Forget Me Not {J. Oleksiak}

TWENTY-ONE: THE NEWS

Once we were back home in Dallas time seemed to blitz by. Fall quickly faded into the holidays, then it was hockey pre-season, and before I knew it it was game day every other day.

Over the summer I had officially gone part time at the hospital, meaning I only worked when I wanted to as opposed to my required three shifts a week. It was a huge change for me but as I neared the end of grad school, I just didn't have the time anymore to balance school, work, wedding planning, and the NHL.

So with my newfound freedom I found myself spending my days doing clinicals and my nights at the AAC or on the couch watching hockey while simultaneously studying my life away and planning our wedding. I only found myself back on the unit with my girls when Jamie was on a roadtrip or I had the itch to see my kiddos.

Life for the most part had gone back to normal in our home. There was hockey despite the fact that the Stars are only playing within their conference, and there was homework, but now Jamie and I spent our free time together working on our wedding plans.

Things were absolutely great.

Until they weren't.

As the season went on the off season rumor mill started spinning and Jamie's name quickly got wrapped up in it. The Seattle expansion team would be drafting for their opening season this summer and it also sounded like the Stars wouldn't be re-signing Jamie.

Between the two situations my anxiety was through the roof and I had a hunch that we might be heading to Washington come July.

July, right before our August wedding.

I knew when Jamie and I got engaged that marrying him meant marrying the game as well. And the game could take us wherever it wanted to. I just didn't think it was going to happen to us so soon, and before we even got to say I Do.

But that's showbiz baby, or so I kept reminding myself when I got down in the dumps about it all. All the changes were months away so I tried to stay as positive as possible. There was too much good happening in our lives to dwell on the possibility of us getting traded. May was coming soon and May would bring us three things.

Graduation
The end of the regular season
Boards

Two of those three things I couldn't wait for.

I couldn't wait to be done with school and I couldn't wait for the season to be over. The Stars playoff hopes were dead and all I wanted was for Jamie to be home with me, and for him to relax. He was so mentally spent from the season and the trade rumors I knew he needed a break. And selfishly I also wanted him home so he could keep me calm about the third thing May would bring.

My boards were looming and I was terrified.

Jamie had tried his hardest to keep me positive as the end of school approached. He was constantly telling me how proud he was of me and that he knew I was going to pass. Hell, he even tried to help me study, bless his heart. But my test anxiety was at an all time high as my dream of being a pediatric nurse practitioner hung in the balance.

One test stood in the way of all my dreams.

And one phone call stood in the way of Jamie's.

When May finally did arrive and the Stars season came to a close things felt different as Jamie did all of his final media duties and cleaned out his locker. We knew the odds that he would step into the Stars locker room next season were slim so as he loaded up all of his things into bags his heart sank and so did mine.

As the season had progressed we slowly came to terms with the fact that his time in Texas, and also mine, was most likely over. The looming trade had forced us to really come together as a couple and have some very hard conversations.