Goalie Interference (NHL Scorpions) (16 page)

He tried not to laugh as he answered her. “He’s fine. People react differently. Men almost always focus on sex if there’s a pretty lady around—anesthesia or not.” He winked at her to put her at ease. “You qualify. He’s a lucky guy.”

“Thanks, but how long will he be like this?”

“It varies. Since he’s still so out of it, let’s see if we can get him to go back to sleep.”Dillon walked over to Vlad and checked his vitals.

“Mr. Bejsiuk? How are you feeling?”

“I feel fucking fantastic. You see my girl? I can’t remember her name, but she’s fuckin’ hot, isn’t she, man?”

Dillon ignored his question, but gave him a friendly smile. “How about you do me a favor and take a little nap? It’ll help us get you out of here faster and then you can go home with your beautiful girl.”

“Yeah, sure. Anything to get to her quicker.” Vlad winked at the nurse. “We guys gotta stick together.” His speech slurred as his eyes slowly shut.

Dillon motioned Zoe to the area just beyond the curtain. “He should be asleep in a few minutes. When he wakes up again, we’ll see how alert he is. You can stay in here if you want.”

“Thanks, Dillon.”

When Vlad woke up the second time, he was his usual self. He didn’t remember being awake previously, but from what he was told, it sounded like he was pretty funny. Zoe didn’t to seem agree.

A day later, Zoe was folding some of Vlad’s laundry when he walked up behind her.

“What are you doing? I can do that.” He grabbed her around the waist and carefully pulled her back against him, kissing her neck. “Remember, I’m supposed to be up and moving around.”

“I know. I needed something to do while you were in the shower.”

“If you had joined me in there, like I asked you to, you would have had plenty to do. I had a terrible time reaching my back.”

“Your back, huh? I don’t thinks so. You’re supposed to be up and about, but you’re also supposed to limit your hip movement. If you’re really that impatient to have me again …” Zoe ran her finger from his bottom lip down to his belt buckle. “See what your physical therapist says.”

“Tracey? If I ask her, she’ll tell me I can never have sex again. I’ve only seen her once so far and I can already tell she’s vindictive. All I did was suggest that it might be better for a man to help me with the first couple of sessions. What if I had fallen? Of course, now I know she could hold me up. By pure stubborn will if need be.” Vlad had gotten off on the wrong foot with his PT. She didn’t seem to take it personally, though, thank God.

“Oh, I like her. She sounds like just the kind of therapist you need. Speaking of therapy, are you ready to go? I want to stop at my house and grab a couple of files on the way.”

“Yeah, I’m ready. For the record, though, I think it’s stupid that I can’t drive for four weeks. It’s not like it takes that much pressure to push a gas pedal down.”

“Yes, Vlad. Anyone who knows you knows how you feel about not being able to drive. Honestly, get over it. You’re worse than a child.”

Therapy was the usual fun time he was becoming used to. His drill sergeant made sure he did every single freaking exercise. And she was not pleased if he didn’t do them to perfection.

“Come on, Bejsiuk, clench those muscles. My eight year old could do it better.”

“Well, maybe if you weren’t pinching my ass, I could concentrate. You know I’m taken, Tracey. I think you need to look elsewhere.” He clenched his glutes as tightly as he could and grimaced at the sharp pain he felt.

“Yeah, that’s another thing, Vlad. Did you take your pain pills today?”

“I don’t need them.”

“Yeah, you do. It’s not unmanly to take your pain pills. If you can’t mask the pain enough, you can’t properly do your exercises. If you can’t properly do your exercises, you won’t get your full range of motion back. Didn’t you tell me that you want to skate again?”

She knew very well that he wanted to skate again. He let out a breath and hung his head. “Yes, I want to skate again. Fine, I’ll take my pills, but only when I’m doing my therapy.”

“And when you go to bed to help you relax and heal. Suck it up. It’s not forever, but it is important. Now, let’s do some hip abductions, shall we?”

“Oh, yes please. I love them so.” Vlad groaned as he rolled over onto his side.

She smiled in that evil way of hers. “I know. Fifteen please. Nice and slow.”

He knew she took her job seriously, and that she only wanted to help him heal, but God she was a bitch sometimes. “I’m on it.” She made him start over—twice.

As the weeks went by and Thanksgiving loomed ever closer, Vlad began to see a lot of improvement in his hip. He supposed he had Tracey to thank for that. She may have pushed him relentlessly, but he knew he wouldn’t be as far along as he was if she hadn’t.

Zoe was sitting at her kitchen table, while Vlad stood at the window, staring blankly out at the darkening sky. They were supposed to be planning their Thanksgiving dinner, but Vlad’s attention was elsewhere. “What are you thinking about so intently over there?”

“I was thinking about Tracey, believe it or not. I think she may be the devil in disguise, but look at how well I move already. I might get her and her family some Leafs tickets. What do you think? Is that too much?”

“I think it’s a great idea. I’m sure she’s earned them.” Zoe smiled at the offended look he gave her.

Eyes wide, eyebrows raised, he asked, “Earned them? Did I tell you how she taunts me when she feels like I’m not working hard enough? She tells me that the Leafs’ goalie is the best she’s ever seen, and if it were
him
in therapy, she’s sure he’d work harder than me.” Vlad laughed as he realized her methods worked. He
did
work harder, just to prove her wrong. “I’ll be damned. It works.”

“Good for her. I know you, Vlad. I’ve also had you in therapy. I’d be willing to bet you battle that poor woman at every appointment.”

Vlad didn’t exactly admit to it, but he did shrug his shoulders as he said, “Maybe.”

The day Vlad’s family arrived was a crisp one for San Diego. The air was cool with a tang of all things autumn riding in the wind.

Zoe had gone all out decorating her house. She said it was to make his family feel welcome, but Vlad thought she again, used them as an excuse to go shopping. It was no secret that Zoe loved to shop.

The stairway leading up to the door outside was lined with large bales of hay. The smell of them reminded Vlad of days spent in his uncle’s barn as a little boy.

Pumpkins of all sizes sat on various bales, while others sported strings of leaves in brilliant hues of red, yellow and orange. Standing sentry at the door was a life-sized scarecrow with a beady eyed crow perched on his shoulder.

Vlad got past all of the outside décor only to be assaulted with the interior decorations. He looked around in awe. Zoe had been very busy since the last time he’d been there.

“Holy shit, Zoe. When did you get all this stuff? It looks like autumn threw up in here.”

“Really…you don’t know the first thing about making a house homey. Your place is full of black granite and chrome. Maybe I went a bit overboard, but it’s important to make a good first impression. I want my home to feel welcoming.”

“You know, some might say that you’re overcompensating because you’re not convinced of your own self-worth.”

Zoe looked at him, head cocked in thought. She seemed to discount what he said and shook it off. “Wait, I know why you said that. You’ve been reading my
Psychology Today
journals again, haven’t you?”

“Well, I’m bored.” Since he didn’t have a physical outlet at the moment, he needed something to occupy his mind. He was tired of watching TV and cruising around the Internet, so he figured that learning about Zoe’s world would give them something else to talk about. It was only fair. She knew all about hockey, after all. “And you’re changing the subject. Do you really think you need all this stuff to make your house ‘homey’?” He waved his arm around the room and waited for her answer.

The world’s biggest cornucopia sat proudly on the dining room table. It was overflowing with mini pumpkins and gourds of varying sizes and colors. A large brown velvet bow graced the wide-mouth opening, ribbons spilling over the sides.

All of the windows had some sort of decoration on them. The ones in the living room had strings of pinecones and leaves draped in soft folds over the curtains. The windows that didn’t have curtains were adorned with gel cling-ons.

It was complicated, but classy. Zoe had a way of making things that could be tacky—like the gel clings—look like a sophisticated design made especially for the space they inhabited.

He still couldn’t help himself. He felt his lips turning up as he took it all in.

Zoe saw him looking all around. She also caught the tilt of his lips. “Don’t you dare laugh.” A reluctant smile formed on her lips as she tried to see the house as Vlad did. “It’s too much, isn’t it?”

Taking one last look at a couple of black crows sitting on—what else—a pumpkin, Vlad shook his head. “It looks great, Zoe. It really does. My family will love it.”