AUTUMN LEAVES

“Sid, this is my wife, Nathalie, and these are my daughters. Welcome to the family.”

“Dr. Scott, Mr. Lemieux will see you now. I see you met Mr. Crosby?”

“Hey Sid, it’s Lauren, can I come in? Mommy made you soup. You’re sick; you can’t skate and wipe your nose at once. Gross!”

“I know the story of how Mario took you under his wings, but I guess I just witnessed how much he cares about you and you about him.”

“You have to forget about Autumn one way or another.”

“I thought we were friends. I guess I was wrong. You’ve always hated me.”

“No one forced you to leave me in the middle of a dance like an idiot begging you to kiss her.”

“Right before I crashed into that truck, I had a vision. It was a vision of you, of us, when we danced together for the first time, you were flirting with me, remember? You were all smiles.”

“We’re a year too late.”

“I love you, Sidney. I have always loved you.”

“I’m sick of you, I’m sick of everything. From the lies, from all this pain you’re putting me through.”

“I need to take back the control over my life. I can’t keep loving you. I’m hurt. I burn every time I see you with him.”

“You are my happiness, baby. I chose to be with you at all cost because I can’t even imagine a life you’re not in it.”

“Hey Sid, do you know how to play softball? Stephanie and I like to play.”

“I loved you, Sid, but you just ignored me. You never cared.”

“I will stop at nothing to be with you, Autumn. Do you understand?”

“I’ve never wanted anything more in my life than to be with you, Sid.”

“I don’t regret loving you. I regret the things I did because I loved you.”

“I will follow you to the ends of the earth, Sidney.”

“Am I worth your career, your reputation, Mario’s trust?”

“What about doing things the right way?” “This right here feels right.”

“When all hell breaks loose, you won’t be the only one taking the blow, Sidney.”

“Hey Sid, why don’t you take my beautiful wife for a dance. I don’t want any man near her tonight. But you obviously don’t count.”

“Sidney Crosby, are you asking me to ride off into the sunset with you?”

“You need to trust me, Autumn, none of this will work if you don’t.”

“What matters is now. And now, I love you and only you. And this time, I am absolutely sure of it, beyond a shadow of a doubt.”

“I can’t stand and watch while you commit this suicide for me, Sidney.”

“Nothing is going to stand between us. Promise me now that we will do this together no matter how tough it may get, Autumn.” “I promise.”

“I will follow you to the ends of the earth, Sidney.”

“If you want to keep on destroying your life, fine, but you’re on your own buddy.”

“I spoke to Bergevin in Montreal, they are very interested, Sid.”

“Dad loved you so much. You were always the son he wished he had, the son he wished I was.”

“Do you love her or was she just another Jessica Hunter?”

“You love her, don’t you? This bitch made you fall in love with her.”

“Move away from her! Move, or I’ll shoot you too.”

“Please don’t hurt him. It was all my fault. Leave him out of this, Lauren.”

“You will have to shoot me first, that’s the only way you will get to her.”

“Fine, have it your way.”

“What matters is now.”

“Sid, please stay with me, baby.”

“And now, I love you.”

“Can’t breathe…”

“Stay with me.”
_______________________

Just like a diver who spent hours underwater, Sidney emerged from the sea of his memories hungry for a breath. Opening his eyes for the first time in three days, he blinked at the sight of his mother, father and sister hovering over him.

“Hi, how are feeling?” Trina said stroking her son’s forehead. Wiping the tears of joy, she bent down and kissed her son’s face. Sidney looked around confused.

“Mr. Crosby, welcome back. There has been an incident and you are in the hospital. You have been sleeping for the past three days. Now, we are confident that you will make a full recovery,” Dr. Muller spoke kindly as he checked Sidney’s vitals. “I’ll give you a few minutes with him before I do my full check-up,” the doctor said to the family before leaving.

Looking at all the equipment and inspecting the large bandage on his chest, Sidney asked, “What is all that?” As soon as he spoke, he started coughing with how dry his throat was.

“Here, drink some water,” Taylor said while helping her brother straighten up.

Trina looked at her husband, unsure how to have this conversation with their son. The mother was mostly alarmed that her son seemed too confused. “Doctors said it’s normal,” Troy whispered.

“Sid, do you remember what happened at Mario’s house?” Troy asked as he took a seat closer to his son’s bed. Sidney scrunched his eyebrows in concentration. It took him a few moments before what had happened hit him.

“Oh my god, Autumn! Did she shoot her? Is she hurt?” Sidney shouted sitting abruptly then wincing at the stabbing pain in his chest. He remembered. He remembered that Lauren wanted to kill Autumn.

“She’s fine, she was not hurt, not one scratch, because you took the hit for her, of course,” Taylor said disapprovingly.

“Lauren, she wants her dead, find Lauren,” he said getting short of breath.

“Lauren is in custody, son. Everyone is okay; now please try to calm down. You need to rest,” Troy said calmly.

“In jail?” Sidney asked wide-eyed. “She…what… Mario?”

Troy sighed heavily and pressed on his temples. “Mario knows, and not only about his daughter, Sid,” his father said and Sidney frowned.

Swallowing hard, Sidney looked at his sister, at the sympathetic look she gave him, and understood what his dad was saying. Not only did Mario find out, but his family knew too.

“Where is Autumn?” was Sidney’s first question.

“We don’t know.”


*****

The first hours of consciousness were a whirlwind to Sidney. From being transferred out of the ICU to a private room, to trying to drink his food, to being allowed visitors. He was overwhelmed by everyone’s attention and concern. What irritated him was that everyone was tiptoeing around the subject of Autumn and Mario. He managed to discretely ask his sister about Autumn one more time, but, once again, Taylor claimed that she didn’t know. He was thankful for the busy room nonetheless as he did not feel ready to talk to his parents about what they, and Mario, now know.

“Connor and Guentzy here thought they’d be orphaned,” Phil said with a chuckle, earning an eye roll and a stare from the young forwards.

“In all seriousness now, Sidney couldn’t have asked for better friends. Your teammates haven’t left our side, Sid,” Troy said. “Only left for the game and practice, knowing their captain would not approve if they didn’t,” he added with a smile.

“We’re family,” Kris spoke from the far corner. Troy smiled and patted Kris’ shoulder on his way out of the room. It was the first time Kris has uttered a word since the “I’m glad you’re okay” when he arrived. Sidney glanced briefly at Kris then averted his eyes quickly. He frowned and looked down at his hands, no longer listening to the conversation in his room. He was transported back to the locker room, to where Kris had accused him of not caring about his teammates.

“What’s wrong, Sid?” Bryan Rust asked from where he sat close to his captain. Sidney looked up and realized that all eyes were on him. He looked at everyone around him, at his teammates, his friends, his brothers who were worried sick for him. He had let them down.

“How can I leave you all behind?” he said above a whisper.

“What are you talking about, Sid?” Jake asked trying to make sense of what his captain’s words. Sidney looked at Jake and felt like an asshole all over again. He knew Jake looked up to him as a mentor, as an idol even. Jake had once said that playing with him was the best thing that has ever happened to him. Jake, and all his teammates for that matter, will be very disappointed in him.

“I owe you, all of you, the truth,” Sidney finally said. Kris and Phil exchanged looks. Kris leaped out of his chair and was at Sidney’s side fast. “Sid, now is not the time. When you are feeling better, we could all talk,” Kris advised his friend.

“No, Tanger,” Sidney answered.

“What truth? What’s going on?” Matt Murray asked.

As anticipation was growing in the room, Geno sat on the bed next to Sidney. “Sid, it’s okay, it’s us, you can tell us,” Geno said reassuringly after noticing how distraught his friend of 12 years was.

“I’m leaving the team.”

The room fell silent. The jostle of a stretcher bed and the chatter at the nurses’ station have never sounded louder as they did at the moment when Sidney Crosby told his teammates that he was leaving them.

Notes