Disclaimer: I don't own The Mighty Ducks.

Adam Banks was in the hospital when he had come to.

"Wh-What happened?" he asked to the blurry figures of his parents and the doctor. The last thing he remembered was playing in the Championship, making a goal and being hurt so bad he was carted off to the hospital.

"You're in the hospital," his father said.

"Everything's fine," Dr. Garette said. "You'll be good to go in a few hours."

Adam relaxed at that. Good. He would go home.

"WHAT HAPPENED AT THE GAME?!" he shouted so loud that the nurses and other patrons outside the room looked at him in shock. "Dad, Mom, did we win?"

"I-I don't know," his mom said as she soothed back his sweaty hair. "See, this is why I never wanted you to play hockey!"

"Jason got hurt," Adam rebutted, speaking of his older brother.

"Not this bad!"

"Let's everybody calm down," Philip said.

"We're going to let you rest. We'll be outside if you need anything," Mrs. Banks said and left the room with her husband.

Adam sighed and lay back with a thump! All he ever wanted to do was play hockey and win that Championship. He could've done it with the Hawks. But, no, Bombay just had to see that he wasn't in the Hawk district and had to play with the Ducks, who hated him just as much as he hated them.

Well, except Charlie. Charlie was nice.

Over the past few weeks though, they made him laugh, and he was having fun in hockey for the first time in a long time. He started to feel like he actually had friends.

I had friends on the Hawks, he thought.

Yeah, but did they ever call to hang out with you after you got moved? Another part of his brain asked.

He smiled at the fact that they had begun to trust him. And that Jesse said he would kick Hawk butt after he had gotten injured.

It's funny how it takes one little thing to realize how bad something is. It only took one game and one injury to open Adam's eyes and see how awful his old coach and old teammates were. Well, except Larson. Larson was nice. Sure, the Ducks played rough, but they didn't intentionally knock people out.

Knowing that he wouldn't hear anything for a few hours about the game, he closed his eyes.

It felt like two second has passed—when in reality it was two hours—when he had opened his eyes again to his mother's pestering. This time, though, he saw more people.

His parents, Charlie, Jesse, Connie, Guy, Fulton, Terry, Tommy, Tammy, Dave, Peter, Greg…and Coach Bombay holding the Championship trophy.

"Hey, he's awake!" Charlie said.

"You okay, dude?" Jesse asked.

"You took quite a fall," Guy said.

"Did-did we win?" Were the first words out of Adam's mouth, not answering Jesse's question.

There were chuckles all around.

"Yes, we did win," Bombay said.

"Why aren't you guys celebrating, then?" Adam said. There were chuckles again. "What is so funny?"

"We are celebrating, dingbat!" Greg shouted.

"Then what are you doing here?"

"Celebrating by visiting a teammate," Charlie answered, like it was obvious. "You scored a goal. You helped us win."

He looked at his parents. He knew the Hawks would never do that. They wouldn't come and check up on him. He nodded to his parents, and they left.

"I don't understand. I thought you guys didn't like or trust me," Adam said in confusion.

"We didn't trust you then," Peter said. "We trust you now."

"We're friends now. Why shouldn't we trust you?" Connie said.

Adam smiled.

Friends.

He had friends.

"This is one of the nicest things someone's ever done for me. The Hawks wouldn't have. Coach?" Adam looked to his right to Bombay.

"Hmm?" Coach responded.

"Thanks."

"For what?"

"For checking the districts and getting me onto the Ducks."

"You're welcome." Gordon clapped number 99 on the shoulder and the whole group in the room smiled as Adam looked around.

"So, what happens next?" Charlie said.

"Well, I try out for the Minors, you guys keep playing and loving it. Maybe you'll make it to the NHL one day."

"When do you leave?" Averman asked.

"Tomorrow."

There was silence all around. It was a sad silence, where you knew that something was going to happen soon, but you didn't want it to.

"When will you be out?" Guy asked Adam, desperate in anyway to change the subject.

"Hopefully tonight," Adam answered. "What time is it, actually?"

"Around five or so," Charlie said.

"Can somebody grab me something from the cafeteria? I'm hungry."

Bombay said he would and put the trophy on the chair that was behind him, leaving the players together.

"You know," Adam started, "I thought I had friends on my old team. But when I got transferred over here and they didn't call anymore, I realized that they were just old teammates. They were nothing more. I didn't know friendship until I met each of you. You guys made hockey fun for me again."

His friends smiled at him and Charlie clapped him on the back.

"Well, we're glad to have you on the team. Well, now," he said to laughs all around at the last part.

"Yeah. Once a Duck, always a Duck, right?" Fulton put in.

"Thanks, guys," Adam said as Coach Gordon Bombay came back with some Jello. "So, who brought the champagne for celebrating?"

Philip and his wife heard the comment and made sure to glare at their son for that comment.

"He's kidding!" Philip tried to explain to the nurse. "He's joking. They just won a hockey tournament and he's joking."

"No champagne," Bombay said. "We should let you rest."

"You guys are going to keep in contact, right? I mean, after tomorrow?" Adam said, almost pleadingly. He had just gotten these guys and girls to trust him and to become his friends. He didn't want another repeat of what happened with the Hawks. He intended to keep these friends.

"Of course," Jesse said.

"Who's going to tell us all the gossip from the other side?" Connie said.

"I'll see you guys tomorrow," Adam said, and the Ducks started to leave.

As his friends and coach left with the trophy, his parents came back in.

"So, you won the Championship. You have friends and people who trust you," Adam's mom said. "And you'll be getting out of here soon. It's been a pretty good few months, huh?"

As Adam heard the automatic doors make whooshing noises, he smiled and his parents and said, "Yeah. Yeah, it was a great season."