Take Me as You Found Me

Ryan woke up, with the sun gleaming in from his floor to ceiling windows. He rubbed his eyes, then looked at the clock.

10:30 A.M.

He internally groaned. In less than a few hours he was going to have to be up at the garden for this stupid Garden of Dreams charity the Rangers were involved in. It’s not that he didn’t like doing charity, but sometimes playing hockey for a living put a lot of toll on his body, and he just didn’t feel like hanging around a bunch of little kids for four hours.

He pushed the covers from his body as he sat up stretching his sore body. He could feel the pulling of the muscles and the cracking of his joints. Just another day in the office, he thought.

He walked to his bathroom, and examined himself in the mirror. He almost winced, if he wasn’t so used to seeing bruises cover his body.  Dion Phaneuf had put a big hit on him the night before in a loss against Toronto.

He shook his head and then turned on the shower. After letting the hot water beat against his back, working all the hard kinks and knots out, causing him too sigh. After his long shower, and finally getting dressed he walked out of his apartment ready to start his long day. To top everything off, HBO started shooting for the 24/7 special the Rangers and Flyers were doing for the Winter Classic.

God help me, he thought.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“Are you excited?” Lexie asked as she held her six year old nieces hand, as they walked down the streets of Manhattan.

Leyla nodded her tiny dishwater blonde head and smiled. “Yeah” She said skipping down the street headed towards Madison Square Garden.

Leyla was practically dragging her aunt down 8th Avenue.

“Calm down Lele” Lexie said trying to control her niece.

“I don’t want them to leave me Auntie Lexie”

“Aw come on Lex” Faith said. “You don’t want to miss getting a glimpse at all of those nice, hot, hard….” Her horny friend went off.

“Faith get to the point!”

“Oh sorry, the kid just doesn’t want them to leave her”

The tiny little blonde head head nodded, in agreement.

“So what did you ask for Christmas Lele?” Faith asked the child trying to keep the six year old from running off as they approached the Garden.

“Well for a few barbies, and that So Chic Hair Salon”

“Yeah I know what I’d like for Christmas” Faith went on. “That Henrik Lundqvist, wrapped in a red bow… and that’s it”

Lexie rolled her eye’s. Her roommate/best friend was worse than a male sometimes.

“Don’t role your eyes at me little miss thing” Faith said to her friend. “And don’t think I haven’t seen you eyeing Ryan Callahan when we watch the games.”

Lexie shot her friend a glare.

“I don’t eye him, he’s a good player.” Lexie whispered trying to keep her niece from hearing the adult conversation.

“Yeah ok” Faith said unconvinced. “I’ve been your best friend since freshman year of college, you can’t lie that you don’t gawk at the El Captain”

What the two older women didn’t know was the little six years old who was holding on tightly too her aunts hand, was listening very intently at what Lexie and Faith were talking about. For being six years old, Leyla knew her Aunt wasn’t happy being single and Leyla wanted an uncle. If she couldn’t have a mommy or daddy, or even a grandma and grandpa, like every other kid, she at least wanted an uncle.