A Winter Classic

Paging Nurse Taylor, Nurse Ellie Taylor please call extension 631. Nurse Taylor 631.

Ellie paused remembering the number and turned to the other people at her lunch table.

“Just give me a minute guys.”

She moved to the phone, dialling the number before someone picked up.

“Hey Jessica.” She started. “It’s Ellie, what’s going on?”

“Hey Elle, there’s someone here to see you.”

Someone here to see her? She wasn’t expecting anyone, not that she could remember.

“Oh okay, give me a minute, I’ll be right there.”

She cleaned up the spot she’d been eating at, throwing her stuff in her locked before she started the walk to the front desk. The hospital was unusually quiet for an afternoon but that wasn’t a complaint she was about to make especially after the over eventful run of nightshifts she’d just finished. Ellie slid around the desk into the corner where the pretty blonde sat.

“Hey Jess.” She greeted running her hands across the counter. “You said someone’s here to see me?”

Jessica pointed into the corner and she followed her finger, tucked into the corner and wrapped in an overstuffed winter coat was Phil. She hadn’t seen him in nearly a week between his schedule and her graveyards they’d continuously missed each other but she hadn’t remembered asking him to meet her here.

“Hey.”

“What are you doing here?” Ellie asked slipping into a hug. “I didn’t forget you were coming did I?”

“No.” Phil leaned in planting a kiss on her lips before leaning back again. “We got out of practice early so I thought I’d come by and drop this off.”

He handed her a bag with the Maple Leafs insignia printed across it and watched her reach in. Pulling out the jersey she couldn’t believe her eyes, the white material was littered with signatures, it looked like he’d tracked down the whole team.

“You didn’t?” she asked holding the jersey to her chest.

She hadn’t expected this, honestly since he hadn’t mentioned it again she had figured he’d forgotten but holding onto the jersey actually seeing the thought he’d put into it had her in tears. She felt his arms slide around her, bringing her close into his chest. It had only taken a minute to really get it done but he figured a few signatures would go over better than just his.

“This is amazing.” She looked up. “He’s going to love this.”

“I’m glad I could help, sorry it took so long.”

“Yeah…” she stated with an incredulous look. “See it doesn’t happen again.”

Ellie laughed refolding the jersey carefully before slipping it back into the bag.

“Thank you for doing this, really.”

He shrugged, he was happy if it made her happy and if it helped one of these kids even better.

“Well let’s go give it to him then I can get out of your way.”

“Yeah?”

He just kept hitting her with surprise after surprise today.

“Well I’m here.” Phil started looking around before settling back on her. “You might as well take advantage of me.”

“Don’t tempt me.” Ellie laughed handing him back his bag.

They wandered through the corridors; she could feel him on her heels as they turned corners then stopped outside the last room in the hallway.

“I’m just going to go in and see how he’s doing.” Ellie started. “Just give me a minute.”

He gave her an affirmative nod and she pushed the door open, disappearing inside.

“Hey Ryan.” Ellie started moving into his room. “How are you feeling buddy?”

She moved around his bed, looking him over before he answered.

“Good.” He answered nodding to help reassure her.

She’d checked in on him earlier, today was definitely a good day and she was hoping she could make it a little better.

“Do you think maybe we can pause this game for a bit?” Ellie asked. “I’ve got a friend out there who wants to meet you.”

She could see the confusion on his parents faces, knew they were running through all the people they knew who would show up unannounced.

“Do you think he could come in and say hello?”

Ryan nodded his head and instantly she could see that shy boy she’d met nearly three years ago. He looked around at his parents making sure they were in reaching distance before he looked over at the door. When Ellie sensed he was ready she moved towards the door, pushed it open and waved Phil in. When he slid past her, hands tucked into the pockets of his coat it took nearly a full minute before anyone said anything.

“WHOA!” Ryan’s eyes went wide as saucers when he walked into the room and even though she knew she didn’t have to she introduced him.

“I don’t think I really need to do this for Ryan’s sake.” Ellie laughed. “But Allison and David Kirk this is Phil Kessel…”

“FROM THE TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS!” Ryan practically yelled making everyone in the room laugh which immediate cut the awkward tension. Even though he’d volunteered she could sense his nervousness, knew how much he hated being the center of a room but he was doing this cause she’d asked him to and it warmed her heart right to its core. After everyone exchanged pleasantries she watched Phil approach the bed.

“Hey Ryan it’s nice to meet you.”

“WOW!”

“I’ve never seen him so speechless.” Ellie laughed turning to his parents. Just when she thought those might be all the words Ryan would find he found his voice and went for it.

“I watch you on TV all the time!”

Everything he said came out as a loud declaration; he was so excited he couldn’t even tell he was doing it.

“Well Ellie told me that you were a really big fan?”

She could see Ryan’s eyes from across the room; they were fixed on Phil as he nodded silently.

“So I talked to some of the guys and they wanted me to give you this.”

He handed Ryan the bag this time, watched him rip the bag open and pull the jersey out, waving it like a flag through the air.

“Whoa!” Ryan yelled. “Dad look!”

He spread the jersey across his bed and began reciting the signatures he could recognize, asking for help on the ones he couldn’t quite make out.

“This is so cool.” Ryan looked around the room at everyone smiling so big his face had to hurt.

“You think that’s cool just wait till I tell you the rest.”

“There’s more?”

Ellie was as confused as Ryan was. He hadn’t mentioned anything else and she couldn’t even begin to imagine what he had under his sleeve.

“I’ve got some pretty great tickets to the game this Saturday.” Phil started looking over at Ryan’s parents then back at him. “Now if it’s okay with your doctors and your parents we were thinking that maybe you’d wanna come and be my special guest.”

Ellie felt Ryan’s mom reach out, she squeeze her hand so hard it cracked.

“For my parents too? And Nurse Ellie? Can Nurse Ellie come?”

“Ryan…” His father warned, using a stern tone before he was cut off.

“Of course Nurse Ellie will come.” Phil winked over at her. “I happen to know rooting for the Leafs is Nurse Ellie’s favourite thing to do.”

“No, no its not!” Ryan countered. “Nurse Ellie is a Habs fan!”

He flung the words at her like an accusation as the whole room laughed.

“That’s right Ryan I am.” She started. “But I can put that aside to come with you if you want me to.”

He nodded enthusiastically.

“Do you think he could go?” Ryan’s mother asked turning to Ellie. “Would the doctors let him?”

Ellie nodded, turning towards his mother. She spoke low enough that she’d hear but not loud enough for it to reach Ryan’s ears.

“I don’t see why not as long as he’s feeling okay.” She started. “I’ll be there with you guys in case anything happens.”

“You wouldn’t mind?”

His mother was worried of course but the look on her sons face made her feel like she’d do anything possible to make it happen.

“I wouldn’t wanna be anywhere else.” Ellie confirmed squeezing her hand back.

They talked for a few minutes after that, consulted with his main doctor and made a plan. When it was all said and done they said their goodbye, thanked Phil for coming and moved into the hall.

“I guess I should have mentioned the game to you before…”

Ellie cut him off throwing herself into his arms, sealing her lips to his. She wanted to laugh, she wanted to cry, her heart hurt it was so full of emotions.

“You’re amazing.” Ellie started. “I can’t tell you how much that means to him.”

He reached up brushing the stray hair away from her face.

“It’s nothing.”

“No it's not, you didn’t have to do all that.”

“I wanted to.”

He had such an amazing heart and she felt so privileged that she was one of the few people who really got to see it, to experience it. She was the luckiest girl in the world; in that moment no one would ever convince her otherwise.

“What time are you getting off?”

“Around 9.” Ellie answered. “You wanna stop by after your game?”

“You read my mind.”