by Mandy Baggot
She did the drive in under ten minutes. The arena car lot was filling up, but she managed to get her usual spot. Looking at her watch, she saw it was a little more than thirty minutes until the face off.
Reaching the locker rooms, she could hear raised voices from her team.
“What the Hell’s going on?” she demanded to know as she flung open the door and entered.
No one said a word.
“I said what’s going on? Man, what’s that smell? Have you been drinking in here? It smells like someone fell into a vat of Jack Daniels,” Robyn announced, trying to sniff out the offending area of the room.
“It’s Brad,” Cole informed her.
“I had you down as someone who couldn’t be trusted from day one, didn’t I? Didn’t I! Did you know they’re dating? Him and Robyn! Yeah, all this platonic bullshit was just that—bullshit,” Brad yelled to the room.
“You’re drunk,” Robyn stated, looking at him with disappointment in her eyes.
“Oh so what? You’re not my freaking mother! I don’t have to answer to you,” Brad retorted like a child.
“You do when it’s team business. You can’t play out there like that. You’d be useless to us and a danger to yourself. Take the pads off,” Robyn ordered.
“Listen, I’m just fine. I’ve been skating since I was two, I could probably play blindfolded. Besides, you need me, you only have six,” Brad told her with a laugh as he banged into Wes’ locker and hit his elbow.
“Is that true?” Robyn asked, looking to Cole for confirmation.
“Yeah.”
“You’re kidding me! Where are the others?”
Nobody answered.
“I don’t need this right now,” she said with a sigh.
Why was nothing straightforward? Her dad was recovering from a major operation and she had to manage five players and a drunk, angry ex-boyfriend.
“Get your pads off now,” Robyn ordered Brad.
“You can’t play this game without me,” Brad said, a grin forming on his reddened, drunk face.
“Is that right? So, you’re pissed with me and Cole and you’re going to hold the Panthers to ransom, are you? Mess up any chance we have of not being relegated this season,” Robyn said, narrowing her eyes at him.
“I’m the captain,” Brad reminded her.
“Not tonight. Now, I’m going to ask you one last time—take off the pads!” Robyn ordered angrily.
“Make me,” Brad spat back.
“Fine. Cole, Mickey, Wes, Henrik, take his pads off,” Robyn ordered her team.
“Robyn, I don’t think…” Cole started.
“I no like…how you say…fight with team friend,” Henrik agreed.
“Fine! Forget his pads, I’ll get some more. Have you submitted the team list yet?” Robyn barked at Cole.
“No.”
“Good, cross Brad’s name out, put yourself as captain, and put down Art,” Robyn said as she prepared to look for more kit.
“But Art isn’t here,” Cole reminded her.
“No, but he’s the closest build and coloring to me,” Robyn replied.
“Are you crazy? You can’t play,” Cole told her as Robyn began to strap the pads to her body.
“I don’t have any choice. You know we can’t play if we can’t field a full team, and we’ll get points deducted and a fine, we can’t afford that. And we have over three thousand people out there expecting a game of hockey,” Robyn reminded him.
News of the Panthers’ victory against top of the league Reading had spread, and there were new faces in the crowd, people who hadn’t shown an interest in the game before. She didn’t want to lose new spectators.
“But if we get caught fielding an illegible player then…” Cole started.
“We aren’t going to get caught. As far as everyone’s concerned, I’m Art. I’m wearing his shirt, his helmet, a mouth guard. As long as I don’t speak, who’s going to know except us?” Robyn asked him, pulling up the trousers and looking for something to use as a belt.
“You think you can stop talking for a whole match?” Cole asked her.
“I’ll put on my gruff voice.”
“I’m not comfortable with it. It’s physical, Robyn, it’s brutal out there…you know that,” Cole said.
“And I’m quick, you know that. I can outsprint any of you on the ice. As long as I don’t get caught, I’ll be fine,” she insisted.
“And if you do get caught? If their enforcer puts you in the boards?” Cole questioned, looking at her with concern.
“It’s probably best not to think about that. I might do a really girlie scream and blow our cover,” Robyn answered, putting Art’s shirt over her pads.
“I’m not going to let you do this,” Cole told her seriously.
“You can’t stop me,” Robyn told him with a laugh.
“I don’t want you going out there,” he repeated.
“I don’t have a choice, not now that Brad’s gone all psycho on us. I can’t have him out there making an idiot of himself and the team,” Robyn insisted.
“This is crazy. I’m going to find Bob,” Cole said, heading for the door.
“Don’t you do that! Don’t you dare do that!” Robyn warned him.
“Then stop this.”
“No.” Robyn sat down on the bench and began lacing up her skates.
“Robyn, I don’t want you getting hurt,” Cole told her.
“You’re getting sentimental on me and you’re trying to look after me. I don’t need looking after, remember,” Robyn said, frantically lacing up her skates.
“I’m not so sure about that when you do crazy things like this,” he answered.
“You won’t change me, Cole. I hope you know that.”
“I don’t want to change you.”
“Then live with the fact that I’m going out there. How can I not? I love the Panthers, you know I love the Panthers. I can’t let them down because I’m scared I might get mashed by their gigantic number twenty-two,” Robyn told him.
“I won’t let you get mashed,” Cole promised.
“I know. And that’s what I’m counting on,” Robyn said, looking at him and smiling.
Chapter Thirty-eight
He had never been so nervous about a game before. What Robyn was doing was insane and it was dangerous. He’d seen strong men really hurt on the ice and he didn’t want that to happen to Robyn. This was a nightmare. He wasn’t going to be able to concentrate on the game, his eyes would be on her and anyone who came near her. Brad was an asshole, and if his attitude cost Robyn, he’d kill him.
“Now listen to me, the game plan’s the same as we played against Reading. Henrik, you’re our main man up front. I’m going to sit just off of you and feed you everything I get. Mickey and Wes, I want you going in and going in hard the second they’re in the danger zone. Cole, I want you working in the middle, going forward when you can, tracking back when you need to,” Robyn instructed her team as they grouped together in a huddle.
“Let’s do this,” Mickey said encouragingly.
“Go Panthers,” Henrik yelled, punching his fist into the middle of the group.
“Okay, let’s go,” Robyn said, encouraging them to get into position.
“Hey, listen. You might need to cover me a little,” Cole said to Wes and Mickey.
“You carrying a knock?” Mickey questioned.
“No, I’m going to be covering her,” Cole said, indicating Robyn.
“Hey man, this is Robyn we’re talking about. You’ve never seen her play, have you?” Mickey said with a laugh.
Cole shook his head.
“The only thing we’re going to have to worry about is how long it is before she’s sent off,” Mickey told him.
Robyn was absolutely terrified. She hadn’t played a competitive game since her teens, and as well as hoping none of the rules had changed too much, she hoped she was going to be able to keep pace with the other players. Ice hockey was a complete physical
work out and the Panthers were already down in numbers.
She warmed up her blades and turned just past the middle of the rink. She looked into the crowd and there was her family. Bob, Pam, Sierra and Sienna in full uniform and Sarah too, sat next to Brad. He had a hot dog in one hand and a bottle of beer in the other.
She could hear Pam raising her voice at Bob and him trying desperately to quiet her. Then Sierra and Sienna pointed at her and waved their pompoms in the air. They knew she was playing. No wonder Pam was going nuts. The sooner the game started and finished the better.
“You good?” Cole asked, skating up to her.
“Yeah, sure, let’s go,” Robyn replied, pushing her mouth guard in and pushing off toward the center.
Robyn had to admit the Grand Rapids team was good. They had plenty of players to swap in and out and they were quick. She had been out of breath from the five minute mark and as play went on she feared for her lungs.
“Are you okay?” Cole asked Robyn. Play had stopped for one of the Grand Rapids team members to reclaim their stick.
“I might need a bath and some painkillers when we get home, that number twenty-two caught me,” Robyn admitted, still trying to catch her breath.
“I’m on him, don’t worry,” Cole responded.
“Yeah, man, cool, let’s go, go Panthers!” Robyn said in a gruff, manly voice as one of her opponents approached them.
Play restarted, and within seconds, Grand Rapids had out run the tired Mickey and slotted a neat goal past Scott. Robyn ached with disappointment as the opposing team began to celebrate and hug their squad on the bench. The Panthers had played so well, but a stupid error because of fatigue had cost them.
“It’s just one, we can get that back,” Cole called to her. She knew he could sense her frustration.
Robyn nodded, picked up her stick, and prepared to recommence play.
It was still one to zero Grand Rapids at the end of the first period, but given the small number in the Panthers’ team and how exhausted they all were, it was amazing they were only one goal down.
“Listen, I really appreciate your hard work out there guys, you’re doing an amazing job. One nil is okay. If we can keep it like that, I’ll be okay with it. If we can sneak an equalizer, I’ll be more than okay with it,” Robyn said as they skated up the tunnel and back onto the ice.
“You need to keep away from number twenty-two. He either hates the fact you’re beating him to everything or he knows you’re a girl,” Cole told her seriously.
“Yeah, he’s caught me a couple of times, but it won’t happen again. I’ve got the measure of him,” Robyn assured him.
“Look, we’ve only got the last period to go, just don’t do anything crazy,” Cole said.
“And I thought I was the manager,” Robyn said, skating away from him to take up her position.
Play continued, Robyn out turned her opponent and came away with the puck. She looked up, saw Henrik trying to get away from his marker, and she sped off toward goal, number twenty-two in hot pursuit.
Henrik couldn’t find any space, Cole was trying to shake off another player at his side, and Robyn was left with no options.
She shuffled the puck from side-to-side against her stick and hit it toward goal with every ounce of strength she had left. It flew across the ice, the keeper dropped to his knees, but the puck was quicker and it hit the back of the net before he could get down to the ground.
The light lit up, the crowd went crazy, and the celebratory music filled the air as Robyn was bundled by her team mates.
Mickey howled as he hugged Robyn and the team celebrated their equalizing goal.
“Goal was…how you say? Incredability!” Henrik said, slapping Robyn on the back.
“Way to go, Boss,” Wade said, giving Robyn a high five.
“We need to get back into position, last five,” Robyn said, urging them back into the middle section of the rink and dismissing their congratulations.
She was wired and elated, but there was a game to see out and the nature of hockey was that things changed in seconds.
“That was something else,” Cole told her as he skated back.
“We’ll relive it later, at least fifty times, and I’ll talk you through it, but we need to keep focused. A draw would be a great result given the whole no player scenario,” Robyn growled in a low tone as a Grand Rapids player got near.
“Hey! Henrik! Look sharp, yeah?” Cole called as he watched Henrik dip his head and seem to lose concentration briefly.
The game restarted and the Portage team was immediately under attack as Grand Rapids desperately tried to regain their lead.
Mickey pushed the puck forward and Robyn sped toward it, shielding it with her stick. She was about to turn around and look to pass it off to Cole, when suddenly she was hit by what felt like a truck.
Number twenty-two hammered into Robyn, his whole body weight crushing her into the boards. Robyn crashed against the hoardings, fell backwards, and landed face-down on the ice with a dull thud. Blackness filled her up.
His heart dropped out of his chest like someone had just dumped a concrete block on it. She was motionless, completely lifeless and still, laid out on the rink like a rag doll. He yanked the gloves from his hands and tore off his helmet as he sprinted across the ice to reach her. He felt sick, he couldn’t focus, why was she so far away? Why hadn’t he been right in that zone with her? He fell down onto his knees as he got to her and flipped up the visor on her helmet.
“Robyn, can you hear me?” Cole asked, looking down at her. His mouth could barely form the words.
There was no response.
“Get the mouth guard out! Check for her tongue.” Bob, who had rushed down onto the ice from the stands, yelled at Cole.
Cole swiftly opened her mouth, removed the mouth guard, and made sure her tongue hadn’t slipped down the back of her throat.
“Is he breathing?” the medic asked as he arrived at the scene.
“I’m not sure, I think so. We took the mouth guard out, the tongue hasn’t slipped,” Bob answered.
“Okay, let’s get his helmet off,” the medic instructed.
“No!” Robyn exclaimed in a deep, throaty roar, her eyes flickering open.
“We have breathing. Gurney over here!” the medic called.
“I’m okay,” Robyn said.
Bob was taking her pulse, Cole held her other hand, and the medic began to strap a head brace around her. Henrik had removed his helmet and was waving his gloved hands up and down in a bid to see if her eyes were working, and Mickey had the number twenty-two for Grand Rapids in a headlock at the side of the ice where a referee was trying to part them.
“You’re going to the ER,” Cole informed her.
“I’m okay,” Robyn said, still trying hard with her male voice.
“No arguments, young man, we need to get you checked out,” the medic informed her.
“There’s only a minute left. I can last a minute,” Robyn said, trying to sit up but flailing back down.
“Do as you’re told for once. Pam would kill me if I let you play out the game. She’s going nuts over there,” Bob said to her.
“We drew,” Robyn said, a smile of satisfaction crossing her face.
“Yes, we did. That Matthers determination did it again,” Bob agreed, smiling back at her.
“I think I want to pass out again now,” Robyn said, her eyes flickering closed.
“Bruce! Get some oxygen over here!” the medic called.
“I’m not leaving you, Robyn, you hear me?” Cole said, squeezing her hand.
Chapter Thirty-nine
“Hey! You in the bed! Wake up! We’ve got raisins! Apparently, they’re the nearest thing on God’s Earth to sweets and much better for you!”
Robyn groaned. Her whole body hurt like Hell. It felt like someone had pounded her over and over with a boulder. She opened her eyes and saw a paper bag being jiggled up and down near her face. Shaking the bag was a wri
nkled arm poking out from a navy blue gown.
“Max. What are you doing here?” Robyn asked, attempting to move herself into sitting position.
“Keeping an eye on you for your pop. He nearly burst his stitches trying to get out of bed when your uncle told him you were in here. Took four people to hold him down,” Max announced, putting the bag of raisins in her lap.
“So how did you get down here? Don’t tell me they let you wheel yourself? You can’t have a license for that thing,” Robyn said, looking at the wheelchair.
“Nancy…” Max began.
“Morning! How you doing, honey? I got you coffee, real stuff from the diner across the street, not that shit we had yesterday from the machine. That stuff gave me gas,” Nancy announced as she burst into the room with three cups.
“It’s morning? Where did the night go?” Robyn asked.
“You spent that tossing and turning and muttering under your breath,” Nancy informed her, putting a cup on Robyn’s table and passing a cup to Max.
“And Cole says you grind your teeth,” Max added, opening up the bag of raisins and helping himself.
“He was here all night. I sent him home a couple of hours ago to get some rest,” Nancy said as she threw open the curtains, letting the Michigan sunlight flood the room.
Robyn screwed up her eyes and reached over for her coffee.
“You’re one crazy lady thinking you can play hockey with the guys,” Max told her, shaking his head.
“I did play hockey with the guys; I have the bruises to prove it. When can I get out of here?” Robyn asked, shifting herself up the bed.
“Not until the doctor’s checked you over. He’s waiting for test results,” Nancy said, fluffing up the pillows behind Robyn’s head.
“What are you doing?” Robyn asked as Nancy helped her to lie back against them.
“Looking after you, like I look after your equally stubborn father,” Nancy said, tucking Robyn back into her sheets.