Flowers Sent to the Hospital

“That’s not love, Tyler.”

“I’m telling you, Emily, it’s love,” he joked.

After a few days of monitoring for infection, the doctors were finally letting Tyler go home. He had been restless sitting in his hospital bed; Emily had a hard enough time controlling him for the short half hour she was in the room with him during her lunch, let alone how Jamie was doing as he practically lived in the hospital with his teammate.

Tyler was perched on the edge of his bed. He tossed a clean shirt over his head and bent to finish tying his shoes.

“He only sent me flowers,” Emily added, trying desperately to convince both him and herself that it was nothing. She was trying to push her sliver of hope back down into her chest. It had worked its way into her throat, tightening whenever she talked about Jamie.

“Twice,” he mumbled around a pair of sunglasses hanging from his mouth. Emily blushed. The day before, she had walked into the locker room to find a Daffodil taped to her locker. Always for you, the card had read, - Jamie. It was enough to send her giddily waltzing into Tyler’s room during his incision check. Sadly Jamie had gone to feed Marshall and Cash, Tyler’s two dogs. “Plus he stays around here all day in hopes of seeing you," and without pause, "Are you coming tomorrow?”

“I don’t know, Ty,” she sighed ignoring his other statement, running a hand through her hair. It had not fully dried from her shower that morning.

“C’mon,” he slung his arm around her shoulder, running his hand along the air in front of them as he painted the scene for her, “Friday night, you, me, your hot nurse friends, Jamie...” he gave her shoulder a little nudge.

“...surrounded by your teammates and their significant others. I’m not saying no, but I’m also not saying yes,” she smiled up at him. “I’ve got to go, Ty. My lunch ends soon.” He groaned, throwing his arm off of her shoulders dramatically.

“Fine, text me tomorrow. I expect an answer,” he yelled as she strode out the door.

“Will do.” She threw an innocent grin over her shoulder before running into something solid.

“Hi.” Emily looked up, hands pressed to the chest of Jamie Benn.

“Oh, um, hi.” Her cheeks burned pink, and she dropped her eyes to the ground. He stood awkwardly, shifting from foot to foot. They met each other's eyes. Emily quickly pushed past Jamie, her chest brushing against his side. She turned around, her cheeks tinged pink, “Thank you for the flowers.” He dropped his eyes to the ground, his cheeks going redder than hers, and nodded. As she left, Emily heard Tyler laughing through the open door.

~~~~~

Emily had texted Tyler when she woke up the next morning after a long-winded conversation with Beth the night before. She claimed life was too short to ‘not get asswipedly wasted with hot hockey players’. Taking her advice, Emily invited her to the party as her ‘hot nurse friend’ and together they had been getting ready for over an hour.

Emily couldn’t argue against the fact that most of the encouragement to attend the party came in the form of Jamie Benn. Half an hour earlier, while Beth was still in the shower, she had made sure to point this out to Emily. When she didn’t deny it, Beth almost slipped on the soapy tile when she pointed at her accusingly through the glass shower pane and screamed that she knew it all along.

“No,” Emily groaned, swiping at Beth’s hands, one that held liquid eyeliner and another, XXX Sexy Volume Mascara.

“Please?”

“One?”

“Ugh,” Beth groaned, “fine, one.” Emily smiled, plucking the mascara out of her skinny fingers. She applied it carefully, watching Beth sneak in slowly from her right, liquid eyeliner in hand.

“I’m not wearing it.”

“Over my dead body you aren’t.”

“Just,” she sighed, “just trust me. I don’t want to look like I tried too hard, and I don’t want to wear liquid eyeliner that will only sweat off in the heat of the party. Please.” Beth searched her expression, then turned towards the mirror and used the eyeliner on herself.

“You really like this guy don’t you?” she said blinking, wiping at the excess black liquid.

“It’s kind of pathetic,” Emily chuckled, darkening her lips.

“Yeah, a little.”

~~~~~

“Seriously Chubbs, that’s the third shirt you’ve tried on tonight.” Jordie sat on the edge of his brother’s bed, watching his younger brother doing what could only be described as twirling in front of a mirror.

“I’m just trying to look nice Jordie,” Jamie chidded. Smoothing out a crease in the front of his shirt. Tyler had texted him just before noon, letting him know that Emily was going to be at the team party tonight.

“Look, your biceps are huge and your butt looks great. Can we go now?” He stood off the bed, grabbing at his phone as he left the room, leaving the door open behind him as an invitation to follow. Jamie sighed, running his hand once again over the gel in his hair, trying to get a stubborn piece to stay in place. “Let’s go!” yelled Jordie from downstairs. Jamie tugged at his collar, pulling it away from his throbbing throat.

“Let’s do this,” he whispered to himself.

~~~~

“This was a bad idea.”

Beth paused from dabbing at her lips, “Duh.”

“Ugh, I can’t get this off,” Emily yelled, rubbing at the corner of her lip where her lipstick had smeared, she had to hold the mirror in place with one hand to keep it from bouncing as Beth drove haphazardly down streets lined with large houses. The two had decided to get some food before going to the party. Emily was trying to avoid getting drunk and making a fool out of herself at all costs.

“We shouldn’t have gotten food. I feel so bloated now,” Beth whined, giving up on her lips, lipstick still in hand and her fingers stained dark purple. She rested one hand, careful not to smear lipstick on her dress, on her stomach, pushing it out as far as she could.

“Your problem for wearing a skanky dress,” Emily mumbled around her finger as she now worked to get lipstick off her teeth.

“I could have worn less.” Emily shrugged, agreeing. Finally satisfied with her lips, she glanced over at Beth, playing with her fingertips.

“Do you think I’m crazy for liking Jamie?”

“No,” she licked at her teeth, “but maybe you should have some options, just so it doesn’t seem like you’re already head-over-heels in love with this guy. What about the cutie from the bar?” Her face lit up as she gently nudged Emily with her shoulder. “Very nice ass, would make adorable babies.”

“He sent three other girls drinks while talking with me.”

“See, he knows how to keep his options open,” Beth encouraged. Emily shook her head.

“If it goes somewhere with Jamie, then it goes somewhere. I’m not going to ‘keep my options open’ just because I may seem too into him. And especially not for a sleazy bar hopper with greasy hair.” Beth shrugged.

“Just a loving suggestion,” she smiled coyly.

Emily pulled harder at her fingers. She smoothed her dress down her legs repeatedly, and kept brushing hair out of her face. There was one strand of hair she couldn’t find, and it was bugging her.

“Stop with the fiddling, you look like a freak. And the GPS says we’re here,” Beth said, pulling up behind an all-black Range Rover. Emily went still, cursing under her breath. When she finally took a deep breath and shook out her limbs, she locked eyes with Beth.

“Good?” Emily nodded, lips tight together, pulling at the door handle and stepping lightly onto the sidewalk. They crossed the street together, Beth squeezing her arm through Emily’s.

“Hello, ladies,” Tyler greeted as they walked through the door. He stood in the entryway with two of his teammates and a thin, blonde woman who was hooked onto one of their arms. “Spez, Klinger, this is Emily and…” he trailed off, hooking Beth’s hand in one of his own, pulling it to his lips to give it a kiss.

“Beth,” she finished, pulling her hand back slowly from his grasp.

“Beth, it is lovely to meet you. Emily,” he leaned in and kissed her cheek, “Beth, this is Jason Spezza, and John Klingberg, two of the forwards. And this is Jason’s beautiful wife, Jennifer.”
“Please call me Jen,” the woman held out her hand to both women, as did the men. Finally, Tyler ushered Emily and Beth into the thick of the crowd.

“Jamie's in the backyard,” he whispered into Emily’s ear, pushing her in that direction, earning a yip from her. Beth gave her a warning glance and gladly followed Tyler as her pulled her towards the dance floor.

Emily wished she hadn’t eaten as to dull the anxiety riddling in her stomach with alcohol would be ideal. In vain she stepped into the kitchen right off the main entry. She grabbed at a plastic cup when a tall man with a bushy red beard reached for it instead.

“A woman shouldn’t have to pour her own drink,” he winked, filling it halfway and handing it back to her. “Jordie,” he said, sticking out his hand.

“Emily, it’s nice to meet you Jordie.” She grabbed his hand halfway through her sentence, shaking it quickly. He held on a second longer than appropriate. By his stunned appearance she knew he meant no harm, though she allowed herself to be guarded.

“Ah, well I feel like I know you already.” Emily looked quizzically at him, taking her hand back slowly and cautiously when he allowed her to. Jordie smiled, noticing the awkwardness that had built between them. “You’re the reason my brother has been skipping around the house lately. He’s out back, drinking some liquid courage. You might want to go talk to him before he’s too far gone,” he laughed, pulling away from her. Emily went red.

“Thanks,” she mumbled, holding up her drink like a toast and turning slowly, beginning her forcefully casual walk in search of the backyard. She found large open doors in the living room that looked out onto a wooden deck strung with lights and a huge lawn, spotting a familiar looking silhouette. She took a minute to force her breathing to steady out before walking up behind Jamie who was standing alone at the end of the deck. Her confidence got her standing next to him, but she didn’t say anything to acknowledge her presence. Instead, she took a final shaky breath and stepped up beside him, heart racing.

“Hi,” he said shocked, glancing at his almost empty cup in fright.

“Hi,” she smiled, resting her hands and drink on the railing.

“I’m glad you came." He paused, adding as an afterthought, "It means a lot to Tyler.” Emily’s heart sank. She still hadn’t gotten the nerve to make eye contact with him yet, and now she blinked a few times, trying to gain her composure as she looked out into the darkening backyard.

“I know it does, he practically got on his knees and begged,” she laughed it off. The mood was still hesitant, but it was now substantially lighter.

Jamie eyed her while she looked away. She looked like she hadn’t tanned all summer, but the red of her dress complimented her paleness. She stood a few inches taller than before, her head reaching just over his shoulders, and her hair was pinned up, exposing her neck and tempting his lips. He took a shaky breath, gripping his cup tighter than before. Her eyes flickered over, and her eyebrows scrunched up in a silent question.

“You okay?” she asked. Jamie nodded, downing the rest of his beer. He looked at her, asking if she wanted a refill to which she politely nodded, though she hadn’t taken a single sip because of a nervous stomach, and handed over her cup. He hastily took both back into the kitchen.

“You left her out there?” Jordie asked, eyeing Jamie suspiciously
.
“I’m getting refills,” Jamie muttered. His brother began to say something else, but Jamie walked back outside, cutting him off. He sighed, walking up behind the beautiful woman.

“I’m back,” he said in a voice just above a whisper.

“Thanks,” she smiled, taking her drink from him, now three-quarters of the way full.

“So,” he swallowed, thinking of conversation starters. He paused just a little longer than necessary, but smiled coyly at her, “why the Hawks?” She chuckled into her drink.

~~~~~

“Beth, where is she?” Emily asked Tyler, grabbing him by the bottom of his shirt to steady herself. She stumbled a little in her heels, just tipsy enough to be off balance.

“Uh, I’m not sure. Last I saw she was dancing with one of the youngins,” he scanned the room, standing much taller than Emily and being able to see above all the heads. He dropped his eyes back down to her. “I don’t see her. Why?”

“Well I can’t leave without her,” she heard the stinging of her sarcasm and looked up apologetically, but Tyler didn’t seem to mind it, instead giving her a shit-eating grin.

“She’ll be in fine hands if she stays here. You can get her in the morning.”

“Stitches Ty. No strenuous activity for two to three weeks. That should include dancing too,” she started pointedly at him until he gave her an apologetic smile, though she knew it wasn’t going to stop him.

“Maybe I’ll throw another party in two to three weeks.” Emily, already walking away from him, turned back when he called to her, rolling her eyes at his comments and continuing to search for Beth.

“Did she go outside?” she muttered to herself. She focused on keeping her footing as she walked towards the front door, quickly scanning the yard but seeing it empty of partiers. Emily walked down the sidewalk a few yards, noticing that Beth’s car was also gone.

“You just missed her. She left with one of the rookies.” The voice startled Emily. She spun and stumbled, more or less steadied by a tipsy Jamie Benn.

Emily hadn’t seen Jamie for over an hour now. After they had run out of small talk, the conversation quickly became awkward, and they went their separate ways before either could embarrass themselves. She had later seen him dancing with a tall and skinny blonde before having Jordie, who was still stationed in the kitchen, refill her drink.

“Oh.”

“Were you on your way out?”

“Yeah,” she muttered, rubbing at her shoulder, “but the car’s gone, so-”

“Come back to my place.”

“What?” The shock was evident on her face as she locked eyes with him. Her dark lips were parted, and though the lipstick had worn off, the deep stained color was still haunting him.

“No, no, I, uh,” Jamie tried to backtrack, holding his hand out in an attempt to stop her thoughts, “No, I mean that I can take you home. I only live a few blocks from here, we can walk. Then I’ll take you home.” Her eyes looked conflicted, then they narrowed, sending a shiver up Jamie’s back. He could see the gears turning in her mind. Her depth of intelligence and insight amazed him.

“You drank more than I did, Jamie.”

“Well, then,” he smoothed out the collar of his jacket, “at least you’ll have a place to stay that isn’t riddled with party-goers and the stink of booze.” She snorted, smiling as she looked away from him, again noting the empty space where Beth's truck was once parked. She was out of options.

“Fine,” she said. “Let me go get my coat.”

She returned a few minutes later with a long, black coat tied shut. She shoved both hands deep into her pockets, breathing in the cool air of the dead of night.

“How far did you say your house was?”

“A few blocks.”

“I’m not going to last a few blocks in these things,” she sighed, stopping him with a hand on his shoulder, using it for balance as she tugged off both heels. She swung them from her fingers when she stood up straight again. “What are we waiting for? Let’s go.” Jamie chuckled, subconsciously turning her in the direction of his house with a hand on her lower back.

~~~~~

He pushed open the door, holding it for her as she slipped into the entryway. The walk to his and Jordie’s house had mainly been silent, but unlike at the party, it was comfortable. She had slipped one arm through his as they walked, like an instinct. He had glanced down at her, surprised but pleased with her actions. Almost immediately she had begun to pull away, seemingly embarrassed. Jamie had then tightened his arm against his body, keeping her arm stuck where it was.

“You have a lovely home,” she spoke quietly, gazing around and running her hand over the staircase banister as she passed it.

“Thank you.”

“Do you live here alone? This is an awfully big house.” Jamie heard the pause in her voice and stepped up closer to her, her back now against the railing. He was still a sizable distance away, but seeing her in that vulnerable position made his head spin.

“No, Jordie lives here too.” She nodded.

“Well,” she broke the moment's silence, “where am I sleeping?” He cleared his throat, gesturing up and letting her lead the way up the stairs. He forced himself not to peek up her dress as she ascended to the second level. She stalled at the top, waiting for him to catch up.

“Here’s a guest room,” he nodded towards a closed door.

“‘A’ guest room. How many are there?” she chuckled, turning the handle and stepping into the dark room. She flicked on the light, watching the room come to life before her. The walls were painted a springy green that accentuated the white bedspread on the giant bed.

“There are plenty,” he chuckled. “I’ll go get you something else to wear.” He left the room, opening a door across the hall. Emily blushed. She was directly across from Jamie’s bedroom. Something about the knowledge that she could slip into his room easily weighed on her and made her heart beat faster.

“Here you go,” Jamie said, returning with a t-shirt in one hand and a pair of clean boxers in another.

“Thanks,” Emily breathed, sure her cheeks were bright red, inwardly ecstatic at the thought of wearing his clothes.

“Bathroom’s down the hall, it’s all yours. And my room is right across the hall if you need anything.” The way he said ‘anything’ made Emily’s ears perk up. She met his eyes, grinning at the flustered emotion in them.

“Thank you, Jamie.” He ducked his head, backing out of the room as she began to close the door to get changed.

“You’re welcome.”

As Emily changed she heard banging from downstairs, followed by a door opening and two voices speaking at a low volume. Jordie must be home, she thought. She heard heavy footsteps on the stairs and hastily threw his shirt on over her exposed torso, though the door was shut tight. They stopped just outside of her door.

"Goodnight, Emily," she heard Jamie call, his voice sounding surprisingly restricted. She paced over to the door, pressing her ear against it.

"Goodnight." She glanced down at the ground, noticing the shadows his feet cast under her door. They stood against opposite sides of the door for a minute, Emily's pulse racing in her throat as she debated opening the door. He coughed and walked away hastily before she had the chance. "Sleep tight," she whispered.

~~~~~

Emily awoke to the morning light seeping in through the curtains. She stretched carefully, conscious of the dull ache in her feet and her slight nausea from drinking. Slowly, she turned to face the digital clock resting on the nightstand. Her mind kept going back and forth, trying to decide if she wanted it to be early or mid-morning. The clock read 6:45. It wasn't likely either Jamie or Jordie was awake. She huffed, without them up she was faced with too many options.

She mulled over the possibility of leaving. She wouldn't have a ride home, but she may be able to avoid any awkwardness if Jamie woke up and decided last night was a mistake. He had been drinking and dancing with another girl, Emily reminded herself. She shook the thoughts from her head, deciding to pick a path after getting dressed.

Emily peeled off Jamie's clothes, pressing them to her nose for one last breath. They smelled like cinnamon and hair gel. She shook her head, dropping his clothes on the floor and reaching for her dress from the previous night. Foregoing her treacherous shoes, she hopped across the bed and pulled the covers tight. Making sure the room was straightened out with her eyes, she pushed her ear against the door, listening for any noise. There was none. She glanced again at the clock, 7:01. Her hand turned the knob and cracked the door to peer out. There was no movement. She dashed down the hallway, careful to tread lightly and cause little noise. The counter was cool and smooth and the light blinding when she finally found the right switch; instead, she opted to turn off the light and open the door wide, letting in as much natural light as possible from the windows downstairs. She hastily wiped away at the makeup that had run down her face and rinsed her arid mouth with water, swishing it around in an attempt to clear her of morning breath. But there was nothing she could do about her hair but hope that she had packed an extra hair tie in her purse. Jamie's door was still closed when she glanced back into the hall.

She prayed that the toilet flushing didn't wake him, and tiptoed to the steps just to double check for voices. It was silent besides the crickets chirping outside. From there she went back over her options: one, stay and face either embarrassment or extreme joy, or two, leave and avoid any potential awkwardness but possibly ruin her chances with Jamie. Emily sighed, she needed Beth. Returning to the room, she grabbed her shoes, swinging them in one hand. The other reached inside her purse for her phone as she sat down on a chair across from the door, and on a desperate whim, checked the battery life, 13%, and prayed that she could maintain a connection long enough to phone her best friend.

The phone rang four times. Emily was about to hang up and try again when it went quiet and a gruff voice greeted her.

"Hello Emily, she told me to tell you to call back when she's awake," a cheery voice said despite the obvious that she had woken him up with her call. Emily paused.

"Tyler?" she asked hesitantly, her voice cracked and dry. Beth's car had been gone when she left with Jamie, she shouldn't be with Tyler.

"The one and only," he chuckled. "How's Benny?"

"I don't know," Emily admitted, grabbing her opposite elbow with her free hand. "He's asleep in his room."

"He put you up in a guest room, huh?" she heard him chuckle into the phone. When she didn't respond it died down into a cough.

"What do you mean?" she asked slowly, wondering what she wanted to hear. Tyler gave a final cough and hesitantly, though not sheepishly, responded.

"Well by how much he's been talking about ya I thought he might take you then and there." Emily swallowed hard. "You there?" he continued after a minute of silence. His voice had faded slightly, and Emily could imagine him pulling the phone away from his ear to see if they'd lost connection.

"I thought Beth left your house last night before I did," she changed the subject, hoping he'd comply.

"She went to get more beer with one of the rookies, whom she shamelessly teased until he was almost on his knees," he added for Beth's benefit. Emily could hear quiet giggles on the other end of the line, "But you were already gone by the time she got back, so she stayed here. So why'd ya call?" His voice was casual. Emily's insides turned. Jamie was his best friend, and she didn't need to have this conversation with him.

"Can I talk to Beth, please?"

"She's trying to sleep at the moment."

"'Trying'. Can you please just give the phone to her." Every minute she stayed here was closer to Jamie waking up and finding her ready to leave. Whatever reaction this entailed from him, Emily was not ready to find out.

There was commotion on the other end, whispered arguing and the bed creaking. She heard Beth groan in complaint and take the phone.

"Yes m'lady. Whatever can I do for you this early in the morning?" Emily rolled her eyes, grinning crookedly at the sarcasm lacing Beth's voice.

"Jamie's not up."

"So?" Emily huffed, making up her mind; she could always make up an excuse later.

"If I met you outside Tyler's house, could you give me a ride?" she asked sheepishly, her thumb nail resting between her teeth. She could feel Beth's glare of disappointment through the phone.

"Did he do something, or did you?" Beth knew her well. Emily was sure Beth already knew it was her not knowing what to do with herself in a man's house with no ride home and not something Jamie did that caused her to ask for a ride home.

"Me, as always. It's just that he's not awake yet, and I really don't want there to be any awkwardness when he does," Emily sighed, running a hand through her messy hair. "Please?" she asked.

"He really likes you," Emily could hear Tyler's hum of agreement, "why don't you just wait and let your dear friends here sleep?"

"Beth," Emily groaned, throwing herself against the back of the chair and instantly stilled, listening for any signs of waking up.

"Emily," she returned the tone.

"Please.” Her voice was quiet. Beth paused.

"Fine," she said, hearing the desperation in her friend's voice. Emily heard hushed arguing again and the rustle of bed sheets.

"You and Ty didn't..." she asked worriedly.

"Well," Beth grunted, probably trying to pull on her shoes while talking and controlling Tyler, "we were close, oh so close," Emily wrinkled her nose, "but then I remembered his stitches and made him stop." Emily nodded.

"I warned him about that." Beth hummed in response.

"I'll see you later, Tyler," came Beth's quiet voice as she pulled the phone away from her mouth. Emily suppressed a smile, knowing that they probably wouldn't evolve into anything serious. "I'll meet you in ten, babycakes," she spoke again at full volume. Emily nodded, grinning anxiously.

"See you then," she finished and hung up the phone, now at 4%. She let out a breath and leaned forward to sneak a glance at Jamie's door. Knowing he was sleeping in his bed somewhere near was making her jittery, but she quickly tore her gaze from the doorway and stood, pausing. She turned a few degrees to the left and rummaged through the drawers of the nightstand, looking for something to write on. Her fingers shuffled past gum, a TV remote, and stalled on a foil package with the word 'Trojan' written in bold letters. She lifted it carefully, noticing it was still sealed. She ran her fingers over the edges of the wrapper, shuttering at her thoughts, mind racing. She quickly threw it back into the drawer and closed it, her fingertips resting against the wood. Shaking her head, she continued her search for paper, carefully avoiding the top drawer. She found scrap paper in the second drawer along with a dried out pen. Muttering under her breath, she searched for a writing utensil in her purse, and finally found one at the very bottom. Putting the pen to her found paper she paused again.

Words Beth had spoken to her a few months ago rang in her ears. It had been a long day for both of them. Neither clocked out on time due to last minute pre-ops and emergency cases. Emily had had to deliver a baby whose mother had gone into labor only thirty minutes before because the on-call doctor couldn't make it back in time. They had come to this bar after stopping at two before it, and neither were in stage to drive. Beth had disappeared to talk to a couple of guys Emily insisted were only into each other, but Beth shook her head, mumbling something so slurred she couldn't understand her and stumbled off. When she came back she slapped a napkin on the bar under Emily's nose. On it, elegant script spelled out gently that they were extremely gay. "Can you read this for me please, my head is spinning," she asked. When Emily did, Beth shrugged and turned back to blow a kiss at the table she'd just come from. The men waved back chuckling. She turned back around, "You gotta take chances to lose your dignity."
Emily chuckled at the memory, and in a rush of courage from Beth's words she wrote:

Jamie, thank you for letting me stay here. You have a wonderful home. I would love to see more of it sometime. Or just more of you.
-Emily

She left the note on the nightstand, gathered up her things, opened the guest room door wide, and left the house before she could rip up the note and wait for him to wake.

Notes