Fire and Ice

Four days later and Jamie was in Northern BC, sitting outside of a small shop that specialized in baked goods and in disbelief that he was really waiting in the cold to meet a doctor for some mysterious affliction. She’d described it over the phone as “running a fever”, although Jamie reassured her that he felt fine.

This doctor had insisted they do something casual for their first meeting. “Oh, I don’t have an office,” she’d laughed on the phone. Some doctor.

He flipped his cell between his hands, occupying himself and all the while starting to get annoyed that he’d called this “doctor”, even listened to Whit in the first place. What did he know? Whatever was going on with Jamie was crazy, and if he told this woman about it, she’d think he was just that. Feeling the humiliation build in him, Jamie was ready to turn and grab his coat to leave. He would go home, grab his gear, and walk right back into Coach Trail’s office, demanding his spot on the team back and not leaving until he’d gotten it.

He felt it in him; the drive, the anger, the frustration. His passion, Jamie like to refer to it as. It was comforting, warmth spreading through his body from his core to the tips of his toes and fingers.

Jamie’s phone beeped loudly. He flipped it, seeing a small message on the screen.

‘Your phone has reached a temperature too hot to continue to function properly; please remove the battery and allow it to cool for 10 minutes before restarting your phone’

And then it shut off.

His heart thumped in his chest.

“Jamie Benn?”

Jamie looked up to see the woman in front of him. Her clear blue eyes peeked out at him from under a baseball cap; thick brown hair was pulled into a ponytail in the back. His tongue stuck to the roof of his mouth. Stupidly, he said nothing.

“I’m Jessica Stratton.” Jamie was not was Jess had expected. When she’d agreed to meet him, she already knew all about him; or so she thought. Ray had done a fair job describing his appearance, but she interpreted “big” the wrong way.

The cold weather made him one of the few people out and about. Jessica did what she always did. She set up a casual meeting in a public place so she could watch him before introducing herself. Jamie seemed nervous; that much was usual. But he also seemed determined, unheeding. Not unafraid, but not giving into his fear. Jess only had to watch him overheat his phone before she’d seen enough.

When she shook his hand, it was hot.

“Yeah, of course, uh, hi. Sorry. Yeah, I’m Jamie.” He wanted kick himself. Some doctor.

“You can call me Jess.” She set her purse on the table and sat down. “You should know that Ray Whitney called me to say I might be hearing from you. You took a couple of days, but that’s normal.” Jessica decided that Jamie looked pretty good when he was confused.

“So you do know Whit? I mean, Ray.”

“I helped him out before, yes.”

Jamie nodded his head slowly. His eyes were focused on the table. Jessica could only take a few moments of awkward silence before she stood up.

"Let's walk.”

xxxxxx

“I guess I should start by telling you a little about myself,” Jamie kept his hands in his pockets as they walked leisurely down the sidewalk, passing by restaurants and businesses. It was obvious he was uncomfortable. Jess knew; really knew, the confusion and worry he felt. She’d felt it once too.

“Let’s start with this;” Jess leaned towards Jamie. “I’m not really a doctor.” She laughed at her own revelation, happy to see Jamie smile, though he kept looking down. After a moment, he turned his gaze to her.

“So… don’t take this the wrong way, but you’re not really a doctor… You’re not a prostitute are you? Cause if Ray thought that was the kind of help I need, I'll kill him.”

The butterflies in Jamie’s stomach rioted when she laughed again. Jessica wasn’t insulted. Thank God. And by her laugh, she wasn’t a prostitute either.

“No, I’m not. But I know that’s not what you need Jamie. And I know what you do need.” Jess slowed and turned to Jamie, tugging the sleeve of his coat to stop him. “But what I need is for you to trust me first.”

Jamie thought about his life. About his dream to play hockey. About how scared he was of not being able to play ever again. And he thought about this fake doctor in front of him, recommended by his brother’s friend. She was asking him to trust her.

What choice did he have?

“Okay.” Jamie nodded his head eagerly. Jess’ smile widened.

“Okay. Jamie, I’m probably going to say things that are gonna make you think I’m crazy. You’re gonna do things that make you think you’re crazy. But I’ll be honest with you.” Jamie’s face dropped, seriousness mimicking the face across from his “I have no patience for people who go back and forth from denial to acceptance. I can either help you, or you can walk away now and figure it out yourself. But not both.”

“Okay.” He felt stupid for saying that one simple word again and again. But it made Jessica smile, so he followed her when she began walking again.

“So you’re hot right?” Jess immediately blushed, realizing what she’d said, and backpedaled on her statement. “I mean, you make things hot. Like, yourself and the stuff around you. You’ve melted ice. Anything else?”

Thankfully, Jamie ignored her stumbling and shrugged his shoulders. Jessica could tell he would be a hard one to get to open up.

“I don’t know. I mean, this only started a little over a month ago, I think.” Jamie tried hard to think back. “It’s hard to say. I can’t think of any specific event before that was really an issue. Just one second I was skating, and the next, the ice was a puddle. All over the rink too, not just where I was standing.” Jamie stuttered. “A-and just a bit ago, right before you got here, I think I made my phone overheat.”

He watched Jess nod slowly. “Tell me about what happens during. Like, before, and after also.”

“You mean like, the ice melted and everyone got pissed off?”

“No,” Jess laughed, “I mean like, what were you doing. Feeling. Thinking.”

Jamie’s brow pushed inwards in thought. “Well, I just was really into the game, I guess. It’s always just been practice or me by myself. Or today I guess. I just get deep in thought about something… I guess, thinking about it, I’ve been really angry each time. Like, really really angry. But I don’t call it that. I don’t think I should have to apologize for being passionate about hockey.” This time, Jamie was the one to stop walking. “Except the first time. The first time I think it happened, I was really happy. Like, ecstatic. I was at practice and I finally scored on this sweet trick shot I’ve been working on for like, ever. Since I was a kid. My brother and I always tried it on each other. And when I finally did it… I don’t know, I’ve just never felt like that before.”

Jessica looked at Jamie for what felt like a long time. He felt crazy for what he was saying. But the look in her eyes made him calm. She got it. She had to.

“Can I show you something?”

xxxxxx

Upon her insistence, Jamie agreed to follow her into the woods. They were peaceful in the evening light, the noise from the city behind them. Jess had kept the conversation steady on the way over, asking more questions about his life that seemed irrelevant, but Jamie didn’t mind. In fact, he enjoyed it enough that he asked them right back.

Jess thought he was actually quite loud and sociable when he was comfortable. She liked this outgoingness that was beginning to show, but knew she had to be ready for him to revert back to confusion and frustration after what she was about to do.

After a bit of walking, the pair came to a stop in a long strip of land between two large sections of the trees. It was large, a lake down in a ditch far off to one side.

“Jamie,” Jessica’s voice came out in a puff of breath, the air around them bitterly cold despite the stillness. “Do you trust me?” As if she knew the situation didn’t seem grave enough to require that question, her lips were curved into a small smirk. A matching one pulled at the face across from hers.

“I don’t know Jess, do I?” Her heart fluttered at his smile. She managed to keep that particular emotion from her face, fighting to stay semi-serious around the sarcastic, carefree man in front of her.

“Jamie.”

“Okay, okay.” His own eagerness overcame his joking nature. His heart beat in his throat as her hands opened, palm up in front of him, and he slowly laid his own into hers. Jess’ hands were firm, strong, not cold at all despite being uncovered by gloves. Jamie was self-conscious for only a moment before he felt it.

It was like passing by something charged, like a balloon or a thin piece of fabric. His skin tingled as the hair on his arms slowly raised upwards. His heart felt as if it were slowing coming to a stop, his body humming. The air was still, save for a soft, nearly unnoticeable warm breeze across his face.
Jamie dared to look up at Jessica.

Her own hair was untouched, the ponytail flat as it was tossed over her shoulder. Her eyes were no longer the blue he recognized, but completely black, almost frighteningly so. Had it not been for the familiar warm smile on Jess’ face, Jamie may have jumped back in fear. His eyes flickered behind her, and he did jump back in shock at the next sight. Luckily, her own hands held his tightly.

Jessica followed his eyes over her shoulder. Frozen in movement several yards behind them was a group of three deer, one leaping gently over a log. She breathed out gently, turning back to him.

“Jamie,” His eyes were slow to meet hers again, his gaze focused on the scene behind them.

“Jamie.”

She slowly pulled one of her hands away, gently tugging his chin to force him to look at her. His eyes were not afraid, but amazed. He was awestruck, inspired, seriously impressed. A smile broke across Jessica’s face at his joy.

“Jess… wow. How? I… Can…?” Jamie motioned quickly between them, at a loss for words.

Dropping her hand from his face, she tugged him closer to her as a laugh fell from her lips.

“Now let’s see what you can do.”