Crossing the Line

“What’s up with her?” Britt whispered to Logan referring to Jackie’s empty smiles and fake laughter. “She’s fighting with Dougie. They haven’t spoken since Tuesday,” Logan whispered back trying not to draw attention to their conversation. Britt raised her eyebrows and pursed her lips but let the topic drop. “So who are you two cheering for tonight?” Mel asked Logan and Jackie when all the girls were sitting together before the game. Jackie sighed and lifted up her jersey to reveal a Kane tee-shirt underneath. “I can’t decide so I’m just hoping they both win,” Jackie said making everyone laugh. “I’m not disclosing that information because if I tell you gossips word will get out about which team I prefer,” Logan said. “Just know that if you repeat anything I say during this game I will deny it,” she continued. Jackie grinned knowing they would both end up cheering for both teams and screaming at both teams. “You two are impossible,” Katie huffed getting up to get the group a few beers before the game started. Jackie looked at Logan with wide eyes. Taking the hint Logan got up to get a snack and met Jackie in the bathroom. “What am I supposed to say, sorry guys don’t want beer tonight even though I out drink most of you?” Jackie asked freaking out. “Jackie you drove here, remember?” Logan said as if it was obvious even though it was a lie. Jackie let out a sigh of relief and pulled her best friend in for a hug. “Have you talked?” Logan whispered and immediately wishing she hadn’t. “No,” Jackie sniffled. Logan knew she was taking it hard but not this hard. “Hey it’s okay, why don’t you go talk to him tonight?” Logan suggested. “I can go to Tuukka’s and you two can have our apartment to talk it out that way you don’t have to worry about bothering anyone. I’ll even take Tazer with me,” Logan offered wiping the tears off Jackie’s face. “Okay,” Jackie whispered nodding her head.

“Who in the name of fuck do you think you are?” Jackie yelled standing up, her face turning red with anger. “I swear to go if he’s not okay I’m going to kill him,” Logan seethed, her tone calm making it all the scarier. Rebecca Seidenberg shifted in her seat. While she didn’t agree with her husband boarding the Blackhawks captain she always didn’t like the death threats from two of her friends. “Why don’t you two calm down,” Melanie suggested trying to get them to sit down. “Calm down?” Logan asked narrowing her eyes. “He’s not fine, I’m not stupid. Jonathan I’m going to kill you after the game,” Jackie muttered twisting her rings nervously. “Um not to be that guy but is there a reason you two are particularly upset about this?” Rebecca asked awkwardly. She had never been particularly close with Logan since their schedules didn’t allow them to hang out as much as the other girls and she had only met Jackie a few times. “Oh this is uncomfortable,” Katie commented under her breath. “That’s our brother’s best friend who just got boarded. And our brother was right there ready to get in a fight for him,” Jackie said her voice laced with venom. “Well, I’m sufficiently uncomfortable,” Katrina spoke, voicing what everyone was thinking. “Oh dear God I hope he’s okay,” Logan said her face turning into a mask of worry. “If he doesn’t get off the ice soon I’m going to kill him before the game ends,” Jackie decided. As uncomfortable as the situation was Brittany couldn’t help but laugh. After getting multiple looks asking what was so funny she tried to calm down enough to explain. “You two will go from loving the Bruins one moment to wanting to kill them to loving one player to wanting to kill him and you’re so vocal about it. Even if the rest of us are thinking it we don’t say it, but you two, you say it shamelessly,” she said continuing to laugh. “Join us then. It’s better this way I promise, not as many pent up feelings,” Logan offered trying to talk them into it. The girls all laughed and the commentary continued. Melanie joining in after Torey’s goal, all the girls joining in during the fight and Brittany swearing about Shaw’s hit on her husband. “Come on Tatiana, you know you want to. We won’t tell anyone. It’s just us tonight and we’ll never tell anyone,” Jackie baited the captain of the wives. “Fuck it, I’m in,” Tatiana said throwing caution to the wind and joining the rest of wives and girlfriends.

Waiting in the hallway outside of the locker room Jackie was nervous. She felt like she was going to be sick. Gripping Logan’s arm she did her best to remain calm, both because she needed to calmly talk to Dougie and because she promised not to attack Seidenberg. “Breathe,” Logan whispered checking her phone. She and Tuukka were going to drop Pat off at his hotel before picking up Tazer so Jackie and Dougie could have the apartment. When the door opened Jackie flinched paling visibly. When it wasn’t Dougie, some color returned to her cheeks. Seth Griffith and Zach Trottman nodded to the group but didn’t say anything not in the mood for small talk about the tough loss. When Dennis Seidenberg came out of the locker room the girls all shifted, almost to form a wall between Patrick’s sisters and Dennis. “Hey ladies,” he greeted with a smile. He got a greeting from everyone but Logan and Jackie who just glowered at him. “Asshole,” Jackie hissed through her teeth. Dennis looked confused until Rebecca said she would explain in the car and ushered him down the hallway. “We didn’t attack him,” Logan defended quietly when Britt gave them her scariest look. Before they could be reprimanded Dougie walked down the hall with Adam. Adam stopped to chat and Jackie looked at Dougie. “You had a lot of really good defensive plays tonight. And some great shots on net,” she said softly surprising him. “Do you want to talk later?” she continued before she lost his nerve. “Text me when you get home after seeing your brother,” he said nodding. After they walked down the hall Jackie turned to Logan. “Can we go see Pat so I can get back?” she asked. Logan looked at the door and sighed, she knew Tuukka wouldn’t be out any time soon and figured she could just wait in the car with Pat. “I guess so,” she agreed reluctantly, Logan loved being there for him when he left the room.

When they made it outside they saw Pat standing with a few of his teammates talking while the snow flurried around them. “There are my baby sisters!” Pat cried when he saw them pulling each girl into a hug. Laughing Jackie rolled her eyes. “As much as I hated it, you had a beautiful goal,” Logan said making him smile. “Her best friend is the goalie and she complimented my goal on him,” he boasted turning to Patrick Sharp and Brent Seabrook. Pat pulled Jackie off to the side a little bit leaving Logan to chat with two of her friends from Chicago. “I just want you to know your boyfriend really loves you. Normally I would want to kill him for even thinking he could look at my little sister but you should’ve heard him tonight. A few guys on the team who go unnamed were trying to get under my skin by saying things like ‘How does it feel knowing a Bruin is fucking your sister’ and he lost it on them on the bench. He said that he didn’t care what the situation was no one was to talk about you like that ever,” Pat said explain why he approved of Dougie. Jackie felt herself tearing up and wanted nothing more than to hug her boyfriend. If her brother had any idea that anything was wrong he didn’t say anything, just hugged his sister before sending her on her way after promising to give her updates on Johnny. “So we hear you two were restrained so you wouldn’t attack Seidenberg,” Sharp said. Logan flipped him off and didn’t respond but instead turned when she heard footsteps.

Walking out to his car Tuukka knew Logan would be there waiting for him. He saw her talking with a few of the Blackhawks and felt a jealousy rise in him even though it was her brother and two of the married players. “We’re actually going to walk to the hotel we just didn’t want Pattycakes here to wait or walk alone,” Sharp teased giving Logan a hug goodbye. “Speak for yourself, it’s cold and I’m on their way,” Pat laughed. He wanted to see how Tuukka and Logan interacted, he had seen how Dougie and Jackie were and now wanted to check on his other sister. The car was quiet aside from music playing quietly. “Tuukka Mikael Rask, I swear to everything good on this earth you had better change this,” Logan threatened her voice soft but her words hard. In the backseat Pat smiled to himself when he saw Tuukka immediately change it. “Sorry forgot the deal,” he said. Logan noticed that he was still white-knuckling the steering wheel and knew having a scorer in the back seat didn’t help. She put her hand on his elbow and waited a moment until he softened his grip and allowed her to slip her hand into his. Logan silently kissed her knuckles before letting their hands drop on the center console. Pat noticed how her mere presence seemed to calm Tuukka down and her touch reduced his stress. He smiled despite himself; they were going to get married. Pat decided to call Jackie the next day and try to get into the pool; he knew there must be one. “Thanks for the ride,” Pat said quietly leaning forward to kiss Logan’s cheek. “No problem,” Tuukka said as Logan said goodbye to her foster brother. “Now to get my puppy and some sleep,” Logan smiled closing her eyes and leaning back against the seat. For the rest of the drive she drew absent minded patterns on Tuukka’s hand, completely unaware of how badly he wanted to kiss her.

Jackie was pacing around the kitchen doing everything in her power not to cry while she waited to hear a knock at the door. When Dougie finally knocked she jumped, as though she hadn’t been expecting him. “Hi,” she whispered opening the door for him and looking up him. “Hey,” he answered using the same hushed tone. In silence they walked to the kitchen where she offered him something to drink while pouring the water for her tea. “I’m never very good at these kinds of things,” Jackie admitted sitting down with a nervous smile. “That would make two of us,” Dougie said with an awkward chuckle. “I need to schedule an appointment and I would really like it if we scheduled an appointment. Together,” Jackie started figuring it was the easiest way to see if he still wanted to be involved. Dougie nodded his head and pulled out his phone. “I have my hockey schedule right here if you want to find a day that works and one of us can call in the morning,” Dougie suggested. Jackie got up to take the calendar off the way and hid her smile. She was thrilled that even though things weren’t good he still wanted to be there for the baby. “We have a string of away games next week so unless we went Sunday or Monday before I left the earliest I think I could do would be Tuesday the 22nd,” Dougie said frowning at the inconvenient games. Jackie nodded her head and looked at her hours on all three days. “I could do Sunday after I get off work or Tuesday after I get off work, I work a long shift Monday though and don’t get out until late,” she said looking up at him. “I assume you want to do it at your hospital?” he asked cracking a small smile. Jackie nodded sheepishly; she would much prefer to keep her pregnancy on her floor with doctors she knew personally. “Alright that sounds good then. Let me just write down your hours in case I call in the morning, that way I know what time,” Dougie said copying them down onto his phone.

They sat at the island looking at each other for a moment before Jackie sighed and closed her eyes. “I realize the other night that maybe I didn’t present my case in the best way. I spoke like a nurse not a girlfriend and I apologize. That being said, it hurts that you accused me of wanting to keep the baby a secret. Do you really think that I don’t want people to know we’re having a baby?” Jackie asked her face blank but her eyes swirling with conflicting emotions. Dougie thought for a moment before answering. “It’s just that the way you said it made it seem as though you didn’t want to tell anyone about the baby without a reason, simply that you didn’t want to tell people,” he said trying to explain what he felt. Jackie shook her head, “But how did that give you the right to make hurtful accusations? Why didn’t you just ask?” Jackie was proud that she was able to keep her voice steady when all she wanted to do was cry while he held her. She couldn’t just forgive and forget though, what he had said had cut deep and caused Logan to stay at Tuukka’s leaving her without comfort after the fight. “What gave you the right to decide not to tell anyone about the baby? It took two of us to make the baby, we both plan on raising the baby so why wasn’t I included in that decision?” Dougie countered. Jackie nodded her head. “You’re right. I shouldn’t have used the tone I did. I wasn’t acting like a girlfriend, and I’m willing to own up to that. I was wrong but I don’t think it’s fair to say I’m the only one at fault. My feelings were hurt just as much as yours and you got to go home to Adam to talk about how you felt but I was left here alone because Logan left when she heard you yelling,” Jackie said, reminding him of Logan’s note. “I am sorry that I yelled, it wasn’t the right way to react,” Dougie apologized, guilt clear on his face. Jackie accepted it and tried to hide her yawn behind her mug. “You should get to bed. You have a pretty early shift tomorrow and according to the internet pregnant women need more sleep,” Dougie said standing from his stool. Jackie nodded her head and walked him to the door. “I’ll talk to you tomorrow,” Dougie promised kissing the top of her head before going back to his apartment. Once Dougie was safely out of her condo Jackie let the tears fall down her face. She was happy that he wanted to be a part of her life and their baby’s life but couldn’t understand why he didn’t apologize for hurting her so badly. Trying to shake it off Jackie crawled into bed and called her sisters; maybe Erica or Jessica could give her boy advice.

Notes