Monday, May 11, 2009

5 Moments (Drew Doughty) one-shot

5 Moments.

That was all it took for me to fall in love with him. 5 simple yet complex moments that occurred within a few months that forever swayed the path in which my life would take. He was the one that I knew I would spend my entire life loving. He was the one I was meant to be with. These moments began with one.


One-The Meeting-It is better to break one's heart than to do nothing with it. (Margaret Kennedy)

I walked through the arena for the first time since I was little. It hadn’t changed at all, except for the fact that instead of coming here to watch a game with my cousin I was now going to watch a game starring my cousin. My cousin was goalie Thomas McCollum of the Guelph Storm. I hadn’t seen him in forever so when he invited me to come stay with him over my spring break I jumped at the chance. We acted more like siblings than cousins. He was only 1 year older than my 17 year old self. My plane had been delayed and I had already missed two periods of the game. I arrived at my seat which was just behind the home goalie. It was where Thomas and I used to sit when we were little and I guess he decided to keep tradition.

After the game, a shutout for my cousin, I waited 10 minutes before heading to the locker room. I wasn’t surprised to see a group of typical puck bunnies waiting outside the locker room door. I slid around the group of girls that I can guarantee were only here for the guys and not the game. They gave me evil looks as I pushed them aside and knocked on the door. I used the secret knock that only Thomas and I knew. He opened the door and pulled me inside wrapping his arms around me in a bear hug. Pulling away he tickled my sides causing me to burst out laughing. When I regained my breath I looked up and scanned my eyes around the room. I knew hockey players were strong but I never knew their bodies looked like this. My cousin followed my eye’s path and for that he gently hit me in the head as to say ‘don’t even think about it’. Like I said earlier we acted like siblings. He was the older overprotective brother that I never had.

He was talking to me about the game when my eyes met HIS. He had the most gorgeous dark brown eyes and my heart skipped a beat. I turned my attention back to my cousin but I couldn’t get that guy out of my head. Out of the corner of my eye I saw him grab his bag and get up to leave. I thought he would walk right by us and was surprised when he stopped next to Thomas. Reaching his hand out to grab mine he held it gently then briefly kissed my hand.

“Drew Doughty,” He said introducing himself. “I’m roomies with this dude here.” He motioned to my cousin. I looked at Thomas as he shrugged. Drew opened the locker room door and led the way to his car. When we arrived at the apartment I was glad to see that it had 3 bedrooms. We sat to watch a movie before going to bed, Drew and I on the couch and Thomas on the recliner. I slowly started to drift asleep when Drew pulled me to his side. This is where I made the little mistake that made me fall for him. Instead of relaxing and laying my head on his chest, I pulled away and got up to go grab a drink before bed. When I passed back through the living room I was taken aback at the sad look on Drew’s face. He looked as if I had just broken his heart.


Two-An Icy Battle-Love is a game that two can play and both win. (Eva Gabor)

When playoffs started I flew back to Guelph in order to support my cousin. I was a senior this year therefore I wasn’t missing anything important. I had talked to my cousin last week and he mentioned that Drew kept asking about me. My flight landed and I texted Thomas to see if he was home. When there was no reply I decided to check the rink to see if the boys were practicing. When I got to the arena there was but one body on the ice. I would recognize him anywhere. It was Drew. He was working on his slap-shot from the left point. I set my stuff down on the closest seat and walked down to the door of the ice. Standing there watching him I got the urge to join him. I walked back up and opened the bag that contained my skates. Sliding them on, I walked back to the door and grabbed a spare stick. I stepped onto the ice and as I approached him our eyes met.

“You up for some one-on-one?” I asked smiling. He nodded and skated towards me. He bent down and set the puck at center ice for the face-off. He counted to three and pushed the puck to me. I took it gladly and skated to the net behind him. He easily took the puck when he lifted my stick and he started to my net. What he didn’t know was that when I played with Thomas and his friends I was always put on defense. Quickly catching up to him I resumed skating backwards and was able to take the puck off his stick when he was trying to deke me out. Putting on the speed I quickly skated around him and shot the puck into the net. I slowed down as I reached the icing line but was run into by a panting Drew. He had me pinned against the boards his hands on either side of me.

“Holy crap…where did you learn that?” He mumbled breathing heavily his voice gruff. I leaned up and whispered, “It’s the advantage of playing D ever since I was 4” into his ear. He moaned lightly and his hips moved forward. I could feel his breath on my neck and the butterflies erupted in my stomach. He ran his lips from my neck to my ear nibbling gently. Then he kissed my forehead, my nose, my cheeks, and my chin before pressing his lips to mine. He slid his tongue into my waiting mouth and our groans intermixed. When he pulled away the look in his eyes was full of love and no longer the heartbreak from the month before.

This was the second moment in which I fell in love with him.


Three-The One Month Anniversary-Love is, above all, the gift of oneself. (Jean Anouilh)

Though our first kiss was in April we didn’t begin dating until the week of the NHL draft. He asked me to be his girlfriend the night both he and Thomas were drafted to LA and Detroit respectively. I of course said yes. That summer was so much fun. I still hadn’t decided where I was going to school but I didn’t let that bother me. I spent every waking moment with Drew knowing that soon he would be in LA and I wouldn’t get to see him that often.

July 21st I woke up to find a single red rose on my nightstand. It contained the letter O. I placed it into a vase in the kitchen and went to get my daily shower. When I got out I found the letter L written in the fog of the mirror. Throughout the day I kept finding letters everywhere I went, so I wrote them down one-by-one. Problem was they didn’t spell anything. After the O and the L I found an I attached to the cookie mix I had planned on baking. Then I found another O near my car keys. A V was located on the windshield of my car and an E was handed to me by some woman at the grocery store. When I arrived back at my apartment I found a U attached to the door. The final letter was sitting near a new dress and shoes. It was a Y.

The letters in order were: O, L, I, O, V, E, U, and Y. Finally realizing who was behind this crazy lettering I called Drew. He didn’t answer but his voicemail simply said “unscramble them Em.” I sat down and tried to figure out the message he was trying to send. After about 20 minutes, I finally got it. I LOVE YOU. Looking at the clock I realized I need to go get ready for my date tonight with Drew. The dress he had gotten me was black on top and slowly turned into white down at the waist. It had a silver belt and glitter all over the top. The neckline was a low v-neck stemming from a halter. It went down to my knees and was paired with a pair of 3 inch black heels. I have to admit I looked HOT. I guess that’s what Drew was going for.

He picked me up and his jaw dropped. Ok so apparently I surpassed the look he was going for with the dress. He took me out to dinner at an Italian place that had amazing food by the way. Then we went back to his place to watch a movie. When we got there he told me to go pick out a movie while he got some popcorn and sparkling wine. I made my way over to the table and found all my favorite chick-flicks laying there as well as a few candles and a lighter. I popped The Notebook into the DVD player and lit the candles on the table. Just as I was getting ready to curl up on the couch Drew walked into the room carrying two glasses, a bottle and a massive bowl of popcorn. He set everything down on the table and pulled me close to him lying down on the couch.

Halfway through the movie, 2 glasses of sparkling wine, and a bowl of popcorn later we kissed. It wasn’t like any of our other kisses. The kiss was filled with need and want and most of all love. We both knew we were in love with each other. When he gently rolled on top of me I knew it was time. I was ready to give him all of me. Looking into his eyes I knew he understood. He picked me up bridal style and carried me to his bedroom flicking off the TV as he went. Setting me down, he shut the door behind us and slowly began trailing a line of kisses from my ear to my nose to my mouth and my neck. I ran my hands up under his jacket sliding it off of him. The next piece of clothing to go was his dress shirt. He ran his hands down my shoulders and back as my hands followed every line in his chest. He unbuttoned the neck of the halter and slowly peeled the dress up and over my head. As he unsnapped my bra I gently unbuttoned his pants and pushed them down his legs. Shedding our final undergarments he picked me up and laid me down on his bed. As we connected skin-to-skin I was sure this was where I was meant to be.

Four-Two Confessions-I gave you 12 roses 11 fake 1 real and said that I will love you until the last one dies.(Anon)

The middle of August came and Drew had to leave for rookie and training camp. I was in the process of packing and getting ready to move my stuff either to Guelph or LA. I was going to follow Drew no matter where he ended up this season. Early one morning I was in the attic of my parent’s house looking through boxes upon boxes of stuff. Opening one of the boxes farther back in the attic I felt a wave of nausea come over me. The scent of decaying animal flooded my nose and I ran down the steps straight to the bathroom. After puking my guts up, I felt exhausted, both mentally and physically. Deciding it was time for a break I headed to the kitchen to find something to settle my stomach. Mom was making breakfast and I once again made a dash for the bathroom. At that moment I knew something was wrong. I just didn’t know what.

Lying on my bed that afternoon I tried to take a nap. When I awoke I opened my eyes facing my calendar. It was the 23rd of August and I was late. Not just a few days late but like a week and a half late. I just knew. I scheduled a doctor’s appointment for the week before I was supposed to go see Drew. Not that they would do anything but confirm what my head and body already knew to be true.

2 weeks later.

Positive. I wasn’t sure what to think about that one word. Well more like I wasn’t sure what Drew would think about that one word. Or the concept that went along with it. Were we ready to be parents? Was I ready to be a mother? I wasn’t sure about either of these questions but I knew that they would be answered in time. The question I was worried about however was, how would Drew react? As I sat in the airport waiting for my flight to board I had a lot of time to ponder this.

Drew met me at the airport with open arms. As he picked me up and spun me around I forgot about everything that had been weighing me down. Those next few days were pure bliss. I went to practices with Drew and attended all his pre-season games. On Sunday he was headed out of town for another preseason game, so he was making us a nice romantic dinner in his hotel room.

I had gotten all dressed up and had spent hours mentally preparing myself for his reaction to my news. After we ate we curled up on his couch with a bottle of sparkling wine and I curled into his lap. I opened my mouth to tell him and as I began to speak so did he. We both became silent so that the other could speak…once again that got us nowhere. I counted to three on my hands and we both said what needed said at the same time.

Marry me?

I’m pregnant.

We were both stunned silent…but only for a minute. Then he began laughing and I quickly joined in. He slid a beautiful engagement ring onto my finger and placed his hand gently where our baby was currently growing. Everything was going to be all right. Our love would keep us together.

Five-A Miracle-Having a baby is like falling in love again, both with your husband and your child.(Tina Brown)

It was the final home game of the LA Kings season…they had failed to make the playoffs once again. I sat in my normal seat right behind the player’s bench and watched as Drew and the boys beat San Jose. They saluted the fans and I felt a sharp kick in my stomach. Our baby sure was active…must be a trait of Drew’s. As Drew and I lay in bed I continued to feel the sharp kicks. Well I thought they were sharp kicks. They became closer and closer together and when I felt I stream of water down my legs I knew that the baby wasn’t kicking I had gone into labor. I grabbed my phone from the bedside table and sent I text to Thomas to get his butt down to LA. I gently nudged Drew to wake up. He groaned and rolled over finally realizing what was going on when he felt the wetness of the bed. He jumped out of bed. Grabbed my bag and ran down to the car. He was only forgetting one thing. Me. I slowly stood up and threw on a pair of sweats and a sweatshirt. I waddled to the bathroom to brush my teeth and was downstairs before Drew ran back through the door. He was heaving slightly and I just laughed at his demeanor. He helped me into the car and we were on our way to the hospital.

I was settled into a room and a nurse checked to see how far I was dilated. She asked me when the contractions started and Drew looked shocked when I mentioned that they had started during the game. The nurse laughed and told him that it was completely normal for a woman to not realize she was in labor. She said to expect the baby somewhere between 3-6 hours. I was over halfway dilated and still moving quickly. Thomas texted my phone and I made Drew leave the hospital to go talk to him. While he was gone I was given pain meds and was told I only have a centimeter and a half to go and that the baby would be there within the hour.

Drew returned just as I was being prepped for delivery. He scrubbed up and joined me in the delivery room. The delivery was brief and before I knew it my baby girl was being placed in on my chest. Drew cut the cord and smiled at the sight of his two favorite girls. We had decided on the name Alyssa Kassidy about a week ago. I handed her over to Drew and in that moment I had everything I could have ever wanted.

5 moments to fall irrevocably in love with this man.

Sunday, April 26, 2009

(Colin Wilson)Fate-Part 2

A few weeks passed and my life was that of any normal teenage girl. I was focused on my schoolwork and just surviving the third quarter of my senior year. Yeah I wasn’t like most seniors that slacked off their senior year. No I had a full schedule with AP classes every bell. When I finally had a day with minimal homework I checked Colin’s profile to see what had been going on with BU hockey. That’s when I noticed it. The relationship status…he had a girlfriend. Go Figure…

After that I kinda ignored everything to do with college hockey.

A few weeks later I was still doing my homework at 3 am. I still had Spanish to do and I knew I wasn’t going to be done anytime soon. I logged onto my Facebook for a 10 minute break. There was a little 1in my online friends box but I didn’t even think to see who it was. I scanned the activity in the last few hours and played on my apps. When I went back to work on my Spanish I forgot to close the browser. Three minutes later I heard a pop and nearly jumped out of my skin. Realizing someone had pulled up a chat box with me on Facebook I sighed. I pulled it up and was shocked to see who had decided to talk to me. It was the Colin Wilson. The guy that had been secretly, silently running through my head in the past month and a half. It said:

Hey

I debated whether or not to respond to someone I had never met and then I decided…what the heck why not.

Hi

I finished the last problem I had around 3:25 am. There was no point in even trying to go to sleep now when I had to be up in an hour and a half anyway. I began to check all my websites when I heard that little pop again.

What’s up.

Not much, you?

I was on the Pittsburgh Penguins website the next time I heard that familiar pop.

Couldn’t sleep. Why are you on at 3 am?

Homework.

10 seconds later…

Ahh ic. Wondering why I’m on?

A little…yeah.

5.4.3.2.1.

Girlfriend and I just got into a huge fight. She was flirting with a bunch of other guys.

Ouch…

That was how my friendship with Colin Wilson began.

Hockey and Blessings(Tyler Kennedy)Chapter 5

My due date was during the Olympic break and Sid decided to stay in Pittsburgh instead of going home to visit his family. I yelled at him but his stubbornness won the fight. He had moved enough of his stuff into my place so that he could be comfortable.

About a week before I was due Army came over, told me to get dressed that we were going out. I could’ve sworn the boys were supposed to have practice that morning, in fact Sid even left to go to practice, or so I thought. Army drove me to Mario and Nathalie’s where I was surprised to see a bunch of familiar cars in the driveway. He helped me out and into the house where I was accepted with hugs from all the guys and their wives. Sid was standing in the corner a small smile on his face. He winked and gestured for me to take a seat in the middle of the room.

“Ok, does someone want to tell me what’s going on here?” I asked.

“Sid didn’t tell you,” was the response I got from over half the room.

I shook my head and motioned for Sid to come closer. He nervously approached probably thinking that I was going to hit him. When he was in my arms reach I pulled him into a strong but gentle hug.

“Thank you,” I whispered into his ear. He kissed my forehead and sat himself down on the couch next to me. We did all the classic baby shower things from games to cake and finally gifts. I received a swing and highchair from Mario and Nathalie, a car seat and book of baby names from Brooks, and a diaper bag full of bottles, diapers, wipes, and a spa day from Army and his girlfriend Mel. Sidney handed me a picture of a baby’s room.

“Max, Fleury and a few of the other guys all decided to buy you the baby furniture. It was delivered last night while you were at class. They can’t wait to come up and see the new baby penguin.” I made a mental note to call all of them tonight to thank them.

“Ok time for Sid’s gift,” Nathalie said. He pulled a box out of his back pocket and placed it on top of my rounded stomach. I quickly unwrapped it and pulled the mass of tape he used to keep it closed off. When I opened the box I saw a set of car keys. Unable to speak I pulled Sid into a hug silently thanking him. He then handed me another package this one with a much better tape job.

“More?” I asked.

“This one is a little more homemade thanks to my mom and Taylor,” He blushed. “I don’t have a single creative bone in my body.”

It was a scrapbook with all sorts of pictures from the time I had arrived in Pittsburgh until now. It had pictures of the guys during practice, Mario consoling me when I found out about the baby, Sid and I picking up Army at the airport, Brooks, Sid and I going mini-golfing, and my favorite picture of Sid and I just chilling out and watching a movie. Then it included pictures of me at each stage of pregnancy as well as all my ultrasound pictures. At the very end was a premade page empty except for the pictures of my baby. As I looked through it I cried seeing all the memories I had in just a few short months. Sid then handed me an envelope.

“This is it, I promise,” He said. “Now I know you aren’t a fan of Jeff Carter and neither am I but I was talking to him and he handed me this. I wasn’t sure if you wanted it or not but I decided to give it to you anyway. “I opened the envelope and pulled out a picture of Tyler and I goofing off on the ice after the last game of the season. Before I put the picture back inside the envelope Sid stopped me. “Turn it over.” I did and was shocked to see the words written in Jeff’s messy handwriting. ‘Tyler and Stacey, true love.’ By now I was balling and Sid stood up pulling me into him. Well as close as I could get with my stomach in the way. He said our goodbyes and helped me into his car driving back to my apartment. On the way home I fell asleep.

Hockey and Blessings(Tyler Kennedy) Chapter 4

I knew that I should tell Tyler that I was having his baby but I no longer knew how to get in touch with him. Sid asked me who the dad was but I just couldn’t tell him. I knew that he would do everything in his power to track Tyler down and I didn’t want to make Tyler give up his dream. Though I was scared to become a single mom I knew that I was never alone. I had Sid, Brooks, Mario and his wife Nathalie in Pittsburgh and I had Marc-Andre and Army out in Wilkes-Barre. They all made sure that I knew I could ask them for anything.

Sid was there for me more than anyone else and the gesture went both ways. When he was upset about a game he knew he was always welcome at my place where he could get a home-cooked meal and a nice big hug. In return he would rub my back and stomach and pick up any cravings that I may have. He had become my number one speed dial.

In fact one night in the middle of December I decided to tell him everything. I told him about meeting Tyler and how he had protected me. I told him about us becoming best friends and then me sleeping with him before we went our separate ways. I told him why I didn’t want to tell anyone about Tyler being the father because I had no way to contact him. Sid just pulled me to him because I had burst into tears while talking about it. He let me cry and eventually I fell asleep head on his chest.

Over the next few months my stomach grew bigger and bigger. It got to the point that I couldn’t bend over or walk easily. When Colby got called up I had even more people there to take care of me. Colby, Sid, and Brooks took turns staying with me in my apartment so that I wouldn’t be alone, and when they were on a road trip I would stay with Mario and Nathalie and Nat and I would go shopping Sid’s treat. He was literally the best friend a girl could have. I may have been carrying Tyler Kennedy’s baby but I was doing just fine with the help of some amazing friends.

Who Says Boys Are Better? (Sidney Crosby) Nov. 2, 2008

November 2, 2008

S: Pretty, pretty, please?

He pouted. At the moment he was trying to get me to go to dinner with him. We were in NYC and he had heard of a new restaurant that he wanted me to try with him. Practice had just ended and I was getting ready to go back to the hotel. I was tired and really wanted to just rest. Thinking for a moment I gave in as I appeared to walk out the door ignoring him.

M: Pick me up in an hour. I laughed poking my head back in the room.

Knock knock

I slipped on my shoes, grabbed my purse, and then answered the door. I had decided to wear a cute little black and white dress. Eyeing me his jaw dropped.

S: Wo…Wow! You look absolutely amazing!

He pulled me towards him and stared down into my eyes. Gently lifting my chin up he kissed me. He broke the kiss arms still around my waist. Slowly we made our way to the restaurant. Gosh he just looks better every time I look at him. His sharp jaw and soft eyes are so attractive. Oh my word…am I falling for him?

Leaving the restaurant I smiled. Not only had the food been great it was just barely raining outside. I loved the rain. I made everything take on a slight sparkle. We decided to walk back to the hotel instead of taking a taxi. I followed him to his room due to the fact that I wasn’t really tired. He changed into his pajamas and offered me a pair of boxers and a t-shirt. We crawled into his bed and watched one of his old World Junior games. During the second period I snuggled into his chest and fell asleep.

Who says Boys are Better? (Sidney Crosby)Oct. 29,2008

October 29, 2008

By now I guess you could say Sid and I were dating. The team was on an 8 game winning streak. Sid and I were racking up the points too. We had played 12 games this month and won 11. The only loss coming in the shootout vs. Tampa Bay.

Here’s the schedule we’ve played so far.

10/4 vs. Ottawa in Sweden 4-2W
10/5 @ Ottawa in Sweden 2-0W
10/7 vs. Montreal 5-2W
10/9 @ Tampa Bay 1-0(SO) L
10/12 @ Atlanta 5-1W
10/15 vs. Washington 7-3W
10/17 @ N.Y. Rangers 3-2W
10-18 vs. N.Y. Islanders 3-1W
10/20 vs. Toronto 5-4W
10/22 @ Carolina 2-0W
10/24 @ Buffalo 3-1W
10/28 vs. Calgary 3-2W

Team Stats: 11-1-0 23pts.

Point wise here are Sid and my Stats:

Sid has 14 goals, 11 assists, and 25 points.

I have 7 goals and 17 assists, and 24 points.

He’s got the scoring title by 1 point and I am leading all rookies.

So as you can guess life is pretty good. Sid totally gets what it’s like to be under the spotlight. In fact he’s glad that I’m stealing some of it from him.

Who says Boys Are Better? (Sidney Crosby)Oct 16-17, 2008

October 16, 2008

Oh my gosh! Sid is driving me insane. He is sending me totally mixed signals. One minute he’s flirting with me the next ignoring me. I think it’s time for a women’s advice.

Ding Dong

Nathalie came to the door.

M: Good you’re home, can we tallk?

N: Of course, come on in Melissa. What do you need to talk about?

M: Well, ok. It’s about…well Sidney I guess.

She nodded somewhat knowingly.

N: Let me guess. He has you confused and yet he doesn’t know it.

M: Exactly, I mean he’s flirting one minute and the next he’s how to I put it. Detached.

N: Mel, I probably shouldn’t tell you but he likes you. Just talk to him and you might get the answer you want.

M: Thank you.

I hugged her and left to ponder what Nathalie had told me.

October 17, 2008

Swish, Swish, Clang, Swish, Bang.

I was firing pucks at the net trying to relieve some stress. This thing with Sid is driving me nuts. The ice is the only place that I can get any piece of mind. The next thing I knew Sid was beside me taking slap shots. After 5 minutes the emotion in the air changed. I decided to actually run through some drills if only to escape the tension that was dripping like molasses. I was doing some drills using the boards my back to Sid. Feeling his presence I looked over my shoulders. He spun me around and pressed me flat against the boards. I began to ask what he was doing but he quickly silenced me.

S: Mel, please just hear me out.

He was almost begging me. Quietly I relaxed letting him take control. He continued.

S: Mel, I know you’re not supposed to like someone that you work with but honestly I can’t help it. I mean you’re amazing and I never thought I could find a woman who loves hockey as much as I do. Well maybe besides my sister that is.

He looked so cute and adorable that I just sighed.

S: And I know we have chemistry I mean it’s there on the ice, why not off-ice too.

He continued to blabber and just needed to shut up.

M: Sidney… he paused. Shut up would you.

He froze and looked upset.

S: Sorry I ju…jus…just.

Slowly I freed an arm and snaked it up around his neck. Gently pulling him towards me, I
kissed him soundly on the mouth. At first he was shocked, but then he responded eagerly. My god does that boy taste good. Needing to breathe I pulled away and smiled. This might be the start of an amazing thing. Oh and he’s right there is chemistry.