Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Chapter 24

Into Another World Chapter 24

“So, Pitt’s finest, you can start playing again,” Dr. Carr stated before continuing on. “Now, ‘play’, is a very general word. What I mean by play, is go out to practice, run, do a few drills, but don’t sprint. You can jump and all that fun stuff, but no sprinting for a few more weeks,” my doctor concluded, writing me a note with all the information he just threw at me.

Apparently my knee was the best thing Dr. Carr’s seen since… well he couldn’t remember. I thought that was pretty miraculous, seeing as I have an extremely low pain tolerance, but Sidney says he almost expected it from me. He says I’m a fighter; I’d like to think I am, and if he thinks so, then I must be, seeing as he’s always right.

“So just go see your physical therapist once more to have him check you out and make sure he’s done with you, and if you have any questions, I’m sure Todd’ll know,” he finished, opening the door to walk out. “And Mr. Crosby, I’ll be watching you play Washington tonight,” he said with a wink before walking out of the room completely.

I looked over at Sidney and his scruffy playoff beard that was beginning to get a little greasy, and jumped onto his lap before he could get out of his seat. I straddled his torso, something I hadn’t done in a long time, and kissed his neck, trying my best to avoid his beard.

The feeling I had was indescribable. I felt like running down the hallway screaming at the top of my lungs. I felt like skipping through a field of daisies, and most of all, I felt like going home with Sidney and doing some pre-game warm-ups.

“Did you hear that? I can run, I can play, and I can jump. I can do anything,” I said, smiling what seemed like the biggest smile ever.

“I see that,” he said with a slight smile and a hint of sarcasm to his voice, but I ignored it and pulled him out of the chair after I stood up, leading him down the hall to the checkout counter where I paid my co-pay and bound into the elevator all within five minutes.

Once the elevator doors were shut, I kissed Sidney with the most passion I’ve felt for anything in a long time. I separated myself from him when the elevator came to a stop, and he had a completely bewildered look sketched across his face.

“There’s more where that came from,” I said with a wink and a tap on his huge ass before walking out of the elevator with some swing to my hips. I never quite realized how much I swung my hips until I couldn’t do it with my brace and now that it was gone, I was going to be back to normal.

“I have an appointment with Ken in about an hour,” I stated once we got out to his car. “Drive me?” I asked with a cute little smile and a kiss on his lips. I knew he wouldn’t say no to me either way, but I figured I’d give him some sort of incentive. He looked at me with burning eyes and I could tell he was willing to do anything for me at that given moment. Love.

“Do you have time to, oh, I don’t know,” he started, shrugging his shoulders and glancing at the ground before looking back at me with those same burning eyes. “Maybe do some extracurricular things before your appointment?”

“Ohh, what do you have in mind?” I asked, catching his drift and drawing closer to him, placing my arms around his neck. I could feel his hands slide across my ass and give it a quick squeeze before he looped his fingers through my belt loops and pulled my hips closer to him.

“Use that creative mind of yours,” he said, kissing my neck. I craned my head away from his lips, relishing the feeling his lips created on my skin.

“I might possibly have time… if we hurry on back to your place,” I said, letting out a small moan of contentment, feeling his hands run across the bare skin above my jeans and below my shirt.

“Who said anything about going back home?” he asked with a devilish grin, backing me into the side of his Range Rover and running his hands up and down my sides under my shirt.

As much as my mind was telling me, ‘Abort abort! Bad idea!’, I really, really, wanted to have hot sex with him in the back of his car for the second time, but this time I wouldn’t have a big brace hindering me. This time with a purpose, not just because he was in a good mood. This time because I wanted him, and he wanted me. This time, because I’ve never felt more for someone in my life.

He opened the door to the Range Rover while I wasn’t paying attention and began to back me inside. I was sitting on the seat with my legs still dangling out the door when he began to pull at my shirt, but before he could get it off, I pulled him into the Range Rover with me and shut the door.

-

“You have a certain… glow about you today…” Ken said when I walked, yes walked, into physical therapy on that breezy May day.

“Uh, yeah…” I sat down on my usual table and rolled my pant leg up for him to look at my knee for my final physical therapy, hopefully, ever.

“Why are you so sweaty?” he suddenly asked, pulling on my leg to make sure the ligament healed the way it was supposed to.

“I’m just super excited that I get to play…?” I said it almost like a question, and Ken, with his super senses, picked up on the fact that I was lying almost immediately

“Whatever you say Mrs. Crosby…” he stated, smiling his impish little smile that I had seen way too much of in the past three months.

“We’re not married, Ken,” I snapped at him, losing my patience with his childish little games.

“Alright. Let me know when you two DO get married. I want to see proof of this.”

“Oh you’ll get proof. I’ll send you our wedding picture, SIGNED by one Sidney Crosby,” I stated with a smirk. “And I’ll be back, with the Stanley Cup in tow, when they win.”

“Whatever you say. Anyway, your knee. This is the best post-op knee I’ve ever seen. Ever. Let me emphasize that. EVER. You can thank your genes for that,” Ken said with slight shock to his voice. It’s kind of ironic, seeing as all I ever did when I was younger was complain about how I got all the bad genes in the family, and now, these bad genes, were coming in handy.

“Thanks?” I said it almost like a question, wondering if there was some hidden insult behind what he was saying.

“No I’m serious,” he stated, stepping away from the table and looking at me with that look that made me blush no matter how much I looked away. I wanted to slap him across the face when he did that. He’s married for God’s sake and hello, I’m dating Sidney Crosby.

“Well, thanks. Sid’s waiting for me in the car, so I’ll see you around,” I said, sliding off the table and walking out the door, for the last time, pulling on my jacket as I went. I was finally rid of that place for good. I never had to go back in there again. I never had to do leg lifts or calf raises ever again. I was free of my knee. I felt like flying.

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

Chapter 23

Without further ado, Chapter 23. :)

By March, my crutches were completely gone and I was walking only with the help of a big brace. I had been wearing sweatpants for the past 3 months, but once March rolled around, I started getting a little crazy and wore jeans for the first time in months. Oh and I shaved, which was slightly miraculous. My leg hair had started to look like man-hair. You try shaving with a big brace. It’s just easier to ignore it.

“You look cute,” Sid said to me as I hobbled down the stairs one at a time. We were going out to a movie, an actual date.

“Thanks.” I replied, giving him a peck on the cheek once I reached the bottom of the stairs a few moments later. “I hate this stupid brace. I hate my knee.” I said, looking down at it.

“Oh hush. I will not have you ruining my night,” he said with an impish grin before kissing me again. “Now hurry up, we’re going to miss our movie.”

“You’re asking me to hurry? I can only go so fast Crosby.”

“Well by all means, take your time,” he stated with a giggle before opening the door so I could hobble out and down the stairs, once again, one at a time. “I’m pretty positive a snail could beat you.”

“Shut up!” I yelled at him, smiling, still making my way down the stairs. “Just because it could doesn’t mean you have to point it out. Asshole.”

“You know, you’re moving way too slow.”

Before I knew it, I was being picked up off the ground and thrown over his shoulder. My knee honestly never entered my mind. I just didn’t want to fall and bust my head open.

“Sidney Crosby! Put me down!” I shrieked, wrapping my arms around his torso so he couldn’t drop me and digging my hands into his shirt.

“Jess, be quiet, people will think I’m murdering you,” he said, trying to suppress one of his girly giggles.

“Help help!” I screamed as loud as I could before he shoved me into the SUV and closed the door behind me. I was laughing uncontrollably now and he was turning a shade of pink as he opened the driver’s side door. I just smiled at him when he looked at me.

“I hate you,” he stated with a slight smile as he put the car into reverse and headed towards the theater. I kept looking at him even as he drove. Whenever there was a traffic jam or he wasn’t going to make a light, he bit his lower lip and glanced in the rearview mirror. I wanted to reach over and run my hand down his jaw line, to feel the stubble that was beginning to grow for the playoffs, still a week away.

“Sidney,” I started, reaching over to fulfill my wish. “You’re so cute.” I smiled at him as he took his chocolate eyes off the road for a split second to look at me.

“That’s it? All I get is a ‘You’re cute?’” he asked me, playfully hitting my good knee.

“After you dragged me across your yard, you’re lucky I didn’t just drop your ass,” I said, laughing at his facial expression. He looked slightly surprised that I would ever say something like that. Evidence that I was getting to be myself again. This surgery took so much out of me. I didn’t even feel like myself the past 3 months.

“Well-I,” he stammered, trying to come up with the words.

“That’s right, be afraid,” I said growling a little and making a face at him before turning in my seat to face straight ahead again. I could feel his eyes darting back and forth from the road to me and I could feel him smiling at me, willing me to turn and look at him. I wasn’t going to give in to his little mind game, so I kept my eyes straight ahead, like I didn’t even notice that he was looking at me. Once we got to a red light, his hand made its way onto my thigh and up my leg. Only then did I turn to face him, and when I did, his lips were suddenly on mine.

The car horn behind brought us out of what he had just created, and honestly, I didn’t want it to end.

Sidney!” I scolded, hitting him across the arm. “Eyes on the road. What’s wrong with you?” I mocked, laughing at the expression on his face when the car honked. I’m sure they could probably see our silhouettes going at it, which is slightly embarrassing on all accounts.

“You’re what’s wrong with me Jess! You drive me crazy!” he said, taking his eyes off the road again and smiling at me. I grinned at him before pecking him on the cheek when he turned his head forward again.

“Thanks,” was all I could think of. I love you didn’t quite fit, and kissing him would be a little too much, so I just sat back in my seat and waited until we got to the movie theater.

We ended up seeing I Love You, Man, a movie Sidney insisted upon. I was not so sure about it, but he convinced me that I’d love it, and miracle of all miracles, I did. Sometimes it surprised me how often he was right, not just about me, but about everything. He practically knew me inside and out… literally. I wanted to be with him forever, but I knew that wasn’t likely. I always had a tendency to get bored with people, but so far, he was doing fine. I wasn’t bored. Maybe it was the fact that I went through such a life shaking experience with him that he’s just become my crutch, metaphorically and physically. I can’t even say how many times he carried me to the bathroom and up the stairs to my room. I wouldn’t have made it anywhere without him. Maybe we would be together forever, as lame as that sounds. It's what I wanted.