Status: One Shot
Some Kind of Miracle
One
Jonathan looked at the ring he had bought his girlfriend of ten years, Katie. He didn’t understand how someone would want to be with him for so long. He had his moods and his temper, he wasn’t exactly attractive, and he was very busy. He’d known Katie since they were ten years old and hadn’t asked her out until three years later. He always wondered what it was about himself that kept her around. He would have to ask her tonight when he took her out to her favorite restaurant, Everest. Jonathan had planned on taking her to Charlie Trotter’s but when it closed, he had to change his plans.
He slipped on his black blazer before grabbing his Range Rover keys. It was almost seven thirty and the reservations were for eight. Jonathan was picking her up from her best friend’s house. Apparently Katie was borrowing a pair of Kelly-Rae Keith’s shoes for tonight and wanted her opinion on her outfit. Jonathan wasn’t too sure but he didn’t mind driving to Duncan’s house. He slid into his black Armada and turned on the radio. He needed the noise to drown out his thoughts.
At the Keith residence, Jonathan knocked on the door and heard Mowgli’s bark. Duncan opened the door and smiled at him. Jonathan followed Duncan into the living room where Kelly-rae was finishing Katie’s hair. Her dark tresses were slightly wavy and half pulled back. Jonathan had to remind himself to be careful of touching it when he kissed her. He could barely pull himself together to talk to her.
“You look gorgeous, babe. I can’t…I’m not sure what to say…” Jonathan sighed as he took in Katie’s outfit.
The couple said goodbye to their friends before getting into Jonathan’s car. Jonathan made sure to hold Katie’s hand as he drove through the somewhat busy streets of Chicago. Jonathan let his mind wander a little as he drove. He thought about how ten years went by so fast and how he was still madly in love with the woman next to him. It amazed him how Katie was so willing to move with him to America and deal with his busy schedule before and after he was drafted. Sometimes he didn’t come home to her and it tore him up inside. With Katie, he could relax. He wasn’t Captain Serious; he was Jonny Toews.
“Jonny, are you in there? I think we’re at the restaurant.” Katie said.
Jonathan looked at where he was and blushed. He spaced out in the drive to Everest. He was just glad he didn’t get them hurt. He pulled into a parking spot and killed the engine. He ran around to the passenger door and opened it for Katie, helping her get out in the process. It took a lot of discipline and internal yelling for Jonathan not to stare at Katie.
Inside the restaurant, Jonathan led Katie behind the hostess to their private table. It was a bit away from the rest of the crowd so that Jonathan could put his attention on Katie. The ring in his pocket felt like a hundred pounds. He was so nervous. This was bigger than the final few seconds of the Stanley Cup Finals. It was bigger than being drafted. It was bigger than everything.
“So tell me how your day was.” Jonathan said as he set the menu down.
He watched as Katie’s face grew red. He happened to love hearing about Katie’s day. He loved hearing her talk about the kids she worked with and the people she met. It really interested him that Katie was a kindergarten teacher who got to work with youngsters all day. He loved little kids. He watched her talk about how “her kids” were excited to do a day about sports. They all came in wearing their favorite team, most of them wearing some sort of Hawks gear. It warmed Jonathan’s heart.
“This one little girl, Adriana, she asked me if I knew Kaner. I said I did and she gasped. I asked her why she wanted to know and she whispered in my ear that she thought he was handsome. I told her I would relay the message.” Katie said with a bright smile on her face.
“I bet Kaner would love to hear that. Sometimes I think he loves kids more than you and I do.” Jonathan mused.
The waiter finally came and took their complete order. Jonathan faked that he had to use the restroom. Instead, he found the waiter and explained that he was going to propose to Katie. He asked if there was any way he could get a video of the proposal. The waiter agreed and told Jonathan that he would personally take care of it. Jonathan smiled and handed the waiter a twenty for his help.
When Jonathan returned, he found Katie sipping her lemon water. Katie usually always had wine with her supper so Jonathan thought it was strange that suddenly she didn’t have any. But Jonathan wasn’t going to question her about it. Jonathan sat next to Katie and leaned in to kiss her. Though he was never a fan of public displays of affection, he didn’t care who saw with Katie around. He’d kiss her forever if he had the chance.
---
Katie accepted the gentle kiss and set her glass of water down. Something was up with Jonny. She just knew that something had him nervous but she didn’t know what. Maybe it was the play-offs that were coming up in less than a week. Maybe it was the fact that she had been acting different since Monday. Either way, she had to tell him.
“Jonny, I have to tell you something. But I’m afraid….” Katie began.
Jonny was quick to get a look of concern on his face. Katie was nervous that he was going to freak out or worse. In their ten years, never had they spoken about having children. Though they both love children, they never sat down and talked about whether they wanted a family of their own. Katie took a deep breath and placed her hand on Jonny’s.
“I’m eight weeks.” She whispered.
In the silence that took hold of their table, Katie refused to look at Jonny. She didn’t want to see the look of disappointment or anger.
“You….you’re pregnant? When did you find out? Have you seen a doctor? Do our parents know? What about the team?” Jonny asked.
Katie could only laugh. She reached her hand up to Jonny’s cheek and gently stroked it with her knuckles. It calmed Jonny down enough that she could explain that she had seen a doctor and he confirmed that she was pregnant. She also explained that she found out Wednesday and was waiting for the right time to talk to him. Katie gauged Jonny’s reaction by the way he would nod. She knew he was trying to soak everything in that she was saying.
---
Jonathan was going to be a father. He knew he’d have to ask Sharp about what to do. He didn’t know what to say except that he loved Katie and would take care of her and the baby as best as he knew how. He knew that Katie wasn’t going to let him take too much care of her since she was stubborn and didn’t like asking for help. Besides, she would probably yell at him about focusing on the play-offs instead of her and the baby.
After their food was paid for, Jonathan nodded to the waiter before taking Katie’s hand in his. He kissed her fingers and looked into her brown eyes. He slid out of his seat and got down on one knee. He saw Katie figure out what he was doing and he smiled nervously.
“Kaitlyn Anderson, I have loved you since we were thirteen years old. I have waited for this day since I was sixteen. Never once in our ten years together did I ever think about another woman. You’re the only woman for me. I want to ask you to be my wife and the mother of my children. I want you to be there for me like you have been for these ten plus years. I love you so much. Will you marry me?” Jonathan asked.
He pulled the very expensive ring out of his pocket and waited for Katie to answer. A small ‘yes’ came out of her mouth and Jonathan slipped the ring on her finger. It fit perfectly and glistened in the lightning of the dining room. Jonathan looked at Katie’s face to see tears falling freely from her eyes. He sat back in his chair and scooted as close as possible to her. He wiped her tears away with this thumb before softly kissing her. He heard clapping coming from the people who watched them.
“I love you, Jonny.” Katie whispered.
Jonathan smiled at her and kissed her forehead.
---
Katie couldn’t believe it. She was going to be Mrs. Jonathan Toews someday. She stared at the ring on her left ring finger the entire way home. She couldn’t get over how beautiful the ring was. She wondered if Abby knew about Jonny’s plan.
“Jonny, did any of our friends know about this?” Katie asked quietly.
She saw Jonny nod as he kept his eyes on the road.
***
Six months passed by quickly for the couple. The shortened season was coming to an end and the play-offs, as well as Jonny’s birthday, were coming up. Katie wasn’t sure what to get Jonny for his birthday. They hadn’t had a chance to really sit down and plan the wedding either. Katie was busy with her doula and Jonny was busy training with the team.
“How is your fiancé, Katie?” Gail, Katie’s doula asked one day.
Katie sighed. She hadn’t seen Jonny since late last night. He was gone before she had woken up in the morning. She felt like a stranger in her own home. She hadn’t made supper for Jonny in a week. She just wanted to have a few hours with him to talk about the baby and just to see how he’s doing. Katie just missed her Jonny.
“He’s been busy with the team and training. We still haven’t talked about the wedding. We don’t have names picked out for the baby. The only things we have done are paint and get the baby’s room ready. I feel like he wants me to do everything on my own.” Katie explained.
“I’m no therapist, sweetie, but I think he’s nervous. These are big events in both of your lives. Yes, you have been together for a long time, but you told me that these things had never been brought up. Maybe he never thought about them happening so soon.” Gail offered.
---
Jonathan walked into his and Katie’s house at around seven that night. He was tired and sore from training. The team had finally found out that they were going to be playing against Minnesota in the first series of the play-offs. But to Jonathan, he wanted to relax with Katie and talk about the baby.
“Katie, where are you?” Jonathan asked as he grabbed a blue Gatorade from the fridge.
“In the baby’s room.” He heard Katie answer.
He smiled to himself. He knew that Katie spent a lot of her time in there. She would always be fussing with the toys. Jonathan climbed the stairs and found Katie sitting in the rocking chair with one of the books that Patrick and Abby Sharp had given them at the baby shower. He walked over to her and crouched down to her level.
“How was practice, love?” Katie asked as she ran her fingers through his hair.
Jonathan shrugged; he didn’t feel like talking about work. He wanted to hear about Katie and the baby.
“Come lay with me in bed. I want to hear about you and the baby.” Jonathan cooed.
He helped Katie out of the chair and followed her to the master bedroom. He stripped down to his boxer-briefs before climbing into their king size bed. He closed his arms as Katie snuggled her back into his torso. He put his hand on her huge belly. He was still dazed that he helped make the baby that was growing inside of her. He just couldn’t believe he was going to be a father. He was so excited to show the team the sonogram pictures that Katie would bring him.
“How is Gail? Is she good?” Jonathan asked.
“I like her. She lets me vent and she gives great advice. I have a question for you, baby.” Katie said.
“I’m all ears.”
“Since I found out I was pregnant, I’ve been thinking about doing a natural birth. Would you be opposed to that?”
“Will you be near a doctor in case something goes wrong?”
That was all Jonny wanted to know. He wanted to make sure that Katie and the baby were safe. He listened to all that Katie had to say, putting in his honest opinion when it was needed. He told her that he would research it before giving her a definitive answer. He wanted to read about a natural birth and know what was in store for Katie and the baby.
That night, Jonny laid in bed with Katie in his arms. He couldn’t help but think about how lucky he was to have her in his life. He looked at his teammates and wondered if they were as lucky as he was. He knew that Duncs, Sharpie, and Seabs were since they raved about their wives all the time. He was excited to become one of the guys that got to talk about their wives. But mostly, he reminded himself that Katie was special. She would be with their child most of the time due to Jonny’s crazy schedule and he knew that. But he’d be damned if he wasn’t going to raise that child to be the best that it could be. He wanted his child to have loving parents and a loving family.
He slipped on his black blazer before grabbing his Range Rover keys. It was almost seven thirty and the reservations were for eight. Jonathan was picking her up from her best friend’s house. Apparently Katie was borrowing a pair of Kelly-Rae Keith’s shoes for tonight and wanted her opinion on her outfit. Jonathan wasn’t too sure but he didn’t mind driving to Duncan’s house. He slid into his black Armada and turned on the radio. He needed the noise to drown out his thoughts.
At the Keith residence, Jonathan knocked on the door and heard Mowgli’s bark. Duncan opened the door and smiled at him. Jonathan followed Duncan into the living room where Kelly-rae was finishing Katie’s hair. Her dark tresses were slightly wavy and half pulled back. Jonathan had to remind himself to be careful of touching it when he kissed her. He could barely pull himself together to talk to her.
“You look gorgeous, babe. I can’t…I’m not sure what to say…” Jonathan sighed as he took in Katie’s outfit.
The couple said goodbye to their friends before getting into Jonathan’s car. Jonathan made sure to hold Katie’s hand as he drove through the somewhat busy streets of Chicago. Jonathan let his mind wander a little as he drove. He thought about how ten years went by so fast and how he was still madly in love with the woman next to him. It amazed him how Katie was so willing to move with him to America and deal with his busy schedule before and after he was drafted. Sometimes he didn’t come home to her and it tore him up inside. With Katie, he could relax. He wasn’t Captain Serious; he was Jonny Toews.
“Jonny, are you in there? I think we’re at the restaurant.” Katie said.
Jonathan looked at where he was and blushed. He spaced out in the drive to Everest. He was just glad he didn’t get them hurt. He pulled into a parking spot and killed the engine. He ran around to the passenger door and opened it for Katie, helping her get out in the process. It took a lot of discipline and internal yelling for Jonathan not to stare at Katie.
Inside the restaurant, Jonathan led Katie behind the hostess to their private table. It was a bit away from the rest of the crowd so that Jonathan could put his attention on Katie. The ring in his pocket felt like a hundred pounds. He was so nervous. This was bigger than the final few seconds of the Stanley Cup Finals. It was bigger than being drafted. It was bigger than everything.
“So tell me how your day was.” Jonathan said as he set the menu down.
He watched as Katie’s face grew red. He happened to love hearing about Katie’s day. He loved hearing her talk about the kids she worked with and the people she met. It really interested him that Katie was a kindergarten teacher who got to work with youngsters all day. He loved little kids. He watched her talk about how “her kids” were excited to do a day about sports. They all came in wearing their favorite team, most of them wearing some sort of Hawks gear. It warmed Jonathan’s heart.
“This one little girl, Adriana, she asked me if I knew Kaner. I said I did and she gasped. I asked her why she wanted to know and she whispered in my ear that she thought he was handsome. I told her I would relay the message.” Katie said with a bright smile on her face.
“I bet Kaner would love to hear that. Sometimes I think he loves kids more than you and I do.” Jonathan mused.
The waiter finally came and took their complete order. Jonathan faked that he had to use the restroom. Instead, he found the waiter and explained that he was going to propose to Katie. He asked if there was any way he could get a video of the proposal. The waiter agreed and told Jonathan that he would personally take care of it. Jonathan smiled and handed the waiter a twenty for his help.
When Jonathan returned, he found Katie sipping her lemon water. Katie usually always had wine with her supper so Jonathan thought it was strange that suddenly she didn’t have any. But Jonathan wasn’t going to question her about it. Jonathan sat next to Katie and leaned in to kiss her. Though he was never a fan of public displays of affection, he didn’t care who saw with Katie around. He’d kiss her forever if he had the chance.
---
Katie accepted the gentle kiss and set her glass of water down. Something was up with Jonny. She just knew that something had him nervous but she didn’t know what. Maybe it was the play-offs that were coming up in less than a week. Maybe it was the fact that she had been acting different since Monday. Either way, she had to tell him.
“Jonny, I have to tell you something. But I’m afraid….” Katie began.
Jonny was quick to get a look of concern on his face. Katie was nervous that he was going to freak out or worse. In their ten years, never had they spoken about having children. Though they both love children, they never sat down and talked about whether they wanted a family of their own. Katie took a deep breath and placed her hand on Jonny’s.
“I’m eight weeks.” She whispered.
In the silence that took hold of their table, Katie refused to look at Jonny. She didn’t want to see the look of disappointment or anger.
“You….you’re pregnant? When did you find out? Have you seen a doctor? Do our parents know? What about the team?” Jonny asked.
Katie could only laugh. She reached her hand up to Jonny’s cheek and gently stroked it with her knuckles. It calmed Jonny down enough that she could explain that she had seen a doctor and he confirmed that she was pregnant. She also explained that she found out Wednesday and was waiting for the right time to talk to him. Katie gauged Jonny’s reaction by the way he would nod. She knew he was trying to soak everything in that she was saying.
---
Jonathan was going to be a father. He knew he’d have to ask Sharp about what to do. He didn’t know what to say except that he loved Katie and would take care of her and the baby as best as he knew how. He knew that Katie wasn’t going to let him take too much care of her since she was stubborn and didn’t like asking for help. Besides, she would probably yell at him about focusing on the play-offs instead of her and the baby.
After their food was paid for, Jonathan nodded to the waiter before taking Katie’s hand in his. He kissed her fingers and looked into her brown eyes. He slid out of his seat and got down on one knee. He saw Katie figure out what he was doing and he smiled nervously.
“Kaitlyn Anderson, I have loved you since we were thirteen years old. I have waited for this day since I was sixteen. Never once in our ten years together did I ever think about another woman. You’re the only woman for me. I want to ask you to be my wife and the mother of my children. I want you to be there for me like you have been for these ten plus years. I love you so much. Will you marry me?” Jonathan asked.
He pulled the very expensive ring out of his pocket and waited for Katie to answer. A small ‘yes’ came out of her mouth and Jonathan slipped the ring on her finger. It fit perfectly and glistened in the lightning of the dining room. Jonathan looked at Katie’s face to see tears falling freely from her eyes. He sat back in his chair and scooted as close as possible to her. He wiped her tears away with this thumb before softly kissing her. He heard clapping coming from the people who watched them.
“I love you, Jonny.” Katie whispered.
Jonathan smiled at her and kissed her forehead.
---
Katie couldn’t believe it. She was going to be Mrs. Jonathan Toews someday. She stared at the ring on her left ring finger the entire way home. She couldn’t get over how beautiful the ring was. She wondered if Abby knew about Jonny’s plan.
“Jonny, did any of our friends know about this?” Katie asked quietly.
She saw Jonny nod as he kept his eyes on the road.
***
Six months passed by quickly for the couple. The shortened season was coming to an end and the play-offs, as well as Jonny’s birthday, were coming up. Katie wasn’t sure what to get Jonny for his birthday. They hadn’t had a chance to really sit down and plan the wedding either. Katie was busy with her doula and Jonny was busy training with the team.
“How is your fiancé, Katie?” Gail, Katie’s doula asked one day.
Katie sighed. She hadn’t seen Jonny since late last night. He was gone before she had woken up in the morning. She felt like a stranger in her own home. She hadn’t made supper for Jonny in a week. She just wanted to have a few hours with him to talk about the baby and just to see how he’s doing. Katie just missed her Jonny.
“He’s been busy with the team and training. We still haven’t talked about the wedding. We don’t have names picked out for the baby. The only things we have done are paint and get the baby’s room ready. I feel like he wants me to do everything on my own.” Katie explained.
“I’m no therapist, sweetie, but I think he’s nervous. These are big events in both of your lives. Yes, you have been together for a long time, but you told me that these things had never been brought up. Maybe he never thought about them happening so soon.” Gail offered.
---
Jonathan walked into his and Katie’s house at around seven that night. He was tired and sore from training. The team had finally found out that they were going to be playing against Minnesota in the first series of the play-offs. But to Jonathan, he wanted to relax with Katie and talk about the baby.
“Katie, where are you?” Jonathan asked as he grabbed a blue Gatorade from the fridge.
“In the baby’s room.” He heard Katie answer.
He smiled to himself. He knew that Katie spent a lot of her time in there. She would always be fussing with the toys. Jonathan climbed the stairs and found Katie sitting in the rocking chair with one of the books that Patrick and Abby Sharp had given them at the baby shower. He walked over to her and crouched down to her level.
“How was practice, love?” Katie asked as she ran her fingers through his hair.
Jonathan shrugged; he didn’t feel like talking about work. He wanted to hear about Katie and the baby.
“Come lay with me in bed. I want to hear about you and the baby.” Jonathan cooed.
He helped Katie out of the chair and followed her to the master bedroom. He stripped down to his boxer-briefs before climbing into their king size bed. He closed his arms as Katie snuggled her back into his torso. He put his hand on her huge belly. He was still dazed that he helped make the baby that was growing inside of her. He just couldn’t believe he was going to be a father. He was so excited to show the team the sonogram pictures that Katie would bring him.
“How is Gail? Is she good?” Jonathan asked.
“I like her. She lets me vent and she gives great advice. I have a question for you, baby.” Katie said.
“I’m all ears.”
“Since I found out I was pregnant, I’ve been thinking about doing a natural birth. Would you be opposed to that?”
“Will you be near a doctor in case something goes wrong?”
That was all Jonny wanted to know. He wanted to make sure that Katie and the baby were safe. He listened to all that Katie had to say, putting in his honest opinion when it was needed. He told her that he would research it before giving her a definitive answer. He wanted to read about a natural birth and know what was in store for Katie and the baby.
That night, Jonny laid in bed with Katie in his arms. He couldn’t help but think about how lucky he was to have her in his life. He looked at his teammates and wondered if they were as lucky as he was. He knew that Duncs, Sharpie, and Seabs were since they raved about their wives all the time. He was excited to become one of the guys that got to talk about their wives. But mostly, he reminded himself that Katie was special. She would be with their child most of the time due to Jonny’s crazy schedule and he knew that. But he’d be damned if he wasn’t going to raise that child to be the best that it could be. He wanted his child to have loving parents and a loving family.
♠ ♠ ♠
:)