My Rock

Twenty Five

"Oh Ashley!" Sidney sung after coming home from practice and getting the mail.

"In the kitchen!" I yelled back.

"You've got mail!"

"Oh Lord, from who?"

"The Penguins organization!"

"For what?" I asked, truthfully confused.

"Wives and girlfriends night," he smiled.

"What the heck is that?"

"It's a night here all of the wives and girlfriends go to the game and you all bond, and talk to the press. And because you're the captains girlfriend you have no choice but to go."

"Sid, are you serious?" I groaned. I don't like those catty women and they're really getting under my skin lately.

"Yup. Plus it's to help raise awareness to a local women's charity and majority of the ticket prices during that game go towards the game. So it's for a great cause! And you'll remember to talk to the press and be nice?" he rubbed my thigh.

"Of course I will! I know I'm representing you and your team so I'll be on my best behaviour. Sucks I can't drink though," I mumbled.

"Hey." he pointed at me walking out of the kitchen.

"What!?"

"No drinking!"

"You can't blame me for wanting to! You've seen some of those women!"

"You're right," he chuckled. "Sucks to be you!"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, love you too Cindy!"

"Hey!" he yelled back from upstairs. He owes me big time!

**Leaving For The Game**
"I don't wanna go!" I groaned, fixing my bronzer.

"Why the hell are you doing your makeup like that?" he asked.

"When Heather comes to the door ask her that question," I replied. Jordan and Heather were going to pick us up and we could carpool with them. I don't wanna go alone.

"Fine I will."

"Yo bitches! I'm here!" Jordan yelled, walking through the door. "Hello puppies!" I heard him coo, picking up the dogs and playing with them, like he always does.

"Go ask," I raised an eyebrow as we walked down the stairs.

"Hey Heather?" Sidney asked.

"Yes?"

"Why are you guys doing your makeup like that?" She shot him a look with her eyes bulging out of her face.

"Sidney! Are you crazy! We gotta look good! We have competition and bitches who will judge us!"

"He didn't understand so we had to clear this up for him," I patted his back. It's true though. We always have natural make up and not too too much but we kicked it up a bit and I'm scared shitless.

"You girls are such babies." Jordan rolled his eyes. Heather shot him a death look and he knew he was in shit. "Just get in the car. Preggo, you can take the front seat."

"No, no! I don't have to! Heather can sit in the front, I'm fine back here."

"Just get in the front please," Jordan pleaded.

"I'll kick your ass Staal," I laughed.

"No you won't! You hit like a girl!" he teased.

"Bro, she actually has a good swing," Sidney laughed.

"Try me Staalzy," I laughed.

"Sit where you want then," he gave up.

Sidney went in the front next to him and Heather and I were in the back. It was a nice ride and we were actually having a blast. I'm glad that we are all close because they are Sid's best friend and girlfriend and we hang out all the time. When we got to the arena we saw photographers and Jordan instantly went to the underground parking where only teammates, staff and people with special passes could park. I let out a heavy breath once we parked. Sidney heard and grabbed my hand, not taking his eyes off of the road. He's so sweet sometimes.

"Good luck ladies, have fun at dinner and cheer us on loudly!" Jordan said as we got out, giving me a hug, while Sidney hugged Heather.

"Good luck, you'll do great, and you look really great tonight," he looked down, brushing his hand on my cheek and licking his lips. I have two outfits for tonight and Sidney is quite the fan of both. One gives a good girl image and the other is a bit more tough and sexy. Even though I'm pregnant, I can still rock leather and heels.

"Thanks, you too. Score us a goal," I laughed, rubbing my belly.

"Be good for mommy," he said, rubbing my belly with me. "Love you."

"Love you too," I kissed him.

The boys grabbed our hands and led us to the family suite, dropping us off quickly. We looked at each other and took a deep breath. When we walked in we were greeted by a couple of the women. Thankfully the bitches weren't there yet so we could get relaxed beforehand. I was in the middle of a conversation with Craig Adams wife Anne, Pascal's wife Carole-Lyne and Chris Kunitz's wife Maureen, and then it all turned into baby talk.

"How's the pregnancy going?" Anne asked.

"It's pretty good, I have my rough moments but it's pretty good," I replied.

"Do you know what you're having yet?" Maureen asked.

"No, not yet. We decided to leave it a surprise but now I kinda wanna know what it is," I gushed. It's nice to have baby talk with women around my own age and who have had a somewhat similar experience.

"With all of our kids we left it a surprise too," Carole-Lyne smiled.

"It's like an extra surprise when you actually have the baby."

"Especially if the father actually shows up in time right Carole-Lyne?" Anne nudged over.

"What the heck happened during your delivery?" I laughed.

"Pascal almost didn't make it for the birth of our youngest Lola, and made it with 8 minutes to spare. The game just ended and he was gone!"

"Oh my God! How mad were you?" I asked, full of fear. It never occurred to me that I could be having this baby without Sidney being there and now I'm starting to panic.

"I was mad but I always knew it was a possibility. It's like anything with their job though."

"Oh yeah, I can't tell you how many things Chris has missed for Zachary, and he's only 8 months old!" Maureen said.

"Just wait until they get older, it get's tougher. I feel so bad when Craig makes promises to the kids and has to cancel. You have to deal with crying kids and it crushes you inside. Ugh, it's just not fun." Are they trying to scare the crap out of me?

"You'll find that you'll learn how to deal with the kids though, because you will spend so much more time with them," Carole-Lyne smiled, placing her hand on my shoulder.

"Did you guys find it hard at first to get comfortable with having a newborn baby and being in season?" I asked, biting my lip.

"Yes and no. They boys will get some leniency from the coaching staff but you'll still be overwhelmed with the normal pressure a new mom will have. I'm assuming you'll have some help during the first few days anyways and probably when he starts going on road trips again, but you'll get into a routine and will be fine. Plus once Sidney comes home, he'll pick up the slack and you'll get a great break. Yes, you'll have those normal breakdowns but that's normal. I promise you that you'll be fine," Maureen said, very reassuringly.

"Okay thank God! I'm so nervous for those stages!" I laughed.

"You'll have your Penguins family here to help you. If you ever need anything you can give us a call, even if it's to vent to someone or anything. We've been through it before. Plus, you'll find it a bit more challenging because you are the captains wife, so you'll have lots of help!" Anne said.

"Speaking of which, I think it's your turn to go get interviewed," Carole-Lyne winked, seeing the reporter come over for me.

"Hello, I'm Nick, I'm here for Pens TV, may we please interview you?"

"Of course!" I smiled, accepting his hand and shaking it.

We got into position where he wanted me to be. All of the wives and girlfriends continued to gossip and chit chat while watching. I could feel the eyes burning onto my backside, especially from the group of bitches. Heather was stuck with them and Vero was getting punch, giving them nasty looks. Before I knew it, I was in my first interview representing Sidney.

"Today is a very special day for the Penguins, because it's ladies night! And who better than to help represent it by then being here with the ladies of the Pittsburgh Penguins themselves? I'm here with Sidney Crosby's girlfriend Ashley, so first and foremost, welcome to Pittsburgh!"

"Thank you! It's great to be here, love the city," I smiled, like my regular happy self.

"Tonight is a special game for the Pens, with proceeds from every ticket going towards the women's shelter here in downtown Pittsburgh. As a women, how important is this night for you?"

"I think it's a great night! I know all of the women here are huge supporters of the cause and we're all here to help raise money and celebrate. These women at the shelter have gone through so much and it's the least we can do to come here tonight and raise and donate some money to help them have better lives. Especially around the holidays."

"In another week we have the children's toy drive, how will you all be celebrating?"

"Well we actually have a huge family day with the Penguins and they'll do their own special day as they usually do, then all of the kids will be here for the next home game and will help gather donated toys from anyone who came and or donated."

"Will your little one be there in time?"

"No, no!" I chuckled, "We won't be seeing an appearance from the little one for another few months."

"Can we expect a little hockey player to be skating around in a few years?"

"Everyone always asks that question," I asked. "The baby will be playing hockey, after all, it is Sidney's, we just don't know if they'll be playing for the men's or women's hockey team yet." We both heard a really loud snicker from one of the wives or girlfriends and the host caught on. Clearly the jealousy is alive tonight.

"How is the atmosphere back here with all of you ladies?"

"It's really good! This is the first time I've really gotten to know some of these ladies, and I know it's others first time as well, so it's a nice bonding event. We all get along and there's a lot of baby talk tonight and stories of everyone's children."

"I wonder why," he joked.

"Yeah, no kidding," I rubbed my belly. "It's good though, I'm getting lots of baby tips and advice, so hopefully their men are sharing their knowledge with Sidney so we can both be prepared."

"Do you think Sidney will be a good dad?"

"Very much so! He's so great with kids naturally, especially young fans, so I think we should be fine raising a baby Crosby."

"You've heard it here, no news if we will have a new baby penguin yet or not, but you can catch the rest of the Penguins gang here next week at the children's toy drive! James," the reporter said back.

I walked back to the group of ladies and we all made it back to our seats. Heather and Vero all told me that I did a great job and complained the whole time about the stupid girls in the group. The camera was on me a lot during the warm up, as well as the group and they got so upset everytime they were cut out of the shot. I don't mind being on the screen, I'm used to it, but the last thing I need is for them to be judging me like the rest of the arena.

"Here we are, looking at Sidney Crosby's girlfriend, looking to be very pregnant and full of smiles. Gosh, she seems like such a sweet girl," the one announcer said, while the crowd was finding their seats.

"She is a super nice girl. She seems like a genuine person, much like Sid, and she seems very comfortable with Sidney's position and role of the team," the other announcer replied.

"Sidney seems happy with her too, he's been playing excellently since she came to Pittsburgh, in fact-" I could hear the stupid comments behind my ear and I just wanted to cry. I know I'm fat, I'm pregnant.

The game was exciting and they were winning too. I just enjoyed the game and cheered for Sidney, completely disregarding what they were saying about me. During the last intermission I had to go make an appearance at an interview station and while walking, with security of course, I had tons of people walking over to me and making nice comments. It made me feel great about myself for once.

Dinner was even worst. We had it at the sports bar down the street, not wanting to fill up the one at the arena. We were treated like queen's and I hated it. I mean, yes it's nice not having to go get everything for yourself but it's ridiculous what they'd do for us. Sidney and I are similar in this way where we hate having people do stuff for us. The girls who were rude were at least polite to my face but at least we survived.

**When leaving**
Sidney and Jordan came in to come get us and escort us out. I said goodbye to those who mattered and I was gone. Walking out there was tons of pictures being taken. Sidney was walking infront of me, grabbing my one hand and making sure no one bumped into me, Heather behind me and Jordan behind her. It was chaos. I got in the back seat and Sidney slammed the door shut before getting in himself.

"This is ridiculous bro, we aren't even in New York or LA," Jordan said pulling out.

"Welcome to my fucking life I groaned."

"How was the dinner ladies?" Sidney asked.

"I am so fucking drunk and I don't even care," Heather slurred. She was drinking a lot with Vero and if I could, I would be too.

"Heath, why would you drink this much?" Jordan asked, clearly dreading his night.

"Because those bitches piss me off and they annoyed me all night. It was so nice before they came. Just because they're older and their husbands have played longer than you, they think they run things. Like, bitch, I will cut you." Sidney laughed and looked over at Jordan, knowing he would be in for it later.

"How was your interview?" Sidney asked me.

"It was good! The girls didn't love it but whatever."

"That's what happens when your sucking the captains dick, they all get jealous and hate on you!" Heather slurred.

"Don't listen to them baby," Sidney cooed.

"I know, I'm not. Honestly, who cares? They'll be traded later on anyway."

"At least I fucking love you!" Heather screamed again, squeezing me tight.

"And I fucking love you too," Jordan mumbled, rolling his eyes. This is what happens when you force girls who don't like each other together for hours.