Everyday I Think Of You

“So, what do you think, Sophie?”

“You have a bunch of guys with potential, Q. But after the next two weeks, I’ll be able to get a better vibe on each player.”

“Okay, but if you think there’s anyone who just isn’t cutting it, tell me right away.”

“Don’t worry, Coach. I’ll do what I do best, promise,” I told him. Ava had disappeared with the boys to the locker room, so I wasn’t too worried. I headed to the locker room with Q and he disappeared into his office while I went and gobbled up my daughter in my arms causing her to laugh. I quickly put her down and headed for Corey’s stall.

“How you feeling, beautiful?” Corey asked as I sat down in front of him.

“Pretty good it feels great to be back in the icebox.”

“That’s good. I’ll shower and we can go grab some lunch with Sharpie?”

“Isn’t he still mad at me?”

“Nah, he let off his steam already. He’ll apologize eventually,” Corey confirmed. I just shrugged. He kissed my forehead and headed for the showers.

Sharpie was done first and came to apologize to me. He said it was just taking a toll on him to only be able to see his kids less then he normally would at this time of year. I accepted and told him he should try to work things out with Abby faster to get to see his kids more often and when he’s actually home.

“I don’t want to do this any more then Abby, Soph. But she betrayed our marriage and it just isn’t forgivable at the drop of a hat. There’s a principal behind the counseling.”

“I know that Pat, I really do. But, don’t sell her short because I know what it’s like to be that girl. Except I already knew which guy I was supposed to be with. I just didn’t see it right away. She knows. She’s always known. She was just lonely!”

“We are trying, especially for the kids’ sake. It just takes a while for me to understand where she’s coming from. But I think, soon, things will be different. Not normal, we can’t ever go back to normal, but as normal as we can.”

“You have an appointment today, yes?”

“Mmh, actually, the therapist wants you to come with. Abby told her that you knew the feeling better then anyone and now she wants to talk to you. I hope it won’t be too hard on you.”

“I’ll be fine, Patrick. Let’s go get some lunch and we’ll get ready for this day.” He agreed and I helped pack up Corey’s stuff so we could go as soon as he returned from the showers. He slid on his shoes and we were out of the rink. We ate at our usual diner and had basically the same thing as always. Turkey melts for the boys, grilled cheese for Ava, and a burger for me.

Corey drove us home and I put Ava down for a nap before changing to go with Pat. I explained the situation to Corey who understood and promised to have dinner on the table when we came back. I kissed him and joined Patrick in his car. We drove in silence the entire ride, but it wasn’t awkward. It was peaceful. I mostly sat there, looking out the window, hands possessively placed over my baby bump. We arrived and I was ushered in first, ahead of Abby and Pat.

“Mrs. Crawford, welcome. I’m Doctor Lee Patterson. I just have a few questions to ask regarding you and your life with your friends the Sharp’s, alright?” I nodded and she continued. “Abby tells me that you’ve been in the same position as she is now?”

“Not exactly the same, but similar, a couple of years ago was when it actually happened. I was engaged to another man, got pregnant by my now husband, and miscarried. It was the baby that made me realize I wasn’t in love with the man I was engaged to, but the man whose baby I had been carrying.”

“Do you feel that you did wrong by not choosing your fiancé over the father of your unborn child?”

“No, I don’t. It was wrong to cheat on my fiancé, yes. But picking Corey over Sidney was not the wrong choice. I would not have been this happy had I been with Sidney at this time. I don’t even know if I would still be in Chicago, to be honest.”

“Of course. How do you compare your situation to Abby’s?”

“I think she was lonely, she wanted a companion and she went to the wrong place to get it. She knows that now, but she didn’t then. It doesn’t make me feel like she did something so wrong that it would break up a friendship. It’s just really tough, being so close to both her and Patrick that I know I need to be there for both of them, but it’s almost impossible to be on both sides of the argument all the time.”

“How do you compare it to your situation?”

“What I did was much, much worse, Doctor Lee.”

“Why?” she asked.

“I choose the other man. She’s choosing her husband.”