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A few months passed Cody and Shayne were crawling, and starting to babble to each other. The boys had just turned one. It was playoff time so Patrick was constantly in and out. I was getting used to being alone with the boys sometimes, Patrick was a huge help, but his job made him travel, it was something we couldn't avoid.

However, being alone with the boys when they could crawl was a completely different story. I was alright with it, until one day in mid May.

Patrick and I decided the boys needed more space, to crawl around. To accommodate them, we moved the coffee table, that once centered the living room, and pushed it against the windows. We gated off the living room, that was once open walking space to the kitchen.

Patrick was finishing up practice at Johnny's ice house, while I was home with the boys, as usual. Cody and Patrick were crawling around the living room, playing with toys laid out for them on the floor. I had been sitting on the floor with the boys, when the phone rang. I got up, and went into the kitchen to answer it. I began talking to Patrick's mom on the phone, about every day things, the boys, and Patrick's season. I took my eyes off the living room for what seemed like seconds. I turned back around and I was horrified, I watched in shock as Cody pulled an entire lamp down by the wire, smashing the glass light bulb, sending a piece of glass right into Cody's forehead, above his eye.

I dropped the phone and sped over to him as he cried, blood running down his face from the cut. I loaded the boys into the car quickly and drove straight to the hospital. Patrick and I had spent so much time there between injuries, and my pregnancy the staff was practically part of our family.

The doctor took us right away, "Its not even bad," the doctor said as he put 3 stitches in Cody's head, "Looks much worse than it is." I texted Patrick and let him know what happened.

I drove home with the boys in a daze, it was one of the scariest moments I had experienced with the boys, and I wanted them to play hockey, could I really handle that?

Patrick didn't get home until late, coach Q had been keeping them hours longer than usual to go over strategies, and study opponents.

I was sitting on the couch in a daze, tears in my eyes.

"Hey," Patrick said sitting next to me, putting his arm around me, "Whats going on?"

"He has stitches" I said leaning into Patrick, "I let him get hurt"

"Hes a kid Kyls," he said, "accidents happen"

"Yea but I could've stopped this one." It was true, I could've, if I had just put down the phone, seconds earlier, and my baby wouldn't have three stitches in his head right now.

"Kylie do you know how many stitches I had as a kid?" he said.


we both laughed, we spent the night together, talking about everything, and it felt like we were back in our little Chicago apartment when we had just started dating.
...
The boys progressed from crawling to walking, and soon enough they were approaching age two. Another season had come and gone, another run at the cup cut short, and it was officially the off season.The boys pottery barn cribs were replaced with beds. Now we had to focus, Patrick and I had been wanting to get a house for the summer for a long time and we figured now would be the right time.

However we failed to figure in the boys intense hockey schedule. At age two, they had six practices a week. six. The boys loved hockey, however from the start, Patrick and I noticed some pretty large differences between the two.

Shayne was a natural the first time he stepped on the ice he went right along, a lot like Patrick, things just came easily to him.

But, Cody was more like me in that respect. He had to work hard at it, he had to want it. It seemed as hard as Cody tried he was never as fast as Shayne, never as skilled, as Shayne, and Cody fell a lot more than Shayne. I felt for Cody, he was the same way I was as a child. I knew if he stuck with it, he would learn to love hockey.
...
It was a typical early Saturday morning. Patrick and I loaded the boys and there gear into the car. Cody and Shayne had an early scrimmage, at 8am. That meant the four of us had to be up, dressed, and out the door by 7. Easier said than done. We encountered a number of problems that morning.

The night before Patrick and I had a benefit for Duncan Keith and Kelly-Rae's foundation Keith Relief. It was a great night, but a long one and we didn't end up getting home until around 1am. Needless to say neither of us was looking forward to waking up at 6:30.

I woke up to the alarm, and proceeded to wake up both Shayne and Cody. Neither of the two boys were too excited to be getting up so early on a weekend.

Shayne was up first and needed help getting ready. I helped him brush his teeth, combed his hair and helped him into his t-shirt, sweatpants and jacket.

"Go wait downstairs sweetie." I said.

"okay," he said skipping out of the twins room.

"Cody, come on honey" I said,

"No!" he yelled "I don't want to!" he yelled crossing his arms.

"Why not" I asked pulling his clothes out of his drawer,he said nothing but pulled himself out of bed and proceeded to let me help him get dressed.

And of course to add to the stress of the morning, Shayne couldn't find his hockey stick, Cody left one of his gloves in whatever rink we were in last weekend, and while I was upstairs getting Cody ready, Shayne had managed to spill his entire bowl of cheerios on the kitchen floor.

At seven ten in the morning, the four of us had finally managed to get in the car. Which immediately had to be turned around when Shayne remembered that he had left his hockey stick in the downstairs closet.

At seven forty, we finally managed to get to the rink, leaving twenty minutes for the two of us to dress two two year olds in full hockey gear, again easily said than done.

Finally we got both boys on the ice. We sat in the stands next to Dayna and Brent Seabrook, and Duncan and Kelly-Rae Keith, who's sons were one year older than Shayne and Carter. All six of us had the exact same expression, exhaustion.

The game started, and Shayne was out on the ice when the puck dropped. Shayne was ripping up the ice, he had two goals in the first period and Patrick was loving him I could tell. But I was focused on Cody. He looked so defeated, I stared at his sad little face underneath his caged helmet.
Halfway through the second period I saw Cody get up from the bench and walk out the closed door of the bench, I got up from the stands on the other side of the ice, and walked around to meet him.
"Cody, honey, what wrong?" I said getting down on my knees, to look in his eyes, they brimmed with tears.

"I'm not good like Shayne." he said tears streaming down his face. I felt my heart break into a hundred little pieces.

"Oh, honey," I said hugging him tight, "Cody, honey,do you want to play hockey?"

He nodded, "Yes" he said.

"Do you think think hockey is fun?" I asked.

He nodded, "Yes, but not when I fall." he asked.

"Sweetie everybody falls, do you see Daddy when he plays?" I asked and he nodded yes.

"You've seen Daddy fall haven't you?" I asked and again he nodded yes.

"Do you think i'm gonna be as good as Daddy someday?" He asked sucking up his tears.

"No" I said, "I think you're going to be better. Now lets go finish the game." I smiled, letting go of his waist.

He finally smiled and I felt so relieved to know he was happy again. I stood up and snapped the cage on his helmet back down. I opened the door and returned Cody to the bench, "Sorry Coach" I said, "Not a problem," He smiled patting Cody on the shoulder.

"What happened?" Patrick asked as I returned to the stands. "He just gets frustrated." I said. I knew Patrick would have a hard time understanding what it was like to struggle at a sport. It wasn't Patrick's fault, sports just came easily to him, and he passed that trait to Shayne.

"Holy shit!" Patrick yelled standing up, "Cody scored!"

I looked up to see Cody surrounded by his teammates, a huge smile spread across his face, and his hands and stick in the air.

"Yay Cody!" the stands chorused. Finally, I thought to myself.

Cody came running out of the locker room, beaming. "Thats my boy!" Patrick yelled, as he picked up Cody. Shayne came out shortly later and ran into my arms as I kneeled to pick him up.

"Good job, honey!" I said as he buried his head in my chest. Patrick and I looked at each other, equally confused.

"Can we go home?" he said.

"Sure, whats wrong sweetie." I said looking, trying to make him look up.

"My tummy hurts." was all he said.

Patrick put Cody down and picked up the boys gear, I took Cody's hand and the four of us proceeded out to the parking lot.

Shayne was silent the whole ride home, I looked in the back seat, Shayne was strapped in his car seat, staring out the window, his eyes fluttered every now and again, like he was about to fall asleep.

"What do you think is wrong?" I asked Patrick, "He's probably just tired." Patrick said, putting his hand on the inside of my thigh.

We got home around twelve, Cody and Shayne were supposed to have another game tonight, but Shayne didn't look too good. I carried him from the car to his bedroom. I took his jacket off and placed him in his bed. "Mommy" he said, his face was pale, "Yes, sweetie" I said running my hand over his cheek, "My belly hurts."

"I know honey, try to go to sleep okay, i'll bring you some medicine." I put my hand on his forehead, it was warm. I gave him children tylenol,and pulled his covers around him.

"How is he?" Patrick asked as I came into the kitchen, where he was standing, "he's trying to sleep, its probably just a virus."

"You're kind of an awesome mother" he smiled, pulling my waist into him.

"You're a pretty great Dad" I said kissing him.
...
Shayne was hell bent on going to his game that night, reluctantly Patrick and I loaded both boys gear into the car.

Both boys were quiet on the road to the game, it was only a short ride. As I was tying Shayne's skates, I noticed him yawning, still looking pale, and exhausted.
The boys got on the ice, and the game started. Patrick and I could barely keep our eyes open in the stands. Our whole family was exhausted.

The game ended, I didn't even know who won, alls I could think about was the long night ahead. Patrick and I had to get both boys out of their gear, get them home, showered, and into bed. There was laundry to do, and Patrick had an early workout the next morning.

We got the boys home,clean, and into bed. I was standing in their doorway looking at the two, run down little boys, when Patrick came up behind me.

"They are way too tired." I said running my hands over his arms that was wrapped around my waist. "Really?" he said, "Cause i'm not." he smiled.

"Oh really" I laughed turning around to put my arms around my neck. "Well let's go use up some of your extra energy then" we both laughed as he carried me into the bedroom. He put me on the bed and I leaned back as he kissed me, soon enough our clothes were strewn across the floor and Patrick was pumping in and out, hard, and fast. "Ohhhh" I yelled as he brought me over the edge, I felt myself cum, and we laughed as we fell back on the bed together.

"Still amazing." He said turning into me.

"Not so bad yourself." I said cuddling up to him as we fell asleep.

Notes