Shadows (Patrick Kane)

(67) Come So Far

Sophia

Now that it's the beginning of April we were back in the city. I had to get back to work now that the vacation was over and Patrick was to resume physical therapy and his on ice training from a far. He didn't have to wear any kind of brace and his range of motion was almost complete. With the help of great doctors and a good deal of caution he was way ahead of schedule. People said it was crazy for him to make it back for the playoffs but maybe, just maybe he can do it.

I usually go with Patrick to the check ups. Make sure the hope for Chicago and the playoffs was where he needed to be and he doesn't try and talk his way into playing sooner than he should. He's got a metal plate bolted to his bone now. There's not getting around that. But leave it to him to try.

We leave the hospital after a hour of testing and conversating in good spirits. His collar bone was looking good and I truly believe he will be back by the end of April. When in April I'm not really sure know but I wouldn't want to be the one to tell this man he won't be there for game one round one.

Since it was still early we decide to grab some breakfast. It's about the only time Patrick gets some peace around here and I wasn't needed in the office yet. So I order some pancakes and bacon and sit in the back of a small diner. I sip on some black coffee just scrolling through my phone. I feel a pair of eyes on me before I look up to see Patricks eyes locked on me.

"Can I help you" I tease before he finally looks away.
For some reason he wore his nerves on his face like a new pair of earrings.

"I'm sorry. I was just thinking" he admits.

"About what" I wonder.

"The future. Our future" he claims.

I lock up my phone before setting it to the side. My fingers lace as I set them on the table between us. I wasn't sure where this was going but it seemed like something that should have my full attention.

"What's our future like" I question.

"I don't know. That's what I'm trying to figure out" he admits.

"What's a short term goal" I ask.

"Win the Stanley cup, make one of the best comebacks of all sports, of all time. We take the cup around the city, go back to the bar we met in and see how far we've come" he claims.

"And long term" I ask.

He lets out a sigh as he shakes his head. "I wish I knew. I mean this right here, I never thought this was possible. Having a relationship with a girl who I could not live without. I never thought these feelings I have for you was obtainable. Never in a million years would I have predicted these breakfast dates that we can't even call dates.

So trying to sit here and figure out what we will become, it has me perplexed. Because I'm not thinking about what I want for me, it's what I want for us and it's not as easy to figure out. I don't know what I want from this life but I know I want it with you" he says softly.

I nod my head as his words soak in. I think for a few moments about what he was saying and what he was trying to say. And for the most part I got it but I guess there was so much we didn't yet understand.

"So say you win the cup, then what happens next" I question.

"How about I take you on a date" he smirks.

"Your bribery to win the most covenant trophy in all of sports is a date with me" I question.

"When we first met all I wanted was a dance. That's all it took for the best parts of me to come out. So maybe the best parts of us start with a date" he shrugs.

"Okay" I say making his eyes get big. "All you have to do is come back 5 weeks early from a devastating injury to win four best of seven series against professional athletes who all want what you guys have and beat some of the best teams in the world" I tease.

"That's all" he asks making me giggle.

"There's gotta a be a easier way to do this" I insist.

"Maybe. But since when was it ever easy for us" he asks.

"You have a point. But I don't want you to go through all of this to go on a date with me when..." I trail off. I get lost in his blue eyes just swimming around. Never to find the shore again. "When I would go out with you even if you lose."

His lips pull us tight as his eyes run away from mine. I can tell he wanted to hear that as much as I wanted to say it. "Alright. So win or lose when this season is over and our future isn't written, we can grab a pen and paper and create our own story. Stop trying to deny ourselves or say that we don't have the time. We have the rest of our lives to figure this out, I think that's plenty of time" he admits.

"Do people plan out first dates like this? This can't be normal" I shake my head.

"Of course not. And who's to say things won't change between now and then. No one really knows what's going to happen. I guess that's the beauty of it. This journey we've been on, from those early days at the bars to the beaches in Australia. We've been paving our own path. For once we weren't thinking about ourselves but each other and I think that's special. Through thick and thin it's been you and me. We've come so far but we have so far to go" he claims.

"You really think that you and I will still be together five years in the future, ten years, twenty" I ask.

"Well I can't imagine my life without you in it. Not a good one at least" he says. "Do you not feel the same?"

"I don't know a lot of things Patty. But I do know you give my life joy and meaning. And I would be a damn fool to let you go" I insist.

"So what do we do in the meantime" he questions.

"What we do best" I smile.

"What's that" he challenges.

"Have fun. Support each other. Make memories that will keep our hearts full forever and hope we don't do something stupid" I nod.

"Sounds about right" he agrees.