Page 102 of Body Check

epilogue

. . .

Jason

“Well, boys,” MacGregor says loudly. “We’ve lost another good one.”

There are jeers from the twenty-two other players assembled in front of him.

“McKittrick’s gone and gotten himself all settled down and boring. He’s hanging up the jersey and pads, but he’s still got his skates.”

“Hey, watch it,” I call out. “I might make you do suicides tomorrow.”

MacGregor laughs. “Seriously, Cap. I am so happy you found this new venture. Even if it means you’ll torture us every day on the ice, this new job couldn’t have went to a better guy. We’re glad you’re still with the team. You’ll always be one of us. A brother.”

“Hear, hear,” Gonzo calls out.

My eyes sting, and I blink a few times, trying to force back the wave of emotions threatening to overtake me.

Beside me, Amelia reaches for my hand, lacing our fingers together. She’s by my side. I know she’ll always be by my side.

Going out on a career-ending injury is not how I wanted my fourteen years in the NHL to end. I wanted to lift the Cup, to bring the championship back to Boston for the first time in way too many years.

I didn’t get a choice in the matter, though. And now, looking back, I wouldn’t have it any other way.

My leg is still healing, but I’m back to walking on two legs and strengthening the muscles every day. My NHL contract technically doesn’t end until June thirtieth, so even though I’ve played my last game and have no intention of returning to the ice, I can still use the team’s PT staff. Come July first, though, I’ll have to find someone else—someone outside of the arena.

Luckily, Amelia has friends and colleagues everywhere, and she set me up with a friend of hers from DPT school. Charles is a laid-back dude, who could probably snap me like a twig if he wanted—and that’s saying something, considering my size.

It was important to both me and Amelia that she didn’t handle my PT. Our relationship wouldn’t survive it. I can bitch about Charles torturing me all I want, but at the end of the session, we go our separate ways. Now that Amelia lives with me, there’s not as much separation.

She moved in a few days after the team’s post-season run came to an abrupt end. We were swept by Washington in the second round, dashing all our hopes and dreams.

But not all of mine.

Because I’m finally dreaming again. I’ve thought about a future post-hockey, and yes, it’s scary, but it’s also so freeing.

I’m still not ready to think about marriage. I rushed into it the first time. I won’t make that mistake again. Amelia and I talk about it, and she’s not pushing for a ring, either. We’re taking it day-by-day, one step at a time.

The team is gathered for my official retirement party. It’s a full family affair. All the support staff joined us, and those with partners and children brought them. Tyler, Brandon, and Ainsley are here, too. Most retirement parties aren’t nearly as inclusive, but it was important to me that everyone who wanted to come was invited.

If there’s one thing I’m most proud of, it’s the inclusive and accepting locker room we built and sustained. We’re all a family, and with the long hours and constant travel, it’s easy to get snippy with each other. At the end of the day, though, it all comes down to one thing, and that’s sharing the sport we love with the city we love.

Boston is my home. The last eight years here were amazing, and I wouldn’t trade them for the world. Yes, there were some difficult times. But it doesn’t discount how awesome the city is. And it doesn’t take away from all the personal growth I made over the years.

I am who I am because of hockey. Because of the Boston Grizzlies. And because of Amelia.

Her love gets me through the bad days. She supports me in so many ways. Sometimes, I think she doesn’t even recognize how much she does. And I do my best to support her right back. To show her each and every day just how much I love her.

My thoughts on marriage aside, there’s no denying that I see a future for us. Whether or not it’s a legal relationship, there’s no changing how I feel about her. I’m committed to her. To us. To our future. Together. We’re partners in every sense of the world.

As the party drags on, Amelia and I mingle with our friends. Teammates. Coworkers. Come Monday morning, everything changes. I’ll be in a position of authority over the guys I think of as my brothers. It’s a step beyond being captain.

I’m ready for it, though. And I already know who the next guy to wear the C is.

MacGregor is talking to his sister Hailey and Logan, who looks as smitten with her as ever. Catching his eye, I wave him over, and he threads his way through the party to where I’m standing near the drinks table.

“What’s up, Cap?” he says, tossing his water bottle from one hand to the other, and then back again.