Use Somebody

Abigail was silent the rest of the way home, but Jordan didn't mind much. In fact when someone finally pulled over to help them he found himself being completely distraught. Because as soon as the man stepped out of his car Abigail left his arms and a rush of cold air filled the space where she once fit between his arms.

The man ended up giving them a ride home because there was nothing he could do about the truck right then. Jordan sat shotgun in the car and Abigail sat in the back silently. When they got home they found the house bustling with people. Eric had come up to visit again, this time bringing his wife. And her being pregnant put the house in a frenzy.

Everyone was in love with the idea of having another little Staal running around (specifically a boy that could carry on the name). Jared and his girlfriend were also over which was a big thing because Jared tended to spend a lot of his time out of the house. And finally Marc had a few old friends over and they were gathered around the TV watching a baseball game, yelling loudly and making bets.

"There’s so many people," Abigail murmured as her and Jordan stood in the doorway to the kitchen and living room.

"It's not so bad," Jordan said, looking down at her with a smile. Abigail smiled back sheepishly and averted her eyes to the ground.

"I'm gonna go change," she said. Jordan nodded and watched as she turned around and walked up the stairs quickly. He heard her door shut soon after and with a deep sigh he took a step into the kitchen and living room where most of his family was assembled.

"Jordan," Linda smiled brightly. "How was Abby's therapy?"

"We didn't go," Jordan told his mother. Her face dropped and if she didn't look utterly confused Jordan would imagine she'd look pretty mad.

"It's not like that," Jordan said with a roll of his eyes, knowing his mother was assuming the worst. "The truck broke down on one of the back roads and we had to wait until someone drove past us so we can get help."

"Why were you on the back roads?"

"Because it was raining like hell and I didn't want to risk anything driving on the highway," he told her simply. Linda's eyes softened considerably at this statement.

"Is she okay?" Linda asked her son softly.

Jordan thought for a moment before a wide smile appeared on his face. "Yeah," he said. "She's good."

Abigail walked into the room soon after that in a pair of grey sweatpants and a New York Rangers shirt. Jordan grinned once again and walked over to the short girl.

"We have to get you a new shirt," he told her.

"Why? I like this shirt."

"You've got to wear the shirt of champions," he smirked. Abigail smiled and shook her head.

"I'll always have a special place in my heart for the Rangers," she told him.

"That's fine. As long as the place in your heart for the Penguins is just a little bigger."

The rest of the night involved Abigail slowly working her way through awkward moments. She never felt comfortable will all of the people around but she also never felt the need to run up to her room and hide from everyone. As the night came to a close and everyone started to leave she felt accomplished in a way. Like she had just won a prize or something. She was slowly making progress and she could feel it in her bones. It and that might have been the best feeling she felt in a while.

Once she was sure everyone was in bed, she silently snuck back downstairs and outside. She walked slowly to the spot by the tree where her and Jordan sat the night before. She took in the fresh air around her and the stars and the moon. She appreciated the calmness of Thunder Bay and the Staal's farm. She had lived in New York City her whole life and had never been anywhere so quiet before. Even though Thunder Bay wasn't exactly a small farm town, it was nothing compared to the Big Apple.

As she got closer to the tree she realized Jordan was already sitting under it, looking out at the field. After taking a few deep breaths she walked over and sat down next to him, a little closer than last time. Jordan looked over and smiled at the small brunette.

"You like it out here, don't you?" He asked softly.

"Yeah," she nodded.

Silence.

"Are you okay?" Jordan asked her.

"No," she shook her head. "But I'm getting there. Wanna wake me up when I am?" She smiled.