Status: Five Shot

Hold Your Ground

I Could Lift You Up, I Could Show You What You Wanna See, And Take You Where You Wanna Be

2011

Daisy Bishop followed behind her mentor, Dr. Walter Freeman as he quickly explained what was going on for the day. She nodded, taking mental notes as best she could. She had been with Dr. Freeman for nearly two years, working under his supervision as she finished dental school at the University of Manitoba. She had graduated with her bachelors of science when she was twenty two, applying for the doctor of dental medicine program and being accepted shortly thereafter. She was a month away from graduating as an actual doctor of dental medicine at twenty six.

“We have a walk in this morning as a favor,” Dr. Freeman explained as he stopped in front of a door. Daisy nodded and he pushed open the door.

“Mr. Weber, I’m Dr. Freeman. This is Dr. Daisy Bishop; she works with me and is graduating next month from dental school. ”

He nodded in response as his gaze swept over her. She was cute, average height, her body hidden under a white doctor’s coat. She wore black slacks and her hair was pulled back from her face in a bun at the nape of her neck. Her brown eyes were hidden behind a pair of black glasses. What caught his eye were the bright red heels on her feet, her toes peeking out and painted a bright pink. She smiled in greeting and he turned his attention back to the dentist before his imagination took over thinking about those shoes and the woman hiding underneath the coat. “Please call me Shea.”

Dr. Freeman nodded. “I see here that you took a high stick to the face last night against the Jets and this is just a precautionary check to make sure everything looks alright.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Do you mind if Dr. Bishop does your exam? I will of course be here but she is very good at this. She’ll be graduating at the top of her class from university of Manitoba. I’d hire her here if I could but she’s already had an offer she can’t refuse.”

“How old are you?” Shea asked. He had assumed she was a dental assistant, not a dentist. She looked young, maybe twenty three.

“I’m twenty six,” Daisy answered him with a smile.

“I’m twenty six.”

“See? We have something in common.”

“You haven’t graduated but you already have a job?” Shea asked her.

“I actually completed my residency requirement three months ago," Daisy answered. "I just really like working for Dr. Freeman. The chance to move back to Vancouver though was too good to pass up.”

“You’re from Vancouver?”

“Surrey.”

“I’m from Sicamous.”

“Small world, isn’t it?” Daisy smiled.

“And something else we have in common,” Shea added as she took a step towards him.

“You would be correct, Shea. Now, if you’ll sit back, I’m just going to recline this chair and start your exam.”

She was finished ten minutes later and Shea looked to her with a smile. “Everything looks great,” Daisy told him. “No damage. Your teeth are still all intact.”

“Thanks, Dr. Bishop.”

“Not a problem, Shea. Good luck with the rest of your season.”

“Thanks. Maybe I’ll see you at a game in Vancouver next season.”

Daisy laughed and Shea’s smile grew at the sound. “Maybe one day.”

~*~*~


2013

Daisy collapsed the last box, feeling accomplished at having unpacked all of her belongings in her new apartment a week after moving in. She glanced at the clock on her wall, finding it to be nearly eleven at night. She surveyed her belongings in her new digs and smiled to herself. Her first day in her new job was bright and early at eight am the next morning and she was looking forward to the start.
Her too good to pass up opportunity in Vancouver had been a great first job.

She had found love shortly after settling into Vancouver and things had been great, until Daisy discovered that her boyfriend was married and had two small children. He was a lawyer, several years older than her but sweet and charming, completely sweeping her off her feet. He had crazy hours and long nights and Daisy never thought twice if she didn’t see him for a couple days at a time. He lived in a great condo in downtown Vancouver, close to work, close to Daisy, but maintained a family home in the suburbs with his wife of six years.

Two days after finding out the truth, she had gotten a call from Dr. Freeman. Through his own connections, he had heard of a job opening that was perfect for Daisy and he had passed along her name to his friend. A day after, she got a call and an invitation to fly down for an interview. She hadn’t thought twice about it. She booked a plane ticket and flew to Nashville, Tennessee. A week later, the call came offering her the job. She accepted, gave notice, and moved her life to Nashville.

She drove the next morning to meet her boss, Dennis Carter, for a morning meeting. She followed his directions and parked her car, stepping out into the morning air.

“Hello!” she heard a deep male voice call from behind her.

She turned in its direction and smiled. “Hello,” she replied.

“You look lost,” the man said. Daisy noticed immediately his accent and friendly smile. He was very tall and very blonde.

“I am a little lost,” Daisy admitted to him. “I’m supposed to meet my boss. Dennis Carter?”

“You work for Dr. Carter?”

“Today’s my first day.”

“Are you taking over for him? We heard he’s retiring.”

“Semi-retiring. But you did not hear that from me.”

“I’m Pekka by the way.”

“Daisy,” she returned, accepting his handshake.

“Dr. Daisy, very nice to meet you. I probably won’t see much of you sadly, being the man behind the mask with the pretty smile.”

Daisy laughed at his joke. “You’re the goalie?”

“You don’t follow us?”

“I don’t; I’m sorry. I haven’t watched hockey in years. Don’t tell my family though; they might disown me.”

“Big hockey fans?”

“I’m Canadian; I don’t think you're allowed to be anything but a hockey fan.”

Pekka laughed. “I might know a few Canadians myself.”

“Do you? Funny how the Canadians are congregating in Nashville of all places.”

“Come on, I’ll help you find Dr. Carter.”

They found the team dentist a few minutes later and Pekka waved as he made his way down the halls to the team's locker room and changed for practice. Daisy stayed with Dennis who took her around and introduced her to the coaching staff and some of the members of the team front office. They sat in the stands and watched the end of practice and thirty minutes after it had ended, she waited outside the locker room with her new boss.

“The guys are all nice,” he told her with a smile. “I’m sure you’ll find them easy to deal with.”

“Thanks, Dr. Carter. I appreciate the opportunity.”

“You’re gonna do great. Walter speaks so highly of you, as did your boss at your previous job. Don't tell anyone but being an alumni from the same school I'm an alumni for gave you bonus points."

"You went to the University of Manitoba?"

"That's where Walter and I met. Been friends ever since, even though I'm an Alberta boy and he's from Winnipeg."

"He never told me."

One of the assistant coaches opened the door then, inviting the pair inside and as they entered the room, Daisy felt all eyes on her. She kept her eyes down as she stood beside Dr. Carter.

“Gentleman, Dr. Carter has an announcement to make,” their coach said. He motioned Dennis forward.

“Well boys, it’s been fun but I’m stepping down as the team dentist effective immediately. I have hired a top notch replacement and I expect that you'll treat her well. Dr. Daisy Bishop, the Nashville Predators.”

Daisy looked up and smiled around the room. Her eyes landed on Pekka and he smiled widely. She smiled a little brighter back at him. “Where are you from, Dr. Daisy?” Pekka called out.

“Vancouver, goalie boy,” she shot back.

“A Canucks fan,” he frowned.

“Oilers actually,” she corrected. “But I think the politically correct answer is the Predators.” That earned a chuckle that ran through the room. “I look forward to working with you guys. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask them.”

“Are you single?” a voice called out from the right side of the room.

“Shut up, Dicky!” Pekka shouted back. “She’s a doctor. She’s too smart for you.” The men laughed and joked good naturedly with one another. The door opened behind them and Daisy turned at the sound, letting out a small squeak as her eyes locked with Shea Weber’s.

“Daisy?” he asked in confusion.

“Hi,” she said softly.

“Oooooh,” Pekka teased. “She knows the captain.”

She turned back to Pekka. “We met two years ago, in Winnipeg, for all of twenty minutes. I was doing my residency with a dentist that saw Shea as a favor after a game against the Jets the night before.”

Pekka smiled knowingly at Shea who walked around Daisy and the others to his locker stall. “Yeah, I remember that day,” he said. “Webs came back all googly eyed.”

“Shut up,” Shea warned, glaring at his goalie.

“What?” Pekka asked innocently. “Just trying to be helpful.”

~*~*~


Daisy was heading out of the building when she heard her name being called. She stopped and turned, Shea heading towards her.

“Hey.”

“Hi.”

“You’re taking over for Dr. Carter?”

“I am."

"What happened to your job in Vancouver?"

"Just wanted a change of scenery," she shrugged. "Dr. Freeman actually recommended me for this job."

"Dr. Daisy!" Pekka exclaimed as he stepped outside. He strode over and joined Daisy and Shea. "How long have you been in town anyways?"

"Just a week," Daisy told him.

"Then you don't know the good restaurants yet. Shea will take you out to dinner tonight." Shea glared at him and Daisy giggled. "Okay, fine then. I'll take you to dinner."

"I'd love to go to dinner, with you and Shea, Pekka."

Pekka nudged Shea with a grin. "Hear that, captain? We got ourselves a double date."

"Someone needs to teach you what that actually means," Shea answered him.

"So I'll pick you up at say seven, Dr. Daisy?" Pekka asked.

"Sounds good," Daisy smiled.

"Perfect. Let me give you my number and you can text me your address." He entered his information in her phone and then called himself, saving her number to his contacts. "Dr. Daisy, I look forward to seeing you tonight." He bowed deeply and Daisy laughed.

"See ya later, goalie boy," she replied as she climbed into her car. Pekka waved as she pulled away.

"What the hell was that?" Shea fumed at Pekka as soon as Daisy's car had turned out of the parking lot.

"What was what?" Pekka asked wide eyed, the picture of innocence.

"You know what."

"Oh, you mean with Dr. Daisy? She's pretty, huh?"

“Fuck you, Rinne.”

“Look, if you’re not going to ask her out, I am.”

“She works for the team; you can’t ask her out.”

“Says who?”

“I’m pretty sure management frowns on that.”

“Maybe for their star captain, but not their foreign, enigmatic goaltender who does not understand the english language and customs,” Pekka grinned as he sauntered off.

“You son of a bitch!” Shea called after him.

“Just ask her out, Weber. You know you want to."

Shea climbed into his SUV, his thoughts all about her. Daisy Bishop was just like he remembered and yet even better. He thought about her whenever they played the Canucks in Vancouver, had always looked for her in the crowd, hoping to catch a another glimpse of her. In their brief encounter two years prior she had been wearing a doctors coat that hid her body. Today she had been in a black, high waisted pencil skirt with a white blouse tucked into it, revealing a figure that was even better than anything he had conjured in his imagination. The top couple of buttons had been undone on her blouse, revealing tanned skin and just a hint of cleavage. Her brown hair was down, falling in loose waves to her shoulders. Her glasses were gone and he found that he missed them. What he liked best were her shoes. Black heels with gold polka dots and a gold bow at the ankle.

He wondered what it would be like to take her out on a date. Pekka had definitely been right about that; he did want to ask her out. He had thought she was cute two years ago but today she had been a knockout without even trying and she had taken his breath away. He could only imagine the mouth injuries the guys would come up with now for a few seconds alone with the pretty dentist.
He'd have to have a talk with the team about that.

~*~*~

Pekka whistled as Daisy opened her front door later that evening and stood aside, inviting him inside.
"Dr. Daisy, you look ravishing," he flirted, taking her hand and lifting it to his lips, smiling down at her as he kissed the back of it.

She blushed prettily. "Thank you, Pekka. You're looking quite handsome yourself."

He smiled, an 'aw shucks, who me?' kind of smile that Daisy knew was all show as his eyes roamed over her. Pekka had told her casual so she went with dark wash jeans that clung to the curve of her backside and bright green heels that made her legs seem longer than her five foot four height. She wore a black top that had an open lace overlay on the front and her hair was pulled over one shoulder.

"So where are you taking me goalie boy?" She asked as she looked him over more discreetly. The white of his polo shirt somehow made his blond hair blonder and his smile whiter. He had great teeth, perfectly aligned and pearly white.

"It's a surprise," he winked. "You ready?"

She nodded, grabbing her purse and a cardigan before following Pekka out to his Mercedes. He held the door open for her and waited until she clicked her seat belt in place before closing the door and coming around to slip into the car himself.

The drive to the restaurant was short and Daisy was surprised she had never noticed it before. Pekka told her to stay and moved around the car to hold her door for her again. She smiled up at him.

"Are you trying to impress me, goalie boy?" She teased lightly.

"Is it working?"

"Maybe." She slipped her arm through his as they made their way inside.

"Welcome to the Tin Angel," the hostess smiled. "Do you have a reservation?"

"Yes, under Rinne. R-I-N-N-E."

She glanced down and looked back up with a smile, grabbing a pair of menus. "Right this way Mr. Rinne."

With a hand at the small of Daisy's back, Pekka nudged her forward to follow the hostess. He held her chair for her as she sat before moving around to his own seat. Daisy glanced around, noticing the table was only set for two.

"I thought Shea was coming," she said as she opened her menu.

"He was but he got a call from the PR department late this afternoon. They needed him for some charity photo shoot. Sorry to disappoint with just me."

"Who said I was disappointed?"

"I know Shea was disappointed," he mentioned casually.

"He was?"

Pekka grinned. "Very. Said I couldn't charm your panties off and I was really looking forward to that part of the evening."

"Pekka!" Daisy whispered furiously. "You can't say that!"

"Why not? I'm foreign."

"That is not a legitimate excuse."

"Sure it is. Minä vain hymyilen ja puhua äidinkieleni ja unohdat mitä se oli I sanoi tai teki."

"What did you just say?"

"I can't tell you that. It's all a part of my charms."

"Google tells me that you are from Finland so I'll assume that it's Finnish."

"Kyllä."

Daisy folded her menu closed and sat it down on the table. "Deux peuvent jouer à ce jeu, garçon de gardien de but."

Pekka chuckled. "Touché, Dr. Daisy. You speak French?"

"It seemed like a good idea to learn. You never know when you'll encounter a French Canadian."

"I just smile and talk in my native tongue and you forget whatever it was I said or did." He paused, looking at Daisy with a grin. "That's what I said to you in Finnish."

"Tell me something else."

"Olet hyvin kaunis."

"What did you say that time?" Daisy asked, leaning forward on her elbows.

He clicked his tongue at her. "Not until you tell me what you said," he replied.

"Two can play this game, goalie boy."

Pekka laughed. "You are very beautiful."

Daisy blushed. "Merci."

"Kiitos. Shea thinks you're pretty too. He'll never say so. He's scared. You should ask him out."
"I'm pretty sure I'm not supposed to date any of you as the team dentist."

"They can't say anything about someone you've known and been friends with for the last two years that you weren't employed by them."

"We're not friends though."

"Says who? Maybe you just downplayed your friendship today as to not draw attention to yourself."

"Are you trying to play matchmaker, goalie boy?"

"Maybe. Is it working?"

Daisy shook her head as their waiter approached. "You can give me your sales pitch over an appetizer."
♠ ♠ ♠
As an avowed Shea Weber fan, you can imagine my delight when I got him at random for this contest. Normally I keep these at a one shot, but since I could go up to five for this, I went all out. Hope you enjoy!