Seeing Stars
53: She's Everything
"She's everything I ever wanted, and everything I need. I talk about her, I go on and on and on, 'cause she's everything to me..."
London was more beautiful than Cassidy had ever imagined. And the people were nicer than she could’ve imagined. Everywhere they went, there was a barrage of questions about how the wedding went and comments about how beautiful her ring was. It all had Cassidy blushing.
What was even more impressive was that even people in England seemed to know who Jamie was. Not everyone, but a few people pointed, and some had even been brave enough to approach him for a picture. Despite that, they were pretty much able to have a romantic and private honeymoon.
They arrived in England in the early afternoon and made off for the hotel, where for the first actual night of their marriage, they planned on staying in and enjoying each other’s company. The suite was extravagant, with a view of Big Ben, the River Thames, and the Westminster Bridge. Honestly, Cassidy just wanted to stare out the window and watch London, but Jamie interrupted by holding a glass of sparkling liquid over her shoulder.
“It’s cider,” he grinned, waiting for her to take the glass. When she did, she turned to face him to see he had his own glass and was holding it up. “To us… to our kids, our marriage, and our lives,”
They clinked their glasses together and then sipped the cider, which made Cassidy scrunch her nose as the bubbles tickled along her throat. She stood up on her tiptoes to kiss Jamie’s lips quickly, nestling her head down against his chest, eyes shutting as he rocked side to side in a rhythmic motion.
“These five days are going to fly by too quickly,” she whispered, feeling comforted by his heartbeat. Their honeymoon would be brief only because Jamie had to get back to Dallas for his surgery. He’d then spend a week or two in the hospital, starting the road to recovery. He wouldn’t be able to walk for awhile, and Cassidy supposed he’d be in pain pretty much the entire time. But after he was able to walk again, he could be released so that the intense rehab could occur. “How about we take your hips around for a lap or two?”
Jamie set his glass down and picked Cassidy up, flinging her around, while she was careful to keep her glass upright. Before he set her back against the bed, he took her glass from her hand and set it next to the bed.
“That’s going to be the hardest part about this summer… Not being able to make love to my beautiful wife.” He nuzzled his nose into Cassidy’s, closing his lips around hers.
“You won’t be missing much. In a few weeks, your beautiful wife is going to balloon,” she set her hands over her stomach. From beneath the tank top she was wearing, there was just a slight bump visible.
Jamie pushed her shirt up, exposing her stomach, and leaned in to press his lips to her skin, lingering there as he took a deep breath in. “Even then you’ll be the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen,”
Cassidy moaned quietly and tilted her head to the side to look down at him. He flicked his eyes up to meet hers, which made them both giggle. Tonight would be good for them. In fact, the entire honeymoon would be, if only for the simple reason that they probably wouldn’t be able to be intimate with each other again until September.
Usually newlyweds got to be like bunnies, going at it day after day; at least that’s what Cassidy thought. But it wasn’t going to be like that for them. Cassidy would spend the summer taking care of Jamie, and then by the time he was able to start training camp, she’d either be on bed rest or in the hospital having the babies. Either way, intimacy would have to be on hold at least until the fall.
It was hard to want to think about that, but that was realistic. This dreamlike state of being a princess in England was not. One would last five days and the other would last months and would be the cause for future events down the line. Of course, Cassidy was in the moment though. Who wouldn’t be? With the man she loved on top of her, giving all of him to her, as she was doing the same for him. She just hoped that the summer wouldn’t break them.
Just under a year ago, Jamie was throwing a drunken tantrum in Los Angeles because he had seen the Stanley Cup, but knew it wasn’t his to have. This year he didn’t have time to throw a tantrum. Playoffs were just underway, but instead of dwelling on the fact that the Stars weren’t in them, Jamie was going under the knife two days after they had returned from England.
No one really knew what the surgery entailed. Of course the doctor had walked them through the procedure using fancy medical terms, but what they were exactly doing to Jamie’s hips and how long it would take was sort of a mystery. The surgeon had mentioned that the length of the surgery would be determined once they got in there and could see exactly what they were dealing with.
So Cassidy sat in the waiting room as patiently as she could. First she was accompanied by Kennedy, who left after about an hour to meet up with Jason. She was replaced by Tyler, who came and sat for two hours before he had to get back home and take care of his dogs. And finally Jordie stuck around as the afternoon faded and the evening rolled in.
By hour five, the thought of what could go wrong in surgery was plaguing Cassidy. With each passing minute, she was getting more and more anxious. It wasn’t until she was being shaken awake that she realized she had fallen asleep. She lifted her head off of Jordie’s shoulder, and glanced up at the doctor who stood in front of her, wearing scrubs.
“Mrs. Benn,” he began. It was still surreal to her that that was actually her name now. “Your husband’s out of surgery. We can take you in to him if you’d like,”
Cassidy nodded quickly as though if she hesitated, the offer would pass up. She stood, being assisted by Jordie, and followed the doctor into a private room. Peeking around the doctor’s shoulder, she spotted Jamie in the hospital bed, on his back with his eyes closed. He looked more dead than alive, but the beeping monitor beside the bed indicated otherwise.
“He’ll be waking up from the anesthesia in a few minutes. We have him on morphine, but chances are he’ll be in a good deal of pain when he wakes up. Usually athletes bounce back from the surgery fairly quickly, but we’re going to give him a few days of rest before we go back in for the other hip.”
“Everything went okay?” She muttered, stepping around the doctor and stood at the bedside.
“Considering the nature of the surgery, everything went swimmingly.” He paused and smiled, “he might be a little disoriented when he wakes. Just try to keep him calm, and if you need any assistance, just buzz.”
Cassidy smiled a silent thank you, and sat along the bed, looking down at Jamie’s hand as it rested at his side. Jordie was watching her, but soon ducked out of the room to give her some privacy with him. She was happy to have him here as moral support, but also happy that he understood she might need some alone time with him before a parade of people came in to see how he was doing.
She reached for his hand, curling her fingers around his, and looked up at the beeping monitor. It was documenting his heart rate, and although it ensured that he was safe, it unnerved her. The whole thing unnerved her. The last time she’d been in a hospital was when her father was ill, and that experience left a bad taste in her mouth. She just wanted Jamie to be healthy again, so he could continue his recovery in the privacy of their own home.
Cassidy brushed her thumb against the back of his hand and leaned forward, pressing her forehead down against his chest. She prayed that everything would work out the way it needed to so they could continue spending their lives together. And before she could finish, she felt Jamie’s fingers tighten around hers, and heard a small groan escape his lips.
She leaned back and stared at him anxiously, “Jame…”
He clenched his hand around hers and cringed as he swallowed, squeezing his eyes shut tighter. Finally he peeked past his eyelids, and pointed to the bedside table.
“You want water?”
He nodded slowly and blinked a few times, making his vision more in focus. Cassidy poured the water into a small plastic cup, and placed a straw in it as it had been placed on the table for use. She handed the cup to him, watching as he pulled the straw out and tossed it back onto the table.
“I think you’re supposed to use that,” Cassidy watched as he downed the contents quickly.
Once he had swallowed and was satisfied, he set the cup back on the table as well, “I don’t want to.” His voice was still a little hoarse, but Cassidy was just happy to hear him speaking.
“They took this off for the surgery…” she dug around in her purse, finally pulling out a small cloth bag. After pulling it open, she held up his wedding band, “I guess it wasn’t sterile so they didn’t want it in the operating room.” When Jamie held up his left hand, she slipped it onto his ring finger like she had done at the wedding. “I’m happy you’re alive,”
He smiled, and shut his eyes again as if it took all of his energy to keep them open, “it’s good to be alive.”
“They want to keep you for a few days before the next surgery, so I won’t be able to stay… gotta take care of the dogs and everything… but I’ll be around as much as I can, and I’ll make sure Tyler comes to see you…”
“I love you,” Jamie interrupted. He had opened his eyes again sometime during Cassidy’s rant. “But Tyler will be gone for worlds…”
She paused and sighed as a small smile spread across her lips, “I love you too.” She leaned in and kissed his lips slowly. When she backed away, Jamie held his arm out to the side, creating a space where she could curl up beside him. And Cassidy took that opportunity, setting her head down on his chest, while he took her leg and pulled it across his waist, wincing as he moved. “Are you in a lot of pain?”
“I’m okay,” he murmured, trying to reassure her.
They both looked towards the door as Jordie reentered the room, visibly happy that his little brother had made it through the surgery. He stood at the bedside, looking down at the both of them, “Lets not wait ‘til the last possible moment for surgery anymore, alright?”
“Sounds like a good plan,” Jamie responded, tucking his arm around Cassidy’s hip. “How’s Truman and Shiloh?”
Jordie folded his arms across his chest, “they’ve doubled in size since you got them and they look like they’re on steroids, and considering all that plus you being in a fragile state, and Cassidy getting closer to having infants with each passing week, I’ve enrolled them in puppy school.”
“Puppy school? You really are the best uncle in the world,”
“Hell yeah I am. They’ve learned basic commands, and are learning to walk on a leash as we speak. No more of that ‘pulling you around the block’ business.”
“And we couldn’t have taught them that by ourselves? How much is this puppy school costing me?” Jamie joked. As he laughed, his eyes squeezed shut in some pain.
“Not a penny. Consider it my gift to you for the baby shower.”
“How kind,” Cassidy interjected.
Jordie grinned, obviously proud of himself, “the final pieces of furniture are being moved into the house. Cassidy I have the key, so you can drop by and pick it up whenever you’re done here.” He reached down to touch Jamie’s shoulder, “get well real soon, brother.”
When they were left alone again, Cassidy looked up at Jamie. “A lot of things are changing,”
“It’s all for the better. We can finally start our lives together as an actual family… And not worry about living in sin,” Jamie winked and bent down to kiss the top of Cassidy’s head softly.
London was more beautiful than Cassidy had ever imagined. And the people were nicer than she could’ve imagined. Everywhere they went, there was a barrage of questions about how the wedding went and comments about how beautiful her ring was. It all had Cassidy blushing.
What was even more impressive was that even people in England seemed to know who Jamie was. Not everyone, but a few people pointed, and some had even been brave enough to approach him for a picture. Despite that, they were pretty much able to have a romantic and private honeymoon.
They arrived in England in the early afternoon and made off for the hotel, where for the first actual night of their marriage, they planned on staying in and enjoying each other’s company. The suite was extravagant, with a view of Big Ben, the River Thames, and the Westminster Bridge. Honestly, Cassidy just wanted to stare out the window and watch London, but Jamie interrupted by holding a glass of sparkling liquid over her shoulder.
“It’s cider,” he grinned, waiting for her to take the glass. When she did, she turned to face him to see he had his own glass and was holding it up. “To us… to our kids, our marriage, and our lives,”
They clinked their glasses together and then sipped the cider, which made Cassidy scrunch her nose as the bubbles tickled along her throat. She stood up on her tiptoes to kiss Jamie’s lips quickly, nestling her head down against his chest, eyes shutting as he rocked side to side in a rhythmic motion.
“These five days are going to fly by too quickly,” she whispered, feeling comforted by his heartbeat. Their honeymoon would be brief only because Jamie had to get back to Dallas for his surgery. He’d then spend a week or two in the hospital, starting the road to recovery. He wouldn’t be able to walk for awhile, and Cassidy supposed he’d be in pain pretty much the entire time. But after he was able to walk again, he could be released so that the intense rehab could occur. “How about we take your hips around for a lap or two?”
Jamie set his glass down and picked Cassidy up, flinging her around, while she was careful to keep her glass upright. Before he set her back against the bed, he took her glass from her hand and set it next to the bed.
“That’s going to be the hardest part about this summer… Not being able to make love to my beautiful wife.” He nuzzled his nose into Cassidy’s, closing his lips around hers.
“You won’t be missing much. In a few weeks, your beautiful wife is going to balloon,” she set her hands over her stomach. From beneath the tank top she was wearing, there was just a slight bump visible.
Jamie pushed her shirt up, exposing her stomach, and leaned in to press his lips to her skin, lingering there as he took a deep breath in. “Even then you’ll be the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen,”
Cassidy moaned quietly and tilted her head to the side to look down at him. He flicked his eyes up to meet hers, which made them both giggle. Tonight would be good for them. In fact, the entire honeymoon would be, if only for the simple reason that they probably wouldn’t be able to be intimate with each other again until September.
Usually newlyweds got to be like bunnies, going at it day after day; at least that’s what Cassidy thought. But it wasn’t going to be like that for them. Cassidy would spend the summer taking care of Jamie, and then by the time he was able to start training camp, she’d either be on bed rest or in the hospital having the babies. Either way, intimacy would have to be on hold at least until the fall.
It was hard to want to think about that, but that was realistic. This dreamlike state of being a princess in England was not. One would last five days and the other would last months and would be the cause for future events down the line. Of course, Cassidy was in the moment though. Who wouldn’t be? With the man she loved on top of her, giving all of him to her, as she was doing the same for him. She just hoped that the summer wouldn’t break them.
Just under a year ago, Jamie was throwing a drunken tantrum in Los Angeles because he had seen the Stanley Cup, but knew it wasn’t his to have. This year he didn’t have time to throw a tantrum. Playoffs were just underway, but instead of dwelling on the fact that the Stars weren’t in them, Jamie was going under the knife two days after they had returned from England.
No one really knew what the surgery entailed. Of course the doctor had walked them through the procedure using fancy medical terms, but what they were exactly doing to Jamie’s hips and how long it would take was sort of a mystery. The surgeon had mentioned that the length of the surgery would be determined once they got in there and could see exactly what they were dealing with.
So Cassidy sat in the waiting room as patiently as she could. First she was accompanied by Kennedy, who left after about an hour to meet up with Jason. She was replaced by Tyler, who came and sat for two hours before he had to get back home and take care of his dogs. And finally Jordie stuck around as the afternoon faded and the evening rolled in.
By hour five, the thought of what could go wrong in surgery was plaguing Cassidy. With each passing minute, she was getting more and more anxious. It wasn’t until she was being shaken awake that she realized she had fallen asleep. She lifted her head off of Jordie’s shoulder, and glanced up at the doctor who stood in front of her, wearing scrubs.
“Mrs. Benn,” he began. It was still surreal to her that that was actually her name now. “Your husband’s out of surgery. We can take you in to him if you’d like,”
Cassidy nodded quickly as though if she hesitated, the offer would pass up. She stood, being assisted by Jordie, and followed the doctor into a private room. Peeking around the doctor’s shoulder, she spotted Jamie in the hospital bed, on his back with his eyes closed. He looked more dead than alive, but the beeping monitor beside the bed indicated otherwise.
“He’ll be waking up from the anesthesia in a few minutes. We have him on morphine, but chances are he’ll be in a good deal of pain when he wakes up. Usually athletes bounce back from the surgery fairly quickly, but we’re going to give him a few days of rest before we go back in for the other hip.”
“Everything went okay?” She muttered, stepping around the doctor and stood at the bedside.
“Considering the nature of the surgery, everything went swimmingly.” He paused and smiled, “he might be a little disoriented when he wakes. Just try to keep him calm, and if you need any assistance, just buzz.”
Cassidy smiled a silent thank you, and sat along the bed, looking down at Jamie’s hand as it rested at his side. Jordie was watching her, but soon ducked out of the room to give her some privacy with him. She was happy to have him here as moral support, but also happy that he understood she might need some alone time with him before a parade of people came in to see how he was doing.
She reached for his hand, curling her fingers around his, and looked up at the beeping monitor. It was documenting his heart rate, and although it ensured that he was safe, it unnerved her. The whole thing unnerved her. The last time she’d been in a hospital was when her father was ill, and that experience left a bad taste in her mouth. She just wanted Jamie to be healthy again, so he could continue his recovery in the privacy of their own home.
Cassidy brushed her thumb against the back of his hand and leaned forward, pressing her forehead down against his chest. She prayed that everything would work out the way it needed to so they could continue spending their lives together. And before she could finish, she felt Jamie’s fingers tighten around hers, and heard a small groan escape his lips.
She leaned back and stared at him anxiously, “Jame…”
He clenched his hand around hers and cringed as he swallowed, squeezing his eyes shut tighter. Finally he peeked past his eyelids, and pointed to the bedside table.
“You want water?”
He nodded slowly and blinked a few times, making his vision more in focus. Cassidy poured the water into a small plastic cup, and placed a straw in it as it had been placed on the table for use. She handed the cup to him, watching as he pulled the straw out and tossed it back onto the table.
“I think you’re supposed to use that,” Cassidy watched as he downed the contents quickly.
Once he had swallowed and was satisfied, he set the cup back on the table as well, “I don’t want to.” His voice was still a little hoarse, but Cassidy was just happy to hear him speaking.
“They took this off for the surgery…” she dug around in her purse, finally pulling out a small cloth bag. After pulling it open, she held up his wedding band, “I guess it wasn’t sterile so they didn’t want it in the operating room.” When Jamie held up his left hand, she slipped it onto his ring finger like she had done at the wedding. “I’m happy you’re alive,”
He smiled, and shut his eyes again as if it took all of his energy to keep them open, “it’s good to be alive.”
“They want to keep you for a few days before the next surgery, so I won’t be able to stay… gotta take care of the dogs and everything… but I’ll be around as much as I can, and I’ll make sure Tyler comes to see you…”
“I love you,” Jamie interrupted. He had opened his eyes again sometime during Cassidy’s rant. “But Tyler will be gone for worlds…”
She paused and sighed as a small smile spread across her lips, “I love you too.” She leaned in and kissed his lips slowly. When she backed away, Jamie held his arm out to the side, creating a space where she could curl up beside him. And Cassidy took that opportunity, setting her head down on his chest, while he took her leg and pulled it across his waist, wincing as he moved. “Are you in a lot of pain?”
“I’m okay,” he murmured, trying to reassure her.
They both looked towards the door as Jordie reentered the room, visibly happy that his little brother had made it through the surgery. He stood at the bedside, looking down at the both of them, “Lets not wait ‘til the last possible moment for surgery anymore, alright?”
“Sounds like a good plan,” Jamie responded, tucking his arm around Cassidy’s hip. “How’s Truman and Shiloh?”
Jordie folded his arms across his chest, “they’ve doubled in size since you got them and they look like they’re on steroids, and considering all that plus you being in a fragile state, and Cassidy getting closer to having infants with each passing week, I’ve enrolled them in puppy school.”
“Puppy school? You really are the best uncle in the world,”
“Hell yeah I am. They’ve learned basic commands, and are learning to walk on a leash as we speak. No more of that ‘pulling you around the block’ business.”
“And we couldn’t have taught them that by ourselves? How much is this puppy school costing me?” Jamie joked. As he laughed, his eyes squeezed shut in some pain.
“Not a penny. Consider it my gift to you for the baby shower.”
“How kind,” Cassidy interjected.
Jordie grinned, obviously proud of himself, “the final pieces of furniture are being moved into the house. Cassidy I have the key, so you can drop by and pick it up whenever you’re done here.” He reached down to touch Jamie’s shoulder, “get well real soon, brother.”
When they were left alone again, Cassidy looked up at Jamie. “A lot of things are changing,”
“It’s all for the better. We can finally start our lives together as an actual family… And not worry about living in sin,” Jamie winked and bent down to kiss the top of Cassidy’s head softly.
Notes
This chapter is titled after "She's Everything" by Brad Paisley.
As this story winds down, and I write the sequel, I will be uploading an entirely different story. It'll be up in a week or so and it would mean so much if y'all checked it out!
please update!!!!
5/2/16