Status: All Done
Fire and Ice
One/Four
“What the fuck?”
“What the hell happened?!”
“Christ! How the hell are we supposed to skate in this?!”
The piercing sound of the whistle echoed through the empty rink, putting an end to the angry shouts of the players on the ice. Or, what was the ice.
“Benn! Get your ass over here!”
Jamie’s chest heaved up and down under his padding, half a stick in one hand and the other half laying a few feet from him in a puddle that was the surface of the ice. His teammates on the Victoria Grizzlies either didn’t notice that he had been singled out, or didn’t care. They all hurried off anyway, anxious to get their skates out of the standing water.
Taking a glove off, Jamie tossed his broken stick aside and maneuvered as best as he could to the bench where his coach was waiting for him. His heart beat fast, nervous to hear the verdict. Maybe coach was just gonna get on him for his temper. He did break his stick. Jamie preferred the word passion.
All Jamie ever wanted to do was play hockey. His brother Jordie was already in the NHL, living the dream. Jamie’s dream. He worked hard every day in hopes of being recognized by a scout for a team bigger and better than the Grizzlies. Until a month ago, it seemed like that could have been about to happen. Now though…
“Go get undressed and meet me in my office Benn. Try and make it fast, alright?”
Jamie gulped.
“Yes, coach.”
xxxxxx
The clock on the wall was broken. Jamie had been watching the second hand jerk forward only to fall back for 5 minutes. He’d hurried, just like he’d been told, but was still sitting in the small chair across from the cluttered desk in his coach’s office. He’d slumped down, hands folded across his chest, trying to convince himself there was no way coach had noticed anything. This was about his temper; it had to be.
“Benn.”
Jamie jumped upwards, sitting straight in his seat as he turned to see his coach coming into the room. He cleared his throat.
“Coach Trail. I want to apologize first. For getting angry. I know I need to control my emotions more, but I just get so mad sometimes, lately it just seems like nothing’s working for me! Nothin’s getting to the net, no one is giving it their all! And I know I need to stop breaking sticks, I just can’t help it sometimes! It just happens, ya know? I-“
“Jamie.” His coach’s voice cut off Jamie’s rambling. “I couldn’t care less about your damn broken stick. What I care about is that 3 times in the last month, the ice has turned into a puddle while you’re on it.”
Jamie felt like his heart was in his throat. So Coach Trail had noticed. Had the team? Heat raced to his face. It wasn’t embarrassment… but Jamie was self-conscious. He certainly couldn’t explain it, and the first two times it happened, he hadn’t even thought it was anything he’d done. But it happened twice after that when he was alone on the ice, and again at practice today.
Jamie had always been a warmer boy; shorts in winter, seats warm after he sat in them for only a moment. But the ice incidents needed explanations. And Jamie had none.
“Coach, I… I don’t know what to say. It’s not me, I mean, it can’t be. It’s not my fault!” Jamie found himself scooting ahead in his chair, pleading his innocence. He was afraid. Afraid of what he was about to be told. Afraid of the fact that, for some reason, Jamie wasn’t in control of himself. And it was keeping him from doing what he loved.
“Jamie, I don’t want to let you go. And I’m not. All I’m gonna do is ask that you take some time off. This team doesn’t need this. We can’t have this; whatever this is, happening during a game. Now Benn, don’t take this too personally. I want you to take time off, relax. I want you to see a doctor. Somethin’s not right. But when it is, come back into this office and see me.”
xxxxxx
“He wants you to see a doctor?! What, does he think ya got heart burn or somethin’?"
Jamie crushed the beer can in his hand, tossing it into the trash on the other side of the deck. He’d done what his coach had asked; he left the team, had a break, took some time off. Three weeks later, he was in Dallas, visiting his brother, who had a couple of teammates over. Despite it being late November, the group was dressed in shorts and t-shirts, soaking up the Texas sun. Normally, Jamie would have been enjoying himself. Lately, anything that got hot just pissed him off.
“I don’t know, I mean… I think he was just saying that cause he didn’t know what else to say.” Jamie took a deep breathe and readjusted his hat. “I don’t even know what to say… I don’t know what happened, I don’t understand it.”
Trevor Daley laughed from across him.
“I know you Benn boys think you’re God’s gift to women, but you sure as hell ain’t hot enough to melt ice into a puddle of water just by touching it.”
Despite the seriousness of it all, Jamie laughed loudly along with the guys.
“Trev is right Jamie. Not about my good looks, but about the whole thing. The only explanation is that something in the rink malfunctioned and you just happened to be on the ice every time it did; just give your coach a peace of mind and enjoy your time off to train and work hard.” Jordie’s familiar smile reassured Jamie enough that he felt a wave of relief and calm wash over him, leaving him feeling better than he had in a while.
Good enough that he didn’t think anything of Ray Whitney joining him in the kitchen when he was grabbing a new six pack out of the refrigerator.
“Hey” Jamie smiled as he straightened up and shut the door.
“Hey,” Ray looked backwards towards the sliding glass door before walking closer to Jamie. “I want you to have something.” He pulled a small white card out of his pocket. “The other guys; they don’t understand. But Jamie, I think you can see a doctor about… well, whatever this is. I get it. This probably sounds really weird, but just trust me.”
Jamie’s face was twisted in confusion. “But I thought-“
“Don’t think.” Ray held the card out between them, “Just trust me. You can’t honestly tell me you didn’t feel anything when the ice melted.”
His heart pounded. Ray smiled reassuringly before taking the beer from Jamie and leaving the room. He was right. Jamie did feel something when the ice melted. Something that melted all the good feelings from his body. Hands shaking, Jamie looked down to read the card.
A phone number was printed in small lettering at the bottom. He didn’t want to do this. He wanted to pretend there was nothing to do. But looking at the card, he knew that wasn’t an option. This Jessica Stratton could be the only person to help him, and he had to let her.
“What the hell happened?!”
“Christ! How the hell are we supposed to skate in this?!”
The piercing sound of the whistle echoed through the empty rink, putting an end to the angry shouts of the players on the ice. Or, what was the ice.
“Benn! Get your ass over here!”
Jamie’s chest heaved up and down under his padding, half a stick in one hand and the other half laying a few feet from him in a puddle that was the surface of the ice. His teammates on the Victoria Grizzlies either didn’t notice that he had been singled out, or didn’t care. They all hurried off anyway, anxious to get their skates out of the standing water.
Taking a glove off, Jamie tossed his broken stick aside and maneuvered as best as he could to the bench where his coach was waiting for him. His heart beat fast, nervous to hear the verdict. Maybe coach was just gonna get on him for his temper. He did break his stick. Jamie preferred the word passion.
All Jamie ever wanted to do was play hockey. His brother Jordie was already in the NHL, living the dream. Jamie’s dream. He worked hard every day in hopes of being recognized by a scout for a team bigger and better than the Grizzlies. Until a month ago, it seemed like that could have been about to happen. Now though…
“Go get undressed and meet me in my office Benn. Try and make it fast, alright?”
Jamie gulped.
“Yes, coach.”
xxxxxx
The clock on the wall was broken. Jamie had been watching the second hand jerk forward only to fall back for 5 minutes. He’d hurried, just like he’d been told, but was still sitting in the small chair across from the cluttered desk in his coach’s office. He’d slumped down, hands folded across his chest, trying to convince himself there was no way coach had noticed anything. This was about his temper; it had to be.
“Benn.”
Jamie jumped upwards, sitting straight in his seat as he turned to see his coach coming into the room. He cleared his throat.
“Coach Trail. I want to apologize first. For getting angry. I know I need to control my emotions more, but I just get so mad sometimes, lately it just seems like nothing’s working for me! Nothin’s getting to the net, no one is giving it their all! And I know I need to stop breaking sticks, I just can’t help it sometimes! It just happens, ya know? I-“
“Jamie.” His coach’s voice cut off Jamie’s rambling. “I couldn’t care less about your damn broken stick. What I care about is that 3 times in the last month, the ice has turned into a puddle while you’re on it.”
Jamie felt like his heart was in his throat. So Coach Trail had noticed. Had the team? Heat raced to his face. It wasn’t embarrassment… but Jamie was self-conscious. He certainly couldn’t explain it, and the first two times it happened, he hadn’t even thought it was anything he’d done. But it happened twice after that when he was alone on the ice, and again at practice today.
Jamie had always been a warmer boy; shorts in winter, seats warm after he sat in them for only a moment. But the ice incidents needed explanations. And Jamie had none.
“Coach, I… I don’t know what to say. It’s not me, I mean, it can’t be. It’s not my fault!” Jamie found himself scooting ahead in his chair, pleading his innocence. He was afraid. Afraid of what he was about to be told. Afraid of the fact that, for some reason, Jamie wasn’t in control of himself. And it was keeping him from doing what he loved.
“Jamie, I don’t want to let you go. And I’m not. All I’m gonna do is ask that you take some time off. This team doesn’t need this. We can’t have this; whatever this is, happening during a game. Now Benn, don’t take this too personally. I want you to take time off, relax. I want you to see a doctor. Somethin’s not right. But when it is, come back into this office and see me.”
xxxxxx
“He wants you to see a doctor?! What, does he think ya got heart burn or somethin’?"
Jamie crushed the beer can in his hand, tossing it into the trash on the other side of the deck. He’d done what his coach had asked; he left the team, had a break, took some time off. Three weeks later, he was in Dallas, visiting his brother, who had a couple of teammates over. Despite it being late November, the group was dressed in shorts and t-shirts, soaking up the Texas sun. Normally, Jamie would have been enjoying himself. Lately, anything that got hot just pissed him off.
“I don’t know, I mean… I think he was just saying that cause he didn’t know what else to say.” Jamie took a deep breathe and readjusted his hat. “I don’t even know what to say… I don’t know what happened, I don’t understand it.”
Trevor Daley laughed from across him.
“I know you Benn boys think you’re God’s gift to women, but you sure as hell ain’t hot enough to melt ice into a puddle of water just by touching it.”
Despite the seriousness of it all, Jamie laughed loudly along with the guys.
“Trev is right Jamie. Not about my good looks, but about the whole thing. The only explanation is that something in the rink malfunctioned and you just happened to be on the ice every time it did; just give your coach a peace of mind and enjoy your time off to train and work hard.” Jordie’s familiar smile reassured Jamie enough that he felt a wave of relief and calm wash over him, leaving him feeling better than he had in a while.
Good enough that he didn’t think anything of Ray Whitney joining him in the kitchen when he was grabbing a new six pack out of the refrigerator.
“Hey” Jamie smiled as he straightened up and shut the door.
“Hey,” Ray looked backwards towards the sliding glass door before walking closer to Jamie. “I want you to have something.” He pulled a small white card out of his pocket. “The other guys; they don’t understand. But Jamie, I think you can see a doctor about… well, whatever this is. I get it. This probably sounds really weird, but just trust me.”
Jamie’s face was twisted in confusion. “But I thought-“
“Don’t think.” Ray held the card out between them, “Just trust me. You can’t honestly tell me you didn’t feel anything when the ice melted.”
His heart pounded. Ray smiled reassuringly before taking the beer from Jamie and leaving the room. He was right. Jamie did feel something when the ice melted. Something that melted all the good feelings from his body. Hands shaking, Jamie looked down to read the card.
Jessica Stratton, Specialty Doctor
“I’ve got the time.”
“I’ve got the time.”
A phone number was printed in small lettering at the bottom. He didn’t want to do this. He wanted to pretend there was nothing to do. But looking at the card, he knew that wasn’t an option. This Jessica Stratton could be the only person to help him, and he had to let her.
♠ ♠ ♠
This is my first story on Mibba, so go easy on me. It's based on a drabble I wrote a while ago, and when I saw the AU contest, I couldn't resist but to write a story and post it :-)