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Lennon

T he first thing that registers is a chill that seeps deep into my bones. I shift and confirm my original thought. It’s coming from the metal surface I’m currently laid out on with a sad excuse of a pad covering it. If this is supposed to be some sort of patient bed, it’s severely lacking.

I feel woozy as I blink and try to make sense of my surroundings.

“Honey,” a familiar voice says to my right, and suddenly my mom appears in my line of sight. I try to turn my head toward her, but my neck is stiff. “Don’t try to move just yet, alright?”

I hum in acknowledgment. My tongue is dry when I speak. “Is anything broken?” Her order cuts through the fog and instantly raises the dreaded question.

“No.” That single word calms me momentarily. “They don’t think so. Just took a hard hit.”

It must’ve been if she’s back here with me. I was so excited to have them in attendance today, and this isn’t exactly how I thought our reunion would go.

“Where’s Dad?”

“He’s outside. We didn’t want to overwhelm you.” She brushes my hair back from my face, and I feel like a little kid again. Just her presence alone is enough to soothe some of my shot nerves.

“Thank you,” I say.

“How are you feeling?”

I wiggle my toes and fingers, scanning the rest of my body to see if anything sticks out in pain. But besides a dull headache and my neck and shoulders feeling stiff, I think I’m alright. “Fine, I think. What happened?”

I remember Aubrey and one of the Remington players flying down the ice and waiting for the shot, but it never came.

“Two of the girls got tangled up and barreled into you,” Mom says gently. “The impact sent you into the boards, and you must’ve hit your head because Dr. Ray says you were unconscious after the hit.”

Panic starts to rise, but my mom is quick to temper it.

“It’s alright, you came to quickly, but clearly, you’ve been out of it a bit since the hit.”

“Can I talk to him?” I need to hear it from the doctor that I’m alright. That I’m going to be able to get back out there to play.

If we win that is.

“Wait, is the game still going?”

Mom checks her watch. “It should be wrapping up.”

“Please find out the score,” I beg and try to sit up, but I’m firmly pushed back down. Dr. Ray appears at my side with Coach Maver behind him.

Where’s Luke?

Oh my god, he’s probably freaking out. I need to let him know I’m alright.

“Don’t worry, the team pulled through,” Dr. Ray says with a hint of a smile. “Two to one.”

Relief hits me like a wave, and tears spring to my eyes. Holy shit. We did it again. For the second year in a row, we’ll be playing for the championship title.

Mom squeezes my hand excitedly, but my enthusiasm is short lived as I see the look on Coach Maver’s face. Her expression is guarded, almost as if she’s not sure how to look at me. Am I not going to be ready to play in two days for the final game? Is that what she’s trying to figure out how to tell me?

“I’m going to play on Sunday,” I tell, not ask, Dr. Ray. “I don’t care what I have to do, but I’m playing.”

He adjusts his glasses before answering. “We need to do concussion protocol before I make any promises.”

“Whatever you need to do.”

I will make sure I pass whatever tests he puts me through because there is no way that I have worked this hard to get back to this position this year, only to miss out on it because of a hit.

Dr. Ray steps back, and Coach Maver turns to say something in his ear. They talk quietly enough that I can’t hear what they’re saying, but Dr. Ray flashes his eyes to me before saying something else to Coach. Her spine goes rigid, and that prickle of fear trickles back into the forefront of my brain.

Mom says something to me, but I don’t catch it, anxiety beginning to swirl.

Where’s Luke?

Coach clears her throat and nods to Dr. Ray. “Thank you,” she tells him. Then she looks at my mom. “Do you mind if I chat with Lennon? If you have any questions, Dr. Ray is happy to answer them.”

Mom pats my hand. “Sure thing. Are you okay if I step out?”

I nod, and she kisses my forehead before following Dr. Ray out of the room. The door clicks shut and silence falls over the cold, empty room.

Coach stands at the foot of the cot and crosses her arms. She stares down at her feet for a long moment before exhaling loudly and finally meeting my eyes.

And the moment she does, the moment I see the look on her face, I know all of my biggest fears are about to come true.