12. Bonding

A/N: Sorry for the delay for this update. The last couple of updates have been rather erratically written, I’ve been having a few problems with school, so my boyfriend took me to New York last minute to cheer me up. Things haven’t been so good and it’s showing in my writing. Hope this one’s better. Enjoy. India xxx


Song: Arcade Fire - No Cars Go


JORDAN'S POV


When I’d seen Ella convulsing and shaking like that I hadn’t known what to do. I’ve never seen anyone have an epileptic fit before so I took her to the hospital. Thank God I did. It was serious. I’d called Gina and Zach from her phone in the taxi and called Zach as well. I didn’t want to drag him into it, but he’s the closest family Ella has here and he’d be probably go nuts at me if he didn’t hear.

She’d peed herself in the taxi on the way to the hospital. Fuck. I didn’t know anything about epilepsy but I guess this had to be a side effect. Chicks didn’t usually pee themselves when they were in a taxi with me, no matter how excited they were.

The doctors had to sedate her as I watched her lifeless body through the hospital doors. I was supposed to be finally getting some pussy tonight with the girl I’d met in Mexico; not standing, watching her in a hospital bed. A petite brunette standing in front of me pulled me out of my thoughts.

“They’re taking her to her room,” Gina said. “How about you go get some breakfast, I’ve got it from here. Don’t forget Starbucks carrot cake.”

I needed a break from the hospital - I’m not very good with them. Zach accompanied me to Starbucks even though I wanted the space to be by myself.

“So, you and Ella?” he asked, handing me the orange juice. “Danish pastry and an orange juice, you can’t go wrong.” I shrugged.

What did he mean by that? Me and Ella? Sure, we’d sort of hooked up last night but hadn’t gone further than a kiss, because of the paparazzi. I needed to make sure those images didn’t get out to the papers.

“There’s no me and Ella,” I replied, the tone of my voice suggesting Parise better just leave the issue alone. I paid for breakfast, wincing as I forced back the double espresso.

Zach raised his eyebrows at me - that must be a Parise trait, Ella does that too, I thought. Except it looks cute on Ella - on HIM, he just looks nuts.
“Suuuuure, because you would still be here, if you didn’t care for her,” he prompted. I turned away, dumping the cup in the bin. What was I supposed to say to that? I felt guilty. That’s why I was here. I had asked her to come to Diesel, and it’s my fault she had come there and the paparazzi had scared her, triggering this.

“I had to check she was ok, you didn’t see her outside Diesel,” I said.

“I’ve seen her fit before - she hates it. She’s photosensitive to white blinding light. Camera flashes no, but if there were three or four that went off together, it’d be enough to trigger one. And the doctor said she hadn’t been taking her medication… you did the right thing. Thanks bro.” He patted me on the shoulder as we walked back into the hospital.

Did Parise just call me bro????




“She’s asking for you,” Gina said, as Zach came out from Ella’s room after our Starbucks bonding session. She’s asking for me? So she didn’t hate me.

I pasted a smile on my face. “I brought you breakfast,” I said, noticing her eyes lighting up when she saw the Starbucks bag.
“I’m sorry,” she began. I ignored it, it’s not her fault she’s epileptic.

“Jordan, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to ruin the end of your night, and I’m embarrassed,” she muttered under her breath. I hate people repeatedly apologising. I could see Ella building an invisible fortress around her, putting her knees up to protect herself from me. I got closer, pushing her chin up from behind her knees. I had to look into her green eyes to see if the connection we’d had last night was still there. She looked so vulnerable and down, and I just wanted to pull her closer and comfort her, and kiss her soft lips, but that might scare her away. I could see she was embarrassed, she wasn’t meeting my eye.

“I was scared,” I began. Well, I had been. So I thought I’d tell her. She fixed her huge, green eyes on me and I felt something run down my spine. “Promise me you’ll take your meds next time,” was the only thing I could say.

“There won’t be a next time,” she replied. So, so final. I watched her as she opened the strawberry yogurt and started eating it. I didn’t know if she was trying to be seductive, but even watching the way she was eating it was beginning to turn me on. She told me to go home and rest, seeing how tired I looked.




Inbox: One new message.
Max: Get yourself away from last night’s chick and get your ass to Southpointe pronto

Morning skate. Shit. Disco Dan was NOT going to be impressed.

I picked up my phone and called him. “Hold Disco Dan up if you can, be there in 15” knowing I was going to get shat on for this. I got a taxi to my car and drove like Max to get there in time.

“You look like shit,” TK asked with a smirk. “What did she do to you?”
“Nothing,” I scowled.
TK backed away holding his hands in the air. “Chill it Staalsie. I prefer you when you’re getting laid. Take one for the team.”

I didn’t want to tell him what had happened to Ella last night. If they didn’t already know or heard, I wasn’t going to tell them. And it’s not my place. Ella had been embarrassed talking to me this morning, so I don’t think she’d appreciate me telling my team mates that she’d had an epileptic fit outside Diesel.

“Jordo, Mario wants to talk to you. He’s in the equipment office,” Sid said striding over to me, already fully dressed.
Mario rarely comes to Southpointe.
Fuck.
Super Mario only ever wants to talk to you for three reasons: to motivate you, transfer you, or when there is something seriously, seriously wrong. I’ve been playing my ass off recently so I’m guessing it’s not the first two options.

I sighed, slinging my under armour off and heading out of the locker room. I made my way up the few steps and ran down the painted concrete corridor, praising myself for having the espresso earlier.
The door opened a smidge when I knocked on it. I felt like I was back in grade school and I’d been sent to the principal’s office for doing something bad.
“Jordan, come in,” Mario bellowed, smiling. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad. “You’ve met Helen before? She’s head of PR here.”

I nodded, looking across at the smartly dressed grey haired woman. I’ve met her once or twice and she always meant business. I didn’t have much to do with the people who worked upstairs, only when I needed to sign a new contract, or talk about TV or sponsorship deals. This must be about last night. I moved over to the table where I could see several photos spread out.

“Oh fuck,” I said under my breath, my fists clenching and unclenching at my side. Ella looked so lifeless in the photos and I looked helpless and weak. There was one of me screaming at the cameras, another of us exiting the club hand in hand, another of me scooping her up, another of us getting into a taxi. I tore my gaze away only to be confronted with Mario's face.

“What happened at Diesel last night?” Mario asked. “We’re trying to get the press not to print these in tomorrow’s papers.”
I figured I was going to have to tell him the whole story; these things always come out one way or another. I’d start from the beginning.
“I met this girl on holiday, called Ella. She intrigued me, and she’s Zach Parise’s cousin. I ran into her before last night’s game as she was visiting Zach. I asked her to come to Diesel with me, and when we left, the camera flashes triggered an epileptic seizure, and she started fitting on the ground. I took her to hospital and she’s still in there now,” I said. “Parise is there too.”

Mario nodded. “Do you have feelings for her?”

I don’t know.

“Are you going to see her again?”

Again, I didn’t know.

“Maybe,” I said. “I don’t want this to be a big deal in the papers. I don’t want them finding out she’s Parise’s cousin and making this into some big hockey gossip story. It’s my fault that I brought her to Diesel in the first place.”

“OK, we’ll talk to legal and try and get them to sort something out,” Helen said. “What’s the girl’s name? I’ll need to go and see her, because she is as much a part of this as you are.”
“Ella Parise, I’m going back later today,” I offered. Helen nodded. I’m glad I have Mario and Helen to get me out of sticky situations like this. I needed to call my agent and see what he thought I should do.