Pucking Around

Caleb is anxious prior to the Toronto game, worrying about Jake. Rachel, who doesn’t know about Jake and Caleb’s feelings about the team, enters. Their poor moods lead her to ask, though she doesn’t press when Caleb demurs. He feels a mix of gratitude that she leaves him alone when asked even as he longs for her to reject his request for space.

Ilmari notices Jake’s mood but doesn’t know the cause. He focuses on the game: the FIHA scouts are present and want to see how Ilmari fares against another Finnish player. Ilmari summons Jake and emphasizes that he wants to prevent the other player from scoring. He asks about Jake’s focus, irritating the other man. The game starts.

The game quickly grows intense. The same player who once injured Caleb, Marchand, crashes into Ilmari, breaking the rule to “never touch the goalie” (613). Jake reacts with rage and panic and leads the Rays in a fight with Marchand. Jake is too aggressive and gets ejected from the game, leading to renewed feelings of worthlessness for his inability to protect his teammate. He retreats to the locker room, and Rachel follows to check him for injuries.

Rachel is confused, and Jake refuses to explain the fight. Near tears, Caleb walks away. Rachel insists that Jake let her treat a cut on his forehead, and Caleb reappears, angry that Jake fought with Marchand. An assistant coach enters and demands to know the cause of the fight, leading Jake to shout that Marchand once injured Caleb in an illegal hit and only received a fine as punishment. The coach understands but states that Jake himself will be fined and possibly suspended. Jake accepts this but warns his coach that Marchand has caused multiple injuries in his career. Jake expresses his guilt over not protecting Caleb during the game six years prior, and Caleb holds Jake as he cries, urging him to forgive himself. Caleb asks them to move on together, and Jake kisses him. Rachel watches with “heart overflowing” but is called away to help another player.

Jake reels from kissing Caleb. Caleb offers to let them return to how things were, but Jake, realizing how deeply attracted he is to Caleb, asks for another kiss. Jake asks that Caleb not sleep with any other men, and Caleb agrees that he wants “everything” from Jake. They kiss, and Jake confesses his love. A staff member enters and sees their embrace, and Caleb worries that the man will tell others. Jake wants their relationship to be public, but Caleb worries about Jake’s career. Jake is initially hurt, thinking Caleb doesn’t want to be seen with him, but Caleb clarifies that he is worried about the rampant anti-gay bias in the sports world. Jake emphasizes that his relationships matter more than his reputation.

Ilmari is relieved that the brutal game is over. The FIHA scouts meet with him, and he is honest about his labral tear. They offer him the starting spot on the Finnish Olympic team. Ilmari thinks that the achievement won’t matter without his new family. Warning the scouts that he will soon be in the press, he begins his story.

When the game is over, Rachel returns to the arena after accompanying a player to the hospital. She encounters Ilmari, who is beaming. He tells her he got the spot on the Finnish Olympic team, and they kiss in celebration. Avery enters the room and makes disparaging comments, but Rachel calls his bluff, admitting to their relationship. Avery makes a comment about Rachel’s “other boyfriend [getting] caught with his pants down” (641). He taunts Ilmari about Rachel’s multiple relationships, assuming that Ilmari doesn’t know. Rachel and Ilmari leave to seek Jake and Caleb but are hailed by the head coach.

In Coach Johnson’s office, Vicki, Poppy, and the assistant coach wait while Caleb and Jake sit, holding hands. Jake immediately asks Ilmari about the Olympic team. Everyone is happy for Ilmari, but Johnson wants to understand their relationship. Jake and Caleb have already admitted to their relationship, which makes Rachel happy. Vicki confirms that there are no rules against Jake and Caleb’s relationship, but Johnson warns against the PR repercussions of going public. Vicki asks if Rachel and Jake have split, prompting Rachel to explain the true nature of their relationship. Caleb reports the positive reaction from the team regarding his sexuality and states that some people already know, or suspect, what is between them. Johnson points out that Rachel has only cleared her relationship with Jake with HR, not Ilmari. This is an ethical violation, as she was acting as his doctor, as well. Johnson approves of Rachel’s high level of care for her patients but disapproves of the secrecy. He recommends that Rachel be fired but notes that the General Manager of the team will decide. He warns that Ilmari will likely lose his Olympic spot, but Ilmari has already told FIHA, and they still want him. Rachel is suspended.

Rachel packs a bag, panicked that she is bringing too much risk to her partners’ lives. Jake and Ilmari beg her to stay, but Caleb asserts that she needs to make the decision herself, positing that if Rachel loves them enough to fight for their relationship, she won’t leave.

Rachel muses over how much her life has changed in the past five months, then thinks about how Caleb’s choice makes her feel more in control. She weighs her love for her partners and concludes that they are worth fighting for. She joins the men downstairs and apologizes for wavering. Caleb emphasizes that they must be a team first. Jake asks her to marry them, unofficially, and they all exchange a set of vows. She asks them all to have sex.

They head upstairs, to where they have built a large enough bed for all of them. They have sex and reaffirm their love for one another. Ilmari confirms that Rachel is pleased for Jake and Caleb, not jealous, and they affirm that their collective love does not have bounds.

Jake identifies himself as bisexual. He sees Rachel’s suitcase, which angers him. He had forgotten Rachel’s late-night discussion of visiting her family for a few days while she is suspended. That Sunday, the Rays will play in Los Angeles, where Rachel’s parents live, and Jake is excited to meet Rachel’s family. Rachel is nervous at the prospect as she prepares to leave, and Caleb warns Jake to “be cool” when he meets Rachel’s famous father. Caleb and Ilmari, worried that Rachel will balk at going public if her suspension becomes permanent, plot how to get her job back. Jake rejects the idea of waiting to go public, saying it is “grand gesture time” (682).

After four days away from her partners, Rachel misses them. Her parents, coached in advance by Harrison, are accepting of her polyamorous relationship. Though her mom asks complicated relationship questions, Rachel feels confident in the romantic side of her life. However, her job worries her, and she hasn’t heard from anyone associated with the Rays since her suspension. Later that day, Rachel plans to meet Jake, Caleb, and Ilmari, who are in Los Angeles for their game, at a cafe. When she arrives, Jake calls and says he is late, but someone is already there for her reservation. It’s the General Manager of the Rays, Mark Talbot.

Talbot laughs over the revelation that Rachel was tricked into attending this lunch. He says that most of the team is asking to be traded or threatening to quit, which baffles Rachel. She expresses her desire to continue working for the Rays long-term, and Talbot shows her a file with letters of support from her past high-profile patients. A second file contains letters of support from the team and support staff. Players have also expressed their dissatisfaction with Avery. Mars and Jake have secured offers from other teams and threaten to leave the Rays together if Rachel isn’t reinstated. Rachel apologizes for the ultimatums, but Talbot considers them acts of friendship. He unofficially offers her Avery’s job, telling her to finish her fellowship without further scandal first. Talbot points out that Jake, Ilmari, Caleb, and Tess have arrived.

Rachel reports the good news to her friend and partners. They head out to prepare for the game, and Rachel is instructed to wear Jake’s jersey. The arena is uncharacteristically crowded with fans holding signs that say “PRICE=LOVE” and “LOVE AT ANY PRICE” (704). Tess ushers a baffled Rachel inside as the fans shout at her.

Rachel insists on knowing what is going on, but Tess says it is Caleb who must explain. Inside, more people cheer for her, waving signs that also have Jake and Ilmari’s numbers on them. In the bathroom, Rachel catches a glimpse of the reflection of the jersey she wears, which says PRICE, not COMPTON. Harrison and Amy wait in the group’s seats. Caleb arrives and reveals that he, Jake, and Ilmari have been doing press conferences while Rachel has been in LA. She didn’t hear about any of it because they secretly swapped her phone with a decoy to safeguard her from negative reactions as the news broke. Caleb, Jake, and Ilmari all changed their last name to Price: hence the jerseys. All the fans are there in support of their relationship. Due to immigration issues, Ilmari must either marry or wait to legally change his name, so Rachel calls out that if he wins the game, she will marry him. She tells Caleb that this means he will get to marry Jake. Rachel’s father appears to perform the National Anthem.

One year later, Rachel nervously watches Ilmari, now her husband, play for Finland in the Olympics. It’s the gold medal game against Canada. The Kinnunens are present, and so is Halla. Rachel warns Halla against hurting Ilmari again. Ilmari makes the winning goal, which is very uncommon for a goalie, causing the crowd to erupt. Afterwards, the Prices meet with Ilmari, who shares a hug with Jake. Later, when the four members of the group have sex, Rachel reveals she is ready to try for children. They all cuddle together, excited about the next step for their family.