Status: Complete

Turbulence

They're Nothing But Trouble

“Everything that has been reported is true?”

“Most of it,” Jonathan responded. “I’ve heard rumours that people are saying Cameron is mine, but he’s not.”

“He’s mine,” Patrick piped up, arrogantly. “What should we do?”

“Honestly, I think it’ll be best if you let it all play out on its own.”

I exchanged a look with Jonathan, knowing too well that Patrick was not going to go along with that solution. “Is there anything you need the boys to do?”

“No, if they refuse to answer the topics, I think that everything will be fine. I’ll write up a news release making a few statements about how they boys want privacy at this time.”

“What if that’s not enough?” Jonathan asked, concern strong in his voice. “I mean, people are going to judge, and that’s fine. It happens all the time, but I’m dating my teammate’s girlfriend.”

“Look, Jonathan,” she grumbled, clearly annoyed. “The choices you make outside of hockey should have nothing to do with anything that the hockey reporters usually interview about. We all know that it’s not true, but that’s the way it should be. If you steer your interviews strictly in the direction of hockey, everything should blow over quickly.”

“Do you really think it will be that easy?” I asked. “I mean, it’s pretty big news that Patrick Kane has a child.”

Lacey sighed heavily through the phone before beginning to speak. “People aren’t going to care. The news will be exciting for like a week, and then people will realise that many players have kids that the public isn’t aware of.”

“I’m not just any player,” Patrick scoffed, receiving a glare from me. “Well, I’m not.”

“I really have no concerns about this,” Lacey stated, ending the conversation. “Now, I have to go make a statement. I’ll talk to you boys when you’re back in the city.”

“She was kind of a bitch about it,” I complained, once we had hung up the phone. “It was like she didn’t even care about the attention this is already getting.”

“Maybe she’s just having a bad day,” Patrick suggested, picking up his son, and sitting him on his lap.

I watched him carefully, as he cooed at the boy. “What have you done?”

“What?” Both men asked, confused.

“Patrick, you have done something. What is it?”

He avoided my eye contact, and ran a hand through his son’s curls. “Why do you assume that I have done something?”

“You were kind of a dick on the phone, and now you aren’t making eye contact with either of us. I know you much better than you think I do. Now, what have you done?”

“I haven’t done anything,” Patrick pushed, staring into my eyes as if to prove a point. “At least nothing that could effect our current situation.”

“Oh, God,” I groaned, placing my face in my hands. “Please tell me you didn’t.”

Jonathan’s eyes were on me, and you could tell that he was deep in thought. “How long ago did that happen?”

“What?” Patrick feigned innocence.

“How long ago did you sleep with her, and not call?” I clarified, even though I was sure he knew what I was going on about.

“It wasn’t like that. Plus, she knew it wasn’t going to turn serious.”

“How long ago?”

“Which time?”

“There was more than once?” Jonathan stared.

“Well, yeah,” Pat nodded. “Have you seen her? She’s pretty good in bed, too.”

I crinkled my nose, not wanting to listen to him talk about his escapades. “Have you stopped?”

“Are you jealous?” Patrick smirked.

“No in the least,” I shook my head.

“I haven’t called, or answered her calls and texts, in awhile.”

“When did it start?” Jonathan asked, dreading the answer.

“It’s kind of been off and one since she started with the team.”

“That was over two years ago,” Jonathan breathed. “No wonder she’s pissed at you.”

“We were still together more than two years ago,” I snarled, putting pieces together in my head.

“I didn’t do anything, except flirt, when I was with you,” Patrick backtracked. “Besides, I made it very clear that she and I were never going to work out. I was only in it for the lay.”

“Are you sure she was aware?” Jonathan inquired. “Two years is a long time to be in ‘for sex only’ relationship. Then to never hear from you again? I would want you to go down in flames, too.”

“What about you?” Patrick spat. “You two aren’t clear in all of this. Do you think that she might want you to go down in flames, too?”

“For what? I wasn’t the one who was playing her for two years. The worst thing I’ve done in all of this, is start dating your ex-girlfriend.”

“You don’t think that that will be damaging? What about the fact that people think my son is actually yours? Do you really think that when people look into it, and do the math, they aren’t going to realise that Cameron was conceived when Carey was still with me? They are all going to assume that you two had an affair. I mean, Carey’s mother did. What’s to say anyone else will get a different idea?”

“If you hadn’t been having an affair with our public relations manager, this really wouldn’t be an issue, now would it?” Jonathan snarled, standing from his chair to pace back and forth. “Maybe she’s right. Maybe we just ignore all the questions that have nothing to do with hockey.”

“You’re really itching for this to go away,” Patrick commented, watching his teammate walk back and forth.

“Are you saying that you don’t?” I asked, suddenly worried about how everything was going to play out.

“I don’t know,” he smirked. “It’s kind of satisfying to watch Jon squirm under the spotlight.”

“You don’t want to go down this road, Patrick,” I warned, knowing where his talking could lead. “You start throwing Jon under the bus, and there is going to be backlash. You’re going to be bombarded with questions about Cameron, which we all know you will answer by saying he is yours. The next question out of every reporters’ mouth is going to be about when we split. You might lie about it, but Jon, Dave and I won’t. You’re going to be seen as the guy who left his girlfriend once he got her pregnant.”

“Might I remind you, you left me.”

“But you know the papers,” I shrugged. “They like to twist things, you know, make it more interesting. What could be make a more interesting story than pegging you as the guy who left his pregnant girlfriend for his captain to look after?”

“You think they would believe you?”

“You’ve been in the news enough, represented as the not so great guy. I really don’t think that it would be that hard to believe.”