Incomplete Without You

Sitting in the recliner with her two year old son, Landon sleeping on top of her with his small hand on the swell of her belly where his baby brother or sister was growing. She had begun to show more and more and although she knew it would happen, it was happening faster than she thought it would. Letting out a sigh, Courtney never thought she could be so happy. Looking down at her son as he whimpered when he heard the thunder, she rubbed his back and started rocking in the chair to help him ease back into sleeping. Even as a baby the rocking motions helped him fall asleep faster. As soon as the thunder started Landon had woken up and started crying for daddy and since he wasn't home she took him into the living room and sat in the chair comforting him and attempting to get him to fall back asleep.

Hearing a key in the lock of the front door, Shooter let out a loud howling bark. Snapping her fingers, Shooter gave her a look before running off to the door to greet whoever was coming into the house. “If you kiss Shooter, you won't be getting one from me.” Courtney called out as she slowed down the rocking chair.

Walking into the living room, he looked surprised to see her awake with Landon draped over her. “What are you doing up? It's after midnight.” her husband of four years asked as he leaned down to kiss her, but she moved her face.

“Did you kiss Shooter?” Courtney asked.

Patrick kissed her softly on the lips. “Do I smell like Shooter?”

Courtney smiled and shook her head. “Good because I let him lick me before I came over here.”

“Patrick Sharp....”

“Courtney Sharp.”

“You are so not funny.”

“You believed me,” he grinned. “So what are you two doing out here?”

“Landon woke up when the thunder started. He was fine when it was just the rain, but as soon as it started, he started crying for you. So we came out here and he finally fell asleep,” Courtney told him. “And since your home now, you can put him to bed so I can send my column in and then go to bed.”

“I thought you were going to send it in during the game,” Patrick said as he carefully peeled Landon off his mother and held him. “Wasn't that what you said on the phone earlier?”

“Yeah, but I wasn't feeling good after the game and he didn't want to go to bed, so I just forgot. I can do it now and then go to bed since you have the day off tomorrow, right?”

“We've got a practice in the afternoon, but he has that play date, right?” he asked watching her close her eyes tiredly.

“No, the boys have the chicken pox. I guess that means no nap for mommy then.”

“Well you can take him to the practice and let him watch. He likes that.” Patrick said.

“I guess we can talk about it later.” Courtney said as she let out a yawn.

Patrick nodded his head and walked to Landon's room. There were trains and the Chicago Blackhawks logo on the walls. Courtney watched him walk into their sons room before going back to their bedroom and Shooter following her. Once there, he laid inside his doggy bed that he slept in on a nightly basis. Sitting on the bed, she turned on her laptop and waited for it to turn on. Leaning back on the pillows, she closed her eyes for a few moments. Feeling the bed sink down, she opened her eyes and saw Patrick's back with the tattoo of Landon's name and hand prints from when he was a newborn. “You had a good game. Landon's missed you.”

“You been watching the games?” he asked laying his head on the pillow and resting his hand on her thigh.

“Yeah, I also taped them so that your son wouldn't throw a hissy fit that he didn't get to see you play.”

“He could be the future of hockey and a heart-breaker all in one.”

“I hope not,” Courtney said clicking away on the laptop as she felt his hand move to her stomach. “They put so much pressure on you guys. But if it makes him happy, how can I deny him that?”

“You're such a softie.”

“Like you are any better,” Courtney gasped feeling his cold hand on her bare stomach. “What's with the cold hands?”

“It was cold outside and I had a bottle of water from the fridge.”

“Well then don't put your hands on my stomach. I hate when you do that and so does she.”

“She? Your so sure its a girl.”

“Well, I do have a fifty fifty shot on being right.”

Patrick laughed as he watched the document finally load and Courtney send it off before turning the computer off and moving across the room to put it on the desk. Instead of going back to join him in bed, she walked into the bathroom that was connected in their room. “Patrick, you couldn't pick up your clothes and put them in the bin? Seriously?”

“I could, but didn't.” he laughed, knowing it bugged her when he left his clothes in the bathroom.

After brushing her teeth, she picked up the clothes and walked out of the bathroom and dumped them into the bin of dirty clothes that needed to be washed. “I don't know why you find that so amusing. Look, I've got a bump going already.”

“So soon?” he asked watching her drop his sweatshirt back down over her stomach. “You didn't start showing until your seventh month with Landon.”

“Well this one wants to make her presence known during the fifth, so that's that.”

“You still look beautiful.” he whispered as she crawled under the covers and curled into his side.

“I don't think so, but thanks for trying.”

“So Burish and I were talking on the way home from San Jose.”

“That's never a good sign.” Courtney smiled feeling him wrap his arms around her and placing his hands on her stomach and leaving them there.

“He asked if we are ever gonna have that second wedding we talked about before going to Vegas and getting married there.”

“He just wants to find a bridesmaid to hook up with,” Courtney yawned and rolled over so she could lay her head on his chest. “Since he couldn't do it the first time. And do you honestly think I want to be pregnant while dealing with wedding stuff? I think the way we got married and the way we have our life going right now, is the way things should be for us.”

“You don't want the big wedding?”

“Maybe a slightly bigger one when both our kids can be in the wedding and remember it. I think that would be amazing.”

“I knew I married you for a reason.”

“To have your kids?” Courtney grinned.

“Funny and smart, I'm so glad you agreed to marry me.”

“I thought you were joking. I had Duncan helping me towards you since I have no balance on the ice as we both know from our first date. Only to have the rest of the team surround us so the fans can't see what you were up to. Not the most romantic, but I loved it none the less.”

“I fell in love with you real fast.”

“I fell in love you you fast as well. Although the first few times we met I was yelling at you.”

“You were protecting your friend. You should have been yelling at Adam though. He's the one that fed her all those drinks.”

Letting out another yawn, she closed her eyes and rolled onto her back and felt Patrick's arms wrap around her once again. “I love you.” he whispered before she fell asleep.

“Love you, too.”

When she woke up the next morning, she reached for Patrick, but all she got was an empty space. Yawning, she sat up and just stayed sitting for a minute before getting out of bed and walking into the living room. “Mommy!”

With a smile on her face, Courtney watched as Landon ran over to her and she picked him up. “Have you been good for daddy?”

“And Uncle Ham and Uncle Adam. But they leaves.”

“They left? What about Daddy?”

“Nope.”

Shaking her head she walked towards the kitchen as Landon held onto her. “Patrick?” she called out.

“You were supposed to be in bed still.”

“I woke up,” Courtney laughed seeing the mess all over the kitchen she had cleaned the night before. “This was really sweet and all, but not necessary. I don't love you for your cooking skills.”

“And what do you love me for?”

“I love you because I'm incomplete without you.”

“Oh, good answer.” he leaned in and kissed her lips before taking Landon.

“Why do you love me?” Courtney asked taking the elastic band off her wrist and tied up her dark brown hair.

“Why wouldn't I?” Patrick asked looking into her brown eyes. “You've given me a son and soon another baby on the way. You gave me your heart and I can't stop loving you even if I was dying.”

“Your a sap at heart Patrick Sharp, just wait till the guys hear about the sweet stuff you say to me.”

“I love you Courtney.”

“And I'm incomplete without you.”

With a smile on both of their faces, they went on that morning. They normally didn't feel the need to tell one another how much they loved each other, but today was different. It was just a day that they felt the need to remind themselves verbally about the love they had for one another. It was just how the day turned out and they were okay with that. Courtney loved hearing it especially when she was pregnant since that way the time she didn't feel as pretty as she did when she had a flat stomach, like she had when she had first met Patrick. But things were ever changing with them. His hockey team were battling it out to have a chance at the Stanley Cup again this year. Who knows, it could be the year the Blackhawks brought the cup back to the windy city.

When comparing the difference between her husband on and off the ice, Courtney had to think about if he was with his son or not. Patrick had a great time on the ice and when he was off, it was easy to see how happy he was to come home and play the part of daddy. Landon was also happy to have him at home except when he was being put on time outs. Falling in love was the best thing that had ever happened to her. When she was younger and her parents had divorced, she thought that there was no way someone could be truly happy and yet here she was living a life she couldn't have dreamed about with a husband, a son and another baby on the way. In her opinion life couldn't get much better than where it was at.

Her love for her husband felt endless and she knew he felt the same way for her. That's what made life so easy for them. She got to be a stay at home mom, while still working. She worked from home and it was easier than she thought it would be. There were days when she just wanted to pull her hair out of her head in frustration with Landon, but he was her world. He had been since he was put in her arms after twenty-seven hours of active labor. And she knew she would love the new baby, just as much as Landon, but one thing she knew for certain.

Life would be incomplete without them.