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Kris
"Kris, we have togo," Kelsey says. "We can't just miss the flight because I don't feel well."
"You should be resting," I growl, dragging her back into my arms. "You don't have to fly to Minnesota with us, princess. We'll make it through one game without you."
"I know." She tips her head back to look up at me. "But it's my last one. I want to be there."
"It's not your last one."
"Kris."
"You aren't fucking quitting, Kelsey." I scowl down at her. "Take a sabbatical. Take medical leave. Take whatever time you need. But you love your job, and the guys love you. Don't sacrifice your normal on a sword because you feel like you haveto protect or take care of anyone. For once, let us take care of you."
"You're one to talk." She pulls away, planting her hands on her hips. Even with dark circles under her eyes and no makeup on, she's still stunning. "You're retiring! That's quitting permanently, Kris."
"That's different."
"How is that different?"
"I've been in the NHL for two decades. I've done everything I set out to do," I say quietly. "I'm fucking tired of eating, sleeping, and breathing hockey every day. It's not my priority in life anymore. It hasn't been in a long time. I was supposed to retire two years ago."
Doubt creeps into her expression as her eyes drift across my face. "Really? Why'd you stay?"
"You," I say simply.
"Kris."
"You started with the Predators, and I decided I wasn't ready to leave yet. Not until you were mine."
Her shoulders slump. "I guess I didn't make that easy, did I?"
"I don't regret the last two years, Kelsey. Some of the best memories of my career are from the last two years." I run my lips across her forehead. "You feature in a whole helluva lot of them."
"You're in mine, too," she whispers.
I smile down at her, proud that I made the last two years memorable for her. Glad that she thought of me as often as I thought of her. Relieved that she's in my arms now. Anxious as hell about letting her out of them ever again. I always feel a thousand different, competing emotions when it comes to her. I'm a livewire for her, running at full charge.
And then I sober again. "What are we looking at, princess? What does the reality of the next few months look like?"
She sighs. "It depends on how the numbers look. But I'll have to restart TKI treatment. Um, it's the medication used to treat CML."
"Chemo? Radiation?" I ask.
"Maybe. There are a lot of options and treatment protocols for what I have. It just depends on what my log numbers look like and what phase I'm in. Regardless, it means I won't be able to work for a while. The medication makes me just as sick as the chemo, at least for a while."
Shit. Even though I want her to let us be there for her, I don't want her to push herself. That's not what this is about. I just don't want her giving up something she loves because she thinks she needs to protect anyone. She's been doing that her entire life, trying to carry it by herself so no one else worried. I don't want that for her anymore. She has me now. She hasusnow.
"Take time if you need it. But don't quit, Kelsey," I murmur. "You belong with the team."
"I'll think about it," she says. It's not a yes, but it's not a no, either. I take the win and let the subject go.
"I'll make you a deal," she says a moment later.
"What kind of deal?"
"I'll fly out with you guys and rest at the hotel until the game tomorrow, and then I'll run down for it. Once that's over, I'll return to the hotel until we fly out."
"Does this deal include you staying in my room?" I ask, brow arched. "Because the only way you're going to Minnesota with us is if you're in my hotel room with me, princess. I'm not letting you stay alone."
