No Soul

“Sorry, late morning.” Sidney blushed as Emma hid her face from the cameras and crew that stepped into the Crosby home a week and a half prior to the Winter Classic. “There’s coffee in the kitchen and some leftover pancakes.” A grin stretched across his thick lips as the employee from HBO Sports as well as their camera men immediately began to think around with their equipment.

After a short introduction, the production worker assured him that he would be as out of the way as possible and to go about their daily business, then later they would be interviewing Sidney with a few questions on his home life.

Jasmine had yet to spend the night at the Crosby home – which was okay with Sidney. Even though he couldn’t remember the last time he had been intimate with a woman, he wasn’t quite sure if the fan base and organization could handle seeing both his twins and his girlfriend in his home during the special.

Sidney started his usual day by sitting in the family room on the floor, Noah sat beside him and watched cartoons while he watched the laptop at his feet with Emma sitting between his legs as he copied the tutorial on how to braid her hair. He had successfully mastered pigtails, a knotted bun, and was now working on a French braid. He faced these challenges like any other – practice makes perfect, sometimes he would even let her fall asleep in his lap as he practiced his braids – the fine, silky hair making his big, clunky fingers look awkward.

“You’d think this would be easier.” He laughed, looking up at the camera.

“Daddy does a good job!” Emma smiled up at the camera, hamming it up in her little Crosby jersey and jeans. The cameras rolled as Noah decided that watching TV from atop Sidney’s shoulders sounded much more interesting, scaling his father’s back, pulling and clawing at his shoulders until he rest on top of them, bracing his hands against Sidney’s forehead before Sidney could give his son’s feet a little tickle while securing Emma’s hair off with a tiny hair band accessorized with a tiny blue flower.

“Easy! Take that, YouTube.” He laughed, grabbing Noah’s ankles as he stood up, Emma following him upstairs. He set them up in Noah’s room at their coloring table so that he could change out of his pajamas and into something more suitable to wear to the arena. Next week was their family skate before the Winter Classic but before that, he needed to pick up presents. He needed gifts for his closest friends and he was cutting it close, Christmas was in three days. “No major melt downs yet, that’s a good day.” He elaborated, giving the camera a thumbs up.

He could already hear the narrator’s voice in the final cut

“Captain Crosby’s day seems rather uneventful, but navigating The Galleria in Pittsburgh alone with two toddlers isn’t always an easy feat.”

The cameras promised to be as low key as possible – as if Sid didn’t attract enough attention already as he held Emma’s hand as Noah sat on his hip. Their little coats covered up their jerseys, they would be stopping by the Consol for a mid day skate after Sid picked something out for his kid sister at the mall, and something nice for Brianna for all she had done for him so far this year.

“Daddy, ice cream!” Emma pointed out the Haagen-Dazs stand excitedly; she recognized the logo anywhere seeing as there was always one little container of double fudge ice cream in the freezer – Sidney’s guilty pleasure.

“No ice cream, baby girl, Daddy will get you and Noah a treat before we leave, but ice cream is bad for your tummy.” He explained as Noah adjusted his father’s cap on his head. Last week, Emma had a bad stomachache that kept both she and Sidney up at night. He was beginning to miss the summer when staying up late meant being able to sleep in late as well. Now, any sleep he missed that couldn’t be made up with an afternoon nap was lost forever.

Sidney had easily found a nice gift certificate to a spa in The Galleria for Brianna but was struggling to pick out something perfect for Taylor. She was fourteen, which was kind of an awkward age – at least, it was for Sid. He’d come back another day and end up going the safe route with jewelry before she would come down to Pittsburgh for the Winter Classic. She’d be the only Crosby coming down from Cole Harbor that winter.

Sid was relieved to finally get to the Consol, it felt like coming home, and it wasn’t quite as odd to see the camera crews there since they had already been tailing the team as a group for about a month or so.

“Grandpa!” Emma giggled excited, “Coach!” she added upon seeing Mario and Dan standing together, something that would be absolute gold for HBO.

“No, Emma and Noah are very obviously not my grand children,” Mario laughed softly, his eyes illuminated by the bright studio lights. “But I love them like they were, Sid is a great Dad and I like to do what I can for them.”

Mario volunteered to look over Emma and Noah as Sidney suited up, he and Dan helped them into their tiny skates that sat in a box just outside of the work out room. Noah stepped out onto the ice like a bat out of hell, he loved being on his own and controlling his own body on his skates whereas Emma much preferred to be held, which is where Dan came in. Dan was more than happy to coach drills and run practice with Emma in his arms who was having the time of her life blowing the whistle around his neck.

“Skate faster!” She’d command, pointing at the players that had lined up on the far blue line. Evgeni shook his head with a grin as she wobbled slightly on her skates, forcing himself forward at full speed, not giving her a moment to wiggle away as he scooped her up into his arms, carrying her until he reached the opposite line and back to their original starting place.

Noah had more fun skating with Mike Comrie and Jordan who were skating a little slower due to healing injuries. When the skating had finished, Sidney was asked by some of the crew for a separate interlude-style interview in the makeshift studio HBO had created in the arena.

Emma, however, was not very pleased with the idea of Sidney leaving for the smallest amount of time and after a mild temper tantrum, ended up on Sidney’s lap during the short interview on how the team was progressing with what seemed like so many injured players.

“Jordan’s owie is very sur-ious.” Emma supplied a response.

All Sidney knew was that he’d be just a little relieved to have the camera and crew out of his arena after the Winter Classic was said and done.

•••

“Presents!” Noah squealed excitedly, jumping up and down Christmas morning as Sidney brought she and Noah downstairs. Much to the dismay of HBO, Sidney politely declined their request to join the little Crosby family on Christmas morning unlike some of the other members of his team. He wanted their first Christmas together to be special and just the three of them.

“It looks like Santa came, huh?” Sidney smiled, knowing that even though he had planned to eat breakfast before presents, there would be no luck of getting the twins to wait that long.

“Santa.” Noah whispered in awe as he took in the big pile of presents under their Christmas tree covered in all different kinds of paper that Sidney knew would litter his family room floor for the rest of the day.

It was werid not spending Christmas morning with his mother, father, and sister. He had only been talking to Taylor through email correspendence and thankfully, she was coming down this week for the Winter Classic. Troy and Trina would not be joining her. Sidney knew that his mother probably wanted to come but it would take time for Troy to come around.

But he enjoyed watching his children open their gifts, clothes, dolls, and a tea set for Emma – trucks, action figures and a train set for Noah. Tank watched on happily, his little curly tail wiggling as the kids stuck their bows all over his back and tummy. He curled up on his little bed near the fireplace, gnawing on his new rawhide that Santa had stuck in his little stocking.

Sidney worried his bottom lip between his teeth as he dug out the last of the presents from under the tree, they had been taking up so much room in the last spare bedroom for so many months before he stuffed them all under the tree last week.

Frowning, he pulled out a wrapped package that was not put there by him. He flipped up the small tag to see “Daddy” written very crudely on the tag and “from: Emma and Noah” in much neater script that he recognized as Brianna’s.

“Who is this from?” He announced loudly, sitting on the floor between his babies as Noah immediately crawled into his lap.

“Us, Daddy!” Emma said excitedly, holding onto her new teddy that she hugged tightly to her chest. All three watched on intently as Sidney unwrapped the little gift, smiling upon seeing the wooden frame decorated with stickers, pipe cleaners, marker & puff paint in the way that only a toddler could put it together. In the frame was a photo of the three of them from a get together at Brianna and Kris’ shortly after Arianna was born. Emma and Noah had ganged up on Sidney and were laying across him in the grass, big smiles on all three of their faces.

“This is absolutely perfect.” Sidney smiled. “This is going right in my stall.” He insisted, kissing them both loudly and hugging them tightly to his chest.

“Daddy!” Noah giggled, wiggling in his father’s grasp.

“Now who is hungry?” He asked, knowing that they would bee too excited for their gifts to eat, but he would get up and make pancakes anyways before heading over to the Lemieux’s that afternoon for their Christmas party.

That afternoon, they were just arriving to Mario’s when Sidney received a text from Jasmine.

From: Jasmine M.
Merry Christmas, give E & N a squeeze for me :)

Sidney smiled and typed back a reply before entering the home, balancing Noah on one hip who was donning his own Santa hat, holding Emma’s hand, and carrying the large bag of presents he had brought over.

“Uncle Max!” Sidney winced, thinking his ear drums were going to burst as Emma ran from him and into the family room where Uncle Max was dressed in his best Christmas sweater.

“Emma, ma princesse, it’s been too long! I missed you so much!” Max instantly swept her up into his arms. “How was your Christmas, ma petit fille? Was Santa good to you?” He smothered her with kisses, making her giggle wildly as his beard nuzzled Sid continued through the party, knowing Emma was in good hands. Noah took off with Austin Lemieux who was happy to play with him with some of the new gifts that he had gotten that morning.

However, while Sidney was talking to Kris, Arianna in a little red dress in his arms, he couldn’t help but notice something about Kara, Max’s girlfriend as she talked to Brianna and had to double back through the party. Finding Max under the mistletoe with Emma on his lap, he locked eyes with the center and gave him a tilt of his head, heading towards the kitchen.

“Mon capitan, something we need to talk about?” Max asked, glancing back to where Emma was now playing with Kara’s long hair.

“So I noticed that Kara is wearing a ring, on her left finger. I mean, I haven’t been engaged before, but I’ve watched enough movies to know that’s where the engagement ring goes.” He said, looking at Max pointedly. The Quebecois bided sometime by taking a big swig of the eggnog that Flower had spiked when Mario wasn’t looking.

“You’re right, but… it’s not an engagement ring.” Max’s blue eyes shone mischievously. “It’s a wedding ring.”

“Wait… what?”

“Kara and I eloped, we’re married, Cap.”