15. Zack

ZACK

I skatedown the middle of the ice, the puck on the end of my stick as I skate around a defender, then pass the puck up to Camden. He gains the zone and takes the puck in deep to the corner, where he gets collapsed on by the defense. I drop down to help dig the puck out so we don"t lose possession. I get it out and send it around the boards to the other side.

When I turn to skate back to the center, I"m leveled to the ground by a bad hit. The winger from Dallas clipped me on the knee, and I go down quickly and in pain. I roll on the ice, grabbing at my knee as I scream out in pain.

"Fuck," I yell as my teammates kneel next to me. Whitney comes sliding up to me, kneeling to ask me her questions.

"Where"s the pain?" she asks.

"On the side of my kneecap," I grit out.

"Is it radiating or staying in one spot?"

"Mostly right there, but it"s throbbing, so kind of hard to say specifically," I tell her.

"Okay, sounds like your MCL," Whitney says. "Can you guys help me get him to the bench?" she asks Camden and Easton.

"Yep." They help me up, and with a guy on each side of me, we slowly skate over to the bench. I can"t put any weight on my left leg, so I know something is wrong. Whitney follows us, carrying my stick and gloves back to the bench.

The guys help me onto the bench, and then the equipment guys take over, helping me down the tunnel and into the locker room. Whitney follows them and has them help me into the treatment room and onto her exam table.

"I"m going to get some of this gear off you first," she says, and removes the tape on my socks, then removes the sock, along with my shin pad and skate.

"How"s it going in here?" A middle-aged man comes in. "I"m Dr. Smith, one of the Dallas team doctors."

"Hi, I"m Whitney, and this is Zack." Whitney introduces both of us.

"Nice to meet you both. What are we dealing with here?" he asks.

"I"m thinking MCL, but I"ll let you check him over, and we can go from there," she tells him.

Dr. Smith steps up and starts his exam of my knee. It hurts like a motherfucker, especially when he"s poking and prodding at it and asks me to move it. "I agree with your assessment. I"d like to get a quick X-ray, just to rule out any fractures, but I think an MRI will be needed to diagnose you fully. In the meantime, we can get you some pain meds and a brace until you get back home and can get in for the MRI."

"Thanks, Doc," I tell him as Whitney hands me a small cup with some pain meds, along with a water bottle. I pop the meds into my mouth and take a large squirt of water from the bottle, washing down the pills, hoping they"ll kick in quick.

I"m helped out of the rest of my gear and then taken down the hall to the X-ray room. One perk of professional sports arenas is they tend to have a lot of medical equipment.

"I don"t see any fractures, so at least it isn"t broken. I"ll get you a knee brace to keep it stabilized and give your team doctor a call to let them know."

"Thank you," Whitney tells him.

"Do you need me to write a script for some stronger pain meds, or do you want to wait for your doctor to do so?"

"I"ll be fine," I tell him and hope that"s the truth.

Whitney takes me back to the locker room. "Do you want to get showered now?" she asks.

"Probably should. Best to do it now than when it"s a madhouse in here," I tell her. She pushes the wheelchair over to my locker, and I grab my shower stuff and some clean clothes to change into. Whitney takes me over to a shower stall, and thankfully, this one has a bench and showerhead on a wand. I transfer over to the bench, and she leaves me to myself.

"Holler if you need any help," she calls out.

I strip from my compression clothes, tossing them out onto the wheelchair. The hot water hits my body, and I start to relax. Being taken out of a game with an injury is never a fun experience. I can only hope that this one doesn"t keep me out of the game for long.

By the time the game ends, I"m showered and dressed in a team tracksuit. I"m given a pass on having to wear a suit due to my injury. Once I was showered and dressed, Whitney got the leg brace on me and had me sit with some ice for a while. After that, she fitted me with some crutches so I can get around on my own. While I sat icing my knee, I shot Courtney a text.

Zack

I"m guessing you weren"t watching the game since I don"t have a bunch of texts from you.

Courtney

No, was busy with Jax. Why, what"s wrong?

Zack

Had to get carted off the ice by two of the guys. Bad hit to my knee. Nothing is broken, but it"s probably my MCL. I"ll need an MRI in the next few days.

Courtney

Holy shit. Are you sure you"re okay? Do you need me to come be your nurse?

Zack

I mean, if you"re offering, I won"t pass up having you as my nurse. (winking smile face)

Courtney

I knew that was coming. (eye roll) But seriously, how are you?

Zack

Pain meds have finally kicked in. I"ll know more once I have the MRI and know what I"m looking at for recovery. If surgery is required, then my season is over. If I just need some rest and then PT, then it will hopefully only be a few weeks.

Courtney

That sucks, I"m sorry.

Zack

Thanks. How was your day?

Courtney

It was fine, nothing major, just another Friday.

Zack

Still nothing from Chad?

Courtney

Nope, still radio silent.

Zack

Good.

Courtney

Do you want me to come over tomorrow? Come take care of you?

Zack

I"m not going to say no, but if you have other plans, I"ll understand.

Courtney

Nothing major. I think I"m going to turn in my resignation at the Burger Shack.

Zack

What made you decide that?

Courtney

I"m overwhelmed with working six days a week. While the money is nice, I need the time off more. I also would like not to rely on my brother and parents so much to watch Jax for me. I feel like I"m failing him as a parent with how often he has to be watched by others. I only get so much time with him, and giving up every Saturday is becoming a lot.

Zack

I think you"re a rock star for how hard you work to provide for him. I also think you deserve the time off.

Courtney

Thanks. I hope they don"t take it too harshly.

Zack

That isn"t for you to worry about. I"m sure by giving them notice, you"ll be better than most people who"ve left as they tend to just stop showing up.

Courtney

You"re right on that one. I"ve been working when people didn"t show up. Unfortunately, the ones that take the brunt of it are your coworkers who have to fill in and cover for the missing person.

Zack

I"ll probably head to the doctor first thing in the morning, so don"t feel like you need to rush over. I"m hopeful they can pull some strings and get me in for the MRI tomorrow.

Courtney

Can they do one that fast, or will they need to wait for the swelling to go down?

Zack

No clue, to be honest with you. The doctor from Dallas who came in to look me over just mentioned that he"d recommend I have one done to verify his suspicions that it"s my MCL.

Courtney

Gotcha. Well, keep me posted. I can head over after I pick up Jax from my parents after my shift.

Zack

Pack a bag, and you guys can stay the night. Sawyer was going to come over. I"m sure he"ll still come, even with my knee the way it is. The boys can help keep each other entertained.

Courtney

And let me guess, you"ll keep me busy?

Zack

Of course!

Courtney

Don"t tempt me with a good time now.

Zack

I can"t promise a good time, but I can promise a relaxed time.

Courtney

I"m okay with that!

Zack

Then it sounds like a date.

Not to cut this short, but the guys are all filing in now that the game is over. I"ll text you tomorrow once I know anything.

Courtney

Sounds good. I hope you are able to get some sleep tonight.

Zack

Thanks, me too.

I slip my phone back into my pocket as the guys start removing their gear. Coach pops into the locker room and gives his after-game speech. It isn"t long, just a little pep talk, letting the guys know how well they played tonight and how important the two points were in the standings.

"You going to live?" Kaden asks once we"re loaded on the plane.

"Yeah, just not sure yet how long I"ll be out."

"I"m sure Doc will get you all checked out tomorrow."

"That"s my hope," I tell him as I try to get comfortable on the plane. I took an entire row to myself, putting up the armrests so I can sit with my leg stretched out. Whitney brings me some pillows to help support my leg, as well as help cushion my back since I"m sitting with my back against the wall of the plane.

"Thanks for the ride," I tell Graham as I carefully get out of his SUV. I was in no condition to drive myself home, and he offered me a ride.

"No problem, man. Let me know how things are tomorrow or if you need anything in the meantime.

Once inside my house, my knee is throbbing, and I"m exhausted beyond belief. I pop some more pain meds, grab an ice pack from the freezer, and head to bed.

Before we landed, Whitney told me she heard from our team doctor that they"d see me at nine in the morning at his office, so I set an alarm.

"Good morning, Zack,"Dr. Jones greets as he enters the exam room.

"Morning, Doc."

"How are you feeling this morning?" he asks.

"Like my knee is fucked up. It is throbbing and pretty swollen."

He unwraps the brace I was given and starts his exam. "To know the extent of the injury, we need an MRI. I"ll have one of the techs come and get you, then be back once it"s finished, and we can look at the images. Sound like a plan?" he asks.

"Yep," I agree.

"We"ll need you to change into this gown and make sure you leave anything metal here in the exam room," he explains before handing me a gown, and then he turns and leaves the room. I change as quickly as I can and only sit here staring at the wall for a couple of minutes before there"s a knock on the door and it is being opened again.

"Mr. Blackburn, I"m TJ, and I"ll be taking you in for your MRI. Do you want to use your crutches, or would you rather go by wheelchair?"

"How far is it?"

"Down two halls, maybe the length of the sheet of ice away."

"I can go by crutches." I stand and slide the crutches under my arms, and follow TJ down the two halls. When we reach the door marked MRI, he stops us before entering.

"Do you have any metal on you?"

"Just the crutches," I tell him.

"Alright, go ahead and have a seat in this wheelchair. I"ll leave the crutches out here in the hallway during the test."

I take a seat in the wheelchair, and he quickly takes me into the room, then helps me transfer onto the table. He gets my leg positioned how he needs me, then takes the wheelchair back out of the room. When he returns, he slips a set of headphones on me, then heads into the control booth.

"Can you hear me okay?" he asks through the headphones.

"Yep," I confirm.

"Good. Only your legs will be in the machine. I"ll be taking multiple sets of images; the whole thing should take us maybe twenty minutes. Would you like me to put on some music for you?"

"Uh, sure."

"Any requests?"

"Not super picky, I guess a pop station."

Music starts playing in my ears. "If you want the volume turned up or down, just talk, and I can hear you and adjust it for you. The machine can get kind of loud at times, so don"t hesitate to ask."

"Got it."

"Alright, here we go," he says as the bed moves, taking me into the machine. I close my eyes and try to ignore the loud noises the machine makes as it takes the pictures of my knee the doctor needs. "Alright, we"re all done," TJ says as the bed moves and I slide out of the machine. It didn"t feel like twenty minutes passed, so I"m taking that as a bonus.

TJ helps me back to the exam room and gets me settled on the exam table once again. "Dr. Jones will be in after he reviews the images."

"Thanks," I tell him before he leaves the room.

Zack

I just finished my MRI and am waiting for the doctor to come in with the results.

Courtney

How are you feeling this morning? I hope it"s good news!

Zack

Hurts like a bitch and is swollen.

Courtney

I"m sorry (frown face emoji)

Zack

You can kiss me and make it better (winky face)

Courtney

(kissing emoji) Later today.

The door opens, so I toss my phone on top of my clothes on the chair.

"What"s the verdict?" I ask Dr. Jones.

"It"s a complete tear of your MCL." He doesn"t beat around the bush.

"Fuck," I curse, knowing this means my season is over. "Surgery?"

"Because of your job, I"m going to suggest it. Surgery will get you healed faster. We can go in and clean it up, get it stitched back together and you into some PT within a few weeks. Four to six weeks of PT and you should be back on the ice."

"So there"s a chance I could make it back during playoffs if we"re still in it?"

"I won"t make any promises this early, but it is an option on the table, at this point," he says. "I"m going to send a couple of scripts for you. A better anti-inflammatory and a pain med. Just don"t drive if you take the pain med."

I"m feeling a little better knowing there"s a possibility of returning this season. I just need to focus on my recovery and hope my team doesn"t fall apart before I make it back. "Sounds good. When can we schedule surgery?"

"Early in the week. Once you"re dressed, we can head to my scheduler"s office to get you a date and time."

"Thanks, Doc."

"You"re welcome. Sorry about meeting under these conditions, but I"ll do my best to get you back out on the ice as soon as possible. Once you"re dressed, just open the door, and we"ll be ready to show you to Cynthia"s office."

"I appreciate it."

He steps out of the room, and I pull the gown off and slip back into my T-shirt, sweats, and knee brace. With the crutches under my arms, I open the door and follow the nurse down the hall and into an office with a middle-aged woman.

"Mr. Blackburn, nice to meet you, big fan," she says as she opens a folder.

"Nice to meet you, ma"am." I might be in pain, but I"m not an asshole.

"I can get you on Dr. Jones"s schedule for Tuesday morning. Does that work for you?" she asks.

"Yep, the sooner the better."

"His schedule was filled for Monday, but we"ve got one last spot for Tuesday, so you"re in luck. The hospital will call you on Monday with your check-in time. Plan on it being sometime between six and eight in the morning."

"Okay. Is this just a day surgery, or will I be admitted?"

"Just a day surgery, so you"ll need someone to take you home. It"s best if they can also stay with you for a few days. You"ll be pretty groggy the rest of the surgery day and might need some help getting around for the few after that."

"Not a problem," I tell her. I know my mom will come stay with me, if needed. An idea strikes me, but I"ll deal with it once I"m not in the doctor"s office on a Saturday morning.

"Alright, I just need a few signatures from you, and then you can get out of here." I sign the papers Cynthia hands me, then return them to her. "This packet is for you to take. It has the information on where you need to go on Tuesday morning. If you haven"t received a call with a check-in time by two p.m., give this number a call," she explains, and highlights a phone number on the page.

"Easy enough," I say.

I take the folder she hands me and make my way out to the parking lot. Once I"m settled into my truck, I take a few deep breaths as my knee throbs with all the jostling it"s been through this morning.

Before heading home, I stop at the pharmacy, hoping they have my scripts ready. They aren"t ready when I pull up, but they tell me they can finish them in ten minutes, so I pull into a spot and wait.

As soon as I get home, I pop the top of the pain med, downing one of the pills to take away this throbbing pain I"m in. I grab an ice pack and head back to bed.