You Never Know

42. The Point of No Return
(Regular POV)

After a tense flight, the Pens land in Raleigh and bus to their new hotel. Sidney, not wanting to see or talk to anyone, disappears to his room for the night. The other players give the hurting man the distance he wanted.

Several decide to go to a nearby steakhouse for dinner. Nicole wanted to stay at the hotel and wallow but Geno and Pascal wouldn’t allow it.

Jordan went to Eric and Tanya’s for dinner – Nicole was supposed to go with him but after the early morning activities no one was leaving her and him alone. Eric picked Jordan up and gave the younger Staal a questioning look when Nicole wasn’t with him. He didn’t ask why; he simply drove away.

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(Dinner – Eric’s POV)

I drove home with Jordan sulking in the passenger seat. The last time I had seen him this upset was when he didn’t get a puppy for his ninth birthday – and even then he hid his disappointment better than now.

I figured it had something to do with Nicole but decided to wait and ask after dinner. Jared was up from Charlotte and he would want to know what was wrong too; while we were at it calling Marc would be required also. The perks of having a large family.

When we arrived, dinner was already prepared and after quick hello’s to everyone we all sat down and ate. Tanya shooed the three of us out of her kitchen when we finished – Parker had already been asleep for a while.

I lead the way to the basement and the three of us watch some game show. I hear Jordan sigh and look at Jared. He gets up and grabs my laptop and to skype Marc. Jordan ignores us; he already knows what we’re doing and so just waits as Marc answers.

“Hey guys. What’s going on?” Marc’s voice comes out over the speakers as his face appears on the screen.
“Something’s up with Jordy,” Jared answers as Jordan glares at him.
“You guys don’t have to team up on me you know,” Jordan grumbles.
“We know, but this is easier than trying to fill everyone in after,” I say as I shift to face him.
“So…..What did you do?” Jared asks. Jordan throws a pillow at him but baby Staal ducks the projectile easily.

We wait for Jordy to open up. We had to be patient with him, Jordan, for all his bravado, was actually extremely private and didn’t trust many people and he wasn’t the kind to just spill his guts, even to us.

Jordan lets out another sigh and says, “Where do I start?” We wait again for him to straighten his thoughts.

“How about after you and Nicole left Hank and me?” Marc offers, we all knew this funk Jordy was in was because of Nicole – the guy had a serious crush on his teammate.
“Well, after we left, we went back to the hotel, I walked Nic to her room, and I kissed her,” Jordan’s ears turned red.

“Wait…..What? You made a move on Nic? What did she do?” Jared asked in quick succession.
“Why did you do that?” Marc asked shaking his head.
“Isn’t she with Sidney?” I asked giving Jordan a hard look.

Jordan shifts in his seat, “Yes I made a move, yes she was with Sid, and she kissed me back.”
“But why Jordan? She has a boyfriend and you were raised better than that!” I was angry, truly angry with my younger brother.

“She kissed you back?” Jared was stuck.
“What do you mean she ‘WAS’ with Sidney?” Marc’s question stopped us from bombarding Jordan with more questions.

“She told him, this morning, and they broke up,” Jordan looked away from the three of us.
“That explains the shiner,” Jared chirps but no one laughs.

We all sit in silence for a few heartbeats before I ask again, “Why did you do it Jordy?”
For the first time since he sat in my car, Jordan meets my steady gaze with one of his own, “Because I love her.”

Now it’s my turn to sigh, “You shouldn’t have though….”
“And why the fuck not!” Jordan’s voice raised a couple of octaves and I can see the hurt behind his serious gaze.

“For one, she was dating another man. Second, that man was your friend AND teammate,” I try to stress that point, “lastly, you were raise better then to try and steal someone else’s girl.”

Jordan sits back down and silence falls again before Marc breaks it, “Jordy, do you remember what I said last night? About if Nic and Sid breakup?”

Jordan sits still for a moment, “Dammit!” Jordan jumps from the couch and strides over to where I keep my home gym. He hits the punching bag hard enough that it swings violently.
“What?” Jared looks confused but I know what Marc is implying.
Jordan answers, “Nicole will be traded for breaking the Captain’s heart.”

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(Dinner – Pascal’s POV)

I made Nicole go to dinner with the small group. The last thing that girl needed was to be left alone – I know she’s more sensitive than she lets the other guys see and if we had left her she would have isolated herself. I loved this girl like my own and I hated seeing her hurting; even if it was her own doing this time.

Our small party consisted of myself, Geno, Nicole, and Tanger. We went to a small steakhouse that was near the hotel – within walking distance. As we were leaving we all saw Jordan hop into Eric’s SUV; we also saw Nicole look the other way as the vehicle pulled away.

The hostess was kind enough to sit the four of us in a private booth away from prying eyes. Hopefully no one would walk back here, don’t get me wrong, I loved interacting with the fans but today was not an ideal day.

Geno, Tanger and I chatted while Nicole sat silently, picking at the salad she had ordered. Kris nudged me over the back of the table and gave a slight nod in Nicole’s direction. She was sitting between us on the inside of the rounded booth.

“What is on your mind, ma fille?” I asked only loud enough for the four of us to hear.
Nicole continues to look at her plate but answers, “Nothing……Everything…..I don’t know…..”
“That is a cop out Nicole, try again,” Kris says in a firm but gentle way.

“I was thinking about this morning; how I’ve screwed everything up; I shouldn’t have…..shouldn’t have gone to dinner with Jordan. Everything would be normal if I had stayed or even taken Sidney with us.”

“You mess up. You apologize. Jordan do badly, but Sid be okay and we all okay,” Geno, always looking on the bright side of things, was able to pull a small smile out of the saddened girl.

“Sidney hates me,” Nicole said, her smile quickly fading.
“I don’t think so,” I start, “He is hurt yes. His pride is bruised yes, but I don’t think he could ever hate you.”

Nicole looks at me with tears in her eyes, “You didn’t see him this morning, Pascal. When I told him…it looked like something had died within him, and I was the one who did it! I said I loved him, but I don’t even know what love is obviously or I wouldn’t have kissed Jordan back.”

Tears were streaming down Nicole’s face. My heart hurt for her; the dad in me wanted to fix this and kick Jordan’s ass but I knew that wouldn’t help anything.

Kris’ resolve broke and he pulled Nicole close as the young woman continued to cry.

“There, there ma belle. Things will work out one way or the other. You have to know that,” Kris murmured as Geno reached across the booth and grasped Nicole’s shaking hands.

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(Pascal’s POV at hotel)

The small group trucked back to the hotel as soon as Nicole was able to calm herself. Duper made sure that Nic was in their room before he went to Sidney’s. Pascal had to knock several times before the young Captain finally opened the door.

“Can I come in?” he asked as he put his hands in his pockets.
“Sure,” Sidney stepped back to allow the older man to enter.
“Have you eaten?” Duper asked, looking around the room.
“Ordered room service. Should be here soon,” Sidney answered as he sank back onto the bed, “Did you need something?”

“Just seeing if you were okay,” Pascal and Sidney had a close friendship. Duper knew he could be direct and he would receive an equally direct answer.

“No, I’m not,” Sidney sounded tired when he answered and continued, “I just don’t understand why she would do that, Duper. I thought I was doing everything right. I never pushed her, I was patient and I tried to be understanding with, well, everything; and she……” Sidney’s voice cracks and Duper can see tears escaping from the Captains eyes.

“I don’t know why, Sidney; and truthfully I don’t think she does either. But, I do know that she regrets it, and would take it back if that were possible.”

“Well it’s Not!” Sidney grabs the water bottle that was sitting by his bed and throws it across the room, causing Pascal to jump at the suddenness. Tears flow freely now as Sidney’s carefully constructed walls dissolve; leaving him fully vulnerable for the first time since he was a child. Pascal embraces the heartbroken man; he knows in that moment that things cannot be fixed.

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(Nicole’s POV)

I knew what I had to do. There was no fixing what I had done but the team didn’t need to suffer because of me. I left the room shortly after Pascal; making sure no one was in the hall to stop me. If I saw any of them I would change my mind and that could not happen.

I walked up to the door and knocked.

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(Coach’s POV)

To say I was surprised would be an understatement. I sat dumfounded as one of my best defensemen told me what she wanted to do. I didn’t like it at all, but I couldn’t ignore her request. That didn’t stop me from trying to change her mind.

“Are you sure you want to do this? If so, there’s no going back. I want you to know that before I make the call.”

Nicole’s dark eyes stared straight into mine, “I’m sure. I’ve already past the point of no return. This is the right thing for the team and for me.”

The look of determination on her face sealed my decision, “I’ll call Ray.”

“Thank you,” Nicole relaxed and stood to leave before turning back, “Please don’t say anything to the guys. I don’t want anyone to know until after the announcement.”

“That won’t be until after the playoffs,” I said.

Nicole gave a small smile, turned and left.