The Captains

The next couple of months flew by. The regular season was over and we were flying to phoenix in a few hours. Cassie and Patrick's baby was going to be a girl, but they hadn't decided on a name yet. That would all have to be put aside though, it was playoffs time. We got to the airport, checked our bags and got on the pane. Jon had been pretty anxious and stressed about it for the last few days. His nickname was definitely playing true. When we were on the plane though, he got really bad. He was biting his nails, running his hands through his hair and he was shaking his leg a lot. I grabbed his hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. He stopped shaking, took a deep breath and gave me a soft smirk. I smiled back and held onto his hand. For the rest of the flight, we sat in silence and messed with each other through nudges. When the plane landed in Phoenix, we got off and got our stuff then got on the bus to head to the hotel. Jon and I went to out separate rooms to rest for a while. When I got to my room, I found out I had gotten a queen suite. The only differences were a bigger bed, a little bit larger room, larger bathroom with a bath tub and jets, and a bag of microwaveable popcorn. The team had the night off since our first game wasn't for a few days, so a few of us were going out to dinner. It was still a little early and we didn't want to get caught up with fans asking for pictures and autographs, I had a few hours to myself. I decided to take advantage of the Jacuzzi-style tub. I filled it up and added some of the hotel soap for bubbles. Once it was filled with enough water and bubbles for my liking, I closed the door to the area where the tub was and locked it then stripped down and got in. I sunk down into the hot water and let it consume me and my thoughts. The jets relaxed my muscles and kept the water warm. I rested my head on a rolled up towel and closed my eyes. Jon being stressed out made me stress out so this was really helping me. I let my thoughts wander for a while, thinking about everything that was going on in my life. When I came back to reality, I noticed the water wasn't that warm anymore and most of the bubbles had depleted. I took the stopper out to drain the water and I stood up and dried off. I wrapped a towel around my body and ventured out into the cold hotel room. I put my suitcase on my bed and got out a t-shirt and yoga shorts. I changed into those and then layed on my bed with my laptop. I checked my email and answered all of my notifications on Facebook. When I got done with that, I got up and touched up my makeup and hair then changed into khaki shorts and a black Polo t-shirt with black Toms. One of the perks of being in Arizona was the warm weather. The average in Chicago was still around 40 at the warmest. I texted Jon to tell him I was ready and he said to meet Keith in the lobby. I did so, then Seabrook and Crawford joined us. A few minutes later, Jon came down and all five of us left. We took one of the hotel shuttles to a restaurant that they liked to go to when they traveled here. The five of us got our drinks and ordered our food then talked about the next few weeks in the playoffs. When we were all done, we called for the shuttle and went back to our hotel. Jon went to his room and changed then came back up to mine so we could hang out. When he got there, he joined me on the small balcony I had. The rails had an opening big enough at the bottom for my legs to go under, so I was sitting on the ground with my legs swung over the side. Jon's massive thighs couldn't fit, so he sat behind me and rested his chin on my shoulder and wrapped his arms around my mid-section. We didn't talk much though, we just took in each other. Jon pecked at my neck and held me as close to him as possible. When the heat finally went away though, we went inside and watched a little bit of TV. When I got pretty tired though, I changed out of my clothes and into a big t-shirt then joined Jon back in our bed. We turned everything off and went to sleep so we would be pretty rested for the day full of practice ahead of us.
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The next few days were okay. Not the best, but just okay. We did okay at practice, but lost our first game in the playoffs. That put the team pretty down, especially Jon. He made sure to push the team pretty hard the next day at practice. Then, it was game day again. This time, the odds were in our favor, giving us the win. It boosted everyone's confidence and got us ready for our next two games in Chicago. We flew back the night after that game, making us get to Chicago at about 2 in the morning. Jon, Patrick and I went back to our building and went to our separate apartments. I immediately changed and collapsed into my bed, falling asleep. The next morning when I woke up, I immediately regretted it. This morning skate was not something I would be looking forward to. I sighed and rolled over to get out of my bed, but when I did, I rolled straight off of it. I didn't realize how close I actually was to the edge. I was wedged between the two foot space between the wall and bed. A couple seconds later, I heard quick footsteps and my door opened.
"Chels? Where are you?" Jon's voice said. I let out a groan from the floor.
"Jesus. What did you do?" He said, taking my hands and pulling me to my feet.
"I rolled off." I said, untangling from my comforter that came off with me.
"And why are you over here so early?" I asked him. He was freshly showered and dressed.
"Couldn't sleep. Decided to get ready and come get you up."
"Oh. Well thanks." I said, wrapping my arms around his back and putting my head on his chest. I squeezed him tight as he put his arms around me.
"You okay?" he asked, rubbing my back. I nodded. He kissed the top of my head and then pulled away.
"Go get ready, Ill make breakfast." Jon said. I put my blankets back on my bed and got my team warm-ups out of my dresser. I changed and then brushed out my hair, pulled it into a ponytail and put on my Blackhawks baseball hat over it. I put on a touch of makeup then brushed my teeth. I met Jon out in the kitchen to find that he had made me cereal with a side of strawberries. The strawberries had been sliced in half and put into a heart shape on the plate.
"Gourmet." Jon said as he put the sugar shaker next to my plate. I laughed then sat down and ate as Jon made a protein shake for himself. A little while later, we left for the United Center. When we got there, Jon got ready and it was my turn to mix protein drinks and things for the team. When I was done with that, the rest of the medical staff and I stood on the behind the glass and watched practice. When it was over, Jon showered and did a quick interview and we left. Before we left the parking lot, we both decided we were hungry. I suggested Pizza and then Jon suggested Uno's. I agreed and called it in, a medium half cheese half pepperoni. We drove to Ohio St. and Jon dropped me off at Uno's and drove around the block. I went inside, paid and got the pizza. I came back out and waited for Jon to pull up. I quickly got in and we drove back to our building.
"How much was it?" Jon asked me as we pulled away
"Twenty." I said. We came to a stoplight and Jon took his wallet out and handed me a twenty dollar bill. I just looked at him.
"No Jon." I said pushing his hand away.
"Yes, its fine." He said, waving the money in my face.
"Exactly, its fine. I can pay for a pizza." I said back. The light turned green.
"Both hands on the wheel." I said. He sighed and then drove forward. I smiled triumphantly. When we got back, we went up to Jon's apartment and ate on his couch. After a while, we decided to go up to the roof top and enjoy the warmer weather that had come through. We spread a blanket and layed down. Jon rested his head on my stomach and I played with his hair. I fell asleep at one point, I'm not sure if Jon did or not though. He gently shook me awake and we went back inside. The two of us spent the rest of the night in his apartment, watching the hockey highlights from the other games. I also saw that the Pens had lost their first three games against Philadelphia. I sent Sidney a text telling him good luck and that I believed in him. After a while, Jon and I went to bed. We had another early practice and a game tomorrow and we wanted to be prepared.
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The game had started, and the entire team was on edge. We needed this win. About midway through the first period though, disaster struck. Justin and I were in the locker watching the game when we heard the volume rise from the arena. We looked at the screen to find Hossa on the ground. We immediately rushed out to the ice, us being the first two out. Raffi Torres and charged him and knocked him unconscious. Steven, the head medical staff guy, was just now getting over to us and I told him we needed a stretcher. He shook his head and a few other of the guys left with him to get it. When they came back out, Justin and I had Hossa ready to be moved onto the stretcher. I got up and let them lift him up onto it and pull it up. They rolled him off and to the hospital. I went to the bench and told Quenneville what we thought would be injured. He nodded and dismissed me back to the locker room. Steven and Justin went with to the hospital. Torres got a 10 minute penalty for roughing. The rest of the game was pretty uneventful. We tied at two and went into overtime. Phoenix won. I got all of my stuff together and waited for Jon outside of the locker room. After most of the team had come out though, he hadn't. I had gotten the all-clear that everyone was decent a while ago, but still decided to give everyone space. Since Jon had not come out yet and it had been almost an hour since the game ended, I decided to go inside. I found him at his locker, still in all of his gear except his helmet and gloves. I sat down next to him.
"Jon." I said. He looked down at me with sad eyes.
"I let everyone down tonight." he said running his fingers through his hair.
"Jon, this happens. Everyone got a little messed up from that hit. We still have a chance." I said
"Its not that easy though." he said back
"I know that, but you need to be confident. Being like this won't help you, its only going to drag you down further." I told him. He was quiet for a minute and he let out a sigh.
"Yeah. You're right." he said, nudging me with his shoulder. I smirked and he stood up and took off all his gear and went to shower. When he came back out, he was ready to go. We grabbed our stuff and left. The next day, Jon, Patrick, Cassie and I went to see Hossa. He was awake now, but really sore. Steven and Quenneville were also there. The doctor said he would be out for the rest of the playoffs, and maybe into next season. All of us stayed with Hossa for a little while, but the doctor eventually made us leave because Hossa had some final examinations before leaving. Patrick and Cassie had a doctor's appointment for the baby and a final tasting for their wedding, which was 2 weeks away. Jon and I went walking around in Millennium Park afterwards. When it got to be around time for dinner, we stopped a food truck and got a few things to eat. We then made our way back to my car and I drove us home. When we got there, I turned on the Pens game. Jon wasn't that interested, so he just messed around on his laptop. The game was not something to miss, the Pens ended up winning 10-3. I texted Sidney again, telling him good job. We watched highlights from a few of the other games for a while and then went to bed. We had a game and a flight to Phoenix tomorrow night.
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The next game wasn't much different from the last. We lost 3-2. The team was pretty discouraged. We would have to win the rest of the games to advance to the finals. The flight to Phoenix was nearly silent. We arrived pretty late and I went up to my room. It was a king suite again, but not the same as last time. I changed and immediately got in bed, falling asleep almost right away. I didn't wake up until about 9 Phoenix time, 11 Chicago time, because I didn't have to go to practice. When I got up, I showered, did my hair and makeup, and got dressed. I went downstairs and ate breakfast with Justin. When we were finished, I walked around the little plaza our hotel was in. There were a few stores and I went in and bought a few things. Jon texted me a little while later and told me they were on their way back to the hotel so I went back and dropped my bags off in my room and went to his. I went in and Jon was in the shower and Patrick was lying on his bed. I sat layed back on Jon's.
"I think Cassie and I found a name." Patrick said. I sat up quickly with a big smile
"Really? What is it?" I asked
"Scarlette Claire." he said happily
"Aww, Scarlette Claire Kane. That's beautiful Patrick." I said
"Thanks." he said smiling. Jon came out of the bathroom then and sat next to me.
"Patrick has something to tell you." I said as Jon put his arm around me and pulled me into him.
"Mhm. And what's that?" Jon asked
"We found a name." Patrick said, less excitedly to Jon.
"Oh really. What is it?" Jon asked
"Scarlette Claire." he said back, not able to contain a smile
"That's great, man. S'About time you did so." Jon said, standing up and clapping Patrick on the shoulder. Patrick thanked him and then went to the bathroom to shower.
"You wanna go walk around?" Jon asked me
"Yeah" I said. We got up and went back to the plaza and walked around in the warm weather. We went into a few stores I hadn't gone into earlier and sat on bench by a fountain. We got lunch when both of us were hungry, ate and then went back to the hotel. The team was having a group dinner at a nice restaurant tonight and when it got to be about an hour before then, I went back to my room and got ready. I ran through the shower again and re-did my hair, putting it up into a ponytail with a bump on top. I wore a ruffly red tank-top with a black blazer, black jeggings and 4 inch red heels. I met Jon back in his room where I found him and Patrick in suits.
"You guys ready?" I asked them. They agreed and the three of us went down and met some other members of the team. When all of us were down, the bus pulled around and we left. When we got off, we were in the middle of Phoenix outside a restaurant with tall and tinted windows. We went inside and were led up a set of stairs to a private dining room. There were about 7 round tables, each with 6 seats. We sat down and ordered drinks and mingled with everyone at our table. We then ordered our food and continued our conversations. At one point, Jon leaned over and whispered in my ear when neither of us were really taking part in the conversation.
"You look great tonight." he said
"Thanks babe."
"love you" he said
"Love you too." I answered. He pecked my lips and we engaged back in the group. Our food came and we ate, got dessert then left. Jon came back with me to my room and we watched TV together and then went to sleep. We got up the next day and went through the norms: breakfast, practice, hotel, lunch, nap, game. When we arrived at the arena, the guys weren't feeling too confident. Coach Q tried pumping them up, but nothing was working. Right before they went out, I gave Jon a good luck kiss. They left for the ice and Justin and I went and watched from behind the doors of the bench. When they left the ice again for the time before game, I stretched a few guys and got filled some water bottles. It was now time for the game and I went and found a spot in the viewing room and watched the game. Both teams scored once, tying it 1. We went into overtime and the hockey gods shed their light on us tonight. We scored. When Jon came back in, I ran up to him and hugged him. He picked me up and spun me around. When he set me down, he put his hands on my face and kissed me. When he didn't pull back for a while, we got a few whistles from the other guys. We eventually parted and I blushed into his chest. He hugged me again with one arm and rubbed my bag.
"Alright, I gotta shower." he then said. We stepped apart and I let him do his thing while I got my things together and ready to go. We had to fly back to Chicago tonight, so a few of the other medical staff guys and I took a van back to the hotel to start getting things ready. I packed up all of my things and checked out. A while later, everyone was ready and we left for the airport. I was able to sleep some on the plane luckily. Jon drove us home and we went straight to his apartment and went to sleep. The next morning, Jon woke me up again. I reluctantly got up and got ready. We left about a half an hour later. I stretched with a few guys and then layed on one of the couches during practice. When it was over, Jon and I left and spent the rest of the day lounging around. We spent some time on the roof and in both of our apartments. We went to bed early again, we had to prepare for the game tomorrow. This game would decide who advanced in the playoffs. The next day we went through the norms again. It was now game time. You could cut the tension in the locker room with a knife. I gave Jon another good luck kiss and then went to the viewing room again. The first period passed, we didn't score. Coyotes did. Second period passed, we didn't score. Coyotes did...twice. Third period passed, Coyotes did. We were out. Everyone in the UC was dissapointed and sad. Jon was the last one out of the locker room again. I tried comforting him, but nothing would cheer him up. We went home and didn't speak the entire way. The two of us went to separate apartments. I wanted to give Jon his space. The next few days, the entire team was in a slump. No one wanted to do anything or hang out, I felt really bad for everyone. Meanwhile, Pittsburgh was also out of the playoffs. Sid wasn't happy either and said the team was slumped too. Both of my teams lost in the first round. On the bright side though, it was time for summer. Vacations, sun, and relaxing. Hopefully everyone would cheer up soon.

Notes

Done! sorry this took me a little while. The ending is a little rushed, but I really wanted to get this one out to you guys. Thanks for all the readers and subscribers, Night Lovelies.