She Makes Me Wanna

It was December 23rd when everything in my life went to hell. It was the third period, the game was tied, and we were playing the Boston Bruins. I was skating my hardest, and no matter what I did I couldn’t score a damn goal. The entire team was beginning to flounder as Tim Thomas pulled save after save out of mid air. The puck found my stick and I swerved out of Nathan Horton’s way before passing it to Sidney. He shot, but Thomas’s blocker flew up and the puck came racing back towards me. I pulled my stick back, ready to rifle off a slap shot, when the worst feeling I have ever felt overcame me. Time seemed to slow down as Zdeno Chara came racing towards me. Our bodies collided, my skates flew out from under me, and I careened head first into the boards. I didn’t have enough time to protect my head, and I slammed into the boards. Hard. The feeling flooded from my limbs, and I simply slumped onto the ice, the cold, wet surface stinging my face. I couldn’t find the strength to pick my head up. In fact, I couldn’t move at all. Anxiety began to rise in my chest, but then the world faded to black and I slipped into unconsciousness.

I awoke to the sound of sirens, and I saw flashing lights, but the world swam in and out of focus. I was strapped down to something, and I wanted to open my mouth and ask what was going on, but instead I slipped back into unconsciousness. I finally was able to stay awake hours after the game had ended, and found myself once again in a hospital room. My teammates were clustered around the bed, all ashen faced. Sidney looked as if he was ready to throw up, Jordan looked like he wanted to throw someone out of a window, and Marc-Andre had his arm wrapped around a very upset looking Veronique.

“Hey guys,” I croaked.

“Oh thank God she’s awake!” I heard Tanger gasp, and I swallowed roughly. As I slowly began to stir and try to sit upright, I realized that I couldn’t feel my legs. Panic rose in my chest and I looked to my teammates.

Sidney’s Point of View

She looked so helpless and wide eyed as she tried to sit up that I almost began to cry. The doctors had came out and told the coaching staff, the guys, and I that Emily was paralyzed from the waist down. They said that there was a high chance that the damage to the spinal cord would heal, but it would take months or even years for Emily to walk again. Surgeries would have to be performed, and therapy would be a major requirement. The biggest question, however, was whether or not Emily would ever play hockey again. The doctors said that if she regained full motor function it wouldn’t be a problem, but they weren’t sure if she would ever be 100 percent again. I took a shaky breath and looked at Emily again, and the pain and confusion in her big, brown eyes sent a shiver down her spine.

“What is going on guys? Why can’t I feel my legs?” she whimpered, struggling to sit up again. Just then the doctor came in and told her to stop moving.

“Emily…I’m sorry, but you’re paralyzed from the waist down. The paralysis isn’t permanent, but we’re not entirely sure if you’ll make a full recovery either,” the doctor said, and the air became heavy. Emily’s face contorted in confusion before she made the most pitiful sound I had ever heard in my life. Forgetting that the guys were in the room, I darted over to her and gathered her in my arms right as she began to scream.

“No! No!” she screamed over and over again, and as I clutched her to my chest I felt tears roll down my cheeks. I looked over at Jordan, Flower, and Kris, and they were crying too. Vero left the room, sobbing quietly.

“I am so sorry Emily,” I whispered into her hair, and she just started hitting my chest with her fists. It didn’t hurt, and I just let her hit me over and over until she was exhausted from crying.

“How is it fair Sid? I finally get here, I start making a name for myself, and it all goes down the drain in one hit!” she wailed, and I shook my head, at a loss for words. Slowly, Jordan, Kris, and Flower all joined in on the hug, clinging to the terrified woman who had given so much to the team she had just joined.

Three Weeks Later, Emily’s Point of View

I pushed the nurse away, rolling my wheelchair down the ramp and out of the doors of the hospital. I had been released a little over fifteen minutes ago, and I had made sure that it was my parents who came to pick me up. I couldn’t bear to see the faces of my teammates, who treated me like a hurt puppy. I was angry, upset, and lost all at the same time. My mom and dad were subdued, although they were glad to see that I wasn’t crying for once. Silence became our routine, and on the ride home I simply stared out the window of my newly repaired Nissan Pathfinder, although the repair seemed senseless now because I couldn’t walk let alone drive.

New Message From: Captain

Hey Emily. Heard you’re getting released today. Can’t wait to see you!

I sighed heavily and ignored the text. I had to go back to Sidney’s, but I wasn’t looking forward to it. My parents had spoken with Sidney and had decided that it would be in my best interest to stay in Pittsburgh. Sidney had a large office which he had converted to a guest bedroom a long time ago on the first floor, along with a full bathroom. Everything was on one floor, which worked to my favor considering I was now wheelchair bound. I looked over at the wheelchair sitting beside me and I wanted nothing more than to throw it out the window. It reminded me of everything that I had been just weeks earlier, and everything that I probably would never be again; a hockey player, an athlete, a member of a team, and most of all, happy. Tears stung at the corners of my eyes but I suppressed them and returned to staring out the window.