A Miracle On Ice

Chapter 18 "Christmas At Grams' House"

Carly drove up to the dorms with the Brooks' family car - an eight-seater. She was taking the Boston guys, Mark, Bah and Neal to her grams' house. The rest of them were split between Mac, Strobel and Baker's cars.

Five minutes into the conversation Jimmy asked, "So, wait. She just does that? She invites your hockey team over before Christmas every year?"

"Yeah, well, ever since I started playing at the U. Cuz then it was dad's and my team." Carly replied.

"I feel like my dad will make a lot more sense to you, once you meet grams." she added.

"She's cool." Neal said.

Carly huffed, "Correction. The coolest grandma in the world. She is everything I strive to be."

"So, number seven is for her, right?" Mark asked.

"Yeah, it's her birthday. How'd you know?" Carly asked from the drivers seat.

Mark shrugged, "When we did the numbers, Coach said you had a weird obsession with her."

While Carly smiled to herself that her boyfriend paid attention, OC was already interrupting their moment, "I have so many questions for her. I'm obsessed, too."

"Grams, we're here!" Carly yelled as the whole team entered her house.

"Carly! It's great to see you!" her grams hugged her, doing a quick once over, "You look skinny. Herb, you didn't tell me she looked skinny!"

Herb Brooks was already on the couch in the room with the big table, next to Coach Patrick. 

He huffed, "Jesus, you take her now." he looked at his daughter.

"I'm fine, grams. This is the team, by the way." Carly grinned at her beloved grams.

"Robbie!" grams went on, hugging the boy, "Also skinny. What are you doing to these kids?"

The boys started laughing at the fact that someone was yelling at Herb for once.

Grams went through the boys, either calling their names and crushing them in a hug or introducing herself, asking for their names and then still crushing them in a hug.

"Neal! I'm so happy to see you." she hugged the last boy left, "You used to come over here more often."

"Hey, grams. When this is all over, I'm sure I will be over more often again." he promised.

"I'll hold you to that. Now, everybody, come sit! I made you some delicious food." she rushed them towards the table, earning a lot of 'Thank you's'.

"You really had blue hair?" Jimmy asked.

Carly nodded and Strobel answered for her, "All through Senior year of high school. She looked like a freak. Drove teachers crazy."

"Hey, Mrs. Brooks, you don't have a picture of that by any chance, do you?" Silky asked grams.

The woman got excited at that, "Sure, I do."

Carly tried to stop her grams, "No, grams, you don't have to get the pictures."

"Nonsense, your friends wanna see them." she said, running off.

Silky was already laughing at Carly, when she threw a cookie at him, "I hate you."

"Nah, I think you love me, Elizabeth." Silky countered.

"Yeah, in your dreams." Carly replied. Silky winked at her suggestively and Carly shook her head with a smile.

"Yeah, but she loves me." Mark triumphantly put his arm around her.