Landing Crow

Chapter Five

"Umm...I....uhh..umm ". I try to form a coherent sentence, or even a thought, but his deep brown eyes instantaneously scramble any thought from my brain.

"Just backed into my front bumper?" Corey asks with a slight chuckle.

I manage to squeak out a three word reply "Um...yeah. That"

"Like I said, don't worry about it" he repeats.

A complete sentence finally flows out of my mouth once my nerves are calmed enough. "I ramed into your bumper. That's something".

"It's just a scratch. It's barely noticeable"

"That doesn't change the fact that I reversed straight into you"

"Now THAT, he emphasizes, "is what I'm interested about". His Montréal upbringing makes itself clear in the way he says "about". His Canadian accent is so clear, it's slightly hilarious. But it's also perfect. Just like everything about him. I try to keep myself from getting too distracted, but there's nothing about him that isn't distracting. "What're you doing here?" he asks.

"Oh yeah. Me. It probably looks just a little suspicious that I'm backing away from a locked garage. I'm Kate. "

"I knew I recognized you!" he exclaims. "You're here to practice with us. I'm Corey Crawford".

I laugh "I kinda knew that. That may or may not be the reason why I couldn't really think when I first saw it was you. I'm just a little nervous right now". I end up muttering the last part, but I let that go and stick my hand out for him to shake.

"Bah. No formalities here. Come 'ere". He stretches out his arms.

It takes me a moment to realize that Corey Crawford, one of my favorite humans on this planet, is offering me a hug. Holy...

"Oh. Umm okay" I say, shaking with nerves. I wrap my arm around him and instantly take in everything. His smell, the touch of his shirt, how his arms feel wrapped around me. I memorize every detail. This is what I'll remember all throughout life. I know it is. I know that if I think back to this, it will help me through the times and struggles I know are soon to come with my surgeries. As long as I have this memory, nothing can affect me. Being embraced by Corey, instead of just fabric bearing his name, feels even more reassuring. Up until now, the jersey had been my soul source of comfort during rough times. But now, there's a new replacement. I know I can't wear a hug over and over, but I have a feeling that it will comfort me a little more than some fabric. I start to feel his grip loosen. That's my signal to let go. It takes a lot of effort, but I release myself from his grasp.

"So," he starts. "I guess you need help getting into the garage".

"That would be awesome. I guess that's the problem with being eager".

He laughs. "There's nothing wrong with being eager. Do you know I showed up two hours early to my first official NHL practice? I know a little something about being eager".

"Seriously? Two full hours?". I try to stifle my laughter, but it's impossible. The thought of him showing up to Johnny's Ice House and sitting alone ink the locker room is utterly hilarious.

"Heyyy!" he says, sounding a little hurt." I was planning on getting there an hour early, but I had no clue how long it would take to get to practice from my place, so I thought it would be a good idea to leave a good amount of time"

"Now that I think about that, I would've probably done the same in your shoes. I kind of already did. I was planning on getting here half an hour later, but you can see how that worked out" I explain.

"So I guess I'm not that weird after all, huh?"

"I guess not". A smile sneaks its way across my face.

"Now how about I let you in? How does that sound to you?" inquires Corey.

"I think that's a solid plan".

He strolls over to the keypad and types in a five number code. I start to crane my neck to catch a glimpse of what he's typing, but I convince myself to be a good person and slowly recede. The garage door soon stutters open, welcoming me into Johnny's Ice House.

As Corey strides back to his car, he yells out to me "What are you waiting for?" and gestures to the open door.

I guess he's right. What am I doing just standing here? I jog back to my car and slide back into my seat. I almost start to move before I realize my door is still open. I should probably close that. I double check that I'm not missing anything blatantly obvious or stupid, I start forward into the dimly lit garage. Following closely behind is Corey. I search for an open space and finally find one.

As I'm pulling in, Corey shouts "Hey. What're you doing? That's my spot".

I can't do anything right today. "I am so sorry. I should've known..." He cuts me off before I can finish.
"Kate," he calls. I can hear him snickering from here. "I'm just yanking your chain. That's Shawzie's spot. No one stole mine. Just stay there. My spot is the one two down. You can stay there".
"But what about Shaw?" I ask. "Won't he need a place?"
"Nahhhh. He's stolen my spot plenty of times. We'll just call this a little bit of revenge".
"He's never done anything to me though".
"Oh trust me. He will".
"Wha-what do you mean by that?" I try to ask, but before I know, he's pulling away and into his spot. I know Shaw likes to mess around, but I'd think he would be a little lenient with a guest. I guess we'll find out.
I push the button on the inside of my door that opens the trunk. I walk to the back of the car and pull out all my gear. I swing my bag on one shoulder and my pads on the other. In my left hand, I grab my stick. As I'm closing the trunk, Corey comes up behind me and sets his hand on my shoulder. A jolt of energy sparks through my body. I feel instantly warm and happy on the inside.
"I'm really sorry about yanking your chain like that back there. I can tell you're a really sweet girl and almost as apologetic as your average Canadian. I just couldn't resist harassing you a little bit.
"No need to apologize. Let's just consider it a step towards payback for the injury of your bumper".
Laughter sneaks its way out from both our mouths.
"But I'm serious" Corey says, laughter still resonating in his voice. "Watch out for Shaw. He can be a little cruel when it comes to jokes. But it's all from a good place. He's a really nice guy when it comes down to it".

"Oh trust me. I've done a fair amount of research, by the method of YouTube and BHTV, of course".
"Ohh of course. I always forget that it's possible to find out all this. Well I can assure you that all the rumors are true. He was the first to hassle me about my breakfast routine, which, in fact, is actually pretty genius if you ask me".
I can't help but giggle. He still sounds a little hurt by this.
"Well now I must know what this breakfast entails. Do tell".
"Well," he starts. "It's what I grab when in rushed in the morning. It's called "Breakfast on the go by Crow, named by the one and only Andrew Shaw. It consists of an Asiago bagel, a banana, a chocolate milk, and a Milky Way".
I'm taken aback at first.
"Did you say Asiago bagel??? That's what I had this morning!!! I would've grabbed a chocolate milk or banana, but we were out of both".
"Seriously?!?! Do you know why I grab a bagel?
"Because they're easy to eat while driving!!" We say at the same time.
"Oh my gosh". I exclaim. "I thought I was the only one!"
"So did I! This is crazy! I've gotta tell Shaw once he gets here!" Let's go inside! I HAVE to let the guys know I'm not crazy".
"Well we could both be crazy," that's more than possible".
"True. But at least I know there's someone in this world just as crazy as I am".