Eight Seconds Left In Over Time

“What is the matter with you guys? We have our first playoff game in thirteen days! If you keep this up, we’re going to be out in the first round!” Michel cried, throwing a water bottle at the ice.

I watched the bottle explode, water spilling from it.

I flopped down on the ice, panting hard. I clutched my stomach, feeling like I was going to puke. Michel was working us hard; trying to get us up to speed, and make sure we are entirely focused.

It seemed like we had forgotten how to skate.

Everything that had happened with Tristan had really affected our team’s performance. We were all are so worried about her. She is still in the hospital, where she’s been for almost a week now. Little by little Tristan gets her memory back, most of her memories being from when she was younger. She knows who she is, but none of us. And it kills me that I’m looking at her in a way that she can’t look back at me, with the same passion and compassion.

I feel like the world is telling us that we weren’t meant to be. And it’s making me fall apart.

“Evgeni, common, there’s someone here that needs to talk to you.” Andre yelled from across the ice. I noticed I was still lying on the cold ice. Once I could, I got up, looking around, seeing my teammates also collapsed on the ground.

“Who?” I asked Andre.

“Not sure.”

I didn't really care; at least I was missing some of the practice from hell.
I got to the locker room seeing no one was there, so I got undressed and into the showers I went. Practice was only fifteen minutes longer so it really didn’t matter all that much.

Lately I had been feeling so strange, not really knowing what I was supposed to do. I think that my teammates were also feeling like that, unsure of what they were supposed to do without

Tristan was one of our leaders.

The hot water washed over me, and for the moment I tried to blank everything out of my mind. But no matter how hard I tried, Tristan still lingered in the back of my head.

Ten minutes later I got out of the steamy shower, and got dressed.

Walking into the locker room, I gathered my gear up and headed out to the hall. I had not seen anyone that wanted to talk to me. So I shrugged it off and continued on my way to the parking lot.

“Evgeni Malkin, just the man I was looking for.” I whipped around as I reached my car to see the most disgusting person I’ve ever met,

Connor Carter.

“What do you want?” I spat, throwing my stuff into my car and getting prepared just to leave this scene all together, he was the last person I wanted to talk to right now.

“I don’t understand why you’re wasting your time going after Tristan, if I recall, she’s lost her memory, and from how much she’s recovered, she’s still dating me,” Conner smirked as my angered expression turned morbid.

She thinks she’s still with Conner?

“You’re lying; she wouldn’t want to be with you!” I yelled, hopping into my car, not wanting to listen to anymore of this bull shit.

“She’s in love with me, just face it and move on,” I quickly pulled away, not wanting to listen to him go on about how she loves him.

She couldn’t,

She wouldn’t.

[One Hour Later]

“Hi, I’m here to see Tristan Davis.” I told the nurse, holding a bouquet of flowers.

“Oh yes, we moved her room yesterday, follow me.” I followed her down the hall and was led to a pretty nice room. “Here you go.” she said, I thanked her and shut the door behind me.

Tristan was sitting up, hair in a pony tail and talking to a doctor. I almost broke down then and there. Seeing her made my heart sing, and at the same time fall apart.

“Oh, hello Evgeni,” Doctor Sean Ryan said to me, Tristan’s main doctor.

“Hi, how’s she doing?” I asked.

“Better, much better. Tristan, why don’t you say hello to Evgeni, he’s one of your teammates. Do you remember him?” Sean asked.

I smiled at Tristan, and saw that her face turned bright red. She looked down at her fingers. This made me chuckle.

“H-hi,” she stuttered, not looking up.

“Hi Tristan,” I said walking towards her.

“You’re names, Ev-vg-”

“Evgeni,” I said slowly, so she could understand how to pronounce it.

“Evgeni... Sor-”

“That’s fine,” I interrupted her, I didn’t need her apologies, I didn’t want them.

“Ah, these are for you,” I said weakly, handing her the flowers and watching her face light up.

“Oh-h thanks!” she smiled and grabbed the flowers.

“So do you think that she’ll remember everything soon?” I said, turning my attention towards Sean.

“She’s remembering pretty fast. She’s pretty much got up until about making it into the NHL. She’s been talking to her dad a lot and some old friends on the phone. So that’s been great. Her dad and a couple friends are flying in tonight,” Sean informed me and I sighed in relief.

“That’s good. Hopefully she’ll be up on her feet in no time. I wonder if she still knows how to play hockey," I said, more to myself then anyone.

“I think she might. Her dad is bringing in some of her old stuff and hockey tapes of her.”

“That’s awesome!” I said as Sean sent me an enthusiastic smile.

“Oh Evgeni, you play hockey too?” Tristan asked, looking up at me. This made my stomach drop.

“Y-yeah.” I said looking into her eyes. “You and I play hockey together. We play for the Pittsburgh Penguins.”

“What? I hate that team!” she said, all of a sudden.

“Huh?” I asked, shocked.

“You see, my favourite team is-”

“Detroit Red Wings, I know.” I said, looking away, not bringing myself to meet her eyes.

“Wait, how do you know that?”

“Tristan, I know lots of things about you. Trust me. I know you very well. You just don’t remember yet.”

There was a silence, and then all of a sudden, Connor walked into the room. My heart filled up with anger, and then sadness.

When I saw the happiness on her face, I couldn’t help but almost let out a single tear.

“Connor, where have you been?” Tristan asked lightly as the smile played on her lips as he walked over to her, smirking all the while.

“Just had to do some stuff, but I’m here now, oh, hello Evgeni.”

“I think I better get going, but, Tristan, I’ll see you later,” I said walking out of the room and to the hall; hands in pocket, looking straight ahead.

And, hopefully next time, you’ll remember me, and forget him.

“Hey Evgeni,” I turned around and saw it was Sean Ryan.

“Hey,” I said, waiting for him to catch up to me.

“Can we talk for a minute in my office?”

“Sure.”

I followed him down the hall and down another one until we got to his office.

“Please sit down. Do you want coffee or something?” Sean asked me, before shutting the door.

“Oh, no thanks, thanks though.”
Sean sat down on the other side of the desk.

“About Tristan.”

“Do you know what happened to make her lose her memory?”

“No. We’re not sure yet. I’ve never seen anything like it. How one minute she just loss her memory. It’s very confusing. But at least she’s getting her memory back. Even if it’s little by little.”

“Yeah...” I didn’t know what I was supposed to say. The girl I loved was in there, her memory gone, not remembering that I loved her, and that maybe she loved me back. But if she’s reliving her life, then maybe she won’t have those same feelings. I felt like I was going to be sick.

What if she remembers me, but doesn’t love me?

“Evgeni.”

“Oh, sorry.” I looked up at Sean.

“I was saying, her injuries are fine. In the next week, she will be fully recovered.”

“But her head?”

“It’s fine, all stitched up and doing well.”

“That’s great!” I said happily getting up.

“Thanks so much Sean. Well I better be on my way, so I’ll see you soon. Call me if anything happens.”

“I will. Bye.”

“Bye.”

I walked out of his office and to the car. I got in and pulled away.

Half way home I realized something.

“Tristan still has my necklace.”