Thursday, July 7, 2011

One

Kisses and Mistletoe



Ch. 1



“You have to check out this nurse!” Downie exclaimed as he pulled me down the hall, away from the Pediatric playroom at the hospital.  We were visiting a bunch of sick patients on the floor, spending time with the ones that would most likely be stuck in the sick-ward for the holidays.  “She was in with our little buddy, Eric while I was playing video games with him and I instantly thought of you because she seems like your type.”

“What exactly would be my type?” I sighed as I rolled my eyes at my best friend.  People on the outside never really understood how the scrappy, hyper active Steve Downie could be best friends with the laid-back, easy going, talented Steven Stamkos.  However, we just seemed to click when he was traded to Tampa Bay a couple seasons ago.  We have become inseparable; we even live in the same apartment building, train together with Gary Roberts in the summer, room together on the road, and play on the same line for the Tampa Bay Lightning.  Truthfully, I knew who he was in Jr. Hockey, but I stayed far away because of his reputation.  He was always a good player who had a lot of points, but I had seen too many of his antics on the ice to think he was not the type of person I wanted to hang with.

Obviously, my perception of him changed when he came into the locker-room.  In the beginning he still had a problem of keeping his attitude in check, but with some faith from our former coach, Rick Tocchet, Diggity had come into his own and matured in a way that no one ever thought was possible.  He’s had a rough life compared to mine.  He lost his dad in a car accident while they were traveling to one of his hockey games when he was young; Steve was in the car when it happened.  So his mom took over everything and even to this day he calls her every night after our games.  Of course I bust his balls for it time to time, but I can understand why he is so close to her.  He isn’t the party animal that his reputation has made him out to be, all in all he’s a fairly laid back guy off the ice which helps pull me out of my sometime intense moods.

I have to admit I was a little scared as he pulled me down the hall to check out this girl he insisted was my type.

“I know you have the hots for the Reese Witherspoon types; you know the do-gooders…”

“There is nothing wrong with a ‘do-gooder,’” I insisted.

“I realize this, which is exactly why you have to meet her.  She’s even cute like Reese, but not as old of course and she has this thick accent that I think will turn you on.”

“She’s probably older than me if she’s a nurse…”

He stopped abruptly as I pained look came across his face.  Obviously I had thought of something that he didn’t.  He, like most others forgot that I was only 20 years old.  “Shit.  Man, I really don’t think she’s that much older than you,” he pouted as he started slowly walking towards the nurse’s station once more.  Eric must have seen us passing his room because he was soon yelling out towards the hallway for Diggity.  So our course was changed towards Eric’s room since Steve would never let his little friend down. 

Eric had been diagnosed with a terrible spinal cancer that caused tumors to grow in his brain and spinal cord.  It was a constant battle between all the treatments and surgeries which probably wouldn’t change the outcome.  I had also spent a decent amount of time with Eric over the last few months after I met him at a charity event that was held here at the Children’s Hospital.  He was a great kid with an amazing personality for only being 12 years old and as hard it was not to sit in his room and pity him, I always found myself laughing whenever I was near him.

“What’s up, Shredder?” Downie chirped as we entered the room.

“I was wondering when we were going to start round two of your MarioKart beat-down,” Eric asked with a raised eyebrow that said he meant business.  “I think you should be the other victim too, Stammer,” he said with a wink.

“I think that sounds like a perfect idea!” I said enthusiastically while I pulled up a chair and grabbed a controller, happy to get out of nurse-stalking.  I laughed to myself when I looked over to see a perplexed look briefly cross Downie’s face but he covered it up with his big smile and plopped down on his chair.

We were in the middle of a race that I was leading when I felt someone walk into the room.  I was too zoned in on the game to pay any attention to the person in the room and I had come immune to the constant visitors to Eric’s room, mainly because staff was always checking on his various medication pumps.

“Entschuldigung boys, but we need to pause das Videospeil for eine moment so that I can take Eric’s vitals,” a thick German accent said behind me.  Her voice was light, despite the heavy accent; effectively keeping her from sounding like Helga the beefy gym teacher.

Eric paused the game and said, “Guten Abend, Olivia,” Eric said happily to the petite blonde in light pink scrubs.  “Meet meinen freunden, Diggity und Stammer,” he said in broken German.  I smiled at his honorable attempt to speak her language.

“Diggity und Stammer?” she repeated skeptically.  “Are those your true names?” she asked, looking over at Downie and then at me for the first time.  She had striking green eyes and a beautiful face that needed no make-up.  It felt like I had the wind knocked out of me; Downie was right, she looked like a young Reese Witherspoon.

Steve busted up laughing as he stood up and reached across Eric’s bed to introduce himself.  “Um, actually, my name is Steve.  My nickname around the locker room is Diggity.  And over there is Steven, who everyone calls Stammer.”

She just opened her mouth and nodded quietly, still looking slightly perplexed by the names.  “Locker room?” she asked slowly, like she didn’t know what the word meant or quite possibly the fact that wasn’t sure if she wanted to know.

“They play for the TampaBay Lightning,” Eric piped up excitedly.

“Fussball?” she asked, still hesitant.

“Nein, Eishockey,” I replied in her native tongue.  After being over in Germany for a couple weeks this past spring playing in the World Championships, I had picked up a little of the language.

She looked over at me and smiled as she nodded, causing my stomach to completely drop to the floor.  All of a sudden I felt like I needed to leave the room to get some air.  “Um, we’ll let you do what you need to do with Eric.  We’ll be in the waiting room…” I spit out nervously and quickly backed out of the room.  I think she tried to say that we didn’t need to leave, but I didn’t stay long enough to hear her words.  I was more annoyed with the fact that I had completely lost my cool around the girl.  I was never the type of person to be uncomfortable around people, but she definitely made me feel like a nervous wreck.

“Jesus! What the hell happened in there, Stammer?” Downie interrogated me like I had just had my ass kicked in the boxing ring, as I plopped down on the chair in the waiting room.

I wiped my hands over my face and breathed, “I don’t know.”

He just laughed and slapped me on the shoulder, “I told you that she was your type.”

“Dude, I don’t think someone is my type if I can’t even talk to her without making a fool out of myself,” I complained.

“How did you make a fool out of yourself?” he asked, obviously a little shocked that I had a slight outburst about the event.

“I know I was blushing in there and I all of a sudden felt like I needed some air…”

“You really are dense, you know this?”

“What?”

“That just goes to show you have a thing for the girl.  Geesh, do I need to spell everything out for you, Wonderboy?  You have total game on the ice, but when it comes to women, not so much.”

“Thanks for pointing out the obvious,” I mumbled.

“That’s what friends are for, buddy,” he said, stretching back in his chair, putting his arms behind his head and closing his eyes with a smirk on his face that I really just wanted to punch off.





I graduated from nursing school when I was 19.  In Germany you can go into a trade school if you decide you want to get into a public service job, helping you get a decent paying job right after you graduate from school.  I knew at an early age that I wanted to be a nurse, so it was only natural that I start my education for it as soon as possible.

I worked for a year in a hospital in my hometown of Leipzig, a several hours outside of Berlin but I decided that I wanted to travel.  I contacted a travel nursing agency and the rest is history as they say here in the U.S.  I was ecstatic to find that my first assignment was going to be here in Florida, the Sunshine State.  The only thing I wished for is that I didn’t have such fair skin, so that I could spend more time out on the beach.

It was definitely a huge learning curve when I got over here, mainly because of the English language.  I understood everything that was said to me, but it was sometimes hard for me to speak well enough for people to understand me.  I often find myself talking slower than normal, just so the other person in the conversation can understand me.

I love working at the Children’s Hospital, mainly because the kids never seem to be as judgmental about my accent as adults can sometimes be.  I hate when I go out and I run into someone who thinks they need to talk to me like a 2 year old; it definitely is frustrating.

One of my favorite patients on my floor is Eric.  He is such an enthusiastic child whom, since day one, was interested in my language.  So when I had some downtime I would teach him a few words here and there.  He has taken to the language so much that he begged his mom to buy him Rosetta Stone, just so that he could talk to me in my native tongue.  It was such a sweet gesture and I greatly appreciated it because it helped me from getting so homesick.

I was thrown for a little loop tonight when the blonde, Stammer answered me in Deutsch.  I was going to say something to him back in the language or at least ask him how he knew how to speak it, but his tune quickly changed and he practically ran out the door.  What a turn off.

I had seen the boys a couple times before when I walked past Eric’s room the last couple months, but they never really noticed me before and I just kept quiet around them.  Eric had spoken of them numerous times, but I just thought they were imaginary people with silly names.

They were both quite good looking, the dark haired Steve seemed to be somewhat of a class clown and the blonde Steve seemed a little quieter, but Eric adored them.  Both were built; their muscular legs were easily noticed because they were wearing shorts and their arms also looked strong.  After I was informed they played Ice Hockey, their physique was no surprise.  I didn’t know much about the sport, but I knew that with any professional sport, you needed to take good care of your body.  It was obvious these boys took care of themselves. 

I was quiet intrigued by Stammer’s blue eyes and his chiseled facial features, but then again I shouldn’t even be looking.  I am already “involved” with a schoolmate from home, so a relationship is out of the question.  However, I am lonely for some sort of companionship.  I need to make friends; I want someone to hangout with.  Unfortunately a lot of the girls on the floor are not the easiest to get along with on a regular basis.  Most of them are very “clicky” and don’t really include me in their extracurricular activities. 

My only friend is my cat, Stewie.  I picked Stewie up at an animal shelter not long after I moved here, just for a buddy for when I am home.  He was only a small grey kitten when I first brought him home and we have instantly become the best of friends.

I was smiling to myself when I walked out of Eric’s room, mainly because he couldn’t stop gushing about his two visitors and how he was “beating their butts” in their video game.  When I walked over to the waiting area I found a relaxed looking “Diggity” and a perplexed looking “Stammer” sitting quietly next to each other.

“Um, Eric ist ready for company again,” I said quietly, not wanting to startle them.

The blonde abruptly picked up his head and looked straight at me with a look that put my heart on notice.  He smiled faintly as he stood up, punching the dark haired Steve in the stomach and said “Danke” as he walked by, breaking his gaze with me.  I was still standing there like a lost soul, taking a minute to realize that the other Steve was still in the room, looking at me with an amused smile.

“He’s a little nervous around the ladies, but don’t let that deter you from him.  He’s wunderbar,” he said enthusiastically.  He was almost out in the hallway when he stopped and turned on his heal, back towards me.  “Oh, and by the way.  How old are you?”

“Um, I just turned 21,” I stammered, a little put out by his question.

“Nice,” he winked, lightly pinched my arm when he passed by and giggled like a school girl as he walked down the hall to Eric’s room.

1 comment:

  1. The fact that there is german in the story makes it pretty cool! It an interessting beginning and I can't wait to see what happens next!

    ReplyDelete