‹ Prequel: It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia.
Sequel: 'Till Death ›
Second City.
parenthood.
Bristol sighed in great relief as she stepped foot into the warm confines of their condo. She and Kristen had been released from the hospital twenty-four hours after the long labor and all Bristol looked forward to was laying down in her own bed.
Following behind was Dan as he carried the car seat in one hand and the diaper bag in the other. He refused to let his wife carry anything heavy, putting her on flower duty as the doctor instructed no strenuous activity for at least six weeks. She had seen his face fall when Dan asked the doctor with concerned eyes. ”Does that mean no sex?”. While it shouldn’t have surprised her he asked the male question, Bristol thought she had made it clear when she said she didn’t want to be touched for at least a year. Kristen was her pride and joy, but after the nightmare of a night, she wasn’t in a hurry to do it again.
Placing the vase containing a dozen roses sent to the hospital from the Blackhawk wives and girlfriends, Bristol pealed her jacket off before lying carefully on the sofa. She was sore beyond belief and amazed she had made it home without crying. Dan set the seat on the ground before unbuckling Kristen from the harness. The amount of carefulness he practiced while around his daughter would almost make Bristol believe he was one of the biggest pussies in the league. But, the stitches in his brow proved he was in fact still the biggest prick to step out on the ice.
Gently carrying the sleeping baby to the sofa, Bristol held out her arms and cradled her against her chest. In the hospital she had been given a crash course on parenting but she was still nervous about caring for the innocent child. She knew when to change and feed but she was afraid she wouldn’t be able to sooth her when Kristen became fussy. Bristol knew if she could make it through the first night at home, she would make it through the rest of her life. Leaning down to kiss her lips, Dan smoothed the top of Bristol’s head. “I’m going to jump in the shower quick.”
Sitting in the silence, Bristol let herself enjoy the time she had alone with her daughter. She knew she couldn’t take this time for granted—in the blink of an eye Kristen would be walking, talking and taking after the men and women whom influenced her life. Running her hand through her hair, Bristol was amazed at how much hair Kristen had.
She was defiantly a Carcillo; a round face, almond eyes and those pouty lips made perfect for a nice coat of gloss. Danny had been right. She would be breaking hearts before kindergarten but what frightened Bristol was whether she’d inherit her father’s temper and would be pounding faces by high school.
The maternal instincts Bristol never knew she had kicked right in to play when Kristen whimpered. Holding her the way the nurse had showed, Bristol slowly eased her way off the sofa and shuffled into the dark kitchen. Flipping on the lights she grabbed a bottle which had been washed and dried a week ago before pulling the can of formula from the cabinet. She measured and mixed the powder with water and popped in the microwave for a few seconds. Stretching out in the leather recliner, Bristol hushed Kristen as she fed the hungry baby.
Balancing the bottle with her chin for a quick second, Bristol grabbed the remote for the television and punched the numbers for Comcast Sportsnet. She let out a silent cheer, not wanting to startle Kristen, when she saw the score. They were kicking ass—up six goals to none with eight minutes left in the third. When they arrived home, Bristol knew she’d have to congratulate Crawford on his shutout.
“Do you want me to take her?” Dan came up from behind and nearly scared her half to death. Nodding, Bristol switched places with him and draped the white towel over his shoulder. It was her turn to shower, something Bristol had been looking forward to since waking up that morning.
She was in and out in fifteen minutes flat—cutting her relaxing soak short when she heard the cry of Kristen echo throughout the large condo. With her robe on and a towel wrapped around her head, Bristol observed Dan as he paced around the front room trying his best to calm the upset baby. Resting her shoulder on the corner of the wall, Bristol crossed her arms over her chest and smiled he rubbed her back. Dan seemed to have the magic touch. Slowly but surely Kristen calmed and her loud outburst turned to soft whimpers. She had known all along he’d be a natural father. After watching how he interacted with his niece settled any doubt Bristol had about him.
Emerging from the closet wearing a tank and yoga pants, Bristol found the two lying in their bed. They were both asleep; Kristen wrapped tightly in the blanket Donna and Patrick Kane had brought the hospital earlier that morning and Dan with a leg hanging off the bed and his hand behind his head. She didn’t want to ruin the father/daughter moment by disturbing the bed from crawling in, so instead she grabbed her pillow and headed into the guest room.
Cheli waddled in, looking for so much needed attention. Both dogs were confused and slightly pissed off by this other being which was invading their space. Just as he had with Cheli, Chief sniffed Kristen out the second they had gotten home and much to the couple’s dismay woke her from a quiet sleep.
Pulling the thick duvet over her body, Bristol fluffed her pillows before resting her head. She hadn’t gotten much sleep in the hospital even after Kristen was taken into the nursery for that very reason. Every twenty minutes it seemed a nurse was barging into her room checking up on Bristol and asking how she was doing. And no matter how many times she repeated the fact she just wanted sleep, it didn’t stop them from running in to the room. Not even five minutes after resting her head was Bristol out, taken over by a quiet and relaxing sleep.
•••
After Dan left a road trip which kept him away from his girls for one night, Bristol woke up well before the sun ready to start her day. She had been on her own a few times before, now having the right schedule imprinted on her brain. While she was lucky to get more than four of sleep a night, Bristol first checked on Kristen as she slept soundly in her crib after being changed and fed only forty minutes prior.
She took a warm shower to ease her mind and muscles before jumping out and toweling off. The four week old baby was never out of ear shot; the monitor always clipped onto the waist band of Bristol’s pants. Since coming home from the hospital, Bristol hadn’t worn anything other comfortable sweats and the occasional pair of track shorts. She brewed a pot a strong coffee in the kitchen and sat on the couch with a light breakfast in hand. Having missed most of the game the previous night—Kristen had been more fussy than usual—she hopped on her computer and checked out stats. Dan had scored a goal and tallied an assist. While there were no fights in Detroit everyone expected the enforcer to play a more physical roll in the upcoming home game for surely the men with the Wing Wheel would be hungry for a fight after falling four goals to two.
Before Kristen had woken up, Bristol was lucky enough to have gotten some of the laundry done. The dirty clothes were beginning to pile up and slowly she and Dan were dwindling out of clean ones to wear. She looked forward to her husband coming home even more now since Kristen had been born. He proved everyone wrong in the first month of fatherhood; he hadn’t disappeared on his girls during the night and he was dedicated to her every growing step. Although Bristol assured him nothing monumental would happen in the short days he was gone, he still made her Skype him every night in fear he had missed something. If this was how he was acting now, what was to come when Kristen was on the verge of talking and walking?
With each passing day she was growing to look more and more like Dan. Her thick head of brown hair was even slowly growing out into the feather-like style which Dan had. Bristol would be lying if she said she wasn’t jealous—having a baby girl she expected Kristen to look like her. At least the baby had her blue eyes.
After feeding and changing Kris, Bristol fastened her into the small vibrating chair watching for a minute as a small smile crept along the baby’s face. She was beginning to recognize her mother and father and there was no doubting the fondness Kristen had for her father. When he wasn’t on the road, it was Dan who took it upon himself to feed and rock her asleep before retiring to bed with his spent wife.
Between the crying fits and feedings, it took Bristol a good five hours to complete her one goal of cleaning the condo. When it had just been to the two of them, she could knock it out in two hours flat. Looking at the time on her cell phone, Bristol settled down on the sofa with a book a quarter after three. Dan was expected home in thirty minutes where she could treat herself to a bubble bath and nap while in the tub. Enjoying the rare silence, Bristol had barely gotten through half a page before drifting off.
When she woke up, Bristol was surprised to be face to face with Patrick Kane. He on the far cushion with his feet propped up on the coffee table and the remote in his hand. A blank stare plastered on his face as he surfed through the channels. Stretching her arms above her head and removing the blanket which had been draped over her body, Bristol sat up, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.
“Where’s Dan? And Kristen?” It was too quiet for her liking.
Patrick didn’t shift an eye away from the television. “She woke up like ten minutes ago and Dan’s feeding her, I guess. Jon was here but once Kristen starting crying he took off.”
Bristol knew Jon would make a great father someday but for the time being, the young superstar tried to keep a safe distance between himself and any fussy child. “Why aren’t you in there rocking your goddaughter to sleep?” She joked.
“That shit isn’t funny, Bristol. Why do I have to be the godmother? You have a sister, you know.”
Being the usual smartass she was known to be, Bristol got up intending to check on Dan. “No, Patrick, you have sisters. Sisters don’t deliberately betray you because they’re looking for their fifteen minutes of fame. I hope Mike sees her true colors soon and dumps her on her ass.”
“He already has. The only reason she moved out there was because she found out she was pregnant. Mike didn’t want her in Chicago going through it alone and he’s not ready to give up his youth. There’s a reason he’s been asking you to call her; she needs you more than ever.” Bristol felt her heart drop. She suddenly felt like the bitch and the one doing wrong. But, she was still beyond pissed six months after the fact.
“And, the guys and I have overruled the decision you made the other day. Kristen is coming to the morning skate whether you like it or not.” Standing up and grabbing his jacket from the back of a chair, Patrick slung it over his shoulder. “It’s time she saw her godmother work his magic on the ice.”
Following behind was Dan as he carried the car seat in one hand and the diaper bag in the other. He refused to let his wife carry anything heavy, putting her on flower duty as the doctor instructed no strenuous activity for at least six weeks. She had seen his face fall when Dan asked the doctor with concerned eyes. ”Does that mean no sex?”. While it shouldn’t have surprised her he asked the male question, Bristol thought she had made it clear when she said she didn’t want to be touched for at least a year. Kristen was her pride and joy, but after the nightmare of a night, she wasn’t in a hurry to do it again.
Placing the vase containing a dozen roses sent to the hospital from the Blackhawk wives and girlfriends, Bristol pealed her jacket off before lying carefully on the sofa. She was sore beyond belief and amazed she had made it home without crying. Dan set the seat on the ground before unbuckling Kristen from the harness. The amount of carefulness he practiced while around his daughter would almost make Bristol believe he was one of the biggest pussies in the league. But, the stitches in his brow proved he was in fact still the biggest prick to step out on the ice.
Gently carrying the sleeping baby to the sofa, Bristol held out her arms and cradled her against her chest. In the hospital she had been given a crash course on parenting but she was still nervous about caring for the innocent child. She knew when to change and feed but she was afraid she wouldn’t be able to sooth her when Kristen became fussy. Bristol knew if she could make it through the first night at home, she would make it through the rest of her life. Leaning down to kiss her lips, Dan smoothed the top of Bristol’s head. “I’m going to jump in the shower quick.”
Sitting in the silence, Bristol let herself enjoy the time she had alone with her daughter. She knew she couldn’t take this time for granted—in the blink of an eye Kristen would be walking, talking and taking after the men and women whom influenced her life. Running her hand through her hair, Bristol was amazed at how much hair Kristen had.
She was defiantly a Carcillo; a round face, almond eyes and those pouty lips made perfect for a nice coat of gloss. Danny had been right. She would be breaking hearts before kindergarten but what frightened Bristol was whether she’d inherit her father’s temper and would be pounding faces by high school.
The maternal instincts Bristol never knew she had kicked right in to play when Kristen whimpered. Holding her the way the nurse had showed, Bristol slowly eased her way off the sofa and shuffled into the dark kitchen. Flipping on the lights she grabbed a bottle which had been washed and dried a week ago before pulling the can of formula from the cabinet. She measured and mixed the powder with water and popped in the microwave for a few seconds. Stretching out in the leather recliner, Bristol hushed Kristen as she fed the hungry baby.
Balancing the bottle with her chin for a quick second, Bristol grabbed the remote for the television and punched the numbers for Comcast Sportsnet. She let out a silent cheer, not wanting to startle Kristen, when she saw the score. They were kicking ass—up six goals to none with eight minutes left in the third. When they arrived home, Bristol knew she’d have to congratulate Crawford on his shutout.
“Do you want me to take her?” Dan came up from behind and nearly scared her half to death. Nodding, Bristol switched places with him and draped the white towel over his shoulder. It was her turn to shower, something Bristol had been looking forward to since waking up that morning.
She was in and out in fifteen minutes flat—cutting her relaxing soak short when she heard the cry of Kristen echo throughout the large condo. With her robe on and a towel wrapped around her head, Bristol observed Dan as he paced around the front room trying his best to calm the upset baby. Resting her shoulder on the corner of the wall, Bristol crossed her arms over her chest and smiled he rubbed her back. Dan seemed to have the magic touch. Slowly but surely Kristen calmed and her loud outburst turned to soft whimpers. She had known all along he’d be a natural father. After watching how he interacted with his niece settled any doubt Bristol had about him.
Emerging from the closet wearing a tank and yoga pants, Bristol found the two lying in their bed. They were both asleep; Kristen wrapped tightly in the blanket Donna and Patrick Kane had brought the hospital earlier that morning and Dan with a leg hanging off the bed and his hand behind his head. She didn’t want to ruin the father/daughter moment by disturbing the bed from crawling in, so instead she grabbed her pillow and headed into the guest room.
Cheli waddled in, looking for so much needed attention. Both dogs were confused and slightly pissed off by this other being which was invading their space. Just as he had with Cheli, Chief sniffed Kristen out the second they had gotten home and much to the couple’s dismay woke her from a quiet sleep.
Pulling the thick duvet over her body, Bristol fluffed her pillows before resting her head. She hadn’t gotten much sleep in the hospital even after Kristen was taken into the nursery for that very reason. Every twenty minutes it seemed a nurse was barging into her room checking up on Bristol and asking how she was doing. And no matter how many times she repeated the fact she just wanted sleep, it didn’t stop them from running in to the room. Not even five minutes after resting her head was Bristol out, taken over by a quiet and relaxing sleep.
•••
After Dan left a road trip which kept him away from his girls for one night, Bristol woke up well before the sun ready to start her day. She had been on her own a few times before, now having the right schedule imprinted on her brain. While she was lucky to get more than four of sleep a night, Bristol first checked on Kristen as she slept soundly in her crib after being changed and fed only forty minutes prior.
She took a warm shower to ease her mind and muscles before jumping out and toweling off. The four week old baby was never out of ear shot; the monitor always clipped onto the waist band of Bristol’s pants. Since coming home from the hospital, Bristol hadn’t worn anything other comfortable sweats and the occasional pair of track shorts. She brewed a pot a strong coffee in the kitchen and sat on the couch with a light breakfast in hand. Having missed most of the game the previous night—Kristen had been more fussy than usual—she hopped on her computer and checked out stats. Dan had scored a goal and tallied an assist. While there were no fights in Detroit everyone expected the enforcer to play a more physical roll in the upcoming home game for surely the men with the Wing Wheel would be hungry for a fight after falling four goals to two.
Before Kristen had woken up, Bristol was lucky enough to have gotten some of the laundry done. The dirty clothes were beginning to pile up and slowly she and Dan were dwindling out of clean ones to wear. She looked forward to her husband coming home even more now since Kristen had been born. He proved everyone wrong in the first month of fatherhood; he hadn’t disappeared on his girls during the night and he was dedicated to her every growing step. Although Bristol assured him nothing monumental would happen in the short days he was gone, he still made her Skype him every night in fear he had missed something. If this was how he was acting now, what was to come when Kristen was on the verge of talking and walking?
With each passing day she was growing to look more and more like Dan. Her thick head of brown hair was even slowly growing out into the feather-like style which Dan had. Bristol would be lying if she said she wasn’t jealous—having a baby girl she expected Kristen to look like her. At least the baby had her blue eyes.
After feeding and changing Kris, Bristol fastened her into the small vibrating chair watching for a minute as a small smile crept along the baby’s face. She was beginning to recognize her mother and father and there was no doubting the fondness Kristen had for her father. When he wasn’t on the road, it was Dan who took it upon himself to feed and rock her asleep before retiring to bed with his spent wife.
Between the crying fits and feedings, it took Bristol a good five hours to complete her one goal of cleaning the condo. When it had just been to the two of them, she could knock it out in two hours flat. Looking at the time on her cell phone, Bristol settled down on the sofa with a book a quarter after three. Dan was expected home in thirty minutes where she could treat herself to a bubble bath and nap while in the tub. Enjoying the rare silence, Bristol had barely gotten through half a page before drifting off.
When she woke up, Bristol was surprised to be face to face with Patrick Kane. He on the far cushion with his feet propped up on the coffee table and the remote in his hand. A blank stare plastered on his face as he surfed through the channels. Stretching her arms above her head and removing the blanket which had been draped over her body, Bristol sat up, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.
“Where’s Dan? And Kristen?” It was too quiet for her liking.
Patrick didn’t shift an eye away from the television. “She woke up like ten minutes ago and Dan’s feeding her, I guess. Jon was here but once Kristen starting crying he took off.”
Bristol knew Jon would make a great father someday but for the time being, the young superstar tried to keep a safe distance between himself and any fussy child. “Why aren’t you in there rocking your goddaughter to sleep?” She joked.
“That shit isn’t funny, Bristol. Why do I have to be the godmother? You have a sister, you know.”
Being the usual smartass she was known to be, Bristol got up intending to check on Dan. “No, Patrick, you have sisters. Sisters don’t deliberately betray you because they’re looking for their fifteen minutes of fame. I hope Mike sees her true colors soon and dumps her on her ass.”
“He already has. The only reason she moved out there was because she found out she was pregnant. Mike didn’t want her in Chicago going through it alone and he’s not ready to give up his youth. There’s a reason he’s been asking you to call her; she needs you more than ever.” Bristol felt her heart drop. She suddenly felt like the bitch and the one doing wrong. But, she was still beyond pissed six months after the fact.
“And, the guys and I have overruled the decision you made the other day. Kristen is coming to the morning skate whether you like it or not.” Standing up and grabbing his jacket from the back of a chair, Patrick slung it over his shoulder. “It’s time she saw her godmother work his magic on the ice.”