My Girl (Jonathan Toews)

45

Jonathan

"I've missed you so much" Lexi yells as she jumps in my arms. We make quite the scene here in the airport as I swung her sound for the first time in what felt like forever.

"I missed you more" I insist as I set her back down on her feet. I pull her into a long over due kiss as she grabs my face.

We had our first road trip of the season and although it was just two games, it was a four long days away from home. Although I love being with my boys on the road, I was more than excited to be back with my girls right where I belong.

"Where's Kimmy" I wonder as I look around.

"She's been asleep since 7. She still doesn't feel good" she sighs.

Right after I left Kimberly's breathing started giving her problems. While the little one always has breathing problems, they're times like recently where it's worse than normal and something has to be done about it. So Alexis took her to the doctors but they said it was just her asthma and told her to keep using her inhaler. So she's been resting at home where the coughing is becoming worse and worse. I couldn't even talk to her on the phone without her having to hand it over to her sister because she couldn't talk. I felt awful that I wasn't here to help, but I am now.

"Let's go see her" I insist and Alexis nods. She grabs my hand and pulls me to the car.

We drive back to the apartment and I have to admit, I was excited to see Kimmy again. We didn't get to talk much over the past few days and I couldn't wait to hear that little voice of hers. Road trips never seemed that bad until I had someone waiting for me to get back. And Kim doesn't really get the concept of going to play hockey, she thinks we should play all the games at the United Center so I'm around all the time. And although I agree with her, that's not how this goes. So she has to wait for me to come back and I have to go days without her telling me that she loves me.

Finally we arrive at the apartment and I leave my stuff in the car. I'll worry about all of that tomorrow. Right now I had a little girl who needed me. So I follow Alexis up to the apartment and she lets us in. The smile on my face was big as I make my way in.

But it quickly falls off when I get this feeling. This terrible feeling that something isn't right. I look around trying to see what could be wrong but I don't see anything. No lights or stuff on the floor, it looked just as I left it, maybe even better. So I keep scanning the room but I couldn't put my finger on it.

"What's wrong" Lexi wonders when she notices my growing concerned expression on my face.

"Something doesn't feel right" I insist. "Where's Kimmy" I question.

"In her room" Alexis tells me. So I go down the hallway and into her room. I open the door and I don't see anyone in there. I turn the light on and where she was laying in bed was now vacant. She was tucked in at one point but now she's not there.

"Oh no" Alexis says rather loudly.

"Sissy" a chopped up voice yells and I get chills. Immediately I look around and dart out of her room. I go into our room because that's where Kimmy goes when she's scared and wants to sleep with us.

"Kimberly" I yell into our room.

"Jonny" a weak voice replies. I turn around and see her standing by my side of the bed. I turn on the light and that's when I become frozen in my spot. My feet turn to concrete blocks as she makes her way over to me.

Her appearance was a light shade of blue as she started to shake. She looked like violet from Willy Wonka before she blew up. Kimberly falls into my arms and I easily catch her small body.

"Kimmy what's wrong" I beg.

"I can't breathe" she cried as she continues to shake.

"What's happening" I ask Alexis.

"She can't breathe right, she's not getting enough oxygen and if we don't get her to the hospital quick then her lungs will collapse and it'll be nearly impossible to get them going again" she explains.

"Alright. I'm going to jump in the back of the car and you drive us to the hospiltal" I say and Alexis nods. I look down into Kimberly's eyes and I saw so much fear. I see her fight for every breath she had left in her as she holds me tight.

"Hang on and keep breathing" I tell her and she nods.

Like a flash we leave the apartment and get to the hospital. As soon as we get there the doctors took one look at her and knew she needed help. So I set her on a hospital bed as she fights to stay conscious. They needed her awake to figure out why this was happening and how to stop it.

We explain that Kimberly has bad asthma and that she had been complaining about not being able to breathe and even recently seen a doctor about it. The doctors assure me that they're going to make her alright and keep me updated.

Eventually it was just Alexis and I in a hallway. She keeps staring down the hallway her sister went down just waiting for her to come back. It broke my heart to see her like that. She's been so strong for the last few days and I know she doesn't think this right now, but she's been doing great. She did everything she can to get her sister help and she can't kick herself for what happened.

"Hey Lexi, there's a family room where we can go lay down in. It's really late, we can go rest and the doctors will come get us when they have more news on Kim" I try.

"I'm waiting for her to come back" Alexis claims and I sigh.

"She's getting help right now. The only thing we can do is wait" I explain. She turns to me with tears in her eyes and in that moment I didn't want to exist. I didn't want to be here where Kimberly was sick and Alexis was hurting. I wanted to disappear.

"I don't want to lose her" she whispers.

"We're not going to lose her" I promise.

"How do you know that? This life can be so cruel, I've seen it. I've seen the wrath it can put on people, how is this any different" she questions.

"Because this is Kimberly we're taking about. The same girl who beat pneumonia earlier this year. The same girl who falls at least 30 times when she's on the ice but always gets up 31 times. The same girl who never stopped fighting for you. She's not going to start now" I say.

"I'm so scared" she cries as a tear hits her cheek. I quickly wipe it away before pulling her into my arms.

"I know baby. I am too. But we'll get through this together. Nothing is stronger than the love we share.

Nothing."