Page 43 of Home Ice

"Then you know there are a lot of parts in an ankle, so we need to make sure you didn't damage anything more severely than you think." I look down at her legs stretched in front of her. "Shit. I should have given you something to elevate it. Oh well, we'll be there in a few minutes."

Lily slams her head against the headrest. "You are so impossible. Why are you like this?"

Because she's the only thing I think about other than hockey these days. Because I promised I would never let anything bad happen to her, but then I stood helpless as she twisted her ankle. Because I would rather die than see her in pain, even if she won't admit how much it hurts. "Because I'm Canadian, and we're very nice people?"

"More like stubborn and obsessive." She doesn't know how right she is. "Can you at least take pity on me and stop calling me Jams now, Mr. Nice Canadian?"

"After you called me stubborn? I'm calling you Jams more often." I flash her a grin.

She slaps my arm. "You are such an asshole. And so stubborn." She's doing her best to sound angry, but I see the smile she lets slip when she thinks I'm not looking.

"If goalies could be alternate captains, I'd sew that A on my jersey just for you, Jams.

"I am this close to throwing myself out of the car." She shifts and whimpers from the pain in her ankle. It sends a brand new rush of adrenaline through my body, and I press even harder on the accelerator.

When we get to the urgent care, I run inside and come out with a wheelchair for her. She sits on the edge of the passenger seat, looking at me like she wants to rip more than one of my body parts off, but when I explain it's either this or I carry her inside, she hops into the wheelchair without a word.

We're the only patients in the waiting room, so it's only a couple of minutes before we're called back. The second we're in the exam room, Lily tells the nurse that she doesn't really need to be here. The only reason she came at all is because I forced her. The nurse looks over at me and chuckles. "Boyfriend?"

Lily and I both snort. "As much as he's in my business, he might as well be."

"I just look out for her, that's all."

The nurse laughs again and wheels Lily out of the room for imaging.

It seems like she's gone for hours. I've read the HPV vaccine poster hanging on the back of the door so many times that I could be a pharmaceutical rep if I ever need to quit hockey. But finally she comes back, and she's with the physician assistant. The PA introduces herself to me and then pulls up Lily's images on the computer. "The good news is there's nothing too severe. No breaks and no tears. The ultrasound does show significant swelling here, but it's nothing that can't be fixed by rest." The PA looks up and points at me. "You need to make sure she stays off this ankle for at least a couple of days. I can tell she's the type who won't rest without someone there to make her, so that's your job." She turns back to Lily. "We'll give you some crutches, but use him instead of those as much as possible. You need something today or tomorrow? You ask him to get it for you. Got it?"

"Oh, we don't live?—"

"I got it. I'll make sure she stays off it."

"It's good to have patients who actually listen to me for a change. Now let me put a wrap on this, and we'll send you two home."

Lily doesn't say a word as I wheel her all the way to the passenger door. Other than a couple of quiet whimpers when I hit bumps I couldn't avoid, Lily is unusually quiet during the ride home too. Until I pull into my driveway.

"Brant?"

I look at her and act surprised to see her. "Oh hey, Lily. I didn't know you were there."

"Very funny. You drove past my house."

"Yup."

"So you're going to back out of the garage and drive me back because you made a mistake?"

"Nope."

"You want me to use the crutches and walk home?"

"Nope." I pop the P extra loud for her.

Her jaw tenses, but several seconds pass before she says anything. "I can't stay with you. You heard the PA. I'm fine, mostly. I just need to take it easy for a while. Trust me, I know the protocol."

"And you can take it easy at my place where I'll take care of you. You also heard the PA. She told me to make sure you stay off that leg for the next few days."

"Couple of days."

"Fine. You only have to stay with me for a couple of days. Happy?"

---