Of Dreams and Miracles
By Misha

Disclaimer and Notes in Prologue.

Part Thirty-Nine: Sweden

The team's first game was later that night, against Sweden. Elizabeth was filled with nervous adrenaline, as she watched the game from her usual spot behind the bench.

This was it. This was the Olympics. It was definitely unnerving.

She could tell that the guys felt the same way. Their play in the first period was passive and not exactly the stuff that championship teams were made of.

They weren't playing badly, per say, but they weren't playing like a team who had a shot at an Olympic medal, either.

Robbie went down with about five minutes left in the first period and Doc escorted him to the locker room.

Elizabeth hoped that he as okay. A part of her wanted to leave and go check, but she knew that she couldn't. She'd find out how he was when the period was over.
---

At the end of the first period, the score was 1-0. The boys were all in the locker room and Herb was down the hall, talking to Doc as he made his way towards the locker room.

Elizabeth was standing outside the locker room. Her usual routine was to sit in the hall with a book between periods. Close enough to be there if she was needed, but not actually in the locker room.

"Elizabeth, get in here!" Herb called as he entered the locker room.

"Huh?" She asked in disbelief.

"I said get your ass in here, I want you to hear this too." Elizabeth sighed and followed her father into the locker room. She could tell from his demeanour that he was furious.

Doc and Craig came in behind her. Doc went over to Jack and talked to him in a low voice, so Elizabeth couldn't make out the words. Instead, she focused on her father.

"This is unbelievable, you guys are playing like this is some throwaway game up in Rochester!" Herb yelled and then he turned to Mike. "Who are we playing Rammer?"

Mike looked startled. "Sweden."

"Yeah, you're damned right Sweden! In the Olympics!" Herb knocked over a table. He then focused his attention on Robbie, who had taken his gear off. "What the Hell's wrong with you? Put your gear on."

Robbie shot him a surprised look.

"I said put your gear on!" Herb yelled at him.

Elizabeth winced, feeling sorry for Robbie, it was never fun dealing with her father when he was in this kind of mood.

"Doc told me that I can't play." Robbie protested.

"Yeah, yeah, I know, you've got a bad bruise." Herb said mockingly. "You know what, put your street clothes on. I've got no time for quitters."

Elizabeth winced at her father's harsh words. She was about to call him on it, but Rizzo beat her to it.

"Come on Herb, nobody's quitting here." He protested.

"You worry about your own game." Herb warned him. "Plenty there to keep you busy."

Rizzo looked properly reprimanded. "Bruise on the leg is a Hell of a long way from the heart, candy-ass." Herb muttered.

Robbie got to his feet and stumbled towards Herb. "What did you call me?"

"You heard me."

"You want me to play, is that what you want?" Robbie demanded.

"I want you to be a hockey player!" Herb yelled at him.

"I am a hockey player!" Robbie exclaimed, he kept screaming at Herb even though Mark and Pav kept trying to calm him.

Elizabeth saw her father exit the room and hid a smile. Once again, his methods were questionable, but effective. He had certainly injected some passion into the room, even if he had wounded Robbie's pride a little.
---

The boys went back into the game and played with all of the passion and intensity that had been missing in the first. Though, it wasn't helping them all that much. They were still trailing 2-1 as the third period neared it's end.

"Come on, come on." Elizabeth whispered under her breath, as the clock showed the time winding down.

Her father pulled Jimmy and sent the extra attacker onto the ice. Everyone on the bench was tense, as the time just kept winding down. Then, with only seconds left, Baker scored.

"Yes!" Elizabeth screamed.

A moment later, the game was over, they had managed a tie. Elizabeth hugged Baker tight, as she and the other other poured onto the ice.

She then got pulled into another pair of arms, as all the boys started hugging and celebrating. It might have only been a tie, but the team had worked hard for it and they had come back and it felt almost as good as a win would have.

Almost.
---

"Do you have the feeling we've been abandoned?" Robbie asked her a little later, as he took a seat beside Elizabeth.

The boys had been too wired to settle right down after the game, so some of them had decided to hang out in Robbie and Mark's room. Except, somehow, everyone else had dispersed, leaving Elizabeth and Robbie alone for the first time since the night Robbie had found out about Elizabeth and Jack.

Elizabeth was actually a little surprised that Jack had left her alone with Robbie, but she took it as a sign that he as finally becoming confident about her feelings for him.

"A little." She answered with a smile. "How's the leg?"

Robbie winced. "Well, let's just say I don't feel like doing laps or anything. I'm also not feeling too crazy about your father right now, either."

"I can't blame you." Elizabeth told him. "He was harsher than he had to be. But you'll be okay?"

"Yeah." Robbie assured her. "Worried, Lizzie?"

"Of course." She told him. "I do care about you, you know that, right?"

Robbie smiled. "I do. Even when I don't deserve it."

"Robbie--" Elizabeth said softly.

"I know, ancient history." He told her. "It's just... I think about it. A lot. About what happened between us."

"See, I don't." Elizabeth told him flatly. "As you said, it's history."

"Lizzie--" Robbie began.

"No." Elizabeth said flatly, cutting him off. "Robbie, you broke my heart and I still had to have you in my life, so the easiest thing for me to do was to try and forget everything that happened between us. Including the fact that I had ever loved you."

Robbie winced. "Was it that bad?"

Elizabeth snorted. "What do you think? But I've moved on."

"Have you?" Robbie challenged. "Can you honestly say that you feel nothing for me?"

"No." Elizabeth told him honestly. "I don't think I'll ever be able to. But--"

"You're with O.C now." Robbie interrupted. "I know. But, I don't think that you're a 100 committed to him. I think you're a little unsure of your feelings for him, even if you won't admit it and I think it's because of me."

Elizabeth couldn't find the words to deny it, since Kathleen had said almost the same thing. Of course, her friend hadn't used quite those words or sounded so damned smug about it.

"I love Jack." Elizabeth told him quietly.

"I know." Robbie told her. "But I think you still love me too, even if you won't admit it. You've kept what we've had hidden behind walls for a long time, Lizzie, but let them down and remember what we had. How good it was. How special."

Elizabeth stood up then.

"I have to go, Rob." She said and turned and walked out of the room.

She couldn't stay, couldn't deal with this right now. She just needed to get out of there and clear her head.
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