Between the Pipes

Chapter 4

Sarah drove to the hospital the next day to check on Jamie Bleeker. He had been moved to a private room on the third floor. At the nursing station, she spoke to the nurses, who reassured her that the surgery and recovery had gone well and that Jamie was stable. Sarah tapped her cell phone to the electronic medical record, so she'd have an updated file for Danni, and went in to see him.

"Hi, Jamie. I'm Dr. Jain. I was at the rink last night. How are you doing?"

He looked pale but alert. "I'm doing great. They tell me I have to stay another day for observation, but I'm hoping they'll change their minds and spring me today."

"I imagine they want to make sure there isn't any swelling in your neck."

"Yeah, probably, but I feel fine. Thanks for, well, saving my life. The surgeon said the blood loss wasn't too bad. Still needed six units of blood, so I'm not sure what his definition of bad is, but I'm happy to be feeling better. It doesn't seem like enough, but thanks."

"You're welcome, but it was a team effort. Ben and Dave are amazing, and the paramedics did a great job getting you here so quickly. I'm glad it worked out. I'll let Danni know how you're doing. She'll be back later in the week."

"Yeah, hopefully I won't be out too long. Some of the guys have been in – I hear we won five to two."

She'd had no idea. For her the highlight of the game had been ducking out. She smiled crookedly and changed the subject. "A lot of fans saw it happen. They'll be happy to hear you're already on the mend."

She left his room with more thanks and the offer of tickets to a game. She hoped she hadn't been too hasty deflecting the praise and the tickets. Most of the games were sold out and the tickets hard to come by. Still, "waste not, want not." She definitely did not want.

She strolled through the doors of the hospital. Look at that sunshine. It was perfect fall weather. Should she do laundry as planned or head outside for the day?

The Charlebois River ran along the south shore of Clarington, and most of the population of one hundred thousand enjoyed the recreational activities that the nearby water allowed, in every season. There was an extensive network of paved pathways throughout the city, and a long stretch weaved along the shore of the river. The sunny skies and cool temperature would be perfect for a bicycle ride, and the fall colours were at their peak.

"Hey, Doc!"

She looked up and put out a hand to stop from bumping into Mike Wallace's rock solid chest. Other than flinching, he didn't move.

Mike wrapped his arm loosely around her until she regained her balance. "Sorry about that. I thought you saw me," he said.

His eyes were a deep blue. The impatience she'd seen the day before was replaced with a spark of awareness. Close up, she could smell the fresh clean scent of his skin. Her heart tattooed in her chest.

"I was in to see Bleeker earlier. He asked me to grab his laptop and some stuff from home." He patted a bag slung over his shoulder. "I thought it was a good sign that he's feeling better."

Even without skates, Mike had to be six three. And all muscle. She was tempted to lean closer but pulled her hand away reluctantly.

"Yes, definitely. He's doing really well and already wants to get back to the game." As soon as she spoke, she could have bitten her tongue.

"Yeah. A lot of that going around." He frowned. "Have you seen the x-ray result?"

She shook her head. "Not yet. When did you have it done?"