In fact, Cella looked down at her leg to make sure she still had it and yup! It was there. It was bandaged and had a brace on it to keep it immobile while it healed. Cella could tell she was currently being pumped full of all sorts of painkillers because she knew her body was knitting itself back together and that often hurt. A lot. But she didn’t feel a thing. So here she was. Breathing. Surviving as Malones liked to do. And yet her uncles couldn’t even look at her. God ... did she have scars on her face? Did one of those hyenas hit her with his skate? Was she hideous?

Then Cella remembered that this was her family she was dealing with. They were emotional basket cases on their best days. So rather than panic, she looked around the room until she found her daughter. Meghan stood in the back of the room, Josie next to her. What Cella loved was the absolute look of annoyance on her kid’s pretty face. Okay. So if Meg was going to stay with the family, at least she had the potential to one day run this bunch. She had attitude to spare.

Even better, Meghan knew her mother. One look and she was pushing her way through the crowd of uncles, aunts, and cousins until she was by her mother’s side. She took Cella’s hand, holding it between both of hers. “Could you guys leave us alone, please? I need to ...” She took a long, dramatic pause Cella was mighty proud of. She’d taught the kid well. “... talk to my mom for a bit.”

“Of course, of course,” Kathleen said, hustling all the aunts, uncles, and cousins out of the room. But it was Cella’s dad who took hold of his wife’s shoulders and, with a wink at Cella, led the still sobbing woman out of the room.

Once the door closed and Cella was alone with her daughter, she let out a sigh. “No feline should sob unless she’s been hit with a baseball bat.”

“It’s always gotta be so extreme with you.”

Cella laughed, grinning up at her daughter. “It’s in the DNA, kid. You might as well get used to it.”

Still holding her mother’s hand, Meghan sat on the bed. “Mom, I’m so sorry.”

“For what? You didn’t do anything.”

“It’s not about doing anything. It’s about ... empathizing.”

“Empathizing?”

Meghan’s eyes crossed. “Yes, Mom. Empathy.”

“Sounds like weakness.”

“It is not ...” Meghan gritted her teeth. “Why do you make me crazy?”

“Isn’t that my job? It’s my mother’s job, and as you can see, she does it well.”

“All I’m saying is that I know how much hockey means to you. It meant everything—”

“No. You mean everything to me, baby. You. The rest is just gravy.”

“So what are you going to do now?”

“Learn toknit.”

“Mom.”

“I’ll figure out something. There’s more to life than hockey.”

“For everyone else, but not for you.” Meghan thought a moment. “There’s the female team.”

“No.”

“They don’t have the same rules that—”

“Exactly.” Cella gaped at her daughter. “Do you not like your mother’s pretty face? Do you hope to see me missing eyes ... teeth? Do you care so little that you’d suggest the all-female team?”

“You bare-knuckle box!”

“Men! Males, as you’ll one day learn, are easy to manage. If the same shit that went down last night had happened while I was on the all-female team ... I’d be missing legs. Both of them.”

“I heard they’re not that bad ... anymore.”

“They’re that bad. Trust me. Coed, all male, or nothing. Because all-female is just painful trouble and suffering.”

“Always with the drama.”

“I’m a Malone,” Cella explained again, making sure to let out a long sigh. “Once you grasp that, the drama explains itself.” She thought a moment. “Any chance you can get everyone else to go away? Far away?”

“I can try. They usually listen to me.”

“I know.”

“No, Ma.”

“What?”

“I see your mind turning. I will not be running this family anytime soon.”

“Of course not. You’re only eighteen. But another fifteen years or so ...”

“Like you’re ever going to let me boss you around.” Meghan dropped Cella’s hand. “You’re so full of crap.”

“Crap? Really?”

“Not everyone has to express themselves with profanity.”

“No. But what fun is it not to express yourself with profanity?”

Meghan stood. “I’ll get rid of everybody.” She walked to the door. Stopped. “Your team’s—”

“No,” Cella said quickly. “I can’t see them tonight.”

“Okay. That scary She-wolf and Detective MacDermot?”

“First off, the She-wolf is Dee-Ann and she already said you could call her that.”

Her daughter’s lip curled a little. “Yeah.”

“Forget it. Tell them to come by tomorrow.”

“Okay.” Her daughter glanced at the floor, then asked, “What about Mr. Crushek?”

“Crush is here?”

“Of course, he’s here.” Meghan nodded. “And he looks really upset.”

“He does?”

“Uh-huh.”