminded me, and I nodded, feeling Jordan’s grip tighten on me in support.

“I mean it,” I reassured her, and after a few minutes the conversation took a different twist.

“So sweetheart, are you calling from home or Jordan’s?” she asked, and it confused me for a moment.

“Jordan’s?”

“Why do you still have your own place then sweetheart? I mean, Becka lives with Sidney now, right?”

“Yeah, she does,”

“And are you ever even at home anymore?”

“Well, sometimes?” I offered, feeling embarrassed that my mother was bringing this up. I didn’t want Jordan to feel like he had to move in with me.

“I just don’t know if it’s worth the money to keep paying rent on an apartment you don’t live in. Surely Shelley and Steve would have no qualms about you staying with them,” I let out a long breath, glad she didn’t outright say what I thought she would. Mom was prone to embarrassing me, and I had thought this would be one of those times.

“I don’t know mom,” I tried to shrug off her question and change the subject, but it took a while for my mom to take the bait and go off onto a trivial subject. When we finally hung up the phone it was quiet in the living room.

“Let’s get a place together,” Jordan blurted, and my face turned red.

“Jordan, you don’t have to feel pushed into this because of what my mom said—”

“It doesn’t have anything to do with that, I wanted to ask you to move in with me before all of this happened, but hadn’t got around to it. Then… you know, and I didn’t feel like it was appropriate to ask when you were with Steve and Shelley,” he explained, and I felt butterflies in my stomach.

“Really?” I was more afraid than I should have been. Afraid that I was getting my hopes up and he was somehow kidding.

“Yeah, why would I have said that otherwise?” he asked, those big blue eyes looking almost worried.

“You’re sure?”

“Yes, I’m sure,” he responded, gently kissing my forehead and giving me a hopeful smile.

“So what do you say?”

“I’d love to,” I answered, my smile growing right along with his. He let out a chuckle before pulling me in for a kiss.

“Can I suggest something though?” he asked, and again there was apprehension in my stomach at all the things he could be thinking about.

“Sure,” I nodded, hoping that it would be something positive.

“Can we find a new place? One that doesn’t have any memories, where we can just start fresh together?” he asked, and I sunk into his body, feeling unbelievably happy. This had to be the best day of my life – hearing I could start practicing again, and now knowing Jordan and I were going to move in together.

“Yes, that sounds amazing,” I agreed, cupping his cheeks and kissing him. That didn’t take long to heat up, and we both let out a groan when there was knocking on the door.

“Not home!” Jordan hollered, making me giggle as the banging on the door continued. Finally he got up to answer the door, and Flower, Geno, Steve, Shelley and Vero burst in, TK and Tanger hot on their heels. They all pushed past Jordan to hug me, the noise reaching an incredible level as they all attempted to talk over each other and get an answer out of me.

“Hey! Sure, you can come in,” Jordan said, pushing his voice to be heard above the din. Finally everybody quieted down and sat down in the living room, and Jordan picked me up so he could sit down and settle me on his lap.

“So, what’s t’e news?” Vero asked, on the very edge of her seat.

“I can practice – I’ll be taking part on Thursday,” I told them, and soon the cacophony of noises returned. Once it calmed down Jordan’s ridiculous grin was catching the attention of our friends.

“What’s with you Gronk?” TK asked, and he chuckled.

“Well, there’s more good news,” he began, and paused because he knew he was driving everybody absolutely crazy.

“SPILL IT!” Flower demanded, and we both had to laugh.

“Cam and I are going to move in together,” he announced, and all at once they were all coming at us to give us hugs and congratulate us. About a half-hour later everybody cleared out, leaving Jordan and I to ourselves. They were the only guys from the team that knew about us being together, aside from Sidney.

“So, um, do we want to call a realtor or just kind of start looking ourselves?” he asked, and I shrugged.

“What do you think?”

“Well, if we start by ourselves maybe we can figure out what we want first,” he allowed. I nodded, happy with whatever decision Jordan wanted to make. If it didn’t work, then I’d say so.

“That sounds like a good plan, then if we want we can keep looking by ourselves or call a realtor,” I agreed, and he pulled his laptop over and booted it up, before going online to look at listings in Pittsburgh.

“So, um, do we want, to um, rent an apartment, or maybe look at a house…?” he nervously suggested, and I froze. I had no idea what to tell him, because what if he took it the wrong way? What if I suggested a house and it freaked him out because he wasn’t thinking long term? But then what if he is and I suggest an apartment and he thinks that I don’t want anything really long term?

“Um… what do, what do you think?” I stuttered, and Jordan was silent for a while.

“Well, um, maybe an apartment? Just because my contract is done the end of this year,” he explained, and I nodded.

“That sounds good – it makes sense,” I told him, and he narrowed his search accordingly. Soon we’d printed out a couple of listings that would be close enough to CONSOL that looked all right from the posted pictures.

“Look at us – all grown up and house hunting,” Jordan teased as he sorted through the listings so I could see what ones he thought looked best as of right now, before we went to look at them.

“I know, who knew eh?” I grinned, and he laughed, leaning over to peck my lips before he finished sorting the papers.

“So… there’s the game Friday, but then we have a few days off… should we see about looking at a couple of places then?”

“Sounds good to me,” I nodded, snuggling into him and wrapping my arms around his tiny waist. He’d been almost obsessive about keeping his incredible new physique, and everybody had noticed. All of his teammates had commented in some way shape or form, and even Dan had noticed his improved fitness. I sometimes found myself just staring when he was walking around shirtless, unable to believe that abs and muscle definition like that was possible in real, normal life.

“What? Admiring my amazing physique again?” Jordan teased, snapping me out of my thoughts. I struggled to find a comeback, but my blushing cheeks more than likely gave me away.

“I’m glad all the work isn’t going to waste,” he murmured against my neck, his lips soft and sending shivers down my spine.

“Definitely not to waste,” I agreed, turning to kiss him.