by Anne Stone
In Ryne’s estimation, the team’s celebration and reporter interviews lasted way too long. He needed to get to Jen. Almost an hour after the buzzer rang ending the game, he departed the locker room and walked right into her arms.
“Gosh, I love you,” he said as he swept her hair to the side of her face. “It’s all because of you that I’m standing right here, right now.” He brushed a soft kiss onto her lips. “You made me believe that I could still play.”
She smiled at him. “I didn’t do anything. You were the one to push through the long hours in rehab.”
“You were right there beside me.”
“Yeah, throwing up.”
He chuckled at her response. “But you were there when you didn’t feel like doing anything but crawling back into bed. He laid his hand over the baby as he moved. “We’re going all the way, and then before we know it, this little one will be in our arms. What a way to end a magical season.” He hugged her tightly, reached for her hand, and pulled her out the door.
The Stanley Cup finals would begin in a matter of days; their opponent had yet to be determined. The Generals were playing in the conference finals as well. They were fighting a good fight, and he hoped they’d be matched against them.
Chapter Forty
The day Ryne had dreamed of his entire life finally arrived. The Stanley Cup finals. Not only did he have an early morning skate, Jen also had a doctor’s appointment. He woke early and rolled over in bed. He lay there and watched her sleep. She’d had a rough night. He heard her up at least four maybe five times to use the bathroom, and each time she returned to bed, she groaned as she tried to get comfortable.
He pulled her close. He helped her settle a pillow underneath her stomach and between her legs. When she sighed, he knew she’d finally received some ease. “Comfortable?”
“It’s as good as it’s going to get.”
He settled his hand across her stomach. “It’s going to be a big day. Try and get some sleep.” She nodded. “If I’m not here when you wake-up, I’ll see you at your appointment. Mom said she was going to take you.”
“Yeah, she is.” She yawned and laced her fingers through his. “I love you, Ryne.”
“I love you too, honey. Try and get some sleep.” He lay there listening to her breathe and knew the moment she fell asleep. He continued to hold her and felt the baby move continually as she slept. I don’t know how she can sleep, as active as you are. No wonder she’s exhausted.
Ryne finally dozed off and woke with a start. It was time to get up. He needed to be at the rink in a little more than an hour. He lightly kissed Jen’s brow as he slid out of bed.
He was worried about her. She was getting less and less sleep, and he thought she’d looked tired the day before. He took a quick shower and a grabbed something to eat as he hurried out the door.
As he drove to the rink, he phoned his mom. “Hey, Mom, I wanted to remind you to take Jen to the doctor.”
“Ryne, do you think I’d forget something that important? Don’t concern yourself with me. You need to worry about getting safely to practice. I’ll see you later at her appointment.”
“Thanks, Mom,” he said in a shaky voice.
“Son, stop fretting. I’m sure she’s just fine. It’s getting close. She has four weeks left.”
“She’s having problems sleeping.”
“That’s to be expected.” Jacklynne reminded him he needed to concentrate on his morning skate and she’d see him later.
His skate went well and so did Jen’s doctor’s appointment. He discussed his concern about her Braxton Hicks contractions with the doctor along with her sleeplessness. The doctor put him at ease, but he knew he’d regain his feelings of helplessness when he watched her toss and turn and suffer through her false labor.
On the way home, they grabbed a quick bite to eat; then Ryne headed off for a power nap. He wanted to arrive at the arena early so he could take his time with his pregame warm-up.
As he sat beside his locker at Sauderhouse Arena, the importance of the night hit him hard. This is it. The Stanley Cup finals. Ryne was doing his best to stay calm, but it wasn’t working. His career played out before his eyes. From his time at UW, winning all of the awards he did, until his trade to the Storm, he’d experienced it all. Yet now he was playing in the series that held the key to his heart. He’d dreamed of being where he was right here today—on home ice skating for the ultimate trophy. He didn’t want to disappoint his parents nor family nor the fans of Calgary, but mostly he didn’t want to disappoint himself. He’d been dreaming of this night since he was three years old and watched his father play. He’d trained hard and had discovered the importance of perseverance. He’d beaten the odds with his injuries and now look at himself. He wanted to make Jen proud. She’d been there by his side during the good and bad times of late. She’d seen him at the lowest of lows as he battled back from his hip injuries. Tonight, when his skates hit the ice and he heard his blades slice along, he knew his nerves would disappear and he’d get into his game. The game he’d been playing for so long. He was a winner, and he wanted to bring this all-important title to Calgary.
Before he knew it, he was standing at center ice ready to take the opening faceoff against his good friend, Derek. The Generals had won the seventh game of their series in a shootout.
Ryne took a deep, calming breath as he leaned over waiting for the referee to drop the puck. Before he knew it the game had begun and he was winding his way down the ice. He fought for the puck against the boards and heard Etienne yell his name. He passed the puck to his brother who attempted a wrist shot, but it was deflected by a Generals player before it neared the net.
He skated end to end, fighting his way to gain control of the puck, losing it every time he neared the net. His legs were feeling the back-and-forth play when Ray motioned for his line to take a rest.
It was scoreless with just two minutes left in the game. Ryne was running on nervous energy. He’d had more than enough attempts to push the puck past the Generals goaltender and had been stopped each time.
As the clock counted down to overtime, Ryne caught a breakaway pass from Josh. He was alone as he entered the Generals’ zone. He was moving so quickly he couldn’t get a good shot off so he circled behind the net. By the time he came around the other side, Vlad was waiting. Ryne flicked the puck to Vlad and moved towards the front of the net. Vlad passed the puck back to Ryne who turned quickly and stuffed the puck behind the Generals’ goalie. The blue light lit just as the buzzer rang to end the game. The Storm had won the first game of the series.
Ryne raised his arms and was immediately surrounded by his teammates. It had been a well fought game, and thankfully, the Storm had won.
By the time Ryne arrived home, he knew Jen was most assuredly exhausted. His parents had taken her home when he’d been barraged by reporters for interviews after his last-second goal. He knew she’d screamed the entire game because during lapses in the action, he could hear her voice all the way down to the ice. He wasn’t sure how because it had been louder than heck in the arena, but for some reason it stood out to him. He was almost certain she’d lost her voice.
Ryne found her lying in bed curled up on her side. He sat on the edge of the mattress and laid his hand on her stomach. Lately, he couldn’t get enough of touching her and the baby. It seemed like her abdomen had tightened when he placed his hand on her, and then he looked at her face. He could tell she was in pain. “More Braxton Hicks?”
In a gravelly voice, she said, “Yeah.”
“Lost your voice, didn’t you?” She nodded her head. “I could hear you all the way down on the ice.” She moved her hands up and down the sides of her stomach, and almost immediately he noticed a relaxed expression cross her face.
“Better?” She nodded her head avoiding speaking. “Maybe you should stay home and watch the games on television. I think it’s too stressful on you, and I don’t want something to happen to you or the baby.”
“It’s not like the press isn’t aware that you’re nine months pregnant.”
“I realize that but I need to be there to support you!”
“You’re my number one supporter. The people I care about know that too.”
A look of pain crossed her face again. He waited until the contraction eased. “Let’s play it by ear. We’re off tomorrow, then we have a travel day after our next game.” He was thinking out loud. “We’ll play two more in St. Louis and then go back and forth between the cities for the last three games.”
“I know the schedule, Ryne.”
“Oh, sorry, was I talking out loud?”
“You were.”
“I thought I was going through the schedule in my head. Anyway, you will not be traveling to St. Louis. You’re too close, and I’m sure no one would want you to go into labor on the flight.”
“But Ryne…”
“No buts, and anyway, the airline won’t let you fly, so there.” He stuck out his lip and nodded at her.
“What if you win in St. Louis? I won’t be there to celebrate.”
“Well, I guess I’ll have one hell of a welcome home.” He winked at her. “Jen, you need to do what’s best for you and the baby and keep me out of the equation. I know you want to be there supporting me, supporting us, but your health and the baby’s is more important.”
“I know,” she faintly uttered.
Ryne leaned over and laid his head on her shoulder. “I know you mean well and I love you for it. Mom promised me she’d stay home and wants you to move up to the house when we’re in St. Louis.”
“She asked me this morning, and I already told her I would.”
“What? You mean you put me through this exchange only to have already made plans?”
She smiled. “I did and I enjoyed every minute watching you try and convince me to stay home. Ryne, I’m not stupid. This baby means the world to me. I know you understand and would never want to put us in danger.” She ran her hand up and down his back. “I just had to have fun with you, especially after tonight’s game. That was pretty intense.”
“It was. I was lucky at the end there. I was sure we were headed for overtime.” He lay down next to her and held her until she fell asleep. He was wide awake and didn’t want to disturb her. Just as he tried to ease out of bed, she mumbled something in her sleep. Instead of heading off to watch a little television, he snuggled in deeply at her side and rehashed the game in his head.
In all, he’d played an average game. He knew he could have scored on several of his breakaways and wished he had. The finish wouldn’t have been so intense. And if he had scored, maybe Jen wouldn’t have been so stressed out at the end.
He berated himself. He knew he could have played much better. He vowed he would play harder in the next outing. He wouldn’t allow errant passes, he’d stay out of the penalty box, and he would win each and every faceoff he took. The rush to the finish line was on, and he was going to see that they were the first to cross it.
But in the second game, even though Ryne had committed to not making the same errors, he didn’t live up to his own promises. Instead, he ended up taking a major penalty when he was involved in a fight that led to a goal.
Philippe had also scored a goal to tie the game, but it was waved off because of Ryne’s reckless high stick. He was furious with himself, especially when they lost.
Ryne wasn’t in the best frame of mind when he returned home to find his mother and Jen watching highlights from the game. When he saw what was on the television, he grabbed the remote from the coffee table and shut it off. “I’d say he’s not in a pleasant mood.” Jen turned to Jacklynne and shrugged.
“I’d say not.” Jacklynne leaned over and kissed Jen on the cheek. “I’m going to head on home and leave you with Mr. Grumpy.” Her purse was lying on the table. As she reached for it, she squeezed her son’s shoulder. “You’ll get ’em next game.” With that, she left the house.
Ryne took his mother’s seat and stared straight ahead. “I really messed up tonight. I should have never gotten involved in that fight.”
“Then why did you?”
“Because he tripped me up a few minutes earlier and then went after me again against the boards. I’d had enough of his play.”
“So you needed to drop your gloves and duke it out.”
“Yeah, I did.”
“And did you feel better when you were cussing yourself out in the penalty box?”
“No.”
“Lesson learned, then. What about the high stick?”
He shook his head. “I don’t know…”
“Ryne, you’re doing it again. You’re putting too much pressure on yourself to perform. There are twenty-one players on the team besides you. This is a team sport. You can’t be everywhere on the ice. Everyone needs to step it up a little. This loss isn’t yours alone. It’s everyone’s that put their skates on tonight. You seem to forget that you’re not the only person carrying the team. Now snap out this.”
“When did you get so wise?”
“I’ve always been this way; you just haven’t listened to me when I’ve spoken.”
“I always listen to you.”
“Really, now?” She paused. “Ryne, I’ve told you this at least a hundred times.” She turned to place her hand on his cheek. “You got to where you are by playing the game you play not the one you think you need to play.” She rested her forehead against his. “You can’t do anything else about tonight’s game. It’s in the books. What you can control is the next game and the game after that.” She softly kissed him on the lips. “I’m ready for bed, what about you?”
He leaned over and kissed her forehead. “Go ahead and I’ll be there in a minute.” Ryne knew she was right, and there was absolutely nothing he could do about the game. He needed to have a positive attitude as they traveled to St. Louis.
As he skated onto the ice to begin warm-ups for the third game in the series, he glanced up to Ed’s box. He didn’t understand why, but he was overcome with emotion. Ed had surprised him when he stopped by his hotel room earlier that day. “We’ve all been busy with this series, but I needed to know how Jen’s doing. I know she’s not with you on this trip, but I worry about her.”
“She’s doing as well as can be expected. She doesn’t sleep as the baby seems to decide to keep her up at night. She wanted to be here but I put my foot down.”
“I know. I spoke with her when the Generals first made it into the playoffs. She was upset that she couldn’t travel. She wanted to be here.”
“She did but instead of her wise words, I have Rose and Wilford’s.”
“About that…”
“Hey, I understand. I wouldn’t expect you not to invite them and Lauren to join you in your box.” With a snicker he added, “We all know they’re cheering for…The Storm!”
“I think not,” Ed kiddingly added.
“No matter who wins, whether it’s the Generals or the Storm, I’m just thankful that I’ve been able to play with two stellar teams.” They chatted for a few more minutes then Ryne said, “Ed, thank you for being such a good friend to me and Jen. You hold a special place in her heart.” They shook hands and Ryne headed off for his meeting. He’d been lucky to call Ed a friend as well.
Ryne skated off the ice. He glanced up at Ed’s box and motioned a greeting with his stick to Rose, Wilford, and Lauren.
Philippe joined him on his walk back to the locker room. “Did you see Lauren in Ed’s box?” Ryne asked.
“Yeah, I did. She’s a traitor.”
Ryne chortled as he sat beside his brother.
“I spoke with her earlier, and she informed me she’s a Generals’ fan at heart and wouldn’t be cheering for me,” Philippe said as he ti
ghtened his skate.
“So was Jen until love entered the game,” Ryne added then slugged his brother in the arm. “You just need to step it up a little, big brother. She’s not going to wait forever for you.”
“I’m not searching for that right now. I’m still working on getting my head on straight. Give me a little more time.” Time is not what Philippe needed. Ryne wanted to see his brother move past the loss of Annabelle, and he thought Lauren was the perfect choice to help him. He needed to figure out a way to put them in the same orbit, or Philippe would never see that she was the one for him.
Three hours later Ryne sat down hard in front of his locker. Shaking his head, he knew he’d truly messed up again. He couldn’t understand what was wrong with him. Not only had he gotten into another fight, but he found himself in the penalty box way too many times. He rubbed his hand across his face. He was ashamed with the way he’d played, and he wouldn’t blame Ray if he became a healthy scratch for the next game. They were losing the series two games to one and needed to win the next one.
They had a day off between games and he met with Rose and Wilford. They had a good visit and Rose imparted to him the same words her granddaughter had. He needed to play his game, plain and simple.
So when Ryne took the opening faceoff in the fourth game, he recalled Rose’s words. Not only did he stay penalty free, he scored a hat trick, and the Storm shut out the Generals four to nothing.
As they flew on their chartered flight back to Calgary, Ryne felt good. The series was tied at two games each. In his opinion they were starting the series from scratch.
Their plane arrived late and Ryne did his best to be as quiet as possible when he walked in the door. Jen had texted him after the game that she was going home and would be waiting for him. He found her sprawled on the couch fast asleep with the television turned on the sports channel.