Standing Tall

Tuesday morning brought the Hartnell family back to their daily routines. Scott waking up early to go to the gym, and Rebecca making sure Tyler got off to school alright. Thankfully Gia was able to sleep through the hustle of the mornings events.

After Scott and Tyler had left the house, Rebecca sat down on the sofa with the television tuned into Good Day Philadelphia, propped her feet up on the coffee table, and positioned her computer on her lap.

Even though she was off two weeks, she still needed to stay on top of the projects that her office were working on. She skimmed through emails, responding to urgent ones and marking others to respond to later.

After filtering through work emails, Rebecca logged into her personal account. She made her way through the list of unread emails, most of which were advertisements for summer sales. She nearly spilled her coffee when she came across an email from the one and only Mr. Ed Snider.

Rebecca,

I would like to personally welcome you into the Philadelphia Flyers family. I'm sorry my wife and I could not attend the wedding on Saturday, we had a previous engagement we had to attend.

As a wedding gift, I have arranged an all-expense paid weekend getaway for you and Scott in New York City. You'll be leaving this Friday and you'll be staying at the New York Palace hotel located on Madison Avenue, in the heart of Manhattan. I have also arranged for a limousine to take you to the city, and to be available whenever needed so that you will not need to worry about cab fare or subways. Saturday night you will be attending Phantom of the Opera, I hope you'll enjot it as much as you did the ballet.

Please enjoy your time in New York City, I trust that you need time to relax after the stress of wedding planning. Scott has been a wonderful asset to our organization and we are so happy that he is able to move into this next stage of life with you.

Again, welcome to the family. I hope you and the children enjoy the summer. Do not hesitate to call if you need anything at any time.

Sincerely,
Ed Snider

Rebecca stared at the computer screen for a good five minutes taking in the information before her. She had met Mr. Snider after her marriage with Brad was annulled, when Scott had brought her and Tyler to the Flyers Christmas party. He seemed to be genuinely involved with his players, which Rebecca thought was nice considering the business they were in.

The only other times she's even seen him were the nights that she and Tyler would be waiting for Scott in the family lounge after a game, and he would come in to say hello. She wasn't even sure he really knew her name. Apparently, she was wrong.

Over the last year and a half, Rebecca and Tyler had attended as many Flyers games as possible, sitting in the family section with Johanna and the Timmonen children. The first game they attended was nerve-wracking. Rebecca felt out of place even though Johanna had introduced her to all of the other wives and girlfriends, or WAGs.

Some, like Johanna, were friendly and welcoming to Rebecca and Tyler. Others, not so much. Especially after the announcement that she was pregnant. Rebecca ignored the whispers, focusing all of her attention on those that accepted her and Tyler into their group.

Rebecca felt more at ease once Erica and Tiffany started coming to games as their relationships with Claude and Luke got further along. Having friends there that she had known all her life made showing up every month more and more pregnant easier.

After her baby shower and Scott's proposal, the whispers finally stopped, although Rebecca was convinced that they just got better at whispering. Rebecca really didn't care what anyone else thought, she knew that she loved Scott and he loved her, and they were going to spend the rest of their lives together.

Rebecca blinked back to reality, still staring at the email from the Chairman. She clicked reply...

Mr. Snider,

Thank you so much for planning this weekend, you really shouldn't have done that. Scott and I are extremely grateful for everything you do for the players and our families.

I feel blessed to be a part of the Flyers family, and I know Tyler is as well. We look forward to spending the remainder of Scott's hockey playing years in Philadelphia, with the best organization in the league.

Again, thank you for the gift of this weekend, we will enjoy it immensely.

Sincerely,
Rebecca Hartnell

Just as Rebecca clicked send on the email, she heard Gia making noises over the baby monitor. She closed the laptop and placed it on the coffee table and made her way upstairs to her daughter's room. Gia was sitting up in her crib, playing with her teddy bear, not even attempting to climb out like she had so many times before.

"Good morning baby girl," Rebecca said as she crossed to the crib, "did you sleep well?" Hearing her mother's voice, Gia looked up and stretched out her arms. Rebecca picked her up and bounced her in the air, causing Gia to giggle uncontrollably.

"You're going to have a date with daddy today so that Aunt Lindsey can come over and tell me what's going on with Brayden," Rebecca smiled. "I bet they hooked up after mommy and daddy's wedding...yes I do," she said as she rubbed her nose with Gia's.

Rebecca carried Gia on her hip and went to the dresser to find an outfit for her daughter to wear. "How about this one?" Rebecca asked as she held up a white, pink and black pantset with butterflies on it. "I think this will be good, it's not supposed to be too hot today."

Rebecca walked to the changing table, layed Gia on her back and proceeded to change her into the outfit for the day. When she was finished, they went downstairs to the kitchen so Rebecca could make breakfast for them. She put Gia in her high chair next to the counter and sprinkled a handful of Cheerios on the tray to tide her over until their eggs were done.

After they had finished their breakfast, Rebecca carried Gia into the den and placed her in the middle of the floor surrounded by blocks and dolls. Rebecca sat down on the couch and picked her phone up off of the coffee table, checking for missed calls or text messages. There weren't any, so she sent Scott a text.

Remind me to tell you about the email I got this morning. See you when you get home. Also, don't forget about your lunch date with Gia. Love you.

Then she sent a text to Lindsey.

Don't forget lunch today. 12:30. Bring me something good. ;-)

Being that it was nine in the morning, Rebecca figured Lindsey would just be getting to work, not yet ready to start her day and would probably respond. She was right...

Lindsey: I didn't forget. Lol. What do you want for food?? Saladworks? Or do we want fat and greasy stuff?

Rebecca: I don't think Scott would appreciate it if I packed on twenty pounds within the first week of being married. Lol.

Lindsey: He'll get over it. JK. So what salad do you want? Or do you want a sandwich?

Rebecca: Surprise me.

Lindsey: Ok. See you later.

Rebecca put her phone next to her on the sofa and flipped the channels on the television. Gia continued playing by herself on the floor. Before long, Scott was walking through the door from his workout.

"Where are my beautiful girls?" Scott asked as he walked through the house to the den.

"We're in here babe," Rebecca called to him. Scott entered the room with a huge grin on his face. "What are you smiling at?" she asked with an arched eyebrow.

"Mr. Snider called me this morning...but I was in the middle of my workout so I didn't know until after. I called him back after I saw your text, he told me what he did. Can you believe it?"

"No...I can't. I was in shock when I saw the email. How did he even get my address?" she asked.

"I think Johanna or Nadine Coburn gave it to him. Remember you're part of Flyers Wives now...you're all connected," Scott said as he kissed her cheek.

"Oh yeah...that would make sense wouldn't it..." she smiled.

"So I guess Jean's going to get the kids sooner than she thought, eh?"

"I guess so," Rebecca said. Scott noticed Gia playing quietly on the floor, so he left Rebecca's side and layed down on the floor next to his daughter. He twirled her srrawberry blonde hair with his fingers as she continued pushing blocks around the floor.

"You're not going to be too hard on Lindsey today, are you?" Scott asked with a smirk.

"I can't promise anything. But I'll be openminded. I just don't want her to get hurt again. I really should be having a sit-down with Schenner," she said as she flipped the channels on the television.

"Well, if it will make you feel better I'll have a chat with him. Let him know that you'll kill him if anything happens," Scott joked.

"I don't think the threat would have the same effect coming from you. No offense babe, but you're not exactly known for being a hardass. Maybe on the ice, but not off," Rebecca smirked.

If only she knew... Scott thought to himself.

"I'm going to take a quick shower. Is Gia going to take a nap before we go out?" Scott asked.

"Yeah, I'll put her down around eleven. She should be up by noon," Rebecca answered.

"Sounds good. I'll be back down shortly," Scott said as he kissed Gia's head and started heading for staircase.

****************

Rebecca and Lindsey sat at the kitchen table eating their lunches avoiding the obvious reason they were both there. They talked about the wedding and the barbecue the next day. Rebecca told Lindsey about the email from Ed Snider and how grateful she was that he would go out of his way for them.

"That's unbelievable. You are so lucky. I wish stuff like that would happen to me," Lindsey said, enviously.

"It could. If you were to find the right guy. You haven't been too lucky up until now," Rebecca said.

"Yeah I know. But hopefully that will change soon," Lindsey smiled.

"Okay. Enough beating around the bush. What's going on? Did you hook up with Schenner again?" Rebecca asked.

Lindsey diverted her eyes away from Rebecca's gaze, debating how to answer her friend's questions. She sighed and then responded, "We didn't sleep together...although we could have. You know how I get when I drink...and I was feeling it Saturday. During the reception, I could sense him watching me. Especially when I was dancing with Simmer or Rinaldo. And then with the garter...his hand lingered on my leg...I could tell there was something there still."

"I knew that something was going on. I wasn't paying close attention...but what I did see, I could tell," Rebecca said as she sipped her iced tea. "So what happened after the reception?"

"So I didn't want to get into anything with him at the reception, so we just kept our distance until everyone went back to Kimmo's. Everyone started pairing off in different parts of the house...we ended up in one of the kids' rooms. At first we started out at opposite ends of the bed....and we were just talking. About the night we all met...how we all paired off...and how he had ignored me for a month before making contact again. He said that at the time he was still in party mode and it wasn't until he saw Claude getting serious about Er that he thought he wanted the same thing," Lindsey said as she looked down at the small bit of salad left in her dish and pushed it around with her fork.

"But he wasn't ready for that," Rebecca said.

"No, he wasn't. But he didn't want to admit it. And instead of just talking to me about it, he made a stupid decision," Lindsey answered.

"And he broke your heart," Rebecca reminded her.

"Yes he did," Lindsey said sadly.

"So then why are you thinking about getting back together with him?" Rebecca asked.

"Because even with all that happened...I miss him, Becks," Lindsey admitted.

"Are you sure you just don't miss being with someone...not specifically him?" Rebecca asked.

"I've thought alot about this as we were getting closer to the wedding. I would have much rather had a date...but the only one I wanted was him. And he told me that night that he felt the same. Listen, all I know is that we both miss each other. He's sorry for what he did and he's willing to work to gain my trust back. I know you don't want to see me get hurt again, but I feel like I need to at least give him a second chance," Lindsey looked straight at her best friend.

"You're too good of a person sometimes, Linds. You're a grown woman, I can't tell you what to do, but just be sure before you go diving head first into this. I like Brayden...he's a nice guy...but he's young. A five year age difference can be difficult to manage...and even worse with a professional athlete. They get offers all the time...and it's the strong ones that are able to make the hard decisions. Are you sure he'll be able to make the right decisions from now on?" Rebecca asked.

"I think he's willing to try. And that's all I can ask. I'm not going into whatever this is with blinders on. I know how they live, and I know all that money and attdntion makes them think they're invincible. But you should have heard him Becks...he was genuinely beating himself up over what happened," Lindsey responded.

"Well, you're my best friend...I love you to death. And if you want to try again, I can't stop you. But just know....I will kill him if he hurts you again," Rebecca said sternly. "Please don't go too hard to fast, that will only make it worse if something does happen."

"I know. I won't be a teenager about it. And I'll give him the warning," Lindsey smiled as she got up from the table and gave Rebecca a hug. "I gotta get back to the office. I'll talk to you later, kay?"

"Alright. Be good. I love you," Rebecca responded.

"Love you too," Lindsey said. She picked up all of the trash from the table, dumped it into the trash can, and left. Rebecca watched her pull out of the driveway and shook her head, talking to herself, "Brayden Schenn...I will go to jail for that girl if I have to...."

**************

After Lindsey left Rebecca decided to do some research on getting Tyler's name changed so that they can get the process started. She really didn't know what was involved when they made the decision to do it, she figured it would be a small fee and a quick change for his birth certificate and social security card.

She quickly sent a text to Scott to let him know the coast was clear, that Lindsey had left. He responded and said they'd probably be home in an hour.

She returned to the computer and her heart sank as the Google search led her to a page that stated in Pennsylvania, both birth parents consent must be given to change the name on a birth certificate. One parent must show identification, but both must be present to give authorization.

"Great. Just great. Should have checked this out before even mentioning it to Ty. How the hell are we going to do this?" Rebecca said to no one.

Rebecca hadn't thought about Brad and everything that had happened in a very long time. She still couldn't believe how stupid she had been to fall for him. She really didn't want to open that Pandora's box again. Who knows what he could try to do if given the chance again.

She sent Scott another text. We have a problem with Ty's name change. We need Brad.

Scott responded a split second later. We'll talk when I get home. Don't do anything until then.