Chapter 33 - Epilogue
It's days like this when I hate that I play hockey for a living.
I'm getting ready to get into the shower, and as I pull my shirt off, I notice the dark, ugly bruises staining my chest, arms, thighs. I can feel more of them on my back. A purple blotch over my left eye reminds me of the blow that Anaheim dealt us. As painful as the wound is...soon it will be gone. In time, the frustration and disappointment will ease. September will come, training camp will open, and we'll start all over again.
I'm almost thankful for the long summer ahead. Since the game in Pittsburgh, life has been moving a mile with each heartbeat. Once Johan was arrested, it wasn't long before Mario's involvement was revealed. He lost his shares in the Penguins organization, and the ownership is still very much in the air.
Once Johan was charged officially, the NHL went after Barrasso. Like dominoes, one by one, all of the walls protecting the secrets of Lemieux's corruption toppled. In less than a month, he was reduced from a hockey legend to a criminal, a villain. The Hall of Fame is threatening to remove all traces of his legacy; each of his accolades is tarnished by the scandal. Even if he somehow gets off, his credibility is ruined.
Curtis staggers into the bathroom, breaking me from my thoughts. He's only half awake, but he's conscious enough to be crying again, muttering to himself that if he'd only stopped more shots, if only he'd been more focused, we could've won. He's taking the loss far worse than I am, all because of his supposed failure.
I brush a tear from his cheek, and then press a kiss to his forehead, soothing him as best I can. As I guide him back ot bed, cradling him and holding him while the sobs wrack through him, a faint smile touches my mouth.
Because I know this will pass. Curtis is weak right now, he's heartbroken. But that's okay. He's allowed to be weak, because now I can be strong for him.
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