A/N: This won't be the best written ever but watching the news tonight
brought this story into my head. I also doubt that IF the draft WAS
reinstated, they would take HIGH SCHOOLERS but.
Disclaimer: I own no one.
HOME
None of them ever really paid attention to how much older he was then the rest of them. They knew he would turn 18 before them but they didn't pay much mind to how long it would be before the next of them would reach that milestone.
They celebrated his birthday like most teenagers. They tested their limits. Someone managed to get a hold of some alcohol. Most of them woke up the next morning with terrible headaches but were happy with how the party had gone anyways.
He got the call over a long weekend. He didn't even get to say good-bye. They showed up at practice and his absence was immediately noticed. The coach broke the news. The draft had been reinstated. He had been called up. They were in shock. Why had the government picked the youngest first? The newest 18 year olds were the first to go. Despite their shock, the team decided to go on. They won the state championship. Varsity's 30th in a row. They still missed his presence.
The celebration wasn't as happy as the one they had had in October. It was somber. They had heard no word. They weren't even sure if he was alive. They watched the news and cried at the announcement of every American life lost, fearing it was their friend.
In late September, their first year in college, a voice from the past called them to give them some joyous news. His father called to tell them he was coming home. The war was finally over.
The team showed up at the airport. They all attended various colleges but all managed to get there. Only Julie recognized him. She ran right up to him and kissed him, releasing all she had been holding in for nearly a year. He returned it.
"I love you," she whispered.
"I love you, too," he replied.
That's when they noticed his slight limp. He had taken a bullet to the knee. The good news was with therapy, he could be back playing hockey within the year.
He immediately enrolled in college. The college was very understanding. Because of his youth and unexpected departure from high school, they allowed him in.
He trained and worked out for a year, getting his leg back in shape. Every day, he and Julie would work together on (and off) the ice.
His mental health also received great attention. Many of his fellow troops had died. Most were close friends. He worked long and hard to get over his guilt that he had lived, escaping only with a bullet in the leg, while so many families had lost their sons.
In his sophomore year, he tried out for the hockey team at the University of Minnesota where Julie was the goalie. He made the team. After his first game, he received the nickname "Hat Trick" as he scored three goals.
Hat Trick never failed. Only once in all their games that year, did he fail to score get a hat trick. The score had been 7-0 and their coach took him out of the game so they didn't run the score up.
In his junior year, the team made it to the national championship. Hat Trick, once again, lived up to his, not once but twice over. He scored seven goals in that final game.
Shortly after, a scout from the Toronto Maple Leafs approached him with an offer to play. He immediately accepted.
He and Julie were married immediately. The team, their family, and several surviving members of his regimen were in attendance.
The new family moved to Toronto. It took a few years but soon, at age 24, Hat Trick was the leading scorer in the NHL. He and his wife had a young son they named Ben after his closest friend in the Army who lost his life early on in the war.
It had been six years since he'd left his friends and family. Five years since he'd come back. Three years since he started playing professional hockey.
But only just yesterday, he got over his survivors guilt. He was finally done. Adam Banks was finally home.
Disclaimer: I own no one.
HOME
None of them ever really paid attention to how much older he was then the rest of them. They knew he would turn 18 before them but they didn't pay much mind to how long it would be before the next of them would reach that milestone.
They celebrated his birthday like most teenagers. They tested their limits. Someone managed to get a hold of some alcohol. Most of them woke up the next morning with terrible headaches but were happy with how the party had gone anyways.
He got the call over a long weekend. He didn't even get to say good-bye. They showed up at practice and his absence was immediately noticed. The coach broke the news. The draft had been reinstated. He had been called up. They were in shock. Why had the government picked the youngest first? The newest 18 year olds were the first to go. Despite their shock, the team decided to go on. They won the state championship. Varsity's 30th in a row. They still missed his presence.
The celebration wasn't as happy as the one they had had in October. It was somber. They had heard no word. They weren't even sure if he was alive. They watched the news and cried at the announcement of every American life lost, fearing it was their friend.
In late September, their first year in college, a voice from the past called them to give them some joyous news. His father called to tell them he was coming home. The war was finally over.
The team showed up at the airport. They all attended various colleges but all managed to get there. Only Julie recognized him. She ran right up to him and kissed him, releasing all she had been holding in for nearly a year. He returned it.
"I love you," she whispered.
"I love you, too," he replied.
That's when they noticed his slight limp. He had taken a bullet to the knee. The good news was with therapy, he could be back playing hockey within the year.
He immediately enrolled in college. The college was very understanding. Because of his youth and unexpected departure from high school, they allowed him in.
He trained and worked out for a year, getting his leg back in shape. Every day, he and Julie would work together on (and off) the ice.
His mental health also received great attention. Many of his fellow troops had died. Most were close friends. He worked long and hard to get over his guilt that he had lived, escaping only with a bullet in the leg, while so many families had lost their sons.
In his sophomore year, he tried out for the hockey team at the University of Minnesota where Julie was the goalie. He made the team. After his first game, he received the nickname "Hat Trick" as he scored three goals.
Hat Trick never failed. Only once in all their games that year, did he fail to score get a hat trick. The score had been 7-0 and their coach took him out of the game so they didn't run the score up.
In his junior year, the team made it to the national championship. Hat Trick, once again, lived up to his, not once but twice over. He scored seven goals in that final game.
Shortly after, a scout from the Toronto Maple Leafs approached him with an offer to play. He immediately accepted.
He and Julie were married immediately. The team, their family, and several surviving members of his regimen were in attendance.
The new family moved to Toronto. It took a few years but soon, at age 24, Hat Trick was the leading scorer in the NHL. He and his wife had a young son they named Ben after his closest friend in the Army who lost his life early on in the war.
It had been six years since he'd left his friends and family. Five years since he'd come back. Three years since he started playing professional hockey.
But only just yesterday, he got over his survivors guilt. He was finally done. Adam Banks was finally home.