On his way to realizing his Olympic dream, Tom Alan Baranowski finds himself in the midst of a dilemma. His traditional Japanese coach is insisting upon an arranged marriage between his biological daughter Erika and adopted son Tom Alan, who are partners on the ice. Tom Alan loves Erika, and his coach literally saved his life, rescuing him from an abusive home. How can he say no?<br><br>Somewhat resigned to his “not so bad” fate, everything changes when Tom Alan meets British ice dancer Milo Fisher. The spark between them is almost hot enough to melt the ice beneath their blades, and the two fall into an affair.<br><br>What about Erika? What about loyalty? What about gold? For Tom Alan, the impossible throw quadruple jump is suddenly the least difficult thing in his life.

Quadruple Flip

“Now taking the ice, representing the United States of America, Erika Tsuchino and Tom Alan Baranowski.”


Tom Alan and Erika glided to the center of the ice to begin their program. She bent forward. He reached under her, clasping his hands. Bells pealed, beginning the musical arrangement.


Irina Mischen had once asked Tom Alan to think about what the song meant. Without lyrics to go by, he was stumped for quite a while. Finally, what he’d come up with—because of the way the music started so softly and slowly, then got fast and out of control, then settled down—was that Rachmaninoff, or whoever it was about, was sad but then he got mad, then maybe got over it.


Like the stages of grief the team psychologist had mentioned to him. He thought of that now all in an instant, all the stages: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance, all in one song. Tom Alan had no idea if his answer was right, but that’s how he would always think of Bells of Moscow from then on.


Chapter 107