This is where I’m meant to be.
The surface beneath me is more solid than ever before.
As I glide, I close my eyes. And then Erin’s voice echoes in my head, her soft tone a lifeline.
“I’m so proud of you, Eighty-Seven.”
It wraps around me, like flickering embers stretching toward the sky during a campfire. Her words are a hand at my back, pushing me forward, reminding me that I’m not alone.
And then there’s another voice. One full of pride and certainty. A voice that always materializes when I’m out here.
“You can do this, Chase. I know you can. Let go of the pain now. It’s not yours to carry. Let me take it far from this place. I’ll always be with you, even when you can’t see me. When you need me the most, I’ll be here.”
Jack’s voice washes over me. Cool, assuring, and full of hope just as it always was, regardless of how small the conversation.
When I open my eyes, his words find me again, and as I take in my surroundings, I realize that he’s right.
He’ll always be with me when I need him the most. And right now, that’s here.
Right on the ice. Getting through this.
Hayes skids to a stop next to me.
“You ready for this, Pretty Boy?”
“I’m ready.”
I can do this.
“Alright,let’s get your body warmed up. Start with laps. Get familiar with your skates being on the ice. Controlled puck passes. No shots. No contact. Understood?” Hayes’s voice is assertive but considerate.
“Got it, Cap.”
And then I’m skating away from him. Every push, every glide, every breath comes naturally to me, as if I’ve never been absent.
My body remembers exactly what I’m doing as I continue my laps with ease. As if it’s saying, “Relax, Harper. We got you.”
I complete my final lap and come to a stop in front of Hayes. He drops a puck on the ice, then hands me a stick.
“Pass it to me, and if it’s comfortable, take a shot.”
We pass the puck back and forth for a minute or two. Hayes watches me with focused eyes, the blue in them darker than mine. His thick, sandy blond hair falls around his face, highlighting the rough stubble along his strong jaw. His neck ripples with muscles, adding to his commanding, yet humble presence. Hayes is built like a fortress—powerful but lean. Everything we need in a captain.
I throw in a little stick handling before sending it back to Hayes. When he passes it back to me, I curve the puck with my stick and take off in a skate heading for the goal.
A simple flick of the wrist and it’s in.
We continue like that for a while.
I complete drill after drill, my body adjusting and remembering what to do, what to expect. It’s a perfectly tuned dance.
One I’m great at.
“Care for a little friendly competition?” Hayes asks. “Alightgame. First to five goals. No hits. Think you can handle it?” he asks with a smirk playing on his lips.
Jack’s words wash over me again.
“Let’s do it,” I answer.
