Chapter 16

Jennie

The days leading up to New Year’s Eve were hectic. Even though we weren’t having a typical wedding ceremony, I still wanted some flowers, music, a pretty dress, and a wedding cake. I was able to get it all, but it wasn’t easy.

Izzy was the one who had finally found a bakery, a half hour away, who could do a wedding cake on such short notice. We were incorporating the cake into the food that was already ordered for the party. It wasn’t a traditional cake. It was shaped like the Stanley Cup, and I loved it.

My dress wasn’t traditional either. I’d decided to go in an entirely different direction and wear the Breakers colors. The one I fell in love with was the color of a Concord grape. The darkness of the purple gave it a luxuriant, rich feel. A little harder to find was the wide, orange ribbon that I tied just under my breasts, leaving it long enough to fall down my back the entire length of the dress, ending at my ankles.

Izzy had come through for me once again and added some of the orange ribbon to the slit that ran almost up to my thigh. I wasn’t sure exactly how she did it, but she assured me it was as easy as knowing how to iron. As long as it was done, I didn’t care.

Orange and purple were not demure colors one would think of for a wedding, but my dress looked fabulous. It was exactly what I wanted, and I couldn’t wait until Magnus saw me in it. He was under the impression that I was going to wear white. “This is all so surreal, isn’t it?”

Mags and I were lying in his bed, facing each other, the morning of our big day.

“Are you getting cold feet?”

I couldn’t wait to become Mrs. Eriksson, but admittedly, there was a lot going on. “No. It’s not that. It’s just…I don’t know. It’s all happening so fast. What do you think people are really saying? I’m sure they all think we’re crazy. I mean we’ve only known each other for a couple of months.”

He ran his hand over my hair. “That’s not exactly true. We’ve known each other since pre-season. That’s at least four months.” When Mags smiled at me, I felt like the luckiest girl in the world to have gained his attention at all, let alone his heart. I hoped like hell that feeling never left me. “Besides. Who cares what other people think? I only care what you think. Are you having second thoughts? Because if you are, we can wait. We don’t have—”

I put my finger to his lips. “No, Mags. I have no doubts about us. I mean, I know the idea of two people getting married after two months of dating is a bit impulsive, but I know we’re right together. I feel it here.” I placed his hand over my heart and put mine over his. “We were meant to be. Us and our little one.”

Mags pushed me back to brush kisses against my belly. “Hello, little one. This is your father. I just want you to know that I’m going to take care of you and your mother forever. I don’t want you to ever worry about anything.” He kissed my belly again and rested his head there, making lazy circles around my breasts, grinning as my nipples hardened.

I slapped his hand away playfully. “Stop that. You’re making me cold.”

“I know a way I could warm you up.”

I shook my head. As much as I loved the sexual attention Mags gave me at all hours of the day and night, I didn’t have the energy for another round. He must have seen it in my eyes, because he got up and tucked the covers around me again. “Go back to sleep. It’s early. Are you going into the office today or are you working from home?” He got dressed as we chatted, almost tripping when he pulled up his jeans since he was looking at my lips and not what at he was doing.

“I’m working from home today. I have two articles to put to bed. I will have to stop in the office before tonight, though.”

“Tonight? Before we get married?”

“Yes, but don’t worry about it. I already have it all worked out. Izzy’s going to take my dress to the arena. I’ll get changed there. My hair and makeup will already be done.”

“How’s Izzy going to get in?”

I blinked my eyes at him. “I didn’t tell you? Mitch Simard is her date. Lucinda set them up. He’s picking her up.”

“Ah, Lucinda the matchmaker.” He put his finger to his lips in thought. “You know, I think Mitch and Izzy would be a good match. She needs a good enforcer. As much as I like Izzy, she needs a man to show her she can be herself and not a doormat. He won’t stand for her pandering to him. From what I know of Mitch, he likes women who think for themselves and then stand behind their words.”

“Elise, Lucinda, and I thought the same thing. We’ll see.”

Fully dressed now, he leaned across the bed and gave me a long, sweet kiss. “So I won’t see you before the wedding then?”

I shook my head. “Nope.” I cupped his face, looking deep into his eyes. “I love you.”

“I love you too, sweetheart. Enjoy your last day as Jennie Fields.” He turned away but abruptly spun back around. “You are going to take my name, right?”

“Proudly. I want everyone to know you’re my guy.”

“Good. See you tonight.” He blew me a kiss and then he was gone off to practice.

I stayed in Magnus’ bed until almost ten o’clock. I’d turned into a later sleeper since I’d gotten pregnant. It was great to be able to work from home when I wanted to, but these days it made me lazy.

I heard a muffled meow coming from Mags’ closet. “Did your daddy shut you in the closet, sweet thing?” I opened the door to a most horrific smell. She’d shit in his dress shoes. I loved her, but she was one vindictive cat.

The smell of cat shit helped pull my morning sickness to the forefront. After taking care of that business, I took care of Mags’ shoes, gagging the whole time. I couldn’t help but think that was not a good way to start the day. An uneasiness settled in my stomach, but I pushed it away as typical nerves any bride would feel before her wedding. Oh, how I wished that was all it was to be.

***

I was running late, which was so unlike me. This unborn baby had already scrambled my brains, but I loved her to distraction anyway. “We’re going to have to haul ass, little one. I still have to stop at the network and finish this article. Shouldn’t take more than an hour, tops. Then it’s off to get married!”

I’d begun talking to our baby the day I told Magnus about her or him. I hated calling the baby an “it,” so I’d decided on “she.” Not that I cared. I’d love to have a Magnus Junior just as well.

I’d just gotten back from the salon. My hair was half up, half down. Magnus loved to run his fingers through my hair so I didn’t want to wear it completely up. Two sparkling barrettes held the sides up in a loose cascade while the rest hung free in big curls. My makeup was natural and light, with just a hint of purple in the eye shadow. I could only imagine how the dress would transform me. I felt gorgeous already.

Grabbing the flash drive with my articles on it, I headed out the door. At the last minute, I slipped back inside and grabbed a pair of scissors. I’d stupidly worn a pullover T-shirt to the salon, and there was no way in hell I was going to try to pull it over my lovely salon hair. Thank God it wasn’t a favorite.

Worrying for nothing, I got to the network with two hours to spare—plenty of time to do the last-minute formatting and self-editing to my articles and take hard copies to the blogging offices. Funny as it seemed, our blogging offices insisted we handed in our articles on paper, as if they couldn’t print them out themselves. But they did a great job with final edits and making my articles shine, so I couldn’t complain.

As far as I knew, I was the only one in the office. The only lights I saw on were the ones that lit automatically after closing hours. Lost in concentration, I didn’t see the flicker of light until I smelled smoke. “What the hell?”

Not thinking much of it, I took the time to save my articles to my hard drive and flash drive, print out final copies for the blogging department, and shut down my computer. My only thought about the burning smell was that someone else must have been around and cooked their popcorn too long in the microwave. God knew it happened all the time.

As soon as I left my office, I saw the fire. It was still at least twenty feet away, but it was already in front of me, to my right and to my left. The only direction I could go was back toward my office, which had no other way out. “Shit!”

With no other choice, I made my way back there and shut the door. The A.C. Sports Network offices were on the third floor, so there was no option to jump out a window. Panic set in. I didn’t know what to do, other than needing to get the hell out of there.

I reached for the phone to dial 9-1-1. The phones were dead. I searched for my purse to grab my cell before remembering I’d only taken my flash drive and keys, leaving my purse in the car. “Think.” I wasted precious moments pacing back and forth in my office. It got really scary when I started to hear the sound of the fire eating through the walls. There was only one other option that I knew of.

I looked out the small window of my office to see flames dangerously close to me. I had to make it to my boss’s office on the corner. There was a small ledge outside his window that I could possibly climb out onto and hope like hell the firefighters would find me before the heat of the fire did.

Just like we’d learned in school, I felt the door for heat. It was warm but not hot. I opened it cautiously. The way to my boss’s office was still clear. I ran for it, coughing as I did. The smoke was getting thicker by the second.

For whatever reason, I locked the door behind me. His office wasn’t smoke-filled yet, but it was seeping under the door already. And then I came across another problem. The walls were made of glass. They weren’t windows I could open. I threw the desk chair at the window, but it simply bounced off. “Fuck!”

Next I threw a brass vase and was rewarded with the tiniest crack. I threw that vase again, and again, but to no avail. I was getting tired and my coughing had become alarming. As the fire got closer, thickening smoke made even seeing difficult. I renewed my efforts, throwing anything I could get my hands on at the glass. It was a stapler, of all things, that finally had the glass come crashing down.

Obviously the glass was weakened from my repeated throws of the vase, chair, and small brass table, but so was I. I dropped to the floor for a few priceless seconds to get a breath of cleaner air.

There was still a ton of glass in the fifteen foot wall. I was leery of trying to smash more out but, equally as fearful of walking through it without it falling down on me. Not to mention the terror of standing three stories up on less than twelve inches of concrete on the corner of the building.

One thing I did know was that I was not dying on my wedding day with an innocent baby inside of me. I would protect her at all costs.

I cautiously crawled out onto the ledge, relief filling me as I saw the fire trucks getting into position. My relief was magnified ten-fold when I saw a firefighter acknowledge my frantic waving.

The ladder of his truck swung toward me, and in less than five minutes I was on the ground, coughing and clinging to the firefighter’s neck until he gently pried my fingers away. His oxygen mask brought me a rush of life-giving air. “Ma’am, do you know if there’s anyone else in the building, or on your floor at least?”

I shook my head and coughed some more while I answered him. “I didn’t see anyone. I don’t think so, but I can’t be sure.”

“How long were you in there before you saw the fire?”

“Maybe an hour.”

He placed me in the care of an EMT.

“Wait!” He had to wait until another coughing fit racked through me.

“Yes, ma’am?”

I clutched him in a fierce embrace. “I would have surely died without you, and I’m newly pregnant. You saved two lives tonight. God bless you.”

He wasn’t unaffected by my words, but he shrugged it off just the same. “Just doing my job, ma’am.” He took his mask back from me, and then grabbed the handle on the fire truck to get back to work. “But thanks for the blessings and congratulations on yours.” With a quick smile, he climbed his ladder once more, hose in hand.

I was feeling luckier than any one person had the right to feel, and had just made my way over to an EMT waiting for me by the ambulance when I saw Magnus run into that burning building. My heart dropped to the bottom of my feet for the second time that night. “Magnus!”

Magnus

The fucking firefighter securing the scene closest to me wouldn’t let me through. I’d feel bad about my actions later, but after repeated tries of reasoning with him, I cold-cocked him. Being a last line of defense hockey player helped me in more ways than one.

When I met more resistance at my entry to the building, I was a little more cautious, but I still shoved him forcefully out of my way.

How the fuck did this happen? It was my wedding day. “Jennie! Jennie, I’m here. Come to me if you can.” I was screaming as loud as I could—at least I thought I was. Never in my life, even on the day I’d lost it, did I curse my deafness so soundly.

Even if she answered me, I couldn’t fucking hear her. She could be burning alive, calling for me, and I’d be useless to her. “Jennie!”

Two firemen tried to push me out of the stairwell, but fear and adrenaline were on my side. “My wife’s in there!” At least she would have been my wife in a few short hours.

I made it to the third floor but no further. It was all aflame. I was panting from the combination of smoke inhalation and running up the three flights of stairs. My vision wavered, and I relived the past thirty minutes of terror.

I’d been having a drink with my teammates, waiting impatiently for the festivities to begin, when our assistant coach’s wife came in to tell us about the fire. She was an ER nurse and had gotten called in to treat any injuries they might be bringing in. When I found out it was in the building that I knew Jennie was going to be in, I lost it. No one could calm me. Thank Christ Cage didn’t try. He’d told everyone else to shut up and ushered me out to his car.

His BMW had gotten us there in record time, and I’d jumped out of the car before Cage had come to a complete stop. Now I was stuck in a fucking stairwell, not able to get to my girl. The mother of my unborn child. I’d never get through this if things ended badly.

A firefighter grabbed my arm. I could tell he was talking to me, but of course I had no idea what he was saying. I pointed to my ears and shook my head.

He used pressure to try to make me go back down the stairs. I resisted. I was not leaving until I knew Jennie wasn’t in her office. “My wife!” I was having trouble sucking in enough oxygen to get my words out, and my lungs were burning like I’d never felt before.

The stubborn firefighter shook his head and pointed toward a wall. Like I knew what the fuck that meant. “Please.” I wasn’t above begging. Tears sprang to my eyes as I pointed to the floor above us. “My wife. My baby.”

He shook his head and pushed me down the stairs again. My lungs were failing me, and I had no choice but to stumble before him. I passed out from lack of oxygen before we made it down to the ground floor. I came to on a stretcher, an oxygen mask strapped to my face. The vision that greeted me was so welcome, I broke down right there. That vision was my sweet Jennie.

Jennie

I launched myself at Magnus before I punched him. “What were you thinking?” I hit his chest in fear and frustration. He took it all. “You could have died!” I knew my screaming had no effect on him, but it simply poured out of me.

Drained from the mental and physical exertions of the night, I collapsed on top of him, right in the ambulance.

He pushed me up and told me to get one of the EMTs immediately. I did as he requested, screaming for them, thinking he was having a heart attack or something equally as terrible. A woman rushed to my side. “What is it?”

I pointed to Mags, tears streaming down my face. He pulled his mask aside, coughing as he did so. “My wife is pregnant. Please, please take her to the hospital and check her out.” His words pissed me off more than soothed me. I thought he was in jeopardy!

Instead of taking my side, the EMT chastised me. “You’re pregnant? You should have told me that right away.” She turned her head. “Jimmy, I’m taking these two in now. We’ve got a pregnant woman and a man with moderate smoke inhalation.”

The ambulance ride seemed to take forever, though it was probably only ten minutes. I’d refused to leave Mags, so we were both lying on one stretcher, arms wrapped desperately around each other.

My coughing had subsided to a tolerable level, but Mags’ was concerning me. He still sounded like he was going to bring up a lung. “Shh.” I knew he couldn’t hear my soothing sounds, but they came out anyway as I brushed his hair back, over and over, willing him to open his eyes and talk to me while at the same time wanting him to keep them closed so he could rest.

I was so focused on Magnus that I didn’t realize we’d arrived at the hospital until the doors of the ambulance opened. Mags barely lifted his head. That alone scared me to death. He was such a robust, alpha male. To see him lying so still and all but defenseless in the back of an ambulance was more than my tender heart could take.

I held back my tears as well as I could, but they kept leaking out, one by one. A man dressed in blue scrubs placed his hand on my arm. “Ma’am, he’s going to be fine. The carbon monoxide he breathed in is just making him a little lethargic. We’re going to take you both in now and get you cleaned up and run some breathing tests, okay?”

I nodded my head. “Oh! Mags’ is deaf. Please let me stay with him.”

“We know who he is, ma’am, but yes, you can stay with him.”

Mags went in on the stretcher, but they put me in a wheelchair, although I insisted I could walk. The nurses stripped Mags of his tuxedo with military precision and gave me some scrubs to change into. The new clothes didn’t do enough to quell the smoke stench, but I was thankful nonetheless.

As for me, the ER doctor gave me another pregnancy test that still showed I was pregnant. We wouldn’t know if the lower oxygen levels had damaged our baby for another few weeks, but the doctor didn’t think I was without good air long enough to be a concern. I prayed he was right.

Mags woke up pulling at the tubes in his nose. “Jennie!”

I sprang up from my chair. He sat up, pulling me to him in a tight embrace, still coughing. I ran my hand over his face and gently pushed him back to a reclined position.

Don’t talk, babe. We’re in the hospital. You took in a lot of smoke. The carbon monoxide is what’s making you feel tired. The doctor said since you’re such a supreme example of a physically fit specimen, and banging hot—I may have added that part—you should be fine in a day or two, but it looks like you might miss another game or two.

He waved his hand at my words. Fuck hockey. He didn’t say anything else but lowered his head. I tilted mine down to see him.

Fuck hockey?

Not lifting his head, he signed his concern. The baby?

My heart swelled. Of course he was worried about the baby. I should have tried to assure him right away. Well, I’m still pregnant. It’s too early to do an ultrasound, but the doctor is confident that I didn’t inhale too much smoke to be an issue. I mean look at us. I’m not still coughing. As luck would have it, I coughed again, but it wasn’t violent. Okay, I’m still coughing now and then, but I’m not even on oxygen anymore. I squeezed his hands. We’re going to be fine, Magnus. All of us. I need you to believe that.

He nodded twice. You’re right. So…when can you get that ultrasound?

I laughed at him. His concerns were always for me and our baby. In about three weeks. It’s still early, but they should be able to detect a heartbeat then. I’m going to make an appointment tomorrow.

Okay then. He had another coughing fit and leaned his head back.

I love you. Please get some rest. I’ll be right here.

Jennie, let Cage take you home. I don’t want you spending the night here watching me.

His suggestion made me snort. As if I would leave him. Don’t bother telling me to go home again, okay? When they get you a room, I’ll just sneak under the covers with you.

His smile was weak but present. I can accept that compromise.

I kissed his brow, watching him drift off. As soon as he was asleep, I went out to the waiting room to give our friends an update on his condition.

I didn’t know if it was the stress of the night, my baby hormones, or the fact that the waiting room was filled with the entire Breakers team that did it, but the dam broke, and I had the devil of a time stopping the tears that flowed freely down my face. I had a total meltdown.

Cage, of all people, cradled me in a chair, begging me to stop. “Jennie, Mags’ll kill me if he hears about this.” He rubbed my hair like he would one of his daughter’s. His tenderness almost made me start all over.

Izzy knelt at Cage’s feet, rubbing my hand. “Honey, Mags is okay, right? You have to stop now.”

“I know. God, I know. Yes, Mags is going to be fine.” I blew my nose with the tissue Izzy had pressed into my hand and wiped my face the best I could. When my brain was functioning again, I realized I was sitting in Cage’s lap. I sprang up so fast it made me dizzy. “Oh, my God. Jesus, sorry, Cage.”

I looked around the room at the multitude of concerned faces. My own face burned with chagrin. I wiped my nose once more and took a deep breath, pleased that I didn’t break out coughing. “Wow. I’m sorry, everyone. I guess I needed to get that out.”

People I hardly knew offered me sympathetic smiles and understanding waves of their hands. “Mags is going to be fine. They’re keeping him here overnight to monitor his oxygen levels. He’s going to be out for a few games—” I was oddly pleased to hear a few shits in the crowd. “I know, that part sucks. It will for him too.”

“And you? Baby is okay? I pray for baby.” Jaromir’s words touched me to another height. These weren’t just teammates of Mags. They were a band of brothers.

“I won’t know for sure for a couple of weeks when they can do an ultrasound, but the doctor isn’t worried so I’m not going to be either.”

“Then neither will we. I still pray for you, though.”

What more could I ask for? “Thank you, Jaromir.” I told them all to go back and party like it was New Year’s Eve. “Please have a drink or three for me, will you?”

Izzy, looking gorgeous in her form-fitting, orange sparkling dress, was one of the last to leave. “Do you want me to stay with you, honey? I’m right here if you need me. I’d be happy to keep you company or just sleep here with you.”

“Oh, Izzy. I know you would, but I’m fine, really. Go back to the party and then go home with Mitch and have wild monkey sex.”

Her smile didn’t reach her eyes. “Wild monkey sex, huh?”

“Only if you want to, but I don’t think there’s anything wrong with it. He’s pretty hot.”

She sighed overly loud. “Yeah, he is.” The object of our discussion was waiting impatiently by the exit door. “I wish I didn’t find him so damn hot. Would you believe one of my favorite features is his obvious previously broken nose?”

“I would. I’ve always appreciated a man with some facial damage. Of course I’ve learned to appreciate Viking and Native American perfection as well.” Mags didn’t have a rough patch on him. His face may as well have been chiseled by a world-renowned artist.

“Yeah, well, it would be pretty impossible to not appreciate beauty like Mags’.” Izzy drew me into a tight embrace, her voice cracking slightly. “I love you, Jennie. I don’t know what I would have done if—”

I cut her off. “Don’t. I’ve shed enough tears tonight.” I smacked her tight ass. “You know, if I batted for the other team, this dress would totally make me want to do you.”

She sniffled as she laughed and grabbed my ass in return. “You won’t even want to hear my thoughts when you’re finally dressed in that sexy number you got for your wedding.”