Knocked Up

“They fired me they actually fired me on the spot.” Kimmy groaned and whilst part of Jake felt bad for her, this was the real world she had only worked for them for four months, in that time she’d taken close to half her holiday and told them she was pregnant as well as taken countless sick days then she went in and told them she was handing in her notice and leaving them to work for UPenn. Really it didn’t surprise him they had just decided to fire her.

“At least it gives you time to get yourself organised and ready to move down here, you could even come early if you want. And you can go with Lianna to Ottawa for Hanukah, now – or you could go home visit your family?” Part of him didn’t want her to do either, he wanted her to move sooner. But that was selfish she should go back to England it was obvious how much she missed her family and friends there and this was the perfect opportunity to go and spend time with them.

“I know it’s going to be helpful but it’s not really what I want on my Resume for my first real job fired after four months.” He could understand that, it was sound sense but Kimmy already had a new job/ position and she could explain it so really it shouldn’t affect her that much.

“You’ll overcome it.”

“You have too much faith in everything.” Kimmy was always accusing him of been way to optimistic, said it made her feel more sick than the morning sickness. It was properly the one thing he really hated about her she was such a pessimist, always putting herself down, it drove him insane that she couldn’t see how amazing she was, that she couldn’t have faith in herself.

“You are too cynical.”

“Have fun today with the Thanksgiving stuff and take loads of pictures… give G my love.” Today was the annual Ronald McDonald House Thanksgiving dinner they were all going to cook with some of the girlfriends. Okay so the girlfriends where going to cook or hover over their shoulders nervously when the photographer asked them to let the team do something to take pictures. It was one of his favourite things he got to do with the Flyers largely because he was usually kicked out the kitchen as soon as the pealing was done and sent to go play with the kids.

“I will talk to you later.” He promised before she hung up, a smile still on his face at the day to come despite the nagging feeling that always followed Kimmy mentioning Claude.

This week was set to be crazy they were playing Colorado and Florida at home which meant Max’s Danny and Jagr would all be visiting at some point throughout the week. Talbot and Jagr didn’t phase him one bit he barely knew Talbot in fact they’d not been on the team long together and well Jagr was that annoying big brother he didn’t have. But Danny, he hadn’t seen Danny since Claude had forced him to tell the elder he’d got the girl he called his daughter pregnant before any of the three C’s told him. To say Danny had been pissed was an understatement he was pretty sure if Danny could have he would have crawled through the phone to hit him.

But first he had today, a chance to unwind and have some fun before Danny arrived in Philly tomorrow for their game tomorrow night. “Yo, Jake time to go?!” Wayne shouted from the hallway. Jumping to his feet Jake headed into the hallway grabbing his jacket and keys before heading out to the drive way Wayne was already waiting behind the driving wheel of his car.

“How’s the destroyer doing?” Wayne had taken to calling Kimmy ‘The Destroyer’ since he’d found a video on YouTube a combination of her finest penalties been either green, yellow or red carded. Turned out there was enough to make a six minute video to a range of rock songs.

“She got fired.”

“Well shit, that sucks is she moving down here sooner then?” It seemed Wayne was about as impatient to have her move in as he was. He’d been worried about approaching the subject of moving the girl he’d got pregnant in with them at least for a while but Wayne had been totally cool with it.

“I don’t know she might go spend some time at home in England with her family.”

“Sending her to England is that your way of getting out of meeting her mom. Hoping Mama K won’t come visit if her daughter goes over there.”

“Is it bad if I say yes?” It was he knew it was, he hadn’t thought of it when he’d suggested it to Kimmy but now he could see the advantages.

“A bit yeah, but I understand that woman looks terrifying and then a military background.”

“She was a chef how much can she know about fighting and stuff?” Clutching at straws, wasn’t that what they called it he wonder. He was clutching at straws, trying to find a way of this.

“A front line army chef I’d say a fair amount.” He was dead! He’d managed to knock up the daughter of a Sargent in the British Armed Forces.

“I am going to die.”

“Yep, don’t worry I’ll get the rest of the team to wear a black arm band for a couple of matches to remember you for a bit.” That got a laugh out of him, which he guessed was what Wayne was trying to do as they pulled on to the interstate and headed towards Philly.

“Makes me feel so much better.”

“You spend too much time with The Destroyer you’re even trying to be sarcastic now. But think of it this way Danny will be here tomorrow and he is practically her Dad so if you can survive that match everything should be good to face her mom.”

“I am bigger and scarier than Danny Briere.” Not that it was hard to be bigger and scarier than Danny Briere the guy was known for having good sportsmanship he was one of the most liked guys in the NHL because he just didn’t fight most of the time it had to be pretty major for Briere to drop his gloves. Wayne however you could tie your laces wrong and it was likely Wayne would drop his gloves or put you in the boards. He’d been getting better since he’d got the A he’d calmed down a lot but he was still hot headed on the ice.

“And you both avoid fights like little girls.” He did not fight like a girl, he just didn’t fight often but when he did chances where the other guy was coming off much worse. He was a big guy a lot of weight and muscle behind him he knew that and when he was pissed off he could punch it just took more to piss him off than the Wayne train.

“Fuck you, not all of us feel the need to drop the gloves over everything.”

“Nothing wrong with a good fight.”

“Except when we’re down and you put the other team on the power play.”

The rest of the day went great he’d pealed what felt like a million carrots and then spent hours playing with the kids colouring and going through the things in their gift bags. This was part of his job he loved working with disadvantaged children and sick kids getting to put a smile on their faces and then seeing those smiles reflected on their parent’s faces. It made the millions he gave away to charities so worth it, and the time he dedicated to them worth it to.

‘Pictures from today look good’ Jake smiled at the text he’d just received from Kimmy as he flopped down on the sofa next to Wayne and looked up to see the Toronto Raptors game on the TV.

‘You free to talk?’ He replied keeping hold of his phone as he watched the basketball game on the TV.

‘On Skype with G call later?’

‘Sure’ Claude hadn’t really mentioned Kimmy all day, part of him thought it was because of the cameras but really since her last visit and meeting his parents and the discussion of her moving in with him Claude had gone really quiet on the Kimmy front. Today he’d briefly mentioned how it sucked she’d been fired but that was it, he knew they still talked but whilst Claude used to share what they spoke about now he was a closed book.

Wayne had suggested it was just the adjustment in G’s life, for so long Kimmy had really only been his best friend he didn’t have to share her with anyone when she was in North America because he was the most important guy in her life here. Now though she had a life in North America, friends and commitments that didn’t revolve around his calendar. She was moving to his city, something he knew they’d talked about before she applied to UPenn but those plans they’d made then had gone out the window because of him.

Claude’s face when she’d said she was going to move in with him for a bit had though struck a chord with him. It hadn’t been the face of someone disappointed they weren’t going to get to live with their best friend. No Claude had looked like the guy that had just realised he’d lost the girl that she’d moved on. He’d tried to push it aside chalk it up to the fact he was projecting his own feelings onto Claude. But the fact was it wasn’t just Kimmy Claude wasn’t talking to him about, really Claude didn’t speak to him about anything other than hockey. They were still playing well together but off the ice Claude was barely even spending twenty seconds in the same room as him.

Been mad at them for Skyping though that wasn’t fair even if as he was pretty sure now Claude was in love with her. G had Lianna, Kimmys friend and they’d been friends for years if the feelings were mutual if Kimmy liked Claude surely they’d be together by now. Claude had to just be in the friend zone. No way was Kimmy the type of girl that would sleep with two friends make two friends fall for her just to cause friction. She couldn’t be aware of how Claude felt, she wouldn’t mess them around like that, would she?

‘Give G my love’ she’d said it herself, but she’d meant it like sibling love she thought of him as her big brother. That was the feeling he’d always got from her but maybe that was wishful thinking because he wanted.

Urgh, trying to shake the thoughts out of his head and focus on the basketball game Jake knew it was no good to poison his mind with these thoughts. It was paranoia nothing more than paranoia. Wayne was properly right G was just struggling to accept his best friend had other priorities in his life now.

Sleep hadn’t come easily for him that night, he’d tossed and turned for hours. Kimmy’s earlier phone call after her skype session with Claude hadn’t helped ease his worried. She’d been so vague when he’d asked what they talked about all he’d really learnt was something that was so obvious from their day yesterday Claude and Lianna were having real relationship trouble – so much so Kimmy was sure Claude was getting ready to call it a day with her. Which had only added to his conflict part of him wondered if that was why Claude was so off, he’d seen it before when Claude had broken up with his last girlfriend he’d become distant. But maybe the possible break-up was coming because Claude wanted Kimmy and had decided her coming to Philly was his chance whether she was pregnant or not.

He was getting angry with himself he was supposed to be the glass half full one, everything would work out. Instead he was the one doubting everything putting not only himself but his captain, teammate and friend down and the mother of his child down as well.

Groaning he’d pulled himself from his bed around six am and headed into the gym by eight majority of the rest of the team was there with him warming up for their nine am practice. He was surprised when Claude came and took the bike next to him at quarter to eight.

“Fair warning Danny just boarded the flight to Philly they’ll be hear around lunch time. He’s going for lunch with the boys but he’ll properly pop round to yours after before he goes back to the hotel to nap.” As Claude finished Jake let his head drop back.

“How pissed is he really? I know he was pretty pissed on the phone but he’s had time to calm down.” He asked adjusting his position on the seat as he began to slow down his pace to cool down a bit before hitting the treadmill and then the ice.

“Or simmer, he’s pretty pissed he loves Kimmy he thinks of her as his daughter and really she’s only five six years older than Cal so… Basically you got his daughter pregnant by having a one night stand with her.” He just let his head fall forward and hit the handle bars. The list of people wanting to kill him or were unimpressed with him just kept growing even the three C’s were on the list.

Claude had been right he’d been back from practice an hour when Danny had just walked through the front door. It was one thirty so no doubt the boys had gone back to school after lunch and he was stopping by on his way back to the hotel just like Claude said he would.

Danny didn’t say anything just walked into the living room grabbed his ear and dragged him by it into the kitchen sitting him down at the kitchen table and taking the seat opposite.

“What the fuck where you thinking?” Was Danny’s first real sentence after they’d sat in silence in the kitchen for a few minutes? Wayne had greeted Danny before making a run straight for his room.

“It’s not like we planned this to happen. We were safe turns out nothing is one hundred percent safe.”

“Do you have any idea what you are getting yourself into, you are both so young?!”

“You made it work.”

“Did I really look where it got me an ex-wife who hates and resents me and a few hundred miles between me and my kids most of the year? Sylvie had to give everything up to look after Cal after he was born because I sure as hell wasn’t around enough to help. How do you really think Kimmy would cope having to give up her work?”

“She won’t have to give up her work, we’ll find a way to make it work.”

“You’re not even together in a real relationship Jake. What are you just going to pass the kid between you its whole life? Because I can tell you right now that’s bullshit. And summer once Kimmys done with her doctorate she’s going to want to go back to work what are you going to do then when you want to go home for the summer and she can’t leave Philly if she finds a job here that interests her. And god forbid you get traded what then, you just expect Kimmy to follow you were ever you end up? Have you even thought about any of this?” Danny just kept questioning him and pushing him and it was making him angry. Jake could feel it building inside of him the anger he felt ready to just burst.

“Fuck you it’s all I think about Danny! I worry about it all constantly. I am terrified by wanting to be part of this babies life I am running Kimmy’s and I am going to ruin the babies’ life. She calls it bean you know because on the first scan it just looked like a little magic bean. I just want to be there for them, I want to be with her but she won’t let me in. I am going crazy with jealousy and paranoia over her relationship with G because she just relaxes and drops her guard around him but with me there’s a great big brick wall between us.” It all just came out it was like a flood gate had been opened and everything came rushing out.

“Feel better?” Jake just looked up from the table at Danny who looked perfectly relaxed and calm he even had a small smile on his face.

“Yeah.” He managed when he realised he really did feel better he felt like an entire weight had been lifted from his shoulders, one he hadn’t even realised was sitting there.

“You’ll make this work, Jake. You’ll be in your kids life you won’t ruin it or Kimmy’s life, you’ll find a way to make it work. You are both smart, you’ll work it out or at least Kimmy is and Kimmy will.” Jake let out a small laugh at Danny’s comment. “I know it must be hard for you to watch Claude and Kimmy they really share something special and they are so close. But Kimmy would never have slept with you in Ottawa if there was something between her and Claude.”

“What if I fuck up?”

“Oh you will many times, it’s called been a Dad.” Danny laughed at him clapping him on the shoulder before he left with a see you later loser which had made Jake laugh no way the flyers were losing to him tonight.