Do I Dream Again

Sadie sat at the table across from Kristina at Starbucks, laughing as Kristina yawned for the third time in the past three minutes. “Tired much?” Sadie questioned.

“Why’d my honeymoon have to end so soon?” Kristina whined.

“First of all, you and Val were gone for two weeks. I’d say that was a pretty long honeymoon. And, it had to end so soon because Val has to go back to work,” Sadie reminded her.

“Damn preseason,” Kristina muttered as the door opened and Kyra rushed inside, quickly finding the two women and sitting down at their table.

“Sorry I’m late,” Kyra began. “I had to take Sophia to school. It was her first day today,” she informed them.

“Was she excited to go?” Sadie asked, and Kyra nodded her head. “That’s good. I always hated going to school. I used to cry every single first day of school, and then I used to pretend to be sick in order to try to stay home. I hated school,” Sadie recalled.

“Thank God Sophia’s not like that. She actually really likes school. She’s been looking forward to going for a while now. I think she’s missed all of her friends,” Kyra told them. “I’ll be right back,” she added, standing up and walking to the counter so she could order herself some coffee. Minutes later, she sat back down at the table with her coffee in hand. “So, how was your honeymoon?” she asked Kristina.

“Too short,” Kristina commented, as she tried to stifle another yawn.

“Seriously, did you get any sleep the past two weeks?” Sadie laughed.

“Not too much sleep, though we were in our room a whole lot,” Kristina smiled. “Speaking of, Kyra, is everything going well with you and Hank and the baby and everything?” she asked.

“Speaking of?” Kyra questioned. “How did we get on this topic? Are you trying to tell us that you’re pregnant or something?” she joked.

“Nope, not that I know of,” Kristina replied. “Anyways, back to you. How is everything?” she inquired.

Kyra smiled to herself, remembering how good Henrik had been treating her, Sophia, and the unborn baby she was carrying. “Everything and everyone’s going great,” she answered. “Hank’s wonderful, and I really don’t know why I freaked out when I first found out I was pregnant. I should have known that Hank would be here for me and the baby and Sophia.”

“Yeah, you should have,” Sadie told her, and Kyra stuck out her tongue at her.

“I am a little nervous, though,” Kyra continued.

“About what?” Kristina asked.

“What happens when the press and the fans find out?” she wondered aloud. “I don’t know if I’m ready for all the hateful things that they’re bound to write about me.”

“Why would they write bad things about you?” Sadie asked.

“Sadie,” Kyra said, looking over at her best friend. “I am carrying Henrik Zetterberg’s child. All those fan girls are going to hate me,” she explained. “Have you never looked up what they write about players’ girlfriends on the internet?” she asked.

“No,” Sadie admitted, shaking her head. “Why? Is it that bad?”

“Yeah, it is,” Kristina spoke up. “They’re pretty harsh. You could be the nicest person in the world, and they still write a whole bunch of shit about you. When I was first dating Val, they wrote horrible things about me, about how I wasn’t good enough and pretty enough for him. And, then when we got engaged, it only became worse.”

“I wonder what they say about me,” Sadie said.

“I don’t know,” Kyra told her. “But, when these girls find out I’m freaking carrying his kid, they’re going to eat me alive,” she muttered, taking a sip of her coffee.

“You’ve just got to learn to ignore them,” Kristina told her.

“Or, don’t read whatever they say,” Sadie suggested.

Kyra opened her mouth to argue when her cell phone began ringing. She picked it up, as Kristina and Sadie stared at her, wondering who was calling her. They listened to her argue for a few moments before she hung up, obviously frustrated. “Everything okay?” Kristina asked.

“No,” Kyra admitted. “That was my boss telling me that I need to come in for a few hours because Valerie is sick, which means I’m not going to be able to pick up Sophia, so I need to call Melanie and see if she can pick her up,” Kyra said, getting flustered.

“Kyra, calm down, I’m sure Melanie will be able to pick her up. I would, but I have an interview at two, and I’m sure that I’m not going to get out before Sophia gets out of school,” Sadie told her.

“I have to get to work in about an hour, too, or I’d pick her up,” Kristina said.

Kyra nodded her head in understanding as she dialed Melanie’s number. She quickly picked up the phone, and Kyra explained the situation. Moments later she hung up the phone, and Sadie and Kristina stared at her expectantly, wondering if everything had gotten worked out. “So?” Sadie asked, and Kyra sighed, putting her head in her hands. “She can’t do it?” she asked.

“No,” Kyra shook her head. “She’s in Chicago right now visiting her boyfriend. I didn’t even know she had a boyfriend who lived in Chicago! Guys, what am I going to do? My boss isn’t going to let me off to go pick her up, and I don’t know who can do it.”

“Ask Hank,” Kristina suggested, and Kyra looked over at her curiously. “What? The guys will be out of practice by then. I think Val told me that they should be done by one today. And, I’m sure Hank will go pick her up.”

“I hate asking him to do things like that, though,” Kyra admitted. “I feel like I’m using him or something.”

“Using him?” Sadie questioned. “Kyra, Hank loves Soph. Just call him and ask him. I’m sure he’s not going to have a problem with it. And, if you don’t call and ask, I’ll do it for you.”

“Fine,” Kyra sighed, slowly picking up her phone and finding Henrik’s number in it. When he picked up, she explained that she needed someone to pick Sophia up since she was called into work, and Henrik immediately agreed to do it. “Are you sure?” Kyra asked him, not wanting him to feel like he had to do it.

“It’s fine,” Henrik assured her. “She gets out at three?” he asked.

“Two-thirty,” Kyra corrected. “Thank you so much. I owe you.”

“It’s no problem,” he told her before hanging up the phone.

***

Sophia bounced out of her school, looking around for Kyra. Instead, she saw Henrik standing outside the school building, and she quickly made her way over to him. “Hi!” she said happily. “What are you doing here? Are you picking me up today?” she asked him.

“Yeah,” he replied. “Your mom had to work, so she asked me to pick you up. I hope that’s okay with you,” he said as she reached out and grabbed his hand as they made their way across the parking lot towards his car. Henrik tried his best to ignore all the stares he was getting, and he looked down to see Sophia doing the same.

“That’s fine with me,” she told him as he helped her get into the back seat and fastened her seat belt for her. They drove home with Sophia telling him all about her first day of school and how much she had enjoyed it.

“So, you like school?” he asked her as he pulled into the parking lot out in front of his condominium.

“Yeah!” Sophia exclaimed. “I can’t wait to go back tomorrow.”

“I’m glad,” Henrik smiled at her as they made their way up the stairs towards his door. He unlocked it, opening the door to allow Sophia to enter the living room.

“Hey, Hank,” Sophia called out as she sat down on his couch. Henrik turned around to give her his full attention. “Stacey told me that when the baby comes that you won’t want me around,” Sophia continued.

“What?” Henrik asked, confused, as he sat down next to her. “How does Stacey know that you’re going to have a brother or sister?”

“I told her,” Sophia said quietly. “Was I not supposed to?” she questioned, wondering if she was going to get into trouble.

“No, it’s fine,” Henrik assured her. “But, what did Stacey say?”

“She said that you won’t want me around. She said that you and Mommy will love the baby more than me and will try to get rid of me. Is that true?” she asked, looking up at him wide-eyed. It was at that moment that Henrik saw so much of Kyra in Sophia. He could see the scared little girl in her that was frightened that she wasn’t going to be loved any longer.

“Sophia, your mom and I will always love you. That’s never going to change. We’re always going to want you with us, and we’re never going to get rid of you,” Henrik assured her. “The baby isn’t going to change that.”

“Do you promise?” Sophia asked, holding out her pinky finger.

“I promise,” Henrik replied, linking his pinky finger with hers. Sophia smiled as she let the matter drop, but the conversation stuck in his mind, and he made sure he remembered to talk to Kyra when she came over after she got out of work.

When Kyra walked into his condominium, she looked around for Sophia, but she couldn’t see her anywhere. “She’s asleep in my bed,” Henrik answered her unasked question.

“Oh,” Kyra nodded her head as she sat her purse down on the table and made her way over to Henrik. “Thanks for picking her up.”

“No problem,” Henrik said, giving Kyra a kiss. “But, I wanted to talk to you about something,” he continued, and Kyra looked up at him as he proceeded to tell her about his and Sophia’s conversation. “Where does Stacey get these ideas and why is she telling them to Sophia?” he asked after he had explained everything.

“I don’t know where she’s getting these things, but I wish she’d stop this with Sophia. It’s getting to be absolutely ridiculous. I’m sure it’s her father telling her these things. But, my God, these girls are five years old. They shouldn’t be saying things like that!”

“I told her that we were going to love her no matter what, and a baby isn’t going to change that, and I think she knows that’s true. I just don’t know what else Stacey is going to say,” Henrik said.

“I’ll make sure to talk to her, too, just to make sure that she knows that we love her,” Kyra told him. “Thank you for saying those things to her, though.”

“They were the truth,” Henrik said. “We are going to love her no matter what, and this new baby isn’t going to change that.”

Kyra nodded her head in agreement. “Well, I better get her home to sleep in her own bed,” she said, making her way back to his bedroom and picking Sophia up in her arms and carrying her towards the door. “Thanks again,” she told Henrik. “I’ll see you later.”

“Bye,” he said, giving her a kiss before kissing Sophia on the top of her head, and walking them out to the car.