AJ sits in a waiting room at the hospital watching as people walk by the doorway. His eyes look up and stare intently any time a doctor passes hoping one will walk in and tell him how Nick is doing. Kevin is across the room lying on the floor with his arms under his head as a pillow trying to sleep a little. Brian was sitting in a chair next to AJ with his arm keeping his head propped up and nodding off every once and a while. They were the only three left now.
The whole team had come down to see how Nick was doing, but he was still knocked out cold. The doctors told them that he would be fine, but he had suffered his first NHL concussion. One by one the team and leaked out of the waiting room leaving their regards to tell Nick to the people that remained until it was down to what it was now, Brian, Kevin and AJ.
Nick’s family was all up in Canada and non of them where in the building to see him when he woke up, so AJ had thought it would only be right if Nick got to talk to someone when he woke up and since Kevin and Brian were basically asleep he thought he should be the one to stay up.
There was a small cup of coffee to his right on a small table that he had been nursing to keep himself awake even though he hated coffee. There was a TV in the room that was showing reruns of I Love Lucy now. It was close to four in the morning now and AJ had to admit even he was tired.
They had won the game thankfully even though AJ had to watch the rest of the game form the locker room. He had gotten an earful from Barber after the game though for his conduct. He could give two shits less though because he felt that Kasperitis deserved it. He always deserved what he got. He was a dirty player and everyone knew that. He was constantly falling on his own and trying to take out guys’ knees. He deserved everything that came to him.
“Excuse me,” a voice says from above AJ and he turns up to look into the face of a middle-aged woman dressed in jeans and a sweatshirt. Her brown hair fell to her shoulders and you could barely make out some of the red highlights in it, “You play for the Flyers don’t you?”
“Yes,” AJ says smiling as best as he could at this early hour.
“I’m sorry to bother you, but…my son he played ice hockey and it would mean the world to him if he could get to meet you,” she says staring at AJ with pleading eyes.
“Sure. Sure where is he,” AJ says willing his tired body to get up out of the seat and to his feet.
“He’s just down the hall,” she says backing up and heading towards the door to lead him to the room.
“Ok,” AJ says following closely behind her until they reach a room on the right that he walks into.
AJ’s face falls slightly as he stares down at a boy who could be no older then eleven at the most lying in a bed with tubes and electrodes all over his small body.
“Jeremy,” his mother says walking over to him and taping him on the shoulder, “you have a visitor.”
AJ walks over to the bed as the boy opens his eyes slowly and looks over at his mother who smiles widely and points to AJ. The small boys eyes light up quickly and AJ smiles at him kneeling down near the bed.
“Hey little man,” AJ smiles at him.
“Hi,” he says weakly.
“So I hear you like hockey,” AJ says as the boy nods slightly, “Whose your favorite team?”
“Your team,” he says quietly.
AJ nods and smiles again, “So your names Jeremy?”
Jeremy nods again.
“I’m AJ,” AJ says looking up at Jeremy’s mother who is back in the corner with her hand covering her mouth smiling as a few tears run down her face, “So how are you Jeremy?”
Brian pushes his head back to its upright position willing his eyes to stay open again. He didn’t think it was physically possible for one person to be this tired. Kevin was passed out on the floor and he was beginning to consider lying down next to him and taking a nap too. AJ was gone and he had no idea where he was or when he left at that. He opened his eyes at one point and he was gone probably to get a snack or something.
Brian cracks his neck to the right and then to the left as AJ walks into the room and wipes his eyes on his sleeve of his sweater. Brian stares at him as he sits down next to him again and sniffles slightly.
“Life is really fucked up you know that,” AJ mumbles wiping his eyes again, “I just went and talked to this little boy down the hall. He’s eleven years own and dying of Leukemia. Eleven years old Jesus,” AJ mutters, “He’s so young. I asked him what he liked to do and he said he liked to watch us play because he couldn’t play anymore. Who am I to give that much happiness to someone,” AJ says turning to face Brian, “I’m just a guy who plays hockey and acts like an ass most of the time. I mean all I do is play and I mean this much to that little boy,” he says and reaches up to wipe his eyes again, “I didn’t even realize how much I affect people until I talked to that little boy. You should have seen it Bri. His face just lit up when he saw me. He knew everything about me. He knew my shooting percentage and my goal percentage. He knew where I ranked in leading goal scorers in the NHL and he’s only eleven. Fuck,” AJ mutters wiping his eyes again.
Brian looks down at the floor and sighs he didn’t want to tell AJ about how many more kids there were in the hospital that he had visited over the few years he had been a Flyer that looked up to them. AJ had just been smacked with a dose of reality outside of the hockey world and it hit him hard. Brian had felt it to when he went to the hospital the first time in his rookie season and was swarmed by people wanting to be near him. It was a hard lesson to learn.
Brian looks over at Kevin as he stretches out and opens his eyes to look over at him and AJ. Kevin looks at Brian with questioning eyes and then over at AJ. Brian just shakes his head no as if to say don’t ask and Kevin nods yes in reply. Kevin’s eyes shift again to the doorway as a doctor walks in and looks at the three of them.
“Nick Carter’s friends I suppose,” the doctor says looking at the three of them as Kevin gets up off the floor.
“Is he awake?” Brian asks.
“Yes. Mr. Carter is awake and alert now. As I told you before he has sustained a concussion, which means he will be out of commission for a little which means no hockey no matter how much he protests. I’m giving him some pain killers for the pain in his head, but I would like to keep him here another day just to make sure everything is ok.”
“That’s fine,” Kevin says.
“Can we see him?” Brian.
“One at a time,” the doctor says.
“You go first Bri,” Kevin says and AJ nods in agreement.
“Ok,” Brian says standing up and following the doctor out of the room down the hall and into Nick’s room.
“Hey,” Brian smiles at Nick walking into the room.
“Did we win?” Nick asks, “They wouldn’t tell me.”
“Yeah, we won,” Brian smiles, “AJ got ejected after you got hit for beating up Kasperitis.”
Nick shakes his head and smiles a little, “That’s AJ for you.”
“You ok?”
“Yeah, I have a huge headache, but that’s all.”
“You scared us man. The whole team was here, but they left one by one as it got later. AJ and Kevin are still here though. They’re coming in after me I think.”
Nick nods, “They said I need to stop playing for a little.”
“You do. Just until you get better.”
“I’m fine.”
“Nick, listen to the doctor. Barber won’t let you anyway. We don’t need another Lindros.”
Nick smiles again and sighs, “I finally move up to second string and BOOM this happens. I must have bad luck or something. First my backyard and now this.”
Brian smiles, “They’re just testing you, Nick. You’ll be fine. AJ already had a concussion before.”
“Is that supposed to make me feel better?”
“I think it was.”
“It’s not helping then.”
Brian smiles, “Hey Leigh and me think it would be a good idea if you stayed at our place until the Red Sea in your backyard goes away.”
“You sure?”
“Yeah, then we can try and prevent it again from happening or just wing it.”
“Alright man.”
“Ok then just remember one thing.”
“What’s that?”
“Always knock on the bathroom door in my house before you go inside just to make sure it’s not Leigh.”
“Ok man,” Nick smiles, “Deal.”
Kevin stares at AJ from across the ice as he begins swinging his stick around in the air with Fedoruk hitting them together while making sound effects for them as if they were light sabers from Star Wars. He shakes his head and looks up in the seat where Nick is sitting flipping through a comic book and he laughs to himself slightly. No matter how old they really were all the guys degenerated to little kids when they were around each other.
Barber decided it would be good for Nick to sit out at least a week of practices and games for his own safety much to the dislike of Nick. Nick had also moved in with Brian and his wife Leigh for a short period of time until his backyard returned to his house. The two of them seemed to be getting closer as the days went by and Kevin wasn’t sure if that was a good or a bad thing because both of them were immature and when they were around each other all hell broke loose. At least they weren’t as bad as the Phantoms alumni when they got together.
Marty Murray, Ruslan Fedetenko, Brian Boucher, AJ McLean and Todd Fedoruk, when you put those five together you were just asking for trouble. The team had taken to calling them the five now because of the five members. Kevin had had that great honor of being the target for one of their jokes earlier that day when he had gone into the equipment room and was stuck in there for an hour because one or more of them had put Vaseline on the doorknobs, so he couldn’t open the door again. Poor Williams though had gotten the saran wrap on the toilet though in his new house. Kevin was prepared for the worst to happen at anytime when they were around.
Kevin had also seen a change in AJ. Yes AJ had always stopped before to sign autographs, but only for a certain amount of people if he was in a rush, but now he stopped and signed for everyone. No matter how many people there were he would stop and sign whatever it was they wanted signed. Kevin didn’t know if it was a change for the better or worse because AJ’s small body would end up being squashed half the time in all the people that surrounded him.
Other then Nick’s problem everything seemed to be looking up for the team and himself. Brian and Boosh had been rotating goalie positions and both seemed to be happy with the amount of ice team they both got. AJ was well still AJ, but that was expected and he brought a sense of light heartedness to the team that they needed. The biggest thing Kevin had to worry about now was what was he going to do about Christmas shopping because Christmas was approaching fast. He didn’t think there was a thing in the world that Kristin wanted that she didn’t already have yet.
AJ skates up to Kevin with the rest of the Five skating behind him smiling.
“How much would you give me if I could hit Nick up there with a puck knocking that comic out of his hands,” AJ smiles.
“Nothing.”
“Why?” AJ pouts.
“Because you can’t do it I told you that,” Fedoruk says.
“I can to,” AJ says.
“Ok do it then,” Fedetenko says.
“Oh say it ain’t so Rusty,” AJ says, “You’re doubting me too.”
Fedetenko nods holding his stick under his chin.
“Ok fine watch and weep,” AJ says skating over to open ice and placing a puck down.
“This can’t be good,” LeClaire says skating up to Kevin.
“You’re telling me,” Kevin says as LeClaire shakes his head laughing to himself.
“AJJJJJJJJJJJJJJ!” Nick yells from his seat as a puck hits him in the chest and he stands up quickly dropping his comic.
“You never said I had to hit the comic to make him drop it,” AJ smirks at the others as a puck flies by his head hitting the ice beside him, “Nick Carter why must you be so violent!” AJ yells up to Nick who is standing from where he through the puck down at AJ.
Nick stares out the window to Brian’s apartment in Philadelphia and sighs. He wanted to go back to his house. He didn’t exactly love the city enough to live in it. He liked hanging out with Brian and Leigh was a great person, but he was getting sick of the city life.
“Hey you feeling ok?” Brian asks walking up and standing beside Nick looking out the window.
“Yeah,” Nick says, “I miss it though.”
“Miss what?”
“The ice. The game. Everything about it.”
Brian nods, “Now you know how I feel every time I have to see you guys play while I sit on the bench and watch it all happen.”
Nick nods, “They always say backup goalie is the hardest position to play on the team.”
Brian nods, “You have no idea how hard.”
“What happened to AJ?”
“He got a dose of reality. A hard dose of it.”
“You think he’s gonna be ok?”
“Yeah, it happened for the better.”
“What did you say to that Sports Illustrated guy?”
“I honestly don’t know. I think I blanked out during that time. I have no idea what I said.”
“AJ’s gonna be that hot shot I guess.”
“Yeah.”
“You think we’ll still be friends you know if any of us get traded.”
“I want to say yes, but it doesn’t always happen,” Brian says, “AJ told me after McAmmond got traded that friends go in and out of your life like bus boys in a restaurant in this kind of profession, but only a choice few will keep in touch. I have no idea why he picked bus boys to relate the topic to, but it makes sense in an AJ sort of way.”
Nick nods.
“There are good and bad sides to being an athlete and that’s a bad side,” Brian sighs, “Don’t worry man you just got here,” Brian smiles at Nick.
Nick nods again silently. He couldn’t imagine even playing for another team with another group of guys.
Brian looks by him, “Stand by me. Whoaaa, stand by me. Ohhh, stand. Stand by me. Stand by me,” he sings slinging an arm over Nick’s shoulders.
Nick looks at the shorter man and laughs.
“Cause darling. Darling. Stand by me. Whoaaa, stand by me. Ohhh, stand by me. Darling stand. Stand by me. Stand by me.”
“You’re singing it in the wrong order,” Nick says to him.
Brian stares up at him, “AJ is right about you.”
“What’s that?”
“You really do know how to kill a moment.”
Nick smiles, “That’s me.”
