The NHL Project

Chapter Ten: Chasing The Sun

A/N: I highly recommend listening to the song "Chasing The Sun" by Sara Bareilles! Hope you enjoy!
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I groaned in pain, and blinked several times before deciding to open my eyes. The light nearly blinded me, and I shielded a hand to my face. The rhythmic beep of the heart monitor kept a steady pace, and I slid out of bed.

Of course, I wasn't quite cleared to walk on my own yet, so I had been assigned to a pair of useless crutches. They were extremely useless, and I had threatened to throw them from my window several times.

Today I had persuaded Doctor Drew to let me watch the Penguins practice. It was the day of their first playoff game, the series opener against the Blackhawks. I of course was also excited to meet one of my best friends at the airport, Jaclyn Brodie.  She had promised to fly in from Ireland for the Penguins first game, and hadn't lied. I was over the moon, because we hadn't seen each other face to face for two years. We Skyped nearly every day, and constantly texted, but face to face conversation had always won me over.

I managed to pull my large suitcase over to the side of my bed, and unzipped the zipper. The first thing I spotted of course, was my bright red pair of skinny jeans and a slightly saggy and black sweater.

"Fuck it." I laughed, and began to change. Along the way, I found my lace up ankle hiking boots and a black beanie for my head. Even though I didn't feel very great, I could still look it if I tried. I pulled out my makeup bag, and worked hard on a smoky eye. After several attempts, I managed to exceed my own standards, and stood.

Gazing at myself in the mirror caused me to smile.

I noted the faded tattoos that stood out upon my hands and fingers. I noticed the tattoos that ran up my right arm and stopped at my neck. I reached out to touch the musical not that was etched into my middle finger. Strangely, it was the only one that hadn't faded over time, not as much as the others.

I then recognized my old piercings.

A hole was pierced upon the right side of my nose, and of course my earlobes were still carrying the silver gems that had been given to my by Veronique.

But I suddenly remembered my other piercings. The ones that weren't really approved of by society. I reached upwards, and touched my bottom left lip, where a small hole was permanently etched into my lip. I had been fifteen, and slightly, experimental? Ya, let's say that.

I was an experimental teenager.

I then stuck out my tongue, and pretended to admired the golden barbell that had been pierced through. I had taken the piercing out before anyone visited though, because I didn't want to be judged. I had been eighteen years old, and had decided to sneak out to get my tongue pierced, since it was the last thing my parents had ever wanted me to do. It didn't hurt, because I had been extremely drunk, and then decide to get a few tattoos. There was a small piece of skin coloured metal pierced into my tongue though, because I didn't wish for it to grow over.

Ironically, that was also the night that I had lost my virginity.

I loved my tattoos, and my piercings. In a way, they shaped who I was, and the person I had become.

I grabbed my crutches, and limped to the door. Dee of course was leaning against the doorframe, smirking. She was wearing a normal t-shirt and a pair of jeans.

"Wow, fancy." I "complimented" her, and brushed past my young nurse. She smiled, and rolled her eyes.

"Thanks." We cascaded down the hospital hallways, and stepped into the elevator.

"Why do I have to use these?" I scoffed, leaning my crutches against the bright white wall. I took a step and stumbled, before Dee was able to protest. She caught me roughly by the arm, and yanked me upwards.

"Alright, I see why!" I laughed cheerfully, and leaned against the frame of the elevator. My nurse smiled, and the doors opened quickly. After signing out, we walked over to the parking lot, and entered Dee's vehicle. I was over the moon excited to see London again. Veronique had offered to take care of her for the time that I would be in the hospital. And by the looks of it, I would be there longer than anticipated. I had agreed readily, happy to actually have someone I trusted looking after my little girl, not just a group of immature professional hockey players.

Dee pressed the brake as hard as she could, as a red light loomed out of nowhere. I flew forwards and my legs slammed into the dash.

"Damn Dee! I don't like car crashes!" I hissed, running my hands over my legs.

"Sorry, I'm really sorry." She whispered, slowing down drastically. I rolled my eyes, and shifted in my seat. I was very excited to see my daughter for the first time in a week. I had phoned Veronique, and talked to my baby a few times, but that wasn't nearly enough.

I remembered the first time that I had met her. I had flown to Finland, and decided to adopt. I had walked into a bright room with a large window, and a young woman, about fifteen years of age had entered. There were tear streaks staining her cheeks, and she ran up to me. I will never forget her words. She threw her arms around me, and whispered into my ear.

"Take her to Canada. I trust you with my daughter."

And then she left, as the employees entered the room carrying London. The little thing must have been at the most, one year old. Her hair was a tousle of blonde curls and her eyes were an electric blue. She giggled, and stole my heart that very second. I had taken her from the employees, and hugged her, promising her that I would bring her home with me. I then sang to her, and she began to hum, up and down with the beat. My daughter stole my heart at that very second, and I have loved her ever since.

"So," I inquired, turning to look at Dee. "Have you ever been to ComiCon?" She frowned, and turned to me.

"What?"

"That convention they have every year. You're obviously not really into that stuff." I laughed, and ran my hand over the faded tattoo on my wrist. It was a hot pink moustache, with the signature Markiplier" written underneath. I was a huge fan of Youtubers, and was constantly watching gaming videos made by different gamers. Markiplier was my favourite, and he always made me smile on my darkest days.

We pulled into a parking spot near the entrance to CONSOL, and exited the vehicle. Today was a new day.