We’d had an amazing final season. Drew and I were leaving at the top of the goals table, both on fifty seven points. And aside from lifting the Cup, nothing could have beaten this. The rest of the team were making their way off the ice, leaving the rink to us.
“Ready to say a final goodbye?” I took my helmet off and shouted to Drew over the noise.
“You bet.”
“Hang on.”
I took my gloves off and threw them one at a time over the glass, the fans underneath scrabbling to catch them. Drew did the same and I skated over to another section, throwing my helmet over to a similar reaction. Then out of the corner of my eye I saw a little boy with a handmade sign, wishing Drew and me good luck for our final game, and the lump that had been stuck in my throat made its way a little further to the top. I knocked on the glass getting his attention, his eyes lighting up in excitement as he tugged on his dad’s shirt.
“Hey, bud, I have a present for you.” I passed my stick over the top of the glass, his dad taking hold of it and handing it to him.
“Thank you!”
“You’re welcome.” I grinned, skating back over to where Drew was talking to one of the network sportscasters.
“You two have been through college together, the Draft, The Rangers, and now you’re retiring together. What’s next in your plans? Don’t tell me you’re splitting up or I think there will be more broken hearts than usual!”
I laughed loud, letting Drew answer. “We’re launching our foundation in the summer, focused on helping amputee kids or kids born without limbs make their way in sports using prosthetics so we can pave the way for normalizing prosthetics in professional sports, including team sports.”
“That’s amazing! Sounds like a very worthy cause.”
“Yes, it’s something that we’re both passionate about, and my girlfriend is completing her Fellowship in prosthetic medicine later this year, and she’ll be on the Foundation’s board.” I never got tired of bragging about Molly’s amazing accomplishments. And if it was possible, I was more proud of her every day.
The sportscaster’s eyes widened. “But before all that, we bet you’re looking forward to plenty of rest now, Drew, especially as you’re the dad of two three-month olds.”
Drew groaned. “Yeah, you’re right about that one. Definitely haven’t had much sleep lately.”
“And they’re all here tonight, cheering you on?”
“Yes, both our families are here with us tonight.” I turned and waved up at the box which held them all. Drew and Emerson’s parents were both here, plus Jupiter who was in town for the Dodgers/Yankees game. Molly’s parents, Jasper and Wolf were also there, but I couldn’t see Molly or Emerson.
The image on the big screen changed and a hush fell over the crowd, our faces were no longer up there, but instead Molly and Emerson were shown, carrying the twins down to the ice. I smacked Drew in the shoulder and nodded over to what I could see, and we left the sportscaster mid-sentence and skated over.
Even from this distance I knew that Molly was holding Gabriella, whom we called Ella for short, the tiny pink ear defenders giving her away, while Grey’s were blue and equally tiny. Both babies were wearing custom Rangers jerseys with Drew’s number written underneath DADDY on the back, which I knew because I’d bought them.
I gave Molly a kiss as I took Ella from her arms and waited for Drew to take Grey. This was all he’d been talking about all week, bringing his children to his last game, and his tears started flowing as we skated slowly round. Our faces appeared again on the big screen, the cameras following us as we lapped the ice to a standing ovation, the crowds still staying as quiet as possible.
“End of an era, Clevs.”
I looked over at Drew, tears were streaming down his face, and mine started up. “I know. Look at what we’ve done.”
This had been our lives for the last thirteen years, and for the four years before that in college, when all we talked about was making the NHL. This had been everything and more. Our dreams had come true.
And waiting for me was my other dream come true.
We gave a final goodbye wave and stepped off the ice, to where Emerson and Molly were waiting for us. I handed Ella back to Emerson and flung my arm around Molly, kissing her long and hard while we walked down toward the locker room.
“Hello, Doctor Marks.”
“Hello there, Mr. Cleverly.”
The way back to the locker rooms took longer than usual as we were stopped by dozens of Rangers staff, associates, teammates, and sports reporters, all wanting to wish us luck or get one more soundbite. By the time we finally got there, our families had all arrived, waiting for us outside, ready to greet us with hugs and kisses, smiles and more tears.
“Great game, man. Great game.” Jupiter slapped me on the back.
“Thanks for coming, means a lot to me.” I brought him into a sweaty hug and lowered my voice. “But if the rumors are true, I heard you might become a permanent fixture over this side of the States, so maybe I’ll get to see you a bit more.”
He threw his head back, laughing. “I don’t know what you’ve heard, but you can always come and see me play now you don’t have a job.”
