Chapter Six: Welcome Home, Pens!
The next morning I threw myself out of bed as soon as the alarm sounded at 7:30. I hit the clock almost off my nightstand and jumped up, running to the bathroom and changing the fastest I think I ever had. Coming out, I put on some makeup and fixed my hair until it was perfect. Grabbing my phone off the table, I opened the door and headed into the hallway, where the bustling sounds of Riley and my parents packing up could be heard. I walked down the hall to the living room and sat down on the couch, sighing as I did. Even though I was excited to see the boys come back, watching my family leave was never something I liked to see.
I jumped when my phone started to go off. Looking down at the ID I saw that it was Sidney calling. I answered in a melancholy tone, not knowing whether to be excited or sad.
“Heyy.” I said monotonously.
“Hey babe. We’re on the plane home. We should be there just after or a little before Riley leaves. Godsy, Jordy, Marc and Max all say hello. Kris too. How’d you sleep last night?” Sidney’s voice was lighthearted and happy. It made me smile and my disposition changed until I thought about how I had really slept last night. I didn’t want to tell Sidney the truth, that I’d been having nightmares about Zacky every night since I’d seen him again. So I kept it to myself and lied through my teeth.
“I slept great knowing that today’s the day we can let it out. It’s killing me.” I joked, making Sidney laugh.
“Oh you’re telling me.” he said, laughter slowing, “Do I still get my kiss?” he finished deviously. I felt the smile creep across my face, the same one I knew was on his.
“Hmmm… I’ll think about it.” I started, stopping as I heard the intercom on the plane come on and say that they were a half hour from Pittsburgh. I smiled and my heart jumped up in my chest.
“Well, looks like I have to go. I’ll see you in a little bit.” he said, static becoming prominent on the other end of the line.
“Alright. Bye Sid.” I said through the static before the line clicked off. I got up off the couch and headed into the kitchen, finding Mom and Dad with their bags drinking some coffee. Mom handed me a cup and I sat down beside them, taking a sip as I did.
“Sidney?” Mom asked all knowingly. Somehow, it amazed me even now, she knew everything.
“Yep. He said he’ll be back when you guys leave. I wish you didn’t have to.” I commented, taking another drink of my coffee as I heard Riley come out of his room. His bags hit the floor and he ran up behind me, picking me up off the ground and squeezing me.
“I wish I didn’t have to leave either. I miss you soo much sis. We need to get together next time you’re in San Jose. Promisee!” he squealed, as he put me down. I nodded and smiled at him, looking back to Mom, who had waited through his outburst to speak.
“I wish we didn’t have to either but we need to go home to feed the dogs and as much as I love to be here with you dear, I miss home. But you’ll see us when you come up to visit, I’m sure. Anyway, c’mon kids. We’ll be late if we don’t get a move on.” Mom said, getting up and picking up her bags while she headed for the door. Dad followed her with Riley behind him and I took up the rear. We all headed out the door and Mom and Dad hopped into a car they’d rented after they’d got here while Riley threw his stuff into my car and jumped in. We pulled out and got to the airport in no time flat.
We parked and all got out in the light snow that was now falling. I smiled to myself as I twirled Sidney’s necklace in my fingers while walking into the airport terminal. There were a few camera crews around and I knew that I would probably be jumped on for some questions when the Pens got back in a few minutes. Almost as soon as we walked in I heard the intercom announce that Mom and Dad’s flight was up. Following them to the terminal, I frowned as they turned to say goodbye to Riley before coming to me.
“I’ll miss you Mom, Dad.” I said as I hugged them both tight. Mom had but one tear run down her face but she wiped it away and smiled.
“It was so nice to see you. You’re doing great for yourself here. Keep it up. I love you.” she said, smiling at me. Dad turned to me and pulled me in for another hug.
“I’m so glad you’re here with people that care so much about you. You’re going to do great. And I’m sure Sidney will take care of you. I love you, baby girl. Be good.” he finished as Mom turned and walked through the gate to their flight, waving goodbye until we couldn’t see them anymore. I turned around to see that more cameras were here along with the Pittsburgh Post Gazette and Dan Potash from FSN. Riley sighed as his flight to San Jose was called and he turned towards the gate.
“I’m going to miss you so much Riles.” I said, hugging him tight to me. Every time he or Colby left I felt like I was losing a part of myself. I almost cried, almost.
“I’ll miss you too munchkin. Don’t get into too much trouble without me. And call me if anyone causes you problems. I’ll be there in a minute. I promise.” he said, kissing my cheek before hugging me one more time and backing up.
“Deal. Bye Riles!” I said as he walked through his gate and onto his plane. Turning around I noticed that the media was suddenly in a frenzy; and looking out side I could see why. The Pens plane had landed. I walked off in a rush to get to their terminal gate before the media had it completely blocked off and made it just in time. I saw Fedotenko and TK coming through the doors first and my heart raced. Sidney was somewhere behind them and it made me so happy to know that he was back again.
“Tyler! Ruslan! Can we have a moment?” one of the many sports shows called to them. They accepted and walked off with the reporter. Next I saw Hal, Pascal, Petr, Phillippe, Ryan, and a bunch of others come forward and they were instantly swamped by people but I knew that most of the reporters and such were waiting for the big guns to come. And they did. First it was Geno, who gave me a hug before being dragged off for an interview. Jordan and Eric both tackled me before walking off to where they were being called by the Post Gazette for what seemed to be a scheduled meeting. Marc and Max came up next and Max picked me up in a crushing hug before Marc gave me in a lighter one. Both of them kissed one of my cheeks before walking away to get situated in the crowd. And then I heard Sidney’s velvety voice come through the doorway and looked up to see him on the phone, walking towards me.
“I’ll call you back, Pat....” he trailed off, hanging up his phone and stopping in his tracks for a minute, obviously thinking of how he wanted to approach the situation with all the paparazzi there. Suddenly he just seemed to give up on the idea of trying to sensor this whole thing and he walked forward brusquely, dropping his bags and wrapping his arms around my waist and picking me up above him for a minute before putting me down and giving me the most venomous kiss yet. It was so sweet that I almost forgot where we were as he pulled away. He looked down into my eyes and searched them to see if he’d done wrong but they didn’t seem to tell him that he did so he smiled and looked me over. “Looks like I got my kiss after all.” he joked, making me laugh as he pulled me into his chest and gave me a hug.
“Looks like.” I agreed, laughing as he let me go, “Welcome back.” I said, taking his hand. He laced our fingers and gave me another short kiss.
“Oh I can’t tell you how great it is to be back.” he commented thoughtfully, glancing up to see the media in a frenzy of shock. There were pictures being taken and cameras were being turned on. Everything seemed to stop for a minute but I didn’t really care. I was with Sidney and I was happy. They could take all the pictures of that they wanted. “Ready to deal with the sharks?”
“For this? Yeah. I was born ready.” I assured, looking up to him and letting myself get lost in his eyes. He smiled that Sidney smile and I turned around as we walked forward to face the media. Dan Potash, luckily, saved us. He pulled us away before the others could get to us and smiled at us both.
“Wow, Sid, when you said you had a girlfriend I didn’t expect this.” Dan said, looking me over before taking my hand and shaking it. Sidney just laughed.
“Why not? She’s hot enough.” Sid answered, kissing my head before continuing. “And she’s pretty amazing. You’re not going to tell me I’m ruining my career too, are you, Dany?”
“Of course not! I’m happy for you, Sid. And you as well, Bernie.” Dan replied, smiling at us both.
“Thanks.” I answered, mirroring his smile. It was nice to see that at least some people hadn’t gone completely crazy.
“Well, sorry to do it to you, Sid, but I have to give this picture to Stan for the show later.” Dan said a little meekly. Sid raised an eyebrow.
“Can I see it first?” he asked politely, cocking his head to one side childishly.
“Sure.” Dan said, handing Sid a digital camera and flipping the picture to the one that had just been taken. It was right as we’d started kissing a few seconds ago and it was the happiest I’d ever looked. Sidney smiled at me and I knew that he was thinking again. Oh no.
“I think we can do better than that.” he whispered, flipping the screen to the picture taking mode. I looked at him curiously but he just came closer to me, pushing his arm out to his side as he kissed me gently, sweetly. I heard the camera click but I didn’t care. Putting my arms around his neck easily, he dropped his arms to my waist and we kissed for a long time. I guess it was sort of like making up for lost time. And for a what seemed like forever we stayed that way, though I didn‘t know exactly how long it had been. Well, until Dan cleared his throat. We broke apart reluctantly, red faced, and looked over at him again. Sidney flipped to the picture and I smiled. It was better than the first one. “Here you go, Dany.” Sid said, handing Dan the camera and intertwining his fingers with mine.
“Thanks, Sid. Hey, I’ll see you later at the game tomorrow. Later, guys.” and with that Dan took his leave and Sidney walked to the front doors of the airport with me. A few people followed along and we had to stop to let Sidney sign a few things but other than that, it was a pleasant walk. We got to my lambo and Sid hopped into the passenger’s side easily, shutting the door as I got in the driver’s seat.
“We’re going to be all over the news.” he laughed, smiling over at me lightly. I couldn’t help but smile too, his smile was contagious.
“We kinda knew it was going to be like that, didn’t we?” I asked, a little sarcasm in my tone.
“Yeah. You’re right.” he started, putting his hand on my knee as I started the car. “Hey. How do you feel about meeting Mario later today?” I nearly jumped out of my skin. Mario Lemiuex had always been my idol. And as famous as Sidney had always seemed to me before, Mario Lemiuex seemed completely out of this world. Untouchable. I’d never even considered the possibility of being able to meet him now, even though Sidney did live with him. Sidney’s voice snapped me out of my thoughts as I pulled out of the airport. “Well?”
“That would be awesome.” I said, trying to take it all in as we turned down the street and drove through downtown Pittsburgh.
“Great. He and Nathalie really wanted to meet you.” He replied, voice happy.
I tried to stay calm as my heart raced with excitement as I questioned him. “Where are we going, your house or mine?”
“Yours. I haven’t seen all your Christmas stuff yet.” he joked, laughing a little. I just rolled my eyes.
“Why would you want to see any more Christmas stuff. It’s already super Christmas out here.” I joked, turning down an alley that led to my house. Immediately I almost stomped the break. Zacky’s car was right there. I drove passed calmly but I could tell that Sidney had caught on to my insecurity.
“What’s wrong?” he asked, voice concerned as he looked me over to see what had changed. I just kept driving and waited until I’d pulled in and we were inside to talk. Closing the front door I pulled him over to the couch and sat down, almost shaking. “What, what is it? Did I say something? What’s wrong?”
“We passed Zacky’s car.” I said, feeling a little silly as soon as I’d said it. Sidney sighed and pulled me over to him, wrapping his arms around me. I breathed in his intoxicating scent and felt myself relax a bit.
“I thought we discussed this. He’s nothing to worry about. Besides, I’m here. He can’t do anything even if he wanted to. I’ll always be here.” he assured, holding me as long as I needed to be held before I moved. He let me go easily and I sat back on the couch, breathing deep in thought.
“I know he’s not going to do anything. It just creeps me out having him around after so long. And he’s so close. I just… I don’t know. It throws me off, just knowing that I’ll have to see him again after so long. I closed him out of my life and I wasn’t planning on letting him back in.” I said, letting out a deep breath that I hadn’t known I’d held. He sat back with me and put his head against mine.
“Just ignore him. The past is passed. It doesn’t matter now…” he interrupted himself with a yawn and I couldn’t help but laugh.
“Tired, Sidney?” I asked, smiling at him. He nodded and yawned again.
“Jet lag. I need a nap.” he said, tiredly smiling at me. I felt my heart jump.
“Mmmm nap. Sounds nice. But before you go to sleep…” I said, pulling him up off the couch easily. He stood up and stumbled, almost falling over again before righting himself again. I dragged him down the hall to my room and pushed open the door.
“What’re we doing in here?” he asked, walking in. It had been a while since he’d been in here and lots had moved. My bed was against the right wall now and the dresser was next to the closet on the left of the door. My tv was moved across the room to the far wall that was next to the door leading into the bathroom. It had been moved a million times since he’d last been inside it.
“You wanted to see my Christmas presents.” I said as he took a seat on the bed while I went to the other side of the room and pulled out a box with all my presents inside. I brought them back over to the bed and sat down beside him, pulling them out one by one.
“I love your Sharks jersey by the way sweetheart. Good support for the Pens.” he commented through a tired fog. I laughed and pulled out my Russian jersey, sitting it on his lap. He looked it over and sat it down on his other side. My mask was next and he smiled at the numbers on the side. Colby and my parents presents came next and he beamed at the sight of two tickets for each trip.
“What’re you smiling about?” I asked, glancing over to him as I pulled out Max’s box seat tickets.
“Thinking of taking a trip to California. Gotta get my tan, you know.” he joked, letting his hand drift down his arm in show. I laughed and shook my head.
“Who said I was taking you?” I asked, sticking my tongue out at him. He gave me the puppy face and I couldn’t say no. “Alright, you can come.” and with that he smiled.
“So, where’s Marc, Jared and Eric’s present?” he asked, looking around.
“Its over on my desk.” I said pointing as I put the rest of the stuff back in the box and took it across the room. I could hear his laughter from where I was and when I came back he was looking down at the picture of us skating.
“I remember that. It was a great day. That’s an awesome picture. Who gave it to you?” he questioned curiously, looking over to me as he sat it down.
“Colby. He seems to have every picture ever. I sometimes thing he’s a picture jacker.” I laughed at the stunned look on Sid’s face as he sat back down on the bed. Glancing over at me his face nearly split in two from smiling so wide.
“Nice necklace. Who gave that to you?” he asked, stretching his arms out on the bed. I laid back on his right arm and felt it wrap around me before I answered.
“Oh you see I really like this guy. I think he’s really into me. He gave me this for Christmas.” I joked, smiling as Sidney’s deep laughter filled the room.
“I so understand how that feels. There’s this girl I like. She completely drives me wild. Sometimes I feel like she’s a drug. I really hope she’s into me.” he laughed again, trying to stay as serious as he could. I giggled and sat up on my elbows, looking over at him. He watched me intently and waited for what I was going to say.
“Who wouldn’t like you?” I asked sarcastically. He shrugged.
“I dunno. Lots of people. I mean seriously, look at Detroit.” was his only answer. I laughed and rolled my eyes.
“Well, Sidney, what would you do if I told you I really really liked you?” I asked jokingly. He smiled and his eyes shimmered.
“Well I’d have to say that I really really like you too.” he replied, winking at me. We both fell into laughter as I sat up and smiled at him. He yawned again and sat up beside me, trying to stop yawning before he spoke. “Oh. Where’s Kris’ present?” he asked, looking over at me. I rolled my eyes and picked up the Pjs from behind me on the bed. Sidney’s eyes lit up.
“They’re super comfy.” I said, sitting them back down before yawning myself.
“I bet.” he commented, stretched and laying back on the bed again. “Can I just sleep here?”
“Hmmmm…… I guess so.” I said, laying back beside him and then sitting up and jumping back to where the pillows were. I laid down and shut my eyes, opening one a little bit to see Sidney looking up at me unsurely. I smiled at him and he crawled up beside me.
“Ahhhhhh thanks.” he yawned, collapsing down beside me. I curled up and opened my eyes to see Sidney’s chocolate brown eyes, half open, looking at me. I couldn’t help but open my eyes a little wider to look at him and he smiled. “You’re beautiful.”
“You’re crazy.” I answered without missing a beat. He chuckled and shook his head, running a hand through his hair.
“Only about you.” he commented just as surely as he had before. I felt my face turn red and I snuggled into the sheets, closing my eyes again. Just as I was about to go to sleep, I heard Sidney moving and felt him come closer. A smile turned up in the corners of my mouth and I eased back to sleep.
><><><><>Sid’s POV><><><><
I looked over at Bernie after a few minutes of silence to see her fast asleep. I watched her for a few quiet moments before a piece of her hair fell down in her face. I brushed it away softly and moved a little closer. She was so perfect. Everything I’d ever hoped for in a single person. Like heaven incarnate. And right now she looked like an angel.
I almost couldn’t believe she was mine. I’d waited for so long and held in my feelings for what seemed like an eternity before I’d come out with it. Now she was mine. Unbelievably. I never thought she’d ever go for someone like me. I was just a dorky kid from Nova Scotia who got lucky and hit it big in the NHL.
Sighing, I closed my eyes and contemplated earlier. I wondered how Dan and the rest of FSN would present us to the world. In a good way, I knew, but still it was thought catching. And then I remembered seeing her on my way out of the terminal gate. Fighting with Pat was no fun in the first place, especially on the phone, but seeing her waiting for me made it better. I’d been trying to convince him that this wouldn’t end my life, that I could balance this, but he disagreed. I felt rage towards him then but he was just looking out for me. I knew even from the beginning that he would be angry with me for letting it out that we were dating; for just dating someone in general. But, honestly, I didn’t care. She made me feel deeper than anything else. It was indescribable.
And just as soon as I thought about it, the feelings from earlier came back. When I’d seen her at the gate I just wanted to tackle her. And even though the media was there I’d given up all hope of keeping it in any longer. That first kiss had been so…. So……. Loving. And the second one, I didn’t even know what to say. Every time I kissed her I just wanted to stay there forever.
I stopped myself mid thought to open my eyes and watch her for a minute before closing them again and talking myself down. ‘Calm down, Crosby. It’s just a girl. She’s just a girl. She’s just a… oh I’m so not kidding myself. She’s mine. She’s my girl. I love her. I love her soo much. Calm down, though. Contain yourself. Don’t freak out….. But that kiss earlier…. It was just a kiss…. Oh I’m so full of it…..’ I thought quietly as I felt Bernie begin to move.
I opened my eyes to see her, face twisted in unhappiness. I sat up in bed and looked her over. She was tossing and turning now.
“N-n-n-no……… no…… z-z-z-zaachh….. N-n-no….” she mumbled, turning over again. The concern rose and I listened for a few more minutes before deciding what to do.
“Z-z-z-zachhh……. I-I-I don’t….. n-no……… please no………… ahhh don’t!” she half screamed. It was then that I decided I should wake her up.
><><><>Bernie’s POV><><><>
I jumped as I felt someone shaking me. My eye shot open and darted around as I felt my heart race. Another dream about Zacky. This one was the worst one yet. I almost screamed as someone put their arms around me. And then I remembered where I was and who I was with and my heart beat slowed down.
“Shhh shhh shhh…. It’s okay. It’s just me. It’s just Sidney.” Sid said, holding me. I sighed and leaned into him, just enjoying the fact that I wasn’t alone. “What’d you dream about?”
“Zacky…. He came after me….. “ I said, a little embarrassed. Sidney just held me, not thinking it was silly at all.
“How long’s this been going on?” he asked, voice concerned.
“Since I saw him. It’s been getting worse. I’m just so worried….” I mumbled, trying to hold back tears of fear.
“Sweetheart, you’re here. In your house. With me. Nothing’s going to happen to you and that’s a promise. Now calm down, alright. Just go to sleep now.” he said, rubbing my back gently. I closed my eyes and he laid back, arms still around me.
“Thank you, Sidney….” I trailed off, falling back to sleep. I could’ve sworn I heard Sidney say something but I wasn’t sure. It didn’t really matter what he’d said just as long as he was here.
><><><>Sid’s POV><><><><
I let out a breath I didn’t know I’d been holding and kissed her head. This was getting serious with her. This Zacky person, why was she so worried about him? He didn’t seem too menacing when she’d told Marc about him at the bar. It was then that I made the decision to make sure that if she ever saw him again, that I’d tell him to leave her alone no matter what. I wasn’t going to let my girlfriend be this scared of someone she hadn’t seen in so long.
I took a deep breath and sighed, tracing invisible patterns on her back as she slept. She was peaceful now but I decided that I might want to stay awake to prevent another nightmare. I closed my eyes and let the time slip by, opening them halfway every once and a while to see her sleeping in my arms. It was definitely an unforgettable feeling. Now I knew what Mario had been saying all along about Nathalie; that every moment he was with her his life slowed down. That every time he held her his life found it’s meaning outside of a hockey rink.
After a few hours of letting her sleep and thinking about some new plays I’d been mulling over, I decided to wake her up again and take her to see Mario. He’d wanted us to meet up at around lunchtime for an afternoon skate and some food.
Opening my eyes, I looked down at her. She was still out cold. I didn’t really know if I had the heart enough to wake her up when she wasn’t having nightmares. I thought about calling Mario and telling him that we’d be over later but then I remembered that he’d taken time out of everything else he needed to do to meet us for lunch and a skate. Sighing again I looked her over one last time. Flawless.
I shook her lightly and whispered in her ear. “Wake up, sweetheart. It’s time to wake up.”
Her eyes fluttered open slowly and she looked around as her eyes adjusted to the light. I held my breath. She looked so innocent. So perfect. I had to remind myself to breath as she looked up at me and smiled.
“Mmmm…. How long was I asleep?” she asked, still audible drowsy.
“A few hours. How’d you sleep?” I returned her question as she stretched and then curled up next to me again.
“Great.” she answered, smiling. “You’re a comfy man.” And with that she leaned up and gave me a short kiss.
“Thanks. I pride myself on being fluff……” and then I was cut off by the sounds of my cell going off to the sounds of AC/DC’s ‘Big Balls’. I smiled to myself and shook my head. Max had been screwing with my ringtones again. Retrieving my still ringing phone from my pocket, I read the caller ID and quickly answered.
“Sidney?” Mario’s voice came in loud and clear over the speaker. Bernie closed her eyes and simply lay beside me, waiting for me to get done on the phone.
“The only.” I answered, causing a short chuckle on the other end.
“Hey, I just wanted to let you know that I’ll be at the rink in about twenty minutes. I just need to stop at home and give Nat something for the kids.” his voice was upbeat and happy and it was clear that his morning interviews had gone well.
“Oh, okay. Tell them all I said hey and that they probably shouldn’t wait up at dinner.” I responded, causing him to laugh again.
“Alright. I’ll see you and Bernie there then. Bye.” and with that Mario hung up. I hit the end button and I saw Bernie’s eyes open.
“Who was that?” she asked, curiously but not nosily.
“Mario. He’s going to be at the arena in twenty minutes.” I answered. I watched her eyes grow in surprise.
“Ohhhhhhh goshhh.” she said, sort of stunned.
“What?” I asked, a little confused.
“I didn’t expect to ever meet Mario Lemieux and had you told me that I’d be meeting him to go ice skating for fun a few years ago I would’ve laughed in your face.” she explained, rubbing her eyes to wake up. She rolled away from me and almost fell out of bed. I caught her and pulled her back up, flailing limbs and all, before she fell off. We laughed for a moment before she stood up and stretched, walking into the bathroom. I sighed and stood up, stretching and laughing to myself.
“If you would’ve told me I’d be dating you two years ago I would’ve laughed in your face too.” I mumbled under my breath as she walked back out, hair fixed with her makeup on.
“Ready, Sid?” she asked, voice hyper and excited as she picked up her new skates and walked over to me. I smiled at her and took her hand, pulling her out her bedroom door and down the hall.
><><><><Bernie’s POV><><><
I could feel my heart racing as we drove towards the Mellon. Mario Lemieux, the man I’d looked up to through my childhood, the man I’d idolized in my years as a goalie, was waiting for me at the Mellon. And it was an unbelievable feeling.
I turned up the road that lead into the Mellon’s parking lot and I felt my heart almost stop. Sidney’s voice was probably the only thing that stopped me from passing out.
“Well, looks like we beat him here. I don’t see his car.” Sid’s said, looking around through the window. I took a deep breath as we parked beside Sid’s car and I cut the engine. We got out of the car and Sid put his arm around me as we headed for the front doors of the arena. “You excited?”
“Excited? I’m practically dying!” I answered, causing him to laugh.
“He’s not going to eat you!” Sid assured sarcastically as he opened the door and let me go through first before following. The lobby inside the Mellon was silent, almost as quiet as death itself. And I took the quiet in stride and knew that tomorrow the scene here would be completely different. Thousands of Pens fans would flood in and a game of what was sure to be epic proportions would be played, hopefully ending in a Pens victory. The roar of the crowd would surely be exciting and, though I wasn’t exactly sure how it would sound in the box, I was sure it would still be fairly deafening.
“I know he’s not going to eat me but I’m freaking out here, Sidney! You’ve got to understand that I didn’t even think I’d get a chance to meet the Pens at first, let alone one of the people I’ve looked up to most!” I told him, voice sarcastic and high pitched as he pulled me behind him into the Pens locker room. As the door swung open I found myself feeling at home and yet strangely out of place. I’d been here before, of course, but there had almost always been someone else here with me, no matter if it was half the team or just my brother. It was an odd feeling to just be here with Sidney. Odd, but not exactly a bad feeling all the same.
“I know. I’m just joking. You sound like I did when I got to meet Wayne Gretzky. I was flipping shit.” Sid’s voice was light and joking as he sat down in his stall and pulled out his custom skates, which had been carefully replaced back into their proper place next to his sticks and the rest of his gear. I waltzed over to where he was and took a look at his ’lucky’ sticks. He never let anyone touch them after he wrapped them and I knew that they couldn’t be near a goalie’s stick before a game, either home or away. I smiled as I looked them over. The blades hadn’t been changed and you could see the bumps and scratches from all the shots he’d taken in Montreal as well as Toronto. And then something caught my eye.
One of the sticks, the middle one, the one with the tape that was almost completely off and the stick that was nearly bent in half had a note written on it in silver sharpie. Tilting my head to one side I read it to myself quietly.
‘Bernie’s lucky stick. Do not replace.’ I smiled to myself as I heard Sidney standing up behind me and coming over to where I was.
“My lucky stick?” I questioned sarcastically, looking up to see Sidney shaking his head.
“I’ve been caught. That’s the one I had at practice before I left. See I usually have them replaced and switched out after every game, but I thought I’d save that one since it’s different.” he answered simply, putting his arm around my shoulders.
“I see.” I said as I fell back into the stall behind me, which ironically turned out to be Matt’s, and started to put on my skates.
“Hey, I’ll meet you out on the ice. I need to go sharpen my skates a little.” Sid said over his shoulder as he walked towards the equipment room.
“Kay!” I yelled after him as I bent down to lace up my skates. I sat in silence for a few minutes before the sound of skates on the padded floor floated to my ears. “So how’d that go for you?” I asked, not bothering to look up from my laces as I finished pulling them and began to tie.
“Fine and you?” A voice that clearly didn’t belong to Sidney answered. I dropped the laces and looked up from the skates that now stood in front of me. Looking the whole way up from under my hair and saw a very surprised looking Mario Lemiuex staring back down at me. I nearly squealed. I heard Sidney coming around the corner and he joined us in the tense scene.
“Mario! How’s Nat?” Sid said cheerily as he and Mario exchanged a hug. I sat up after quickly finishing with tying up my skates.
“Nat’s fine. How’re you feeling after that hit back in Toronto. You looked pretty sore afterwards.” Mario asked, clearly concerned as I stood up and took a few steps forward to join the little circle that had now formed.
“Better. Much much better. My leg doesn’t hurt at all now.” Sid answered, glancing over at me. He took my hand and pulled me over towards him. “Oh, Mario. This is Bernie. Bernie, this is the much less amazing Mario Lemiuex.”
“Nice to meet you, Bernie. I’ve heard a lot about you from Sid here. You seem to have impressed him and the coaches. Welcome to the organization.” Mario answered, extending his hand to me. I took it and we shook for a moment. The best day of my life.
“Wonderful to meet you as well, Mr. Lemiuex.” I said, still sort of dazed by all this.
“Mario. Mr. Lemiuex is my father.” Mario joked, making me smile. Sidney squeezed my hand and we headed out to the ice. Sidney jumped on first and Mario hung back, waiting for me.
I took a breath and jumped on, hoping that this ice skating journey wouldn’t turn out like the last time I’d gone for fun. Mario took a step on and skated around a little before coming back and skating beside me, watching Sid take a few laps around.
“So, I’ve heard a lot of good things about you from Sid and Gilles. And as nice as it sounded from them, I imagine it would all sound better from you. Tell me about yourself.” Mario inquired politely, “If that’s not too much to ask, I mean.”
“Okay. Hmm….. Where to start……” I trailed off in thought as Sidney skated passed us backwards, sticking his tongue out at me. I wrinkled my nose at him, causing Mario to laugh a deep hearty laugh at us.
“Start with when you were little and work your way up.” he said, stopping himself from laughing so that he could listen. We continued around as I started.
“Well I grew up with my parents and my two crazy older brothers in Saskatoon. But you already knew that. And life with Riley and Colby was never exactly the opportune way to grow up. They’re both completely out of their minds. I used to be really into art but I don’t really get a chance to draw or paint much anymore. I played hockey all through school and when Colby was drafted to the Penguins, I followed him here to Pittsburgh and attended college. I played back up goalie for the Bobcats while I was in the process of getting my bachelors degree in Sports Medicine with a minor in Graphic Design..” I stopped when I looked over to see Mario’s face contorted in some sort of odd confusion.
“Graphic Design and Sports Medicine?” he asked, confused.
“I know, I know. Odd combination. But you asked for my life and I’m giving it to you. In my second semester of college I severely injured my ex boyfriend, Zachary Borodin. I knocked him out of the paint and he crushed a vertebra. After that, I missed a lot of my games and on my tenth game back our best forward, Brian Revels, was pushed full speed into the net. I hadn’t been paying attention to what was coming straight on and I fell back hard into the cage. I broke my ankle in three places and when it was healed I decided not to go back to play any more hockey. I finished out the season on the bench with only one more game, a shut out, 13-0 us. After college I floated around and did odd jobs for people, baby sitting, art jobs. You name a company around here and I could probably tell you what I’ve done for them. After about six months of that, I got a call from the Pirates asking if I wanted to join the team. I accepted and worked for them for around a year when I started to meet everyone around the NHL circle. I made great friends with everyone from the Bruins, Thrashers and Capitals along with Vincent Lecavalier and Wayne Gretzky. I met Marc Staal in New York and we became……. Very close. I came back here at the end of the Pirates season and chilled out until around mid-season when I decided to start coming to Pens games. I had season tickets already so I started going more and more. I got a call from college that they needed me to take one last test that I’d somehow missed while I was there and I started studying for that. Took it, passed with flying colors and then I somehow re-met this loser…” I trailed off as Sidney came up and stopped beside me. He pushed out his lower lip and I met it with an opportune kiss before turning back to Mario. “And now I’m here, on Mellon arena ice with my boyfriend and the owner of the Pittsburgh Penguins, having a wonderful time.”
“Wow. It does sound better coming from you.” Mario commented, causing us all to laugh a little. “But you forgot something.”
“Hmmm?” I asked, curious.
“You met this loser then you were offered a job with the Penguins and now you’re an assistant goaltending coach to a team with the two top scorers in the NHL.” he finished, smiling at Sidney.
“Dude, don’t expect to be able to kiss me just cause you called me a loser too.” Sid joked. Mario shook his head.
“Why anyone would want to kiss you is beyond me, Sidney.” Mario shot back. They really were more than apprentice and master or leader and follower, they were friends.
“Well he’s pretty sexy, Mario.” I said, making him stick his tongue out.
“Not my diagnosis.” Mario said, shaking his head.
“You didn’t let me finish. He’s pretty sexy, but you’re a beast.” I stated sarcastically, causing Mario’s eyebrows to raise.
“See Sidney. Even your girlfriend thinks I’m sexier than you.”
“I didn’t say that. What’re you talking about?” I asked obliviously innocent as I skated away effortlessly, leaving them both behind me. Sidney caught up with me first and spun around in front of me, forcing me to stop. Mario followed and stopped beside us.
“I am sexier than Sidney. Just so you know. And before this little shenanigan keeps going, I wanted to invite you to our New Years Eve party at my house. The whole teams coming with their wives and girlfriends and since you seem so special to Sid I thought you might want to come.” Mario said, smiling over at Sid.
“I’d love to.” I told him, mirroring his happiness as we continued to skate around.
We skated around for a little while longer before they went into the locker room to change into their hockey gear so that Sid could practice with Mario. I sat up in the stands in my usual place at center ice and watched them. They pushed each other back and forth every once and a while and a chase ensued after a few minutes but soon cease as they began to get serious. I watched as Mario took three shots, all of them landing in the same place in the net. His accuracy had always been the best in the league. Sidney took the same three shots and all of them landed in the net, yes, but none of them hit the same place. He looked sorely defeated and Mario began to tutor him, hitting one shot before standing back to let Sidney make the same play. Sidney seemed defeated as they tried over and over again. I watched for a while but then I was left to dwell in my own thoughts.
I thought a little about hockey and how much I missed the game and I considered hopping on ice to play with Mario and Sidney but then decided against it. Not being able to put a shot behind me might only deflate Sidney’s ego even further. And then the thoughts drifted in and out from what the outcome of tomorrows game would be to how the party at Mario’s house was going to end up.
I quickly was distracted by the sounds of my phone going off to the tune of Journey‘s ‘Remember Me’ . Opening my phone, I read the ID. It was Max.
‘Hey, Bijou! How’s your day going? I just barely got away from the reporters about twenty minutes ago. They’re brutal. Where are you and lover boy? I saw you guys get caught with Dany earlier. (; Looked like you were having fun. -Maxy’
I laughed at him and texted back quickly, looking up to see Mario and Sidney laughing and joking again as they took a few more shots.
‘We’re with Mario at the Mellon. They’re practicing and I’m just sitting around. I hate those reporters. I wish they’d all just go a way. And thanks for watching, Max.’
Looking up again, I saw that Sidney and Mario were skating laps now and doing figure eights while taking shots on net, something I remembered all too well from when I’d played for the Bobcats. I’d done so many laps to get used to my new pads and things that I nearly drove myself crazy with dizziness. I turned my attention back to my phone as it went off again.
‘Care if Marc and I save you? You’ll be there forever if we don’t. They get a little wrapped up in practicing sometimes. And you’re out of luck. The reporters will never leave you alone after the news breaks about you and Sidney. Speaking of which, turn on the tv in the announcers box. You’re on.-Maxy’
I stared at the phone for a minute before jumping down out of the stands and heading straight for the announcer’s box. I ran into it and skidded to a halt, almost falling on my ass. I flicked on the tv just in enough time to hear Stan Savran introduce himself and the show. I heard Sidney and Mario stop what they were doing on the ice and walk out and over to the box, slightly curious and a little concerned as to the quick movement of me.
“What’s up with you?” Sidney asked, concerned.
“Max told me that…” I started before Mario interrupted.
“Shhh shhh. Listen.” Mario suggested, leaning on one of the walls beside me.
“So all of us here in Pittsburgh have been curious about new assistant goaltending coach, Bernadette Armstrong. We caught up with Sidney Crosby after the Pens’ victory over Toronto last night and he alluded to the fact that she was the reason for that victory, as did a post game interview with Gilles Meloche. And from looking back on her own hockey career with the Bobcats in her college days, we can see why this is. She went fluidly through three seasons of hockey without letting more than 59 pucks pass her. This gives her a save percentage of around .966, the best record in all of college hockey thus far. This morning, FSN’s own Dan Potash was waiting for the team to come back when he saw an upbeat Bernie at a flight gate a few feet away with her brother, Riley, and her Parents. It seems that after a Christmas away from their homes they needed to get back and they departed a few moments before the Penguins made their entrance. The team greeted Bernie with warm hugs and even a few kisses on the cheek….” and Stan’s voice trailed off for a moment as the screen beside him showed a picture of Max and Marc kissing me that morning. I laughed. They were such screwballs. And Stan kept going.
“It seems like she’s made fast friends with them all and it only stands to reason that they will continue to do better with her as part of the team. But there is one person in particular with which she seems to have had an extremely adverse effect on. And, as team captain and long time family friend, Sidney Crosby exited the flight gate and came through the crowd, he greeted Bernie with a warm hug and a more than friendly kiss. As previously said, Sidney admitted to having a girlfriend but we never quite expected this one. Dan caught up with them before the rest of the media swarmed over and they didn’t seem to be hiding their relationship from him, even jokingly taking a picture together before they departed his company. From all of us here at Sportsbeat we‘d like to congratulate Bernie and Sidney on what seems to be a relationship that will last for a long time to come and extend a special thanks to Bernie for assisting with two wins…” And then Stan’s voice was overrun with Sidney’s bickering with Mario.
“You know, you might not have wanted to let it out that way, Sidney.” Mario said in an all knowing tone that I remembered all too well from the day Sidney and I had run into Pat at the mall. I didn’t want to turn around but I couldn’t focus on anything but them so instead I just watched Savran and listened to them, not looking back.
“Why’s that?” Sidney asked, tone even but showing an underlying childish annoyance.
“Because making it that public right after she was hired might lead to the suspicion that the only reason she got the job with the organization was because she was dating you.” Mario said in a cutting yet fatherly tone. I flinched a little at the sound of his voice but I knew that the tone and words were needed. Mario was right. This was wrong on our part. We’d made a very big mistake here.
“No they won’t. You’re wrong.” Sidney made an attempt at defending himself as he sat down in the chair next to mine. I got up and sat in his lap, putting one arm around his neck and kissing his still cold cheek.
“Yes, honey, they will. We’re the ones that made a mistake here, Sidney.” I said as Sidney’s eyes searched mine to see if he was really hearing me right. He let his head fall onto my shoulder and he sighed.
“Yeah. I guess we did….. But what can we do about it now?” he asked, addressing his words mainly at Mario.
“You can’t do anything now except make certain that Bernie is a real asset to the team. If she is then no one will suspect anything like that but one major loss and you’re going to be screwed.” Mario said thoughtfully, taking a seat in the chair I’d been sitting in a few minutes before. “I really don’t want to see that happen to either of you.” Sidney sighed at Mario’s words but I tussled his hair.
“Relax, Squidney. I’m good at my job. You’ll be winning games every single night if I have something to say about it.” I assured him. I felt his face pull back in a smile before he kissed my shoulder and looked up at me and then at Mario.
“I think you’ll be fine with that kind of confidence on your side.” Mario smiled for the first time since they’d started bickering and Sidney’s smile widened. “C’mon. It’s almost three. Lunchtime.”
“Mmmm. Food sounds great.” Sidney commented, rubbing his stomach. I stood up and Sidney followed as we walked out of the announcers’ box and into the hall that lead back to the locker room. I heard movement and as I peaked around the corner I saw Max and Marc looking around over the stuff, noticing that Sidney’s gear was gone.
“Maxy!! Marc!!” I squealed, running towards them and jumping into their waiting arms.
“Bernzie! Ayyyeee!” Max yelled back as they squeezed me before letting me go just as Mario and Sidney walked in.
“Max, Marc. Hey. What brings you guys here?” Mario asked as he sat down with Sid and untied his skates.
“We’re here to rescue her from you two and your eight hour long hockey practices.” Max joked, making me laugh.
“Well, we’ve only been here for three hours and we’re going to lunch so I don’t think she needs rescuing now.” Mario shot back, smiling. As he started to take off his skates, sitting them in his stall as Sidney got his skates off.
“Ohhh. You guys are no funn! We thought we’d get Bernie time.” Marc said, disappointed. I patted his cheek and gave him a hug.
“You get to see me more than they do now, Marc. I’m sure you’ll be sick of me very soon.” I assured him, letting go as he chuckled to himself.
“How could I ever get sick of my goalie buddy?” he asked sarcastically, making Mario and Sidney raise their eyebrows.
“Goalie buddy?” Max asked, voice higher pitched than usual.
“Yep! Marc’s my goalie buddy!” I said, giving Marc a high five.
“ ‘Cause I’m so much cooler than you… forwards.” Marc said, extra emphasis on the last word.
“Well there must be something to us forwards.” Sidney said, wrapping his arm around my waist. Max laughed and pulled me away from him.
“Yes. And that is that us forwards are gonna share her.” Max joked, throwing his arm lazily around my shoulders. I chuckled to myself and hugged him.
“I’m a greedy little bastard.” Sidney said, rolling his eyes as I let go of Max. He took hold of my waist and pulled me to him, smiling as Max wrinkled his nose.
“You’re something, Crosby. But I’m not exactly sure what.” Max said, laughing a little.
“A sneaky little bastard that’s what.” Marc said, causing everyone to laugh. Mario looked up as he sat his skates down beside his stick and he shook his head at us.
“More like a weasel.” he said sarcastically as Sidney sat down to take off his gear. Sid just rolled his eyes as we all suggested things that he was. Finally, when he was done he stood up and threw one arm in the air, pointing at nothing in a heroic manner.
“You’re all wrong! I’m Egoman!” Sid yelled, voice echoing off the walls of the locker room before Max and Marc erupted with uncontrollable laughter. I couldn’t help it myself and I laughed too but only after seeing the look of pure shock and utter amazement on Mario’s face.
“Well sorry to deflate your head, Siddy, but your ego isn’t that big.” I said, finally able to compose myself as we walked out.
“And trust me, she’d know exactly how big his ego is.” Max said, voice full of implications. Marc and he joined in a laugh as Mario eyed me in an overprotective way. He sighed and shook his head.
“No she wouldn’t. Give it a week and try again later.” Mario said finally, eyes joking and bright.
“Thanks, Mario. I’m glad you don’t think I’m capable of abstaining from sex.” Sidney joked, nudging Mario to one side. The boys got a good laugh but I could tell that my face was red.
“Don’t you guys have anything better to do than torment me?” I asked as we stepped out into the cold December air.
“Well, think of it this way. At least we’re tormenting Sidney at the same time.” Max said happily, smiling over at me. I rolled my eyes as we all jumped into our various cars. Mario waved goodbye to us as he drove away, surely off to do some interviews and take care of some sort of business. Sidney got into my car and closed the door, taking my hand as soon as he watched Marc and Max drive off.
“So was that anything like you imagined all this time?” Sidney questioned, searching my face. I let out a held breath and nodded, unable to find the correct words to articulate how excited I had been. How excited I still was. Finally I found words and I looked over at him, catching his eyes and getting lost for a second.
“He’s definitely something else. A great person.” I said sincerely. He smiled at me and looked away through the window.
“He’s just Mario.” he joked, laughing in unison with me. “Hey, c’mon, let’s go to lunch.”
