Fantasy Reality

During breakfast, there was no mention of Sid’s beach jog or his behavior last night. We were quiet as we ate our fruit and waffles, we tossed our dishes into the dishwasher and both headed upstairs to get ready for my appointment.

During our drive to LA, I stared out the window as the beach houses became Condos and downtown LA came into view. Sid pulled into a parking spot near the hospital entrance and we both walked into the building without speaking and headed to the MRI suite. Once the MRI was done, we walked to the other wing of the hospital and found Dr. Hunt’s office. I registered and took a seat next to Sid in the waiting room.

Finally, I was called into Dr. Hunt’s office. Sid looked at me and I nodded, indicating that he could follow me. We took our seats across from a massive desk and Sid patted my hand. “It’s going to be fine”, he said as he shifted in his chair and folded his hands in his lap.

Dr. Hunt entered and sat across from us after he introduced himself. “Carly, Sid, I have the results and they are a little concerning”.

Sid and I glanced at each other and I noticed that Dr. Hunt was turning his computer monitor so we could see. “Carly, see this right here?” he asked as he pointed to a spot on the screen.

I nodded. “This is the shift in your L5-S1 disc; you have a bulge that is just on the border of meeting the requirements for surgery. Because of that, you are able to have a choice in the matter. We can go in and repair the bulge and prevent it from herniating or you can do physical therapy and hope that it resolves on its own. Either way, I’m going to have to take you off work for at least 4-6 weeks”.

I was digesting the news when Sid said, “Well at least you don’t have to worry about missing work”.

I shot him a look and he turned away without another word. “Can I try the therapy route and see if the symptoms improve?”

Dr. Hunt nodded. “We can do whatever you want, the bulge isn’t bad enough to need immediate surgical intervention, but it can still cause a lot of bothersome and painful symptoms. Sciatica will be one of the major issues you’re going to have with the location of the bulge, but by all means, try some conservative therapy and if you are still experiencing issues, we can go the surgical route”.

“What about flying, is it okay for her to fly”, Sid asked. The doctor nodded. “Carly can do just about anything she wants providing she doesn’t have a lot of discomfort in doing so. I would suggest that you refrain from lifting, twisting or staying in one position for any length of time. If you take a long flight, make sure you get up and walk around a few times. Sitting can aggravate sciatica, so just remember to listen to your body. I would like to see you again in about 6 weeks and we can re-assess the situation. In the meantime, if it gets any worse, head to the ER because it can mean that the disc has shifted and could need immediate surgery. If you need to see me before the 6 weeks, call and let my staff know that you are to get an appointment asap”.

Sid and I thanked the doctor, shook his hand and headed out of the office and towards the main entrance. We walked out of Cedars-Sinai and into the bright California sun. “What do we do now?” I asked as we headed towards the parking lot. “Andy is still here for the rest of the week working with some other NHLers before he goes to Vail for a camp. Your best bet is to stay here and rest up and then you can go home or go to Pittsburgh”

“Maybe I’ll go home, you’re obviously busy and with the camp, I think that’s the best bet”, I said as I climbed into his rented SUV.

“You’re welcome to come to Vail if you want”, he said as he backed out of the parking spot and turned in the direction towards Malibu.

“No, I’m going to go home and you can let me know when you’re back in Pittsburgh and when you need me”, I said firmly.

The subject was dropped and Sid left me at the house while he grabbed his hockey gear and headed to his workout. By the time he returned home, I was packed and ready to head home. To me, there was no point in staying in LA if he wasn’t going to be there and Vail seemed inappropriate since he would be busy with the camp and no other girlfriends or wives were going to be there. Sid took the news well, better than I thought he would, and drove me to the airport and made sure I had a first class seat for my cross country trip.

The week I spent at home was one of the longest and most boring weeks in history. I missed Sid. Plain and simple. I missed waking up to him in the morning and I missed seeing his face before I went to sleep. His text messages and phone calls kept me up to date on what he was doing and how training was going, but it was no replacement for seeing how his eyes danced when he talked about hockey or the coy smile he would give when he was joking with me.

The time zones didn’t help matters and neither did the fact that he would go to sleep at 10 pm every night. 1 am, like clockwork, he would call me to say goodnight; waking me up in the process. Every night I would remind him that I was 3 hours later than he was and he would promise to remember the next night. But, it never happened.

Finally, one night after he woke me up again, he said that the camp was finished the next day and he would be heading to Pittsburgh to start working out with some of the guys there. “This might be a good time for you to come”, it was almost certain that a lockout would take place and with me still unable to work because of my back, I agreed to go.