Therapy is Good for the Soul

“Why don’t we go on a double date tonight? We can go to dinner and a movie or get some takeout and watch a movie here or at my place.”

“Sounds good to me, but let me check with Tyler to make sure he doesn’t have somethin planned for us since tonight is date night.”

“If he says it’s ok, lets call Christina and see if she and Freddy want to join us too. It’s been a while since we’ve all hung out together.”

“Ooh, speak of the Devil.” Bailey answered her phone when she heard Hairspray’s “I Can Hear the Bells”, the latest ringtone she picked for Tyler. “Hey Tyler, were your ears ringin?”

“Talking about me again eh. Only good things I hope.”

“Always. Em and I were just talkin and wanted to see if you’d be up for a group date tonight? We were thinkin maybe dinner and a movie. How does that sound?”

“That’s actually why I’m calling. I know it’s date night, but I’m not feeling so hot and think it’s best I stay in for the night.”

“Ok, I can come over now, make you some soup, and nurse you back to health.”

“That’s very sweet and as much as I think I’d enjoy you playing nurse, I don’t want you to get sick. Why don’t you hang out with the girls tonight?”

“You sure? I really don’t mind.”

“Bay, I’m positive. All I want to do is get in bed, so it’d be pretty boring around here. Go out and have fun. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Ok, promise you’ll call me if you need anything!”

“I promise.”

“Get some rest and I’ll call you in the mornin. I love you.”

“Love you too. Bye Bay.”

“Feel better; bye.”

“Tyler’s sick?”

“Yeah, he said he’s not feelin well and just wants to go to bed.”

“Sorry to hear that, I’m sure he’ll bounce back soon.” She wrapped her arm around Bailey’s shoulder, sensing her worry.

“I know, just wish he’d let me come help.”

“I wouldn’t worry about it. He probably just doesn’t want to get you sick or have you see him not look so perfect” Emily tried to lighten the mood.

“You’re probably right; he did say he didn’t want me to get sick. He also said we should have a girls night. Do you think Steven would be ok with that?”

“Not that he has a choice, but I’m sure he wouldn’t care. Let’s call Christina and see if she’s in too.”

Bailey picked her phone off the coffee table and dialed Christina’s number. “Hey Christina! I’ve got you on speakerphone. Em and I want to know if you’d be up for a girls night tonight?”

“I’d love too, but unfortunately Freddy got free tickets to the Celtics game from work and I promised I’d go with him.”

“What if Steven went with him to the game instead?” Em offered her husband’s presence knowing he’d enjoy the game more than Christina.

“That sounds wonderful to me! Let me text Freddy and make sure he’s ok with that too.” Christina sent the text while continuing her conversation with the girls. “So what’s Tyler up to this evening?”

“He’s not feelin well and is just stayin in to rest.”

“I’m surprised you’re not over there nursing him back to health as we speak.”

“I want to, but he insisted I have a girls night because he doesn’t want me to get sick.”

“That makes sense. Ok, we’re good to go ladies; Freddy just sent a text saying that was fine with him. Em, you better go call Steven and fill him in on the plan.”

“Already on it.”

“Great! I get off work in twenty minutes, need me to pick up anything on the way home?”

“We can order pizza for dinner and I’ll bake brownies. Would you mind gettin some ice cream and chocolate syrup so we can make brownie sundaes?”

“I’m on it. Got to get back to work. See you soon.”

“Bye” Em and Bailey shouted into the phone in unison.

Christina arrived back at the apartment she shared with Bailey an hour later with a pint each of Ben and Jerry’s The Tonight Dough, Chubby Hubby, and Wayne’Swirled. The three girls pigged out on pizza and their brownie sundaes while having a Hunger Games movie marathon and gossiping all night. Emily decided to spend the night, turning their evening into a slumber party.

Bailey tried calling and texting Tyler a few times throughout the night to see if he needed anything. She never received a reply or an answer so she figured he was asleep. She made Freddy check-in on him after the game, and he said Tyler was sound asleep and sawing logs.

The next morning she received an unwanted early wake-up call from a coworker asking if she could cover her shift at the hospital because her son was sick. Bailey of course couldn’t say no, so she made herself get out of bed and take a quick shower before putting on a pair of scrubs. She left Emily and Christina a note on the refrigerator letting them know she got called into work. She grabbed a bagel and a banana and headed to the hospital. While on the subway, to help pass the time, she sent Tyler a text saying she hoped he felt better. She also let him know she was working today and probably wouldn’t be available until at least noon.

Bailey was elated to see the bulk of her morning would be spent in the NICU. She absolutely loved getting to work with the tiny babies, trying to help them get stronger and be able to take a bottle. She was finishing up her notes after her last treatment for the day around 1:00, when one of the nurses noticed her on the computer.

“Bailey heard your fella’s under the weather. Hate to see his hot streak end, so I hope he has a quick recovery!”

“Elisha, how’d you know Tyler wasn’t feelin well?”

“I was listening to the radio on my break and they said he got sent home before practice even started because they thought he might have the flu.”

“The team sent him home?”

“Yeah, that’s what they said. I’m sorry Bailey, I just assumed you knew.”

“No, thanks for letting me know. I’ve been treatin all mornin and haven’t checked my phone. I don’t mean to be rude, but I need to finish this note so I can go check on him.”

“Of course, don’t worry about it. Like I said earlier, I hope he feels better soon.”

“Thanks.”

Bailey quickly finished her notes and went back to the therapy office praying no new orders came in since she last checked. There was one new order, but thankfully it wasn’t urgent and could wait until tomorrow. She clocked out and grabbed her things and ran to catch the T. Before she went to Tyler’s she stopped at the grocery store to get everything she needed to make him chicken noodle soup. She opened the door to his condo and dropped off the groceries on the kitchen counter.

“Hey buddy, let’s go check on your daddy.”

She bent down to pet Marshall before he led her to Tyler’s bedroom. As they reached the door, Bailey gagged at the odor coming from his room; it was clear Tyler had gotten sick. She took a deep breath and pushed the door all the way open. When she saw Tyler lying in the bed looking so pale and drenched in sweat, she ran over to him.

“Tyler, I’m here baby.” She was greeted with a moan as he slightly opened his eyes. Bailey gently placed the back of her hand on his forehead. “Sweetie, you’re burnin up! I’m goin to get the thermometer and some Tylenol for you. I’ll be right back.” She bent down and kissed the top of his soaked head. She grabbed the thermometer and Tylenol out of his bathroom. “My goodness Tyler, you have a temperature of 104.3. Here take these and I’m going to go run a cold bath for you. We need to bring that fever down.”

She helped Tyler sit up enough to take a few sips of water and swallow four Tylenol. He collapsed back down on the pillow, while she ran to start the bath. Bailey called Christina’s mom to ask if there was anything else she should do for Tyler as she let the water fill the tub. She added a couple of cups of ice to the bath water per Christina’s mom’s suggestion. After the bath was ready, she helped Tyler get out of bed despite his pathetic attempt to protest her assistance. She pulled his t-shirt and boxers off and helped him get into the tub.

“Ahh, it’s fucking freezing!” he groaned.

“I know, I’m sorry baby, but it’s what you need right now.” She kissed his forehead. “Just try to relax and it will be over before you know it. Will you be ok for a minute, so I can go change your sheets and freshen up your room? I’ll try to be quick.”

He responded with a simple nod. She placed the trashcan near the tub before giving Tyler one last kiss on top of his head and headed back into his room. She was again struck by the horrid smell coming from Tyler’s trashcan that was strategically placed near the head of the bed. She held her breath as best she could and carried the can to his bathroom, dumped the contents into the toilet, and quickly flushed it. She then rinsed out the can in his shower. She pulled off all the linen Tyler had soaked through and carried them to his laundry room. When she opened the hall linen closet, she cursed under her breath when she realized all the bed linen was on the top shelf and out of her reach. She checked on Tyler in the bathroom to make sure he was still ok before grabbing a coat hanger from his closet. She started jumping up and down and tried to push the linen off the shelf with the coat hanger.

“What the Hell are you doin?” Caught off guard by Freddy, Bailey screamed. “Jesus Freddy, you scared me half to death!”

“Bay?” Tyler’s weak yet concerned cry could barely be heard in the hall.

“No worries, Freddy just snuck up on me. I’ll be there in a minute.”

“What’s going on, he sounds horrible?”

“He’s really sick and I’m tryin to get new sheets and pillow cases for him. His fever’s so high, he soaked through them.”

“Here let me help.” Freddy reached over Bailey’s head and grabbed a top and bottom sheet as well as a few pillowcases. “I’ve got this, you go check on Tyler.”

“Thank you! Oh, and you may want to hold your breath. I didn’t get a chance to mop up his floor yet and some of his vomit leaked out of the trashcan. I’ll do that as soon as I check on Tyler.”

“Take a deep breath and let me help. You go take care of Tyler and I’ll finish cleaning his room and take Marshall out.”

“Thank you Freddy. I owe you one!” She stretched up on her toes to peck his cheek and headed to the bathroom. “See, I told you this wouldn’t be so bad; your fever’s goin down.” Bailey smiled as she removed her hand from Tyler’s forehead.

Tyler grabbed Bailey’s hand, “This isn’t fun; I’d rather take a bath with you. Remember?” Tyler winked at Bailey. A pink hew to wash over her face as she recalled that intimate moment they shared.

“Well, you’re definitely feelin better. I promise we can share another bubble bath when you’re feelin 100%.” The corners of her lips turned up in a smile. “Let me wash your hair, then you can get out and get back to bed.” Bailey took a cup and poured some water over his head to get his hair wet. She then gave him a scalp massage as she worked the shampoo through his hair. “How does that feel?”

“Heavenly, I love your magic fingers.”

Bailey giggled as she continued to wash his hair. After she rinsed the shampoo out, she released the plug in the tub and helped Tyler get out. Tyler put on a clean pair of boxer briefs, a t-shirt, and his pajama bottoms that Bailey brought in for him.

“All right, back to bed you go.” Bailey escorted Tyler back to his bedroom and helped him get into the freshly made bed. “101.7, much better but still a fever. I’m going to bring you a Gatorade. You need to try and sleep while I make you some soup.”

Tyler reached for Bailey’s hand before she could walk away after she brought him the drink. “Thanks Bay.” He brought her had to his lips.

“You’re welcome. Now get some rest; I’ll check on you in a little while.” She kissed the top of his head and pulled the blankets up higher.

Tyler took a long nap and woke up three and a half hours later. His temperature still hovered around 101. Bailey made him take more Tylenol and insisted on feeding him a bowl of the broth from the soup she made. Tyler thought Bailey’s effort to nurse him back to health was sweet and absolutely adorable. Nobody, besides his mother ever cared so much for him.

Bailey spent the night in his guest room. She checked on him throughout the night, feeling his forehead to make sure his fever didn’t go up as well as make sure he kept down the fluids he took in. Tyler woke up at 10:00 feeling significantly better than yesterday, but still not 100%. When Bailey heard him stir, she immediately went to check on him. She sat on the edge of his bed and felt his forehead.

“How are you feelin?”

“Better and hungry.”

“Good, let’s see if you still have a temperature, then I’ll fix you some breakfast.” She placed the thermometer in Tyler’s mouth and laced her fingers with his while they waited for it to beep. “99.9, much better. We don’t want it to go back up, so take some more Tylenol. How does some toast and a banana sound?”

“Boring!”

“I know, but you need to have something bland to start. If you keep it down, you can have something more hearty for lunch.”

“I guess you’re right.”

Bailey kept her word and let Tyler have a bowl of her chicken noodle soup, not just the broth, some crackers, and another banana for lunch. She climbed in bed with him and they watched “Can’t Buy Me Love” on TV. They both fell asleep before the movie was over. When Bailey woke up, she rolled over to find the spot next to her empty. She immediately shot out of bed; concerned that Tyler was getting sick again. She knocked on the bathroom door, when she noticed it was closed.

“Tyler, are you ok?”

He opened the door to reveal himself clad only in a towel. “Yeah, just took a shower. I have to get ready to go in a little bit.”

“Go? Go where?”

“I have a game tonight.”

“I think the fever has made you delirious because there’s no way you can play tonight.”

“Bay, it’s my job; I have to go.”

“Like Hell you do! Tyler, you were an absolute wreck yesterday and still had a fever a few hours ago. You’re in no condition to play!”

“That’s not your call. Now please move so I can finish getting ready.”

Bailey stood her ground and blocked the only exit from the bathroom. “NO! Tyler, it’s not safe for you to play! You’re still to weak and could get hurt.”

“I play hockey, that’s a risk in every game. I have to go Bay, the team needs me and I have a real shot to win the Rocket Richard trophy. I need to play to keep that chance alive!”

He gently lifted Bailey and shifted her out of his way so he could get to the closet to get dressed. He changed into a dark grey suit with a pale blue shirt and a tie with various shades of blue diagonal stripes. When he stepped out, he saw Bailey perched on his bed cross-legged staring at him.

“PLEASE Tyler! Don’t GO!” Bailey pleaded as tears streamed down her face.

“Bay, please don’t cry. I know you’re worried, but I wouldn’t go if I didn’t think I could do it.” Bailey wrapped her arms around his waist and he bent down to kiss the top of her head. “Will you come to the game? I sure could use the help from my lucky charm.” Bailey turned the corners of her lips up into a half smile, but Tyler could still see the concern behind her eyes. “I promise I’ll be fine. I love you Bay.”

“I love you too. Please be careful!”

“I will. I’ll see you after the game. Bye.” Tyler grabbed his wallet and phone and headed to the game.

The Bruins’ game was intense and physical as it always is against their biggest rival the Habs. Tyler was playing well, but Bailey could tell he was a little bit off and definitely slower all night. The game was tied with five minutes left in the period. The way both teams were playing, it looked like they were definitely headed to overtime. All of a sudden, Tyler stripped PK of the puck and headed down the ice on a break away. Just as he got his shot off on Price, PK slew foot him and Tyler dropped to the ice hard. Despite the fact Tyler just scored, and Chara wasn’t letting PK get away with the dirty hit, the entire Garden went silent, when they realized Tyler wasn’t getting up.

Bailey thought her heart stopped in that moment as she stood and ran down to the glass, waiting in agony and begging for Tyler to get up. After several minutes, she was finally able to breathe when she could clearly see Tyler moving as the doctor’s continued to talk to him. As soon as she saw Patrice and Brad help Tyler off the ice, she ran to the elevator to get to the training room. When she reached the training room, there was a new security guard standing in front of it. He blocked Bailey from entering the room.

“Please move; I need to get to Tyler!”

“Sorry little missy, I don’t know how you got down here, but you’re not going anywhere near him. Now be a good girl and run along home.”

“I’m his fiancé and I have every right to be here! I need to know if he’s ok.”

“Nice try sweetheart! I’ve heard that one a million times.”

Bailey inhaled deeply before gathering her strength to speak again. Her accent was getting thicker by the moment as she was losing patience. “I know you’re new here, so I’ll forgive you this time, but you need to get out of my way!” She gave him a shove and he grabbed her wrists. “Let go of me!” She started kicking at him while trying to twist her arms free of his hold.

“Give up missy, I’m a lot bigger than you.” He picked her up, causing Bailey to wig out even more.

“PUT ME DOWN YOU NEANDERTHAL!!!”

“What the Hell do you think you’re doing? Put her down!” Patrice came to Bailey’s rescue.

“Sorry sir, but she’s just a crazy fan trying to get in to see Tyler.”

“She’s not a fan, she’s Tyler’s fiancé. Bailey are you ok?” He pulled Bailey into a hug when she began to sob.

“I tried to tell him, but he didn’t believe me. I left my pass in my purse at my seat with Freddy; I just had to get down here to see Tyler. He’s got to be ok! Please let him be ok!”

“Bailey, I think he’s just dehydrated and that’s why he went down so hard. Wait here a second and I’ll let them know you’re here and make sure you can get in to see for yourself.” Bailey wrapped her arms around him.

“Thank you!” She began to wipe away her tears.

“I’m sorry I didn’t believe you, miss. I was just trying to do my job.”

“I know, I’m sorry too. I shouldn’t have pushed you and tried to hit you, I’m just worried about Tyler.”

“No harm, no foul. And for the record, I hope he’ll be fine.”

“Thanks.”

Just then Patrice opened the door and motioned for Bailey to come in. She came in to find Tyler supine on a mat table hooked up to an IV. He looked horrible, very pale and pasty with severely chapped lips. She wanted to be strong for him, but couldn’t help it when the tears started flowing again. She grabbed his hand on the arm not connected to the IV in hers and brought it to her lips.

“Baby I’m here. You’re going to be ok, you promised.” She tried to reassure herself.

“He’s going to be fine. He pushed himself a little to hard tonight, especially considering he’s not completely over the flu. He’s severely dehydrated which caused his blood pressure to drop. These IV fluids and some B12 are already helping.” The team doctor reassured Bailey.

“What about a concussion?”

“That’s something we’ll have to monitor closely the next several days since he did fall pretty hard.”

“Thank you for takin care of him.”

“My pleasure. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to take a look at Chara’s hand.”

“Did we win?” Tyler’s words were barely audible.

“What?”

“Did we win?”

“Yes, you stupid idiot, the team won.” Bailey gently swat his chest.

“Told you they needed me.”

“I need you more, so don’t you ever scare me like this again!” She pulled his hand to her heart.

“I’m sorry you were scared. I’m fine just like I promised.” He smirked and gave Bailey a wink.

“This, this is not ok.” She waved her hand towards the IV pole. “Tyler, my heart almost broke tonight. You don’t know what it was like seein you down on the ice and not movin.”

Tyler saw the genuine fear in Bailey’s eyes and felt guilty for kind of joking about the situation. He brought Bailey’s hand to his lips. “Bay, I really am sorry. I should have listened to you when you said I shouldn’t play. I just really want to prove all the critics wrong, show them this team needs me, and I can be one of the top guys in the league. Instead of worrying about that, I should have listened to the one person who always believes in me. I hope that hasn’t changed.”

“I’ll always believe in you, even when you do something as stupid as you did tonight.” She brought her lips to his for a gentle loving kiss.

“I promise I’ll be a better listener and take better care of myself so I can always be there for you. I love you Bay.” He gently tugged on Bailey’s arm guiding her to lie down next to him on the mat table. He then pulled her into his side so she was resting her head on his chest.

“I’m not sure the doctor would approve of this.”

“You’re my light and calm me. You’re the one keeping my heart beating; how could he deny me that?

Bailey giggled and brought her lips to Tyler’s once more. “I love you, my silly, stubborn fool.”

Notes

This is a bit of a filler chapter and I hope that's ok. I didn't want to leave y'all hanging for a long time again, while I work on the next couple of chapters. I'm not seeing many comments, I hope it's not because I lost a bunch of readers due to the gap in my updates. Again, I apologize for that, and will do my best to post more frequently. If you're still enjoying the story, I'd love to hear from you!