The morning after we came out to our friends as a couple and woke up in each other's arms was something I don't think I'll ever forget. As the events of the night before really started to catch up to me it made me nervous to face Cassie. I did just put her bother up against a wall and threaten him. All the negative thoughts I had went right out the window when Cassie woke up and kissed me good morning. She put my worries to bed right away as she spoke to me about what happened with Chad, how I was in the right and he was in the wrong. He should have never grabbed me like that.
One development between us is that every night since that one we have been sharing a bed. Whether it is mine of hers, we fall asleep next to each other every night. For myself, I've found that it has been easier for me to fall asleep and stay asleep having Cassie next to me. Having that person to cuddle with at the end of long days really helped settle any left-over stress from the day. I have definitely noticed a difference in our dynamic right away. We kind of became a unit from then on. Everything we did, we mainly did it together. It was like one of the last real barriers between us cracked open and there's no hiding. The only time we were really separated was when we had class or I had hockey.
I was happy that I had a pair of away games that weekend against a tough team who liked throwing their weight around. Two could play at that game. As a team, it was a hard fought two wins with a lot of penalty minutes for both teams and a lot of bruises that made the trip home very uncomfortable. When I got home Sunday night, Cassie was waiting for me with a warm bath to soak in and another box of icy hot patches. Needless to say I felt very grateful to have her.
With the change in the calendar, October brought in more cool air and I can already tell I'm going to need to get a better coat to handle the real cold winter months that I know are coming. My schedule has also really helped me keep everything together. Without it, I know I would be falling behind in school work. The one thing I've missed is getting to see Travis all the time. With our seasons in full swing and practicing at different times it's hard to actually hang out with him.
We do have a break in games though at the end of the month, the weekend before Halloween. The team we were supposed to play that weekend had to cancel their season due to lack of players. So for us, Coach Decker gave us the weekend off completely to relax and rest. Cassie actually asked me to come home with her that weekend to go to the Octoberfest her town puts on every year and I said yes.
At first I wasn't sure if it would be a good idea to go home with her because of everything that happened with Chad, but she made it very clear that he won't be a problem and shouldn't even be home for the weekend. Since the altercation with him, neither of them had tried to talk to the other. With some very expressive puppy dog eyes, I agreed to going with her.
That's where we are right now. Cassie is driving us to home for the weekend. It's still kind of early Friday morning, we left right after breakfast to make it back to her house with the whole day to do things. From what I remember her telling me, Cassie had a doctor's appointment at 1pm but then we had the rest of the day to explore. Well it was going to be more like her showing me around her home town.
After the fire when the decision was made to move, they still wanted to stay in the same town. Chad was still in school and they thought that Cassie would be able to return when she recovered enough. So her parents sold their house and bought a new place on the other side of town.
The drive south took about an hour as we hit some traffic. When we pulled into the driveway of Cassies house it looked pretty nice. The house itself was American Colonial in style and it looked like it sat on a good sized property. I grabbed my duffle bag from the back seat of the Jeep as Cassie took her cane and hopped out. We meet in front of the car and she took my hand in hers and pulled me towards the house.
"My parents are both at work, we'll have dinner with them later. For now we can just get you settled." Cassie said and unlocked the front door.
Just as Cassie put the keys in a bowl by the front door I heard four paws run towards the front door from somewhere in the house.
"You're good with dogs right?" Cassie asked as the steps got closer.
"Yea" I answered as a tan pit bull rounded the corner and came right over to Cassie.
I watched as she took a few steps into the house and sat on the floor to be closer to her pup and I just smiled and watched. The dog jumped around in front of her for a few minutes before finally calming down enough to start kissing her face to which Cassie pushed them away and laughed.
"Mac this is Sunny and she saved my life the night of the fire. Sunny can you be good and say hi." Cassie said and turned her attention to me.
Once she did Sunny also saw me and approached me with some caution. She took her time sniffing me out and I just stayed where I was to let her do her thing. When I thought she was done I gently pet her head and that's when her tail started to wag and she started to lick my hand.
"See, good with dogs." I said to Cassie as Sunny became more interested with her toys then us two and walked away.
I held a hand out for Cassie to use to help herself up. This was a common thing I have also started to do. I never really asked if she needed help getting up from places, I just held a hand out to offer. If she took it she took it, and if not we moved on. I didn't want to make it a big deal and constantly ask if she needed help with things because I knew how it felt when I was recovering from my head injury.
Once Cassie was on her feet again she led me to her bedroom. When we got there it didn't take me long to look at everything she had in her room. Her walls were mostly bare, just a few decorative posters, a few strings of lights, some pictures with friends over by a desk and a few trophies on a shelf on the far wall. It kind of looked half lived in.
"Most of my stuff is in my room at school, I didn't see a point in leaving it here when I would be staying there for most of the time. Hench the emptiness." Cassie said and played with the end of her shirt sleeve.
"I'm sorry if I made it seem like I was staring, I didn't mean it. Do you have a hanger so I can hang up this shirt so it's not wrinkled? " I asked trying to change the subject and pulled out the button down shirt I brought with me for dinner with her parents.
"Sure thing, why did you bring it anyway?" Cassie asked and moved to her closet.
"You know, dinner with your parents, I want to show them that I'm not some neanderthal in a hockey uniform. I do actually clean up nice when I try." I said and took the hanger from her.
Cassie just gave me a soft smile and a kiss on the cheek before taking a seat on her bed and watched me unpack the other few shirts I brought with me. Once they were all on hangers I left everything else in the duffle and walked over to shelf with the trophies to try and get a better look at them. Before I could make it all the way there, Sunny started barking from behind me and I turned around.
She is sitting in front of Cassie looking up at her with a toy pushed onto her lap. It was easy to see that the two had a connection. Cassie got up off the bed and nodded at me and I followed her out. We went out to the backyard and I watched as Cassie threw the dog toy for Sunny for a while. She would walk around a bit with Sunny chasing after her with the toy trying to get her to throw it and it made me smile.
With my classes picking up, I have come back to the dorm on multiple occasions to find Cassie asleep at the table in the middle of reading a book or even passed out on the couch with a book across her chest. This weekend away will help her destress as much as it will help me.
After a little while it looked like Sunny was getting tired out and she came over to sit with me on the patio. Cassie joined a few minutes later sitting across from me. She is rubbing her knee and I know that she might have over done it when it came to playing with Sunny.
"How about a little drive through tour of the town on the way to my appointment?" Cassie asked.
"Sounds good to me, you want me to drive?" I asked still a bit concerned.
"I'm okay for now but you're going to need to drive us back from the appointment. Today I see my orthopedist and then I have PT. By the time I'm done with PT, I just want to soak in a bath and take a nap." Cassie said.
"Anything you need babe, just say the word." I said.
"Okay enough mush, that's for later, lets get going. We can even go get some coffee at my favorite place." Cassie said and stood from her chair.
"Please tell me it's not Starbucks." I said and took her outstretched hand.
"I promise it is not a Starbucks." Cassie said and chuckled.
Sunny followed us inside and Cassie locked the backdoor behind us. It didn't take long before we were back in the Jeep driving around. Cassie slipped into a bit of a tour guide showing me all around the town and where her favorite places to go for Octoberfest that we will get to walk around tomorrow. We drove past her old high school, the hockey rink where Chad played hockey, the middle school where her dad teaches and the office building where her mom works in an office doing 'tech stuff', her words, not mine.
As it got closer to one, Cassie pulled into the parking lot of the Chandler Coffee house and we got out. The inside looked kind of more like an art gallery then a coffee house. Cassie told me that they also serve some lunch items if I wanted to take something with me while I wait. I looked over the menu and went with a chicken club sandwich and picked out a few pastries to have for later along with my coffee.
Once we got everything we were back on the road and it didn't take long before we got to the office. When we got there Cassie was brough back right away so I just took a seat in the waiting room and ate my sandwich. After that was gone I wanted to try one of the pastries but I felt like I was being watched. So when I looked up from the bag I saw the few people behind the counter were all looking at me. I flashed them a smile and took a sip of my coffee instead.
I decided on playing a game on my phone to distract from wanting the pastry but gave up when I died two levels in. I reached into the bag and pulled out a bear claw and dove right into it. When I was done I used a napkin to clean my face off and looked up to see the people behind the counter were still staring at me.
"Can I help you?" I asked getting annoyed.
"You're McKenna Bertinelli." One of the guys said.
"Yes, can I help you with something?" I asked a bit weirded out that this stranger knew my name.
"I know this might be weird to ask but can I get a selfie with you? My kid sister loves watching you play for the Badgers and wants to sign up to play hockey this year because of that." He said.
This was the first time I got noticed before. Yea on campus pretty much everyone knows who plays on the team but nobody bothers us. Does this mean I'm some kind of role model now? I took a selfie with the guy behind the desk and Cassie came out a few minutes later. We left the office and got into the elevator to go down.
"Okay, I was the one who just had their leg poke and prodded, you shouldn't have the face of someone who did. What happened while I was gone?" Cassie asked and leaned against the wall of the elevator.
"One of the guys behind the counter recognized me, from playing hockey. He said his sister wanted to play because she loves watching me play, sorry it was just, this was the first time someone's ever done that before." I said shook my head.
The elevator binged and the doors slid open so we both stepped out. Before we made it far Cassie grabbed my wrist to stop me and I turned to face her. She didn't say anything but put her hand on the back of my neck and leaned into me. Cassie gave me a kiss on the cheek and played with the baby hairs at the base of my hair line.
"That was incredible sweet Mac, I know there will be even more little girls and boys who are going to start looking up to you the more you play. This is only the beginning of your career, so don't be surprised if a few others stop you this weekend because this is a big hockey town. When we go out I'll be sure to give you a hat if you want." Cassie said softly.
I couldn't say anything as a rush of emotion ran through me. The blush on my cheeks was for sure visible and Cassie gave me another smile before leaning in to give me a soft kiss on the lips. It didn't last long but I made sure to try and convey how much Cassie means to me in the kiss. When she pulled away Cassie took my hand in hers and led me down and few halls to another office and we walked inside.
There were only a handful of people inside, a few trainers and their patients. Cassie pushed me into one of the chairs in the front of the weight room area and went to change. I saw her again a few minutes later with her physical therapist and he started to work with her through various exercises. I didn't want to constantly watch what they were doing together so I tried to play another game on my phone but it didn't last long when I heard Cassie call my name. I looked up to find her sitting on the edge of a massage table with her therapist standing next to her. She waved her hand for me to come over and I slipped my phone into my pocket and walked over to the pair.
"McKenna, this is Stef, I wanted him to show you a few things if that's okay with you." Cassie said.
"Yea of course, what are we doing." I asked and zoned completely in on what Stef was explaining.
Basically, if Cassie's ankle or knee locks up there are a few different ways to get it moving again. Stef showed them all to me and I repeated them after him to make sure I was doing it correctly. After they showed me the different massages that also help, I went back to my seat and let them continue their session together. There was a bit more strength training and some weight lifting before a final stretch of muscle that had Cassie hitting the table towards the end.
Once I saw that I left everything at my seat and swiftly made my way over to her. I knelt down and put my hand on her cheek to force Cassie to look at me. Her eyes were watery and I wished I could take away some of the pain.
"Hey, you're okay, you're almost done. I know it hurts, but after this is done, we'll go back to your house and I'll run you a bath and I'll even let you have the rest of the pastries even though I was looking forward to having them as a late night snack." I said. Cassie laughed through her pain and I wiped away a tear that fell.
"My dad usually comes home with some on PT days." Cassie said and grimaced as Stef moved her ankle again.
"Well good, then I don't have to share." I said and continued to run my thumb over Cassies cheek. Cassie groaned again as Stef moved her ankle in another position and I could tell she was about ready to lose it.
"Alright, I'm done Cassie, give yourself a few minutes and then we can set up our next appointment." Stef said and left us both alone.
Cassie took a deep breath in relief and closed her eyes as I ran a hand through her hair. Neither of us said anything while she took a few minutes to get herself together. Once she was okay to move I helped Cassie up and we, very slowly, made our way to the front desk. Cassie made her next appointment and we left the office together after I collected the stuff I brought with me. Cassie heavily used her cane and me to help herself down to the parking lot. Once I made sure she was okay in the car I went around the drivers seat and started up the Jeep.
It didn't take long for us to get back to her house but when I went around the side of the car to help Cassie out I found her eyes closed. I gave her a kiss on her forehead and carefully lifted her out of the passenger seat. I managed to shut the passenger door but then turned to face the closed front door.
"Shit." I mumbled under my breath and thought of how I was going to balance Cassie and open the front door at the same time. As I got closer to the door it swung open and relieved a soft looking Chad. I clenched my jaw at him and tried not to blush when Cassie snuggled into my neck. He held his hands up in surrender and nodded his head into the house. I sighed and carefully made my way inside. Just as I was about to make my way to her room I heard him say my name.
"There is Epsom salt in the cabinet under the sink in the bathroom. She usually likes to throw two good handfuls into the water once it's ready." Chad said.
I hard swallowed and nodded at him before walking towards Cassies room. Carefully, I laid Cassie down in bed before walking towards the bathroom and starting the water. Once I made sure the temperature was right I checked under the sink and found that the Epsom salt was right where Chad said it was going to be. I pulled the bag out and waited for the tub to fill. It only took a few minutes for Sunny to join me and she laid out on the floor next to me. I made sure she was getting all the scratches she wanted while waiting for the water to fill the tub. Finally the tub filled enough and I stopped the water. I took two big handfuls of salt and sprinkled it into the water.
Once I made sure the water was all set I walked back to Cassies room across the hall. When I got there I saw that Cassie was sitting up in bed rubbing her bad leg. When she heard me, she looked up and that's when I noticed that she is wearing just a sports bra and short running shorts. My eyes went right back up to hers and I walked over to her. Before she could say anything I just scooped her up and made sure Cassie was settled in my arms before I walked across the hall to the bathroom.
Carefully I placed Cassie into the tub and once I pulled my hands away she sighed as the warm water engulfed her aching muscles. I took a seat next to the tub and it wasn't long before Sunny took her place on my lap and rested her head on the edge of the tub. Cassie turned her head and smiled at the both of us.
"My two favorite girls, finally together." Cassie said and lifted her hand out of the water to give Sunny a few scratches on her head. Once the dog was sated, Cassie took my hand and gave it a tight squeeze.
"I really didn't know he was coming home this weekend." Cassie said quietly a few moments later.
"Hey, no, no. No talk of him right now. Right now you just get to relax, just think about all the treats your dad is going to bring home for you." I said.
Cassie chuckled and I watched as some of the tension started to ease off her shoulders. It was only a few moments later that we heard footsteps come from down the hall and they got louder and louder. Just when I was going to pull my hand away, Cassie held on firmly. She gave me a loopy smile as her mom peaked her head into the bathroom.
"You doing okay Cassie?" She asked a little concerned.
"Yea mom, I'm good" Cassie sighed with her eyes closed.
"Okay, your dad and I are working on dinner now, should be ready in a little while. Sunny get off Mckenna, she probably can't feel her legs by now." Cassie's mom said and called for Sunny to follow her out of the bathroom.
"Oh thank god, my thighs have been numb for the past 15 minutes and I didn't know how much longer I could stand it." I said and started to move my legs again to get some feeling back.
Cassie started laughing and I couldn't help but chuckle. That's how we spent the rest of the afternoon, just sitting together, chatting about random things on the floor of Cassie's bathroom and I wouldn't change a thing.
a/n: a little bit more about what happened to Cassie and the extent of her injuries. get ready for the wild ride that is the next chapter. i sat down to write a cute fun date between our girls and it came out as something that was anything but that.