Wings of Love

by Jeanette Skutinik

  “Right now I work at the Bad Axe General Hospital for my internship. I will graduate with my nurses’ degree at the end of the year.”

  Amy was shocked. She felt bad that she had prejudged Angie before she had taken the time to know her. That will teach me never to judge a book by its cover again.

  “That is very impressive.” Amy said as she poured them each a cup of coffee.

  “I’ll be glad when school is done,” Angie said. “It has been hard to juggle my work and school plus his hockey schedule.” She rubbed Joey’s back as she smiled up at him.

  “You can play nurse with me anytime,” teased Joey. “I never lack injuries.”

  “Maybe I’ll just have to go with you on the road so I can take good care of you,” she teased.

  Joey rolled his eyes. “We’ll see about that.”

  Amy realized that it would not be easy for Angie as she dated Joey. With him on the road as much as he was it could put a strain on their relationship. Was Joey ready to give up all the partying and women for Angie? Only time would tell.

  “Well, I am going to call it a night.” Amy helped them put the game away. “It was really nice to see you again, Angie.”

  Amy went up to bed and read The Thornbirds by Colleen McCullough. She heard Joey as he came upstairs to go to bed.

  “Joey?” Amy called out as he walked past her room.

  “You’re still up?” Joey peeked in the doorway.

  “I just wanted to let you know I had a good time tonight. I like Angie. She is just as beautiful on the inside as she is on the outside.”

  “Yes, I think she is the total package.” Joey leaned against the wall. “Night Amy.”

  “Good night Joey.” Amy shut her lamp off and rolled over. She smiled as she dozed off thinking of Adam.

  ***

  Amy was bundled up in her parka, hat and mittens. She brought a thermos of hot chocolate along with her to keep warm. She promised Adam she would come see his game tonight. She watched for number twenty-one to skate out onto the ice. Her heart swelled with pride when she saw him as he skated past her.

  As Adam played she could tell how much he loved the game. He scored two goals and made three assists. Amy yelled the loudest, clapped the hardest and smiled the biggest for each and every one. They won the game 5-1. She watched Adam as he held his stick up in celebration.

  Amy sat drinking her hot chocolate while she watched the zamboni machine and waited for Adam to come out of the locker room. She waved at him the moment he exited the locker room. He walked towards her carrying his duffle bag of equipment slung over his shoulder.

  “Hi babe,” he sat the bag down and lifted her up giving her a bear hug and a kiss. He placed her down gently on her feet. “I am so glad you could make it.”

  “You played damn good Adam,” Amy looked up at him beaming. “I am so proud of you.”

  “Gee, thanks,” Adam brushed off the compliment. He picked up his duffle bag again. “How about we go to Big Boys for some dessert?”

  “Okay, I’ll follow you,” she said taking his hand as they left the arena which had almost emptied out.

  Amy followed his truck all the way to the restaurant. I Just Wanna Be Your Everything by Andy Gibb played on the radio. She smiled as the lyrics described exactly how she felt. She parked her car next to his truck and reached for her purse. She locked the car then walked over towards Adam.

  Adam greeted her with a kiss while softly caressing her back. “I missed you babe.” He reached for her hand and squeezed it.

  “Not as much as I missed you,” she swung her arm back and forth with his until they entered the restaurant.

  The hostess led them to a table and seated them. Amy looked over the menu then waited to see what Adam was going to get until making her final decision.

  “I think I will have the hot fudge brownie delight and a cup of coffee.” Adam told the waitress as she jotted it down on her tablet.

  “I’ll have the same.” Amy handed her the menu back. “How is school going?”

  “I am doing great. I’m at the top of my class in all subjects,” Adam smiled proudly. “I could not have done it without you.”

  “Give yourself some credit. You’ve worked hard and studied even harder,” Amy said.

  “Well, I’ve never had a teacher who kept me so interested in my study sessions,” he looked at her flirtatiously. “You are an amazing woman.”

  “Thank you,” Amy blushed. “You just bring out the best in me.”

  The waitress brought their desserts and refilled their coffee. She left some more napkins on the table. “If you need anything else just holler.”

  Amy dipped her ice cream into the hot fudge. She provocatively licked the spoon as Adam watched her in astonishment.

  “You better not make promises you can’t keep,” Adam’s eyes danced with pleasure. He wiped some hot fudge from her lip and licked it off his finger. “I was going to invite you over to my parent’s house this weekend.” Adam looked at her fondly. “But now I don’t know if I should take you to meet my mother.”

  “Okay, I’ll behave myself,” she laughed as she stared deep into his eyes. “I’d love to spend time with you and your family. I haven’t been there in a long time.”

  “Well I guess we better get going.” Adam noticed the waitress started shutting the lights off as a cue they were about to close.

  She gathered her things and bundled up. Amy and Adam walked out to the parking lot. She jumped on his back as he carried her to the car both of them laughed all the way there. Underneath the parking lot light, he picked her up in his arms kissing her passionately good night. She hugged him tight enjoying this moment of happiness shared between them.

  “Good night Adam,” she lightly kissed his nose before getting into her car.

  “Good night, babe.” Adam closed her door then tapped on her window. “I’ll call you.” He held his thumb and pinkie to his ear before walking away.

  Amy listened to Let Your Love Flow by The Bellamy Brothers on her way home. She sang along thinking about Adam. She wondered if he had the same song on in his truck and if Adam was thinking about her.

  ***

  Adam listened to the end of Take It to the Limit by The Eagles. He was just about to shut the truck off when he noticed Amy on the front porch. She glided down the stairs carrying a pie dish looking exceptionally beautiful today. She had on black high waist slacks, with a silky gray blouse covered by a black blazer which flared at her hips. Amy hips swayed as she walked towards him, her long gold earrings dangled in rhythm with her body. Damn she looks sexy.

  “Hi babe.” He leaned over and kissed her as she handed him the pie dish. “Hmm. Smells like apple pie?”

  “It’s my mom’s recipe,” Amy nodded. “I didn’t want to show up empty handed.”

  “Mom is making her award winning fried chicken.” Adam looked at Amy and smiled. “She won 1st place at the 1975 county fair. I’m sure you’ll hear all about it when we get there.”

  Adam headed out of town towards the open farmland. He stopped at the flashing yellow light by Frank’s Corner Market. When traffic cleared he made a left hand turn heading east towards his family’s farm. When he approached the first dirt road he made a right hand turn.

  Adam drove over an old wooden bridge which covered the Cass River. “This is where I used to fish all the time.” He shared the memories of his childhood with Amy. He pointed down a muddy lane that led into a field that was now covered with snow. “And over there is where I took the cows out to pasture every morning and walked them home every night.”

  As Adam pulled into the dirt driveway a couple dogs approached barking at the truck. Once the dogs recognized Adam their tails wagged happily to greet him. He pulled behind the house and parked his truck.

  “Hold up babe.” Adam came around to the passenger side and handed her the pie. He carried Amy to the back door and set her down on the cement step. “You look so beautiful I didn’t want you to get all muddy.
”

  “Thank you.” Amy blushed that he had noticed. “I wanted to look extra special today for you and your family.”

  “You always look extra special.” Adam told her honestly.

  Adam took Amy by the arm through the wooden screen door and entered the mudroom. The door slapped loudly against the frame as they entered a second door that led them to the kitchen. The room was filled with a mixture of fragrances. The chicken and pumpkin pies were the most noticeable of the aromas.

  “Hi mom,” Adam said to a gray haired, short woman who stood in front of the open oven door as she checked on the biscuits. When she stood up he placed a kiss on her cheek.

  “Hello Adam. It is good to see you,” she placed her hands on her hips. “Amy Makowski it is certainly good to see you again!” Mrs. LaPointe gave her a hug.

  “Thank you,” Amy smiled warmly at her. “It was nice of you to invite us over.”

  Adam was pleased noticing that Amy had said us instead of me. It felt good to have someone in his life to share it with. He stood by admiring Amy as she listened to his mom explaining how she made her fried chicken.

  “Mom, how long until dinner?” Adam asked taking a key off the hook by the phone. He decided to put on his Carhartt coveralls and boots while he waited for her to answer.

  “Oh I’d say about twenty minutes,” she replied adding some more wood to the stove. “I have everything done so you kids just go on and enjoy yourselves.”

  “We’ll be back by then.” Adam handed a snowmobile suit and boots to Amy that he found in the mudroom. “Here put these on.”

  “What do you have up your sleeve now, Adam LaPointe?” Amy questioned him with a puzzled look on her face.

  “I have something I want to show you.” He looked at her standing there in her oversized attire. “You’re really turning me on now,” he whispered into her ear with a smirk on his face.

  “I bet.” Amy slapped him on the arm as she rolled her eyes.

  Adam grabbed her hand leading her back outside to the tool shed. He jumped onto a snowmobile, started it up then handed Amy a helmet. “Hop on,” he shouted over the engine. She got on behind him and reached around his waist to hold on tight. He drove out of the tool shed, past the large gray barn and down the lane.

  Adam followed the paths that wove around acres of land owned by his family for generations. He continued over the fields then through a thick forest of black walnut trees that had lost all their leaves for winter. Adam took a path on the left that you would have missed if you didn’t know it was there. He speed up a steep hill then stopped where the path appeared to end.

  Adam got off the snowmobile and helped Amy down. He took her by the hand and walked between two large pine trees. They entered a clearing that was surrounded by more pine trees dusted with snow. In the center was the tallest pine tree of all.

  “My great, great grandfather planted this when he first came here.” Adam touched the trunk of the tree proudly.

  “It’s magnificent Adam.” Amy said as the beauty of it all took her breath away. “It feels so surreal.”

  “I wanted to share it with you.” Adam took a pocketknife out of his coveralls. “This has always been my secret place.”

  Adam carved the initials A. L. + A.M. into the fifty foot pine tree. “You’ve found a special place in my heart Amy Makowski.” He took her in his arms and kissed her. “I hope I’ve found a place in yours.” He lifted her up and placed her on the snowmobile. “We better get back.” As Amy held him close he could feel the warmth of her breath on his neck. Even in a snowmobile suit on the coldest day of the year this woman could make me hot with desire.

  Adam took Amy back to the house and parked the snowmobile in the tool shed. They took off their winter gear and went back into the warm kitchen where the family had gathered around the table.

  “Just in time,” Mr. LaPointe greeted them. “Evening Adam and Amy.”

  Adam held the chair for her then sat down between his father and Amy. He introduced her to his two sisters. Michelle was four years younger than Adam and in her senior year of high school. She had long, black hair and gray eyes just like her father and him. His other sister, Laurel, was a freshman in high school. She had short, brown hair and brown eyes resembling her mother.

  Adam passed the potatoes to Amy. “My mom makes the best mashed potatoes and they’re all from her garden too.” He plopped a spoonful onto both of their plates then passed it to his father. His father swapped him for the chicken.

  “Here is the award winning fried chicken I told you about.” Adam reminded her as he gave her a drumstick and placed a couple of pieces on his plate.

  “The whole meal is delicious,” said Amy as she took another helping of sweet potatoes and a biscuit.

  “My mom is the best cook I know,” Adam bragged then realized his error. “And Amy is an excellent cook too.”

  Amy and Mrs. LaPointe looked at each other and laughed.

  “Good recovery son,” Mr. LaPointe chuckled. “Now let’s have some pie.”

  The family sat around the table as they ate dessert. They discussed everything from last year’s crop prices to prom dresses. Adam sat with his father in the living room while they drank a cup of coffee. He could see Amy in the kitchen from where he sat. She chatted with the girls as they cleaned up the kitchen and placed all the leftovers in containers.

  “I’m glad you brought Amy over.” Mr. LaPointe winked at his son. “Bout time you found yourself a nice girl.”

  “She is something, isn’t she?” Adam said proudly. “I think she is a keeper.”

  Amy came over and sat next to his father on the plaid couch. As she carried a conversation with his father, Adam’s thoughts wandered off. He had enjoyed her spending the afternoon with him and his family. It had gone even better than he’d anticipated. If these past couple months were a glimpse of things to come he could see himself with her for awhile, maybe longer.

  Chapter 7

  Adam looked up in the crowd noticing Amy with her bright red, Motor City Blades hat and a smile that shined down on him. She came to almost every game and was his biggest fan. Her devotion had given him the confidence he much needed. Adam paid his dues, which in turn made him a more aggressive player and his speed picked up to NHL level.

  Adam’s team was down by two goals. He was passed the puck and pushed himself to get it back to his right winger. The opposing player crosschecked Adam from behind. He crashed into the boards and came to an abrupt halt. He heard a pop and felt an agonizing pain shoot through his leg. The referee signaled a time out and the coach came out onto the ice.

  Adam was carried off the ice by his teammates as they waited for an ambulance to arrive. He could see Amy’s face as she darted through the crowd of people surrounding him. He felt her as she grasped his hand between both of hers.

  “Hi babe,” he looked up at her as his face wretched with pain.

  “I’m here Adam.” Amy said as she walked alongside the stretcher that the paramedics placed him on. Adam passed out as they drove him to the hospital.

  When Adam woke up he was in the emergency room and the first thing he saw was Amy’s face. He looked around and noticed there was a curtain pulled around them. “Hi babe,” he barely whispered.

  “Hi honey,” Amy rose from the chair and rushed to his side. “I’m relieved you are awake. The doctor said you had a mild concussion.”

  Adam lifted his hand and touched his chin. “What’s with the bandage?”

  “When you fell you laid your chin open. They sutured you up, twenty-one stitches in all,” She explained to Adam.

  “How ironic,” Adam said as he noticed the pain in his knee again.

  The curtain moved as a doctor came in and approached him. “I’m Dr. Perry,” he said as he shook Adam’s hand. “It looks like you damaged your medial collateral ligament in your right knee. Many of these injuries require no treatment other than rest and possibly physical therapy, but some injuries require surgery.”
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  “Surgery?” Adam looked shocked. “Will I be able to play hockey?”

  “Have you ever had an injury like this before?” The doctor shifted his weight as he wrote on his clipboard.

  “No, this is the first time,” answered Adam.

  “That’s good news. You more than likely will be able to play again. But if you should have a recurring injury you may have to quit.” Dr. Perry continued, “Although before we can reach a final decision I’m going to have some x-rays taken to see the extent of the damage.”

  “What can you do for him now Dr. Perry?” Amy showed concern in her eyes. “He still seems to be in a lot of pain.”

  “I have prescribed him a painkiller and also a muscle relaxant. I advise that he stay off of the injury at this point.” The doctor looked at her with compassion. “I have him scheduled for an x-ray now. It will establish an accurate diagnosis of the extent of the damage. We will have a room ready for him soon, so get plenty of bed rest.” Dr. Perry placed the clipboard on the back of his bed then left the room.

  “What am I going to do if this has wrecked my chances to play pro-hockey?” Adam searched Amy eyes for an answer.

  “First of all we are not going to worry about something that hasn’t even happened yet.” Amy comforted him as she squeezed his hand. “The only thing I can promise you is that we will get through this one way or another.”

  We….he liked the sound of that. Adam picked up her hand and kissed it.

  A short stout nurse came in and wheeled Adam out to get his x-ray. As Adam left the room he looked at Amy. “Could you give my mom and dad a call to let them know what happened?” Before he even heard her reply he disappeared down the hallway.

  ***

  Amy headed downstairs to locate a pay phone. She noticed there was one in the gift shop. She deposited two quarters and dialed Adam’s folks’ home phone number. She watched as people hurried in and out of the gift shop with their purchases of flowers and cards. The telephone rang at least a half a dozen times.