Ellie felt the warmth of Kevin’s hand spread through her as he wrapped her cold fingers up in his own. It felt good to have his solid presence grounding her. The room seemed to sway a bit less and her focus seemed a bit clearer. She tore her gaze from their intertwined hands to look up at Kevin’s face. Noticing his tearstained cheeks she gave his hand a squeeze. ”I’m glad you’re here,” she whispered, a few silent tears spilling down the side of her cheeks. A whirlwind of emotions was surging within her. Something about the way their hands cupped together just felt right. Kevin’s words and presence were reassuring but they couldn’t push aside the fear gripping her stomach so tightly it almost made her nauseous. Would she be able to walk again? Would she…be able to skate again? The competition was over, that was for sure. The thought of that sent another wave of tears down her cheeks. What would she do now that she wasn’t able to skate? Skating was her life and blood. Skating is what helped her keep things together when her parents divorced. Skating kept the loneliness at bay when her dad was constantly away on his business trips. Skating filled her with purpose. What could possibly replace all of those things now?