The Best That You Can Be
PG-13 (just in case)
DISCLAIMER- I don't own the Mighty Ducks or the characters except for my own that I made up. If I did then well I would be rich and doing other stuff.
Chapter 7-
Cate woke up with a groan. Who on earth set the alarm for 5 AM on a Saturday morning? She reached over to turn it off when she felt two hands grab hers and yank her out of bed.
"Cate wake up!" Julie said.
"Come on we have to get to the rink and warm up." Connie added.
Cate blinked her eyes open and stared at her roommates. Why were they always so happy so early in the morning? She continued to stare at them as they dragged her out of bed and threw her warm ups at her. Cate looked at her warm ups and back at the girls. What was going on?
Connie sighed, looked at Julie and they nodded their heads. Julie went over grabbed a bag and proceeded to put Cate's skates, Duck uniform and her own in. Connie meanwhile placed Cate's warm up jacket over her shoulders and pulled her out of the room.
"Cate we have a game." Connie whispered.
"Game, what game- it's Saturday morning." Cate complained.
Julie shook her head and smiled- Cate never was really coherent early in the morning.
"Cate remember- the game." Connie said.
Cate just nodded not really comprehending what Connie was saying to her. The girls just sighed and quickly and quietly made their way out of the Athletic Hall pulling a sleepy Cate with them.
- - - - - -
Connie and Julie somehow managed to get Cate into the locker room and in front of her locker. That's when Cate began to show signs of recognition. Oh yeah, they were playing the Varsity team today. She open her locker and began pulling out pads and putting them on her body. Julie handed over her Ducks uniform and Cate smiled at it. It felt good to place the familiar garment over her head. She grabbed her skates, helmet and stick and followed the girls out to the ice.
It was really creepy walking into the rink that was half way lit up. The Varsity team only turned on the lights above the ice in order not to alert anyone to their presence.
Cate sat on the bench and put on her skates. Charlie and Guy sat down next to her and tried to get her more awake.
"Here drink this." Charlie said handing his sister a cup of warm liquid.
"What is it?" Cate asked.
"It's coffee- with a shot of espresso in it. It should get you awake." Guy said with a grin.
"Whatever works." Cate said as she drank the drink.
The Ducks warmed up for about 15 minutes and then took their places at the bench.
"Ok guys- this is our time to prove to the Varsity team that we can play hockey." Charlie said. Cate rolled her eyes- Charlie wasn't that great at the motivational speeches just yet- especially so early in the morning.
Charlie as "Captain" decided that himself, Fulton, Cate, Julie, Connie and Guy would start the game. Luis and the others would change it up when the starters got tired. Julie and Goldberg would switch off in goal if Julie got too tired.
Charlie and Riley faced off with the puck in the middle. They each slapped their sticks on the group three times and then the game started.
Cate and Connie tried to stay out of the way of the enforcers on the Varsity team the first couple of minutes. The Varsity was brutal and checking them into the walls. Neither goalie was giving up a shot yet and the defense on both teams was tough the first 20 minutes.
Luis subbed in for Cate so that she could catch her breathe. Her sides were hurting from sprinting and being checked into the boards. She needed a few minutes to catch her breath before she would go out again. While she was sitting out the Varsity team managed to score 2 goals on Julie. When Guy scored one for her team, she caught Kenny's attention and subbed in for him.
Julie caught the puck that Riley sent at her and launched it into Cate's direction. Cate found that she was open and started for the goal. She saw Guy and Charlie on her left and decided to send the puck to them. As soon as she hit the puck into their direction Cole and another Senior checked her hard into the boards. Her right shoulder hit hard and she slide to the ground. She heard Connie and Dwayne call out to her and noticed a Varsity jersey heading for her. She closed her eyes and braced for impact. Instead she heard a voice calling out her name.
"Cate. Cate. Caitlin." Adam said.
Cate opened her eyes and saw Adam staring down at her.
"Cate, are you ok? Can you stand up?" Adam asked.
Cate tried to sit up but felt a sharp pain on her right shoulder.
"I think I'm hurt." Cate said in a small voice.
By that time Connie and Dwayne had reached her side. Charlie and Guy came over as well.
"Get away from my sister." Charlie yelled at Adam.
"Charlie she's hurt." Adam said looking at him.
Cate looked up at her team and noticed that everyone was standing around.
"Riley called a time out." Guy explained.
"Cate can you stand up?" Connie asked.
"I don't know. Haven't tried yet." Cate said
Adam reached out to help her up, but was pushed aside by Charlie.
"I said not to touch my sister." Charlie said.
"Charlie, she's my friend too and she's hurt." Adam tried to reason with Charlie.
That's when peace ended. Adam and Charlie began arguing over the welfare of Cate and suddenly they began fighting. Guy and Dwayne had managed to get Cate up. Cate tried yelling at them to stop fighting. But it was no use. Soon both teams were trying to separate the two friends and that's when the rest of the rink lights came on. Cate and Guy looked up and noticed Coach Wilson and Coach O'Rion sprinting towards them.
"Break it up." Both coaches yelled trying to pry the boys apart.
Wilson managed to get most of his team to clear away from Charlie and Adam leaving the two boys glaring at each other.
O'Rion pushed Adam towards the Varsity team and told him to leave. He then turned to look at the JV team and noticed that Guy was trying to keep Cate up.
"What is going on?" O'Rion barked.
"Cate got checked into the boards." Averman supplied.
"Connie. Julie. Take Cate to the Trainers." O'Rion said.
Connie and Julie slide over to take Cate away from Guy and began walking towards the exit off the ice. They heard O'Rion yelling at the rest of the team as they made their way off the ice. They had to pass the Varsity locker rooms and heard Wilson yelling at his team as well. They went to their locker room to try and change themselves into regular shoes and take off Cate's bottom padding and put on her warm ups. When they entered the training room they were still wearing the tops of their jerseys but their warm up bottoms and regular shoes.
The Trainers took over when the girls explained what happened. Julie and Connie had to help Cate take off her upper padding so that the Head Trainer David could check out her arm. After some analysis, he told her that she had just hit her shoulder wrong and it would be bruised for a few days. He went and grabbed some ice. She would have to sit out for the rest of the week and come back for treatments starting Wed. They would continue to ice her shoulder and see how it was doing in a couple of days. She was to stay in the Training Room for 20 minutes so that they could ice her shoulder today. David was going to find O'Rion and tell him the verdict on her shoulder.
Cate sat on one of the tables with ice wrapped to her right shoulder staring at the posters on the wall when Adam walked in. Connie and Julie had left when the ice was wrapped on her shoulder to get their stuff out of the locker room.
"Hey Cate." Adam said. "What's the verdict?" He came and stood near her.
"I'm out for the rest of the week." Cate said not looking at him.
O'Rion came in and headed over to them.
"Conway, David told me what's going on. You are out for this week but might be able to practice next week." Said O'Rion.
Cate nodded and continued to stare at the posters on the wall.
"Continue to come to practice and you'll sit the bench with us on Friday." O'Rion added. "Don't worry you'll be back with us in no time." He patted her good shoulder.
He looked at Adam and Cate and walked away. Adam came and sat besides Cate and gave her a hug.
"Cate, you scared me when you went down." Adam said.
Cate looked at him in surprise.
"I mean it. I thought those goons could have killed you." Adam admitted.
Cate tried to open her mouth to speak but Adam continued talking.
"Cate I was so worried, I know that you girls say that you can handle yourselves out on the ice. But when you went down something inside just about died." Adam said looking down at his hands.
"Adam.." Cate began.
"No, Cate let me finish. I realized something this morning, I. I really care about you, like more than a friend and I wish that it didn't take you getting hurt for me to realize it." Said Adam.
"Really, you like me more than a friend." Cate asked.
"Yeah" Adam said brushing some of her hair out of her face.
Cate smiled at him and was about to respond back when one of the trainers walked in to take the ice off of Cate. Adam scooted over and let the man cut the plastic wrap off Cate's arm.
"Now you need to come back later today for more ice on your shoulder and then again tomorrow. If you continue to have pain take some of these extra strength Tylenol. If the pains is persistent come back and we will decided whether or not to take you to the hospital." Said the trainer. "The campus doctor agrees with me that it is just a bruise sine you seem to have soreness and no sharp pain."
"Ok." Cate said taking the medicine into her good hand.
"Make sure you walk her to her room and if she complains about anything bring her back." The trainer said to Adam.
"Don't worry. I'll keep an eye on her." Adam said with a smile.
The trainer then walked over to a drawer and pulled out a sling. He placed it on Cate and he and Adam placed her right arm in it.
Adam and Cate left the Training Room and headed for the dorms.
"Julie told me that she brought your stuff up to your room." Adam said as they walked up the path towards the Athletic Hall.
"Thanks." Cate said.
"It's 9 AM, do you want to get breakfast?" Adam asked as they walked into their building.
"Yeah, I'm pretty hungry." Cate admitted.
Adam walked Cate all the way to her door and told her that he would wait for her in the commons area. He started to walk away but came back and gave her another hug and said that he was happy she was ok. Connie chose that moment to open the door and she saw Adam and Cate hugging.
"Finally." Connie squealed.
Cate and Adam turned to look at the girl.
"I mean finally you come back from the training room. Julie and I have been wondering when you would return." Connie said.
"Cate and I are going to get breakfast. Umm she might need help getting ready." Adam said gesturing to the sling.
"No prob, she'll be ready in a few minutes." Connie said pulling Cate inside.
- - - - -
Cate, Adam, Connie and Julie entered the Dinning Hall 15 minutes later. It had been a struggle getting a top on Cate that wouldn't harm her too much. In the end she was wearing on of Julies tank tops and one of Connie's button up sweaters and her own pants and shoes.
They got in line with Adam and Connie carrying Cate's food and found the JV team eating at one of the tables. Nobody looked in a great mood. In fact people seemed to be missing.
"What's up?" Julie asked.
"Charlie and Fulton quit the team." Russ said.
The four newcomers were stunned. Charlie quit- he was like the heart of the team.
"What?!?!" Cate said.
"O'Rion yelled and said this isn't the peewees and yada yada." Averman said.
"Yeah then Charlie said you were breaking up the best thing we ever had or something like that." Guy added.
"Then he and Fulton stormed off the ice." Russ said.
"Oh yeah- he took our Duck jerseys." Luis said.
Adam, Cate, Julie and Connie looked at them in disbelief- Charlie and Fulton gone- the jerseys gone. Well the four of them had their still since they were not a part of the yelling match.
They ate breakfast in silence and one by one drifted away to go off any do their own things.
Adam and Cate were left at the table since Cate was having a hard time eating left handed.
"Cate about what I said in the training room." Adam began. "I want you to know that I really do mean it. "
Cate looked at him and smiled. "I feel the same way." she admitted.
"Really." Adam said with a smile.
"Yes really. Actually for a while now- since the Goodwill Games." Cate admitted.
"Wow." Adam said sitting back in his chair.
When Cate was finished he picked up her tray and they stood up. He put the trays back and they went and spent the day in the dorm commons area (the girl's floor- they were staying away from the Varsity team) and did their homework- or in Cate's case tried to do homework, since she was right-handed Adam had to write out most of her answers. But that was ok, later Cate was going to transfer all her answers to Julie's computer and print them out.
Cate and Adam spent the day together- doing homework and hanging out with their friends. Cate was puzzled over Charlie's change of heart and tried to get in touch with their mother, but she was out most of the day.
Cate went to bed that night with a smile. Adam had admitted that he liked her and she had admitted the same thing- things were beginning to look up. But down at the same time- they were down some players and something had to be done about it.
TBC....