The Compromise

Sidney tiptoed quietly into the kitchen after an early morning run. He half expected some time alone, but wasn't the least bit surprised to find his parents and Jess' mom at the kitchen island sipping on coffee and reading a paper as they chatted quietly.

"Hey guys, where did you get the newspaper?" He asked as he grabbed a water from the fridge.

"Ran up to the gas station when I got up this morning," Troy explained, "You needed milk too. You must not have noticed." He hadn't and was grateful his dad did. Mornings in the Crosby house these days needed milk.

"Jess is still asleep?" Sidney asked.

"Yes, I peaked in. She was sound asleep when I came down," Trina explained.

Sidney nodded and decided he should check on his wife. They needed to be ready to go in an hour and he was certain she would want to jump in the shower real fast. He climbed the steps two at a time, slowed past the closed door nearest the master bedroom and listened carefully. When he heard no sounds, he crept into his bedroom to find Jess sleeping on her side. He almost felt bad for having to wake her, she looked so peaceful. But he knew she would be flustered if he waited much longer.

He sat on the edge of the bed and placed his hand gently on her swollen belly. He smiled when he felt their little boy kick at his touch. He was active that morning, yet he was letting his mommy sleep.

"What time is it?" Sid was surprised to hear Jess. He could have sworn she was sleeping.

"It's nearly 8 baby, it's time to get up," Sid spoke softly.

"Where is Jules? I can't believe she hasn't burst through the door yet." Jess shifted to be able to see Sidney.

"She is still asleep. Dad has the baby monitor and is waiting patiently for her to wake up," Sid explained.

"You're going to miss your game," Jess said.

"There is nowhere else I would rather be than with you today," Sid leaned over and kissed his very pregnant wife. In a few short hours they would be parents all over again.

Sidney grabbed both of Jess' hands and helped her to sit up. She swung her legs over the side of the bed and stood gingerly. He brushed his fingers along the sides of her belly and whispered "Still no name?"

"I thought of something, but I don't know if you'll go for it," Jess replied as she braced her hands against his.

"Tell me?"

"Joseph Patrick," she looked down at her swollen belly avoiding his dark chocolate eyes. He instantly loved it.

"It's perfect Jess," Sid whispered moving his hands to hold her body against his. He pressed a kiss to her forehead and smiled.

"Really?"

"Yes, it's a great name. I cannot believe we haven't thought to use it before!"

"Alright, help me waddle into the shower and clean up." Sid laughed and walked behind his wife as she led him to the bathroom.

Six years of wedded bliss produced a second gold medal, two more Stanley Cups, a beautiful four year old little girl and a stubborn little baby boy who was nearly three weeks late. Along with all these great achievements came great loss too. Jess' school closed just a year ago due to enrollment issues. Sid had insisted when she got pregnant with Julia that she didn't need to work. But Jess was persistent and stayed at the school as long as she could.

And two years ago Jess watched as her father lost his battle with pancreatic cancer. He had been diagnosed just before the Winter Olympics in Sochi. Jess wanted to stay behind and be with him and her mother, but he insisted she go see her husband win gold for his country. That was the last Olympics the NHL allowed their players to compete in. And the last winter games her father got to see.

When Jess' dad died she insisted that her mother move in with them. Sidney was behind her decision, but they couldn't convince her to leave her life in Wheeling. Yet she had been spending more and more time in Pittsburgh in recent months than ever before. Sidney couldn't be more happy with the extra set of hands around the house. And now that his parents were down for the next couple weeks he was comfortable with the upcoming ten day road trip he would be leaving for come the weekend.

Sidney jumped in the shower with Jess and helped her to wash up as he did the same. They dressed quickly and Sid grabbed the overnight bag and followed Jess down the steps to the kitchen.

"Mommy!" Julia greeted Jess from her spot at the kitchen table. She was immersed in waffles and had sticky syrup smeared across her lips. Troy sat next to her completely smitten by the little girl.

"Hi sweetheart, will you be good for Paw today?"

"Yes! We are going to see the penguins."

"At the zoo. And maybe swing by the arena for morning skate along the way," Troy explained.

"Of course you would Dad," Sidney laughed and kissed his daughter on the crown of her head. "We are ready when you ladies are."

"Let's get this show on the road! Joey needs to come out soon," Jess groaned.

"Joey?" Trina asked excited. The grandparents all perked up at the reveal.

"Joseph Patrick Crosby, the future Pittsburgh Penguin if his father and grandfather have any say in it," Jess laughed. Sidney beamed with pride at Jess.

"Oh sweetie," Janet sobbed with a smile on her face. Jess gasped back tears as her mother embraced her. "He would be so happy to know his name is being carried on."

"Alright, he's already refusing to come out. Let's get Jess to the hospital and hooked up to a million machines to try to entice him out shall we?" Sid hustled the three women towards the garage and looked back at his father sitting at the table watching. "I'll call you dad."

"Don't you worry about a thing. We got this. Juliebean and I have big plans. It should culminate in her meeting someone pretty special, right pooh bear?"

"Yeah Paw! Go get my baby brother daddy!" Julia shouted making Sid laugh. She actually then shuffled from her seat, forgetting her waffles and threw her tiny arms around Sidney's legs. "Bye daddy."

"See you soon kiddo, love you."

"Love you more."

The drive was a quiet one with the women speaking softly, yet animatedly about the impending birth. It allowed Sidney to reflect some more of their time together and the how he and Jess had gotten to this point.

The summer they got married was a whirlwind. They threw a church ceremony in Jess' hometown without a hitch. And after things had calmed. Teammates had come and gone in the six years, but Sidney was content in the various adjustments to the team through the years. Currently the Pens were playing with as much vigor as they had when he was a young veteran player. There were several players on the team that were significantly younger than him now. But his first 'I'm getting old' moment came when their first round draft pick showed up to preseason and met Sidney for the first time. He exclaimed that he was just ten when Sid hoisted the cup for the first time.

He was sad to see some important teammates and friends move on from the team. Kris Letang unfortunately retired too early due to too many health issues. Craig Adams, Dupers, and Brooks all retired too. James moved on when his contract expired last year. He signed with the Leafs in order to be closer to his family. Jess lost her friend with that move too. Sara and James hadn't married, but were completely devoted to each other and when he signed she immediately resigned her position at the school. With the advances in technology the girls still kept in touch.

As players came and went Jess remained a constant in his life. The day she told him she was pregnant with Julia, Sidney went out and scored a natural hat trick helping him to secure the regular season points title. The day she was born Sid had an off day and rushed from practice to make it just in time to see the birth. It was quick and easy. Unlike with baby number two. He was being so unbelievably stubborn. And Sid looked forward to the boy's future stubbornness as the years progress.

Never in his wildest dreams did Sidney ever think he would have accomplished so much in his short life. He had plenty of years left in the NHL, and yet he was one of the oldest veterans on the team. He felt he could hoist the cup numerous times before he retired. And he felt proud of his accomplishments as a professional athlete. But he knew his biggest accomplishments were in his personal life. After he married Jessica he didn't care what the media said. He didn't need to keep her a secret. He wanted everyone to know how incredibly happy she made him. Today was going to be one of his biggest accomplishments. And he hoped that if he got his way, this wouldn't be the last trip to the hospital for this reason.

Without looking over he reached for Jess' hand and firmly gripped it with his own. They were quite a roller coaster ride early on, but he couldn't be happier. They weren't quite ready to get off yet.

****

"Alright Jessica, you are two centimeters dilated. But says here in your chart that you've been that way for a couple weeks. You didn't need to worry about this before, but we are going to hook you up to an IV drip of pitocin. It speeds up the labor process. If your water doesn't break in a couple hours then we will do that for you. You want to be as natural as possible right?" Her nurse's name was Nancy.

"I don't want a c-section. Just let's get him moving." Jess was getting as comfortable as she could in the hospital bed. But it was no use. Lying on her back was her only option, and her back ached to no end.

"Are you comfortable?"

"Not really, but my back hasn't stopped aching since about month six."

"I can order up some ibuprofen if you'd like?"

"No, it's no use. Never worked before. I will just deal. But if you see my husband wandering the halls will you tell him to come in here?"

"Oh the stocky, incredibly attractive hockey player who seems in a daze that he is becoming a father is yours?" The older woman joked eliciting a laugh from Jess.

"He's pacing already. Go figure."

"I'll tell him you want him," Nancy said as she wheeled her computer to the door. "Oh, never mind. He is right here."

"Everything okay?" Sid asked as he brushed past the nurse and stepped to the chair at the side of the bed.

"Just wondered where you went?"

"Coach called to see how things are going and wanted to make sure I would in fact be scratched tonight. He wanted the go ahead to tell the media it's because of little Joey."

"Got it." Jess winced in pain and flinched when Sidney reached out for her.

"Contraction already?" He asked.

"No, just my back aches too much."
Sid stood and began looking in drawers and cabinets for any additional pillows. He found what he was looking for, adjusted Jess' hospital bed and had her lean slightly forward to place the pillow behind her back. She felt instant relief of pressure and smiled eternally grateful for the man standing next to her. "Thank you babe."

"This is what I am here for," Sid said as he sat back down and grasped her hand.

Jess looked at Sid and saw how he seemed anxious and excited all the same. And as much as she wanted to have the labor over with, she couldn't believe that this time spent growing their very own little boy was coming to an end. She loved being pregnant, she cherished how much Sidney adored her as her body changed. Not that he didn't seem to worship her when she wasn't pregnant, but his attentiveness skyrocketed over the last nine months. And while she told him in recent days that this was it, she didn't want to do this anymore, she was already yearning to have another one. At least one more. Seeing how he was with Julia and how excited he was for little Joey made her heart swell. She loved him, that much was certain.

She hadn't stopped loving him in the eight plus years they have known each other. And while some may say their relationship is young, that they are still young they weathered more storms than anyone at the age of thirty wouldn't dream of. Things will start to wind down in his professional career in the forthcoming years. He may choose to live a quiet life somewhere in Nova Scotia. He may want to stay in Pittsburgh to raise their family. She didn't doubt he would give coaching a try, but she envisioned him living much like his mentor has. She was willing to do whatever he wanted. She didn't need to compromise with him anymore. She had enough to keep her content for the rest of her days.

The end.

Notes

So I chose to end this story because of a number of factors: I am getting wrapped up in two other stories right now, I just started a new job, my husband decided he needed to get cancer (all joking aside, he was diagnosed a month ago and it's been crazy ever since) and mostly because it was time.

Thank you for all of you loyal readers who grew to love Jess and Sid. This is the end. They of course lived happily ever after. I hope you continue to read my other stories!! Lots of love!