Like a Damaged Nerve

“You sure you’ll be okay?” Pat asked as we headed into the United Center. It was my first night back on the job and he was nervous for me. The noises and quick movements, he thought would be triggers for me. I had been talking to a therapist lately and so far, my transition back into normal life has gone smooth.

“Babe, I’ll be fine!” I said, smiling softly at him and wrapping an arm around his waist and squeezing against him. He wrapped an arm around me and smiled down at me, stopping and kissing me.

“I’m glad you’ll be on the bench again, I missed seeing your face.” He said, grinning a little as we started down the hall. I wished him luck as he headed into the dressing room and I headed to the trainer’s room.

I made myself comfortable; making sure everything was in its place and making conversation with the other trainers and doctors. It was nice to be back into the flow of things. Tonight was extra special too, since it was baby Aubrey’s first game. I had spoken to Ky before the game and she sent me a picture of Aubrey wearing special ear muffs, which was incredibly cute. They would be seated by the Hawks bench tonight, getting an excellent view of her daddy, Aunty and Uncle doing what they do best.

Soon enough, I was out on the bench, watching the boys skate and shoot. They were just getting warmed up when I felt a tap on my shoulder. It was one of the training staff. The Capitals were short staffed so if any injuries occurred on their team, they had requested to use me. I simply nodded and watched the trainer leave, going back over to give the okay. Pat skated by, winking at me as he did and grabbing himself some water.

The game got underway a little bit later than usual but both teams were bringing their best. The Hawks and Capitals hated each other, almost as much as the Hawks and the Canucks did. The games were always full of energy and excitement as well as lots of tension. At one point, tension broke when Ovechkin took a big check into the boards, head first. I winced watching it and noticed he wasn’t making any effort to get up. He was on his hands and knees, not moving. The refs called a stop in play and before I could blink, Jon was appearing at the bench, holding his arm out to help me get across the ice.

“Alex? Hey, I’m Katie; I work with the Blackhawks medical team.” I said once I got over to him, kneeling down and gently placing a hand on his back. Jonny was circling close by, watching. Pat was just as close, almost of top of Jonny. They circled like…well…hawks.

“I’m fine…” Alex replied, rather grumpily. He looked up from the ice for a moment and then blinked when he looked at me. “Whoa….room is moving…” he said in his thick, accent voice.

“Yup, come on.” I said, standing up and looking over to spot Mike Green close by. I motioned for him to come and help me, much to the annoyed looks of Jonny and Pat. “Be useful, Greeny…help me get him off the ice.” Mike just nodded and came to Alex’s side, helping me stand him up. He leaned on us for some support as I got him to the bench then it was just Alex and I as I walked him back to the exam room.

“You won’t hurt me, right?” Alex said, trying to joke around with me. I looked over and saw him already sitting on the table, his helmet off and jersey as well. I handed him some water and took out my kit.

“Of course not, Alex, you’re safe in my hands.” I said, sending him a soft smile as I went over and dimmed the lights then grabbed my small flashlight to test his pupils.

“You marry 88, Kane?” He asked me as I started checking his eyes, flashing my light and watching his eyes dilate.

“We’re engaged, yeah…” I said, putting my light down and taking his head in my hands, checking for any bumps or cuts.

“You too pretty for him.” He said with a toothless smile, making me laugh a little bit.

“Oh stop….” I said, having him do a few reaction exercises with his hands, such as touching his nose.

“Is true…you should be with star player, like me.” He said, grinning again. I simply shook my head this time and wrote down a few things to give to their coaching staff.

“You’re all set, Alex, you seem okay but it’s best you stay out for the rest of the game.” I said, knowing he wasn’t pleased with that. I turned to open the door when he slid something into my hand, grinning still.

“I see you!” He said, waddling to his team’s dressing room while I made my way to the Capital’s bench to deliver the paper work. As I slowly walked back that way, I looked at what he had given me. A piece of paper….with his phone number. I shook my head and shoved the paper into my pocket and made my way back to the Hawk’s bench, now noticing Pat was in the penalty box as well as Mike Green. I looked over to where my sister was sitting and she made a motion of punching. Obviously, I missed something here…