For CocoBella95, hope you'll like it:) Also, I will probably not be able to update 31st March- 9th April, because I will be away and will probably leave my computer at home :)
Whiteness of the walls. Sterile environment. Steady beeping of medical devices next to your bed. One thing you know for sure is that where you are right now is not your apartment or Corey's. You can claim with certainly that you are in a hospital, but you can't remember how you ended up here. Your gaze is hazy, but you still can get a figure of someone sleeping on a plastic chair by the window near your bed. In the dim light of a street lamp outside you see that this someone is Chicago Blackhawks' goalie and your boyfriend, Corey Crawford.
"Corey?" you whisper, your voice cracked from dried throat. He mumbles something in his sleep, but doesn't wake up.
"Corey?"
You try again and this time he wakes up. Going by his stubble, he hasn't shaved in few days and his eyes look drained.
"Y/N, you are awake."
"Where am I? What happened?"
He sighs and tugs his fingers in his hair: "Babe, you made sure Jets' didn't score after I mishandled the rebound...but... I am sorry."
"Corey, please, what happened?"
"You blocked a slap shot...with your stomach. And you have been unconscious for a week..."
Now you remember everything. The pain, the shouts of your teammates and the last thing you saw before you sank into oblivion- Corey's teary eyes.
~A week ago~
It's a game against the Winnipeg Jets and you sit in your stall, which is next to Andrew Ladd's. Even though you and Corey have been living together for few months now, you never come to games together. It's kinds your tradition to come to each game separately. Laddy sits down next to you and starts tying up his skates: "Excited for tonight's game?"
"Yeah, I am. It's always interesting to play against Jets," you chuckle and look up when the door into the locker room open. You boyfriend walks in and gives you a small wink, nothing more. Your lips curve into a smile before you lean down again and tie the other skate. Ten minutes later you all head on the ice for the pregame warm-ups. United Center is slowly packing up. Fans of both teams are looking for their seats and Blackhawks' home arena sounds like a bee house.
You and Corey head on the ice side-by-side, but still no words are spoken between the two of you. The only sign of affection he shows is when he gently squeezes your shoulder before skating to his net.
Soon you get called off the ice and you head back into the locker room for the pre game pep talk. First, coach Q tells you he has a faith in you and that you can win this, that you worked hard enough and studied the game Blues play. Then Jonny speaks few words, but his short pep talk is inspiring like always.
"Let's go guys! And Y/N/N. Come on, we can do this."
Before we skate on the ice for the game to begin, Jonny pats every single one of you on our shoulders and mumbles words of support.
"Keep your head up, Y/N, and do your best," he gives you a small, barely visible smile. Well, that's Captain Serious, so even this smile is unexpected.
"You too, Jonny," you return him a smile and skate on the ice, taking in the sounds and the atmosphere of your second home.
On a bench you sit next to Andrew Shaw, your line mate and one of the best friends. He pokes your side with the end of his stick: "Good to have you back, how's your cold?"
"Good to be back. I am completely healthy. Did you miss your center, who can accept your lousy, horrible passes."
"My passes are not horrible!"
"They are...creative. Very, very creative," you tease him. Before he can come up with his reply, coach sends you on the ice. As soon as blades hit the ice, the game starts for you. The rest of the world seems to disappear as you chase after the puck, which is now in Hawks' zone. Jets are taking shots at your goal with no mercy and you know Corey is working hard to keep the score at 0 : 0. Luckily, Shaw somehow gets the puck and passes it over to you. With no hesitation, you speed down the ice, dodging other players and looking for your teammates so you can pass them the puck.
"Y/N, SHOOT IT!"
You take a shot as fast as you can, but you don't manage to score. That pisses you off, but only for a second. You have no time to worry about wasted chances.
In the middle of the second period the score is tied and there have been two minor brawls and also one big fight. Both teams are blood thirsty and nervous, but Hawks make a mistake and one of Jets' players gets a breakout. Even though you are sure this is it, that he will score, you chase after him. He takes a shot and Corey blocks it, but rebound bounces away and right onto Dustin Byfuglien's stick. Corey is on the ice and Byfuglien has a clean shot. He takes a shot and you don't have much time to think. With no hesitation, you throw yourself in front of the puck and block the shot with your own body. You did keep the score at the tie and prevented Jets' to take the lead, but the price is too high. Cold rubber knocks air out of your lungs and you see black dots in front of your eyes. But the refs don't stop the game until Corey waves at them to blow the whistle. You lay on the cold ice on the exact same spot you took the puck to your stomach.
"Y/N? Y/N, talk to me. Are you okay?" Corey asks you as soon as the game is stopped and before the others gather around you.
"I-It h-hurts," you cry out and close your eyes in agonizing pain. Corey takes his helmet off and pulls you to him, your head resting on his pads, while he gently takes your helmet off: "Everything will be fine, Y/N/N, I promise. You have just saved us from losing for one goal, you should be...what am I talking, you took a puck in your chest..."
You smile weakly while tears are slowly slipping down your cheeks: "You are babbling, Cor."
"I know... Y/N, I love you."
"I love you too, Corey," you smile weakly before you close your eyes. Last thing you see are Corey's sad and teary eyes. After that, everything disappears. You don't feel being lifted on a stretcher, you don't feel being moved to an ambulance van and you don't even know what happened after that.
~Now~
"How did the game end?"
"We lost in overtime. And Shawzy wants to know how are you feeling. Well, everyone wants to know that."
"I am sorry to hear that..."
"Don't be. You saved us, your selfless sacrifice kept us in game. And eventhough I was scared, I have never been prouder in my life. Proud of you for willing to sacrifice everything to save us and of that awesome move you made."
"I wasn't even thinking about the pain, to be honest. I didn't feel anything until I hit the ice. And from that it only went downhill..."
"You scared me. And when I saw you lost your consciousness, I wanted to quit and..."
Groaning in pain, you lift on your elbows and shush his babbling with a kiss. He freezes in surprise before gently taking your face in his hands and giving you the sweetest kiss you could've ever imagined.
"Don't you ever dare to do that, okay? No matter what, I forbid you to give up the game."
"What if you are hurt?"
"Never. Corey, I love you, but hockey is your job. And I don't want me to be a distraction, especially since we are teammates. Okay? On the ice, we as a couple don't exist. Or at least, we keep it to ourselves, okay?"
He stares at your eyes for few quiet seconds before he finally nods: "Okay."
