A New Life

“Mommy why are we at the rink?” Maddy asks from the back seat as I pull into the parking lot at the Flyers Skate Zone.
“We’re visiting Daddy.” I respond.
“Can we show him the pictures we took at the zoo?” Izzy asks.
“Absolutely.”

I park in an open spot and my two five year olds unbuckle themselves from their car seats. I let them out and reach in to the back seat to get Elliot out.

It was pretty much a miracle for us a year and a half ago when Elliot was delivered. He was happy, healthy, and more than twice the size of his sisters. Sean and I will forever be in debt to Cara, our surrogate. She gave us what we didn’t think we’d ever get to experience again. And without the pain involved with our previous experience with childbirth, she gave us so much more at the same time. Something that even the hefty check couldn’t repay.

She gave us the ability to truly enjoy that moment when our son was brought into this world.

Maddy and Izzy take off towards the door as soon as I have Elliot out of the car. Fortunately, the security guard recognizes them and chuckles as he waits for me to catch up before he opens the door for them.

By now, my girls know this building like their own home. They know exactly which hallways lead towards the locker room, where the bathrooms are, and how to get to the ice.

“Is practice over yet?” Maddy asks.
“It should be.” I respond, hiking my sleeping son up higher on my hip.

He starts to stir and cries a little, cranky from being woken up. I rub his head a little and follow Maddy and Izzy towards the locker room. Just as we’re getting there, the door swings open and Wayne Simmonds comes out.

“Hi Simmer!” My girls say, latching on to his legs.
“Hey girls! I gotta get out of here, but everyone’s dressed.” He responds, returning their hugs quickly.

We share a smile and he touches my shoulder lightly as he passes by. He’s become such a good friend to me these past five years. The entire team has, of course. But Wayne especially has become a crucial ally for the Couturier household. So much so that we asked him to be Elliot’s godfather. He presses a soft kiss to my forehead and ruffles the little bit of hair on Elliot’s head before heading for the exit.

I turn back towards the door and realize that the girls have already gone in to the locker room. Sighing, I open the door and head in. The first thing I hear is the sound of Maddy and Izzy telling Sean all about the zoo. Both of them loved the elephants the most.

“You didn’t go see the penguins, did you?” Matt asks them.
“Nooooo!” Maddy laughs.
“The penguins are stupid!” Izzy adds.

The guys all laugh and most of them shout their agreements. I put Elliot down in front of Sean’s locker and smile when he instantly picks up a random puck and starts playing with it. His apparent interest in the sport makes Sean so excited, and he’s not even old enough to skate yet. Not that it’s kept Sean from buying him skates already.

“Hey girls.” I say, getting their attention. “Why don’t you tell daddy what else we did today?”

Sean looks at me, his eyebrows pinched together in confusion.

“We went to the doctors.” Maddy says.
“Yeah, with Miss Cara.”
“And what did the doctor say?” I prompt them.
“She said Miss Cara has a baby in her tummy again.”
“Like when she had Elliot in her tummy.”
“But it’s not Miss Cara’s baby.”
“It’s mommy and daddy’s baby.”
“And that means we’re gonna have another brother or sister soon.”

Sean turns to me, his eyes wide.

“Really?” He asks.
“Yeah.” I smile.

He stands up from his crouched position next to the girls and pulls me towards him. His hand slowly brushes my cheek and he places a soft kiss on my lips. I vaguely hear Brayden asking the girls if they’d rather have another brother or sister (both of them say a sister, of course), but my whole focus is on my husband.

“We’re really having another?” He whispers, in semi-disbelief.
“Mmhm.” I smile.
“I’m so happy right now.”
“Me too.”
“We’re gonna have the big family we always talked about.”
“I love you, Sean.”
“I love you too, Charlie.”

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To say that our lives have been a roller coaster is a complete understatement. We were “just friends” secretly in love with each other. We got engaged a month before I had to leave for a long-term deployment to Afghanistan. I lost my leg and literally had to learn how to walk again. We’ve dealt with crazy fans and crazy parents. And I almost died giving birth to our premature daughters.

But Sean and I still have each other. We have our daughters. We have our son. We have our friends and family. And now we have another little one on the way. Claude is retiring after the end of this season, and the organization has pretty much stated outright that Sean is their number one choice for his replacement as their captain. There’s not much more that either of us could ask for.

Well.... Except maybe another Stanley Cup.