Tough Love

Chapter 26 - Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

After the All Stars Skills Competition, Christmas was coming up. The Penguins had an away game the day before, but Sid had promised Brooke to be there for Christmas. She wasn't alone while he was away though, as her mother had stayed over for the two days that Sid wasn't there, and while Brooke definitely had enjoyed having her mother close, she had really missed Sid. The babies had started kicking a few days before, and she wasn't sleeping that well. Usually, Sid helped her when she had trouble sleeping, but when he wasn't there, her nights were always lonelier and harder. Right now, she was waiting for Sid to return. They had lost their game against the Montreal Canadiens the evening before in Overtime, and she'd called Sid right after the game, and he had told her not to wait up for him, as they would be arriving back in Pittsburgh late into the night. Brooke had sent her mother home after calling Sid, and then went to bed, where she had fallen asleep after a bit of time, still missing the comfort of having Sid next to her.
She woke up when bed dipped, and the next second, Sid's warm body slid under the covers next to her. "Hi babe. I didn't want to wake you up," he whispered softly when he noticed her being awake, and Brooke carefully sat up a bit and looked at him. "It's fine, I sleep way better with you here. I missed you," she stated softly, making him smile. "I missed you too. Now come on, let's try and catch up on some sleep," he told her and Brooke leaned down and pressed a soft kiss onto his lips before nodding. "Yeah, I'm dead tired," she agreed, stretching out again and cuddling closer to Sid. He placed one of his hands on her belly and softly caressed it, and Brooke just closed her eyes, falling asleep pretty soon after, this time with Sid by her side.

When she woke up the next morning, Sid was still peacefully sleeping next to her, one of his arms protectively wrapped around her, and she just stayed there and watched him sleep with a fond smile on her face. He woke up pretty soon after, and a smile spread on his face when he noticed her already looking at him. "Morning, Brookie. How did you sleep?" he asked her, and Brooke smiled at him. "Very good. And you?" "I did too. How are the little ones?" Sid carefully placed a hand on her stomach and Brooke looked down with a soft smile. "They're going to be good athletes, if the kicking is any indication. They definitely have your energy," she stated and Sid just chuckled quietly. "I hope so. It's going to be hard though," he said and Brooke nodded. She knew that Sid would still be away pretty often, but she was pretty positive about everything. They stayed in bed and talked for a bit longer, until Brooke's hunger made itself known, and Sid got up to prepare breakfast while Brooke got dressed.

They ate on the couch, just relaxing next to each other, and Brooke looked at the christmas tree they had put up a few days earlier. After eating breakfast, they just cuddled a bit. There was not much planned for the day, except for the annual christmas skate at the CEC, and Brooke was really excited to see all the guys and their families again, because Sid had been keeping her at home as much as possible, and whenever she did go out, he was almost too protective over her. Brooke just let him do as he pleased, because she knew he meant nothing bad and only wanted to help her and look out for her. When it was time to get ready for the skate, Brooke went up to their room and put on some black jeans and a wide white shirt over it, as she definitely wouldn't be skating that day. Sid was already waiting for her when she got down again, and he carefully placed an arm around her and led her to the car, where he opened the door for her first and then slid behind the driver's seat. The drive to the CEC was filled with them singing along with the radio, and when they arrived there, Brooke was a bit shocked to see that many reporters and media waiting for the players to arrive. Sid parked the car and got out, taking his bag in one hand and then opening the door for Brooke. She got out carefully and he immediately placed a protective arm around her waist, leading her through the fans and media that were waiting at the entrance and greeting everyone with a friendly smile. Brooke just followed him into the locker room inside, where the rest of the team was changing already, and he made her sit down next to him while he changed, so Brooke looked around a bit and talked to a few of the wives and girlfriends that were standing around, some of them wearing skates, some of them not. Geno came over, already in full gear, and knelt down next to her, placing his hand on her stomach. "How are little Sid and little Brooke in there?" he asked her with a grin and Brooke just smiled and looked at her stomach for a second. "They're good. Very energetic, like their father," she told him and Geno just laughed and nodded. They all left for the ice a bit later, and Sid stayed back with Brooke at the bench and looked at her. "Don't overtake yourself, all right. If you want to go home, tell me and we'll leave," he told her and she just laughed and leaned up, pressing a soft kiss onto his lips. "Don't worry, I will. Now go and have some fun," she stated, pushing him towards the ice and he skated off with a grin, chasing around some of the kids and playing with them. Brooke just sat back and watched everything, placing a hand on her belly when the babies kicked again and rubbing it softly. One day it was going to be them out there, skating with their father. While Sid had some fun with the kids on the ice, Brooke spent her time talking to the ladies that were there as well, and she really enjoyed talking to all of them and seeing their kids once again. The skate lasted about two hours, and everyone got off the ice afterwards and Brooke just waited outside the locker room for Sid, who stepped out soon and shouted a 'Merry Christmas' over his shoulder before leaving the building with Brooke.

They celebrated christmas with just the two of them, and it was a lazy evening with some good food that they had prepared together, and afterwards, they watched one of the many christmas movies that were shown on TV. Brooke also posted a 'Merry Christmas' message on instagram, adding a picture of Sid and her. When they unpacked the presents the next morning in their pajamas, Brooke couldn't help but think about how happy she was, and how happy being with Sid made her. When she told him about it, he just leaned over with a smile and pressed a loving kiss onto her lips before leaning down and pressing another kiss to her belly. They had also gotten lots of presents from the other players, and Brooke laughed when she saw what Geno had gotten them: Two baby creepers with the Penguins' logo on it. Geno was really excited about Brooke being pregnant, and from Sid she knew that he always asked about how she was doing and how the pregnancy was going, and she was really happy that Geno was so excited for them.

New Years Eve was spent in a similar fashion, but it wasn't just the two of them. Kris and Catherine were hosting a small get together, and a few of the players would be there, as well as their children. Kris' son Alexander was a really cute little kid, only three years old, and Brooke spent most of the evening with the children, playing with them and watching some movies, because she couldn't drink alcohol or walk around too much. When the countdown started, she searched around for Sid, who had been talking to Fleury just minutes earlier, but she couldn't find him anymore. "Searching for me?" Brooke turned around and smiled at Sid, who had stepped up from behind her, and he handed her a glas of water. "You should drink enough, Brookie," he mumbled quietly, and Brooke just grinned and shook her head at him before looking at the TV, where the countdown was going down. "4...3...2...1 HAPPY NEW YEAR!" was shouted through the house, and Brooke leaned up a bit while Sid leaned down and softly pressed his lips onto hers. "Happy New Year, babe. Whether we win the Cup or not, it's going to be one of the best years," Sid stated and Brooke just smiled and leaned her head on his shoulder, while he softly caressed her belly under the shirt she was wearing. "We should get you into bed soon, you need to rest more," Sid stated a bit later, when most of the other's had left to put their children into bed, and Brooke just smiled amusedly and nodded, hugging Catherine and Kris goodbye and then following Sid out of their house and towards his car. Sid was quietly humming to himself, and Brooke used the chance to call her parents and wish them a happy new year, as well as calling Sid's parents and Taylor.