Crazy Beginnings and Happy Endings
nine
I woke up the next morning to my body being shaken and a familiar voice saying my name. I opened my eyes and looked into the eyes of Kris Letang. "Why are you waking me up?" I asked, confused.
"It's Christmas morning!" Kris smiled down at me.
I rolled my eyes and rolled over so that I was facing away from Kris. "That's great. What time is it?" I asked.
"Seven," Kris replied walking to the other side of the bed so that he could see my face. "Get up, everyone else is."
"Letang," I said with a sigh, "everyone else is up because they are excited to open presents. I hope everyone like what I got them, but I'm not expecting anything so come wake me up when you are done."
"You have presents," Kris replied pulling me out of bed and onto my feet.
I stumbled a little and shot Kris a glare. "Fine, but I don't believe you." I said following him out of the room.
We made our way downstairs and into the living room where the Staal family was sitting waiting for us.
"Merry Christmas," I said as we walked in.
The Staal's smiled and wished me a merry Christmas back. "Brylyn," Mrs. Staal said with a smile, "come sit down. We'll get started with presents and then, if you don't mind, you can help Tanya and I in the kitchen."
"Of course," I smiled back, "anything to help." I sat beside her as the boys and Tanya started into the presents. I smiled while they opened present after present, happy with each of them. I had gotten Marc, Jordan and Kris something small. I also got something for Mrs. and Mr. Staal. Once the family and Kris finished with their presents, I said, "I'm sorry I didn't get something for all of you guys. Marc never told me anything about you so I didn't know what you'd like."
"It's fine," Eric, Jared, and Tanya chorused together.
I was so happy to see the family together. I had a huge smile on my face. Then Marc handed me a present telling me it was from the Staals. I thanked him and opened the present. It was a couple of spatulas and a bowl. I was so happy, I gave all of the Staals a hug and thanked them before I sat back down beside Kris. I felt a hand on my shoulder and looked to my right at Kris. He was holding a box in his other hand.
"What's that?" I asked.
"A present," Kris smiled. "it's for you."
"Letang," I complained, "you didn't have to get me anything."
"Come on," Kris said pushing it towards me. "It's nothing special, but you got me something for me and I felt bad so I got you something too."
"Thanks," I said giving him a quick hug before taking the ribbon off the box and lifting the lid. At the top of the box was a piece of paper with what I assumed was his phone number. I rolled my eyes and put the paper beside me. Next was Julia Child's French cookbook. When I saw this I gasped and looked at Kris with huge eyes. "Oh my goshness, Letang! I've always wanted her cookbook!" I gave him a hug. "Thank-you so much."
"You're welcome," he smiled. "But there is more."
I looked at the box and took the book out to see two tickets nestled in tissue paper. I looked at them confused. "What's this?" I asked looking at him while I took the tickets out of the box.
He shrugged, "just a couple of tickets. It's no big deal." His eyes and his lips held huge smiles.
"Letang," I said looking at the tickets. One was a plane ticket from New York to Pittsburgh and the other was a ticket for a Penguins hockey game. "This is too much. I can't take these."
"Don't worry about it," he smiled at me. "Besides Jordan and Marc helped pay for them. We looked at your schedule and found your next break where you could come to Pittsburgh to visit and see a game. Seeing as you haven't been to a game to see Jordan and I play."
I nodded and gave Jordan, Marc, and Kris a hug. I could feel tears welling up in my eyes. "Thank-you, all of you," I whispered, my voice cracking. "This is the best Christmas I've had in a long time." I quickly got up before the tears started to fall and went up to the guest room.
"Mommy, is she ok?" I heard Parker as before I headed up the stairs.
I laid on the bed and let the tears fall. For the first time in a long time I felt like I was loved. It felt nice, but at the same time overwhelming.
I was too caught up in my thoughts to realize someone was in the room until the bed sunk. I rolled over to find Kris sitting on the edge of the bed. "Hey," he whispered. "You ok?"
I nodded. "Yea, I just...I don't know." I shook my head as more tears started to fall.
"It's ok, Bry," he whispered pulling me into a hug, causing me to sit up beside him. I leaned my head on his shoulder. "What's wrong?" he whispered into my ear.
"Nothing," I said truthfully. "I just haven't had people care this much about me. I'm used to being on my own and no-one worrying about me. Then you guys come along and even though you aren't doing much, it's a lot more than what I'm used to. To be truthful, it's nice."
Kris just nodded and pulled me closer. "We will always care about you, Bry."
I looked up and smiled at him. I gave him a kiss on the cheek before wiping the tears off of my face. I got up and headed downstairs to help Tanya and Mrs. Staal in the kitchen. They never asked about my breakdown, so I never said anything about it.
"Thank-you," I said to Mrs. Staal. "Thank-you for having me here. It's really wonderful."
"Anytime sweet heart," she replied before we got to work.
"It's Christmas morning!" Kris smiled down at me.
I rolled my eyes and rolled over so that I was facing away from Kris. "That's great. What time is it?" I asked.
"Seven," Kris replied walking to the other side of the bed so that he could see my face. "Get up, everyone else is."
"Letang," I said with a sigh, "everyone else is up because they are excited to open presents. I hope everyone like what I got them, but I'm not expecting anything so come wake me up when you are done."
"You have presents," Kris replied pulling me out of bed and onto my feet.
I stumbled a little and shot Kris a glare. "Fine, but I don't believe you." I said following him out of the room.
We made our way downstairs and into the living room where the Staal family was sitting waiting for us.
"Merry Christmas," I said as we walked in.
The Staal's smiled and wished me a merry Christmas back. "Brylyn," Mrs. Staal said with a smile, "come sit down. We'll get started with presents and then, if you don't mind, you can help Tanya and I in the kitchen."
"Of course," I smiled back, "anything to help." I sat beside her as the boys and Tanya started into the presents. I smiled while they opened present after present, happy with each of them. I had gotten Marc, Jordan and Kris something small. I also got something for Mrs. and Mr. Staal. Once the family and Kris finished with their presents, I said, "I'm sorry I didn't get something for all of you guys. Marc never told me anything about you so I didn't know what you'd like."
"It's fine," Eric, Jared, and Tanya chorused together.
I was so happy to see the family together. I had a huge smile on my face. Then Marc handed me a present telling me it was from the Staals. I thanked him and opened the present. It was a couple of spatulas and a bowl. I was so happy, I gave all of the Staals a hug and thanked them before I sat back down beside Kris. I felt a hand on my shoulder and looked to my right at Kris. He was holding a box in his other hand.
"What's that?" I asked.
"A present," Kris smiled. "it's for you."
"Letang," I complained, "you didn't have to get me anything."
"Come on," Kris said pushing it towards me. "It's nothing special, but you got me something for me and I felt bad so I got you something too."
"Thanks," I said giving him a quick hug before taking the ribbon off the box and lifting the lid. At the top of the box was a piece of paper with what I assumed was his phone number. I rolled my eyes and put the paper beside me. Next was Julia Child's French cookbook. When I saw this I gasped and looked at Kris with huge eyes. "Oh my goshness, Letang! I've always wanted her cookbook!" I gave him a hug. "Thank-you so much."
"You're welcome," he smiled. "But there is more."
I looked at the box and took the book out to see two tickets nestled in tissue paper. I looked at them confused. "What's this?" I asked looking at him while I took the tickets out of the box.
He shrugged, "just a couple of tickets. It's no big deal." His eyes and his lips held huge smiles.
"Letang," I said looking at the tickets. One was a plane ticket from New York to Pittsburgh and the other was a ticket for a Penguins hockey game. "This is too much. I can't take these."
"Don't worry about it," he smiled at me. "Besides Jordan and Marc helped pay for them. We looked at your schedule and found your next break where you could come to Pittsburgh to visit and see a game. Seeing as you haven't been to a game to see Jordan and I play."
I nodded and gave Jordan, Marc, and Kris a hug. I could feel tears welling up in my eyes. "Thank-you, all of you," I whispered, my voice cracking. "This is the best Christmas I've had in a long time." I quickly got up before the tears started to fall and went up to the guest room.
"Mommy, is she ok?" I heard Parker as before I headed up the stairs.
I laid on the bed and let the tears fall. For the first time in a long time I felt like I was loved. It felt nice, but at the same time overwhelming.
I was too caught up in my thoughts to realize someone was in the room until the bed sunk. I rolled over to find Kris sitting on the edge of the bed. "Hey," he whispered. "You ok?"
I nodded. "Yea, I just...I don't know." I shook my head as more tears started to fall.
"It's ok, Bry," he whispered pulling me into a hug, causing me to sit up beside him. I leaned my head on his shoulder. "What's wrong?" he whispered into my ear.
"Nothing," I said truthfully. "I just haven't had people care this much about me. I'm used to being on my own and no-one worrying about me. Then you guys come along and even though you aren't doing much, it's a lot more than what I'm used to. To be truthful, it's nice."
Kris just nodded and pulled me closer. "We will always care about you, Bry."
I looked up and smiled at him. I gave him a kiss on the cheek before wiping the tears off of my face. I got up and headed downstairs to help Tanya and Mrs. Staal in the kitchen. They never asked about my breakdown, so I never said anything about it.
"Thank-you," I said to Mrs. Staal. "Thank-you for having me here. It's really wonderful."
"Anytime sweet heart," she replied before we got to work.