Chapter 60 Camden
Camden
Isit up straight in my chair as the sound guy pins a mic to my shirt. I start to sweat under the lights.
“Doing okay?” Charlotte Vandy, who’s sitting across from me, asks. She’s a sports reporter and one of the regulars during post-game press for the Bashers.
I clear my throat. “Yeah, just a little nervous.”
She offers a warm smile. “It’s normal to be nervous for a one-on-one interview like this. You’ll be okay.”
“Easy for you to say. You do this all the time.”
“You should have seen how nervous I was the first time I did a live interview. I was so worked up, I threw up right before going on air.”
I wince. “Really?”
“Yup. So as long as you don’t throw up, you’re golden.”
I chuckle, feeling lighter and a little more at ease.
“And hey, I just want to say thanks for reaching out to me and asking me to interview you,” Charlotte says.
“I’ve been working to get an interview like this with a player at your level for my whole career.
I’ve gotten passed over more times than I can count, so I was starting to lose hope until your manager called me. ”
I feel bad. Being a female reporter in a male-dominated industry like hockey must be tough as hell.
But I’ve always appreciated Charlotte’s reporting style during post-game press.
She’s not about trying to get a rise out of us or bait us with inappropriate questions, like some other reporters we have to deal with.
She’s respectful, even when she asks us tough questions.
And she knows her shit. Her knowledge of hockey is impressive.
“You’re the only reporter I wanted to talk to about this,” I say. “Thanks again for making the time.”
After I sent that video of Damien trying to blackmail Ellie and confessing to his lies to the Bashers social media and PR teams, they released the video to the public along with statements defending me and Ellie. News coverage finally started to turn in our favor.
But I wanted to do more. I asked my manager to reach out to Charlotte to see if she’d want to do an interview with me where I could explain this whole situation in my own words. She could ask me any questions and I’d answer them honestly. She said yes instantly.
We finish getting set up for the interview. The producer gives the signal and starts to count down. He turns to Charlotte. “And we’re recording in three, two, one.”
Charlotte smiles at the camera. “Welcome back to Hockey Sound Off. I’m your host, Charlotte Vandy.
I know you’re used to seeing me at the arena giving you the play-by-play during games, but today I’m doing a special interview with Denver Bashers defenseman, Camden Connors.
Camden, thank you so much for sitting down with me today. ”
I take a quiet breath, hoping I don’t look as nervous as I feel. “It’s my pleasure. Thanks for having me.”
“There’s been some gossip online and on social media about your personal life, specifically about your marriage to your wife. You wanted to set the record straight once and for all.”
“That’s right.”
“There’s a rumor going around that you married your best female friend because she needed health insurance. Is that true?”
I nod. “Yes. It’s true.”
“I think that’s probably going to be a shock to a lot of your fans and hockey fans in general,” Charlotte says. “Do you want to explain?”
I take a breath. “I married my best friend, Ellie, because she suffers from chronic illness. Her whole life, she’s had to battle against health insurance companies to get the care that she needs—that she deserves.
I was sick of watching her in agony, both from her illness and from battling insurance companies.
They constantly denied her care, even though she paid her premiums. She did everything right, and she still went into debt paying for hospital visits and medication when her insurance company refused to help her.
And I was sick of it. I was sick of watching her get screwed over. It wasn’t fair.”
I pause, my heart beating hard in my chest.
“So we got married. Yeah, we weren’t romantically involved at the time, but I’d always had a crush on her. I found out that she always had a crush on me too. It didn’t take long for our true feelings for each other to come out. And we fell for each other. Hard.”
A warm smile appears on Charlotte’s face. “That sounds like a very cute love story.”
I let a smile break free. “It was. I feel like the luckiest guy in the world to be with my wife.”
That warmth lingers on Charlotte’s face before her expression turns serious. “What do you say to people who accuse your wife of not having a serious illness? Who call her a gold digger that just wanted to marry you for your money?”
I clench my jaw. “First of all, I’d challenge them to say that to my face and see what happens.”
Charlotte’s eyes go wide the slightest bit as her expression turns amused. Almost like she’s impressed.
“Those lies were spread by her ex,” I say. “He sold outright lies about us to a sports website for money. I’m sure you’ve heard that he’s being investigated for that.”
Charlotte nods. “I saw in today’s news that he’s likely to be arrested.”
“Hopefully. He deserves to be punished for what he did.”
Anger spikes up inside of me. After Ellie and I took that video, we turned it into the Bashers’ legal team and my own lawyer, who reported him to the police. Damien is deep shit for trying to blackmail Ellie. Good. Fuck that piece of trash.
“Nothing he said about Ellie was true,” I say.
“She is the best person I know. She has more integrity and kindness than anyone I’ve ever met.
She would never, ever exaggerate her illness.
She actually downplays it a lot, which I hate, because I know how much she suffers.
I know how much pain she’s in sometimes.
But that’s the person she is. She would rather suffer in silence than be a burden.
A lot of people with chronic illness do that, which is heartbreaking.
They hide themselves even though they deserve to be uplifted and supported. ”
A soft look flashes across Charlotte’s face. “You speak so beautifully about your wife. It’s quite touching.”
“Saying good things about my wife is the easiest thing in the world. She’s incredible.”
“I’m not sure if you’ve been online or on social media much lately, but there’s been an outpouring of support for you and Ellie.
It’s drowned out a lot of the initial negative comments when this story first broke,” Charlotte says.
“So many people have shared their own stories dealing with chronic illness and navigating the complicated health insurance system in this country. They’ve defended you and Ellie for choosing to get married.
And they’ve applauded you for going so far to help her. How does that make you feel?”
The other night, after the news story about Damien’s investigation broke, Ellie and I decided to be brave and skim some of the comments online. We braced ourselves for the worst, but we saw that most of the comments were positive and in support of us. We couldn’t believe it.
“It’s the biggest comfort having that support,” I say to Charlotte.
“I mean, it pisses me off to know that so many people who are suffering from chronic illness have had the same experience that Ellie has. Losing medical coverage for no reason. Having to bounce around to different clinics and hospitals because your insurance refuses to offer proper coverage. Fighting with your insurance company to pay for the medicine and treatments you need. Going into debt just to stay alive. It’s all so messed up.
But we’re grateful that people have opened up to share their own stories.
Everyone needs to know just how screwed up the system is so we can change it. ”
“Speaking of changing the system, you and Ellie are embarking on something exciting,” Charlotte says. “Would you like to share?”
“We’re starting a charity for people with chronic illnesses who need help paying for medicine or treatment.
It’s called Hockey Lends A Hand. Some of my teammates on the Bashers are part of it too,” I say.
“If you need assistance paying for your meds or doctor’s appointments or anything, Hockey Lends A Hand will help you.
Follow me on Instagram for more information on how to apply for the program. I’m @puckboy89.”
Charlotte chuckles. “Love the handle.”
I grin and shrug. “I thought it was pretty fitting.”
“Thank you for sitting down with me and telling your story, Camden. I’m just disappointed I didn’t get to meet your wife.”
I grin. “She doesn’t love being on camera. She’s very private. But she’ll be watching this when it airs.”
Charlotte ends the interview. When the director says we’re done recording, I let out a breath.
“How’d I do?”
Charlotte tugs on the lapel of her blazer. “You were great. And I’m not just saying that. Your honesty was refreshing. I think it’s going to really resonate with viewers.”
“Thanks. That means a lot.”
She stands up and shakes my hand. “Good luck against Montreal next week.”
“Thanks. See you at post-game press.”
An hour later, I arrive home. When I walk inside, Ellie’s sitting on the couch, wrapped in a blanket. At her feet is Gus snoozing on the floor.
I chuckle. “He looks comfy.”
“He’s pretty tuckered out from the long walk I took him on with the other dogs I walked this afternoon.” She reaches down and pets him. He makes a sleepy noise. “How’d the interview go?”
“Really good.” I wrap my arms around her and kiss her.
She grins. “I’m so glad.” She kisses me. “When does it go live?”
“Tomorrow afternoon.”
She cups my face in her hands. “I can’t wait to watch it. I’m so proud of you.”
I hug her tight and bury my face in her hair.
“I hope a lot of people watch the interview,” she says softly.
“I hope so too.”
“I hope they believe you—believe us.”
“I hope that too, baby.”
“It was so great seeing all those supportive comments for us when we looked online, but there are still people out there who probably think the worst about us.”
“Even if they do, it’s okay. The people who care about us believe us. That’s what matters.”
“You’re right,” she says softly.
The doorbell rings, and I head to the front door and answer it. There’s a delivery guy holding what looks like a big cake box. I thank him and bring the box inside.
“Did you order something?” I ask Ellie.
She shakes her head. I set the cake box on the kitchen counter. When I open it, I’m grinning at the message written in white frosting on a chocolate cake.
Great job on a kick-ass interview, AC!
“This must be from the guys on the team,” Ellie says.
I pull out my phone and send a message in the group text.
Me: Thanks for the cake, guys. And thanks for thinking I did a great job even though the interview hasn’t even aired yet. Your faith in me is sweet
Me: Get it? Sweet? Because it’s cake? Don’t you love the pun??
Del: *annoyed face emoji*
Theo: *laughing emoji*
Ryker: Always good when you have to explain your own joke
Xander: We don’t need to see the interview to know you kicked ass. Just like you do in post-game press interviews
Sam: Glad you like the cake. And it’s dairy-free and gluten-free so Ellie can eat it too
Blomdahl: Ha. Sweet. Love it.
I grin at my phone screen. My teammates are the best.
I show Ellie the text chain, and she laughs. I grab two forks, hand her one, and wait for her to take a bite.
“You have to take the first bite,” she says.
“Why?”
“It’s bad luck to take the first bite out of a cake that’s not yours.”
I chuckle. “Is that so?”
She nods. “You have a game in two days. I want you to have as much good luck as possible.”
“Since when did you get superstitious?” I tease.
Her lush mouth curves up in a shy smile. “I’ve been looking up good luck routines for athletes. I’m a hockey wife now, so I want to help you be as lucky as possible.”
That warm feeling I always get when I’m around her deepens, wrapping around my heart.
I grab her waist and pull her close, then dig my fork into the cake and hold it up to her mouth.
“You’re all the good luck I need, baby. As long as you’re there cheering me on, I’ll be golden.”
She flashes that beautiful bright smile and takes a bite of cake. “Of course I’ll be there. I’ll be wearing my husband’s jersey and cheering my heart out for you.”
I haul her up onto the counter and kiss her. “Best wife ever.”