The Day Has Come (Counting on Hockey #4)

Chapter 10: I have a...

"Lucy will be here in a few minutes, please put some pants on", I say to Cole, giggling at him. He just got out of the shower and he thinks he's being funny, which he kind of is.

"Give me five minutes then, and I'll have to say that to you", Cole flirts. I blush. Cole pushes me onto the bed, pinning me down. He plants kisses up and down my face and neck. I start to giggle.

The doorbell rings just as Cole's hands decide to travel up the back of my shirt. "Saved by the bell. Put your pants on".

Cole releases me from the bed and starts to put on clothes. I fix my hair and pull down my shirt, then walk into the living room and open our apartment door. On the other side, Lucy, my biological mother, and her husband, Garrett, stand with their luggage at their sides, each having a smile on their faces.

"Hi", I say excitedly. I open the door wider as Cole walks up beside me. "Come on in, please".

Lucy and Garrett walk in and place their suitcases next to the door as I close it. Lucy walks up to me and wraps me in her arms, I return the hug. "It's so good to see you again".

I notice Cole and Garrett shake hands and exchange greetings as Lucy and I stay wrapped in each other's arms. After a moment, Lucy and I release each other and Lucy takes Cole in a hug as Garrett and I exchange our own greetings.

Cole and I show Lucy and Garrett to their guest room, and they set their bags down at the end of the bed. We walk back into the living room and choose to sit at the two love seats facing the picture window.

"So", Lucy starts. "You know we came out not only to see you since it's been almost a year, but I have a question for you, and it wasn't really something you can just ask over the phone".

I look over at Cole, then back at Lucy. "What is it?"

"Well, since I had you at the young age of twenty, then I gave you up to your father, I had felt afraid that if I had another child, I would do the same thing to them. But now that I am forty four, I thought that I wanted to raise a family, but I'm too old to get pregnant. Garrett and I are adopting a child, and on the application for adopting, they need the contact information of an emergency guardian. I was wondering if you and Cole would be the godparents of the child we would adopt?"

I look over at Cole. He doesn't really have an expression on his face, but I can see something in his eyes. Something I can only take as a 'yes'. Our eyes finally meet and he nods his head ever so slightly. I return to look at Lucy and Garrett. "Of course. Oh my god. Yes".

Lucy hops off the couch and I meet her in another hug. She laughs excitedly. "Oh, thank you Meredith. So much. You too, Cole".

"Thank you for asking us. You don't know how much this means to me", I say to Lucy and Garrett.

The four of us calm down when Cole all of a sudden gets a call on his phone. He takes it into the kitchen and answers it. He sounds like it Boudreau, but it could be anybody at the stadium. It takes him a few minutes, but Lucy, Garrett, and I talk about the adoption process, then Cole comes back in in a hurry.

"Mere, we're needed at the stadium, right now. It's an emergency. I don't know what, but it's big".

I stand up and rush around the house for my work bag and a pair of boots, slipping them onto my feet. I almost walk out the door when I realize we still have company. How could I be that ridiculous to forget that?

"I'm really sorry about this. I hope this doesn't take long. I don't know long this is going to take, but I will be back as soon as possible. Make your selves at home, and we will be back soon", Cole opens the front door and starts out, me right behind him. "I'm really, really sorry".

Cole and I actually take his car to the stadium instead of driving because it's quicker to get there, and we don't have to waster another taxis time by driving us the few blocks to Xcel. The roads are packed as usual, but it still only takes us no more than ten minutes to get there. Cole seems super nervous about something, and frankly, I am too. I don't even know what this emergency is, but if I don't need to be there, I might just hurt somebody. Not literally of course, but it is an option.

Cole parks in the back parking lot where almost everybody else's car is parked already. We rush to get out of the car and run into the stadium. Cole had said we have to meet in the 'lecture room' as we call it. It's a team and family meeting, but I'm not sure what that could even mean. What kind of emergency has to do the family and the player?

Everyone is sitting around chatting until Coach Boudreau strolls up to the front of the room and starts his speech.

This really better be a really big emergency.