Rookie

“Wake up, sleepy head! We are going to breakfast,” Jackie said jumping on my bed.

“Eh,” I replied in my sleep. She continued to jump.

“Come on, Ava’s already awake and hungry.”

“Fine, but it’s only for Ava.”

“If you say so, but you also have to spill about Sidney. Corey looked crushed after you left with Sid.”

“Did Jon leave?”

“He’s already downstairs, come on!”

I rolled out of bed and threw on a hoodie to go with my sweats. We then headed downstairs with Ava in my arms.

“Good morning to our dear old sleepy head, Momma Bear,” Seabrook said.

“I’m not old,” I snapped with a grin.

“Oh yeah, that’s right. The attitude throws me off sometimes.”

“Watch yourself, Brent.” Abby warned, she truly was my best friend.

“Thanks, Abby,” I sat next to her with Ava and Patrick Jr. between Sharpie and I. “What am I eating today?” I asked knowing she ordered for me.

“Banana pancakes for both you and Ava.”

“Yum, thanks,” I smiled and took a sip of water. Ava and Patrick were doing their cute baby talk next to me.

Food arrived a moment later and I cut up Ava’s pancakes so she could eat them and then I ate. It was getting to be ten o’clock by the time we finished. Abby, Jackie, Jr., Ava and I headed upstairs to help me get ready and so I could tell them about last night.

“Okay, now spill. What did you and Sidney do last night?”

“We got ice cream, went for a walk in the park, and then came back here. That’s all.”

“Then why are you so giddy?” Abby questioned.

“He asked me to be his girlfriend,” I squealed.

“How cute are you two? How are you going to do the whole Pitts/Chicago thing?”

“I don’t know if we’ll make it past today. I’m telling him about Ava today. I’m actually planning on bringing her with me.”

“Are you sure you want to do this? No one else really knows.”

“I have to if I want things to go anywhere with Sidney.”

“Well then, get ready and we’ll watch Ava.” I showered and dressed, changed Ava, and walked with Abby down to the lobby just in time to see Sid stroll in. I waved goodbye to Abby before making my way with Ava walking by my side with her little fist inside my hand across the lobby.

“And who is this cutie?” Sid asked as I picked Ava up and he smiled at her.

“Sidney, this is my daughter, Ava. She is eighteen months old.”

“Christmas 2010,” he mumbled loud enough for me to hear.

“Sidney, Ava is the result of my rape.”

“Holy shit, I’m sorry. Here I was thinking you got knocked up by one of your teammates or something. I’m really sorry for thinking that.”

“Sidney, it’s okay. People think that all the time, but Ava is a miracle that is probably the only reason I’m still alive.”

“What do you mean?” he asked as I moved to the couches that were in the lobby.

“Well, that week after Christmas I was kidnapped and raped. They found me three days later and I was sent to every doctor in the city of Chicago. They wanted to know my strengths and weaknesses in every category. So I was constantly being tested. Then the day I found out I was pregnant with Ava, a drunk driver hit my parent’s car. They were dead on impact but my little brother lasted a week hooked up to every machine possible. Had I not been pregnant, I probably would’ve killed myself. I hated my life. I moved in with Abby and Patrick and Abby got pregnant. So I moved out of their house and in with Corey just about three months before I was due with Ava. I still live with him.”

“Wow, I had no idea about your parents. I’m so sorry. I guess that’s why the team is your family.”

“Yeah, that’s why. They really do mean a lot to me.”

“Are you hungry?”

“Not really, would you show Ava and me the city?”

“Of course, do you mind if we walk?”

“Let me get the stroller I have at the front desk,” I asked the receptionist to get it for me and I had it to put Ava in a moment later. The three of us set off.

“This is home to the Steelers, Heinz Stadium,” he pointed. I smiled and we kept walking towards the home of the Pittsburgh Penguins. “The Consol,” I cut him off.

“Energy center that is right across the street from your old arena,” I answered.

“You sure know a lot about the Penguins, Miss Blackhawk.”

“Hello, hockey fan!”

“Sorry, most girls don’t know a thing about hockey.”

“I’m not most girls.”

“You certainly aren’t,” he kissed me until Ava started to laugh as a butterfly landed on her nose.

“Anything else important to see?” I asked after we moved on from the CEC.

“One more place,” he motioned a different direction towards a neighborhood. We walked to the end of the main road and there was a gated house there. “This is my house. Would you like to come in? It’s rather hot and I’m thirsty,” he said as he entered the code for the gate and it opened.

“Sure,” we walked up the driveway to his house and he got a funny look on his face.

“It seems that Marc Staal has dropped by for a visit,” he explained.

“Were you expecting him?” I asked thinking I interrupted boys’ time or something.

“No,” he answered. He opened the garage door and we entered the house to hear the TV on in another room.

“Marc?” Sidney yelled, the TV turned off and a young girl appeared.

“Hi, Sid. Who’s the chick?”

“Taylor, what are you doing here?”

“Mom and Dad were too needy, so I came early. I hope I’m not interrupting.”

“Sorry, this is Sophie. Sophie this is my sister, Taylor.”

“It’s nice to meet you.”

“Is that your daughter?”

“More importantly you want to know if your brother is the father, right.”

“Yes.” I moved to the couch and sat down when Sid disappeared.

“Than no, he is not. In fact, I was raped and got pregnant. I only met Sid yesterday.” Taylor joined me on the couch.

“I’m so sorry. If I had known, I’m sorry.”

“Its okay, Taylor. I’m not mad. People think that my best friend is the baby’s dad. You know Corey Crawford, right?”

“Of course, but still, I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be, I’m used to it. Can I ask how old you are, Taylor?”

“I’m seventeen; I graduated high school in June.”

“Well, I’m nineteen and I also graduated in June because I took a year off to be with Ava.”

“I bet a lot of people didn’t think you’d finish, huh?” Ava was by this time fast asleep in her stroller.

“My friends on the Blackhawks knew I would, but that was only because they knew how I wanted a better life for my daughter and me.”

“And now you are the first woman in the NHL.”

“Yes, Ma’am. I never played a day in my life before I met the team though. That was 2010.”

“Really, I’ve been playing since I was two and I’m not that good.”

“My teammates call it raw talent. There was no way of knowing I’d be good until I tried it.” Sid entered the room with water for Taylor and I. “Thanks,” he sat down next to me.

“And she is good, Tay, just wait until you see her play. Mario made me watch the rookie tapes with him and we couldn’t believe the talent she had,” he smiled towards me and I blushed.

“How are you going to be a mom and play hockey?”

“I’ll be with my daughter as much as I can when I’m in town and she’ll stay with my friends on road trips. The girlfriends and wives are basically fighting over Ava.”

“I realize you had a rough past, but your life seems to be pretty good these days.”

“It is pretty good,” we said goodbye to Taylor and walked back to the hotel. “Thanks for showing me the city and your house. And it was nice to meet Taylor, she’s nice and young.”

“And naïve,” he added as we went to the elevator that just opened.

“If you think about it, I would be young and naïve if I hadn’t met the Blackhawks.”

“Than we wouldn’t have met.”

“And I wouldn’t have Ava.” We shared a smile and the elevator opened to my floor.

“When do you leave?”

“In a couple of hours,” I replied.

“And we don’t play you until November?” he sounded disappointed.

“There’s short weekend breaks occasionally, and there’s plenty of way to communicate as you pointed out yesterday.”

“Very true,” he kissed me. It lasted until I heard Ava wake up. “Good afternoon, Ava.”

“Momma,” she whined. I picked her up and started to open the hotel room door.

“FIVE MINUTES!” I heard Jon yell. I closed the door and we all laughed.

“I guess I have five more minutes to spare. Would you mind going with me downstairs to give them back the stroller?”

“Sure,” he pushed it for me as I held Ava and we went back down. After coming back up I was the first to speak up.

“Call me tomorrow?”

“Of course,” he said with a light kiss and one for Ava too. “I’ll see you,” he said as I went into my room and he disappeared down the hall.

“You guys are gross,” I informed Jackie and Jon.

“Thanks,” Jon replied.

“It wasn’t a compliment, you pig.”

“It is now,” Jackie added before I gave them both evil looks and started to pack.