: A

slid past

ove towards our goal. I pushed off hard, chasing

e blocked

your head i

the bench. I ignored him,

n situations I normally handled without thinking. During the first period, I'd missed a pass from one

't for

uldn't co

teen

had been shot, and she st

bout things I wasn't even sure she could hear. I'd told her about training, the matches I'd played, and the ridiculou

ed about the food

to fill t

nconscious. They monitored her condition and answered my questions as

e hospital with the sa

see her eye

, and I skated towards the b

stood

is going on wit

thi

ared

've been half a second behind ever

d I'm

ling you tha

ook a long drink, hoping he'd t

did

s about

ghtened aroun

story had made the news, and reporters had been waiting outside the training faci

spoken

you to forget it. But you're on the ice now, and your team nee

odd

houlder before

d, and I pulled m

through the matc

uck d

incts I'd spent years developing. I chased a loose puck into the corner,

ger bur

owd er

ere

helmet and shouting over the noise. I managed

I imagined Lana watc

st time she'd watched one of my matches, she'd asked why the play

rd that she'd thr

yed until the

n spent the entire journey home explaining how she

urn almost anything into a

hear her d

y mistakes and waiting for me afterwards with that smile

was lying in

thought and retu

ral zone and carried the puck forward. A defender moved to close me do

nside of the post bef

o

rena

e celebrated the lead. This time, I allowed

until the f

d w

ely c

calling my name. I didn't want to discuss the match, answer questions about my pe

ed my

had music playing near the lockers, and two of my teammates were

off my skates and r

missed

m the h

mach d

creen, unable to

e rang, my mind went to the worst possible place. I'd become so used to che

ere three m

't I hea

back im

ang

Infirmary. How may

out Lana Aberthany. She's been unconscious s

while I put

ine c

etween the lockers, my pho

n," I m

me from across the room

still here, that the doctors were looking after h

often that they had become the

dn't l

sen our home together, talked about our wedding and starte

because I wanted to s

d spend the following wee

nswered t

Merc

pped

Lana al

u know that Lana has r