Page 58 of The Game Changer

“Sure, babe. Anything else?”

“You know I can’t have fajitas without a big bowl of their guacamole and chips.”

“I would never forget to order those for you.”

“Thank you. I should be done here in the next twenty or so minutes, so I’ll see you in the next hour or so.”

“Sounds good, see you then,” I tell her, as I head back out to the living room. I find Beckett and Mark on my couch watching game highlights from around the league on the NHL Network.

“Thanks for waking me up, guys, but I’ve got to get going. I’m picking up dinner and heading to Jill’s house.”

“How’s the head?” Mark asks, looking me over again from his position on the couch.

“Fine, and I’m sure it will be even better once I get some sustenance in me. The meds took away most of the pounding.”

“Do you see the doc again anytime soon?”

“No, unless my symptoms return with a vengeance. Otherwise, the occasional day with migraines and light sensitivity are normal. They just have a habit of hitting me out of nowhere, and like today, the meds tend to knock me out for hours.”

“Sucks that it happens that way,” Mark states.

“It does.”

“If you’re feeling up to it, stop by the rink tomorrow. We can introduce you to the new rookie who just showed up the other day. He’s still pretty wet behind the ears. Maybe you can mentor him if you’ve got nothing else going on. He could learn a lot from you.”

“I’m not babysitting your rookies, Mark. Nice try.” I laugh with my former captain.

“I didn’t say babysit, I said mentor. Maybe give him some pointers, help him with his game a bit. He’s going to get swallowed up by the bunnies if someone doesn’t help him out.”

“I can’t really help with that. Isn’t that a right of passage for most new guys?” I ask, thinking back all the years to my rookie season.

“Not when you’ve got a girlfriend back home.”

“Well, shit. He’d better learn to keep it in his pants then. What’s this kid’s name?”

“Dylan Campbell,” Mark says.

“When did he get here?” I vaguely recognize the kid’s name as he played in the AHL last season and was pretty good from what I remember, but I’ve never actually met him in person that I can recall.

“Just this week. He should be playing in tomorrow night’s game for the first time, according to Scott.”

“I’ll think about it,” I finally tell him. “I might stop by anyways. Wanted to talk to Richard about a few things and maybe even your wife,” I say.

“She should be there, although you might have to call and get on her calendar, she’s been busy with meetings lately.”

“Thanks for the heads up,” I tell him. I check the clock and fifteen minutes has already passed since I got off the phone with Jill, and here I am still standing around. “All right, guys, I’ve got to hit the showers, I’ll see you later,” I tell them as I do my best to get them to leave.

“Don’t forget to stop by tomorrow,” Beckett says as they walk out the door. “Everyone would love to see you,” he says, speaking for the team.

“I won’t,” I assure him before closing the door. I head for the shower, once inside, I let the hot water work on the tension in my muscles. Sleeping for so many hours on the couch wasn’t the greatest for my body, but it is what it is. When I laid down on the couch this morning, I never expected to sleep the day away on it.

* * *

“It’s me,” I say when Jill answers the buzzer for her building.

I head upstairs, two bags of food in my hands.

“Hey,” she greets me, already standing at her condo door. She leans up, pressing a kiss to my lips. “God, I’m starving and that smells amazing,” she says when she pulls back.

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