Timberlake was a rookie right out of the minors but he knew and loved his game. He had been cocky when they first started out, but under Chris� leadership he learned to play with a team rather than for himself. Fatone was big and stocky and one hell of an enforcer, not to mention he was the team jokester, both on and off the ice. Chasez was quiet and rather small for your average hockey player but he knew how to maneuver the puck better than anyone Chris had ever seen, and had come up with many a plays at the last minute, insuring their victory.
Chris had been skating ever since before he could walk. Stepping onto the ice was just as much in his nature as it was for an eagle to fly in the air. He was known for his hat tricks and for leading what the NHL called, �The wonders of the year.� He was the man that kept that team glued together.
Their rivals were the Anaheim Mighty Ducks, led by team captain, Kevin Richardson, enforcer; whose starting line consisted of Nick Carter, right wing; and Brian Litrell, left wing. They played hard, mean, and nasty. Richardson was known for having the most penalties in the league and he showed no mercy to his opponents, specifically Chris Kirkpatrick, whom he had a grudge on for years.
It was the last ten minutes of the 3rd quarter during the Anaheim vs. Pittsburgh game. Pittsburgh had the advantage of a home game and their loyal fans cheered them on to another victory. Chris Kirkpatrick had just gained position of the puck and went flying down the rink, flanked by Timberlake and Chasez, and closely followed by Fatone, who kept an eye out for opposing players.
Chris let the puck pass between his legs to be taken possession by Chasez. Chasez quickly dodged Litrell, to be checked into the boards by Fatone, and circled around the Anaheim goal cage to pass the puck along to Timberlake. The Anaheim players scrambled to gain possession of the puck but the Penguin players were too fast for them. From Timberlake to Fatone to Chasez and back to Timberlake, the puck flew across the ice, confusing the Ducks.
Chris abruptly stopped and tapped his stick on the ice harshly, calling, �Over here!�
Timberlake quickly passed the puck to Chris. He aimed too wide and the puck slowly teetered off till it was against the wall. Timberlake cursed under his breath and quickly went to block Carter from advancing while Chasez did the same with Litrell.
Chris scrambled over and used his stick to try and get the puck away from the wall. He looked up to see Richardson advancing towards him, picking up speed across the rink, and he cursed under his breath. He looked over to see Carter free himself from Timberlake only to be checked into the wall by Fatone, and he quickly tried to get the puck away from the wall. �Come on, you piece of shit,� he grumbled.
He looked up and saw Richardson mere feet away. He contemplated abandoning the puck but decided against it and stood his ground, preparing his body for the bone crushing check that Richardson would soon deliver. Richardson slammed into him, shoulder into chest and stick into his right knee, and Chris howled out in pain, a sickening crack echoing in his ears.
Richardson let go of Chris, an almost manic grin on his face, and Chris� stick slowly fell from his fingers as he slid to the ice. White hot light flashed before his eyes and his right knee throbbed with pain. Referee whistles blew loudly and the crowd fell silent as they watched their captain fall.
Chasez ripped his helmet off and quickly sped over to Chris. He fell to his knees, stick and gloves abandoned, and gingerly pulled Chris� head from his helmet. �Chris, god, Chris, are you okay? What broke?�
�My knee,� came the choked reply. Tears began spilling freely down Chris� face and he openly sobbed in pain, clutching onto the front of JC�s jersey.
JC gritted his teeth and his eyes flashed in rage. He stood to his skates and got up in Richardson�s face, despite the fact that Richardson was inches taller and had a considerable amount of weight on him, and screeched, �You mother fucker! How could you do that? You knew he favored his right knee!�
Richardson smiled smugly. �Hockey is a dangerous game and he knows it.�
JC pushed hard on Richardson�s chest and made a move to tackle him. But Richardson was taller, stronger, and bigger, and pushed Chasez to the ice. Timberlake came up behind Richardson and tackled him from behind. Referees blew their whistles and the players pulled their respective members away from the fight.
Joey pulled his helmet and gloves off as he zoomed over to Chris. He dropped his stick and fell to his knees, tears streaming down his face, as he sobbed, �Chris! Chris, I�m so sorry!�
Chris blinked, his eyes blurred and burning through the tears, up at Joey. Faintly, he heard Joey calling his name but soon everything turned black and he didn�t hear anything else. The crowd watched as their faithful captain of five years was carried off on a stretcher and rushed to the hospital.
~*~
Chris groaned, his head was groggy, his vision was blurry, and his right knee hurt like a motherfucker. His mouth felt cottony and his lips were chapped. He licked his cracked lips and opened his eyes slowly, the light too bright. When his eyes fully adjusted to the light, he glared at the face smiling down at him. �Who the fuck are you?�
The young man chuckled, his voice deeper than Chris expected, and said, �I�m the RN on this floor. You�re in the hospital if you haven�t figured that out already.�
Great, Chris thought, I�m in the hospital and I�ve got a smart ass for a nurse. �What the fuck happened?�
�From what I have here,� he answered, holding up his clipboard, �you blew your knee. Now that you�re up, your doctor will be in to let you know what happened in full detail.�
Chris sucked in a shaky breath and looked over at his knee that was currently held up in traction. He blinked back tears as he began to realize that his hockey career was over. He bit his lip and finally looked up, his eyes sad, asking, �Are any of the guys here?�
�Yep, you�ve got three of your friends situated right outside your room,� answered the nameless guy. Hot nameless guy, noted Chris. �Want me to send them in?�
�Yeah,� answered Chris. He swallowed again, grimacing at the tightness in his throat, and asked, �Can I have some water or y�know, some alcohol would be good.�
�Water I can do but sorry, no alcohol,� answered hot nameless boy, his face sympathetic. �I�ll go get a fresh pitcher and send your friends on in.�
�Thanks.� Then added, �Hey, what�s your name?�
The young man stopped and grinned. �My name�s Lance and I already know who you are.�
�Aha! A hockey fan?�
�Um, no, it�s on my sheet,� replied Lance, lifting up his clipboard, and Chris rolled his eyes. Lance smiled and left. Seconds later Joey, JC, and Justin walked in.
Chris summoned up the best smile he had and gave a small wave. �Hey, guys.� Justin and Joey immediately went to the side of the hospital bed. JC held back, nervous about the various machines. Joey looked like he had been up for days on end and Justin looked like his puppy had died. �Jeez, y�all look like I just died. Lighten up.�
Joey drew in a shaky breath and said, �Chris, I�m so sorry.�
�What for?�
�I should have protected you and I didn�t. It was my job to make sure you didn�t get hurt and you did,� answered Joey, it all coming out in one breath.
�Dude, you had Carter pinned to the wall. It�s not like you just stood there and watched. It�s not your fault,� replied Chris. He looked over at Justin. �Got anything to say, kid, or are you just going to stare at me all day?�
Justin�s bottom lip trembled and his teeth clamped down to steady it. Tears welled up in his eyes and he threw himself onto Chris. �You�re not going to be able to play anymore, are you?� he cried.�
Chris let out a small yelp of discomfort as he knee was jostled around and hugged Justin back, grinning stupidly over Justin�s shoulder at Joey. �I don�t know, kid. The doctor hasn�t been in, yet.�
Justin pulled back and wiped his forearm over his face. He sniffled and crossed his arms, the beginnings of the �Famous Timberlake� Pout forming. Joey cuffed him on the shoulder and pulled him close.
Chris shifted in the bed to find a more comfortable position and craned his neck to look over Joey�s shoulder at JC. �Hey, C, you okay over there or do you need to lie down for awhile?�
�No!� he answered abruptly, his voice cracking. He cleared his throat and continued, �I�m fine.�
�Are you sure,� asked Chris. �Because I�m sure we could get someone to wheel in an extra bed for you.�
�Definitely sure. I�m in top notch shape, no hospital bed for me,� JC replied, shaking his head vehemently.
A soft knock caught Chris� attention and he looked over just in time to see a middle aged man walk in carrying a clipboard. Joey and Justin stepped aside and walked up to the side of the bed and stuck his hand out. �Good evening, Mr. Kirkpatrick, I�m Doctor Wright.�
�Hello,� answered Chris, his voice coming out higher than he had intended. He shook Dr. Wright�s hand and cleared his throat before asking, �So, what�s the scoop?�
Dr. Wright flipped through his clipboard and held back the pages to show Chris the x-rays. �You torn some ligaments here,� he pointed, � and here. You also dislocated your kneecap.�
Chris winced and rubbed a weary hand over his face. �Will I be able to play again,� he whispered.
Dr. Wright let the papers flip back against his clipboard and pulled his glasses off. He looked at Chris and shook his head. �I�m afraid not. With your previous knee problems and the injuries you sustained tonight, you�re lucky you�ll be able to walk away from this without having to permanently wear a brace.�
�Are you sure,� croaked Chris. �Isn�t there some kind of physical therapy I can do, surgery, anything?�
Dr. Wright shook his head sadly and began explaining everything Chris needed to know. Chris didn�t hear a thing. He saw Dr. Wright�s mouth move and he heard the words but he didn�t comprehend what was said. All he could think about was that his career was over and he�d never be able to play again.
Hockey was his life. The sole reason why he breathed. For Chris not able to play was like clipping a bird�s wing and taking away its freedom to fly. He had no life if he couldn�t play hockey. All he�d be remembered as was a washed up has been who couldn�t hack it when someone checked him. The next thing Chris knew, Dr. Wright was gone and it was just he and the guys again.
Chris drew in a shaky breath and looked over at the guys. They all stared back sadly, distraught by the news. Even though they�d been playing together as a team for less than a year they had forged friendships that people who had been playing for ten years didn�t even have. At twenty-nine, he was past his prime and lucky to have been able to play as long as he did. But now, he had to call it quits and it wasn�t even a decision he had made himself.
~*~
Chris was bored.
Bored, bored, bored, bored!
He threw the tv remote towards the end of the bed and crossed his arms over his chest. If he had to watch one more soap opera, commercial for laundry detergent, or infomercial again then he was going to go insane. Daytime tv sucked. Not to mention he had a fucking itch on his leg that he couldn�t reach.
It was only his second day in the hospital and he was ready to leave. Joey had brought him some porn magazines but he couldn�t really enjoy them with a nurse walking in every fucking minute to fuck around with something in the room. JC had brought him flowers and two books, one about wine and the other about art. Chris rolled his eyes, sometimes he just didn�t know about JC. Justin was bringing his game boy today after practice, but he couldn�t wait that long. He was bored now.
Chris flopped back against the bed and began counting the ceiling tiles again. Eleven across and fourteen down. Chris heard the click of the door and look over hopefully. His face fell when he saw Lance walk in with a lunch tray. That was another thing about hospitals, they had shitty ass food.
�Hey there,� greeted Lance cheerfully. Chris grunted in reply and began counting the tiles backwards. Lance set the tray onto the bedside table and set it up where the table was across Chris� lap. He took the cover off of Chris� food and said, �There ya go.�
Chris mumbled thanks and picked up the fork to poke his food. He wasn�t all that hungry and there was no way in hell he was going to eat that shit. Lance frowned and sat down in the bedside chair. �Aren�t you hungry at all?�
�No,� mumbled Chris, pouting.
Lance shrugged and bent over to retie his shoelace that had come undone. Chris peaked over and stared at the line of Lance�s neck that led down into his green scrubs. Nice, he thought. Bet it�s soft, too. He licked his lips and tilted his head to the side. Lance looked up and smiled. He shook his head and let his fork fall to a clatter onto the tray, and crossed his arms again.
�Aren�t you supposed to working or something? Stitching someone up or like, saving someone�s life,� asked Chris.
Lance laughed and shook his head. �No. I�m just an RN. I take care of the patients on this hall. I don�t do the shit they show on ER.�
Chris smiled at that, and then frowned again. He wiggled his toes on his right leg and grunted in annoyance when he felt that one spot start to itch again. He shifted around and looked over at Lance quickly, contemplating whether or not to ask.
�Where�s it itch?�
�Huh?� asked Chris.
�You look like you�ve got one hell of an itch somewhere you can�t reach,� explained Lance.
�Oh, um.� He bit his lip and then mumbled, �My right shin.�
Lance pushed himself up out of his chair and leaned onto the bed. He wiggled his fingers in between the straps and such that were holding Chris� leg up and began rubbing around. Chris sighed and directed Lance right to the spot that had been bugging him for the past hour. Lance grinned and began scratching lightly. Chris let his head fall back against the bed and groaned.
Lance chuckled and scratched for a moment longer before pulling his hand away. He patted the top of Chris� knee softly and said, �I gotta go check up on my other patients. I�ll be back later, ok?�
�Okay.� He watched as Lance turned and walked out of the room. He tilted his head to the side and stifled a groan when he saw the way Lance�s pants stretched over his ass. Damn.
~*~
Justin set a small duffle bag onto Chris� bed, unzipped it, and began pulling out items. �I brought your game boy, all your games, an eight pack of extra batteries, the newest copies of Rolling Stone, Spin, Maxim, and Sports Illustrated, and a mystery novel that I read last week.�
Chris looked at all the stuff that cluttered his bed and then back up at Justin. �Thanks, man. Maybe I wont be so freakin� bored anymore.�
�How�re you doin� anyways?� asked Justin softly.
�Well,� began Chris, �I shit in a pan, the food sucks, I keep getting itches in places that I can�t reach, and I�m tired of just laying here. But otherwise, I�m just peachy.� Justin flinched and Chris sighed, �Sorry, kid. I didn�t mean to snap at ya. There is a plus side to all of this, though.�
�What�s that?�
�My RN is hot as fuck and has the sweetest ass I�ve ever seen.� Justin laughed and Chris continued, �Dude, I dropped my remote just so I could see him bend over to pick it up. It�s awesome.�
Justin put everything back in the duffle bag and then placed it on the bedside table. �Man, I hate to leave so early but Momma�s bringing the boys in for tomorrow nights��
Chris looked up at Justin. �Dude, it�s all right. You don�t have to not talk about it around me. I�m cool.�
Justin scratched the back of his neck and nodded. �Sorry. I just didn�t want you to feel bad or anything.�
�I�m going to feel bad no matter what you say so don�t worry about it.� Justin bent down and gave him a hug and he pushed him away, saying, �Go give your mom a hug for me and tell the boys I said hi.�
~*~
The next afternoon, Chris was sure he was going to die of both boredom and starvation. The only thing he had eaten at breakfast was the toast, and he wouldn�t have eaten anything on his lunch tray even if you paid him to. His stomach was currently protesting the lack of food, and was about to jump out of his body and go looking for it.
Lance walked into his room, all smiles and a McDonald�s bag, and said, �Hey there. I was wondering if you minded if I kept you company on my dinner break.�
�Sure!� replied Chris, eyeing the McDonald�s bag.
Lance sat down in the chair and took a sip of his drink before pulling out a big mac and super size fries. Chris� eyes widened and he sniffed, inhaling the rich aroma of salty fries and the cheese on the burger. He watched in pained jealously as Lance took a big bite out of the sandwich, eyes closing as he chewed slowly. Chris� mouth watered and he had to catch himself from leaning too far.
Lance looked up and mumbled, �You ok?�
Chris swallowed and nodded. �Yep, just fine.� Lance shrugged and ate a fry. Chris licked his lips and figured, Fuck it. �I�ll pay you a hundred dollars for the rest of your dinner.�
Lance blinked and looked up at Chris. �But�I�m hungry.�
�I�m hungrier!� screeched Chris. �I�ll give your two hundred for it, man.�
�Is hungrier even a word?� asked Lance, tapping his chin in thought.
Chris made an aggravated sound and flopped back against the bed. �Dude, five hundred dollars. You can go and buy as many big macs as you want!�
�But I like the one I have now.� Lance grinned. He grabbed the McDonald�s bag and tossed it into Chris� lap. �Don�t say I never got you anything.�
Chris practically ripped the bag open in his haste and let out a whoop of excitement when he saw two big macs and two large fries in the bag. He unwrapped one big mac and took a large bite, groaning in satisfaction. He heard a knock at the door and hastily shoved the food under his blanket and began chewing fast.
An elderly nurse poked her head in and asked, �Everything ok in here?�
Chris nodded and mumbled around the mouthful of food, �Everything�s fine. Tip top shape.�
�Lance, what are you doing in here?� asked the nurse, frowning.
Lance swallowed. �I�m just keeping Chris company during my dinner break.�
�You know you�re not supposed to do that,� she replied sternly.
�But he�s lonely,� replied Lance, motioning to Chris with his eyes to play along. Chris stuck out his bottom lip and blinked large brown eyes at her. Lance did the same and she sighed.
�All right, but don�t let your advisor see you in here.�
When she closed the door, Chris pulled out the sandwich and took another bite. He closed his eyes and moaned. He shoved the rest of the sandwich in his mouth and grabbed for a box of fries. He mumbled, �God, I could kiss you right now.�
Lance�s neck and face flushed a bit and he smiled as he watched Chris eat his food happily, sounds of praise and enjoyment filling the room every so often.
~*~
Over the next few days, Lance popped in whenever he could and kept Chris company, which Chris was extremely grateful for. They were two different people from opposite ends of the personality spectrum but they got along just fine. Their differences made for some pretty interesting discussions.
They debated constantly over music. Lance enjoyed country music and early nineties rock while Chris opted for old school punk and techno dance music. They were both constantly trying to get each other to admit liking their respective tastes, and were currently at a stalemate. Chris couldn�t stand country and Lance thought punk sounded like people banging on trashcans and screaming.
To Chris� shock and horror, Lance had never been to a hockey game, let alone laced up a pair of skates. He wasn�t much of a sports person and Chris vowed to change that. He was presently teaching Lance the strategies and rules of hockey, along with converting him into a Penguins fan.
During Lance�s short visits he�d fill Chris in on the latest hall gossip. How the elderly man in 314 seemed to think he had every sickness known to man. How the girl in 319 kept hitting on him even though he�d been very adamant in the fact that he was gay, inadvertently outing himself to Chris, who didn�t have to worry since he was one of the few openly gay hockey players in the league.
�How can you not like Garth?� asked Lance again. �He�s, like, the god of country. You can�t not like Garth.�
�How can you not like the Ramones, man,� countered Chris.
�Dude, all I hear is noise.�
�Yeah, well, whenever I listen to country all I hear is some hick singing about how his girlfriend left him and took his pick up truck and dog with her.�
Lance, who was from Mississippi and damn proud of it, crossed his arms over his chest and glared. �I am not a hick.�
�I never said you were,� replied Chris. He smirked. �Besides, I like �em southern.�
Lance laughed and gathered up Chris� empty lunch tray. �As much as I�d like to stay and finish this debate, I�ve gotta check up on the other patients.�
Chris nodded and snuggled deeper under the covers, prepping himself for a nap. He yawned and yelled after Lance, �Garth sucks!�
Lance looked over his shoulder and smirked. �Yeah, but not as good as me.� He winked and promptly left.
~*~
When Chris woke up the next morning, he was greeted by a smiling JC offering another pot of flowers.
�Hey! Hi, Chris,� greeted JC, smiling widely. �You were napping when I came in so I figured I�d just wait. I started reading that art book I gave you if you don�t care.�
Chris rubbed his eyes sleepily and nodded. �I don�t care. Knock yourself out, man.�
�How do you like it?� asked JC. �I love it. The pictures are just so�wow. The artists just tells such a story with the colors and it�s just�yeah.�
�Yeah, C, it�s awesome,� answered Chris, even though he hadn�t so much as opened the book.
He pushed himself into a sitting position and stretched until he heard the bones in his back pop. He grabbed the back scratcher Lance had given him the day before and began rubbing his leg. It was a poor substitute for Lance�s fingers but if it made that fucking itching stop, then it was all good in Chris� book. He listened to JC ramble on about the joys of art and whatever else he was blabbering about and laid back against the bed.
�So, Justin says you�ve got a crush on your RN.�
Chris frowned and thought, Justin and his big fucking mouth. �Not a crush. More like a Florence Nightingale fixation. He�s hot, he�s got a nice ass, and he�s a sarcastic motherfucker.�
�You�ve got a crush,� repeated JC, smiling. Chris nodded in defeat and JC half squealed half shouted his excitement. �You gonna ask him out?�
�I�ve been thinkin� about it,� replied Chris. �Dunno yet. I�ll tell ya when he says yes.�
JC stayed for a while and told him the latest news about the team. Joey had been made new team captain and some rookie had taken Chris� position as team forward. They�d lost their last game against the Detroit Red Wings, though. The team just wasn�t the same without Chris� leadership and hockey skills.
Later that day, Dr. Wright had come in to let Chris know that within the next three days he�d be allowed to go home. Along with extensive physical therapy, he�d be able to walk without crutches in a month or so. Chris whooped happily and thanked him. He also decided to put the moves on Lance before he left.
~*~
The next day, Chris, fully ready to put the moves on Lance, was greeted with the mean old lady nurse. When he had asked where Lance was, she had frowned at him and replied snootily, �It�s his day off. He�ll be in tomorrow.�
Chris just made a face and mocked her as she left. Fine then, he thought, I�ll just do it tomorrow.
~*~
It was the day before Chris got to leave and it was his last chance to do something about his little crush on Lance, which he really hated saying because, really, twenty-nine year old men didn�t have crushes. By the time Lance came in with his lunch tray, he was a ball of nervousness. They chatted for a bit while Chris poked around at his food, gathering up the courage to do something.
Finally, during one of their impromptu debates about music, Chris said, �Lance, c�mere, I gotta tell ya somethin�.�
�Um, ok,� replied Lance, eyebrow quirked in curiosity.
When Lance was close enough, Chris laid his hand on the back of Lance�s neck and tugged him till he could touch their lips together. Chris felt a spark shoot from his lips and down his spine. He stroked the back of Lance�s neck with the tips of his fingers and absently thought, soft. He swiped the tip of his tongue across Lance�s lips and got a quick taste before Lance pulled away, eyes apologetic.
�Chris�I�m sorry but I can�t.� Chris bit his lip and frowned. Lance grabbed the empty lunch tray and hastily left the room.
Chris clenched and unclenched his hand and thought, what the fuck. Cause really, what the fuck. He thought he and Lance had clicked. They�d been throwing innuendos back and forth at each other for three days now, and Lance had always flirted back whenever Chris flirted with him. He picked up the back scratcher Lance had given him and pitched it across the room; grateful he�d be leaving tomorrow.
~*~
The next day, Joey and Justin were there to pick him up to take him back to his apartment. They helped him get dressed around the new knee brace and then helped him into the wheelchair the hospital insisted he ride out to the car in. He sat there waiting for a few minutes before Lance walked in, all smiles.
�What the fuck are you doing here?� growled Chris, slightly happy to see Lance�s face fall. Joey and Justin looked at each other in surprise, not knowing what had happened between the two the day before.
�I�m here to take you out to the car,� answered Lance.
�Can�t someone else do it?�
�No, so sit your happy ass there and deal with it,� answered Lance, smirking. He grabbed the wheelchair handles and began wheeling Chris out to the private exit where the car was located.
When Chris was situated in the backseat behind Justin, Lance leaned in and asked, �Wanna go to dinner with me tomorrow night?�
�What the hell, man,� barked Chris, eyes angry. �I fucking kiss you yesterday and you push me away. Now you want to go out to dinner with me. What makes today so different than yesterday.�
Lance grinned. �Yesterday you were one of my patients, now you�re not. I�m sorry, Chris, but I don�t make it a habit to date one of my patients. So, what do you say, dinner tomorrow night?�
Chris bit his lip in thought before finally grabbing the back of Lance�s neck and pulling him in for a kiss. This time Lance opened his mouth willingly and Chris finally got the taste he�d been craving for so long. He pulled away and grinned. �I say hell fucking yes!�