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“Hilary, you can’t make these stupid mistakes anymore. You’re the captain,” the trainer huffed, wrapping the tensor bandage tighter around her knee”
The knee injury wasn’t entirely her fault. She was chasing the puck into the corner when the opposing team’s biggest defenseman hit her; pinning her knee to the boards. Hilary heard the crunch and didn’t feel any pain until she tried to skate. Her leg couldn’t hold her weight, so she dropped, burying her head in her hands.
She winced, “Dude, too fucking tight!”
“It’s called a compression bandage for a reason, Hilary. It’s gotta be tight. Now stay here and keep your leg up. Dr. Seals will be in once the x-rays develop”.
Hilary flopped back on to the table with a groan, trying to flex her knee to relieve some of the pressure. The wrap was too fucking tight; so tight her toes were starting to tingle.
She tried to take her mind off of it and started to think about her girlfriend. Talia’s flight would be landing in Seattle an hour after the game ended. By the time Talia cleared customs, Hilary would be waiting for her at the bottom of the arrivals escalator like always. She should text her and tell her to get an uber, but her phone was still in her locker.
Hilary and Talia met through a friend four summers prior. From the moment she laid eyes on her, Hilary knew Talia was the one. Talia was the complete opposite of Hilary. Where Hilary was tall, Talia might be 5 and half feet in heels. Hilary was lean athlete; Talia was a curvy goddess with a blunt bob and attitude to match.
She couldn’t believe it. They had just beat Canada to win the Olympic gold. Sure it wasn’t her first, but it could end up being her last. The stands had emptied and the team was allowed back onto the ice for pictures and celebrations with their families.
Hilary felt her heart break, looking around at all of the girls with their partners and families. She was elated to be with her brothers and parents, but missed Talia. No matter what they tried, Talia couldn’t get leave from work to fly over to Milan. She was there with Hilary in Beijing for the silver medal, held her as she cried through the loss of the gold then, but she wanted her here now.
“You just couldn’t let us have it, could you? Like damn it, Hilary! Canada deserved it more! Now I gotta sit here with these stupid confetti pieces in my hair when my fellow countrywomen are suffering! I mean I’m happy for you and I can’t wait to have you alone but god damn it!” A voice giggled from behind her.
Hilary ripped herself out of her fathers’ arms, turning around and seeing Talia sitting on the boards, legs dangling over the side. Letting her body guide her, she skated as fast as she could before coming to an abrupt stop, hands gripping the boards at Talia’s side.
“What? How did you? Talia what the fuck!?” Hilary gasped, finally touching her.
Talia laughed, wrapping her legs around Hilary’s hips. “Turns out I had more vacation time than I thought, and a little birdy told me you were moping and missed me. Besides, I’ve always wanted to see Italy.”
She scooted herself closer to the edge, using her heels to bring Hilary so close their cores touched. Her hands came up to hold either side of Hilary’s neck, bringing her down so their lips touched. “I’m so fucking proud of you, Hil. This is all you. I’m just happy I could make it to see you win.”
Hilary smashed her lips against Talia’s, nipping her way into her mouth. They hadn’t seen each other since Christmas. The kiss was messy and passionate. Hilary wound her arms around Talia’s hips, pulling her as close as she could. Talia moaned into Hilary’s mouth, but regained composure when she felt Hilary’s cold hands on her back.
“Alright, Cap. I know you’ve got an exhibitionist kink but we’re not doing this here! Finish what you gotta do and come find me.”
The slamming of the med room door broke Hilary from the memory of her last visit with Talia. She was so caught up in the thought of her, she swore she was standing right by the table.
“Jesus fucking Christ! You’re supposed to put pressure on it, not wrap it so tight the foot turns blue!”
“Hold up,” Hilary gasped, rubbing her eyes. The shock still on her face that Talia was next to her.
“Fuck even I know that and I’ve only done basic first aid. Three times might I add,” Talia said, grabbing a set of shears from the counter and cutting the tensor bandage off.
“Talia, stop!” Hilary said, grabbing Talia’s hands in hers.
“Hunh?” She said, giving Hilary’s hands a squeeze.
“When did you get here? I’m not supposed to pick you up for another hour,”
Talia shrugged her coat off her shoulders, hanging it on the wall opposite the bed. “I finished a few things earlier than expected and changed my flight. I mean, I can go back to the airport, and you can try and come get me on that bum leg of yours,”
Hilary reached out and grabbed Talia’s wrist, gently pulling her closer. “The fuck you can. God baby, I missed you so much,”
Talia smiled down at her, gently kissing her forehead. “I missed you too, Hil. What have you done to yourself?”
Hilary pushed herself up on her elbows, slowly lowering her knee down to the bed. “Fucked up my knee again. It doesn’t feel as bad as it did the first time, though. So, fingers crossed I can play tomorrow,”
“Absolutely not,”
“But…”
“Nope, you’re lucky that knee is even still together at this point. You tore your MCL at the Olympics and didn’t rest or treat it. We’re old now, Hilary. Rest is good,”
Hilary scoffed, pushing herself fully to a seated position. “We’re turning thirty-seven this year, Tali. What if this is the last year I can do anything,”
Talia smirked, climbing up to straddle Hilary’s lap. “Speak for yourself. I’ll be celebrating my 16th twenty-first birthday. You’re just robbing my cradle. My sugar mama if you will,”
Wrapping her arms around Hilary’s shoulders, Talia slowly lowered her core to Hilary’s pubic bone. Little huffs left her mouth as she ground down, relieving some of the pressure that was building since she boarded her flight. She wound her fingers in Hilary’s long hair, wrapping it around her fist and giving it a gentle but firm tug.
Hilary gasped, her grip on Talia’s hips tightening while she bucked up to meet her.
“The only thing that would make this better,” Talia whispered, nipping at Hilary’s jaw, “Is you in a backwards ball hat with your strap,”
“No, Talia. The only thing that would make this better is if you two were at home and she had an ice pack on her knee,” a firm voice called from behind them.
Hilary jumped, trying to push Talia off her lap. Talia just laughed.
“You said I had ten minutes alone with her,”
Dr. Seals rolled her eyes and laughed. “I said five and it’s been twenty. I think I’ve been more than generous, seeing as who you are and everything. I love your love but damn it, keep the pants on.”
Talia rolled her eyes and climbed off her fiancé. She hauled a stool over, sitting down on it while she held Hilary’s hand in hers. She knew her tells; knew she craved touch when she was nervous. Talia rubbed her thumb on the inside of Hilary’s’ wrist, trying to slow her pulse as best she could while they possibly waited for the worst news of their lives.
“So, the good news is that there’s no structural damage. Nothing’s broken or out of place. Bad news is you’ll need an MRI to confirm any further tears. I don’t think you’ve done anything worse to it based on my exam, but I can’t be sure until I see it for myself,” Dr. Seals reported.
“Take a few days to rest and ice it, then go for an MRI. I’ll have the results sent to Toronto as well,”
Talia tilted her head. “Why Toronto? If she needs surgery the best guy is in Nashville,”
Dr. Seals laughed, “You haven’t told her?! I’m so sorry, Hilary.”
Hilary smiled, shaking her head with a small laugh. “No, don’t be. I was waiting for the right time.”
“Right time for what? Hilary Atwood Knight, I swear if you don’t tell me what’s going on I’ll bust your other knee,”
“I asked to have my contract transferred to Toronto!”
“Ok I’m gonna need a bit more than that, Hil. I thought we talked about me moving here,” Talia said, processing what Hilary told her.
“We did, but you hate it here. The rain makes your head hurt and you love your job. I miss the snow and how easy it is to get to New Hampshire from Toronto. We’d be closer to everyone we love, I’d have a shot at the cup, and finally get to be Mrs. Talia Spencer,”
“I thought we agreed I was gonna be Mrs. Hilary Knight,” Talia said, smiling as she stood next to Hilary. “At least now I can march your ass into embassy and get you Canadian citizenship. Put you on team Canada.”
Hilary let out a belly laugh, flopping back down on the table. “Not a fucking chance, baby. I’m the face of Team USA.”
“The only place your face is going to be for the next few weeks is between my legs. Now hurry up, we got two months to make up for,” Talia smirked, pulling Hilary up and helping her swing her legs over the side.
“We’re following instructions to a tee this time, old lady. No short cuts.”
Hilary smiled and kissed Talia’s forehead. “No short cuts”