Living Proof (NHL)

Chapter One

(9 years later)

"Kolby skate faster, I know you can!" Huffing loudly, I pushed myself to go faster around the rink once more before skidding to a stop in front of my coach. "I know you Kolby, you are way faster then you are showing me today."

"I'm sorry coach; today's just an off day for me." He nodded knowingly before patting my shoulder and telling me we could be done for the day. I was almost off the ice when he called out to me.

"Make sure you're on the ice tomorrow at 8 and you're not having an off day. There will be some important people here that you'll want to impress." He smiled and left the ice, leaving me confused. Who was going to be here that I needed to impress? Shaking my head I put my stick away and walked into the locker room. It was empty of any of my team mates which wasn't surprising. I had to stay after practice for an individual skate because I didn't do so well.

After showering and putting on sweats and a hoodie, I walked outside and got into my car. It didn't take long to get home, the streets of Hershey, Pennsylvania empty. Parking in front of my apartment building, I locked my car doors and climbed the stairs too my apartment. There was music and giggling coming from the open apartment as I got to the last step.

"What are you guys doing in here?" I smiled at the sight of my daughter sitting on the counter, giggling with a face full of chocolate. Her grandpa was standing in the middle of the kitchen with two chocolate hand prints on his cheeks.

"Mommy! Grandpa dirty!" Lily showed me her hands that were brown and if didn't see the chocolate sitting on the counter, I would have been worried.

"Sorry Kolb's, we tried too make you cupcakes but it didn't really work out."

"It's fine dad," I laughed and grabbed Lily off the counter "I'm just gonna give her a bath and then put her in bed. Thanks for babysitting."

"You know I don't mind, she is my granddaughter."

While he cleaned up the mess in the kitchen I put Lily in a quick bath and then to bed. She was already tired so it only took me two pages of Junie B Jones for her too fall asleep. Turning the light out, I cracked her door and plopped on the couch next to my Dad.

"How was practice?" Shrugging my shoulders I grabbed the remote and started flipping through the channels.

"Come on Kolb's, I know today is hard for you but it's hard on me too. You can't let it affect how you play, he wouldn't want it to."

"I just miss him. It doesn't even feel like it's been 9 years, it feels like just yesterday."

Today, 9 years ago my daddy died on that ice. He didn't die because he got hit too hard or anything like that. He died because of a hole in his heart that he had surgery on when he was little. It wasn't ever supposed to reopen but it did and I lost my dad because of it.

"I miss him too Kolb's but you know your dad. If he could come back just to slap some sense into you, he would" we both laughed at the because it was true, "he wouldn't want you to dwell on the fact that he's not here anymore and be happy with what you have; a beautiful daughter and a long career ahead of you."

"Thanks dad, you're right." I hugged him for a minute and then headed off to bed. His advice stayed in my mind all night and I knew I was going too kill it at practice the next day.

****

"Good job everyone. Tomorrow is your day off but don't go to crazy because you'll need to be here bright and early on Thursday. Everyone can go but Kolby, I need you too stay for a little while longer." After all the guys were off the ice, coach had me do harder drills then what we had already done. "Get a drink of water then do 6 laps for your cool down process."