A/N: *tackles Jad in a flying leap* thanks! Woot
Chapter 413: Keaner IX—The Brandi Ball
Right so
Joe really wanted to watch network television’s special presentation of Julia
Roberts in Pretty Woman. Keane laughed at Sakic, complimenting him on a good joke
until the dull glare and raised eyebrow that Joe presented him said, “what joke?” Blushing and clearing his throat, Keane muttered
to Joe that he was going out for a walk, it was a nice warm,
“Yeah, you go do that,” Joe said.
“Have fun, I mean, yeah…” Keane said and he left Joe to his meager devices. Mike sighed and shoved his hands into his pockets. Already he could feel the strangling, wheezing, bone crushing reality of being bored and numb to life on a road trip. Hell yeah, he loved Sakic like a brother or more like an upstanding cousin who visited in summers and you never wanted to shock them because they were Mormon or something like that. But rooming with him? Having to make polite conversation and talk only of the weather for what a week or maybe longer depending on how Alex and Danny get along? Oh the humanity!
Bah he couldn’t think of anything to do either. Ideally, the first night on a roadtrip, he joked around with Danny, exchanged exaggerated stories of life in junior hockey, made Danny pay for lots of frivolous room service and then watched the kid pass out sleepy so he could watch lots of porn. Sometimes he picked up a groupie or a hooker or something, did a little fooling around, and Dan would be kind enough to just clamp a pillow over his face in annoyance and snore. Or he watched pay-per-view action movies, wrestling, anything else that was on. Good stuff, but now he was on a new floor. His actions were now dependant on what Joe wanted to do.
Ah, I’ll have to work on the good old captain, Keane thought. First thing in the morning I’ll work on him a bit.
Until then, what now? Maybe some of the other guys were up to no good, planning something, making a trip out to a club or bar. He wouldn’t bother Peter tonight, let the guy have a grace period to mourn the senorita that got away, so who else would be up for fun? Keane grinned. Heh.
“Hey Mike,” Chris Drury said, the kid stretched and yawned and let Keane in the room. His thick black hair was sticking straight up and twirled some as if he’d been tugging at it. Heh, like a boy would. Mike wondered if Mimi ever had a soft spot for Dru. “What’s up?”
“Bored as Lord Hades in catechism,” Mike said, “I’m being a leech, kiddo, looking for anyone out to have fun and I’m gonna tag along.”
“Ah, Joe lay down the law?” Chris asked and he grinned a little.
“Yup,” Mike said. “Ever room with him, he’s not too exciting.”
“Sure I did, when I was a rookie,” Chris said. “He’s not so bad; as long as I did everything he asked and behaved it was good.”
Mike shook his head, “Poor kid.”
Chris shrugged. “I’m not that exciting myself, Mike, Joe’s a great guy to talk serious with and he doesn’t have half the gas problem Blakie has, nor does he watch overdubbed Japanese programming for the cute girls. Yeah I kinda miss rooming with him, just not carrying his luggage.”
Mike laughed. “Well I’m not carrying luggage for him yet, I don’t think. But shit kid I need some entertaining stimulation, I didn’t get into hockey by being and egghead I sure as hell won’t leave it that way.”
Chris shrugged. “Maybe Blakie will want to do something stimulating, I was just thinking of going downstairs or down the street to a bar, having a few beers, there’s a couple good college games on television tonight. You know.”
Mike nodded. “Hey that sounds good, beer and college sports, yeah, yeah I like that. Mind if I tag along, hell I’ll even pay if Blake comes along.”
“Ah Blakie,” Chris said and he went to Rob’s bags and pulled out the shiny, glossy, bowling ball with Brandi’s coy smile and big eyes on it. “He’s gone all goalie on you know?”
“Goalie?” Mike asked and a million possible images and scenarios cut through his mind. “Robbie and that ball, he ain’t doing anything, unnatural with that thing is he?”
“Nope, at least not that I know of,” Chris said and slipped his fingers into the holes on it. “Hasn’t even taken it bowling that I know of but he talks to it, caresses it, holds it in his lap when he watches television, treats it like the Queen of Sheba. I gotta tell you Mike, it’s kinda creepy.” He held the ball up and looked at it. “Kinda creepy. I mean I gotta tell you, Mike, I’m kinda worried about Robbie. What if he goes insane over this ball, what if he loses his mind and can’t play anymore? How would that affect the team.”
“You know that’s never occurred to me,” Mike said and he took the ball from Chris. Light and smooth, it felt just like a bowling ball. “So Robbie’s lost his mind over the ball? Or have you?”
Chris laughed. “Hey I’m not the one holding conversations with it.”
“Yeah, Robbie could just be joking around on ya,” Mike pointed out. “Just to freak you out, you know how he is.”
Drury pursed his lips. “Sure, sure.” An evil glint over took his eye. “Wanna make sure, I mean wanna see how serious Rob is about this beauty?”
Ah, joy fun, bliss, coursed through Mike’s veins and he nodded. “What do you have in mind pudgster?”
“I don’t know,” Chris said through narrowed eyes. “Lemme…” He looked around the room and then went quickly to the hotel window, opened it and leaned out, giving Keane an idea of what he could be thinking of. Evil is right… “Hey Keane what’s that down there in the dumpster, is that mattresses? Do you think a bowling ball can withstand a fall onto one of those?”
Keane went to Chris, and looked out of the two story window down to the street, he saw the dumpster in the alley and what did indeed look like piles of mattresses hanging out from inside. Now, he guessed slightly at what Chris could be plotting up but then he remembered the sound of Scott Parker’s angry howls and the sound of splintering wood beneath an axe and his guts trembled, quivered oh so slightly. “What are you up to Chris? There’s a huge difference in playing a joke and in just being fucking mean.”
“Aw Keaner you’re a softie,” Drury grinned. “How sweet.”
Keane grunted. “Hey I’m just not a complete asshole.”
Drury lifted his thick black eyebrows. “I don’t want to hurt the Brandi Ball I just wanna scare Robbie a little, relax Keanes, I may be a college snob but I’m not a complete jerk either.”
“Just checking,” Keane said quietly. “So what are you cooking up?”
“I don’t really know, to tell you the truth,” Chris said in a dull monotone. “Besides, Blake is huge, he’d probably kill me. I don’t think I’ll do anything, unprovoked.”
Mike sighed and looked down into the alley. “Yeah, that’s probably a good decision, smart kid.”
“Yeah, smart,” Chris said with a long breath and he turned around, “Nice night though. I think walking to a bar, that’ll be good.”
Before Mike could reply, the bathroom door opened and Blake came out, sleepy eyed and tousle haired. “Hey Mike,” Rob grinned and he yawned. “What’s up… hey…” his eyes opened and he frowned. “What are you doing with Brandi?”
Chris
groaned. “Rob, I’m not doing anything with Brandi, she’s home, in
Blake scowled and crossed his arms. “Hey I know that Chris, I’m not dumb.”
“Good, now that we got that cleared up.” Chris nodded.
“Heh, yeah, Rob, Chris was going to throw it out the window.” Keane leered, he couldn’t resist. “Best thing for ya he thinks, he don’t want you going nuts over it or anything, best thing for the team too.”
“Keaner you dork!” Chris snapped. “Traitor!”
Blake paled. “Hey, hey now, who said the Brandi is that important to me, I mean it’s not. I can do without it.”
“Oh really?” Chris asked, and he half grinned. “The ball isn’t that important to you? Even after the way you talk about it?”
“Oh hell,” Rob grinned and his cheeks reddened. “I’m just joking with you, trying to scare ya Chris. You don’t think I’m actually serious about all that right? I mean… right?” He came to the window, he didn’t actually reach for the ball, but his eyes were on it, fixed and nervous. He looked out the window. “Damn it’s kind of high up to be dropping a bowling ball though right?”
“Right,” Chris nodded, “But if it doesn’t mean much to you then you wouldn’t mind much if I…. OH SHIT!”
Keane’s eyes widened he saw Chris lose his grip on the ball and actually dropped it out of the hotel window. By Chris’s suddenly pale, terrified expression, he knew that it was an accident. Within the instant, Blake reached for the ball he could not rescue and fell out of the window after it. “NOOOOOOOOOO!” Blake howled in horror and pain. “NOOO BRANDI!”
“ROB!” Keane yelled and his gut dropped in agony and trauma realizing he had just witnessed the most unusual death of a teammate, something he’d never thought he’d see. He leaned over the railing and saw Blake had fallen right into the dumpster on the mattresses, God knows where the Brandi ball was. “ROB!” no answer.
“I killed… him…” Chris whispered and tears filled his eyes and his skin looked ashen and blue. “Mike… I didn’t mean to… I didn’t, honest…”
“Hey Mike are you in here, what’s all that yelling about?”
Keane’s blood turned to icy slush as he turned around and saw Joe Sakic standing in the doorway. “Joe, I thought you were watching Pretty Woman.” And it seemed like the most pointless statement ever, especially considering the situation.
“Yeah, hey, I don’t have any cash on me, I was wondering if I could borrow a couple bucks for… hey what’s wrong guys you look like, well, you don’t look too good either of you.” Joe entered the room, his hands rubbing together vigorously.
“I killed Robbie,” Drury muttered, “I killed him!”
“What?” Joe asked with a slight are you kidding me grin.
Keane nodded. “Rob went out the window, Chris accidentally dropped his Brandi ball, and Rob went, he went after it Joey, worst shit I’ve ever seen.”
“You’re kidding?” Joe said slowly.
“Christ I’m a murderer!” Chris moaned and he dropped to his knees with his hands in his hair. “A murderer!”
“You’re not kidding,” Joe gasped. “Are you?”
“In the dumpster,” Keane said feeling cold and empty. All he could think of was Rob’s dorky grin, his sleepy eyes, his tousled hair and gangly legs. In a flash, gone.
Pale, mouth open, Joe ran to the window and hung out. “Oh God I see him! ROB! ROBBIE! ROB! CAN YOU HEAR ME?”
“Ugh, Joe,” Blake moaned to Keane’s never ending relief, to almost one of the sweetest moments of his life. He could see one of Rob’s legs move within the dumpster, a mattress fell out of the bin. “Joe…”
“Can you feel your legs buddy?” Joe called down.
“Yeah,” Blake groaned, “Yeah… Joe can I ask you something?”
“Yes Rob?”
“Can I be scratched for the next game?”
“Sure buddy, sure,” Joe called down, “You can have anything you want.”
“Oh thank God,” Mike groaned, vowing to believe in a God, any God. “Oh Christ thank you!” He looked at Chris who was sitting on the bed, tears running down his face. “He’s gonna be okay, Chris. Hear that?”
Chris shook his head. “I can’t believe I did that, I can’t.”