Hat Trick 3: Penalty Shot (16 page)

I stood up and he followed. We took our cups, and each got a cookie. “You’re welcome.” I popped the cookie in my mouth and reached out with my free hand to offer up a fist. He ultimately did the same thing with his cookie, which made us both chuckle as we bumped fists.

“See you at practice tomorrow?” he asked as we exited into the lobby.

“Unfortunately, no. I’ve got to get here for a staff meeting. I think Alex is missing, too, due to work. I know Danny and Hillary will be there.”

I saw my first meeting waiting in the lobby. I nodded in his direction as I walked Walt to the door.

“It’s really cool how so many people are helping with the team,” he said.

“Yeah, it is.”

“Thanks again, Simon. Oh, and Happy Thanksgiving.”

“Thanks, Walt. You, too. See you soon.” He waved as he went out the door.

That was an unexpected and good start to the day here. Hopefully the rest of the afternoon would be the same.

There was always hockey happening Thanksgiving weekend, so we never got to go home. This year was no different. Thankfully we weren’t on the road. Alex and I spent most of Thanksgiving Day at Coach’s house with many of our teammates. The ones who lived close by went home, but the rest of us were treated to a great meal.

Dartmouth was here for the weekend games, which was great because that meant we got to see Pete. Alex and I met Pete at a student athlete conference we attended when we were juniors. We became fast friends, bonding over a love of the Pittsburgh Penguins and IHOP pancakes. We hung out together for a little bit after yesterday’s game and were scheduled to go out for a late dinner after tonight’s.

Pete was hoping to even the score after we beat him 3-2 yesterday. We were 5-5 for the season and were looking for back-to-back wins this weekend to break out of the even record. We stood at our entrance to the ice as Dartmouth was introduced.

Our intro video hit the big screen and I bounced in place as I usually did. I always liked the videos with the glossy production style and best of the best highlights. Alex and I had three good scenes in the video and I was proud to have made it to the big screen this year.

We stormed out of the tunnel as the video ended and blue and gold lighting played across the ice. I’d done this for four years, but you’d think every time was my first given how excited it always made me. It was that cool. Alex and I skated around our half of the ice as music blasted.

As we came along the red line, Pete skated next to us from his side of the ice.

“Ready to do this again?” I asked.

“Ready to take your team down and then go celebrate with free pancakes,” Pete said.

“We’ll see about that,” Alex said. “I’m hungry and definitely need the free food.”

We came to a stop in the refs circle as the overhead music continued to thump. The loser of tonight’s game had to buy dinner so the stakes were high.

The music faded. “Catch you out there,” I said as we three connected in one fist bump.

Once the puck dropped, the game moved fast. The first 10 minutes of the period went by with few whistles and no scoring. Alex was the first one off the bench for our fourth shift of the game and immediately picked up the puck from a Dartmouth winger in a well-executed forecheck at our blue line. He took off down the ice and both of our wingers used that opportunity to change, sending me and Trent out. We sprinted down ice to join up with Alex in the offensive zone. The Dartmouth goalie was strong, standing up to Alex’s first shot and the rebound. The second rebound popped out to Trent, who fought over it with a defensemen before passing it off to me. I had a D man too close, but I saw Danny on the blue line and he wasn’t covered. I sent the puck up to him. He steadied it on his stick before firing a slap shot that flew by the goalie’s glove, dropping into the net.

We all piled in on Danny.

I glanced at the clock over the scoreboard.

“Again?” I asked Trent and Alex.

“Sure.” Alex made the call as we headed for center ice. “Let’s get it deep in their zone and then change up in about twenty seconds. Let’s get line two out on offense.”

“Got it,” I said as Trent nodded.

Pete lined up against Alex over the face off dot. I could faintly hear them chattering, but couldn’t make out what they were saying.

The ref blew the whistle and dropped the puck a second later. Alex pulled the puck back to our D. As I started to move forward for a potential pass, I saw Alex drop to the ice out of the corner of my eye. He made a faint, pained sound, too. The ref that dropped the puck blew his whistle and indicated a penalty call. Trent rushed Pete, whose stick was under Alex. I hustled over to break them up, while keeping an eye on Alex, too. He was starting to get up.

“Trent, back off, man.” I yelled as I got between them. Pete, to his credit wasn’t fighting back, only had arms up to protect himself.

Loud music kicked in to keep the crowd entertained while things on the ice got sorted out.

“Dude, I didn’t do anything,” Pete said.

“Bullshit. If you didn’t do anything, why’s he on the ice?”

“Come on, you know he’s our friend.” I moved Trent back. “He wouldn’t do anything intentional.”

Everyone else on the ice kept their distance, not wanting to take the chance of getting dragged into a melee.

The ref watched over Alex as he shifted to get up. I heard Alex talking as I approached. “I’m sure, he didn’t trip me. There was no pulling on my skates. I must’ve lost an edge as I pushed off.”

“Okay, if you’re sure, I’ll waive the penalty. You certainly get high marks for sportsmanship.”

The ref went to the scorekeeper, presumably to remove the penalty.

I went to Alex, with Pete and Trent close behind. Danny came forward, too. Alex maneuvered to his knees and I held out a hand to help him up. He took it, put his right foot on the ice, and started to stand. Once he put weight on his left he went down again and almost pulled me down, too.

“Whoa. What’s going on?” I asked, dropping to one knee

“I don’t know,” Alex said, sounding confused.

He stayed kneeling for a moment and I stood, offering my hand again.

“Guys, what’s going on?” the ref asked as he returned. “You hurt?”

“I…I don’t know.” Alex gently pulled me down to the ice. “My left leg….” He spoke barely above a whisper. “It won’t move.”

Shit.

“Trent, we need Doc Kirk. Now!”

Trent sprinted to the bench.

“Have you had a flare up today you haven’t told me about?”

“No.” His look of fear cut through me. “It’s been weeks. Things were fine with Kirk pregame. It doesn’t even hurt, it’s just not moving.”

Kirk came across the ice and kneeled on the other side of Alex. He moved the leg, but Alex said he couldn’t feel it move. I struggled to keep myself together. Alex was already freaked, he didn’t need me to add to it.

“I’m calling the stretcher out so we can get you off ice,” Kirk said.

“No.” Alex said firmly. “I’m not going on a stretcher. Simon, Pete, help me…”

“Absolutely not,” Kirk interrupted. “You tell me you can’t move your leg and you expect me to let you try to limp your way out? No way, not even if you had the two strongest guys on the team help you. You can’t risk further injury.”

“Please.” He pleaded with his eyes just as much as his voice, maybe more.

Kirk shook his head as he pulled out his walkie-talkie and called for the stretcher. “Alex, just lay back so we can move you as soon as it’s here.”

The doors were already opening and two of the trainers came out with the stretcher. Alex, while looking scared, was scowling at Kirk as he laid back. The trainers and Doc Kirk got him on the stretcher and headed off ice in no time. I skated alongside them.

“Simon, you’re finishing this game for both of us,” Alex said, looking at me as he was transported across the ice.

I nodded as we crossed the threshold off the ice into the tunnel. “I know. I’ll come check on you between periods.” There was no question that my place was on the ice, with the team and playing for us. This wasn’t high school anymore.

I grasped Alex’s hand in mine. “I love you.”

“Love you, too. Now go score a goal or two, okay.”

“You got it.” I kissed his hand before I placed it on the stretcher.

The trainers took Alex away before we could say anything else.

“Dude, what the hell just happened?” Pete asked as I came back on the ice, he followed me towards the Wolverines bench. “Did I do that?”

“I don’t think you did,” I said as I shook my head. “He’s had some trouble with the leg. But no one knows why.” Pete grimaced. “I’ll fill you in more after the game.”

He nodded. We bumped fists before he headed to his bench.

“Okay, second line, you’re out next,” Coach Rapp said as I got to the bench. “Jarvis, you’re up to first line center with Roberts and Wallace. Let’s go, boys, back to work now.”

The ref blew the whistle as the players lined up at center ice. I took a seat at the end of the bench next to Trent and our new center. As the first period went on, the score stayed where it was at 1-0.

In the locker room at intermission, we sat in our usual spots as Coach Rapp went through the recap and drew out a play on the board that he wanted us to use in the next period. The empty space next to me loomed large. I’d never been in this locker room at intermission without Alex right there. Coach ran through his items, the defensive coach also offered notes to his crew about staying active on the blue line during offense.

Coach Ferguson, who’d come in while Coach Rapp was talking, came over to me as soon as the briefing was done.

“Hey, Simon,” he said, sitting down in Alex’s spot. He was quiet as he spoke, not a whisper, but he definitely was speaking only to me. “They’ve taken Alex to University Hospital.” All the air rushed out of my lungs. I hadn’t expected that. I thought Kirk would do some poking around in Alex’s leg and he’d be fine. Maybe he wouldn’t be back in this game, but the hospital? “Kirk called in their chief neurologist, a Dr. Bentley, who’s going to meet the ambulance there.”

I nodded and found my words. “Thanks, Coach F.”

He nodded back as he stood up. “I need to let Coach Rapp know. Let me know if there’s anything you need, okay?”

I nodded again. Alex had wanted me to finish the game, but what if he needed me? The locker room buzzed around me as our teammates prepped for the second period. I got up and headed for the restroom. The guys didn’t need to be impacted by my turmoil. We needed to stay energized to get this win. Luckily no one was in this part of the locker room, so I could lean against the wall, close my eyes and think.

“Hey.” Even though Danny was quiet, I still jumped at his voice. “I overheard what Coach F said. You okay?”

I kept my eyes closed and shook my head. I was fighting to hold back a meltdown. This wasn’t the time for it, but I wasn’t sure I could keep it bottled up. “I’m trying to be,” I finally said.

“Look,” he said as I continued my internal battle, “I don’t really know what to say here, you’re a lot better at this sort of thing. You know the team will do anything for you, including finishing this game without you if you need to go. Or, if you’re out there, we’ll do everything we can to keep you going.”

I nodded and opened my eyes. “I told him I’d finish the game. I think I have to do that.”

“I kinda figured. We’ll finish this, and we’ll win it for him. Then we get you to the hospital.”

“Thanks, man.”

“Anytime.” Danny held out a fist and I bumped it.

“Guys?” It was Trent. “There you are.” He came around the corner and found us. “We’re headed out to the tunnel.”

“Let’s go,” I said. “I just gotta make one quick stop. I’m gonna text Hillary and see if she can get to the hospital.”

Danny nodded and he and Trent hung with me in the empty locker room while I typed to Hillary.

Alex went to University Hospital. Can you please go be with him? I think he’s seeing Mimi’s dad. I’ll join you after game
.

Her response was nearly instant.
Will do. I’ll text if I get any news.

I put the phone on my locker shelf and stood there, working to collect myself. A hand clasped my shoulder, but I didn’t turn.

“You know this is going to be okay,” Danny said. “They’ll get it figured out.”

I actually didn’t know that, but I needed to knuckle down and do what the team needed and what Alex wanted. “Let’s do this,” I said, with my usual game time determination.

“Yeah!” Trent roared, which is exactly what I needed.

We made our way towards the tunnel and caught up to Coach Rapp as we went. The guys were lined up waiting to go. Coach put his hand on my shoulder as we walked, while Danny and Trent went ahead.

“You’ve really stepped up tonight. I can’t imagine how difficult this is. But from the moment you pulled Trent off the other center and now finishing out the game, you’ve more than earned that C today.”

“Thanks.”

Coach gave my shoulder a squeeze and then walked on so he could get on the ice. It was just a few seconds later that the team started moving out. I sprinted out of the tunnel, which felt so wrong without Alex, and did some laps on our half of the ice. Pete flagged me down as I was moving near the red line. He broke away from his teammates and we stood together in the center circle. A ref eyed us suspiciously from the boards, making sure we didn’t start anything.

“What happened? I couldn’t find out anything on our side.”

“They’ve moved him to the hospital for tests.”

“Shit, dude. I’m sorry.”

The buzzer sounded to get the players back to their benches.

Pete and I bumped fists. “I’ll see you out there,” I said.

“Yes, you will,” he said, trying to sound like his usual bubbly self, but failing.

I skated to the bench and joined everyone else as Coach Rapp spoke. “Miller’s out for the game so we’ll leave the lineup as is with Jarvis as first line center. Let’s get out there and run up the score, boys.”

It was difficult to concentrate on the game, but I did the best I could. I was glad when the buzzer finally sounded, and that I’d have good news for Alex. We won 3-1 and I picked up one of the goals.