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The Three C's
Chapter One
“Do you know why we asked you to come down here, Ms. Marshall?” Commissioner, Gary Bettman said as he sat in the chair down the table from me.
I was currently in New York with the Commissioner, as well as a few others, two of them being my Coach, who was also named to be the head Coach for the men’s Team USA and then the Team USA women’s Coach. I knew this had something to do about the Olympics that were going to take place in a few months.
“We can’t give you an answer now, but you are on a spot on the women’s team and possibly on the men’s- We’re trying, but it’s difficult,” Bettman said and I nodded my head.
“What about training? Who would I train with?” I asked and they looked at me.
“You’ll train with the men’s because since you’ll be missing you’re regular training to do this, and since you’ll be playing in the NHL still, then the men- Although, if the other countries do not approve you to play on the men’s team, they nothing will change other than come Olympics- If you’re picked for the team, then you’ll be on the women’s,” he said and I nodded my head.
The meeting went on for a while and when it was finally over, I went back to my hotel room and saw Pat lying on the bed looking incredibly bored, “Hey,” I said, the door closed and he sat up to look at me.
“How’d it go- You gunna be my teammate?” he asked quickly and I giggled and walked over towards him.
“Don’t know yet, won’t find out for a little while- Though I will be training with you,” I said and Pat smiled and nodded his head.
Next month for two weeks, everyone that was on the roster for Team USA was going to Washington DC to attend the camp. They were going to announce those names in a few days and I knew that I was on it, but I was anxious to see who else was on the list.
-Kane-
Forty eight names were on the list, players from all different teams, all different states. Maggie and I were on the list and we were heading to D.C. Apparently for the next two weeks, the NHL had practically rented out a whole hotel and we would be staying there, Maggie and I of course going to be rooming together.
The month that led up to the two week Olympic camp was spent towards nothing but training and the occasional fun. But Maggie and I were serious about this, it was the Olympics and I needed to shine like I did in the 2010 Olympics.
We were in our hotel room and Maggie’s phone was buzzing like crazy on the nightstand, she was in the bathroom taking a shower. I sighed and walked over to look at it and I saw that one by one, guys were telling her that they were here and couldn’t wait to see her. I sighed and shook my head; she was such a social butterfly, always making friends with everyone. Maggie’s teammates Paul Martin and Brooks Orpik made the camp list, as well as, Beau Bennett, he was a little disappointed to hear that he couldn’t room with Maggie, those two seemed to have gotten close. I heard what he did for Maggie, hanging Mike’s name plate up in his stall, it was still there, and I appreciated how he looked after her.
Maggie walked out of the bathroom with the towel wrapped around her and I groaned and she giggled, “Why are you holding my phone?” she asked and I looked down at it and smirked, rolling my eyes.
“You, my little social butterfly, have your tails waiting for you to text them back so they can see you,” I chuckled and handed her the phone and she read the texts and laughed.
“Kessel, I seriously love him,” she said and I scoffed and collapsed onto the bed, “You know what I mean!”
“Yeah well, how ‘bout you get dressed before you go see your fans,” I said and she giggled and nodded her head, “I’m gunna take a nap, call me if you need to be saved.”
“All right,” Maggie said and just as I closed my eyes, she pounced on top of me and I groaned, but then felt her lips against mine and I wrapped my arms around her waist and rolled over until I was on top of her. I pulled back and she smiled towards me, “Love you.”
“Love you too,” I smirked and the nudged my head for her to go.
-Maggie-
“Maggie!” I heard and turned to see Beau running towards me with his roommate, T.J. Oshie behind him. I laughed when he practically jumped on me and almost made me fall to the ground, this kid literally acted like a kid sometimes, “I missed you!”
“I get it, Sunny,” I laughed as I felt the weight to be too much and I went to the ground, “You’re an ass.”
“But I missed you,” he pouted and I laughed and shook my head.
“Damn! I was supposed to hug her first!” I heard and tilted my head up and saw Phil Kessel standing next to his teammate, James Van Riemsdyk.
“Actually teammate gets first dibs!” Beau stated as he stood and then helped me up.
“Yeah, yeah, whatever rookie,” he scoffed and I laughed and ran over towards him, jumping into his arms and wrapping my arms around his neck and my legs around his waist, “I missed ya, Boomer.”
“I hate that nickname,” I laughed and he smirked and put me down and I hugged James, “It’s good to see you guys!”
“Have you heard anything from the league if you’ll be with us for sure? Or so far is it just training?” James asked and I sighed.
“So far just training, Bettman said that we’ll all know when they finalize the team in January,” I said and Phil sighed.
“That’s too long to wait,” he said and I laughed.
“How do you think I feel?” I said and he nodded his head.
“There she is!” I heard and turned to see Jonathan Quick and Dustin Brown just arriving, pulling their luggage and carrying their carry ons.
“Hey!” I smiled and watched as they put their stuff down and I ran over and hugged them. It was going to be great practicing with all of my friends and fellow players; I just hoped that I would also be playing with them when it came time for the Olympics.
-Kane-
“That wasn’t too bad,” I said as Maggie and I collapsed onto the bad after two long weeks of constant training. I looked over towards Maggie to see why she didn’t say anything back to see that she had passed out next to me. I chuckled and then pushed myself and headed for the bathroom when I heard my phone going off. I looked at it and saw that it was my Dad calling me, “Hello?”
“Pat, I didn’t know if I would get you or not- How was camp?”
“Hold on,” I whispered and then headed out towards the balcony, “Sorry, Maggie was sleeping- It went really well, I’m pretty sure I’ve got a slot on the team.”
“That’s good, that’s good- What about Maggie?” he asked and I sighed.
“We don’t know yet, it all depends if the other countries agree that she’ll be able to play on the men’s team because she’s use to playing in their league. Maggie said that Bettmen is all for it, but countries like Slovakia and Germany don’t like the idea.”
“Eh, they’re just afraid she’ll kick their asses,” Dad said and I chuckled, he was probably right, “You ready for the season to start? Coming down from your Stanley high?”
“Yeah, I can’t wait and hell no! I’m ready to win gold and the Stanley again!” I said and Dad laughed.
“That’s my son,” he said and I knew there was something else, Dad sighed, “I gotta talk to you about something.”
“What is it?” I asked and looked back into the hotel to see that Maggie had rolled onto her stomach, still asleep.
“Your Pops isn’t doin’ too good,” Dad said and I sighed, he was talking about his father, my grandfather.
“I kind of figured that at the party, he didn’t look too good- Even Maggie said that he looked sick,” I aid and then sighed and say down on the patio chair, “How long?”
“Not sure, he goes in for an appointment tomorrow and I’ll know more then, I just wanted to give you a heads up, it maybe nothing,” Dad said but it didn’t feel like nothing, “Don’t worry too much about it, it’ll be all right.”
“All right,” I said and then just looked towards the ground, thinking about my childhood and how I always enjoyed my grandfather living next door to me.
“Listen Pat, just enjoy your time that you have left with Maggie, because when the season starts, you’re not going to see each other a lot,” Dad said and I just rubbed my face, he was right.”
“I know, we’re heading to Pittsburgh tomorrow and I’ll be there for three days, then I’m heading back to Chicago to start strength and conditioning with the team,” I said and sighed.
“Preseason will be starting soon.”
“Yeah.”
“Think about it this way, son- You love Maggie, right?”
“Yes.”
“This is her last season as a Penguin, her contract ends at the end of the season,” he said and I smiled, I knew what he was doing, he was trying to get my mind off of my grandfather’s health, it was working, “Soon she’ll be a hawk and you’ll see her whenever you want- But remember Patrick,” he said and I sat up, wondering why he used my full name, “Your mother and I aren’t ready to be grandparents!”
My eyes widened and I knew my face was red, “Maggie would kill me!”
“Your mother would kill you!”
“Don’t worry dad,” I chuckled, “We’ve got a plan- She wants a few more years before she settles down.”
“You know what that means, right son?”
“What?”
“That she’s already picturing a future with you.”
“Can I let you in on a secret, dad?”
“Always,” he said and chuckled and I smiled.
“So am I.”
I was currently in New York with the Commissioner, as well as a few others, two of them being my Coach, who was also named to be the head Coach for the men’s Team USA and then the Team USA women’s Coach. I knew this had something to do about the Olympics that were going to take place in a few months.
“We can’t give you an answer now, but you are on a spot on the women’s team and possibly on the men’s- We’re trying, but it’s difficult,” Bettman said and I nodded my head.
“What about training? Who would I train with?” I asked and they looked at me.
“You’ll train with the men’s because since you’ll be missing you’re regular training to do this, and since you’ll be playing in the NHL still, then the men- Although, if the other countries do not approve you to play on the men’s team, they nothing will change other than come Olympics- If you’re picked for the team, then you’ll be on the women’s,” he said and I nodded my head.
The meeting went on for a while and when it was finally over, I went back to my hotel room and saw Pat lying on the bed looking incredibly bored, “Hey,” I said, the door closed and he sat up to look at me.
“How’d it go- You gunna be my teammate?” he asked quickly and I giggled and walked over towards him.
“Don’t know yet, won’t find out for a little while- Though I will be training with you,” I said and Pat smiled and nodded his head.
Next month for two weeks, everyone that was on the roster for Team USA was going to Washington DC to attend the camp. They were going to announce those names in a few days and I knew that I was on it, but I was anxious to see who else was on the list.
-Kane-
Forty eight names were on the list, players from all different teams, all different states. Maggie and I were on the list and we were heading to D.C. Apparently for the next two weeks, the NHL had practically rented out a whole hotel and we would be staying there, Maggie and I of course going to be rooming together.
The month that led up to the two week Olympic camp was spent towards nothing but training and the occasional fun. But Maggie and I were serious about this, it was the Olympics and I needed to shine like I did in the 2010 Olympics.
We were in our hotel room and Maggie’s phone was buzzing like crazy on the nightstand, she was in the bathroom taking a shower. I sighed and walked over to look at it and I saw that one by one, guys were telling her that they were here and couldn’t wait to see her. I sighed and shook my head; she was such a social butterfly, always making friends with everyone. Maggie’s teammates Paul Martin and Brooks Orpik made the camp list, as well as, Beau Bennett, he was a little disappointed to hear that he couldn’t room with Maggie, those two seemed to have gotten close. I heard what he did for Maggie, hanging Mike’s name plate up in his stall, it was still there, and I appreciated how he looked after her.
Maggie walked out of the bathroom with the towel wrapped around her and I groaned and she giggled, “Why are you holding my phone?” she asked and I looked down at it and smirked, rolling my eyes.
“You, my little social butterfly, have your tails waiting for you to text them back so they can see you,” I chuckled and handed her the phone and she read the texts and laughed.
“Kessel, I seriously love him,” she said and I scoffed and collapsed onto the bed, “You know what I mean!”
“Yeah well, how ‘bout you get dressed before you go see your fans,” I said and she giggled and nodded her head, “I’m gunna take a nap, call me if you need to be saved.”
“All right,” Maggie said and just as I closed my eyes, she pounced on top of me and I groaned, but then felt her lips against mine and I wrapped my arms around her waist and rolled over until I was on top of her. I pulled back and she smiled towards me, “Love you.”
“Love you too,” I smirked and the nudged my head for her to go.
-Maggie-
“Maggie!” I heard and turned to see Beau running towards me with his roommate, T.J. Oshie behind him. I laughed when he practically jumped on me and almost made me fall to the ground, this kid literally acted like a kid sometimes, “I missed you!”
“I get it, Sunny,” I laughed as I felt the weight to be too much and I went to the ground, “You’re an ass.”
“But I missed you,” he pouted and I laughed and shook my head.
“Damn! I was supposed to hug her first!” I heard and tilted my head up and saw Phil Kessel standing next to his teammate, James Van Riemsdyk.
“Actually teammate gets first dibs!” Beau stated as he stood and then helped me up.
“Yeah, yeah, whatever rookie,” he scoffed and I laughed and ran over towards him, jumping into his arms and wrapping my arms around his neck and my legs around his waist, “I missed ya, Boomer.”
“I hate that nickname,” I laughed and he smirked and put me down and I hugged James, “It’s good to see you guys!”
“Have you heard anything from the league if you’ll be with us for sure? Or so far is it just training?” James asked and I sighed.
“So far just training, Bettman said that we’ll all know when they finalize the team in January,” I said and Phil sighed.
“That’s too long to wait,” he said and I laughed.
“How do you think I feel?” I said and he nodded his head.
“There she is!” I heard and turned to see Jonathan Quick and Dustin Brown just arriving, pulling their luggage and carrying their carry ons.
“Hey!” I smiled and watched as they put their stuff down and I ran over and hugged them. It was going to be great practicing with all of my friends and fellow players; I just hoped that I would also be playing with them when it came time for the Olympics.
-Kane-
“That wasn’t too bad,” I said as Maggie and I collapsed onto the bad after two long weeks of constant training. I looked over towards Maggie to see why she didn’t say anything back to see that she had passed out next to me. I chuckled and then pushed myself and headed for the bathroom when I heard my phone going off. I looked at it and saw that it was my Dad calling me, “Hello?”
“Pat, I didn’t know if I would get you or not- How was camp?”
“Hold on,” I whispered and then headed out towards the balcony, “Sorry, Maggie was sleeping- It went really well, I’m pretty sure I’ve got a slot on the team.”
“That’s good, that’s good- What about Maggie?” he asked and I sighed.
“We don’t know yet, it all depends if the other countries agree that she’ll be able to play on the men’s team because she’s use to playing in their league. Maggie said that Bettmen is all for it, but countries like Slovakia and Germany don’t like the idea.”
“Eh, they’re just afraid she’ll kick their asses,” Dad said and I chuckled, he was probably right, “You ready for the season to start? Coming down from your Stanley high?”
“Yeah, I can’t wait and hell no! I’m ready to win gold and the Stanley again!” I said and Dad laughed.
“That’s my son,” he said and I knew there was something else, Dad sighed, “I gotta talk to you about something.”
“What is it?” I asked and looked back into the hotel to see that Maggie had rolled onto her stomach, still asleep.
“Your Pops isn’t doin’ too good,” Dad said and I sighed, he was talking about his father, my grandfather.
“I kind of figured that at the party, he didn’t look too good- Even Maggie said that he looked sick,” I aid and then sighed and say down on the patio chair, “How long?”
“Not sure, he goes in for an appointment tomorrow and I’ll know more then, I just wanted to give you a heads up, it maybe nothing,” Dad said but it didn’t feel like nothing, “Don’t worry too much about it, it’ll be all right.”
“All right,” I said and then just looked towards the ground, thinking about my childhood and how I always enjoyed my grandfather living next door to me.
“Listen Pat, just enjoy your time that you have left with Maggie, because when the season starts, you’re not going to see each other a lot,” Dad said and I just rubbed my face, he was right.”
“I know, we’re heading to Pittsburgh tomorrow and I’ll be there for three days, then I’m heading back to Chicago to start strength and conditioning with the team,” I said and sighed.
“Preseason will be starting soon.”
“Yeah.”
“Think about it this way, son- You love Maggie, right?”
“Yes.”
“This is her last season as a Penguin, her contract ends at the end of the season,” he said and I smiled, I knew what he was doing, he was trying to get my mind off of my grandfather’s health, it was working, “Soon she’ll be a hawk and you’ll see her whenever you want- But remember Patrick,” he said and I sat up, wondering why he used my full name, “Your mother and I aren’t ready to be grandparents!”
My eyes widened and I knew my face was red, “Maggie would kill me!”
“Your mother would kill you!”
“Don’t worry dad,” I chuckled, “We’ve got a plan- She wants a few more years before she settles down.”
“You know what that means, right son?”
“What?”
“That she’s already picturing a future with you.”
“Can I let you in on a secret, dad?”
“Always,” he said and chuckled and I smiled.
“So am I.”