Collide

"And you're sure you don't need me to stay?"

"Mom! Sid will be home tomorrow night and he doesn't have any long road trips again this season. Just three overnight games while I am still off from work. His last two trips I'll be busy looking for a replacement and wrapping things up at the gallery."

CiCi just needed her mother to go home. Not that she was wearing out her welcome, both she and Sidney were grateful that Diane could stay with her daughter for the last month, but CiCi just really wanted to be alone with Sid. He seemed to be struggling ever since he got back from Russia and there was this tense feeling all around the team.

"Don't worry Mrs. B, I'll be here with her tonight," Julia piped in from her perch on the couch. Her friend came in Saturday morning and promised to be gone before Sidney got home on Monday.

"Alright, fine. You've always been somewhat independent. It's hard for me to accept sometimes. I'll call when I get home and if you need anything..."

"I know, I know. I will let you know. Thank you momma, I love you," CiCi hugged her mother and smiled an appreciative smile at her when they pulled apart.

"I love you too sweetheart." She turned to leave with her suitcase rolling behind her.

"Alright now that Momma D is gone, what are we going to do?" Julia asked without budging from the couch.

"Well, it's a Sunday in Pittsburgh. What did you have in mind?" CiCi sat down next to her friend.

"I could go for some paella." CiCi contemplated the best place in the city for such a meal.

"Mallorca?" Julia nodded with enthusiasm.

"Oh we should call Care and Mo to see of they want to join!"

"Alright, you do that. I am going to see if I can get ahold of Sid."

"Oh tell him I miss his bubble butt!"

"Ha, okay." CiCi stood up and moved back towards her bedroom to have a bit of privacy.

To be honest, the week Sidney came back from Russia he seemed almost distant when he got into his routine. And it troubled CiCi. She thought that it may have something to do with her mother staying even after he got back, but he insisted he was fine. A few bad losses didn't seem to help his mood. She wasn't going to let his foul mood get in the way of potentially what was shaping up to be a great few months coming up.

She flopped down on the bed and pulled out her phone to dial him. He had texted earlier informing her that he landed in D.C. So she knew they were in the same time zone. Lucky for her, Sid answered on the second ring.

"Hey," he said quietly.

"Did I wake you up?" CiCi felt instantly bad.

"Yeah, but it's okay. What's up?"

"I just wanted to see how your flight cross country was this morning."

"It was fine, a little turbulence. But nothing I've never felt before."

"I'll let you go back to sleep. I'm sorry I called, I should have waited until you called me."

"Ci, stop. I'm happy you called. It's good to hear your voice."

"Sid, what's the matter?"

"What do you mean?"

"You just seem off. Distant for some reason."

"I just am not caught up from the Olympics. I was home for three days and turned around and left again for ten. I want my own bed."

"One more sleep and you will have that. With a few days off to spare. Will you have practice?"

"Not after a back to back. So no to Wednesday. Thursday will be optional, and Friday yes. Then we will fly out to Philly after practice."

"For another back to back."

"I warned you that my life will be crazy from the Olympics onward."

"No, I know. I'm just worried about you. That's all. I hope I'm not being a distraction to you."

"You're helping me stay focused, it's other things that are distracting me."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"Now? No. Now I want to be in our bed, sleeping with you in my arms."

"I want that too babe."

"You haven't been trolling the internet lately have you?"

"Yeah, but not being obsessive about you. Why?"

"Garbage being said again about me and you and that fucking photo of her at the Olympics."

"Oh I'm sure all the crazies are assuming you cheated on me. Or her. But I don't care. I don't let it bother me dude."

"You're just hangin' ten," Sid chuckled.

"Hoping to catch some waves this summer."

"Cowabunga dude."

"Promise me this isn't what is bringing you down."

"Let's talk about what is bringing me down when I am home. Just know you have nothing to worry about. I am just exhausted and it's really affecting my game."

"Ci! Their in! I called to make reservations for 7. That gives us two hours to get ready!" Julia called through her closed bedroom door.

"Okay Jules!" CiCi replied then turned back to her phone. "Sleep all day Wednesday?"

"That sounds like the best thing in the world. Tell the girls I said hi."

"Jules said she misses your bubble butt."

"Tell her the next time I see her I'll let her touch it for once."

"Whoa! Ballsy Mr. Crosby!"

"But it's got to be in a comical, cartoon-like manner. And someone needs to take a picture of it. Then we can post it online and have people suspect that I fuck everyone I know."

"Wow, foul mood out of nowhere. This is what I mean."

"I know. I'm sorry! Alright. Go get ready. I'll be home tomorrow night."

"Can't wait."

"Love you boobaloo," Sid whispered.

"Love you more."

*****
Sidney tried to fall back asleep after he got off the phone with CiCi, but it was no use. He felt exhausted, but he also felt hungry and anxious and a whole laundry list of other things that he couldn't explain.

He heard his phone buzzing again, and thinking it was CiCi calling back he quickly reached for it. Before he answered he didn't see her cheesy grin on his screen and looked closer at the caller ID. It was a number he recognized, but didn't store in his phone and one he had been ignoring quite frequently lately.

Instead of being a man and telling Katie to lose his number and stop bothering him, he fired off a text expressing the same thing every time he texted her as of late. Which he never would do if she hadn't become so obsessive and calling him repeatedly. Her response to his text caught him off guard though.

'I'm in D.C. too. Can you grab a coffee with me so we can talk?'

'I have nothing to say to you.'

'Please Sid. I'm not trying to break you and your girlfriend up. I just want to talk.'

Sid groaned and fell back against the pillows. He didn't know why, but he was caving and starting to consider just meeting her so he could tell her to stop.

'Fine. There's a Starbucks in the hotel lobby that we are staying at. Be here by 6. You get twenty minutes to say what you want to say and then we are done.'

'Fair enough. See you soon.'

He didn't respond back. Instead he rose to go to the bathroom and find a hat to tuck his hair inside. Thankfully the hotel was somewhat small and their entire organization took most of the rooms up, so he didn't have to worry about too many wondering eyes. He made sure he wasn't wearing anything that would draw attention to himself, checked the time on his phone and sighed. He had thirty minutes to spare and he was beginning to feel agitated.

"I'll just get a cup of coffee," he said out loud. He grabbed his wallet and room key and started down towards the lobby to wait. He was pleasantly surprised that he didn't run into any of his teammates as he ventured out of his room and happy to see the lobby virtually empty. He made his way over to the Starbucks, placed an order and found an empty table secluded from all the rest.

And he sat and waited. His phone vibrating twice indicated he received a text and he glanced quickly to see it came from CiCi. He smiled and felt his cheeks blush when he opened it and saw her lying on their bed in only her panties. The text attached explaining that she was getting ready for dinner with the girls. He looked closely and was impressed by how well her scar was healing then as the seductive pose finally registered he felt a familiar twitch in the pit of his stomach and instantly felt guilty for agreeing to meet Katie.

He hurriedly called CiCi to explain what he was doing and that after he was going to order some room service and watch a movie on tv.

"She is creeptastic! What the hell is she stalking you? We can get a restraining order. Lucky for you I know the assistant D.A."

"We can't abuse Derrick's powers. But if this doesn't get her to stop then I'll consider it." And it was like a light went off and Sid heard CiCi make the connection.

"She's the one who has been making you so anxious lately! Why didn't you tell me she is being a pest?"

"You have more important things to worry about baby. Oh I gotta go, she is here."

"Well call me and let me know how it goes."

"I will. Love you babe," he said as Katie took a seat across from him.

"Hi Sidney," Katie said.

"Hello."

"How are you doing?"

"Fine. I'm not here for small talk, or reconnecting with you in some way. What is it that you want?"

"I...just miss you. And I've been hoping to share with you..."

"What? Use me to get some more fame? Milk me for all I am worth? I was stupid back then, but not this time. Not now."

"Sid, I'm not asking to be a couple again. But friends, maybe."

"Never."

"Why?"

"For lack of sounding cheesy, you broke me. My heart specifically and I don't let people who break me back in."

"This is because of her isn't it?"

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"Your girlfriend."

"You think my girlfriend would hold me back from being friends with another woman? That's not the type of person she is, and you have some audacity bringing her into the equation."

"How did I break you?"

"You used me to get noticed! You weren't interested in a legitimate relationship. As soon as I got injured and was out of the game you were gone."

"I got busy with my modeling gigs!"

"This is ridiculous. You would have thought you'd get the hint when I refused to respond to any of your texts. Or how my parents treated you in Sochi. You need to stop bothering me or I will get a restraining order. Now lose my number."

He sat back and stared the woman across from him down. Frustrations were rising between the two and he didn't think he would be able to sit there for a full twenty minutes with her.

Katie finally broke the silence, "You look good. Healthy, I mean. And you looked happy in Sochi."

"I still am happy. Aside from this little hiccup in my life, it hasn't been better."

"Me being the hiccup."

"You're a genius."

"You know what? I had something I needed to tell you, but you've been such an asshole to me."

"Again, and you wonder why."

"I was pregnant."

"What?"

"When I stopped talking to you. I didn't know how to react because you were adamant about no kids, and being on every and any type of birth control imaginable. But it happened and I left. And had the baby."

"Shut up."

"He will be four. In August."

"I don't believe you. Why now? Why would you wait this long to tell me. Because I have found someone who I intend on marrying? And where is he? If you are globetrotting the way you are where is he? Not with your parents."

"I had a traveling nurse and he would come with me. He's in preschool now so they stay in New York when I travel."

Sid still didn't buy what Katie was saying.

"He looks just like you, but with lighter brown curls." She pulled out her phone and turned it around to show Sidney a photo of her with a little boy with the same striking brown eyes and curls as him.

"Do you want money or something? Is this what this is all about?"

"Oh please, I do just fine on my own. I don't need money. But he asked me who his father was a few months back. Which is why I started thinking that maybe you would want to know that you are a father."

Sid could feel his blood boiling. "I have to go." He stood to leave and turned to walk away. "Any and all communication needs to go through our lawyers. I want a paternity test before I can even grasp this."

"I figured you would."

"And when it comes back negative I never want to see or hear from you again."

"And when it comes back positive, I'd like an apology."

Sid walked away from Katie furious as ever. He expected some closure and a chance to finally just relax from having her out of his life. Turned out she may end up being in his life a lot longer than he expected or cared to acknowledge. He quickly pulled his phone out and dialed his dad to discuss this new discovery.

"Hey kid! Back on the east coast?" His dad said when he picked up on the third ring. Sid was walking towards his room down the quiet fourth floor hallway.

"Yeah, for a couple hours now. We have a problem dad. And I need you to keep this quiet from mom right now. Until I know for sure. Is she right there with you?"

"No, she is at the grocery store. What's going on Sidney?"

"I ran into Katie here in D.C. She had something very interesting to say."

"Oh yeah? What would that be?"

"That I'm a father. For nearly four years now." He whispered it out of shame and because his voice was catching in his throat.

"And this is why I tell you to be fucking guarded kid! What the hell are you going to do?" He could imagine his father angry and disappointed in him. Possibly pacing the living room of his childhood home.

"I don't know. Get a test done to see if it is true or not." He shrugged his shoulders as if his dad could see him.

"Do you believe her?" Troy sounded a bit calmer.

"I saw a picture of him. He looks like me Dad. The kid is mine."

"You don't know until you get tested. I'll get ahold of your uncle. He will get this process started and keep it completely private. The best thing would be for her to bring the kid to you and have doctors you trust do the test." Sid could go for that.

"Yeah, okay. The sooner the better too."

"Text me her cell number so I can get Barry to get in contact with her." Sid nodded like his dad could again see him react to what he was saying.

"How am I going to tell CiCi?" Sid asked quietly. He sat on the king size bed in his large, empty hotel room. Waiting to hear his father's response.

"I wouldn't yet. Not until you know for sure son." His voice was equally quiet. Sid groaned and fell against the mattress. He didn't think that was the best idea, but what did he know anymore?

Notes

Ugh. Had to do something to cause some tension.