Don't Forget Me

Chapter Eleven





"Ladies and gentlemen, we present to you, the captain of your Chicago Blackhawks, Jonathan Toews!" The announcer called cheerily. The whole arena was on their feet, loudly applauding their captain. He came out into the ice, cane in hand. I rushed to help him, and lightly took his arm and guided him towards centre. He walked slowly to centre ice, where a podium stood. I sat down on the seat provided for me, giving Jon his space to speak to his fans.

"Thank you guys so much" he called out, every player, coach, fan, worker, trainer was clapping and on their feet. Everybody knew a miracle was at work; there's no way he should have survived that crash. A minor detail that had been left out of a lot of reports, was Patrick Kane. If Kaner hadn't noticed him and begin to perform CPR, he never would have lived to y even make it to the hospital. Pat kept that tiny detail to himself, not wanting to draw any publicity from his act.

"I want to thank each and every one of you for their continued support" he continued when the cheering and applause died down. "I don't know why I'm still here, but I am. I'm thankful for every fan, for every coach I've ever had, for my parents, my friends, my teammates current and old, my friends, my family, and of course my amazing wife, Addison, and our two kids." Jon paused. I could sense him getting a little worked up; hockey was, and always would be, a soft spot for him.

"Obviously, I can't make my comeback anytime soon. And obviously, I understand the odds of me ever coming back are virtually zero" he choked up a little. "But I have the best fans, the best team, the best franchise in the league. I couldn't be any more proud to play for this amazing city, and I will do anything to represent you guys once more, as your captain" he smiled, the crowd roaring to life. It was unusual to see Jon display any emotion towards the media besides seriousness; the crowd loved it.

"Go Hawks go!" He shouted, holding up his hand, giving a wave to the crowd. Once again, everybody rose to their feet, clapping for their captain. "It is my great pleasure, to announce to you your new team captain" he added unexpectedly. "Obviously he can't replace me, but he's a close second" he joked, the crowd laughing loudly. I had no idea he had even spoken to the coach, or anybody about his captaincy, but I was glad he did. He turned back, smiling nervously towards me.

"You're doing great Jon" I called out loudly, waiting for the crowd to settle down.

"Ladies and gentlemen, your new captain Patrick Sharpe" I stood up and clapped along with the crowd, as Patrick skated towards centre ice, a 'C' now visible on his jersey. He shook Jon's hand, giving his own wave to the crowd.

"It's both an honour and a privilege to accept captaincy from Toews over here" Patrick spoke up. "And in honour of everything you accomplished in your years with us so far, we'd like to present you with this" he stepped away from the mic, allowing Kaner to skate up to it. The crowd went wild with anticipation, me included; I had no idea they had something for Jon.

The crowd gasped, everyone finally looking up towards the jumbotron that hung high above them. I looked up, and felt tears of happiness begin to form. I eagerly wiped them away, concentrating heavily on the look on Jon's face.

It was priceless; he stood in shock for a moment, before smiling widely, shaking his head in disbelief; for in the entrance of the arena, displayed for everyone to see, was a statue, in honour of Jonathan. On a plaque, it had his story, lamenting the phrase 'Never Give Up'.

"We hope you like it Jon. But obviously, my face would have been prettier" he smirked.

"Wow- I- I'm at a loss for words" Jon spoke once more. "I don't know what else to say, except thank you; and I cannot express how amazing all the fans here are!" He cheered with excitement.

"And now both captains of the respecting teams shall now go for a ceremonial puck drop" the announcer rang through the building. Sedin and Sharp skated to centre, allowing a Sharp to win the poor attempt at a face off. After a few pictures, everyone was ushered off the ice, allowing for the commencement of the game.

"I can't believe it" Jon spoke, taking a rest just before the dressing rooms. He was needed up to commentate for hockey night in Canada, so his break was cut short. "I'll see you after?" He asked before we parted ways.

"Of course, I love you" I smiled, kissing his cheek. I straightened out my jersey, making my way to my seats, where Abby. Kelly, Sarah, Sydney and Emma would be looking after Aveyah and Ryder.

"Love you too!" I heard him call after me.



"Do you like your daddy's statue?" Kelly asked during the first intermission. The Hawks were ahead 1-0, off an amazing point shot from Brent Seabrook. Ryder couldn't contain his excitement, being able to watch Patrick play live. He hadn't really been old enough to fully appreciate it before; not that I thought he was now, though.

"It's great!" He called, smiling so the dimples on his cheeks appeared in full force.

"Are you having fun?" Sydney asked, ruffling his hair.

"Ya" he announced, turning back to face the ice, where the zamboni had began to clear the ice. Ryder watched in fascination and awe. "I wanna do that" he pointed towards the ice.

"Ride the zamboni?" I asked with a small laugh. He nodded, not tearing his eyes off the ice for even a split second.

"Uncle Patrick May be able to get you a ride..." I trailed off with a smirk. He finally took his eyes away from the ice, his eyes wide.

"Ya!" He called, immediately turning back.

"Never seen a kid so fascinated with the zamboni before" Emma laughed, taking a sip of her beer.

"Seriously Addie, the kid is freaking adorable" she commented.

"I got lucky" I smiled, thankful to have such a great kid. Aveyah slept soundly on my lap already, dozing off just a mere five minutes into the game. Unlike Ryder, she valued sleep, and wasn't afraid to tear her eyes off the ice.

"Speaking of lucky..." Sydney trailed off, biting her lip. "I've got some news for you"

"You're getting a gold fish!?" Kelly asked mockingly.

"Shut up" Sydney rolled her eyes, throwing a piece of popcorn at Kelly. Sydney had come to my place for a game one night, really excited. She told us she had big news for us, barely being able to contain her excitement. After the whole game of building up suspense for the mystery secret, it turned out to be nothing more than her and Corey buying a goldfish. At every possible moment we poked fun at her for it; she made it far too easy.

"Not to brag, but my bun is set to come out of the oven in six months; and by bun, I mean buns, plural" she squealed.

"Oh my shit- you're having twins!?" I shouted in surprise.

"Holy fuck!" Abby yelled, immediately covering her mouth.

"Holy fuck" Ryder repeated with a grin.

"Ryder, we don't use that word, ever." I warned, shaking my head at Abby. He put his attention back to the game, not understanding what he even said.

"Sorry" Abby mumbled, looking down. "But twins!? Congratulations!" She added.

"We find out the genders a week from Tuesday" Sydney rubbed her belly. "I'm about 3 months along; I just found out this morning!" She cheered.

"I'm so happy for you" Sarah grinned. The zamboni made it's exit off the ice surface, the refs and linesmen coming on for a few laps before the players returned to their benches.

"Thanks; I'll need your help with names, clothing, and the nursery, and oh! A baby shower with a theme!" She concluded smiling widely. "Sorry I'm a little ahead of it" she blushed, realizing she didn't need to rush on any of those tasks.

We laughed at her enthusiasm, averting our attention back to centre, where the second period was just underway. The Canucks won the opening draw, Sedin winning it back to his defence man. He passed it off to the winger, who passed centre and attempted to dump and chase, his plan getting foiled by an awkward bounce off the boards. Keith picked it up, passing it up the front to Shaw who managed to ice the puck, being just a few strides away from centre.




"Uncle Pat!" Ryder yelled as Patrick Kane went down on a break away, everyone was on the edge of their seats, the game being tied at one, with less than three minutes left in the game. We crossed our fingers, hoping it wouldn't go into overtime. Aveyah had successfully slept for the whole game, not even so much as budging when the horn went off.

Pat skated down effortlessly, and pulled to the left, the right really quick, back to the left and- right over the goalie's pad and in the open cage. The crowd left up to their feet, Patrick celebrating with his signature "heart breaker" celebration all the girls went crazy from.

"Nice goal!" Kelly shouted, giving high five's to all. We sat back in our seats, praying the Hawks could hold onto the lead for just two minutes and forty-two seconds.

The clock ticked down, the final seconds of the final frame coming to a close. The goal was empty, six attackers on the ice for the Canucks. They cycled around the puck easily, as if they were playing keep away from the Hawks. Lucky for the Hawks, Corey had been on fire tonight; maybe it had something to do with the great news he had received this morning.

"We did it!" We all cheered, hugging and high fiving. This close to the playoffs any and every game mattered, every two points was a step closer to securing a spot in the Stanley Cup playoffs. The team had something to prove, taking last post season off due to the horrendous accident they were all involved in.

"Great game!" I told Pat, the family members gathering in the dressing room.

"I sawed your goal" Ryder announced happily.

"What did you think?" He asked, ruffling his hair.

"So good" he replied matter of-factly. We laughed, looking around the room to see jon had made his way in.

"Daddy!" He called, running over to Jon. He was currently sitting on the bench, catching his breath. Jon grinned and picked up Ryder, happy to see his son.

"Hey Addie, some of us are going out to the bar to celebrate, mind if we drag Jon?" Andrew Shaw asked me. I pursed my lips, thinking about whether or not it was a smart idea.

"Is someone besides him going to be sober?" I asked skeptically.

"Yeah me, I'm not drinking tonight" Corey held up his hand, overhearing our conversation.

"Well as long as you swear you'll look after him, and of course if he even wants to go" I answered. I would never be the wife that told her husband where he can or where he can't go, who he can or cannot talk to: it wasn't fair.

"Jon, guess we're taking you out tonight buddy!" Kaner called out. Jon looked up, his head perking up interest. He smiled, looking excited to have a fun night out with the boys, I was completely on board, providing he was safe and called even if he had the slightest issue.

"Just be careful" I commented as he made his way over to us. He leaned down and gave me a kiss, resting himself on my shoulder. "And keep Kaner here in line" I added with a wink.

"I will" he promised me. "Especially looking after Kane here" he teased lightly.

I drove home alone, both Aveyah and Ryder sound asleep in their car seats. I knew I wasn't going to get much rest tonight; I knew I would be up until I knew Jon had made it home safely, and that nothing bad had happened. I knew Corey would take great care of him, but the thought of him with next to no strength frightened me.

Notes