Changing on the Fly

“Ciara, Ciara, it’s time to party.” Max screamed as I just groaned and flipped over and covered my head. The past 24 hours had been a nonstop party. Today was the day of the parade but I can’t seem to move out of bed. Besides the exhaustion that has overtaken my body, I haven’t talked to Sidney since Game 7 even though it’s only been one day; we have been in the same proximity ever since we left the locker room.

Now that I have had time to think since the kiss, I have started to second guess myself. I am not second guessing my feelings for Sidney, I am second guessing Sidney’s feelings for me and my decision to kiss him and the major consequences that could possibly come with a relationship with Sid.

“Ciara Hartmann, you better get that ass of yours out of bed. Sid will be here in a half hour to bring the two of us to the parade.” Max said right outside my door ready to barge in if need be.

“I’m up” I groaned back at him as I slowly got out of bed and headed to the bathroom to take a shower. How is Max even this awake? He should be hung over, he drank a lot last night and I am the one who feels hung over even though I was completely sober.

I quickly changed into capris and a tank knowing that I would be wearing my jersey for the parade anyways.

“Max why are you so loud? Shouldn’t you have a hangover?” I questioned as I walked out of my room.

“In order to be hung over you must stop drinking, however I have not stopped drinking.” Max just smirked at me as I rolled my eyes.

“Guys, I am here.” Sidney said quietly as he walked in the house without knocking wearing sunglasses.

“Good morning Captain.” Max cheered causing Sid to groan and burying his face in his hands.

“No talking until the Advil kicks in.” Sid murmured a few minutes later not even looking at me once. With those actions I worried even more about what happened the other night.

“You guys ready to party?” Max whispered as we walked out the door. This is one party I am never going to forget.

87*87*87*87*87*87*87*87*87*87*

“Ladies and gentlemen you’re 2009 Stanley Cup Champions, the Pittsburgh Penguins.” The announcer welcomed us to the stage. I was the first to give a speech to the City of Pittsburgh. I made sure I keep my speech short and captain like before handing over the microphone to Ciara. However while handing it to her I still didn’t look at her. Afraid of the pity I would see in her eyes.

There is no reason a girl as great and perfect as her would want me. That’s why she left me after I kissed her. The only reason she came back to me because she felt sorry for me.

“Hello Pittsburgh! I am going to keep this short, so we all can get back to partying with the cup. However I do want to thank you guys. Without your support and you welcoming me into your city and on your ice with open arms, I would NOT be standing here today. So thank you guys for being the best fans in the world. I promise to try my hardest to bring another Stanley Cup to you guys. See all of you next year at the Igloo.” Ciara finished off her speech before handing off the microphone to Jordan and came over and stood next to me.

“We need to talk.” She said so only I could hear her.

“After the parade, before you fly out.” I replied knowing she was heading out to LA to be on the Conan show.

A few hours later I finally dropped a very drunk Max off and grabbed Ciara’s suitcase so I could bring her to the airport after our talk. “So are you regretting kissing me now?” Ciara asked as soon as we stepped foot into my house. I looked at her, actually looked at her for the first time since that night.

“What? How could you think that?” I asked as I could tell that’s what she was really thinking. Her eyes portrayed hurt, regret and sadness but not the pity I was expecting to see.

“Sidney, you wouldn’t even look at me over these past couple of days. Let alone talk to me about the kiss. I laid my heart on the line for you something I have never done with anybody before and you just leave me hanging.” Ciara confessed.

“C. I am so sorry, I didn’t mean to hurt you like that.” I said before confessing my feelings of not being good enough for her.

“How are you not good enough for me? If anything you are too good for me.”

“That’s not true, you are the strongest women I know. You proved to everybody that you belong in the NHL including your own mother. Not only have you done that, but you have taken the NHL by storm you are the best person that has ever played the game. Yet you have never let your ability go to your head and you work hard every day as if you need to get better because you don’t belong in the NHL. While being such a good player and teammate you are a great person. There has never been a day that I have known you where I have seen you think of yourself before someone else. There is no way I am good enough for you.” I explained as I watched Ciara blush.

“Sid, if all of what you said was true which it’s not, you would be the perfect guy for me. I would be the luckiest women in the world if you chose to be with me.” She said looking down.

“Are you serious?” I asked not believing her.

“Sidney, I am completely serious.” She said sternly looking straight into my eyes before kissing me passionately. You know how in the movies when the main characters see fireworks when the finally kiss? Well every time I have kissed Ciara I have seen those fireworks, something I have never experienced before with any other girl I have ever been with.

A few minutes later we both pulled away for our bodies need for oxygen. “Do you understand now?” she asked breathless. What a smart ass. But I responded to her question the only way I knew how, by kissing her. Something I won’t get tired of. This time we pulled apart when the alarm on Ciara’s phone went off.

“Sorry, my phone is reminding me I have to go to the airport.” She explained with swollen lips.

“No problem.” I said sad that she was leaving after what just happened but I knew she was only going to be gone a couple days.

The whole way to the airport we sat in comfortable silence while I just held her hand. Everything was perfect.

“Ciara?” I asked as I walked with her to the security.

“Yes, Sid?” She stopped walking and looked at me.

“I know we just started whatever this is but I was hoping we could continue this and I know I haven’t asked you out on a date or wooed you but I was wondering, well really hoping, actually wishing on a shooting star…” I rambled before Ciara cut me off.

“Spit it out Sid or I am going to miss my plane.”

“Ciara Hartmann will you be my girlfriend?” I asked quickly.

“Yes, of course.” She smiled up at me. “Oh thank god” I muttered before capturing her lips with mine for a few seconds before she pulled back.

“I got to go Sid but I will see you in a couple of days.” She smiled warmly at me.

“Alright” I said letting go of her hips. “Call me when you land so I know you there safe.”

“Yes mother.” She joked before disappearing into security.

87*87*87*87*87*87*87*87*87*

The whole flight to LA all I could think about was Sidney, how he went from hating me to becoming my friend, to my best friend, and now my boyfriend. As I walked to the baggage claim I saw my cousins little girls holding up a sign for me that they had made.

“Ciara” Fiona yelled excitedly as she saw me approaching them.

“Hey Fi.” I picked up the little curly haired girl.

“Ciara we watched you play hockey on TV. It was so cool you are going to be famous.” Fiona’s twin sister Natalie said just as excitedly.

“Natalie and Fiona have been telling all their friends about their famous, hockey playing cousin.” Rick said giving me a hug.

“It’s only because we love you Ciara.” Fiona said with her head buried into my neck.

“I love you guys too.” I told them. We continued to chat about what has happened since the last time I saw them.

Once I got back to their place and helped Rick put the girls to bed. “It’s really nice being able to see you Ciara. The girls have missed you.”

“I have missed them too. I can’t believe I haven’t seen them since the funeral.” I said knowing full well that their mothers and his wife’s death had taken a huge toll on them this past year. Especially since the rest of their family is across the country.

“I know” Rick said quietly. “Well I will let you get some sleep, you are probably tired and you have a long day tomorrow.”

“Night Rick.” I said walking into the guest room that hasn’t changed since the last time I stayed here after Mary’s funeral.

Flashback

“Rick get your ass out of bed this moment.”

“Not now Ciara.” He groaned turning away from me. I walked over to the window and pulled apart the curtains allowing the California sunshine shine into the room that has been dark for three weeks.

“Ciara close those damn curtains!” Rick yelled at me.

“No, your girls just lost their mother and they feel like they are losing their father as well.”

“They still have their Dad.” He groaned at me.

“No they don’t, they have the shell of what used to be their Dad. I know you lost your wife and it’s hard for you but at least you got to know Mary. Fiona and Natalie won’t remember much about her and they need you there to fill in the holes and you can’t do that that if you’re holed up in your room all the time. Now shower change and come downstairs for breakfast.”

Rick did as he was told and a week later I was packing up the guest room that I had lived in for a month.

“Are you sure you have to go?” Fiona asked me at the airport.

“Yes Fi, I do.” She hugged me along with Natalie.

“Thank you for everything you have done or us, for me.”

“Anything you ever need, I will always be there for you guys.”

End Flashback

“Hello” I answered my phone on the first ring.

“Well, well, well I am glad you are alive.” Sid sarcastically said.

“Sorry I was distracted by my family who I haven’t seen in forever.”

“I guess its ok than.” I could see him smile through the phone.

“What are you still doing up?” I asked realizing it was midnight here and 4 am there.

“Oh you know just celebrating my dreams coming true.” He said and I noticed that he was slightly slurring his words.

“Good night Sidney.” I said before hanging up.

87*87*87*87*87*87*87*87*87*87*

The next day I spent with my cousins. They wanted to take me to all their favorite places. We ate lunch at the diner we always came to after their mother passed before heading to the park.

The girls were confused when a couple of fans came up to me asking for my autograph and a picture. I explained to them that it was part of the fame, and then they thought it was cool.

I called Sidney during the girls nap time and laughed at how hung over he was. While he just grumbled on and told me he was never drinking again. While in the background I heard Max and Marc making plans for another party that night.

Before going to Conan’s studio for the show I took the girls and rick out to a fancy dinner and gave each of them a present, which was just my jersey.

“We have a very special guest with us tonight, Stanley Cup Champion Ciara Hartmann is in the house.” Conan introduced me.

Before walking out on stage they showed a clip of me hitting an apple of Conan’s head with a slap shot, which we taped earlier in the day.

“Ladies and gentlemen Ciara Hartmann.” Conan said as I finally walked onto stage. “Can I just say, oh hot damn? You look hot in your uniform but you sure know how to clean up.”

“Thank you. You know though I don’t really have to try looking this hot it just comes naturally.” I smirked at him.

“Of course you don’t have to try you are perfect.”

“Far from it actually,” I countered.

“You know I have always wondered about how the locker room situation worked.” Conan stated.

“Of course you would think of me naked.” I joked and he disagreed saying no but agreed as he nodded his head yes. “We do share a locker room.” I answered his question. “And no it’s not that big of deal the team looks at me like I am their baby sister.”

“All of your teammates except one.” Conan said lifting up the photo of Sid and I kissing after the Stanley Cup game. I felt a blush creep up my face. “Aww look she is blushing.”

“It happens.” I smiled my face still flushed.

“So you and the Kid.”

“Me and the Kid.” I repeated.

“Is this a new thing or has it been going on all season?” Conan asked with his hands crossed under his chin.

“It’s a new thing.”

“How new of a thing?”

“As new as that picture you are holding.” I explained causing Conan to clap his hands excitedly.

The rest of the interview went smoothly, full of what I like to call Conan jokes. After the show I talked to Conan for a few minutes before heading back to rick’s to catch some shut eye before catching an early flight back to Pittsburgh.

Saying goodbye to all of them was one of the hardest things I have ever had to do. They finally got their lives back in order but I could tell that they were all still grieving.

The whole plane ride back I thought of ways that I could help them. But the only idea I came up with was to move them back into a city where their family and loved ones lived. However that means uprooting the girls from their friends and the only place they ever knew their mother.

Once I got off the plane Sid was their waiting for me with a dozen roses.

“Well this is a surprise.” I said when I reached him and kissed him.

“I felt as though you and I need a date. So I am going to bring you bake home let you take a nap and then pick you up at 7 for our date.” Sid explained his plan as we walked to his car.

“Sounds like the perfect night.” I smiled at him as he drove me home.

Once I got home I walked right past a passed out Max on the couch and went straight for my bed and fell asleep right when my head hit the pillow. Only to be woken up a few minutes later by my cell phone ringing.

“Hello?”

“Is this Ms. Ciara Hartmann?” a males voice asked seriously.

“This is she.” I answered worried knowing something was wrong.

“My name is Nathaniel Gibbs and I am the chief of the LAPD. I am sorry to inform you this but….”