Chances Taken

“He’s gunna miss a week?” Emma asked and I nodded my head.

I had just told her that it was announced that Sidney was going to miss a week because of a concussion. He was hit at the Capitals game and then four days later, hit in the first period at our home game against the Tampa Bay, he managed to finish the game and help us win with the final score of eight to one, Penguins. However, he was really slow and sluggish, I was happy when Coach didn’t put him on for long periods of time like usual, I didn’t want him getting hurt again. He traveled to Montreal with us, but didn’t play the game because he felt sick right after he put his gear on, Doc quickly got him back on a flight and sent him back to Pittsburgh to be looked at, we lost that game in overtime.

“Are you guys going to be all right?” Emma asked and I looked at her confused, “It is Crosby?”

“Crosby isn’t the only person on the team, yeah he’ll be missed and it’ll take some new lines and plays, but it’s not like he’ll be gone forever, it’s just one week, he’ll be fine, we’ll be fine.”

After that week, some of us got worried when they announced that Sidney was going to be out indefinitely because his concussion symptoms were not showing any sign of going away. So far we had three games, we lost our home games to Minnesota, an embarrassing loss with the final score of four to zero, we lost to Boston with the final score of four to two, and I got myself hurt too. When I was skating towards the net to try and make a goal, Brad Marchand blindsided me and I rammed into the boards and dislocated my shoulder.

I was going to be fine, though I didn’t finish playing the Bruins game and I was scratched from the away trips to Montreal and Boston. While the boys were away, I kept Sidney company at his place, we mostly just sat on the couch, had all the blinds closed and watched TV at a low volume and I even had to lower the brightness on the TV because it was bothering Sidney.

I sat on the couch with Sidney, we were going to watch the Boston and Pittsburgh game, they managed to beat Montreal, which we were happy about, now they needed to beat Boston. I had my feet up on the coffee table and Sidney was lying on the couch, a pillow on my lap with Sidney’s head plopped on top, a cold rag on his forehead.

I looked at the ice pack on my shoulder and sighed, ‘…Heal faster…’ I thought and then looked at Sidney, ‘…I should be saying that to you…’ I noticed that Sidney’s breathing was low, ‘…He feel asleep…’ I smiled because when I got here he had told me that he wasn’t able to sleep well at nights.

The game was on, it was the end of the first period, the score one to zero, Penguins. Kunitz had managed to score against Tuukka Rask with Jordan and Cooke assisting. It was a physical first period; Pascal was in the penalty box for slashing Brad Marchand, probably pay back for my shoulder. Boston’s Michael Ryder was in the box for tripping Kris, Cooke for interference against Adam McQuaid, and then Boston’s Gregory Cambell and our Craig Adams fought and got a major penalty.

Half way through the intermission I felt Sidney stir, he moved his hand to the wet rag and took it off, “The game,” he muttered and tried to sit up, but then groaned and went back down.

“You slept through the first period,” I said and he looked at me.

“How are we doing?” he asked tiredly.

“Good, we’re up by one; although, we’re spending a lot of time in the penalty box,” I sighed and Sidney looked towards the TV, right at the moment went they were doing a recap the last time we played Boston, they showed me going right into the boards. I winced and placed my hand on my shoulder, feeling the hit all over again.

“How is your shoulder?”

“Hurts like a bitch,” I said and looked at him, “But what about you?”

“Hurts like a bitch,” he mocked and I smiled and nodded my head.

“Go back to sleep Sid, you said you don’t get enough of it at night,” I said and Sidney nodded his head. I smiled at him and ran my hands through his hair, trying to get him comfortable, trying to mother him. I know what it’s like to have a concussion, it’s not fun, two years ago I was out half a season in the Texans Stars because of it.

Sidney managed to fall asleep, but I don’t know for how long because so did I. I managed to see half the second period but then just fell asleep. I woke up to feeling Sidney move; he only moved just a little. I looked at the TV to see that it was three minutes until the end of the third period, I missed a lot. The score was tied at two, and just when I thought that it might go into overtime, Jordan puts the puck in the back of the Boston net with the help of Cooke and Tyler, the game ended and the final score was three to two, Penguins.

-Sidney-
I blinked my eyes opened and looked around the room, I looked at the TV and saw the Montreal and Toronto game on and guessed that our game was finished. I went to ask Maggie who won but saw that she had fallen asleep. I smiled and then sat up slowly and pushed myself off of the couch. I moved her feet from the coffee table to the couch and positioned her so that she wasn’t at an awkward angle and then threw a blanket on her.

“Thanks Mags,” I said and then kissed her head and walked into my kitchen, throwing Maggie’s melted ice pack, which I grabbed before I left, into the freezer to refreeze it. I heard Maggie’s phone going off in her purse and answered it to see that Kris was calling.

“Hey Tanger,” I said and leaned against the counter.

“Sid, hey, what’s up?”

“Nothing much, Mags is asleep,” I told him and opened the blinds in the kitchen because it was dark out.

“Oh, she’s with you?” he asked and I sat down at the kitchen table.

“Yeah, she came over so we could kind of take care of each other and watch the game- Though, I fell asleep and she took care of me than more her,” I chuckled a little, but then stopped because my head hurt.

“How are you doing?”

“I wish I could say I’m improving, but I don’t think I am,” I sighed, frustrated.

“Sorry man, how Maggie’s shoulder?”

“She said it hurt before, but I don’t know now, her ice pack melted so I threw it back in the freezer,” I said and looked into the living room and saw Maggie turn to her side, thankfully laying on her good side, “When are you guys getting back?”

“We’ll be back soon; we’re at the airport in Boston. Our flight was delayed because of snow,” he said and I looked at the time to see that it was just after six.

“All right, well, I’ll let Mags know that you called when she wakes up,” I said and Kris and I said bye and I hung up the phone, placing it by Maggie’s purse.

-Maggie-
“How’s your shoulder feeling, Maggie? I know you took a hard fall against Boston last week,” the reporter asked after my first practice back.

“It’s feeling fine, my workout when well and then the time on the ice, it’s a little sore, but nothing that a hot shower can’t fix,” I smiled and the reporter smirked and nodded her head.

“The All Star games are coming up at the end of the month, do you think that you’ll be participating in them?” she asked and I looked at her as I finished unlacing my skates.

“Guess we’ll find out, won’t we,” I said nicely, really wanting this to be over.

“I guess we will, thank you for your time,” she said and I nodded my head and watched as she walked off.

‘…Thank god…’ I thought as I finished getting out of my practice gear and stretching before hitting the showers, ‘…I wasn’t even thinking about the All Star game, now I am. That’ll be pretty cool if I get on the team. I wonder who the captains will be…’

I finished my showered and then changed into jeans, a Penguins long sleeve shirt and then threw my sneakers on. I walked back out into the locker room and looked around and saw that Kris was packing his bag up and I started on that too.

Just as I was zipping up my bag, Kris plopped down next to my bag and smiled towards me, “You want to go for lunch?”

“Sure, where?” I asked and he shrugged his shoulders, “Come on, you asked me, you choose,” I laughed and he smiled and nodded his head.

“That café that we go to a lot, the one by the dog park,” he said and I smiled and nodded my head.

“All right, I like that place, though, we’re not sitting outside, it’s too cold,” I said and he laughed and nodded his head.

We both grabbed our bags and headed out into the parking garage, Kris stayed with me last night, so we went in one car, his. We threw our bags into the backseat and then jumped into the front seat. Geno waved towards us as Kris started the car and I thought he wanted something, but he was just saying goodbye.

It’s been two days since the Boston game and when Kris got back to Pittsburgh, he found me still sleeping at Sidney’s house; I didn’t even realize that I fell asleep. Apparently Sidney fell back to sleep on the reclining chair next to the couch, because Kris said when he walked into the room, just letting himself in, he laughed at the sight of the two injured kids.

“So you think you’ll make it onto the All Star team?” I asked Kris and he shrugged his shoulders.

“I usually do,” he said and I nodded my head, “What about you?”

“I hope so, that’ll be so cool.”

“But if we don’t make it, you want to go somewhere for that week? I mean we have to be at the game to support our teammates, but if we’re not on any team, let’s go somewhere,” he said and I smiled.

“Like where?” I asked as I took a sip of my water.

“I don’t know, somewhere warm,” he said and I laughed and nodded my head.

“All right, I’m game.”