Father Figure

During the Penguins game, I was in a constant state of panic. Every time Sidney skated past us, I would hold my breath in anticipation. I was just waiting for him to see the three clones of himself banging on the glass and screaming. After he scored his first goal, he skated right past us. Every second felt like a minute. 

By the end of the game, I felt like I'd gone through half a dozen panic attacks. Vero met me at the entrance and gave me a reassuring smile. She'd known how freaked out I was ever since that Sunday when Dan Bylsma had announced Sid would play. 

"See? T'at wasn't as bad as you t'ought it would be," she pointed out. 

I let out a sigh. "I guess so..." I mumbled. I held on tightly to Beau and Gab's hands while Kris clung to Vero's hand. In their other hands were signs that Mario had given us before we left for the game. The boys were dressed up head to toe in Penguins gear. The last name of their father stretched across their backs. 

"Miss Vero? Can we go see Marc and Jordan?" Kris asked. 

Vero looked to me. I gave her a look that told her I would probably end up in jail for murdering her if she said yes. "Not tonight. T'ey're really busy with t'e media," she told him. 

Kris frowned. "Okay... Will you tell Marc I said hi?" he asked hopefully. 

She smiled down at him. "Absolutely!"

We held on tightly to the boys' hands as we navigated our way out of the arena. It was packed beyond belief. If I hadn't been holding on to them, they surely would have gotten lost in the mass. 

"Mama, I'm really happy we got to see Sidney Crosby play," Beau announced through his yawn. It was way past their bed times. 

Vero helped me load them up into the back seat. They each mumbled tiredly to each other and us about the game. I could see how much they wanted to keep talking about it, but sleep was fighting a winning battle. 

Vero slid into the passenger seat while I got into the driver's seat. She'd ridden with me, giving me the support I needed before the game. I was thankful I'd met her. She was a good friend, one I could only dream of having. 

"You okay?" she asked me as I joined the queue to leave the parking structure. 

I shrugged. "I guess so. I'm relieved he didn't see us. It was kind of nice seeing him play, though. He was so happy..." I whispered out. 

She gave me a smile. "I t'ink he'd look just as happy, if not happier, if you told him about his sons," she mumbled. 

"Miss Vero?" Kris asked from behind her. 

"Yeah, sweetie?" she asked, turning around to look at him. 

His eyes were focused out the window. "Will you be my girlfriend?" he asked. 

Vero and I both started laughing. "You'll have to ask Marc if I can be your girlfriend," she told him. 

He sighed heavily. "You don't need a man controlling you," he mumbled. 

With that comment, the two of us nearly died from laughing. Kris was oblivious to it, though. His snores filled the car seconds later. Beau giggled beside his brother. He slowly reached over to pinch his brother's nose. 

"Beau..." I warned slowly. He gave a frustrated sigh and sat back. 

By the time we'd gotten out of the parking structure and on the road, the boys were all asleep. "Thank you for everything, Vero," I whispered. 

She gave me a wide smile. "Any time."

We talked softly as I navigated the roads to the neighborhood she and Marc-André lived in. She told me about the party that was bound to be erupting tonight since Sidney was back. 

Everyone in the town had been jumping with joy all day. The moment I picked up Beau, Gab, and Kris from school, they were each bouncing off the walls. All they wanted to do was to see Sidney Crosby play. They'd been in their jerseys ever since this morning. They ignored the small layer of snow on the ground and wore their matching Penguins shorts and socks. I would never understand what was going through their heads when they all came out of their room dressed in their clothes. 

Even at work, I hadn't escapes the excitement. Patients were all checking to make sure they'd be able to see the game from their room and a few of the people I worked with talked about how they'd just barely gotten a ticket. I stayed silent, though. 

I waved goodbye to Vero as I dropped her off at her house. I followed the dark roads through the miles I had to drive to get to our new home. Yesterday was our first official day living in the new place. The boys greeted the Lemieux's with a batch of brownies we'd made.  

I pulled up into my parking spot moments before Mario arrived. He walked out of the garage to meet me at my car. I had Kris draped across my front, trying to balance him. "Hey," I greeted. 

"Bon soir," he replied. "Need some help?" he asked. 

I smiled. "I can get them," I assured him. 

He waved it off. "Here, hand me Kris," he insisted, holding his arms out. 

I carefully transferred my sleeping son into his arms. "Did you enjoy the game?" he asked me as we moved to the other side of the car to get Gab and Beau. 

I nodded my head. "The boys loved it. As you can see by their clothes, they've been preparing all day," I pointed out. 

He chuckled. "They're adorable. But did you enjoy it?" he asked. 

I hesitated. "It was nice to see him so happy again. It's been a long time since I've watched him play," I admitted softly. 

I picked up Gab and held him against my chest. "Did you have fun?" I asked. 

He smiled widely. "Of course. He's like a son to me. Seeing him so happy means a lot," he told me. 

I gently shook Beau's shoulder. "Baby, you have to wake up. We're home. I can't carry you," I whispered. 

Beau's eyes slowly opened up. He crawled out of the car and almost fell out. I quickly caught his arm to hold him up. Once he got his feet under him, he rubbed his eyes. 

"Mama, can you carry me?" he asked, his arms up. 

I shut the door of my car. "I can't carry both of you, honey. I'm sorry," I told him, running my hand over his curly hair. 

Mario held out his hand. "Here. I'll get you," he told him. Beau wrapped his arms around Mario's neck while Mario scooped him up. 

I didn't know how he managed to get them both, but he did. "Thank you," I whispered.

He gave me a smile. "No problem," he responded. We walked silently back to the small house on the side of his home. I unlocked the door and opened it up. As we walked inside, I flicked on a few lights. I showed Mario where to put which boy and he did so. I carefully put Kris in his bed and began taking off his shoes. I figured he would be fine sleeping in the sports shorts and jersey he had on.  Mario copied my action with Gab while I moved to take off Beau's shoes. 

We exited the room after that. "Thank you for helping me out," I told him with a sigh. 

He nodded his head. "Can I just ask you a question?"

I nodded my head and leaned back against the kitchen counter. Mario studied my face for a long minute. "Their his, aren't they?"

I hung my head. "Please don't say anything to him. I was trying hard not to mess up his life by telling him about them," I whispered. I gave him a pleading look. 

He nodded his head simply. "He will figure it out eventually, though. He isn't going to just let an old friend of his walk into his life without him making some attempt to keep the friendship up," he warned. "And by the look on his face after he saw you a few weeks ago, he's definitely not letting you go."

After that, Mario walked back to his house. I let out a groan and rubbed my hands over my face. I was slowly accepting the fact that no matter how hard I tried, Sidney would find out about his sons. 

I turned around to rinse off the dishes and put them in the dish washer. I needed something to take my mind off of my childhood friend. He was probably going to be furious with me when he found out I'd kept them a secret. 

Just as I turned off the sink, a knock sounded on my door. I flicked on the porch light before open the door. 

"When were you planning on telling me I was a father?"