The Hockey Life - A Patrick Kane Fanfic

Part Eight - Game Day

PART EIGHT: GAME DAY

The next day at the UC was almost like a free day. We all got to choose something that we wanted to work on or learn more about and we could get more individual help and attention. For Dylan and I, it was all about prepping for the game. It was a professional, NHL hockey game that would be airing on TV after all. We didn’t have time for mistakes.

By the time I got home, I didn’t have a whole lot of time to waste. I basically just sat around with Tess for a couple hours and then I had to head back to the UC for the game. On my way back, I realized I was nervous. I had been to a game before, but I hadn’t been a part of it then. Now the pressure was on.

Dylan and I had to be at the UC early just like the employees and the players arrived shortly after us. All of us interns said hello to them since we had gotten to know them a little bit, in a way. We wished them good luck and I caught Patrick looking at me. I realized that I would be super distracted during the game if he kept that up.

We seemed to be there for a while just waiting for the game to start, but it didn’t take long for the people to start filing in. soon the building was filled with hockey fans and noise. That was exactly how I liked it when I was there.

When the Hawks came out to warm up before the game, Dylan and I headed to the bench.

“Are you nervous?” he asked.

“A little,” I admitted.

“Me too.” He took my hand in his and gave it a reassuring squeeze. It calmed me down, in a way. That and his sweet smile made me feel like everything was going to be just fine and we would get through the night together.

When the game finally started, I felt really intimidated. With all the players, coaches, and even equipment managers and trainers around me, I felt so small and meaningless. However, a few minutes into the game, Dylan nudged me. He pointed to the jumbotron, where our faces were. I couldn’t help but smile and then I realized how many people must have been looking at us. I was suddenly embarrassed and I was glad when player stats for the visiting team (The Vancouver Canucks) took our place on the screen.

The game actually was pretty exciting. Somehow, Dylan and I managed to stay relatively busy. Nothing too tragic happened, just a few broken sticks and such. Nobody scored in the first period, but the Hawks had some decent chances and there had been a lot of action out on the ice.

The second period was a little more eventful. The Hawks scored, so the Canucks got a lot more aggressive. There was a ton of checking and a few penalties too. I was really annoyed with the Canucks already, but the malicious shove of Patrick Kane into the boards was what really set me off. I mean, it wasn’t just a normal check, it was really hard and it hit him in just the right spot apparently, because he was slow to get up. As he came back to the bench slowly and with a lack of coordination, it was clear that the whole team was really fed up with their opponents.

“Are you okay? That was a nasty hit,” I said, handing him a fresh, ice cold water. At that point, I didn’t even have time to think about my nerves that I always had around him. All I could do was worry that he might not be alright.

“Yeah, I’m okay. Thanks,” he answered. He seemed to be holding something back, but I wasn’t sure what. He smiled at me anyways. Even though I sensed that something was wrong in his voice, his smile was genuine. For me it was always obvious if someone was faking it, but there was nothing inauthentic about the look he gave me.

When he got back on the ice a little later, Dylan brought him up.

“Do you think he’s actually alright? He seems a little off,” he asked.