Home Is Where Your Heart Is
Chapter 1
Sitting by one of the bare-styled tables mounted to the walls in the private box in the arena, Vero furrowed her brows slightly as she glanced over at Sophia, seeing her friend massage her lower back for the umpth time that day as well as grit her teeth in pain. “Are you sure you're okay?” she asked concerned as she leaned towards Sophia, gently touching her friend’s shoulder.
“Yeah, I'm fine,” Sophia brushed off as she managed a half smile. “I just have this really strange twinge in my back. It’s like something I’ve never experienced before,” she admitted before she smiled slightly and slid off the stool, walking towards the edge of the box where she turned her full attention to the game taking place below them. The Pittsburgh Penguins were hosting the Boston Bruins.
Not fully convinced, Vero sent her friend one more look and silently vowed to keep an eye on her before she turned her attention back to the conversation she’d been having with Dorrie – Mark Eaton’s wife.
Glass crashing to the floor, Vero jumped a foot in the air as Kelsey – TK’s girlfriend – let out a small scream in surprise.
“Sophia!” Dorrie exclaimed as she got up from the armchair she was sitting in and hurried over to their friend who had collapsed on the floor, the glass she’d been holding laying shattered in pieces around her whilst she was clutching her stomach, tears escaping the corners of her eyes and slowly rolling down her cheeks.
“It hurts so bad,” she whimpered, the pain she was in clearly detectable in her voice.
“Don’t more, okay,” Dorrie instructed her, a reassuring smile plastered across her face that was etched in worry as she sank down to the floor and wrapped her arms around the younger woman’s body. “It’s going to be fine,” she assured her as she rubbed soothing circles on her back. “Vero’s calling for an ambulance, and we’ll get you to the hospital and everything will turn out just fine,” she murmured as she glanced around at the startled women around them before looking over at Vero who was frantically dialing on her cell phone.
Her hands shaking in fright, Vero managed to get press the right numbers as Dorrie was trying to calm down the borderline hysterical Sophia.
“Emergency operator, how can I help you?”
“I need an ambulance to The Mellon Arena,” Vero stated anxiously, her French-Canadian accent more noticeable than usual.
“There’s always an ambulance on standby during the matches,” the operator replied frankly.
“Yeah, for the players,” Vero snapped annoyed. “My friend is in pain and she needs to get to the hospital. Now!”
“I’ll send a new one there and I’ll re-direct the one already there to you,” the operator replied evenly. “Can you tell me where you are?”
“We’re up in the private boxes, number 12…8,” Vero raked her brain for the information that passed by her every time she visited arena, but suddenly seemed very foreign. “I’ll tell one of the security guards and they can help them,” she added, sounding awfully calm.
“That would be great,” the operator said. “I need to get more information from you thought.”
“Just hold on,” Vero replied before she motioned for Kelsey to track down the guards that walked the corridors so they could help the ambulance personnel up there. “What do you need to know?”
“Who is it that is hurting?”
“Sophia, Sophia Walker.”
“How old is she?”
“She’s…” Vero trailed off. “She’s 21 or 22, I can’t remember,” she admitted.
“What has happened?”
“I don’t know,” Vero breathed. “She complaining about pain in her back and I don’t know what happened, she was just on the floor…” she rambled as she was getting anxious as the paramedics didn’t seem to be getting there, and every minute that passed seemed like an hour.
“Does she have any pre-existing conditions?”
“How the hell should I know?!” Vero exclaimed annoyed just as the door opened and Kelsey returned together with a security guard and two paramedics who were carrying a stretcher as well as two overfilled bags. “They’re here now,” she stated frankly before she disconnected the call.
Hurrying over to her fried as the ‘medics began working on her, checking her blood pressure and her pulse as well as asking her an insane amount of questions considering the obvious pain she was in, Vero sank down on her knees next to her, gently holding her hand.
“Where’s her next-of-kin?” one of the paramedics asked, seemingly unaware of who it was that was surrounding him. “They need to come with us or meet us at the hospital.”
“He’s down there, he’s playing right now,” Dorrie informed them as they moved Sophia ontot he stretcher and strapped her in, promising to get her some pain meds soon.
“I can come with you,” Vero volunteered as she grabbed her bag and her jacket from a chair close by. “She’s one of my best friends.”
“No, you need to stay here,” Dorrie interrupted her softly, a hand on Vero’s forearm.
“Why?” Vero questioned annoyed.
“Because someone has to tell him when the game’s over. You and Marc should do it, he’s closest to you too,” Dorrie reasoned calmly.
“Right,” Vero nodded. “Okay.”
“Whoever of you, we need to leave now, so come on,” the medic stated as Dorrie stood up and went to grab her stuff.
“You're going to be fine,” Vero smiled softly as she gently squeezed Sophia’s hand.
“It doesn’t feel like it,” Sophia disagreed.
“We’ll be right over as soon as the game is finished, okay?”
“Yeah, sure,” Sophia nodded slightly, sounding rather scared.
“You're going to be fine,” Vero stated as Dorrie rejoined them and the medics quickly moved Sophia out of the room, the door slowly gliding shut behind them it left the rest of people in one of the Pen’s private family boxes in an eerie silence. A silence that was broken by the cheer of the crowd as Jordan Staal scored, pushing them into a 3-2 lead in the dying minute of the second period.
“Yeah, I'm fine,” Sophia brushed off as she managed a half smile. “I just have this really strange twinge in my back. It’s like something I’ve never experienced before,” she admitted before she smiled slightly and slid off the stool, walking towards the edge of the box where she turned her full attention to the game taking place below them. The Pittsburgh Penguins were hosting the Boston Bruins.
Not fully convinced, Vero sent her friend one more look and silently vowed to keep an eye on her before she turned her attention back to the conversation she’d been having with Dorrie – Mark Eaton’s wife.
Glass crashing to the floor, Vero jumped a foot in the air as Kelsey – TK’s girlfriend – let out a small scream in surprise.
“Sophia!” Dorrie exclaimed as she got up from the armchair she was sitting in and hurried over to their friend who had collapsed on the floor, the glass she’d been holding laying shattered in pieces around her whilst she was clutching her stomach, tears escaping the corners of her eyes and slowly rolling down her cheeks.
“It hurts so bad,” she whimpered, the pain she was in clearly detectable in her voice.
“Don’t more, okay,” Dorrie instructed her, a reassuring smile plastered across her face that was etched in worry as she sank down to the floor and wrapped her arms around the younger woman’s body. “It’s going to be fine,” she assured her as she rubbed soothing circles on her back. “Vero’s calling for an ambulance, and we’ll get you to the hospital and everything will turn out just fine,” she murmured as she glanced around at the startled women around them before looking over at Vero who was frantically dialing on her cell phone.
Her hands shaking in fright, Vero managed to get press the right numbers as Dorrie was trying to calm down the borderline hysterical Sophia.
“Emergency operator, how can I help you?”
“I need an ambulance to The Mellon Arena,” Vero stated anxiously, her French-Canadian accent more noticeable than usual.
“There’s always an ambulance on standby during the matches,” the operator replied frankly.
“Yeah, for the players,” Vero snapped annoyed. “My friend is in pain and she needs to get to the hospital. Now!”
“I’ll send a new one there and I’ll re-direct the one already there to you,” the operator replied evenly. “Can you tell me where you are?”
“We’re up in the private boxes, number 12…8,” Vero raked her brain for the information that passed by her every time she visited arena, but suddenly seemed very foreign. “I’ll tell one of the security guards and they can help them,” she added, sounding awfully calm.
“That would be great,” the operator said. “I need to get more information from you thought.”
“Just hold on,” Vero replied before she motioned for Kelsey to track down the guards that walked the corridors so they could help the ambulance personnel up there. “What do you need to know?”
“Who is it that is hurting?”
“Sophia, Sophia Walker.”
“How old is she?”
“She’s…” Vero trailed off. “She’s 21 or 22, I can’t remember,” she admitted.
“What has happened?”
“I don’t know,” Vero breathed. “She complaining about pain in her back and I don’t know what happened, she was just on the floor…” she rambled as she was getting anxious as the paramedics didn’t seem to be getting there, and every minute that passed seemed like an hour.
“Does she have any pre-existing conditions?”
“How the hell should I know?!” Vero exclaimed annoyed just as the door opened and Kelsey returned together with a security guard and two paramedics who were carrying a stretcher as well as two overfilled bags. “They’re here now,” she stated frankly before she disconnected the call.
Hurrying over to her fried as the ‘medics began working on her, checking her blood pressure and her pulse as well as asking her an insane amount of questions considering the obvious pain she was in, Vero sank down on her knees next to her, gently holding her hand.
“Where’s her next-of-kin?” one of the paramedics asked, seemingly unaware of who it was that was surrounding him. “They need to come with us or meet us at the hospital.”
“He’s down there, he’s playing right now,” Dorrie informed them as they moved Sophia ontot he stretcher and strapped her in, promising to get her some pain meds soon.
“I can come with you,” Vero volunteered as she grabbed her bag and her jacket from a chair close by. “She’s one of my best friends.”
“No, you need to stay here,” Dorrie interrupted her softly, a hand on Vero’s forearm.
“Why?” Vero questioned annoyed.
“Because someone has to tell him when the game’s over. You and Marc should do it, he’s closest to you too,” Dorrie reasoned calmly.
“Right,” Vero nodded. “Okay.”
“Whoever of you, we need to leave now, so come on,” the medic stated as Dorrie stood up and went to grab her stuff.
“You're going to be fine,” Vero smiled softly as she gently squeezed Sophia’s hand.
“It doesn’t feel like it,” Sophia disagreed.
“We’ll be right over as soon as the game is finished, okay?”
“Yeah, sure,” Sophia nodded slightly, sounding rather scared.
“You're going to be fine,” Vero stated as Dorrie rejoined them and the medics quickly moved Sophia out of the room, the door slowly gliding shut behind them it left the rest of people in one of the Pen’s private family boxes in an eerie silence. A silence that was broken by the cheer of the crowd as Jordan Staal scored, pushing them into a 3-2 lead in the dying minute of the second period.