Chapter Six

-Katrina-

If I had to hear 'Please accept my sympathy' one more time, I think I might be sick. It was one person after another, if I was a germ freak, I would have been going nuts. Shaking hands, hugging people, it was getting to be too much, I felt like I was being suffocated. I hated this, it was so awkward. Zack stood first, and then I was next to him, then Chris, and then Uncle Dan, and my Mom's sister, Jane.

Friends and family of my parents were the first to arrive, and then our friends came. The Bruins, the Hurricanes, and even some of the Capitals came, I was shocked when I saw Alex Ovechkin walk up to me and hug me. Some of the team sat in the chairs and waited because we were going out to dinner after, and then when Penguins walked in, I smiled when I saw my old friend, Tomas Vokoun walk into the room first.

He walked up to my brother first and then shook his hand, and then stepped over towards me, "Kat, I'm sorry," he said and I nodded my head and he pulled me into a hug, "It's good to see you again, under these-"

"I know, how's your family?"

"They're good, Dagmar is with the kids," he said and I nodded my head, "She sends her sympathy though."

"Thank you."

More and more of the players passed and shook our hands or hugged us. I was getting tired and wanted nothing more than to leave. I felt someone stand in front of me and as a reflex of that night, I just held up my hand.

"I'm sorry for your loss," he said and I looked up.

They were just words, words that I've been hearing all night, but I don't know if it was because he was saying them or the way that he said it, it got my attention. When I looked at him, it took me a second to regain my composure. I've never met him before, but I've heard enough about him from Jordan, and saw him a lot on the TV. Captain Canada, Sidney Crosby, was standing in front of me.

Now a viewing is no place to turn into a crazy girl, so I kept my composure and had to bite my tongue from overly smiling. He hugged me and I smelled his cologne on him and almost melted.

'...No Kat! Bad! You have Milan!...' I thought as I pulled away and watched as he moved onto my brother, and some of the other teammates stepped in front of me.

Towards the end of the viewing, I had enough, I snuck out and went outside, sitting on the stone wall. I knew that there were still people coming in, but I couldn't take it. I even walked outside without grabbed my coat, and regretted it when I felt the cold air on my skin. I sat on the stone and brought my knees up to the chest, staring down at the concrete and thinking about what I was going to do.

"Hey."

I looked up and my eyes almost widened when I saw Sidney Crosby standing in front of me, "Hey."

"You're Katrina, right? Coach's niece?" he asked and I nodded my head, "I'm sorry about your parents- I mean, I said it inside, but again-"

"Thanks," I said and he nodded his head and looked around awkwardly. I smirked a little, '...He's nervous...'

"Would you like some company?" he asked while pointing to the seat next to me and I gave him a little smile and nodded my head.

-Sidney-

Some of the guys and I walked out of the funeral home after paying our respects to our Coach's family. Some of the guys and I were standing by our cars talking about where we were going to go to eat. I had my back to the funeral home and I looked to see that my teammate Matt Niskanen was staring at something.

"What?"

"Coach's niece," he said and I turned around to see that it was the girl from inside, "She's pretty hot."

"A funeral home is no place to pick up a girl, Matt," Pascal Dupuis said and I shook my head.

"Speaking from experience?" Chris Kunitz teased and I snorted and looked over towards the girl and saw that she was sitting on the cold stone wall holding her knees.

"You're a real shit head," Pascal joked and I stared at the girl.

'...She is very pretty...' I thought as I looked back towards the guys and saw that they were in their own little conversation. I decided that I was going to walk over towards her.

"Hey, Crosby?"

"I'll meet you at the restaurant," I said as I waved back towards them and walked over towards the girl, "Hey."

She looked up and I saw as she was surprised that I was standing in front of her, "Hey."

"You're Katrina, right? Coach's niece?" I asked and then bit my tongue, '...Smooth man, real smooth...' I thought and she nodded her head, "I'm sorry about your parents- I mean, I said it inside, but again-"

"Thanks."

'...Stop being a dumbass!...' I thought and then looked around and saw that the guys were watching me, "Would you like some company?" she didn't say a word, she just smiled and nodded her head. I sat down next to her and then saw that she was looking at the stars.

"They're nice," she said and I looked up and nodded my head.

"You should see them in my hometown, they're beautiful," I said and then bit my lip, '...Wait ta sound like a gay dumbass...'

She laughed a little and then looked at me, "I'm sure they are. I don't get to see them like this in Boston."

"You live in Boston?" I asked and she nodded her head.

"I'm the physician for the Bruins," she said and I nodded my head.

'...That explains why the Bruins were here, but what about the Caps? Why was Ovenchkin here?...' I thought angrily because I couldn't stand that guy. I knew that Geno was friends with him, but he was such a jerk, "So a physician?"

"Yeah, I've always wanted to be one," she said proudly and I looked at her to see that she was staring at the stars. I smiled towards her and then saw that she shivered and noticed that she didn't have a jacket on.

'...Does she want to get sick?...' I thought as I unbuttoned my jacket and dropped it over her shoulders.

"Thank you," she smiled and I nodded my head, "So what made Captain Canada become a famous hockey player?"

I laughed and shook my head, "I've just always loved it, been playing it since I was like two or three."

"That's a long time," she said and I nodded my head, "I remember when I was little, I use to always play doctor with my stuffed animals."

'...You can play doctor with me anytime...' I thought and then rubbed my face and shook my head, '...What the hell? We're at a viewing! Her parents viewing!...'

"When I was five, my dad took me to my first hockey game and fell in love with it."

"So what made you want to become a physician for hockey?" I asked interested in this girl.

She smiled and then turned her head to look at me, and I saw her pull my jacket closer to her body, "When I was ten, I watched as one of the hockey players got hurt. I didn't like that, and I made up my mind then and there that I wanted to be there when they got hurt to help them."

'...I wouldn't mind having you take care of me...' I thought and then shook my head, '...Come on!...'

"Kat!" I heard and then turned around to be surprised to see Milan Lucic walking out of the funeral home and over towards us.

'...Oh come on!...' I thought as I saw him glare at me.

"I was looking for you," he said as he stood in front of us.

"I needed some air, it was getting to be too much for me," she said and he nodded his head.

"We're gunna head to dinner, you riding with me?" he asked and she nodded his head, "What the hell are you doing here, Crosby?"

"Come on, Milan, not now," Katrina said and I sighed.

"We were just talking," I growled and glared at him.

"Problem here?" I looked over to see my old teammate, Jordan Staal coming up to us.

-Katrina-

'...Oh this is not good...' I thought as I watched as the three boys stared at one another, "Guys!"

"What the hell?!" I heard and saw Zach and Chris walking out of the funeral home. I looked to see that some of the Penguins were coming over and then my brothers, "Kat?"

"Do something!" I said and he nodded his head and tried to get in-between the three boys.