True Love

"Aren’t you even a little nervous?" I asked him. I was sitting crossed legged on his bed, watching him pace up and down his room, collecting his hockey gear. Why it was so spread out, I didn’t know.

He flashed a million dollar smile at me. "A little yeah," he admitted, zipping up the bag. "Are you sure you can’t come Haven? I want you to be there."

I smiled sadly. "You know I can’t leave Grandma here alone. She’s sick Pat."

He sighed and kissed my forehead. "I know."

"I’ll be watching Patrick Kane and I want you all to bring home The Cup on the plane. I want to see it end."

He laughed, holding me tight to his chest. "You sound so serious."

"Because I am."

He let go just enough so we could share a kiss. "I have to get going babe," he said as Tazer honked the horn.

"Obviously."

He slid a ticket into my hand. "Since you can’t go, you’ll have something to remember today by."

"Thank you," I whispered, running my fingers over the smooth surface. "Bring it home Pat."

"Come to the airport and see Tazer and I off?" his blue eyes begged.

"All right."

Johnny Toews had the trunk open, fingers tapping the car nervously. "There you are. We’re running late."

"Actually, we’re ten minutes early," Pat corrected him nicely. He knew better than to mess with Johnny when he was basically psychotic.

"Still," was all the Captain had left to say. He saw me and managed a feeble smile. "Haven. I didn’t know you were here."

I rolled my eyes and playfully shoved him. "You did too Tazer."

"Uh. . ." he started.

"Get in. I’ll drive," I smiled and took the keys.

"I didn’t even say anything and she knew!" I heard the Captain tell my boyfriend.

Pat chuckled. "She’s just that awesome."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Haven!" Kris spun me around. "We’re going to win it! This is our year!"

I laughed. "I know! I know!"

Burish ruffled my hair and Sharp gave me a hug. "You've gotta come Haven," Burish stated.

"Burish!" I whined. I had explained to him at least a thousand times that Grandma was too old to stay in Chicago all by herself.

"He knows Haven," Sharp interjected before I attempted to beat him up. "He, just like the rest of us, wants you to be there to witness our great feat."

"You guys sound so sure that you’re going to win. What is going to help you guys win tonight?" I asked, pretending to be a reporter.

"This man right here," Sharp managed to pull Niemi over.

"Hi Haven," Niemi smiled.

"Niemi! Are you ready to kick some Flyer butt?"

He grinned. "I’ll leave that to the big guys."

I hugged each player goodbye and when I finally rounded off to Pat again, he kissed me extra long before they had to run to catch their flight. And I was left waving and near tears. They were going to do it.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Hey Grandma!" I called as I entered her house.

"In here honey!"

I walked into her living room where she was already watching coverage of the game that was five hours away.

"Got it taped?" I asked.

"Of course!" she exclaimed.

I tossed my keys, phone, and the ticket onto the table and settled onto her couch. "Dude, I am so ready."

For the next hour and a half we watched the media coverage until I was bouncing up and down.

Grandma leaned forward to look at my phone and picked up the ticket, her mouth open. "Patrick gave you a ticket and you’re not on the plane right now making kissy faces with him?"

Grandma had such a way with words. "I can’t leave you here all by yourself."

"Yes you can! What are you doing?! This is the chance of a lifetime." She picked up her phone and started dialing faster than I could think.

"What are you doing?" I asked her.

"Airlines? I need to book a flight to Philly right now. Just one. What evers available you nitwit. My granddaughter needs to see her boyfriend win the Stanley Cup! Of course I’m not joking. Thank you and good bye."

I stared at her, not sure what to say.

"Your flight is in forty five minutes. It takes twenty to get there. Grab your spare Patrick Kane jersey. We have to get you to the airport!" she cried.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Yes Grandma!" I yelled into the phone as I pushed through the crowds at the Philly airport. The game started twenty minutes ago and I needed to get out of there. Now! Kit was during the first intermission and thank God for my hockey update phone. We were tied at one. "Yeah I’m leaving the airport now. Yeah I’m going to have to run to the game!"

I hung up and sprinted out of the terminal and onto the streets. I asked people along the way and I figured as long as I didn’t have my jersey on, they were more than willing to help me. Go figure stupid Flyers fans.

Finally I found it, halfway through the second period. I flashed my badge to the guys and they showed me to my place. God, it was already two minutes into the third. What was the score? Three to two? Okay not bad. We could win this.

I sat down behind the player bench, not distracting any of them by telling them I was there. They were doing just fine, so I’d stay invisible.

"OH MY GOD! NO!" I cried as one of the Flyers scored in the third period. I swore loudly and got some looks from some of the Flyer fans. "What?" I snapped. "Yeah I’m going to swear when one of your guys’ scores. Geesh, I am wearing a Patrick Kane jersey for a reason." They sat back down silently.

Over time. I sat down, watching as the team headed into the locker room. Normally, I would follow and sit in the corner as Toews delivered some mind boggling speech, but not today. I didn’t want to mess up their concentration.

Twenty agonizing minutes later, the teams entered the ice and I looked down at my nails only to have them all bitten down to the stub.

I texted Grandma and her reaction was that they better win or else I was disowning the entire team and breaking up with Patrick. Wait what? Glad to see I could make my own decisions Grandma. . . It wasn’t even game 7. And game 7 was never going to happen either.

The puck dropped and I sat there, biting my nails even further. They got the puck and OH MY GOSH! Oh never mind. . . GREAT JOB NIEMI! Way to save that puck!

I stood up as the puck went down the ice and then all of a sudden Patrick was there. He wristed it and I held my breath as Leighton looked back and slumped. Where was the puck? I saw Patrick skating around screaming his head off and then it dawned on me. The puck was lying in the net.

"OH MY FREAKING BATCHES OF BLACKHAWKS COOKIES!" I screamed and the Flyer’s fans moved away.

Every one of the Blackhawks were on the ice tackling one another and Sharpie turned around, grinning and saw me. "You’re here?" he asked/yelled.

I nodded, unable to speak because I was choking back loud tears of joy.

He motioned for me to get onto the ice and I jumped up and raced to get onto the ice. Tears were streaming down my face as I waited until other loved ones got onto the ice. I took out my camera and just started snapping like nobody’s business.

Players were skating by me until Kopecky recognized who I was. "HAVEN?!"

I grinned, the tears coming faster. I nodded and he picked me up and spun me around laughing and crying too. "We did it!" he screamed.

After him, I found everyone else until all that was left was Patrick Kane. Burish pointed to him with an interviewer.

"God this is amazing. Holy crap. I just wish I had my girlfriend Haven here. . ." he trailed off as his eyes wandered onto me. I snapped a few pictures of his priceless face. "Oh my God! Haven!" he yelled and skated over to me, sweeping me up off my feet, kissing me with such passion.

I smiled. "Surprise."

"I swear if you were planning this the entire time. . ." he warned.

I shook my head. "I got here at the start of the third. Grandma kinda forced me here."

He laughed, still holding me tight to him. "Can you believe this?" he asked, tears in his eyes. "Can you freaking believe this? I just hoisted The Cuo and now I’m hoisting you. Did you see that goal?"

I nodded, tears still falling down my face. "Yes! I was so confused. I didn’t get it until you man slammed Niemi. Patrick. . . oh my gosh."

"I love you Haven. And I love this moment even more now that you’re here with me."