Thanks to those who have been reading this. It makes me feel all special inside (just kidding).

And thanks to Flowersc781 for all your support. Enjoy!

Ch. 4- Goodbyes and Hellos

I woke up that Saturday morning with a major headache. I couldn't fall asleep the night before because of the issue with Kiersten. If there is something that upsets me, I cannot sleep at night unless I resolve it. Anyways, I got up and went directly to the travel agency down the street. I booked my flight for the following Wednesday at 5:00 P.M. I would arrive in Boston, Massachusetts at 10:00 A.M. Boston time. I would have a 3 hour lay-over, and then get on a flight to St. Paul, Minnesota. While I was there, I was able to contact a government official and alert them of my stay. They contacted the people in St. Paul and I had a 12 month visa. I went home and called Aunt Patty and my mom. My mother was so excited I had to yell at her to calm down. She said that she and my brother were going to come over on Sunday to wish me goodbye in person. I called Aunt Patty and she said someone would come and pick me up from the airport. To top of the chaos, the girls took me out clubbing while Kier refused to come and stayed locked in her room. I could tell she was still miffed at me for going away. Oh, well, what more could I do.

Wednesday, 3:00 P.M.-Iceland International Airway

"Okay, I'm going to check in and I'll meet you guys at the coffee shop over there." I said as I pointed to a small café.

"Sure, we'll be there. Just don't get lost! It's so crowded in here!" Savvy said jokingly. I walked over to a desk.

"Um, excuse me," I caught the attention of the blonde attendant, "my name is Anika Marek and I'm on flight 234 to Boston, Mass."

"Ah, yes, Ms. Marek. Are you here to check in?"

"Yes, I am." I stated.

"Alright, you're flight leaves in an hour and a half; just make sure you have your security stamp before you board the plane. It makes life much easier." She said cheerfully.

"Thanks." I wheeled my suitcases over to the café table that the girls were sitting at.

"You all set?" Halle asked.

"Yes, just have to get my security stamp and I'm airborne."

"Oh joy!" Kier replied sarcastically.

Savea elbowed her in the ribs, "Be nice! I'm sure you'd want her to be nice if you were leaving for eight months!"

"Well, I'm not. I don't just abandon my friends like that."

"Kiersten, you are being completely unfair to Anya! If she wants to graduate with her degree, she has to do this internship." Erika came to my defense.

"Whatever…" Kiersten said as she got up and went to the bathroom.

"She'll come around." Halle said comfortingly.

"Yeah, I just hope it's in the next hour." I said. Just then, I had an idea. If Kiersten wasn't going to talk to me, I wasn't going to make her. I decided to write her a note. It read:

Dear Kiersten,

I know you're really angry with me about this decision. I hope you know that I'm sorry that you can't come with me, but it's really not fair of you to treat me like this. I assume that if you're reading this, you still haven't talked to me. I just want you to know that I love you very much and I'll miss you terribly. If you ever find it in yourself to forgive me, I'd love to hear from you. I'll miss you, sis.

XOXOXOXOXO,

Anya

I was running out of time and had to get my security stamp. I ran to the check and was cleared quickly. I had 10 minutes to board the plane when we decided to say our goodbyes.

"I'm going to miss you so much, Anya. Just stay out of trouble and don't forget to send me pictures of the cute players, right?" Savea said hugging me, attempting to lighten the mood with a joke. When we pulled away, I could see small tears welling up in her eyes. Savvy rarely ever cried and tried desperately to hide the evidence. Next was Halle.

"Come here you," she grabbed me into a hug, crying quietly, "you promise to write us ever week?"

"Yes, Halle. I'm going to miss your home-cooking so much. No one can bake my favorite brownies quite like you." I said, fully crying at this point.

"What about me?" Erika whined jokingly.

"Oh, Erika! I'm going to miss you so much. You'll always be my little lost puppy. Keep your chin up kid." I added when I saw the fat tears streaming down her face.

"I should be saying that to you! I'm sorry about the waterworks, it's just...I feel like I'm losing a big part of my life. You're my buddy! I'll miss you."

"I'm going to miss you all, too!" I said.

"Hey, what about me?" I heard a familiar voice ask. I turned around to see Wolfie waiting expectantly.

"Rolf, what are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be working?"

"I asked for an hour off. Come hear, you." He said, enveloping me in a bear hug.

"I'll miss you" I said quietly.

"Me too." He said as he released me and stood back.

"Flight 234: Reykjavik to Boston, now boarding." I heard the intercom ring out.

"Looks like I'd better get going." I said solemnly. I turned to Kiersten and handed her my note. She looked at it then me for a long time. When I turned to leave, she attacked me with the biggest hug I'd ever gotten in my life.

"I'm sorry!" was all I could make out from her sobs.

"It's okay, Kier. You were angry. It's understandable." I said trying to soothe her sobs.

"I'm going to miss you. So much." She whispered.

"I'll miss you too, Kiers, but I've go to go. I'll call you when I get to St. Paul, okay?"

She simply nodded a response. We all looked at each other until the intercom said:

"Flight 234: Reykjavik to Boston, last call."

"You'd better get going." said Halle.

"Yeah, girlfriend; go have the time of your life!" Erika called out excitedly.

"Yeah, well, guess its good-bye, huh?" They all nodded and I turned to walk towards the terminal. I glanced back over my shoulder briefly and smiled. I knew all my friends had my back on this.

Wednesday, 10:00 A.M.-Logan International Airport-Boston

I had made it to Boston! They flight was pretty uneventful and quick. Although I had to sit next to an old man who snored constantly, (even when he was awake) the flight was fairly quiet. Well, I had 3 hours to kill, so guess what I did! First, to document my quick stay in Boston, I bought an enormous blue sweatshirt with 'BOSTON' written across the front. Then, I found a comfy spot in the lounge and fell asleep. I woke up with just enough time to get on the plane. Once on board, I fell asleep again. The next time I woke up, I would be in St. Paul, MN.

(3rd person POV-Minnesota)

Wednesday, 10:00 A.M.-St. Paul, MN

Patti Brooks was so excited. Her 23 year old niece that she hadn't seen for almost 5 years was coming to stay for a few months. Granted, she had to work for Patty's husband, Herb's, hockey team, but at least she would be staying in St. Paul. Patti glanced at the clock. It was 10:05 A.M. She had dropped her two kids, Danny and Kelly, off at their summer programs, Danny to hockey camp, and Kelly to ballet. Patti remembered that she wouldn't be able to pick her niece up, and if she forgot, that chances that Herb remembered were slim to none. She picked up the phone and dialed in his office number.

"Herb Brooks, U.S. Olympic Ice Hockey." Herb said mechanically.

"Hey, sweetheart, how's work going today?" Patti asked.

"Oh, Patti, it's you. We're doing all right. The boys are on lunch break right now, so I thought I'd get some work done"

"Well, Herb, Anya is flying in today."

"Oh, good! The sooner she starts, the better it will be."

"Herb," Patti said, annoyed with her husband's focus on hockey, "I can't pick her up because I have to get the kids."

"Well, Patti, I can't get her. I have meetings all after practice."

"Herb, first of all, when I asked you two days ago if you would pick her up, you said there was no problem. Secondly, she's coming in at 12:00."

"Oh… are you sure there's no other way for you to get her?"

"Yes, Herb. I'm sure."

"Alright, I'll just send Craig or Doc to pick her up."

"Okay, she's on flight 861 from Boston. In terminal 14, you got that?"

"Yep, I'll see you tonight Patti. I love you."

"I love you too. Bye."

Herb sighed. This was going to be interesting. His 23 year old niece was going to be interning as a physical therapist and nutritionist for a hockey team. She would have her hands full, especially if she was as pretty as he remembered. Being around 26 college guys all the time might not be very fun. He looked at the clock on the wall. 10:34. Briskly, Herb got out of his chair and headed towards the mess hall.

"Craig! Come here a sec."

"Sure, Herb. What's up?" asked assistant coach Craig Patrick.

"Remember my niece I was telling you about, the intern?"

"Right…so what's going on?"

"Well, she's flying in right now and will be at the airport in an hour or two."

"Oh good! The sooner she meets the team the better off we'll all be." Craig said happily.

"Yep, except I can't go get her and neither can Patti. I was wondering if you'd be able to pick her up."

"Sure, anything for the team. Just tell me where to go and I'll get her."

"Great. She'll be on flight 861 from Boston at terminal 14."

"Flight 861, terminal 14. I got it." Craig said, trying to remember.

"You might want to get a sign. Her name's Anika Marek."

"Anika Marek, got it! I should get going, she'll be here soon."

"Thanks Craig. We appreciate it." Herb said, unsure of how to thank him.

"No problem. She's part of the team now and it's my responsibility to help out the team."

"Just bring her by my office before we introduce her to the boys."

"Sure." Craig said as he walked out the door.

Craig got into his car and drove to the airport. As he pulled into the parking lot, he wondered how the guys would react to Anika and how Anika would react to being stuck with 20 something boys for 8 months. They had just gotten the team and were having their first practice that day. Maybe Anika could be the bridge over the gap between the Boston and Minnesota players. He walked through the main doors and asked an employee to direct him to terminal 14. He arrived 10 minutes early, so he found a piece of paper and a pen and made a sign. When the passengers were released from the plane, Craig stood patiently near the sitting area, holding up the sign.

(First Person POV-Anika)

"Attention passengers," the intercom woke me up sharply, "we will be landing in approximately 5 minutes. If you would please put your tray tables in an upright position and buckle your seat belts, we will begin our descent soon." Being very fluent in English, I thankfully understood everything they were saying. Soon enough, we were heading down towards the runway. We landed safely (thank god) yet we were not out for another ten minutes. I took out my carry-on suitcase with my books and such and got in line to get out. I was very nervous about seeing my uncle again. The last time I saw him, he was angry because he thought I liked one of his players even though I didn't. I don't even remember his name, but I think he was a freshman. Anyways, I didn't leave in good terms with Uncle Herb. I hoped that almost five years would make him forget about it, but you never knew with Uncle Herb. I walked through the threshold and into the airport. I looked around trying to spot my uncle. I couldn't find him, but then something caught my eye. There was a man in a sweat-suit holding a sign that said Anika MAREK. i slowly walked up to him, very shy all of a sudden. He must have noticed me and asked:

"Are you Anika Marek?" He seemed very unsure of himself. Yet, understandably so, I mean I wouldn't have liked to have to walk around an airport trying to find someone.

"Yes, I am." I answered timidly. I thought back to what my mom said about making a good first impression and put on a confident face. I could tell he was surprised when I asked him:

"And who might you be?"

"Oh, sorry, I'm Craig Patrick, your uncle's assistant coach. He asked me to come pick you up." He said apologetically.

"That sounds like my uncle, alright" we laughed briefly at my comment. My uncle could get so busy that he forgets completely about something until my aunt reminds him last minute.

"So, what's he so busy with today?" Craig chuckled lightly at this.

"He's at practice right now, and after he has meetings with the board." Craig said. "So you're interning with us. What for?" Typical of my uncle not to let others in on details about something or someone.

"I'm majoring in health and nutrition, and I needed to get an internship. What better than an Olympic Hockey team?" I joked. I could tell already that Craig and I were going to get along well and that I would have at least one friend.