“Let me close the blinds a little.” Tracy walked to the window.
Ike breathed a sigh of relief as the light faded.
A nurse came in and checked his vital signs and his IV, then adjusted his pillows and showed him how to raise the bed. “If you need more pain relief, you can press this button.” She touched the control lying beside his left hand. “Don’t be a martyr. It doesn’t do you or me any favors.”
He nodded his understanding, grateful that the drug took effect almost immediately—seeping into his veins and making him feel light-headed. He didn’t like the wooziness, but he ached all over and his arm felt as though those blades were still slicing him.
Once the nurse had left, Tracy returned to his bedside. She hovered uncertainly. If he didn’t know better, he’d say she was nervous.
“I...uh...should probably go. I just wanted to check you were okay. For Maggie and...” Her voice trailed off. She cleared her throat. “Anyway, I hope you get better soon.”
He didn’t want her to leave. “Si—” he tried to speak, but struggled to get a sound out.
“Here.” Tracy put a glass of water in his good hand, twisting the straw so it was against his lips. “Dry mouth is another side effect.”
The cold water was blissful against his raw throat. After several sips, he said hoarsely, “Sit. Stay. Please.”
She hesitated for a few seconds, then perched on the edge of the chair, looking like she might jump up again at any moment. “How are you feeling?”
“Like I got ran over by a Zamboni. Twice.”
“That second time is always the killer.” Her lips curved briefly. “You gave everyone quite a scare. Poor Steeler was beside himself.”
As she spoke, memories began to flood back. But Ike’s mind was still muddled and he found it hard to distinguish between what had really happened and what had been a dream. Clearly the whole “bare-assed in a gown” thing wasn’t true. The damage to his arm, though, was all too real.
“I remember the pileup and making it off the ice. After that, it’s a blank until I woke up in this room.” He frowned again. “I don’t even know if the Cats won.”
“They did, and Kenny got you the game puck. Though I don’t know why you’d want a souvenir of that game.”
Ike shrugged. “It’s one to add to the collection, I guess. It’s not like I get hurt too often.”
“I think you’ve made up for your lack of injuries with this one.”
“For sure. The doc said it’ll be a long time before I can even practice, let alone play.”
“I know that’s tough, but once your arm heals, you’ll be as good as new. You’re lucky.”
“Real lucky—I’m out until at least March.” Everything was clear now, even the things he wished he could forget.
“You could have been out permanently.” Tracy’s voice softened. “You’ll be back on the ice before you know it.”
“In the meantime, I’m not freaking allowed out of bed until I get the okay from the doc. I can’t even twiddle my thumbs.” His laugh was edged with bitterness. “Then when he does let me up, all I can do is physio on my arm. I can’t work out until I’m cleared from that—which could be weeks.”
How the hell was he supposed to keep himself game-fit if he couldn’t exercise? Not even a stationary bike. Ike had promised he’d be careful not to do anything that’d damage his arm—damn it, he wouldn’t risk setting his recovery back further—but Dr. Gibson had been resolute. Ike’s arm was the first, the only, priority.
The one glimmer of hope had been the surgeon’s confidence that Ike’s overall level of fitness would mean his recovery should be faster than for a non-athlete. But even that had come with a caveat—as long as Ike followed instructions to the letter.
“I’m sure it’ll pass more quickly than you think,” Tracy said with a reassuring smile.
Ike shot her an incredulous look. “The hell it will. It’ll be worse than waiting for the play-offs to end when you haven’t made the cut. You just want them to freaking award the Cup already, so you can start thinking about the next season. This...” He clenched his jaw against the urge to yell. “This will be pure torture.”
And he’d suffer alone. He couldn’t hang with the team. Though, truthfully, he wasn’t sure he wanted to. It’d be the worst kind of torment—being around the guys but not able to practice or do anything to help the team. Having to wear a suit and sit in the press-box for every home game—man, he hadn’t done that since his rookie year. Nah—better to stay away altogether until he had the green light to skate.
“All you can do is take it one day at a time.”
“I don’t have a choice, do I?”
“No. Sorry.”
Ike slumped back against the pillows. “At least if I was a horse, they’d shoot me to put me out of my misery.”
“For heaven’s sake.” Tracy rolled her eyes. “It’s not the end of the world.”
“Isn’t it?”
“You act like you’ve been told you can’t ever play again. Think of those poor blokes who suddenly develop medical conditions—like heart irregularities and strokes—that are career-ending. Your injury isn’t even season-ending.”
Her lecturing tone brought out her English accent. It made him feel like a petulant child.
It also made him hot.
Not that he could do anything about that right now. Instantly, his brain filled with images of how they could take advantage of the bed without jarring his arm. It would require a little athleticism on Tracy’s part. If she climbed up and positioned herself...
Stop! What was wrong with him?
He shifted, hoping she wouldn’t notice his distraction. “I’ll be fine once I can get out of this bed. Even better once they let me go home. At least I don’t have to wait on Physio to sign my discharge papers.”
“Can I do anything to help?”
His mind zipped back to the fantasy he’d had only moments ago. Crap. That wasn’t what he needed to be thinking about. Embarrassed by his one-track mind, he replied more harshly than he intended. “What do you mean, ‘help’?”
“I don’t know. Anything you need doing for you at home? Whatever will make life easier while you’re not able to do much for yourself.”
“You’re kidding,” he snapped. Her offer scraped his already sore ego. He hated feeling helpless. Useless. That’s all he needed—Miss Freaking Superwoman feeling sorry for him and treating him like an invalid. “I’ve been in hospital less than twenty-four hours and you’re already touting for business.”
Tracy reared back as if he’d hit her. “That wasn’t what I meant at all.”
“Yeah, right. I know you—Making Your Move is all you think about. Well, I’m not going to be a guinea pig for your new services. You’ll have to find some other way to get the Ice Cats interested.”
“Where the hell did that come from? I never mentioned my company or my services.” Tracy pushed the chair back and stood. Hurt darkened her eyes. “I was trying to be friendly. I should have known better.”
Ike knew he’d made a big mistake, but couldn’t bring himself to back down. “Come on, you’re not telling me you wouldn’t have offered me a special discount?”
“Actually,