1988

Patrick groaned as the water rushed down his back and he scrubbed his face with his hands.
“What’s wrong, Kaner?” He didn’t need to look over to tell that it was the elder Patrick, Sharp, asking him.
“Ugh, last night. I think Kitty hit me in the jaw.”
“Don’t tell her. She doesn’t like sleeping in the same bed as you on game days for a reason.” Sharp chuckled. Patrick Kane had to laugh because that’s exactly what she told him last night.
“I know, but she thought I was already home when I got home at three last night. So I just carried her to bed.” Patrick shut the shower off and took his towel from beside him. “Plus, she was freezing. All she was wearing was my sweater and a bra and panties.”
“Why?”
“That’s how she always sleeps. She has a damn Toews and Crawford sweater too.”
“You should get her a Sharp sweater.”
“Why the hell would I do that? She had to get the other two behind my back.” The Patricks laughed as they entered the dressing room.
“What are you two laughing about?” Jonathan Toews asked, trying to focus on their game.
“Kitty and her choice of sweaters.” Patrick Kane went to his stall and began to dress for the game.
“Hope she’s wearing Crawford tonight!”
“No one wants your damn sweater, Crow!”
“Kitty obviously did!”
“That’s because you shut out LA that game!”
“Alright, boys! Listen up!” Their chirping fell to mute as their beloved coach came in to give them their game plan.

And the Blackhawks fall, two to nothing, to the Columbus Blue Jackets
The dressing room was dead silent. It was a collective fault that no one scored and Viktor Stalberg led the game in penalty minutes, with Patrick Sharp in a close second.
They all sat silent as Coach Q told them the run down.
“Practice Tuesday, day off tomorrow, we have Dallas on Thursday, another practice and our flight on Wednesday. Families are allowed in now.”
Abby Sharp was first in, carrying Madelyn in towards her husband. The boys were all comforted but Patrick Kane just stared at the ground. He didn’t know where Kitten was but he didn’t want to snap at her.
He sighed but got up to finish pulling off his skates. But he felt someone grab him around the waist and a face press into his back. An arm moved and she began tracing the first 8 on his back.
“Kit, stop.” She obeyed and stepped back, letting her arms fall to her side. Patrick turned around and marveled at the sight of her.
She was biting her lip, and stroking the side of a new Blackhawks red sweater, while wearing another, an 88 on the sleeve.
“Come here.” She came to his beckon and he sat on the ledge of his stall. She sat on his lap, straddling him, and hugged him. “Who’s that?”
“I bought Sharpie’s tonight and I was wearing it over this one, but when you-you know, I thought I should take it off…” He couldn’t help but smile into her hair. She was always worried about how he felt.
“You’re too good…go talk to the guys, I’m gonna shower and change.”
“Okay.”
“You can leave that here if you want.” Kitten folded it neatly in their conjoined laps and set it behind him, under his suit jacket. She got up and wandered to Viktor, who looked in need of a good cheering up.

“I’ll make something.”
“Thanks, Kit-Jonny might come over!”
“That’s fine.” Kitten draped her new sweater over the back of a chair and turned to the kitchen to make a small dinner for the two players.
But in his room, Patrick Kane was doing all he could to stop himself from breaking something. He was also trying not to scream because of the pucks he’d just passed to Dubinsky like he was wearing red.
But there was Dallas he had to gear up for.
“Patty?” He jumped and his head jerked up to meet Kitten’s voice. “Jon’s here.”
“Okay, Kit.” He stood up, now shedding his suit jacket, button up, and tie. He went to her and kissed the corner of her lips and hugged her. “Thank you for wearing my sweater.”
“I love wearing your sweater.” She leaned up on her tip-toes and kissed the corner of his mouth before letting him go and leaving for the kitchen. Puck trotted into the room and jumped on their bed, smiling at Patrick. He rubbed his head and walked to the closet.
Patrick changed into a flannel shirt and jeans and went out to meet his best friend, his dog trailing him.
“Hey, man.”
“Hey…” Patrick fell onto the couch and let his head fall back. Puck jumped on the couch beside him and curled up at the other end.
“Don’t blame yourself.”
“I have Dubinsky the puck like he was wearing a fucking Hawks sweater, Tazer.”
“And I let you, but it’s not just one person’s fault.” Patrick just bit his tongue so he didn’t yell at his best friend and captain.
“Patty?” He looked back, to Kitten standing in the kitchen archway. “It’s ready.”
“Thank you, babe.” She smiled softly and went back into the kitchen.
“Just don’t talk about it.” Patrick told his captain as he walked by. The two players sat in the kitchen, eating gratefully, the steak that Kitten had made.
“So…anyone wanna play Mario Kart?” Patrick smiled up at her. “We can play Kid Cudi in the background and dance stupidly when we knock Jonny off the Rainbow Road.” Patrick let out a hearty laugh.
“That sounds like an awesome idea except that we’ll be dancing when we knock Kaner off the Rainbow Road.” Jonathan emphasized to Kitten. She grinned and ran into the living room to get it.
“How did you, out of all of us, find her to live with you?” Jonathan asked Patrick.
“I don’t know. She…came to me. Doesn’t matter, she lives with me now and is my best friend so you can suck it.”
“Um, she loves us all equally.”
“Bitch, she bought Sharipe’s sweater today but because of what happened, she took it off so I wouldn’t feel bad. I win.” Jonathan shook his head at Patrick but finished his steak. The two joined Kitten in the living room and heard the music from the background. Puck was laying beside her with his head in her lap.
“Too cute.” Patrick sat on the ground beside Kitten and put an arm over her as they chose their kart and character.
“I wanna be Bowser!”
“I’m Bowser!” Jonathan called from his perch on the couch.
“Fuck you, Tazer! You always get to be Bowser!” Kitten punched him in the calf and he groaned. She giggled as she chose Bowser for herself. Patrick pulled her into his lap, making Puck bark at him but wander to his bed, and began to play around her.
And somewhere between race thirty and Kid Cudi’s Immortal playing for the tenth time, Kitten fell asleep against Patrick’s chest, her Wii controller hitting the ground.
Patrick felt a sense of pride in her. Looking down, she was clad in his Blackhawks sweater, her hair still done up in a tight ponytail and a Wii controller inches from her hand. She was his and that was perfectly fine with him.
“You’re such a bitch.” Jonathan cursed Patrick.
“What?” Patrick laughed, looking at his best friend.
“You get her. You, the asshole, get her, a fucking kitten.”
“I don’t want her like that, Jon.” He lied.
“You will, one day.”
“No I won’t.” Patrick shut down their discussion and continued their game.
But he jumped when he felt Kitten move into his chest more and turn into him. She slipped an arm around his neck and sighed into his chest, left bare by his open flannel. He moved a hand to rub her back and Jonathan shook his head.
“I’m gonna head home. Tomorrow’s a free day and I’m gonna take advantage of it.”
“I’ll see you later, man.” Jon waved and took his jacket before leaving. Patrick played another game, winning, and turned the game system off.
He looked down, at the girl laying in his arms. He’d obviously lied to his teammate. He wanted her. He wanted her more than he wanted the Stanley Cup.
But if his teammates knew that, they would never treat him the same.

“I have to get to the stables! I think it’s Pepper’s final ride today!”
“Aw-Kitten-”
“I love you, Patty!” She kissed his lips and ran out the door, Puck chasing her down the hall.
“God dammit.” So much for a free day with Kitten.
“Are you coming!?”
“Wha-sure.” He got up and trudged after her. Coming up to her, he took her hand and pulled her back so he could whisper in her ear.
“Kitten, I want to stay in tonight.”
“We can, tonight, but today is Pepper’s last ride and I wanna be there!”
“I wanna be in my bed, sleeping.”
“Then go to sleep!”
“But you’re getting all excited about Pepper and you love when I’m with you.” She turned around, grinning at her best friend.
“You’re the best.”
“That’s what they tell me.” She stuck her tongue out at him and kissed his cheek before pulling him on.
Once at the stable, Patrick let go of Kitten’s hand and she ran towards the appaloosa horse.
“Kathleen, I thought you’d never arrive, Pepper is almost ready for the day.”
“I can finish brushing him.” Patrick stood against another stall, watching her talk to the stable’s owner. The only bitter thing about today was that Patrick now had to find another stable to house the horse until its unfortunate death.
“Patty, come on!” He felt Kitten grab his wrist and yank him into the stall with the large horse.
Pepper was a twenty year old white, grey, and black Appaloosa mare who Kathleen, Kitten’s real name, had spent most of her life raising. With Kitten being only twenty one, she was only a year older than her horse. She got the animal when she was five from her father as a birthday gift.
“You remember how to brush her?”
“Not really…”
“Come on! Take this and brush her mane. Softly.” He smiled at her as she moved his hand smoothly over her mane.
“Have you thought about where you want to keep her?”
“Um-I have…” Kitten murmured to him.
Patrick looked up now.
“What’s wrong?"
“There’s a farm right outside Chicago…it’s for sale. It’s only a half acre but it’s enough for a stable and a house…I have enough…”
“Y-you’re moving out?” He could feel a lump in his throat.
“I just-I figure you’d like it better if…if you lived by yourself and-and didn’t share a bed with your best friend.”
“I-I love living with you. And sharing a bed with you-is this about all those-?”
“Yes. Because you…you’d probably rather show off your apartment than live with me.” Patrick had stopped now, dropped the brush and stopped Kitten.
“If I wanted to show off my apartment to puck bunnies, I’d have kicked you out a long time ago, I want you to live with me, I need you to, Kitty. Don’t you ever think that I want you gone because I never will.”
“I just-”
“No. We’ll find another stable for Pepper and you will keep living with me.”
“Patrick-”
“No more arguing. We have to finish brushing Pepper or she won’t be ready for her last ride.” Kitten smiled at him.
“Okay…”

“She’s so beautiful.”
“Thank you, Patrick.” Kitten leaned into Patrick’s large chest, smiling and worming her way closer to him.
“For what?” He put his arm around her and kissed her head.
“Paying for Pepper.”
“Babe, if I didn’t pay for Pepper I’d have never met you.”
“Liar, if I didn’t need a roommate you wouldn’t have met me.” He smiled down at her, kissing her lips.
“Fine. I guess you’re right.”

“Look at this one; Need of roommate. Preferably male who cares about sports. I own a horse which means I won’t be there sometimes. Call for information.”
“Sounds about good to me.”
“Preferably male who cares about sports, that gets me. What kind of girl wants a guy for a roommate?”
“A lesbian.”
“That’s fucked up, Sharpie!”
“Stalberg said it!”
“Either way, I’m gonna call her tonight and ask her if she wants to meet.”
“You better hope she’s not a diehard Hawks fan.”
“She probably will be, it’ll be Kaner’s punishment for all the puck sluts.”
“There will be no need to punish me if I have a girl for a roommate, that’s punishment enough.”
“Then why are you going for her?”
“Because it’s a fucking girl.”

“Hi, I’m Kathleen Walker.”
Damn was I wrong!
Patrick Kane could barely shake her hand.
“You are…?”
“You don’t know who I am!?”
“I’m kidding. I live in Chicago and I’m pretty sure you had to have read the ad to think this was smart.”
“I just-it doesn’t happen often.”
“I’m sure. So-uh, what’d you want to meet about?”
“Well-I just wanted to meet you before I agreed to live with you.”
“I’m no puck bunny, Kane. I’m a hockey, football kinda girl.”
“Really? Where’re you from?”
“Mid-Eastern Shore.”
“Maryland?”
“I’m shocked you actually know what that place is called.”
“I’ve heard Baltimore is a…nice city.”
“Charm City. More like Shitty City. Thirty murders a day.”
“Try thirty in twelve hours.”
“Chicago will always win this one, but Baltimore’s not all smiles and Pimlico.”
“You have a horse?”
“Yea, Pepper. She’s a nineteen year old Appaloosa.”
“A what?”
“It’s a breed of horse. They have spots on their rear that look like pepper.”
“I’d love to see her.”
“She’d love to meet you.”

“Why did you need a roommate?”
“Because my apartment looked like shit when I came back from away games and I was bored by myself. So I invested in a pretty little roommate.” She smiled wide at him and kissed him again.
“I’m so glad you wanted to be my roommate.”
“I’m glad you put up with my shit.” Patrick hugged her closer.
“Your whole team puts up with your shit. I’m just an added bonus.”
“No, I think you’re the best person in the world who puts up with my shit.”
“You wanna go home and play NHL on the PS3?”
“How about the X-Box?”
“You’re in love with that stupid machine.”
“Ugh-I wonder why! She doesn’t call herself a stupid machine.”
“I hope your stupid X-Box doesn’t call itself a stupid machine.”
Patrick growled at her playfully and nipped at her neck.
“Quit calling Polly stupid.”
“Polly? You’re such a loser!”
“Am not!”
“Are too.”
“Don’t whisper trying to get me to forgive you.”
“You’ll forgive me soon, don’t worry.”