((Nah, it's ok, we're not breaking any rules by restarting it. ))

Ellie squeezed Kevin’s hand back. ”Thanks,” she whispered. Looking past Kevin, her eyes met Coach’s. He had remained silent so far and she realized she didn’t know what to say. Surely he didn’t either. There would be time to talk about it later. For now, she asked ”Hey Coach, were you able to get ahold of my dad?”

Coach looked back at Ellie. He knew what she was thinking but there was no point putting it to words. When she asked about her father, her voice sounded so sad and frail, like she already knew the answer. ”I tried calling but he didn’t answer,” he said, shaking his head, ”I left a message, I’m sure he’ll call as soon as he gets it.”

Ellie turned her face away. Of course he hadn’t answered. He was probably in some big meeting. There was no use calling her mother, they didn’t speak much. She had visited a couple times over the years but each time the distance felt greater and their relationship more strained. Marissa was more of a mother to her now than anything.

”Can you please call Marissa and let her know?” Ellie asked, turning back towards Coach. She didn’t want the woman to worry when she didn’t show up at home. Her own cell phone likely lay forgotten somewhere at the rink. Coach nodded and stepped away as another nurse came by.

”Alright, time for a couple x-rays,” the woman announced cheerfully. Briskly disengaging the break on the stretcher, the nurse started to pull her away. Ellie’s hand slipped out of Kevin’s and she strained her neck to look back at him. ”Don’t worry hun, we’ll have you back in a jiffy,” she said, seemingly oblivious to the distress of her young patient.