The Hockey Life - A Patrick Kane Fanfic

Part Ninety-Five - Live In the Present

PART NINETY-FIVE: LIVE IN THE PRESENT

LENA'S POV

Patrick and I had a bit of a break before we would find out who the Hawks were going to face for the second round of playoffs, so we took advantage of it. Although we still had a few practices, we had plenty of free time for dates.

Going out was difficult for us, unless we could get a private room in a restaurant or something of that nature. Even then we were spotted by fans. It could be really heartwarming for Patrick to meet his fans, but at the same time, that wasn't something he wanted to do while we were trying to spend time together. This was why we spent so much time at home - it was just easier and more private - but Netflix and video games can grow old after a while. Because of this, Pat decided we were going to have a Chicago adventure, no matter how difficult it ended up being.

"We'll go to all of your favorite places in the city. If we have to take a few detours, then so be it," he said.

"You do realize that most of my favorite places are stores, right?" I laughed.

"Oh, come on. I'm sure you can think of other places!"

"Alright, alright. You know I love Millennium Park and Navy Pier. Both of those are pretty well populated places on any given day, but I guess we could give them a shot," I suggested.

"Okay, so Forever 21 and H&M, Millennium Park, Navy Pier, and then Giordano's for dinner?"

"That sounds perfect," I answered.

Things didn't go exactly as planned, but that wasn't surprising. Even though it was a weekday and we went out when places weren't quite as busy as usual, we still were noticed by a lot of people. Shopping wasn't too bad - I managed to look around, try some things on, and buy a couple things before we left. Millennium Park wasn't a great idea - we got a quick picture in the Bean before we had to move on to Navy Pier because so many people recognized Patrick. We actually got to walk around the pier for a bit, which was really nice, and we got a semi-hidden table at the restaurant. Despite the fact that dates with him were never truly private, I still had a lot of fun going places with Pat. He made everything more fun, and it didn't hurt to be seen with him every once in a while. I was so happy to be able to call him mine, and he always made sure to show me off in public. Not in an obnoxious way - mostly just holding my hand or putting an arm around me - but it felt good.

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The second round of playoffs for us began on May 1st. We were going up against Minnesota. I had a great feeling about the match up. Even though they were good enough to get to the playoffs and win a round, I never really saw the Wild as an intimidating team. I think it was their uniforms - the red and green reminded me of Christmas, so I always referred to them as the elves.

"Are you ready for this?" I asked Patrick after warm ups. The first game was in Chicago and I was truly expecting a positive start to the series from the Hawks. They had been looking good in practice and home games always seemed more comfortable for them than the away ones.

"Definitely."

Without even needing to score at all in the third period, the Hawks won the game 4-3. Patrick, one of the goal scorers, was beaming on the way home from the UC, as were the rest of his teammates, or so I imagined.

The second game went even better than the first. The Hawks basically creamed the Wild 4-1, and two of those goals had been Patrick's. He had been on fire lately. It hadn't taken too much time of him readjusting to playing in games before he was back to his usual self on the ice. I was always excited to see Hawks players scoring, but I cheered a little louder when it was him. Whenever he's scoring and assisting, he and I both are really happy campers.

The next couple games were in Minnesota, so I was a little worried that we might slip into a tied series. It was easy to get cocky after two great wins, but fortunately for the Blackhawks, the whole team was humble. They all knew they'd have to play hard no matter what the circumstances were, and they did. Game three consisted of a shut out for Corey Crawford and a lone Hawks goal, which belonged to Patrick. Game four consisted of a 4-3 score, a Hawks win, and a complete sweep of the Wild. Amidst all of that, Patrick had managed to score during the game yet again. It was an incredibly happy night, and Patrick and I even had the team over afterwards to celebrate. It would take some time to find out who we'd be up against for the Western Conference Final, so why not be high on life for a day or two? The Hawks weren't in the Stanley Cup Final yet, but they were getting closer. Playoffs truly changed Pat. Even though he had won the Cup before, he was still so hungry for another championship win. Playoff wins made him a million times more excited and playoff losses made him angrier and more disappointed than anything else. He went to the gym to blow off steam more often than ever when it came to post season hockey, too. But it was all worth it to him. Hockey had always been his life, and it always will be, I think. Even when he's way too old for it.

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"Anaheim," Patrick said bluntly. I lifted my head up, squinting from the bright sunlight. The two of us were at the beach with Tess and Jonathan. As per usual, Tess and I had been tanning and relaxing while Johnny and Pat were bored out of their minds, wanting to get up and do something. Except this time, they had taken a break to follow the Anaheim/Calgary game to find out who they'd be facing next.

"What?" I asked.

"We're going up against the Ducks for round three," Jonathan clarified. "They beat the Flames."

"Oh, f*ck the Ducks, you guys will do fine," Tess said lazily.

"Let's hope so," Pat responded.

"Are you guys done tanning yet? I'm ready for some beach volleyball," Jonathan said.

"Yes, we can be done now. Let's play."

We played three games, and it was couple vs. couple. Tess and Jonathan ended up winning two out of the three, so Patrick and I had to buy them frozen yogurt. Despite our volleyball loss, it was still one last fun day before it would go back to being strictly hockey, with a little bit of wedding planning mixed in.

Just as Tess had helped me with mine and Patricks' wedding, I offered to help her and Jonathan with any planning or work they had to get done. They had decided they were having a summer wedding, but hadn't set a date yet. It was strange - Tess had been planning her wedding for years and she had always seemed like the type of person who wanted to get married right away after getting engaged. Even with my wedding, she was all over it. But now, I think she's realized that she's just happy being with Jonathan, whether they're married or not. That being said, she still did seem to enjoy showing off her ring an awful lot. I was really happy for them, though. They were always so good with each other, and I had a feeling that they'd always be together. I hoped so, at least. Maybe two best friends being married to their favorite hockey players and living happily ever after was too good to be true, but if it was, I sure didn't care. Not now, anyways. As much as I like being able to plan things out and know what the future has in store for me, I've learned to just live in the present sometimes. It can be a good thing.

Hey guys! First of all, you guys better pray to the hockey gods with me that the Hawks can win Game 7. I don't know about you, but I want to see another Stanley Cup win for them! Second of all, I have a story to promote. It's called Hockey Au Féminin: C'est la faute à Luc Gélinas. Obviously, it's not in English, but for those of you who speak French, you should check it out! It's by GnieGodin. This chapter is dedicated to her, so her page should be linked in the dedications section. Anyways, I hope to update sometime soon after Game 7 of the WCF is over for the Hawks and Ducks so I can have a chance to celebrate (or mourn) the results. As usual, please vote if you enjoyed the chapter and comments are always appreciated and encouraged. Thanks for the patience and support :)