Ride (Reposted)

April 2015

It was the final game of the regular season, the Stars didn't make the play offs but Jamie was 4 points away from capturing the Art Ross trophy, for leading in points. He had the advantage of being the last game of the season one hour behind the other two point leaders, Sidney Crosby and John Tavares.

As of right now John Tavares was in the lead with two points. And it was the end of the third for the Islanders, since the game was tied and going into overtime, John still had another 20 minutes and maybe a shoot out to collect a third point.

Jamie already had two goals in the first. Everyone on the bench was keeping up with the scoring race. He would occasionally glance to where Emily and the girls sat during the game, she was just as into the game as he was. She also was excited for the season to be done so he could finally get his surgery and be better. He was looking forward to them having the summer off together.

He needed to stay focused. If he couldn't get Stanley. He could get the Art Ross.

***

Keeping tabs on the on the point race by the third period Jamie was tied with John Tavares.

"I'm so anxious oh my god." Abbe exclaimed, on the edge of her seat.

"Your telling me sister. They're tied for points. I have to pee so fucking bad but I can't look away." Emily groaned.

With the final remaining seconds of the game the Stars managed to knock another goal in, thanks to Trevor Daly.

Checking the box score Jamie had as assist on the goal. Which meant Jamie now one the Art Ross. She knew it was going to be a bitter sweet moment for him. Not making the playoffs, losing their baby, having to get surgery in just a few days time. But being the points leader was impressive for a fifth round draft pick that no one would have even thought. She loved her underdog that wasn't really an underdog.

By the time they got home Jamie was exhausted, and in a big amount of pain. From the bathroom she watched him collapse on the bed and undoing his tie. Finishing up with taking off her make up she sauntered on over to the bed and climbing on top of him, straddling his hips.

"Em. Babe. I love you, but my hips hurt to much for you to do that." He pushed her off.
He was upset.

"I love you babe. I'm proud of you." She slid off him, laying down and resting her head on his stomach.

"We failed to make the play offs though." His voice was sad.

"You won the Art Ross J. You never pictured yourself winning that. You beat Sid, Steven, and John. All first over all boys."

"Not bad for a fifth rounder eh?" He smiled down at her, "you are the best prize though. I wish I wasn't in so much pain so I can show you how much I appreciate you."

"You just telling me how much you love me is enough honey. We have a house together, a dog. In a month we'll have four houses together."

"Four? Something your not telling me."

"Well I thought when we became common law we were going to put each other on the deeds for the other houses. The Victoria house, the Kelowna house and the Montreal apartment."

"But the apartment in Montreal is your parents."

"The deed is in my name now. And I was also thinking we could buy a vacation property in Charleston too, or Savannah. Nothing too fancy. Maybe something beach front."

"Yeah. We could do that. For a quick get away cause that's the closest. Have you got an AirBnB all set for us for Monday?"

"Yup. We're all set a few blocks away from the hospital. Private plane is all set, all you need to do is show up for your surgery."

"Speaking of which. Is it normal to be nervous for?"

Emily sat up to get a good look at him, pushing his hair back.

"It's a big surgery. It's perfectly normal to be nervous Jamie. It's not like when you got your appendix out or your wisdom teeth."

"You'll be with me every step of the way right?"

"Of course. I think your parents will be joining us at some point. I'm very proud of you for getting this sorted mostly by yourself." She stated as he yawned, "but I'll be there when you go under and when you come out."

"It's coming up so soon. How do you think Bailey will fly?"

"I think he'll be fine since we'll be on board too. Why do you think I booked a private plane?"

"Not for me to lay out straight?"

"Exactly." She winked.

"Three weeks is going to be such a long couple of weeks in New York."

"Three weeks seems to be the length of time we have for everything. The five month recovery is going to be even longer."

"That's what I'm nervous about. What if I'm not the same player I am now?"

"Your not going to be."

There was a particular look in his eyes that made her know he was scared and completely uncertain about what the outcome would be.

"Your going to be even better babe." She continued.

"You sure?" He brushed her newly cut bangs to the side.

"Absolutely. I know your going to come back and be in better shape then before. Your going to be a much better hockey player then before too."

"You know what I just realized." He grinned, sitting up.

"What babe?"

"It's gonna be a real long while before we can have sex again." He sighed.

"Then I guess we're going to have to make the night before really special." She laughed.

"How about you say we get comfortable and put a movie on or something." He suggested, sitting up.

"I think I can handle that." She agreed, "I'm going to go get snacks."

She gave him a quick kiss as she took off for some food with Bailey hot on her heels.

***

Jamie had never felt his palms so sweaty before in his life. They had just taken off for New York and it was the day before his first surgery. Bailey was sitting across his lap, so the warmth of Bailey may have taken into accord as to why his palms were so sweaty.

Having a 70 pound slightly over weight Australian Shepherd puppy on his lap wasn't the most comfortable thing but it Bailey was helping him keep calm. Usually Bailey was stuck to Emily's side, but there's been a few times Jamie's been upset and helped him calm down, especially with the accident and miscarriage.

"Helping daddy keep calm my little chunk?" Emily looked up from her book and across at him and Jamie.

"Little chunk is an understatement." Jamie said sarcastically, "he's going on a diet."

"I would call him Chubbs but that's your nickname." Emily laughed.

"Chubbs Junior." He laughed, scratching Bailey's ear, "I can't wait for this plane to be up in the air."

"We are up in the air." Emily said dryly.

"You know what I mean." He gave her a glare.

He watched her roll her eyes as she went back to her book. As soon as he felt the plane level out he let Bailey out of his lap so for the dog to stake claim on the chair across from Jamie. Putting some music in he closed his eyes to try to get some rest. He didn't get any sleep last night and they had an early morning. Just as he was dozing off he felt Emily slide onto his lap, giving him a startle.

"Did I wake you up?" She asked quietly as he took off his head phones.

"I was just dozing off." He yawned.

"The couch turns into a bed if you wanted to have a nap." She kissed his forehead.

"Ever thought about joining the mile high club?"

"I don't think this counts. Next time we fly somewhere without Bailey on a domestic flight." She grinned.

"I love you. I love the three of us right now." He kissed her neck.

"I love us too. We'll have a baby soon Jamie. Once we get married."

"We can go to the courthouse and get married as soon as we get to New York."

"Closed on Sunday's and your in for surgery first thing there buddy. I want to do it properly. You purpose, we have a big ceremony in Texas with all of our friends and family."

"If that's what you want then that's what you'll get." He promised her with a yawn.

"I'm going to let you nap, just because I know you didn't sleep last night." She kissed his forehead again before sliding off of his lap.

Getting up he stretched before moving to the couch to have a real nap. Bailey was moving quickly behind him and as Jamie laid down and he watched Bailey pull his bed over to beside the couch so he was next to Jamie.

***

Getting Jamie to the hospital wasn't an issue. It was dealing with Jamie being hungry and moody that was. She was glad he took an early appointment so the faster he could be fed post-op the better.

"Baby. I'm so hungry right now." He whined as they walked up to the hospital.

"Soon honey. Just gotta get that first hip done and we can get some food in your stomach." She said impatiently.

"But that's going to be five hours from now." He complained as he fell behind her to go into the hospital.

"Your going to be under general anesthetic. You won't even know how hungry you are."

The problem with dating a professional athlete is how much they eat and rely on meals. And Jamie gets hangry when he doesn't eat.

"But I'll be so hungry after."

"Jameson. I'll make sure to have a big juicy steak for you ready post-op if you stop complaining. And a blow job."

"Really?" His face lit up as they got onto the elevator.

"Maybe." She winked as she wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her head against his chest.

She enjoyed the quiet moment while they were on the elevator alone. She enjoyed him rubbing her back, being comfortable as could be. Until the moment was ruined by him stomach rumbling in hunger.

"Jesus Jamie you are hungry." She laughed as she pulled away.

"I told you! Have you ever been so hungry it hurt?" He said seriously.

"Yes."

"Well that's how I am right now." He started to laugh.

"Oh my grumpy boy. The faster they put you under the better." She rolled her eyes and she
stood on her tip toes to give him a kiss.

"What are you gonna do while I'm out?"

"I'm getting a new tattoo."

"What?" He had a look of disbelief on his face.

"Yeah!"

"Where. And of what?"

"It's gonna be on my hip but is also going to be a surprise." She laughed as he shook his head.

"I get some holes drilled into my hip and you get a new tattoo. How is this fair."

"I figured it'd be a little sympathetic to your pain?" She suggested.

"I thought this surgery was sympathetic to what happened last month." He said sadly.

"This was booked before that happened."

"And I thought you wanted to wait for me so we can get tattooed together." He cocked a brow at her.

"We can still go get tattoos this summer. I've been wanting a hip piece for a while now." She gave him the puppy dog eyes. They always worked.

"I can't wait to see it." He kissed her forehead as the door binged, signalling they were about to either welcome people joining them on their elevator or they were at their floor, "this is us."

She followed him off the elevator as they walked towards the check in desk. He held her hand tighter and tighter the closer they got.

"Jamie Benn. Checking in for inpatient surgery with Dr. Kelly." He said firmly.

She looked around the hospital waiting room as he went over the last minute informalities with the check-in nurse. Being informed that the total time with pre-op and post-op would be approximately 4 hours. Which gave her the perfect amount of time to get her hip piece done, plus they were keeping him over night.

"I love you. I'll see you when your done. You'll do great." She gave him a big firm hug and a kiss before he reluctantly let go.

"I love you too."

She watched him go through the door and waited about 10 minutes to see if he was requesting her presence on the other side before she left for her appointment. Jamie was tough, he was strong and was not afraid of anything. He was extremely nervous for this surgery, as it could completely change his life. It could turn him from being a great hockey player into a bad hockey player or making him retire early. Or it could have the opposite effect; turning him into a phenomenal player, an even bigger threat to blue lines and goalies. He was already a lock for the hall of fame, now he needed to become legendary.

4 hours of pain and an appointment booked to get shaded next week when Jamie undergoes surgery for his other hip later she walked out of the tattoo parlour in SoHo and into the early spring New York air. She had just enough time to get to their AirBnB to take Bailey out for a walk and have a nap before the Hospital for Special Surgery called letting her know that Jamie was out of surgery and in recovery.

Catching a cab she hoped that traffic wasn't that bad so she can see him as quickly as possible.

Paying her fair she ran into the hospital and caught the first elevator up to the floor he was on. Now she knew how he felt every time she went into the hospital, anxious. She didn't know what she was coming into, how he made out, what happened next.

"Emily Rankin for Jamie Benn." She stated to the administration clerk on the desk.

"If you wanted to follow me back through here I can take you to see him." She got up to open the door to the side to take her to the recovery room.

"How did he make out?" She asked anxiously as she came through the door.

"From the sounds of it he did amazing. I will advise Dr. Kelly that you are here to go over recovery notes for the week. I understand he is coming back next week for more?" She mentioned as they rounded the corner.

"He will be. He's a stubborn but determined old mule, he wants to be ready for pre-season in September." Emily rolled her eyes.

"Hockey?"

"Yup. Dallas."

"Shame. I'm a Rangers fan."

"I'm a Boston fan and I went to school in Montreal. Try to make sense of that." Emily laughed.

"He's just on the other side of the curtain. I will let Dr. Kelly know you are here."

"Perfect, thanks so much." Emily smiled at the clerk.

The clerk smiled back at her before going back to her desk. Emily pulled back the curtain and found Jamie. His hair fluffy and appeared to be sleeping. Being careful of her hip she pulled a chair up to the side of his bed and ran her fingers through his hair, being careful of the IV drip attached to his arm. Running her fingers through his hair seemed to make him stir, his eyes hazy as he opened them due to the anesthesia and morphine.

"There he is. How are you feeling?" She said softly.

"Hmm." He muttered, enjoying her playing with his hair, "my hip hurts."

"When the nurse comes by we can see if she can give you more drugs." She said softly.

"Mmkay." He said with a small smile on his face.

"I wish I had seen you post wisdom teeth removal. It would have been hilarious." She laughed.

"I may have been a late bloomer but I had those things out early."

She sat down to laugh. She would have loved to have seen him on laughing gas. He was a
funny guy but it would have intensified with it. And his reference to being 5'3" just 10 years ago was cute too.

"You must be Emily." Dr. Kelly announced as he came in behind the counter.

"Dr. Kelly, nice to meet you, I should have introduced myself to you earlier." Emily stood up carefully and shook his hand, "I used to come to New York for work all the time."

"Well we're meeting now. You must have been away when I had my consult with Mr. Benn in Dallas." He mentioned.


"I was yes. He seems to have made it out just fine."

"He did phenomenally. I can show you the incisions if you would like."

"I would. Just so I can check on the incisions for home care. He's quiet stubborn. Do you think the cause of FAI for him is cause he grew about a foot in three months when he was a teenager? And it's been underlying for a while?"

"Possibly. Most likely because of the level of hockey he plays though. He's a tough guy and to be playing a full season on two bad hips was risky. He will find that once he's heeled he will be a much better player with the proper physiotherapy and rehab."

"See honey. Risky." She looked at Jamie, who looked like he was resting again.

"Hmm." He moaned, keeping his eyes closed.

Dr. Kelly pulled Jamie's sheets and hospital gown over to show Emily his hip, making sure to drape Jamie in a professional way. Explaining the procedure and that recovery will be mostly key once the incisions have been healed. Emily assured the doctor that he had a great team in Dallas that will take care of him once it came down to the rehab.

"I should get you to do my knee at some point once this guys all heeled up." Emily laughed.

"What's wrong with your knee?" Dr. Kelly asked.
"It's mildly arthritic and it's a different shape then my right knee. I fell on it when I was a kid and playing 10+ years of rugby at a high level didn't help it either."

"When it comes time, just let your doctor know and we can see what we can do. Here are Jamie's prescriptions and he can go home today."

"No need for the overnight?"

"Nope. He is fine. He can go whenever you'd like to take him."

"I'll get him ready and discharge him." Emily smiled at the doctor.

"And I'm sure I'll see you two next week."

"Well he can't run away now so it won't be that hard."

The doctor let out a laugh before leaving Jamie's recovery area.

"Babe. Guess what." She said quietly, running her fingers through his soft hair again.

"I get to go home." He grinned.

"You do. Are you excited?"

"I am."

The nurse came by to take out his IV and his discharge papers and let them be for a few moments so she could help Jamie get dressed before putting him in a wheelchair to take them to a waiting car.

It was just the beginning of a long summer. But she was excited for him to get back on the right track. One hip down and one hip to go. Thankfully it was the same hip she had tattooed so they were going to be able to at least spoon over the next couple of days before he got the other one done.

"Do you want to go to bed or get set up on the couch?" She asked as she wheeled him into their apartment.

"On the couch right now. Can I have my cane? I can walk." He murmured.

"The nurse said you have to stay off that leg today and we can start walking tomorrow. Do you want some food? Maybe some soup?"

"Soup would be good."

She wheeled him to the couch and helped him move and get comfortable on the large couch in their rental's living room. It wasn't easy getting all 6'2" and 210 pounds of him from the wheelchair to the couch as she was half the size of him, but she managed. Bailey sat on duty at Jamie's feet as she got his requested lunch prepared.

"After I eat lunch can I lay with my head on your lap?" He asked quietly.

"Yeah you can." She smiled at him.

She loved Jamie the suck. It was a rare phenomenon because he was never sick. But it soothed her when she played with his hair as much as it soothed him. Helping him lay down on the couch she kept an eye on him trying to stay awake to pay attention to the TV, and he was failing miserably. She knew he was going to be in some pain when he got up and she had forgotten to stop to fill his prescription. Once he was asleep she slid out from underneath his head and placed a pillow down in place so he was still comfortable.

"Mommy's going to be right back. Keep an eye on Daddy for me and make sure he doesn't move." She said quietly to Bailey before slipping out the door.

She lucked out finding a Walgreens in the next building and since it was a common prescription she managed to get it filled quickly. And was gone no longer then 30 minutes. But she was shocked to find Jamie on his feet and in the kitchen looking for something to eat.

"Jamie Benn! What are you doing?!" She asked, startling him.

"I'm hungry." He mumbled with a mouthful of potato chips.

"You aren't supposed to even be standing. Bed rest today mister." She put her hands on her hips, meaning business.

"I have it handled on my cane"

"I don't care. Your going to be on crutches starting next week."

"If I had known you were going to be this bossy I would have come with mum." He rolled his eyes at her as she helped him back to the couch, "where did you go anyways?"

"To go get your prescription. I was gone 30 minutes." Feeling him shift his weight into his good hip it helped her get him over, "how are you feeling?"

"First you verbally assault me and now you are asking me how I feel? It hurts, a lot." He groaned.

"Jamie."

"I meant my hip hurts, a lot. Can I have some of my meds?"

"Absolutely. You lay down and I'll grab you a glass of water and some drugs."

Helping him lay down on the couch she got what he was needing before settling down next to him.

She knew the moment the painkillers hit him, his eyes got hazy and he got cuddly.

She helped him rest his head into her lap again, and then an idea popped into her head.

"Hey Jamie."

"Hmm?"

"Will you be pissed if I bought a Ferrari?"

"Hmm?"

"In cash?" She tried to see how far she could push it.

"Hm."

"With paddleshift so you can't drive it. Since I'm not allowed to drive the Bentley."

"Hm."

"I'll call the dealership when we're back in Dallas." She grinned.

"Okay." He agreed.

She knew he wasn't going to remember this conversation when he woke up so she made a mental note to ask him again tomorrow.

But she was going to do it anyways. With her money, but with his assistance.

Notes