Chapter 33

Hey guys, not sure when I'll get my next update for any stories up. My grandmother just passed away. Since there's not any service until the fall I'm not going home. Instead I'm halfway across the country from the rest of my family dealing with it on my own. Needless to say, I'm not exactly in a writing mood. Since I already had this chapter written I thought I'd put it up. It's kind of a nice distraction coming on here and reading all the other stories, even if it's only for a short period of time.









I was there for games three and four just like every other home game except I cheered harder and louder as the boys pulled both games out. I knew that if the Pens won the cup it’d be much easier for Sidney and I to reconcile than if they lost.

The girls all piled into our house, that we had to extend the lease on until mid-June, to watch game five in Detroit. We watched with heavy hearts as they lost 5-0. They just couldn’t seem to get anything going. Vero gave me a ride over to the Lemieux’s after, and I waited for Sidney just like I’d done after all the other road games.

“Hey,” he said dejectedly when he walked into his room later that night. I gave him a small smile.

“How are you feeling?” I asked. He sat down next to me on the bed and placed a kiss on my forehead.

“Not great, but I told you before. We’re going to win.” I saw the determination in his eyes and I didn’t doubt him.

I chewed on my fingernails and fidgeted in my seat all through game six. I willed them to win from up in the box. Marc put on a show in net helping them tie up the series and send it back to Detroit for game seven. I knew what I had to do and asked for help from the girls when I got downstairs.

Two days later I said goodbye to Sidney as he got into his car and drove to the airport. On the outside he looked confident, but I could see the nervousness in his eyes. I wished him luck and then made my way inside to finish up what I needed to do.

Three hours later I was on a plane with the rest of the girls and families. The Penguins organization had set up a second chartered flight for the families of all the guys to go to the game. I hadn’t told Sidney I was going. He hadn’t asked me to, because of what happened the last time, and I wanted to surprise him. His family laughed when they saw me walk up. Only Grace and Hailey had known I was going.










Sidney sat in the locker room going through his usual routine. It was quieter today than any other day he could remember. Guys were so focused that there weren’t many conversations going on. Sidney skated out onto the ice for warm-ups and immediately felt something different than every other game in Detroit.

He couldn’t quite explain what it was. For some reason, he just felt Tanner. He knew she wasn’t there because she couldn’t travel, but he felt like she was there with him. He let himself smile as he did a lap around the ice. He knew it as much as he knew he loved her. They were going to win.










I sat in the crowd surrounded by the other girls. It was the first time in a long time I’d been out in the crowd. I sat nervously between Grace and Vero, clasping both of their hands in mine as we watched the team warm-up.

I knew that out of everyone, Vero was the most nervous. People had been all over Marc in each of the losses saying he’d played poorly. I knew what she was going through just as she knew what this game meant for Sidney and I. Because of that we’d stuck close together the entire trip as moral support for the other.

We all watched nervously as the first period came and went without any score. The second period started much differently. It didn’t take long for Max to put a puck in the net and we all jumped up in unison, hugging each other in excitement. Not long after my joy turned into horror as I watched Sidney get hit and immediately hunch over in pain.

My hand flew up to my mouth as I watched him struggle to get over to the bench and off the ice without being able to put much pressure on his left leg. My heart pounded as I hoped that it wasn’t anything serious as tears filled my eyes.

“He’ll be okay,” Vero whispered to me as I watched him make his way down the runway and into the dressing room. This wasn’t how I’d imagined his game seven.

He didn’t play another shift in the second period, but Max scored again which energized us all even more. I felt a mix of emotions as the period ended. Not long into intermission I felt my phone vibrate and saw that I had a text. It was from Mario.

“It was his knee. He’s trying to numb it to play in the third, but we’re not sure how it’ll hold up. Just wanted to let you know it wasn’t anything too serious.” I let out a sigh of relief as I showed the text to the girls.

I watched him skate out to the ice before the third and I could tell that he was in pain. He just didn’t look like himself. Eventually he took a shift but it didn’t last long, and he didn’t play again. I knew that no matter what, sitting on the bench instead of playing in the third period of game seven was the hardest thing he’d ever have to do.

It became even harder when Detroit scored towards the end of the period. Vero clung to my hand the rest of the game, tensing up at every shot and cheering for every save Marc made. We all watched in horror as Lidstrom got the puck on his stick with just seconds left and an empty net in front of him. Somehow Marc dove over and made the save and we all jumped up in elation as the time ran off the clock.

While Detroit’s fans stood around us, stunned, we jumped up and down and exchanged hugs while screaming in delight. Tears streamed down all of our faces as we watched the guys celebrate winning. We watched as Geno was named MVP and then my smile grew as I watched Sid skate over to lift the Cup.

The girls made their way towards the ice to congratulate the guys, but feeling the effects of the day I chose to head towards the locker room and find a place to sit while I waited for Sidney. Not long after the team began to file back along with the families. Jordan wrapped me up in a sweaty hug when he saw me.

“What the hell are you doing here?!” he yelled at me, with that boyish grin he always had on his face.

“I wanted to surprise Sidney,” I explained.

“Well, he’s bombarded with the media right now. Come in and celebrate with us!” he ordered. I smiled and followed him and Grace into the locker room.

It was mayhem in there. Champagne was being sprayed everywhere. People were yelling and hugs were being given out. I congratulated each guy when I saw them. I had a seat somewhere and the guys took turns making sure that I was safe from any sort of mishap that might happen.

At some point I felt my phone vibrate again. I looked at it and saw that Sidney was calling. I stood up and saw him standing in front of his locker, the phone pressed to his ear. I giggled at the situation before answering the phone.

“Congratulations!” I exclaimed into the phone. I watched as Sidney’s brow furrowed in confusion.

“Thanks! It’s loud where you are,” he commented. I stifled a laugh.

“What can I say? Everyone’s pumped,” I told him.

“Fucking rights, boys!” Matt Cooke yelled out while standing right next to me. I watched Sidney’s confused expression change to one of sudden understanding. His eyebrows shot up and I watched him begin to search the dressing room.

“Tanner, where are you?” he asked. Just as he asked, his eyes fell on me and his smile grew. He dropped his phone and ran over to me, picking me up and swinging me around.

“Surprise!” I yelled, laughing.

“Baby, what? How?” I grabbed his face with my hands.

“Just kiss me,” I demanded. He smiled and did just that.

We were separated for just a little while on the flight back to Pittsburgh that night. I was sure the guys’ plane was rowdier than ours, but we were having a good time too. When we landed we joined back up. The guys were ready for an all-nighter, and surprisingly I felt up for it. I guess that’s what adrenaline born from elation does to you.

We were out all night partying and celebrating. I’d never experienced anything like that and I hoped that the feeling wasn’t going to go away anytime soon. When we were finally exhausted we took a cab back to the Lemieux’s and passed out as soon as our heads hit the pillows.

“So, are you coming to the parade tomorrow?” Sidney asked me after getting home from a team meeting on Sunday.

“You’re not serious.”

“Of course I am. All of the girls are coming. You can ride in the car with us. It’s going to be Marc and I so you’ll have Vero along,” he told me.

“And you think it’s a good time to be telling the world about me?” I asked. He smiled and kissed me.

“Relax, it’s a truck. You can ride in the cab. We’ll leave the window between the cab and the truck bed open so we can talk to you. We’re just going to be waving at the crowd anyway. Then there’s going to be a stage set up and a bunch of the guys are going to talk, thank the fans. Stuff like that. At that point, the girls are just going to hang back,” he explained.

“You make a good case,” I said, starting to give in.

“I really would like you there, but I’ll understand if you say no.” I smiled and kissed him.

“I’ll go. I wouldn’t want to miss this.”

The next day I got into the truck and couldn’t take the smile off of my face as we rode through the streets. While Sid and Marc waved at the crowd and took turns holding the Cup I just observed everything going on around me. Once in a while Vero and I would comment on something through the open window, but most of the ride was spent just taking it all in.

I sat down off to the side of the stage in the shade and watched the guys give speeches afterwards. The city had come out in full force to support the team and celebrate with the guys. When it was over, Sidney and I headed to the Lemieux’s for a nap. We were going to need it. The day had only begun. Mario was hosting a party at his place in just a few short hours.