I Can't Do It Alone

“An intervention?” Sid questioned, looking between Kris and Tia.

“Yes, an intervention,” Tia replied. “Sid, Jocelyn, you’re coming with me,” she said, pulling the two of them back towards the bedroom. “Brook, Max, you’re staying out there with Kris,” she told them, walking into the bedroom and shutting the door behind them, locking it.

“You’re kidding me, right?” Sid asked.

“Nope,” Tia told him, standing in front of the door. “Jocelyn’s already heard this from me, but you’re going to hear it again. You two are being absolutely ridiculous. You guys love each other, and it’s stupid to be acting the way you two are right now. So, until you two sort out your problems, you will be stuck in here with me,” Tia stated.

“Tia,” Jocelyn began.

“No,” Tia cut her off. “Tell him,” she told her.

“Tell me what?” Sid asked, feeling out of the loop. When she didn’t say anything, he turned to look at Jocelyn. “Tell me what?” he asked more forcefully.

“I took the job,” Jocelyn said quietly.

“Okay,” Sid said, no emotion on his face. “So, why are we stuck in here?” he asked, turning around to look at Tia, who stayed frozen against the door. “She’s gone. There’s no reason to try to even work anything out.”

“Do you love Jocelyn?” Tia asked, and Sid remained silent. “What about you, Jocelyn? Do you love Sid?” she asked.

“It doesn’t matter if we love each other or not,” Jocelyn told her. “Tia, just let us go,” she begged, looking up pleadingly at Tia.

“No!” Tia yelled, and both Jocelyn and Sid quickly looked up at her. “Listen, I think you guys keep forgetting that I’ve been there for practically your entire relationship. When you guys broke up before, I was the one that helped put you two back together. I am not going to let you guys just end it all after everything that you two have been through. Just fucking say that you love each other and talk everything out!” she screamed.

Sid stared at her, disbelief written all over his face. He knew that Tia wanted them together, but he couldn’t believe the way she was acting right now. “Damn it, you guys! Don’t you understand that you two belong together? Just talk it out!” she continued yelling.

“Why don’t you care that I’m taking this job?” Jocelyn suddenly asked. “It’s like you don’t even care that I’m moving two thousand miles away. Does our relationship mean that little to you?” she asked in a small voice.

“Jocelyn, you know I love you,” Sid told her.

“Then why are you acting like this?” Jocelyn questioned. “You say that we won’t last if I take the job, but you refuse to ask me to stay. It makes me think that you don’t want us to be together anymore. Is that what you want?” she asked, her voice cracking as she let all of emotions come through. She could feel the tears stinging her eyes, but she refused to let them fall.

Sid was quiet for a moment, and Tia spoke up. “I swear to God, Sid, if you don’t say something in the next two seconds, I will…”

“Okay,” Sid said, not letting Tia finish her threat. He turned around and looked at Jocelyn. “I’m scared,” he admitted.

“Of what?” Jocelyn asked.

“Of letting you go to California for this job. I’m scared that you’re going to get there and you’re going to find someone who you love more than me, who deserves you more than me,” he explained. “But, I’m not going to tell you not to take the job. I know it’s what you want, so I’m behind you one hundred percent, either way.”

“Just tell me one thing,” Jocelyn said.

“Anything.”

“Why have you been acting like such a jerk lately?” she questioned. “Why didn’t you just talk to me about this?”

“Because I thought it’d be easier this way. I figured if I just stayed away and ignored you that it’d be easier when you left,” Sid replied. “But, I was wrong, obviously. Jocelyn, I love you. And, if you say we can make it work long distance, then I’m going to believe you, and we’ll give this a try. That is, if you take me back,” he added.

“I never knew we broke up,” Jocelyn smiled, walking forward into his arms and kissing him passionately. “You know,” she said as they broke apart. “I’ve really missed this.”

“Me, too,” Sid smiled before recapturing her lips.

“Aww,” Tia cried, watching the two of them. “Okay, now it’s just getting a little gross,” she said as they continued to make out. “Okay, seriously guys, you can stop anytime now,” she continued.

***

“What the hell is this all about?” Brooklyn asked, staring at Kris.

“You two aren’t leaving until you work everything out,” Kris replied, and both Max and Brooklyn gave him confused looks. “Okay, you two have a baby on the way. And, at this moment, you refuse to talk to each other.”

“Actually, one of us refuses to talk to the other one,” Brooklyn interrupted, sending a glare in Max’s direction.

“I don’t care,” Kris said, raising his voice. “Do you really want to have your child grow up with parents who won’t even talk to each other? Come on, you guys. Have you even thought about your child?”

“I’ve thought about the baby!” Brooklyn cried. “I’m all ready to raise him or her as a single mother,” she stated, and Max quickly turned his head to stare at her.

“What?” he yelled.

“I said I’m going to raise the child as a single mother,” she repeated.

“You are not going to take my child away from me.”

“Max, you obviously don’t want anything to do with me or the baby. You don’t want us to be a family. You made that perfectly clear. And, we both know that with your hockey schedule, you’re not going to have time for the baby,” Brooklyn explained.

“Of course I want to be in the baby’s life!” Max yelled. “Did you really think any differently? And, I’ll make time for him or her. Hockey is my job, but this baby is my family.”

“Okay, well, we’ll figure out a schedule that works for both of us as to who can have the baby when,” Brooklyn told him, and Max nodded in approval.

“Do you guys get how stupid this is?” Kris suddenly interrupted. “You two love each other. And, if you would just quit being idiots, then you could be a family together.”

“Kris, I get that you’re trying to help. But, it’s not going to happen,” Brooklyn told him. “Max has already made it clear that we’re never going to get married,” she said sadly, sitting down on the couch.

“Max,” Kris said, looking at him. “You know that she didn’t do this on purpose. She didn’t get pregnant just so you’d propose to her. Come on, you know that you were going to propose eventually anyways. So, maybe it’s a little bit before you thought you would.”

Max walked over and sat down next to Brooklyn. “He’s right,” he admitted, looking at Brooklyn who had her head down and was staring at the floor.

“He’s right about what?” Brooklyn questioned, not moving her gaze.

“I was planning on proposing,” he said, and Brooklyn quickly looked up at him. “In fact, I had already bought the ring and everything.”

“Then why did you react the way you did when you found out I was pregnant?” Brooklyn asked. “Why did you accuse me of getting pregnant so that you would propose to me? You know I would never do that!”

“I do know that. And, I just freaked out a little bit when you told me the news.”

“A little bit?” Brooklyn interrupted.

“Okay, so I freaked out a lot. I mean, we had always planned on having children after we got married,” he continued.

“And, after you retired,” she added.

“And, when you told me, I don’t know what went through my mind. But, I was wrong. Brooklyn, I love you.”

“I love you, too,” Brooklyn told him as Max got off of the couch and bent down on the floor in front of her. Brooklyn’s eyes went wide. “What are you doing?” she whispered.

“Brooklyn, I know I don’t deserve you. And, you don’t deserve how I’ve treated you the past couple of months. But, I love you, and I love this baby,” he said, putting his hand on her stomach. “And, I want us to be a family. I don’t have the ring with me, but will you marry me?”

Brooklyn stared at him for a moment, speechless. “Yes!” she suddenly cried, as he stood up, engulfing him in a hug and kissing him.

Tia ran out of the bedroom, having heard Brooklyn scream. “What happened?” she asked, running into the living room, seeing Brooklyn and Max. “Did they make up?” she asked Kris.

Brooklyn answered for him. “Yes, we did,” she told Tia as Sid and Jocelyn came walking out into the living room, too. “We’re engaged!” she exclaimed.

“Congratulations!” Jocelyn told her.

“And, you two are okay again?” Brooklyn asked, seeing that Sid and Jocelyn’s hands were intertwined.

“Yep,” Jocelyn smiled, nodding her head.

“Finally,” Tia said, leaning her head against Kris’s shoulder. “Everything’s back to normal!”