The Enforcer (37 page)

Zoe let out a long, heartfelt sigh before she answered, “I don’t know. Probably because I think I’m a little bit in love with him. Fuck, dammit and all the other bad words. If I analyzed myself, I think I’d find that, because we’re in an impossible situation, I’m trying to push him away, which makes me want him more.”

“Sorry Zoe.”

“I know. Forget about it. Wanna grab lunch before we hit the furniture store?”

Jody’s test results came out much better than they could have, and he was grateful.

“You do have some bruising, but that’s to be expected,” the doctor told him. “I still want you to take it easy for a while. Let’s say you sit out for tonight’s game and Tuesday’s, and I’ll re-evaluate you on Wednesday.” He then went on to ask whether Jody was experiencing any trouble with his vision, ringing in his ears or headaches.

“I don’t have any vision problems or ringing in my ears. I do still have a headache, but it is seventy percent better than last night.”

“Okay, that’s normal. I want you to continue with Advil for two more days, and use a cold compress a couple of times a day.” He stood up and shook Jody’s hand. “I’ll see you on Wednesday.”

After the doctor left, he sent Lacey a text.

Jody: Hey Lace. Tests came back good. Just slight bruising.

Lacey: Hi Jody. That’s great news! How long will you be out of the game?

Jody: Doc is going to re-evaluate me on Wednesday, so I’ll miss the next two games at least.

Lacey: Well, I’m glad they’re keeping you out. You need time to fully heal.

Jody: Yeah, yeah. So, I’m having some stiffness again …

Lacey read that last text and laughed. She and Zoe were sitting in a bar on the beach having some lunch. “His mind is on sex almost constantly.”

“Oh, you poor dear.” Zoe threw a french fry at her. “I’m so sorry you’re having too much sex.”

“Well, stop being so picky and go get some!” Lacey’s phone beeped again.

Jody: Lace? You thinking about how to help me? It’s really stiff!

Lacey: You’re incorrigible! I’ll see you tonight for dinner?

Jody: It’s a date. And Lace?

Lacey: Yes?

Jody: Don’t wear any panties, ok?

Lacey: I rarely do anymore. What’s the point? You just rip them off me. :)

Jody: How bout that? Just got stiffer.

In a million years, Lacey would never have believed that she’d dabble in ‘sexting.’ She wasn’t a prude, but she just wasn’t a wild girl either … until Jody.

Before Jody got back onto the ice, Coach wanted him to talk to Zoe about the incident. He invited Lacey to sit in with them, but she declined, thinking it might be better for Jody to talk to Zoe alone.

A couple of days later, Jody showed up at Zoe’s a little before two o’clock for his appointment. He still had a slight headache, and Zoe had the blinds mostly closed to keep the brightest light out of the room. Jody was not her first patient who had suffered concussions.

“Hi Jody, come on in. You want water or something?”

“Hey Doc, got anything stronger? Lacey hasn’t let me have a beer in days. The doctor says I’m good to go, and she says no.”

“One beer coming up. Not something I usually offer my clients, but I’ll make an exception.” Zoe left the room and grabbed Jody a Molson. She knew that was his favorite.

Jody popped the cap off and took a long pull. “God, that’s good. Thanks.”

“Sure thing. So, how are you feeling? I was glad to hear that your test results came back pretty well.”

“Physically I’m almost as good as new. I still have a little bit of a headache, but I can deal with that. Thanks for closing some of the blinds, by the way.” Jody didn’t know how much he wanted to delve into his mental state. Being knocked out for so long had freaked him out a little, although he played it off like it wasn’t a big deal.

“You’re welcome. So, you stated that
physically
you’re pretty good. Tell me what’s bothering you
mentally
.” Zoe was beyond pleased that Jody was willing to open up to her. She saw a difference in him already, just from their few sessions together. He was more willing to offer information, and she didn’t want to force any answers from him or say anything that might make him clam up. Therapy worked better when the patient didn’t feel cornered – when they felt like they were the offering up information freely.

“It’s really probably nothing. I mean I’m sure anyone would be a little freaked out being unconscious for so long, right?” Jody laughed self-consciously.

Zoe gave him half a nod. “Well, I would think so, but I’m really only interested in how you feel about it. There’s no shame in being afraid. I can’t imagine someone hitting me like that. And then going down so hard the way you did.”

Jody looked toward the door and then at Zoe. “Okay, well it’s Lacey. I mean, I’ve always tried to be careful with head hits, but it’s not always easy, especially since getting hit in the face is kind of part of my job. But now I feel like I have more to lose.” The next part was killing him to say. “I almost feel like I don’t want to do this anymore, and that scares the shit out of me. I feel weak.”

Well, that took Zoe back. She had no indication that Jody would consider not playing. “Why do you feel like that? Is it the trauma to your body? Does it have more to do with Lacey? Or is there something else involved?”

Jody ran his hand through his hair thinking. “Well, it’s not one particular thing, but the hit was like the straw that broke the camel’s back. What if I got hit again, and I wind up like Lindros or Primeau? Both of those guys had multiple concussions and have never been the same since. I don’t want to live the rest of my life battling headaches, fatigue or issues with my vision. So here’s my problem, and I know it’s my pride that’s suffering. Does that make me weak?” He couldn’t imagine being sick for the rest of his time with Lacey, but if he quits, is he weak? “I plan on having a life with Lacey, and I don’t want it ruined by something I could have avoided.”

“Jody, I think you have very valid points. I certainly can’t answer those questions for you, but think about this. If a man who has already had a great career and is financially secure wants to move on to the next phase of his life – loving a good woman – how does that make him weak?” Zoe could tell that Jody had thought a lot about this.

“It doesn’t, and realistically, I know that. I mean I’ve been in the league for fifteen years. I’ve had a great run, and I’m getting too old to be an effective enforcer with all these new, strong kids coming up in the league.” Jody laughed. “And hell, I don’t want to get shown up in every fight. Sometimes I think I should just quit while I’m ahead. I’m starting to lose fights here and there. I don’t want to be that old guy that gets his ass handed to him by some twenty-five year old kid night after night.”

Zoe shook her head. “Well, for what it’s worth, it sounds perfectly reasonable to me. I think you’ve got your head on straight here, Jody. At the risk of sounding condescending, I’m proud of you. It takes a big man to address issues that he’s not comfortable with. I think you already know what you do or don’t want to do. My advice is to listen to your gut. And I’m always here if you need to talk or vent or anything else.”

Jody stood up and walked around Zoe’s desk to give her a hug. “I’m sure this isn’t proper protocol either, but let’s face it, you’re Lace’s best friend, so you’re kind of like a sister to me. Thanks for listening to me, Zoe. It felt good to voice that out loud. I’m not going to say anything to Lace yet, though. I want to think it through some more.”

“You do that. It’s a big decision.” Zoe walked him out to the door, and they said their goodbyes. She had high hopes for Jody. He was thinking things through carefully, and she was sure he would make the best decision for himself.

Jody’s first game back wound up being a week before Thanksgiving. He stayed out a bit longer than expected, just to err on the side of caution. His headaches hadn’t gone away until three days earlier. Finally, he was cleared to play.

They were playing Chicago, who was at the top of their game. Chicago was currently in first place in the Western Conference, with the Scorpions in second. Chicago didn’t have a true heavyweight, who Jody would need to go up against, but the Scorpions had suffered a few injuries, and Jody was in the lineup.

Vlad was the starting goalie. He’d been in a bit of a slump for the past week. Two games ago, he was pulled in the second period. He was so pissed at himself that he broke his stick over the crossbar of the net before he skated off the ice.

Amid pats on the back as he took his seat near the bench, Vlad threw his glove down the chute toward the locker room. The trainer worked his way over to him. “You okay, Bejsiuk? Looked a little stiff out there. Anything bothering you?”

“No, I’m fine. Just having a bad run.”

“You sure you don’t want me to look …”

“I said I’m fine.” Vlad knew he was being an asshole, but there it was. He just wanted to be left alone to wallow in his own self-pity for his awful performance in the net lately.

“Well, you know where to find me.” Bill made his way back onto the bench to be available if anyone needed him.

Jody found the back of the net, late in the third, scoring the game-winning goal. He was on cloud nine. In his fifteen years of playing in the NHL, he’d only scored twenty-five goals. His first two months of the season with the Scorpions, and he’d already scored two. Being an enforcer, he didn’t see a lot of ice time, so it was especially gratifying to contribute a goal to help win the game.

Back in the locker room, Jody was getting high fives all around. Vlad, though, didn’t even offer congratulations. “Vlad, what’s up, man?”

“Look. I’m happy for you. You got a goal, great. I’m not fit company tonight, so just leave me be, okay?” Vlad slapped Jody on the back and left the locker room. On the way out, the coach stopped him.

“Vlad, it’s obvious that you’re dealing with something that you’re not letting us in on. You need to tell us what’s going on. Your behavior affects the entire team. Set up an appointment with Dr. Millis for tomorrow and then come talk to me.”

“Thanks for the concern Coach, but I don’t need to talk to her. I’ll be fine next game.” Seeing Zoe certainly wasn’t going to help him.

“It wasn’t a request, Bejsiuk. You’re benched until you figure out what’s going on in your head, or you decide to let us in on it. Make the appointment and see me after.” Sometimes the coach had to play hardball with these guys. Every single one of them thought they could do everything on their own. And goalies … well, goalies were in a class of their own.

“Great, fine. I’ll call her tonight.”