Chapter 22
Miller
Sweat drips down my back as I push myself harder in what has to be the hardest game we have played all season, Hell, the hardest game played since becoming a Dragon four years ago, but I keep pushing on, there is no way I’m giving up this close to the Semi-Finals. The Dragons deserve it and I can tell by how hard these fuckers are skating tonight and if I’m not doing it for these guys, then I’m doing it for our fans, the same very fans who have supported us all season and who have currently filled our grandstand to maximum capacity. We’re going to make it. I just know it.
There are ten minutes left in the game and we are neck and neck with the opposing team. Coach Harris calls a timeout and we all skate over to the boards to huddle around him. A bottle of water is thrust in my face from who the fuck knows but I don’t hesitate in grabbing it. I squirt a decent amount into my mouth and over my face then concentrate on Coach.
He is red in the face from yelling out at us during the entire game and I know he feels just as exhausted as we do, which is exactly what we expect from an amazing coach like him. With only 30 seconds on the clock for our time out, he spurts out a new plan of attack, gives us a quick pep talk and sends us back on our way with a new motivation to kick the other team’s ass.
Tank and I but heads and clap each other on the back as we skate into position with the crowd roaring around us, excited for the final deciding 10 minutes of the game. I glance up to find Dani watching me with a look of pride on her face and I know she feels it right there along with me. This game is ours.
The referee blows his whistle and the game is on. Tank and I push forward as we dominate the puck, in perfect synch with each other, Hell, even Jaxon is in synch with us tonight. Well actually, I guess that’s not fair, Jaxon has been working his ass off a lot lately. I think he might have even grown up enough to take over as captain next year, but we will see how he goes the rest of the season.
Two skaters charge at me and I shoot the puck over to Tank, who sends it straight over to Jaxon as he comes up the centre. I dart to the left to narrowly avoid being slammed into the walls and come up behind Jaxon just in case he needs a little assistance, though I know he won’t as he is lined up perfectly with the goal and with the same training as I have, I know he won’t miss. He rears back with his stick, shoots it forward and just as expected, sends the puck straight into the back of the goal.
The crowd get to their feet and roar their support, practically shaking the grandstands under them. Hell, if this place wasn’t built so great, I’d be worried it would be coming down on us any second.
Jaxon turns back and looks to me and I realize he is searching for my approval. I skate up to him and hold my fist out for him. “Good work, kid,” I say with a nod as he bumps my fist with a look of pure pride in his eyes and a grin the size of Texas on his face. Geez, out of all us fuck ups, who would have thought Jaxon would be the one to surprise me.
He takes off and skates past the rest of our team, who all hang out over the barrier to clap him on the back as he passes. I come up behind him and meet Coach’s eyes. He gives me a quick nod telling me to keep it up. Which is exactly what we do.
The next 8 minutes is the slowest, yet the fastest 8 minutes of my life as I take in every single detail of the game before me, watching every player’s footwork, their positions on the ice and where they move to while also keeping an eye locked on the puck.
Tank and I take charge of the game, the opposition has been wearing down since halfway through the last period which gives us the perfect opportunity to show them whose ice this is. Tank and I give the audience a show, demonstrating just how we got dubbed the Dream Team and pull the scores even further apart, in our favour, of course.
The final buzzer sounds and I couldn’t be prouder of my boys. We made it to the Semi-finals. The Frozen Four in Chicago, the place where we are going to annihilate any team that stands in our way of winning that championship.
The audience is once again up on their feet as we line up down the centre of the ice to shake hands with the opposing team, who all grunt at us in frustration and disappointment.
We head off the ice and down into the locker room with Coach Harris following behind. “Good work, boys,” he says as he walks into the centre of the room to be seen by everyone. “You kicked their asses tonight. It was close for a moment but you pulled it home. You worked as a team and you showed them whose house this is,” he says, getting a loud cheer from all around the room.
“Get yourselves cleaned up, celebrate tonight and be back here again tomorrow for training. We’re off to the Frozen Four in 6 days and you all need to be ready,” he adds, giving us all a nod before turning and making his way for the door. “Oh, Tank. Miller. You’ve got press wanting to meet with you following this,” he tells us.
We both nod and wait for him to exit, then instantly turn to each other with wolfish grins. Yeah, we made it.
I quickly shower and get dressed and walk out with my boys. The crowd is still strong as they wait for us to exit. I search through the crowd and spot a mop of golden hair facing away with my number and name across her back. As if sensing me, Dani turns around and gives me a brilliant smile.
“Congratulations,” she says jumping into my arms and planting a huge kiss on my lips. “You were amazing.”
“Thanks, babe,” I say, winding my arms down her body to give her ass a firm squeeze. “You up for the celebratory party tonight?” I ask.
“Is it ok if I skip it tonight?” she cringes. “It’s been a huge week, I was kind of hoping for an early night.”
Damn. I should have known. As if she would want to party after the week she has had. “Do you want me to come back with you?” I ask.
“No, don’t be stupid,” she laughs. “Go and celebrate with the boys. You can wake me up when you get home,” she smirks with a wink.
“Fuck, baby, I plan to,” I murmur in her ear.
She giggles and gives me another kiss as she tightens her arms around me in a tight squeeze. She pulls back and looks at me with nothing but awe and pride, making me want to put that look on her face every day. “Here,” I say, digging into my pocket and pulling out my keys. “Let me put my shit in the truck and you can drive it home.”
“Thanks,” She smiles, taking them from me.
I walk her out the door and into the car park to my truck and throw my hockey bag in the back. I tell her about the press interview on the way which has her asking a million questions, though I can’t answer any of them as this is my first one. I help her up into my truck and watch as she drives away then head back into the stadium to find Tank, though, with his size, it really doesn’t take long.
I find him leaning against the wall of the merchandise shop as Sophie helps the girls to finish up. “Hey man,” I say, getting the guys attention. “You ready?”
He nods over at me with a grin. “Yeah.”
We squeeze our way through the lingering crowd and make our way back down the hallway that leads to the locker room, though instead, we turn down a separate corridor that takes us to the meeting rooms. We find the room and push our way through to find a few people sitting in front of a long table with two chairs behind it.
We head into the room and I take a moment to quickly look around. There are two women and a man with a camera, then Coach Harris up the back. We take our seats and they get straight into it. We stay for at least 20 minutes with both the women asking numerous of questions about our season, our team, what we hope for the future and most of all our relationship as the Dream team. I even get asked who I think would be a good captain for next season. I let them know that I believe Jaxon should be up for the role and I look up at Coach when I say it. He raises a questioning eyebrow at me but gives me a slight nod and I realize that Coach has seen the same hard work he has been putting in that I have.
We finish off our interview and meet with Coach right outside the door. “Fuck, that was awesome,” I say to Tank who grins back at me.
“Yes, you both handled yourselves well. Keep it up because there will be a lot more of that in Chicago,” Coach tells us and I momentarily wonder if it will be televised as I know my family would get a kick out of seeing me on live television, you know, apart from the actual hockey games, which they have seen millions of times.
Tank and I head out, bypassing the merchandise store to pick up Sophie on the way who asks where the hell Dani has gotten to. We climb into Tank’s truck as I explain what happened with Dani.
The boys wanted to head out to a club tonight, so I frown a little when we drive straight past Micky’s but I’m in too much of a great mood to let that ruin it.
Tank pulls up at the club and takes Sophie by the hand, leading her inside. I hang out the front for a moment and pull out my phone to let Dani know how it went when I see a missed call from Mia from this afternoon and few missed calls from mum a bit later on, probably wanting to congratulate me.
I give Dani a quick call and give her a quick rundown of the interview and promise to give her all the lengthy, boring details in the morning while we cook breakfast. She wishes me a good night and I hang up. I fiddle with a few buttons on the screen and pull up Mia’s number, the phone rings out and I leave her a message telling her to call me back when she can. Next up I bring up my mother’s number.
“Hello,” she says in a voice that is hardly recognizable.
“Mum, hey. Sorry, I missed your call, I was busy on the ice getting my team to Chicago,” I smirk.
“Oh Honey,” she whimpers on a cry and I realize this isn’t the cry of happiness but of sorrow. She lets out a sob that has me wondering what the fuck is going on.
“Mum?” I question a little concerned. “What’s wrong?”
“Baby, I’m so sorry,” she sobs. “I don’t know how to tell you this. It’s Mia.”
My concern quickly turns into a flat out worry over what could possibly have the strongest woman I know turning into a sobbing mess.
“What is it, mum?” I ask with urgency, my stomach sinking with unease. “What’s wrong with Mia? What happened?”
“There was an accident,” she cries as she struggles for breath. “She’s gone. My baby is gone.”
I don’t hear what she says next as I fall to my knees in the middle of the walkway. My heart sinks. How could she be gone? My baby sister? Little Mia.
Dead.