slapshot

“I’m so glad you two decided to stay here during the hiatus,” Kristin said.

Allison smiled and blew on her hands, then rubbed them together. “Me too,” she said. “Except I didn’t know I’d be spending so much time at the hockey arena. I forgot my gloves this time.”

“Does it get warmer the higher up you sit?”

“I don’t think so, but we could try.”

“Think Mike would be offended if we moved?”

They were already sitting halfway up the stands. Allison shrugged. “He probably wants to show you how good he is on the ice.”

“I’ve seen him play before.”

“Yeah, but this is the first time you’ve seen him coach.”

Kristin laughed. “Isn’t he great with the kids? Look at them.” She pointed to the group of twelve, six boys and six girls, all under the age of nine, gathered around Mike as he explained the technique of puck control.

“They adore him,” Allison agreed.

“I think some of the moms do, too,” Kristin said softly, nodding in the direction of the parents sitting several rows below them.

There were only a couple of dads in attendance, but it was mainly the mothers that stayed and watched the practice.

“Oh, let them drool. It’s me he takes home every day,” Allison said.

Kristin stood up and stretched. “I’m going for a cocoa run. You want one?”

“Yes, please. My fingers are numb.”

Allison turned her attention back to the action on the ice. Mike had the kids skating in circles, their hockey sticks slapping the ice as they practiced controlling their movements. When Mike had told her he’d volunteered to work with the local ice arena as a hockey coach for young children, she hadn’t been surprised. He and kids just went well together, probably because he was just a big kid himself. She went with him to every practice; they’d had six so far, and she just sat in the stands and watched. Mike thought she would be bored, but she was fascinated. Watching him move was like magic. He could glide gracefully, or race across the ice like his ass was on fire, and then stop on a dime.

The kids were enamored with him, hanging on his every word. He encouraged them, praised them, and never criticized. He didn’t allow harsh words from anyone, and when he talked to them, he always dropped to one knee so he was eye level.

Allison loved it that each child hugged him after practice.

“One hot cocoa,” Kristin said, handing her a steaming Styrofoam cup.

“Thank you.” She took a sip, feeling the hot liquid seer a path down her throat.

The kids were taking turns trying to maneuver the puck past Mike into the net.

“He doesn’t wear a helmet?” Kristin asked.

“Not usually. These kids are little, they don’t have much force behind their swings.” Allison giggled. “Plus, the first time he wore it, the youngest girl, Mary, burst into tears. It scared her.”

“Aww, poor thing.”

“I don’t think she’s really cut out for hockey,” Allison said, “but her mom signed her up for it.”

“Probably because of Mike,” Kristin said. “Let me guess. The redhead with boobs like basketballs is her mother?”

Allison nodded. “You’d be correct. Who wears a halter top to a kid’s hockey practice?”

“That’s not a halter top, that’s a napkin.”

Allison giggled as she sipped her cocoa, blowing tiny bubbles into her cup. Down on the ice, it was Mary’s turn to hit the puck. The others were skating off to the side, watching her. Mary screwed up her face in concentration and bent forward to take her shot.

Mike shouted encouragement, grinning at her. Just as Mary raised her stick to aim, one of the boys cried out as he lost his balance and began to slide in Mike’s direction. Mary’s mother was screaming at her to hit the puck, while jumping up and down. Mike looked up at all the noise, just in time to see her halter top give way, revealing her breasts for all to see.

The little boy who lost control slammed into Mike’s leg, skates first, causing him to drop to his knees. Mary took her shot, hitting the puck with all her might. It smacked Mike in the side of his head, and he fell back, his head making an awful cracking noise as he connected with the ice.

Allison screamed and jumped to her feet, dropping her cup. She hopped over seats and raced down the steps.

“Someone call 911!” she screamed as she went.

She jumped over the low wall and stepped onto the ice. Carefully but quickly, she slid over to where Mike lay sprawled on his back. The kids hovered over him, a couple of them crying. Mary was wailing. Allison dropped down beside him. He had a nasty bump forming just above his left ear, but no blood.

“I killed him!” Mary sobbed.

Kristin and some of the other parents slipped over to them in their street shoes.

“I called an ambulance,” Kristin said. “Is he okay?”

Mary’s mother, whose name Allison remembered was Courtney, pushed Kristin aside. Her halter top was back on, but barely.

“You shouldn’t touch him,” she said, reaching for Mike herself.

Allison growled, baring her teeth and forcing herself not to leap over and tackle the other woman.

“Get away from him. Comfort your daughter.”

“Mary’s fine,” Courtney said, without even looking in the girl’s direction.

“Your concern is not Mike. Back off.”

Courtney glared. “My daughter is fine.”

Mary continued to howl. Kristin gathered the kids and told the parents to take them home. Reluctantly, they left, all except Courtney and Mary. Kristin hugged the little girl and tried to comfort her, assuring her that Mike was not dead.

Three paramedics arrived and tended to Mike. He was still unconscious, and Allison had to move aside to let them work. Once he was loaded onto a stretcher, one of them told Allison which hospital to meet them at.

“Can’t I ride with him?” she asked.

“Sorry, not unless you’re family.”

Kristin tugged at Allison’s sleeve. “Come on. We’ll get his stuff and follow them to the hospital.”

The paramedics carried Mike out, and Mary cried harder.

“Oh suck it up,” Courtney said to her daughter. “He’ll be fine.”

Allison whirled around, somehow managing to remain upright.

“It’s not Mary’s fault. It was an accident, he was distracted. You didn’t help.”

“Me? What did I do?” Courtney yelled, indignant.

“Well for one, you flashed your tits all over the place.”

Kristin winced and reached out to cover Mary’s ears with her hands. Mary stopped crying and now stared intently at Allison and her mother.

“He shouldn’t have looked then,” Courtney said.

“Kind of hard to miss,” Allison shot back.

“Maybe he doesn’t get these at home,” Courtney sneered, pointing to her chest.

Allison cupped her own breasts and said, “Oh please. Mine are way better than yours, and real!”

Courtney took a menacing step forward, but Kristin blocked her.

“Whoa, everyone just calm down. Allie, let’s go to the hospital.”

Allison bit her tongue and let Kristin lead her to the locker room. She felt bad about Mary, but she would apologize to her later. Kristin grabbed Mike’s duffel bag and drove Allison’s car to the hospital.

“We’re here to see Michael Rosenbaum,” Allison said to the nurse at the admitting desk.

The woman picked up a chart and smiled. “Oh yes. Quite a charmer,” she said. “You must be Allison.”

“He’s awake?” Kristin asked.

The nurse nodded. “He said I should look out for a blond who would smack him silly. Is that you?”

Allison blushed and the nurse grinned. “He’s behind curtain two.”

The girls thanked her and went to see Mike. They found him sitting up in a hospital bed, all his hockey gear resting on the floor. His head was slightly swollen and bruised, both from the puck and falling on the ice. A doctor was telling him to get plenty of rest and take his pain pills if he needed them.

“And someone should be with you for the night, just to wake you up every now and then,” the doctor said.

Mike grinned at Allison. “She’s right here.”

The doctor said hello and explained that Mike had a concussion. “He’s lucky,” he said. “Head like a rock.”

“We already knew that,” Allison said.

The doctor left then, and Kristin excused herself after giving Mike a hug. “I’ll just take all this out to the car,” she said, lugging out his stuff.

Allison perched on the edge of the bed and examined his head.

“Good thing we’re not taping right now,” she said.

“But look,” Mike said. “I have a matching knob now to the one in back. Cool, huh?”

“Yeah. Cool.”

He sighed and leaned back against the pillows. “I really freaked you out, didn’t I?”

Allison nodded. “I saw you fall, and it was like the whole world slowed down, but I didn’t have superspeed to get out there and catch you.”

“No special effects in the real world.” He took her hands and squeezed them. “But I’m fine, really. I may have a headache for a couple of days, but other than that? I’m good. I’m sorry for scaring you.”

“I know it was a little accident, but it just proves to me how much I love you.”

“Really? Maybe I should get hit on the head more often.”

“No. Definitely not,” Allison said, kissing his cheek.

“Geez, Mary really whaled on that puck.” He rubbed his forehead, frowning. “Is she okay?”

“She’s probably traumatized.”

“Why?”

“She thought she killed you. And then I kind of, um, yelled.”

“At her?” Mike asked, alarmed. “She’s only seven!”

“No, I yelled at her mom for flashing her, uh. . .” Allison trailed off.

“Her breasts?” Mike prompted.

“Not the word I used, but yes.”

Mike looked at her. “What word did you use?”

Allison ducked her head. “Tits,” she whispered.

Mike’s mouth dropped open. “That puck must have hit me harder than I thought, because I could swear you just said tits.”

“I did.”

“Whoa. You hate that word.”

“I know! And I said it in front of Mary!”

Mike’s mouth twitched as he tried not to laugh. “I’ve turned you into quite the potty mouth,” he said, tickling her side.

“Oh shut up.”

“Courtney does have a nice set though,” Mike mused.

Allison slapped his shoulder. “Watch it, buddy, or I’ll bop your knob,” she said, pointing to his head.

Mike laughed and pulled her on top of him, stretching out on the hospital bed.

“Honey, you can bop my knob anytime you want. As long as you flash me your tits.”

Allison giggled and kissed him.

Kristin came around the curtain with two cups of coffee, took one look at them making out and turned right around. A nurse came towards her with some paperwork, and Kristin stopped her from going inside.

“I’d give them just a moment,” she said with a smile.

~end