Page 41 of Home Game

“Bye.”

Krista rang off. I turned to see Zoey standing in the living room looking at me. She had dry clothes on and she looked like she had showered.

“Are you hungry?”

She nodded and came forward. I put soup and a sandwich in front of her. Her face was ghost white.

“How many pain pills have you had today?” I asked.

“None.”

“Seriously?”

I handed her a pill and watched her wash it down. I rubbed my face and looked at her.

“You looked stressed,” she said without looking up from her plate. I did not understand how she did that. How could she read what I was feeling without even looking at me?

“I’m leaving for a few days.”

Her head lifted, but she didn’t speak.

“I fly out tomorrow morning, early. We have three pre-season games starting tomorrow night.”

“Oh.”

Silence while I studied her. She looked exhausted and like she was on her last legs.

“So, I will need to pack tonight quick before you head to bed.”

That blue unwavering gaze. Just staring at me.

“What time do you leave?”

I looked at my phone. “I need to be at the airport by 7 AM.”

She nodded.

How was she going to fare here on her own? If something like today happened, she would be screwed. I had a solution, but she wasn’t going to like it. “So, I’m just going to come out and say this.”

“You don’t have to. I’ll leave tomorrow when you do.”

Long beat. “I’m not asking you to leave.”

Another long stretch of quiet between us. “So what were you going to say?”

“I’ve asked Krista to drop by.”

“To check up on me.”

“To make sure you’re okay.”

I was expecting a fight or something, but she only nodded. “Okay.”

The first gamewas one big ugly brawl which was unusual for a pre-season game. Calgary took a lot of dirty shots and tempers flared onthe ice. I got into a tangle with one of their defensemen. O’Hara was a big bruiser who was gunning for a fight, looking for a way to show off his fighting skills. Lucky me, he pickedmoito try and take down. It wasn’t pretty, but I managed to stay on my skates and knock him off his. Once I had him on his back, it didn’t get easier, but at least I had a fighting chance. He got his fair share of shots in before the ref pulled us apart. I felt like I had gotten a break when I skated away with just a cut lip.

Despite our best efforts, we lost 5-3. The bus ride back to the hotel was silent.

Krista called as I let myself into my hotel room.

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