I think Anders has picked up on my weird vibes. I expected him to come over after coach had me in his office, but he just stares at me from across the room. Anders never shies away from sharing his opinion and I know he has a bunch about the way I behaved in practice.

He was majorly biting his tongue for some reason. I guess he feels sorry for me, he doesn’t want to give me a lashing when he thinks I’ve already had enough. A captain has to be the one to lift us up, not take a bat to our kneecaps, so he is giving me a wide birth. Even though it’s probably killing him.

Even now as we line up for warm-ups, he keeps looking over his shoulder at me like he’s worried I might disappear. He needn’t worry though. My plan is to win this game in record time. Like, world record-breaking speed, so I can go home and feel my baby kick again before Ellis goes to sleep.

I can hear music blaring through the speakers as an omnipotent voice counts down to our entrance in the corridor leading to the ice. Three, Two, One… Go. In succession, we all skate on seamlessly as usual. The sight and sounds of roaring fans still hit me every time. The oppressive lighting and thundering noise from the arena flows through my bloodstream.

There is nothing else like it. It’s completely electrifying. It’s the thing that gets my blood pumping and my adrenalin flowing; it is the same feeling I’ve gotten since the first time my blades touched the ice as a child. A feeling of home, of rightness, the feeling that told me this is what I wanted to do with my life.

I once thought there was nothing better than it. That was until I held Ellis in my arms again.

Suddenly, it feels like the ice is swept out from under me. My legs feel weaker as I look beyond the glass surrounding the rink. Sat right behind the goal, are Ellis and Jack. She’s wearing a large jersey adorned with my number eight. Her hair is curled and her lips are painted red to match our crimson-coloured kits.

I can’t believe she’s here. She must know I wouldn’t be able to stay away. On shaking legs, I skate over to them while trying to ignore the lump forming in my throat.