Page 81 of Slapshot Baby

The dread follows right behind because telling him means finding out what he does next.

Tomorrow, I’ll find out if Kai Donovan is the kind of man who stays.

Or if I’m wasting my hope like the young Ava, who waited for her father to come home.

14

KAI

The Wrong Kind of Clear

Dr. Harold signs the clearance form at 7:42 in the morning. For the first time since I woke up in a hospital bed missing four years, I feel like myself.

"You’re cleared for full practice. Non-contact initially, then contact at the coaching staff's discretion." She hands me the paper. "You've earned this, Kai."

I take it, hand steady. My vision is sharp. The headaches that plagued me for weeks have faded to nothing. The balance issues are gone.

Every test she ran came back clean.

I fold the form and put it in my jacket pocket. "Any restrictions?"

"Listen to your body. If something feels wrong, stop. Don't be the guy who pushes through a warning sign because he thinks willpower is a medical intervention."

"I've never done that."

"Your file says otherwise. March twenty twenty-three."

The separated shoulder I don't remember. Brennan benched me for two weeks over it, apparently.

"That was a different situation."

"It's always a different situation with athletes." She almost smiles. "Go skate."

On the way out, I call Ava.

"I got cleared," I say once she picks up.

"For what?"

"Full practice on the ice today."

She laughs. The sound is so warm it makes my chest ache. My smile breaks through before I can manage it.

I’ve been clawing toward this since the day I woke up in that hospital bed.

Hearing the woman who helped me through it all celebrate it with me makes me feel much better.

"Are you serious?" she asks.

"Yeah. Went in for an appointment with the doctor this morning. No contact drills yet, but I'm skating."

"That's incredible.”

"It's been months. I don't know if incredible covers it."

“You've earned every second of it."

"I might fall,” I tease. “I want you to know that upfront."