Love On the Brain (Corey Crawford)

26| What Happend

Corey

It's always a big deal when we play the LA Kings. There's so much recent history between these two teams in the playoffs. In fact the past four Stanley cups have been spilt between the two teams so it's always a big deal when we play each other no matter where or what time of the year. Even though it's the middle of March, two points is still important just as a playoff game would be. And every win against them is a hard fought one.

I get ready before the game like I always do. We all wait in my locker as music blasts and the boys pump each other up. I look in my locker and see the mask that Jess got me for my birthday in there. I carry it around with me as motivation to be to this organization what Tony O once was. It was a memento to making it in the NHL and making a impact too. I've broken some of his records but I still got a long way to go. Just gotta take it one game at a time.

I take the ice for warm ups and I head straight to my crease for line rushes. I look up and see Jessica sitting there behind the net and I smile to myself. She waves at me and I wave back as she hangs out with Lindsey and Amanda like usual. For the first time since the first game she was here she wore my jersey and that made my heart flutter. I know she felt weird about it but maybe the tides were changing.

After warm ups passes we get the national anthem under way and the puck drops. The game gets started off rough and it was obvious we have been playing a long stretch of hockey recently. But as the goalie the two goals we let in in the first period were bad in my part. Those ones were defiantly on me and I know that if we were going to win this game I would have to get it together, and fast.

As I stand in my crease halfway through the second period I watch the play carefully. I track the puck like I should and I try to keep my eyes on it as it gets sent around the ice. The Kings all rush to my zone  and two of them can't stop as they come crashing into the net.

The next thing I knew I was laying on the ice on my back looking up. Everything was blurry as I blink a bunch of times to try and see what was happening. I could see figures but couldn't see who anyone was. It all kind of faded in and out as I laid there completely still.

Eventually everything focuses in again and I can see the athletic trainer sitting over me. He had one of those "this can't be good" faces and I swallow hard. This should be good.

"Corey, can you stand" he asks.

"Yeah, I'm fine" I insist.

"You're not fine. But I do think you can get to your feet then we'll help you to the locker room" he says.

"No, I'm fine" I insist.

"Corey" he says sternly like my mom always did when I did something wrong and I sigh. I knew he was right, I just didn't want to leave with unfinished business.

I slowly roll to my feet and stand up. The crowd starts to cheer as I get helped off but I wasn't celebrating. I slowly make my way the the locker room and set my helmet down. The athletic trainer does some tests and they get me some ice for the nice bump on the back of my head.

"I know this is about to sound really bad... but what happened out there" I wonder and he lets out a harsh sigh. I've been through this before but I'm always stubborn with these things so he knows I still want to play no matter what he tells me.

"You got knocked over and your helmet flew off. You hit your head on the ice" he says.

"So not good" I try to joke and he cracks a little smile.

"The opposite actually" he says.

"Yeah I kinda figured" I admit.

"I'm gonna keep you around for a little longer for observations then I'll let you go. You're gonna have to find someone to watch over you once you leave so think about that" he says and I nod. He goes out to watch the rest of the second period and I get moved to the training room to rest and be observed. I watch the rest of the game on the sidelines which wasn't any better than when I was playing. But instead of helping I was on a observation table letting my legs hang over so my feet hover above the floor. I was down to my under armor and cooling off by myself feeling pretty shitty.

I hear a knock on the door and it's the knock I usually use when I'm with Jessica. I turn around and see her standing in the doorway. Her eyes were all glossy and she looked like she was staring at a ghost as she stared at me.

"Come here" I say as I open my arms. She rushes over to me and placed herself in between my legs and pulls me into a hug. I hear her sniffle as she buries her face into my chest. I could feel how broken up she was and I hated that I was the reason she was like this. "Hey now, why are you crying" I wonder.

"I was so scared" she whispers. "I saw you laying on the ice and you didn't move. You were just laying there and no one would touch you. I thought you were dead" she claims.

"I wouldn't go without seeing you one more time" I assure her.

"Is that supposed to make me feel better" she teases and I laugh.

"It was. But you're too smart for any of that stuff anyway" I remember.

"Are you.. are you going to be okay" she whispers.

"Yeah, they aren't sending me to the hospital so that's good. But I do need someone to watch over me for the foreseeable future" I admit.

"And you want me" she asks.

"I've always wanted you" I admit and she smiles.

"Luckily for you I have nothing else I do in my life, so I can watch over you" she says.

"Good" I smile.

"Good" she repeats.

After the game the athletic trainer gives me the go ahead to head home. I leave my car and Jess takes me over in her car. We get up to my place and she starts to pick up because I'm messy and she hated it. She always gave me shit about it but I was a busy man and didn't make time in my schedule for cleaning. Once she was done we sit on the couch and she lights some candles since I can't watch tv or have lights on or listen to music or anything like that. We just sit there and watch the candle light flicker between us.

"I'm sorry" I say and she lets out a long sigh.

"What are you apologizing for" she asks.

"Because I know how you feel about concussions and now we're here" I say.

"You're not the reason I hate head injuries. But I do hate that it happened to you" she admits.

"And for that I'm sorry" I say.

She crawls over from the other side of the couch and placed herself in my lap. She grabs my face and I can see how hard this was for her no matter how much she didn't want to admit it. I wipe away a tear from her cheek as he sniffles the rest away.

"You're gonna be okay, I promise" she says softly.