More Than a Game (5 page)

“Then they should know that he probably brought it on himself.”

“Fans, maybe. Officials don’t play by those rules though. For them, it’s a matter of whether I intentionally fouled him and if that foul resulted in serious injury. It’s like saying my actions resulted in his injury. It is irrelevant if he fouled me first. Did I willingly decide to foul him and thus cause him bodily harm?”

“I can’t believe that you would do such a thing.”

“I didn’t. It was a knee-jerk reaction. He pushed me and I shoved back to get him off of me. I didn’t intend to do so aggressively enough for it to even be called a foul. I most certainly didn’t intend to leave him flat on his back with a head and neck wound.”

“You’ll have your chance to explain your side of things, I’m sure.”

“I did, in the locker room. I told them what happened. What happens now is up to them.”

“The officials?”

“Officials. Coaches. Owners. Even if the officials decide I am not at fault, the others could still decide I’m too much of a liability. There are a lot of factors involved. There is how bad the injury is and how he recovers from it. There is his side of the story. There is the matter of how fans react to it. There are a lot of things that go on outside the rink that affect how we, as players, are perceived and treated.”

“I had no idea.”

“Honestly, I didn’t either until I started playing. All I can do is hope for the best. Hey, you know, I’m not in much of a Pac-Man mood tonight, after all. Do you think we can just cuddle up on the sofa and watch a movie?”

“That sounds like perfection. Though we both know you are just afraid of how badly I will beat you at Pac-Man.”

He gave her the faintest of smiles and kissed her softly, leading her over to the sofa, where they curled up against one another and sipped their wine while he looked for a movie to stream. At some point, they fell asleep in one another’s arms, jumping when his phone rang. She sat up and rubbed her eyes as he answered, making a dark face as he listened to the person on the other end of the line. When he hung up, he sighed and a chime sounded on his phone. She watched as he pushed a button and asked to speak to the wife of Harrison Clarke. Leslie feared the worst.

By the following day, things seemed to have improved at least a bit. Clarke was in stable condition with no permanent damage, though he would be out of the game for the rest of the season due to the location of his wound and the concussion he had suffered. Everything seemed like it would be fine. Then, things took an unexpected turn.

“I’m being sued by Harrison Clarke,” Shane told her on the phone.

“Sued? For what?” Leslie asked incredulously.

“Loss of livelihood,” he grumbled.

“That is ridiculous. He caused that incident himself. Surely, anyone can see that.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure. That isn’t all though.”

“Good grief! What else?”

“The coach says the district attorney here is involved. Clarke is trying to have criminal charges brought against me for assault with a deadly weapon. His wife has already been up to his office to discuss the matter with him while Clarke gets better.”

“You’ve got to be kidding. Your skate accidentally cut him. Who could possibly think you did something like that on purpose?”

“His take is that I intended to do physical harm to him to take him out of the game and, in that case, my skate was used as a weapon.”

“That is unbelievable. How can he get by with that?”

“Hopefully, he can’t, but in the meantime, I can’t play. So, we are both out of the game for as long as this drags out. I’ve been suspended indefinitely.”

“Shane, I’m so sorry. This is so horrible that you have to deal with this over something that was just an unfortunate accident.”

“Thanks. I have an appointment tomorrow to speak to an attorney about the civil case and to review the criminal case. If the district attorney decides to go through with formal charges, I’ll need solid representation for both.”

Leslie couldn’t help but notice how sad he sounded as he discussed the situation with her. Hockey was important to him in a way that it might be hard for most to understand. Not only was it his career, but he loved the game. That is what made him one of the best, his enjoyment of it. How sad that a simple accident could threaten everything for him.

‘I guess there is nothing to do but wait and see what happens, then,” she told him.

“All I can do. Listen, I need to get out of here but I have reporters camping outside my gate. If I sneak out over the back fence later, do you think you might pick me up and let me hang out at your place for a while?” he suggested.

“I’d love to help you run away from home. I’ll even make you dinner,” she told him.

“Okay. Just call me when you are ready. I’ll time my escape for whenever you’ll be happening by on the back street,” he told her with a laugh that revealed his inner anxiety.

‘I’ll be there just as soon as I can. Keep your phone handy and I’ll call you when I’m on the way,” she said.

“Perfect. See you later then,” he said, hesitating for a moment as if he wanted to say something else. Then, just “thank you” and a click from the other end as he disconnected the call.

Leslie
knew that this must be terribly difficult for him. Not only was he not the sort to be forced into downtime, but he was going to have a hard time dealing with the stress and the inability to vent his frustration on the ice. She could only hope for him that it didn’t get drawn out for very long. The day seemed to crawl by as she tried to get some work done; she was anxious
at leaving him alone all day with this. He was in a bad place and she hated that she couldn’t be there to support him while she was at work.

By five thirty, she was out the door and on her way to the smaller alley road that ran behind the massive brick wall surrounding his house. She wondered if there might be reporters camped back there too. Surely, some were industrious enough to know he might try to slip out the back way. As she grew closer, she saw that it was unlikely, as there were “no trespassing” signs posted on the entrance to the alley with a notation that there were cameras recording and violators would be prosecuted. She was unsure about entering it herself for a moment, but then realized he probably was the one that owned the small gravel road that led behind his property. At least, she hoped he was. She had no desire to get in trouble for being somewhere she shouldn’t. She hit the speaker on her phone and dialed him as she pulled onto the road.

“I’m here,” she told him.

“I see you,” he replied. “Just drive slowly toward the center. I’m on my way out.”

“Okay,” she replied, clicking the phone off and easing up the road. Obviously, she had been right about him being the one monitoring the road if he could see her. No way could he do that from the distance between his house and the brick wall that ran around it, not to mention the height of the brick that blocked his view.

A moment later, she saw him come toppling over the brick wall, using a type of rappelling rope that he unhooked from a post at the top of the fence and brought with him. He looked like some sort of burglar with his dark clothes and a cap that covered his beautiful red hair. He was carrying a large black duffle bag in the hand not holding the rope and hook. If she didn’t know him, his hulking figure was one she most likely wouldn’t be pleased to encounter in a dark alley.

“You look like you just robbed your own house,” she laughed as he climbed into the passenger seat.

“Didn’t I?” he said with a slow smile, leaning over to kiss her on the cheek. “You’re a life saver. Thank you for driving my getaway car.”

“I always wanted to live life a little dangerously,” she quipped, pulling slowly out of the alley and heading south, away from the front entrance of the house, where she could see news vans parked as far as even around the corner. They didn’t seem to notice as she and Shane slid away into the darkness.

Shane remained at her place for the next several days. She had been apprehensive about having him there at first, but he had been a perfect gentleman, sleeping in the guest room and helping her around the place rather than being a messy houseguest. After a while, she began to feel comfortable with him there and found that it was kind of nice having him around. It felt good to have someone happy to see her when she got home from work and to share dinner with her. They cuddled on the sofa and read or watched movies.

“I’m getting a bit stir-crazy,” he confided in her finally.

“We could go out,” she offered.

“I don’t know where we could go that I wouldn’t end up mobbed the moment someone recognized me,” he frowned.

“You have to go out sometime, Shane.”

“I know I do, but I’m just not ready to deal with the carnage and if the district attorney decides to press charges, not only is that another nightmare to deal with, but it will just kick things right back into overdrive instead of them dying down.”

“Any idea when you’ll know about that?”

“None. I just have to wait. The attorney I saw told me that we would just have to deal with it if it happened. He thinks I have a good defense in both the civil and possible criminal case, but they could still ruin me just by tarnishing my reputation. If I manage to win both cases, I have a fighting chance to redeem myself, but if I lose either one, I might well be at the end of my hockey career, not to mention possibly in jail.”

“You can’t think like that. I’ve no doubt that this will all sort itself out.”

“I hope so. I don’t know what I will do without hockey. I mean, I knew it would all end one day. There is only so long you can play such a sport. You get older, your reflexes get slower, but I had a long way to go before all that happened.”

“You
have
a long way to go before that happens. This will all be fine,” she told him, putting her hand to his cheek to soothe him.

“I only wish I were as confident about that as you are,” he said solemnly.

Leslie smiled up at him as he pulled her hand away from his face and kissed her palm. She could see the sadness in his eyes, mixed with anxiety. A thought occurred to her as she stood there.

“I know somewhere we can go. How about a hike up Marlin’s Mountain? It’ll do us both some good to get some fresh air. I’m off work tomorrow, so we can get up early and make a day of it. A cap and sunglasses and it’s not likely anyone will recognize you.”

“The great outdoors. Of course. I don’t know where Marlin’s Mountain is, but if you say it’s a good time, I’ll go. As much as I love being here with you, I’ve gotten a little claustrophobic.”

“I can’t even imagine. You must be going nuts.”

“A bit. In the meantime, how about a pizza for dinner? I’m starving.”

“You and your pizza,” she laughed.

“What? You don’t like pizza?”

“I love pizza, just not quite as much as you seem to.”

“You can never go wrong with pizza. It’s good stuff.”

“Pizza it is then. I have a surprise for you, as well. It might not be exactly how you would like to be back on the ice, but I have a mockup of my game for us to play.”

“Already?”

“Yes. Now, keep in mind that it has some issues that need to be worked out, but you can at least see where I’ve gone with it and see if you think it is something you would still want to play if you didn’t know the developer.”

“Well, you know, I am rather partial to the developer.”

“Just don’t say that my game is awesome just to please me. Try to be as objective as possible. I want this game to knock my boss’s socks off and sell like hotcakes. Don’t tell me it’s good, if it isn’t.”

“I guess he won’t be too interested in having my name on it now. I’m sorry about that,” Shane said quietly, looking down at the floor.

“Your name will be cleared in all of this, Shane. Just have faith. As far as what my boss wants other than what I’m employed to create for him, I’m not really worried about that.”

“If you say so,” he said, not sounding very convinced.

“I do say so. Now, how about we order that pizza and settle in on the sofa so that I can kick your backside at hockey?”

“Oh? You really think you’ve gotten so good that you can actually beat me?” he said, finally breaking a smile.

“I sure intend to try!”

After ordering their pizza, Leslie set up the game, broadcasting the mobile simulator she used on her laptop to cast it to her flat-screen TV so it would be easier to see. Shane watched with keen interest as she got everything ready for them to play and smiled.

“What?” she asked.

“I don’t think there is anything in the world sexier than a woman that knows her way around electronics like that,” he laughed.

Leslie felt herself blush and laughed it off, chastising him playfully for getting fresh with her. By the time she had everything arranged, the pizza had arrived and they were settled down to eat while she explained how the system operated, since it was in developer mode.

“Okay. Now, when the game goes live, people will have a choice to either play against others or play against the computer.”

“So, we can play head-to-head?”

“Yes. You select your players from all the teams out there, sort of like people do in fantasy hockey on the computer. You can go through player statistics and choose who you think would be best to use as your teammates. Or just choose the players you like. Everyone builds their own team. One player is yourself and the rest are all of the greats of the game. If you play against the game, the opposite team is chosen based on an algorithm.”

“Algorithm?”

“Yes. The program will take the stats of the players you choose and automatically select similarly ranked players based on what mode you have set. If you select beginner, it will select slightly less capable players, average will get players with almost identical stats and expert will get slightly better players so that you have to work harder to beat them.”

“Impressive. I like that. What if you choose head-to-head?”

“Then it skips the mode setting and you are at the mercy of how good a job you did selecting players. There is an auto-select function, but if you use that, the players are generated completely at random. You may get some great players mixed with not so great players. You may get a dream team or you may get a team that couldn’t find a puck, much less get it in a goal.”

“Oh, that’s harsh. I like it.”

“Also, I am working on a multi-player mode, but I don’t know how many people would use it. It basically lets you treat the game like the online fantasy teams. You and your friends can each play a position against another group of friends. I don’t have that function completely built yet, but should have it fleshed out soon and will firm it up after I’ve worked out the bugs in the basic game.”

“It sounds fantastic so far. I’m completely bowled over by how much work you’ve already done on this. I’m ready to play!”

And for the next three hours, that was what they did. Shane played the game and gave her some tips on further design considerations while she watched and took notes. He seemed to really be enjoying himself, despite the rough patches that had yet to be ironed out. It was nice to see him not consumed by his problems, even if it was only for a while.

“I appreciate your letting me hide out here these past few days. It’s been a relief not to have to try to sneak in and out of my own house. This place is so much more comfortable than mine.”

“This whole place would fit in your foyer.”

“That’s what I like about it. It’s cozy, homey. My place is too massive, cold. I don’t know why I bought it. I think it was just because they were selling such a huge place at a low price and I thought it was fancy, someplace my mum would really enjoy, but I don’t think she likes it much either.”

“Why not sell it and get something you prefer?”

“I just might. Having all this happen lately has shown me that life is too full of twists and turns to be holed up in a big empty house playing video games. Other than the time I’ve spent with you, that is pretty much all I do anymore. Go to practice. Go to games. Lose myself in electronics.”

“Perhaps that is just what you like to do for fun. There is nothing wrong with it. It’s not as if you’ve turned into a couch potato and aren’t getting any exercise.”

“That could change. I used to get my exercise in so many more exciting ways. I mean, don’t get me wrong. I love that hockey keeps me in shape, but back in Ireland, there were so many things to do outdoors. I miss it. Your idea to go hiking tomorrow is just what I need. It will be perfect to clear my mind a bit.”

“I’m glad I thought of it then.”

“I am too,” he replied, looking at her thoughtfully.

Leslie melted into his arms as he leaned forward and kissed her. No matter what was going on around them, this place felt safe and warm for her. He was the first man in a very long time that she had felt so incredibly comfortable with, in all aspects of the word. He had been a perfect gentleman while staying in her house, never once making her feel like he was rushing her into anything or taking advantage of being here. There was a part of her that wanted to do so much more than just kiss him, but she reminded herself that she hardly knew him, no matter how much his kisses tingled all the way down to her toes.

“I guess we best get some sleep then. We will get up early and get going,” she told him as he pulled away, her gaze not leaving his.

“Yes ma’am,” he told her softly, kissing her on the cheek before standing and reaching out to help her up.

They cleared away the debris from dinner and headed to their respective bedrooms to settle in for the evening. Leslie lay awake for a while, thinking about Shane and her feelings for him. She wanted to fall asleep in his arms, but it was too much, too soon. It would lead to more intimacy that she wasn’t quite ready for and he might not be able to handle it along with everything else going on in his life. At the end of the day, it was best to just let things lie as they were and let it lead where it might.