And everything that we’ve done so far to avoid it has fallen apart in a matter of minutes.
And you know what…I don’t even fucking care.
All I need to see is that history isn’t repeating itself.
37
Lennon
The first thing that registers is a chill that seeps deep into my bones. I shift and confirm my original thought. It’s coming from the metal surface I’m currently laid out on with a sad excuse of a pad covering it. If this is supposed to be some sort of patient bed, it’s severely lacking.
I feel woozy as I blink and try to make sense of my surroundings.
“Honey,” a familiar voice says to my right, and suddenly my mom appears in my line of sight. I try to turn my head toward her, but my neck is stiff. “Don’t try to move just yet, alright?”
I hum in acknowledgment. My tongue is dry when I speak. “Is anything broken?” Her order cuts through the fog and instantly raises the dreaded question.
“No.” That single word calms me momentarily. “They don’t think so. Just took a hard hit.”
It must’ve been if she’s back here with me. I was so excited to have them in attendance today, and this isn’t exactly how I thought our reunion would go.
“Where’s Dad?”
“He’s outside. We didn’t want to overwhelm you.” She brushes my hair back from my face, and I feel like a little kid again. Just her presence alone is enough to soothe some of my shot nerves.
“Thank you,” I say.
“How are you feeling?”
I wiggle my toes and fingers, scanning the rest of my body to see if anything sticks out in pain. But besides a dull headache and my neck and shoulders feeling stiff, I think I’m alright. “Fine, I think. What happened?”
I remember Aubrey and one of the Remington players flying down the ice and waiting for the shot, but it never came.
“Two of the girls got tangled up and barreled into you,” Mom says gently. “The impact sent you into the boards, and you must’ve hit your head because Dr. Ray says you were unconscious after the hit.”
Panic starts to rise, but my mom is quick to temper it.
“It’s alright, you came to quickly, but clearly, you’ve been out of it a bit since the hit.”
“Can I talk to him?” I need to hear it from the doctor that I’m alright. That I’m going to be able to get back out there to play.
If we win that is.
“Wait, is the game still going?”
Mom checks her watch. “It should be wrapping up.”
“Please find out the score,” I beg and try to sit up, but I’m firmly pushed back down. Dr. Ray appears at my side with Coach Maver behind him.
Where’s Luke?
Oh my god, he’s probably freaking out. I need to let him know I’m alright.
“Don’t worry, the team pulled through,” Dr. Ray says with a hint of a smile. “Two to one.”
Relief hits me like a wave, and tears spring to my eyes. Holy shit. We did it again. For the second year in a row, we’ll be playing for the championship title.
Mom squeezes my hand excitedly, but my enthusiasm is short lived as I see the look on Coach Maver’s face. Her expression is guarded, almost as if she’s not sure how to look at me. Am I not going to be ready to play in two days for the final game? Is that what she’s trying to figure out how to tell me?
