Woes

‘I really wish I was home. I have a bad feeling about today.’

Andreas wasn’t in good shape. He was a mental wreck, wondering if his wife was going to go into labor. Mid November was not a good time to have a baby in his line of work.

If there was one thing he was sure of, it was that his wife would throw a motherfucking fit if he left a game like this to come watch their child be born. Who does that? He wasn’t one to start a fight with his wife, but he’d be at the delivery. She’d be pissed and a screaming fit, but he didn’t care. He’d leave a presidential dinner to be with her.

He prepped for the game like he usually would, but his teammates could tell that he wasn’t doing things as well today. Something was off, and they all could tell it was because of Bailey and the baby.

Sergei Bobrovsky walked over to him and put his hand on his shoulder. The goalie may be young and not understand a word anyone says to him, but he understood body language. He also understood the need to feel like you aren’t alone in a crisis or new situation.

They exchanged knowing looks and went back to getting their gear on.

Game time. The crowd was hyped, and so were the Flyers. The game-state-of-mind came on them and everything else was forgotten. They couldn’t slip-up just because they weren’t with the game.

The first period went by with the flyers in a 4-1 lead. It was the middle of the second when Lavvy called Andreas off the ice and told him to get dressed and get to the hospital.

A nervous wreck would be an understatement. He only was able to drive well because of the light traffic. On the way to the hospital, he realized that they hadn’t ever even discussed names for the baby. They hadn’t with Declan, either, but now it seemed like they were rolling into this part of their life blind. He felt like he was totally in over his head with this one. They planned on having Declan; they didn’t even discuss having a second baby.

The nurse at the welcome desk directed him to Bailey’s room only after he signed her uniform for her. Didn’t they know he had no time for being famous tonight?

“Bailey!”

He rushed over to her bedside and kissed her forehead. He didn’t even notice her mother until he walked up next to him.

“Hello Rebecca. This is a surprise.”

“Hi Andreas. My baby needs me just like she needs you. It’s good to see you. I’m sorry for…everything.”

“It’s alright. Nothing like a new baby to bring us all together.”

“Gah, speaking of babies, can this one just come out now? Please?”

“Baby, it’ll be fine. You’re doing fine.”

“Kiss my ass. This is the worst pain I’ve ever been in. the doctor said there wasn’t enough time for an epidural either. Kill me or something.”

“You know I won’t kill you or kiss your ass. Not my style.”

“I hate you so much right now.”

“But I love you just as much, always.”

“I still, ahhhh, hate you. A lot.”

The doctor walked in then, and asked Bailey who she wanted to be with her when the baby was born. Rebecca took her leave to watch Declan. The doctor decided that she was far enough along that it was time to deliver.

It was agonizing for both of them. If you’d asked him, Andreas would have sworn Bailey had broken his hand he was squeezing it so tightly. If you’d asked Bailey, she would have told you it felt like she was delivering an elephant.

Finally, the doctor handed Andreas a pretty pink bundle. He got his little girl, and they couldn’t have been happier.

Her name was Larissa Christina Nodl, and she looked just as angelic as her mother.

But there was a problem. She was blind.

The Nodls were crushed when they learned that their baby would never enjoy the beauty of the world. But they weren’t unhappy. She was healthy otherwise, and they knew she could have a fulfilling life without her eyes.

It gives you something to think about, doesn’t it? Even famous people have difficulties in life.

-

She’s five now, and Declan’s seven. They get along better than most siblings, and today Larissa was going to try skating for the first time. Naturally she wouldn’t be doing it on her own, but she had been adamant that she wanted to be just like her dad and learn how to skate. Declan was the same way at her age, but his want to skate didn’t worry Bailey as much.

Larissa will never be able to skate on her own, so why would she want to learn? She’s never seen a hockey game and probably doesn’t understand what’s going on in a game either. She only knows what a puck feels like, not how to shoot it or even how to push it around with a stick. She loves to try though. She joins in on her father and brother’s game of living room hockey as often as she can. She’s normal with the exception of her eyes. She wants to do everything her big brother does.

Reflecting on the last five years, Bailey realized she wouldn’t want to have her life any other way, even though most people feel so bad that the family has to put up with it. Fuck their opinion, her daughter is perfectly normal.

The doctors admit that even surgery probably won’t be able to fix her eyes, so Andreas and Bailey decided that putting their baby through surgery that might not work was just not worth it.

Andreas was ecstatic that Larissa and Declan want to skate. He was happier that Larissa wanted to try something that scared people who didn’t have something to hold them back.

They got to the training rink and got the kids and Andreas skated up and padded up.

Bailey was one of those people who couldn’t skate at all, so she watched by the sidelines as all of the Flyers and their wives and children skated around, but she only had eyes for Larissa. She started off wobbly, looking like a newborn horse, and gradually started to get her footing. There wasn’t a second that she was skating on her own though. Someone always had both her hands and were giving her directions. Sometimes they even lifted her up and spun her around, telling her she was an award-winning figure skater. It went down in the books as the best day of Larissa’s life…until the next weekend when her parents took her skating again.