I Could Rest Beneath Your Smile

It had been a little over a month since Brooklyn and Max had brought the babies home from the hospital, and Brooklyn was still not used to the lack of sleep she was getting now. Brooklyn pulled the sheets over her head when she heard the doorbell ring, not wanting to get up to answer it. Moments later, it rang once again, and Brooklyn threw the covers off of her, hurrying to get the door before the twins woke up.

She opened it up, revealing Tia on the other side. “Hey, how are you doing?” she asked her, walking inside. “Did you get much sleep last night?” she asked, knowing that Brooklyn was receiving very minimal sleep every night. And, now that the guys were off to Sweden to start the season, she was even more exhausted, having to take care of the twins by herself.

“Oh my God, if I could just sleep for an hour, it would be a miracle!” Brooklyn exclaimed. “Seriously, it’s like I’ll just start to doze off, and one will start crying. And, I wish Max wouldn’t have had to leave right now.”

“I know,” Tia told her. “But, what about if I come over tonight, and I’ll help you take care of the twins?” she suggested. “I’ll even make you dinner, and everything. And, we can watch the game on tv, cheering the boys on.”

“You are amazing,” Brooklyn told her, wrapping her in a hug. “And, do you think we can call Jocelyn and invite her over, too?”

“I’m already a step ahead of you. We’ll be over here at five tonight,” Tia promised as she heard one of the babies start crying. “Let me,” she offered, standing up and running back to the babies’ room. She walked inside and saw Elise crying. She picked the little girl up, rocking her a bit as she sang softly. Brooklyn walked into the room, and she couldn’t help but smile at the scene in front of her.

“You’re going to be a great mother,” Brooklyn told her, watching as she got Elise to quiet down.

“Don’t tell Kris that,” Tia laughed.

“What? He doesn’t want children?” Brooklyn asked.

“That’s not what I meant,” Tia told her, laying Elise back in her crib now that she was almost asleep once again. “I’m the one who’s not so sure if she wants children,” she admitted.

“Why not?” Brooklyn asked.

“I look at you, and then I don’t know if I could handle it. I mean, the babies are just a month old, and you already seem like you’ve been taking care of them for years, and you’re completely exhausted,” Tia pointed out. “I don’t know if I could handle that.”

“You know, it is exhausting taking care of these two. But, then when you see the smile on their face, you forget about all the hard times, and you’re so happy to have them in your life.”

“I’m still not sure about me being a mother. But, we’ll see in the future,” Tia told her. She looked back and forth between Noah and Elise. “They are the most adorable children in the world,” she told Brooklyn.

“Yeah, Max and I were extremely fortunate to get these two,” she agreed.

***

Brooklyn turned the television on, waiting for the Penguins game to start. Tia and Jocelyn each had a baby in their arms as Brooklyn went to the kitchen to get the food to bring out into the living room. She walked into the living room to see Max come on the television, and the twins instantly became quiet as he started to talk. “It’s like they know it’s their father,” Tia observed.

Brooklyn laughed. “Yeah,” she told her. “They’re always like that. Max seems to always be able to calm them down for some reason.”

“That’s so sweet,” Jocelyn said as the camera switched to show Sergei Gonchar. “So, what’s it been like no longer having to go to work every day?” she asked her sister. Brooklyn had decided to quit her job and become a stay-at-home mom since Max was going to be gone a lot with the team, and both of them had agreed not to get a nanny for the children.

“It’s weird,” Brooklyn told her. “I mean, I’m still used to having to get up every morning to go to work, and I find myself missing it. But, I love getting to spend time with the kids every day, even if they spend the majority of it either sleeping or crying,” she joked, causing both girls to laugh at her. “Oh, so did you know that Tia doesn’t want to have children,” she brought up randomly.

“I didn’t think it was that big of a deal,” Tia told her.

“Really?” Jocelyn asked, turning around to look at her. “I mean, you seem like you’d be an amazing mom. Look at you right now,” she pointed out, watching as she rocked Noah, who was close to falling asleep.

“Yeah, but I’m still not sold on the idea of being a mother,” she told her. “Anyways, what about you? Have you and Sid talked about it?” she asked.

“Yeah, actually we have,” Jocelyn told her, and both Tia and Brooklyn turned their attention to her. “But, we both want to wait a while since we’re so focused on our careers and on our relationship in general.”

“Yeah, that’s what Max and I wanted, too,” Brooklyn reminded her. “And, look how that turned out.”

“Yeah, well, you and Max never do anything like anyone else,” Jocelyn joked with a smile, causing Brooklyn to stick her tongue out at her. They turned their attention to the television as the game began.

Three and a half hours and a Penguins win later, Brooklyn heard her phone ringing, and she knew immediately that it was Max. She smiled as she picked up her phone, greeting him. “Hey, babe,” she heard Max say.

“Hey, Max,” she said. “Congratulations on the win. Are you having fun over there in Sweden?” she asked, leaning back against the couch.

“Definitely,” he told her. “But, I miss you and Elise and Noah,” he added quickly. “How are you doing with them?” he asked.

“I’m good,” she answered. “Tia and Jocelyn are here with me now helping me watch them. Actually, both Elise and Noah just fell asleep. But, yeah, Tia and Jocelyn came over to help and watch the game. I’m really proud of you scoring that goal tonight, and I really can’t wait until you come back home,” she added.

“Only a few more days,” Max promised.

“Yeah, but then you’ll only be home for a few days before you’re off to New York,” she reminded him. “Max, I miss you,” she admitted.

“Brook, I miss you, too. You know that,” he replied, and Brooklyn nodded her head, even though she knew he couldn’t see her.

“Listen, I’m going to let you go so you can go out and celebrate with the team, and so I can go ahead and put the twins to bed. But, call me tomorrow, okay?” Brooklyn asked.

“Of course,” he promised. “I’ll call before we head to practice.”

“Okay,” she said. “I love you.”

“I love you, too. And, tell the twins I love them,” he added.

“I will,” she promised. “Bye,” she said, hanging up the phone.

As she set the phone on the couch next to her, Tia and Jocelyn looked over at her. “What’s wrong?” Tia asked her, seeing that Brooklyn looked like she was about to cry.

“Guys, Max just started the season, and I miss him already,” she told them.

“Yeah, we miss Sid and Kris, too,” Jocelyn told her.

“I just don’t know how I’m going to get through the season taking care of the twins without Max here all the time. I need him,” she admitted.

“Brook, we’re going to be here for you. And, Max will be helping when he’s home. You know he’s looking forward to spending time with the kids,” Tia told her.

“Yeah, it’s the times when he’s not here that I’m worried about,” Brooklyn said.