Chances Risked

-Maggie-
“Just turn to the left a little!” the photographer said as he tried to get me in the perfect pose for the cover of the magazine, “Now lower your right hand- Perfect!”

I was with Sports Illustrated right now, we had already done the interview when I got here, but now I was standing in front of a green screen in my skates and jersey. My jersey went down to my thighs, I didn’t have any pants on, they wanted sexy on the cover of the magazine. I had my stick behind my neck and my hands hanging off of it, my hair was down and curled, my face was covered in more make up than I was used to.

I was with them for a few more hours, doing different positions so that they could get a good shot for the cover. I was so happy when they finished with the shoot, I couldn’t wait to change into my jeans and t-shirt. I walked off the platform and saw Pat smiling towards; he followed me towards my changing room.

“You look hot,” he said and I giggled and then rolled my eyes.

We walked into my room and I sat on the couch and started to take my skates off. I slipped my feet out of the skates and then stood up, feeling Pat come up behind me and move his hands against the skin on my thighs. I groaned and leaned against him and then turned around in his arms and wrapped my arms around his neck.

“Mhmm, you smell good,” I smiled and kissed his neck.

There was a knock at the door and I groaned and laid my head on Pat’s shoulder. Pat chuckled and kissed my head, “Later babe.”

I nodded my head and then walked over towards the door and opened it to see Tosha standing there, “Hi, um so they want to get some shots of you in your fitness attire, for the workout section of the interview.”

“Oh, uh, damn all right,” I said and then sighed.

“The one girl will bring over what she wants you to wear for the shoot,” Tosha said and I nodded my head and then closed the door and sighed.

“What’s up?” Pat asked and looked at me.

“It’s not over,” I said and Pat looked at me.

There was another knock at the door and I answered it to see a girl there holding a hanger, there was a sports bra and a pair of shorts. I sighed and thanked her and then took the hanger and turned back into the room, changing into the sports bra and shorts.

“I don’t know how I feel about this being on the cover-“

“This one’s not going to be on the cover,” I said and he just gave me a look.

“I still don’t know how I feel,” he said and I sighed and kissed him quick and then walked out of my room and headed towards the studio.

They had a pair of sneakers waiting for me and I put them on and walked onto the stage, ‘…Let’s just get this over with…’

-Kane-
“Finally it’s over,” Maggie breathed as she collapsed onto the bed in the hotel room. It was Thursday, everything was finally over, tomorrow morning Maggie and I would be heading for Dallas to visit Maggie’s family and then come back with Emma, I knew that Maggie was worried about her friend and they’ve talked a few times.

Right now Maggie was video chatting with her cousin Dana, and she was trying to get Maggie to come up to Vancouver for a few days to see one of her games. Maggie was really proud of her cousin because Dana had been promoted to Captain of her high school hockey team and I knew that Maggie wasn’t going to say no to going to Vancouver.

I came up behind Maggie and bent down until my face appeared on the screen. Dana smiled towards me, “Hi Dana,” I laughed when she got excited to see me.

“Pat! Hi! Are you going to come to Vancouver too?!” she asked and I looked at Maggie.

“If you want,” she said and I smiled and nodded my head.

“Yeah, when’s the trip?” I asked and Dana smiled brightly.

“You have to come to our game against Britannia, they’re the best school-“

“Isn’t that a hockey academy?” I asked and Dana nodded her head.

“Yeah, we’ve never beat them before, I’m hoping to change that,” Dana said and Maggie smiled brightly.

“You will, you’ll kick ass,” Maggie said and Dana smiled brightly, “I’m confident in you, Dana.”

“Thanks Mags,” she said and I smiled at how close the two were.

“So when do Pat and I need to be there?” Maggie asked and then reached over and grabbed a pen and paper and her phone.

“Well that game is in two weeks, you only need to come for the weekend, I know that Emma’s going to be back in Pittsburgh- She can come too!”

“I don’t know, D- We’re taking a risk right now, the doctor doesn’t want her traveling, it’s a rough pregnancy,” Maggie said and I pulled a chair over and plopped down next to Maggie and rested my arm on the back of Maggie’s chair, “I’m sure she’ll want to be there for you Dana, but I don’t know if she can.”

“It’s all right,” she said and Maggie nodded her head.

“So the game’s on a Friday?” Maggie asked and Dana nodded her head, “At the end of September?”

“Yup,” Dana said happily, “Two weeks!”

“All right, darlin’, I’ll see you then,” Maggie said.

“I can’t wait to tell the team that you’re going to be there! They’ll like literally shit their pants!” Dana said and Maggie and I laughed, “Two NHL players there! Oh my god!”

“All right D, calm down,” Maggie giggled and she smiled towards me, “I’ll talk to you later, Pat and I have an early flight tomorrow and wanna get some sleep-“

“Code word for stop talking to me so you can go and have hot crazy sex,” Dana said and I let out a laughed and pulled Maggie close to me.

“Yeah pretty much,” I smiled brightly and then kissed Maggie’s cheek, laughing at her blushing face.

-Maggie-
“Maggie! My baby!” I smiled when I saw my Mom running out of the house and towards Pat and I. We had just pulled into the driveway in our rental car and saw my smiling parents, “How was your flight?” she asked as she hugged me.

“It went pretty smoothly,” I said and she hugged me again and then moved onto Pat.

“Hi honey, how are you?” Mom asked as she kissed Pat’s cheek and hugged him.

“I’m fine, Mrs. Marshall, how are you?” Pat asked and I smiled at the sight.

I saw my Dad and smiled brightly and practically charged at him, I missed my Dad. He picked me up and twirled me around just like he used to when I was younger and I was surprised he still had it in him, “How’s my baby girl?”

“She missed her Papa,” I smiled and my Dad chuckled and hugged me again, “How are you?”

“Fine, caught your interviews on Monday, that Strahan is a funny guy,” he said and I giggled and nodded my head, “How did you magazine things go- Oh, and the commercial?”

“They went well, the commercial will air next week and the magazines were for next month’s issue,” I said and he nodded his head and I turned to see Mom and Pat walking over.

“Son,” Dad smiled and held out his hand, “How are you? Taking care of my little girl?”

“Everyday, Mr. Marshall,” Pat smiled and shook my father’s hand and then wrapped his arm around my waist.

“She’s hard to keep up with, huh?” Dad teased and I rolled my eyes and heard Pat laugh.

“I think I’m doing pretty well,” he said and I smiled towards him.

“Good to hear, good to hear- Well, come on in,” Dad said and I looked at them.

“Actually, Pat, if you wanna get the bags, I’m goin’ to go check up on Emma,” I said and Pat looked at me and nodded his head, “I haven’t seen her all summer and I miss her.”

“It’s no problem, I’m gunna probably take a nap then,” he said and I nodded my head. We walked over towards the car; Pat grabbed both of our suitcases and then walked me to the driver’s side, “Text me when you’re there,” he said and I smiled and nodded my head and pressed my lips against his, “Love you.”

“Love you too,” I said and then got into the car and pulled out of the driveway, honking my horn towards my parents and Pat and then driving in the direction of Emma’s parents’ house. It didn’t take me long; she only lived about ten minutes away from my house. I pulled into her parents’ driveway, got out of the car, walked towards the house and rang the doorway.

The door opened and Emma’s mother, my second mother, greeted me with a smile and open arms, “Maggie, it’s so good to see you.”

“It’s good to see you too, Momma G, how is she?” I asked and Mrs. Garner just looked at me sadly.

“She’s depressed, always cooped up in her room, only going out of the house for doctor appointments or to Mike’s grave,” she said sadly and I gulped and looked down, nodding my head, “You remember the way?”

“Yeah,” I breathed as I walked passed her and headed for the stairs. I walked up them, went to the second door on the right and just opened the door, not bothering on knocking. I took a deep breath as I saw my best friend just sitting on her windowsill, just looking out the window holding her plump stomach; she only had three more months left, “Emma.”

Emma turned her head and looked at me, she moved so fast, I barely had time to brace myself as I felt my best friend’s arms around me and she hugged my tight. The tears started and I dug my face into her shoulder and hugged her back, we had both missed each other.

“I’m so happy to see you, Maggie.”

“I’m here to take my girl home,” I breathed Emma left out a little laugh and cry and I smiled and pulled back, cupping her face and then looked down at her pregnant stomach, “How are you?”

“It’s rough,” she said and I nodded my head, “But the doctor says I’m healthy.”

“Do you know the sex?” I asked and she nodded her head, “Can you tell me?”

“Troy Michael Marshall,” she said and I closed my eyes and choked back some tears.

‘…A boy…’ I thought, she named her son after her father and then Mike, “I like it.”

“I hoped you would,” she said and I felt my tears water, I sniffled and wiped them away and then hugged my friend, we both were teary and laughing.

“Auntie Maggie is gunna spoil her nephew rotten!”