Page 59 of Hitting the Goal Line
Why I’m still playing it.
Every single doubt, I have ever had about playing this sport, goes away just like it when I played in my first NHL game.
The only difference between then and now, is that now I know I’m here to stay.
This is my sport, my team, my people, and I’m going to do everything in my power to help get this win.
The second that the puck meets my stick, I know that this will be a game worth remembering.
Good or bad, this game will be engraved into my mind with all the other precious memories that I have. My night with Sophia being at the very top.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
SOPHIA
The energyin the suite is chaotic and it has nothing to do with the fact that the Dark knights are playing the last game of the Stanley Cup finals down on the ice right now.
Oh, no. The energy is crazy because Chloe, Liam’s girlfriend is in labor and she doesn’t want to go to the hospital and miss the rest of the game. If I were her, I wouldn’t want to go either. Blake and his teammates are only a few points away from making history. This is too much of a big moment to miss, but she is having a baby, and right that’s more important. Especially if the baby is saying screw hockey, I’m coming.
“Chloe, ándale. You have to go to the hospital,” Chloe’s mom says her as she tugs on her arm to make her get up from her chair.
“But you said that labor takes forever. I can stay and watch the rest of the game,” Chloe lets out but the poor girl doubles over in pain. The hiss that she lets out, tells me that she is hurting and really needs to go to the hospital.
“That one was way too close, sweetie. You have to go to the hospital,” Lynnette, Liam’s mom says as she goes to stand next to Chloe and her mom. Both grandmas look concerned as hell.
“I’m fine,” Chloe says to them, but then she hisses again, which tells everyone on the room that she is not fine.
The grandmas shake their head and Chloe tries to plead with them by using her eyes to let her stay, but the two women just shakes their head.
Chloe then looks over at her dad for some help but the man doesn’t even look at her, probably in fear of getting on his wife’s bad side. Same thing with Liam’s dad.
The woman, then turns to look at me. At me! She doesn’t have to say a single word for me to know that she is begging me to help her convince the moms to let her stay.
If I had my nursing license, I would, without a doubt, fight to let her stay. I would be able to keep an eye on her until the game is over and do everything that I can to make sure that the baby wouldn’t be born at a hockey game like I almost was, but the moms look scary. And as much as I want to help, I don’t want to get on their bad sides, so I shake my head no. I’m not about to get my head chopped off.
It’s decided, after what feels like forever, that it’s best to go the hospital after Chloe ask Hunter and Selena. Her contractions are too close, its best for her and the baby to go to the hospital.
Almost everyone leaves with Chloe, just leaving me and Patty, Blake’s mom and his stepdad, Daniel, in the suite.
“Your mom texted me and told me that they were down in the seats, why didn’t they sit up here?” Patty asks, as we the three of us take a seat out in the balcony.
“Because my dad said that he wanted to experience the game like a real fan and not like some high-profile person. That and he wants to be the first person that Blake sees, win, or lose.” I swearmy dad loves Blake more than me sometimes, which I’m totally fine with.
“Sounds like something that your dad would do,” Patty says, giving me a smile and taking my hand in hers, before putting her attention back on the game.
The buzzer sounds to call the second period and as the ice is getting cleaned for the third, the energy in the arena is at an all-time high. I’ve been to a lot of games since in my life, but not a single one has ever felt like this.
The energy and atmosphere are on a whole other level.
As the third period starts up, every single person in the place stands up.
The Knights are currently ahead by one, and I’m keeping my fingers crossed that it stays that way.
“This is absolutely insane,” I say to no one, as my eyes dance with the players on the ice. Every single person that is down there, whether they are wearing a Chicago jersey or a Florida one, is hungry to win the Cup.
“Yes, it is.” Patty grips my hand tighter and I don’t blame her. It’s a high stakes game and the majority of people in the room will be highly disappointed if the game doesn’t go how they want it to.
There’s a line change and Blake comes on the ice to replace one the right wringers. My eyes follow his every move, and I smile when I see that he is doing something that he has been doing since he was a kid. Using his stick as an extension of himself. I know for a fact that my dad is pumping his fist up in the air right now down in the seats with pride.
