Taylor Swift's Clean blasted through Carl Hagelin's iPhone and into the Rangers locker room, flooding it as Caroline sat down in her stall and threw a gatorade towel over her head. This was opening night to the 2015-2016 season. And not only was it the first game of the season, it was also home opening night, and the opponent was the Islanders. Yup the first game and the Rangers were playing one of her best friends, and her husband. The situation was far from normal. "Rain came pouring down when I was drowning, that's when I could finally breathe, and by morning gone was any trace of you, I think I am finally clean." Mats Zuccarello sang as he smirked at her from across the Rangers logo. She smiled back. She should be singing along with the boys as Matt Hunwick danced along with Mike Kostka, she laughed. "That's when I could finally breatheeee." She shook her head and smirked. "Del Zotto, someone's here for you." She picked up her head to see Ryan McDonagh standing in front of her, a towel wrapped around his waist. "Him?" Ryan nodded and sat down in his stall next to her, slipping on his under armour boxer briefs and stripped the towel off. "I'll be back Mac." He nodded again. She slipped on her bauer shower slides and walked into the glass hallway leading to the ice.

Michael stood there leaning up against the glass, Al Tratwig one of the MSG Network reporters nodded towards them as he walked into the MSG Network-intermisson interview room. "I wanted to see you before all the ruckus ensued." She had never seen him face to face in full gear, but here he was standing before her in full islanders gear, jersey and all. He liked getting ready especially early and sat in full gear until warmups. He was weird. "All your missing is your helmet." He edged near her. "It's sitting in my stall." She edged closer this time to him. "Their calling this game the battle of the Del Zotto's." She laughed. "Well I guess it is Del Zotto." He kissed her gently. "I guess so Del Zotto." Just hearing him refer to her as a Del Zotto made a shiver down her spine. This was the battle of New York, and now the Del Zotto's. "Well I guess I'll see you out there enemy." She mumbled. "Patrick is in an Islander jersey, and Jack is in a Ranger one." For a couple minutes she forgot about her children sitting out there in the arena with Jacqueline Messier, and their parents. "Well this will be the first time they see their parents playing each other in person." They were still only 1 they wouldn't understand but it was a historic night. "I love you. No matter what happens tonight, I love you. We leave everything on the ice." She nodded. "I love you too Michael. Leave everything on the ice." They shook on it. "Now kiss me before I have to go back in the vistors locker room." She pulled on his jersey, bringing him down to her level. He was extra taller then her at the moment, with his skates on, not exactly level playing field. She kissed him gently then harder, as he wrapped his arms around her waist and she wrapped her legs around him. He leaned them up against the hallway, his fingers creeping their way into the waistband of her Nike athletic shorts. She broke away for a breath of air. "Michael this isn't the most private area. A glass hallway." He smirked. "I don't care." He was always down for Public Display of affection. At that moment Brendan came out of the locker room and halted. "Seriously?" He made a gross look as he walked into the buffet room and grabbed a couple buffalo chicken wings. "Keep it in your pants guys this is a family atmosphere! Del Zotto back in the room." The two laughed as they unraveled from each other. "See you on the ice MDZ." She kissed his cheek. "Same to you CDZ." He kissed the top of her head. They broke apart and she walked back into the locker room.
Michael stood there leaning up against the glass, Al Tratwig one of the MSG Network reporters nodded towards them as he walked into the MSG Network-intermisson interview room. "I wanted to see you before all the ruckus ensued." She had never seen him face to face in full gear, but here he was standing before her in full islanders gear, jersey and all. He liked getting ready especially early and sat in full gear until warmups. He was weird. "All your missing is your helmet." He edged near her. "It's sitting in my stall." She edged closer this time to him. "Their calling this game the battle of the Del Zotto's." She laughed. "Well I guess it is Del Zotto." He kissed her gently. "I guess so Del Zotto." Just hearing him refer to her as a Del Zotto made a shiver down her spine. This was the battle of New York, and now the Del Zotto's. "Well I guess I'll see you out there enemy." She mumbled. "Patrick is in an Islander jersey, and Jack is in a Ranger one." For a couple minutes she forgot about her children sitting out there in the arena with Jacqueline Messier, and their parents. "Well this will be the first time they see their parents playing each other in person." They were still only 1 they wouldn't understand but it was a historic night. "I love you. No matter what happens tonight, I love you. We leave everything on the ice." She nodded. "I love you too Michael. Leave everything on the ice." They shook on it. "Now kiss me before I have to go back in the vistors locker room." She pulled on his jersey, bringing him down to her level. He was extra taller then her at the moment, with his skates on, not exactly level playing field. She kissed him gently then harder, as he wrapped his arms around her waist and she wrapped her legs around him. He leaned them up against the hallway, his fingers creeping their way into the waistband of her Nike athletic shorts. She broke away for a breath of air. "Michael this isn't the most private area. A glass hallway." He smirked. "I don't care." He was always down for Public Display of affection. At that moment Brendan came out of the locker room and halted. "Seriously?" He made a gross look as he walked into the buffet room and grabbed a couple buffalo chicken wings. "Keep it in your pants guys this is a family atmosphere! Del Zotto back in the room." The two laughed as they unraveled from each other. "See you on the ice MDZ." She kissed his cheek. "Same to you CDZ." He kissed the top of her head. They broke apart and she walked back into the locker room.

---

A half hour later the Rangers and Islanders were on the ice for warmups, and Caroline couldn't help but lean over the Rangers bench and stare idly at Michael doing the same exact thing on the vistors bench. She felt a pit in her stomach. This wasn't what it was supposed to be like, they were supposed to be on the same side. They were supposed to retire as New York Rangers, they were supposed to have their banners hanging one day together. This wasn't the plan. But life got away from them, plans changed and Caroline couldn't help but feel emptiness, they were supposed to be in it together. "You k?" Matt Hunwick asked as he took a swig of his water bottle. "Yeah I am fine Hunnywick." She skated away from the bench to the other side of the ice, and started stretching her hamstrings. "It's weird." She turned her head to Carl Hagelin, watching him, watch Michael skate around and crack jokes with John Tavares. "I know." Carl shook his head. He looked down at his sweater and grabbed it with his glove. "I can't be anything else, Caroline. I can't." She put her hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry C, you won't have to be. I promise. Rangers for life." The scary part was it was an empty promise, Caroline didn't know what was going to happen, anymore. The Rangers had a history of trading away, her godfathers, and guys she brought into her life, who were her family.

---

"Del Zotto two minutes for tripping." It was two periods into the game, and the Rangers were leading 4-2. "ARE YOU KIDDING ME?" Caroline tapped her stick on the ice hard. "That's fucking insane. I didn't trip him!" Conners a popular referee in the league made his way over to her. "It's final Caroline, now go to the box now, or spend the rest of the period in the locker room." She rolled her eyes and skated over to the box, throwing her helmet onto the ground of the penalty box and shoving her stick to the side. Two fucking minutes for fucking nothing. Did the ref not understand she had scored two goals this game? She was trying to go for the hat trick.

Thank god the boys had killed off the penalty, she stared at the scoreboard as she put on her helmet, the clock counting down from ten seconds. She grabbed her stick and stood by the entrance to the penalty box, the penalty ending, she was released from the box. She glided out onto the ice. And then blackness. Blackness.

---

"Caroline, Caroline!!!" Caroline slowly opened her eyes, everything hurt. "She's awake!" She fully opened her eyes, and saw Michael kneeing over her. Tears started flooding her eyes, everything hurt. "Care, Care, you okay?" Jim Ramsey, the Rangers equipment manager asked as she tried to get up. "Care you need to stay down for now." She shook her head. "I am fine." She waved her fingers, and legs. "See I am fine." She said through the tears flooding out of her eyes. "Your not fine." She wiped them away. "I am fine, I promise. Get me up." Jim, her brother and Michael helped her up slowly. She skated on her own power to the bench, and sat down next to Cam Talbot, leaning forwards and shaking back and forth. "You need to be evaluated, you could have a concussion." She stood up and shook all her limbs, and followed her finger with her eyes. "See I am fine! I am just shaken up a bit." She saw on the ice, Michael going after Calvin De Haan. She saw the instant replay of the hit. De Haan had come across ice to hit her when she didn't even have the puck, and she wasn't aware that he was there. She was looking the other way. Dirty hit. Four minutes. "I want to go back out there." Scott Arniel, the assistant coach shook his head. "Maybe in a few shifts Care, sit down, drink some water and calm down." She shook her head and sat down. Talbot rubbed her shoulders with his hands. "That was quite a hit Care, you should be in the locker room right now." She looked at him. "I am a hockey player. I am not some whiny soccer player." Matt Hunwick threw down his water bottle. "You are also a daughter, a sister, a friend, a wife and a mother! It's not just about you anymore." She turned her body to see her little boys sitting behind the bench, on her father and Jacqueline's laps. "That's why I need to go out there and show them I don't quit." He seethed at her. "Not if your injured." She rolled her eyes. "I am FINE!" She suddenly got dizzy, really dizzy. "Caroline, you K?" Carl mumbled as everything went black again. Darkness. Blackness.

---

She opened her eyes, this time she was not on the bench at MSG, instead in a white room. Lights blasting in her eyes. "Hello? HELLO?" Michael came running into the room. "Baby, your up!" She turned her attention to all the wires on her and the IVs in her. "What happened?" She looked at the TV. "Caroline Del Zotto collapsed on the bench during the Rangers home opener tonight against the New York Islanders. She is now in the hospital. We will know more tomorrow." She looked at him. "You pulled a Rich Peverley on us. You have a concussion. Grade 1 thank god. You should of went into the locker room Care, you weren't fine. You can't always be so stubborn." That was Caroline Thomas Del Zotto. Stubborn. "Where are the boys?" He took a seat next to her hospital bed. "Home with Brendan, Jacqueline, our parents and Carl." She nodded. "My head hurts." She winced. "Well you took two nasty falls. I thought there for a minute I lost you." She turned her head towards him. "Your stuck with me Mikey." He kissed her forehead. "Thank god. Never do that to me again." The roles were switched this time, five almost six years ago it was her worrying about him, after he took a skate to the chest. Now he was worrying about her. "Take it easy Gretzky, we'll get you out of here soon." He walked out to get the doctor.

When John Tavares, Alex Pietrangelo, Cody Hodgson, and Steven Stamkos walked in. "Fuck you Caroline we thought you died." She let out a laugh. "I was just thinking you guys were going to burst in here any second." The four of them surrounded her. "We thought you were a goner." She smirked. "Too bad I am still here." Alex looked at her and started to tear up. "You gave us a hell of a scare Thomas." She hadn't been called Thomas since her rehearsal dinner. "Yeah Thommy never do that to us ever fucking again. We had to take flights from St.Louis, Buffalo and Tampa to get here." She started crying again, for no reason. "Guys, I swear I was fine." They huddled around her closer. "It's okay, everything will be ok. We promise." This time she believed their promise.

"When do I get to play again?" You couldn't take the hockey player out of her, it was ingrained, engraved in her. "You asked that in the ambulance, then you blacked out again." Michael walked in. "Soon Care, you need to get better first. You have a family now that worries about you." She felt useless right now. If only she had picked up her head when De Haan came at her. "I want De Haan skinned alive." John laughed. "Don't worry DZ left a good bruise on his eye." Cody kissed her hand. "Well a bruise on the eye is far from the heart." She laughed. Miracle for the win.

She couldn't wait until she could get back on that ice, and get revenge on De Haan.

A hell of a memorable opening night, for sure.

Notes