The Greatest Assist (Patrick Kane)

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Chelsea

After struggling to make plans while being thousands of miles away and trying to align our schedules, Kanan and Marissa finally join me here in Chicago. With the Blackhawks about to go on their forever long road trip that was actually only a week and a half I had some free time. I trusted that the organization could handle Patrick on their own for a few days while I showed my best friends around the city.

As soon as they get here I take them to the aquarium which was one of our favorite things to do back home and Shedds was no joke. I've already been here a few times by myself but I knew with them here with me it was going to be a good time. I couldn't wait to pet the sharks and see the stingrays.

"So where's your boy toy now" Marissa asks making Kanan side eye me. And so it starts.

"We're not dating" I say to her but mostly to him.

"Does he know that" Kanan questions. He really had it out for him after what happened with Jordan, but I wish he didn't. They both mean a lot to me and I don't want to lose either of them.

"He does. We've talked many times about him finding himself before he tries to find a girlfriend" I defend.

"But you're not denying that said girlfriend might be you" Marissa grills me. I just shake my head because I've missed her but this is the only part I didn't miss. She was obsessed with trying to hook me up with people, hell, she tried to hook me up with Kanan before she realized she had a crush on him.

"I don't know what's going to happen Riss. I can't promise you what will and what won't happen in the future. At one point I never imagined myself running away from LA and into the arms of a beautiful city full of mystery and fun and now look at me" I explain.

"We miss you like hell back home" she admits.

"You're the only ones" I mumble.

"You know that's not true. There's many people on the Lakers dying without you. Their new PR person is trash" she insists.

"Well I really do like it here. I've already had my sister out and mom and dad haven't tried to talk to me once since I left" I announce.

"Not even once" Kanan asks.

"Nope. And I prefer to keep it that way" I beg.

"What about your brothers? Have you talked to them" he wonders.

"A few times yeah, mostly them wanting Patrick's autograph" I laugh. Typical for them.

"He's not even that great" Kanan claims.

"What do you have against this guy? Because if it's something bad I should probably know" I insist.

"He just... he reminds me of Jordan" he admits. "And with Jordan he didn't seem bad at the start. This guy already go in trouble so who knows how bad it can get after that?"

I feel all life leave me when I heard him say his name. And it doesn't happen every time someone says Jordan, trust me I hear that name a lot in this city. But knowing that he was talking about that Jordan made my stomach churn. Like it was getting pumped again.

"He's nothing like him" I whisper.

"You wouldn't see the bad in him either" he reminds me.

"It's not that I didn't see the bad, it's that I didn't care. I knew he had a temper and I knew he couldn't control his emotions. I knew that from the time I was in college and we started talking. But I was in love and to me those things didn't matter. I thought that my love for him was stronger than whatever it was he threw at me. But I was wrong and I'll admit that.

Patrick... he's not a bad guy. He knows that I won't work with him if he doesn't help me out some. It's more than apparent that the guy he wants to be and the guy he is now isn't the same person and until we get him there I work for him.

He's greatly misunderstood and he has so many great things about him he won't show because he doesn't think people would care. You know he goes to the children's hospital every month and tries to put a smile on the kids' faces? He donates money for the homeless and he goes to schools in this city to try and inspire the next Patrick Kane.

Who you are is who you are when no one is looking. What he does out of the spotlight is far greater than anything you will ever read about him. And it sucks because people won't see that he's not just trying to be a good guy, he is a good guy, but he lets everyone walk around truly believing that he's a no good egotistical drunk who doesn't care for his well being or his career because he doesn't think people would change. But I see every day the man he is and what you think about him... that's not him" I defend.

Kanan's eyes fall he looks from me to the ground. I can feel the intensity on him as a sigh passes his lips. "I just can't let you get hurt again. Never again" he whispers.

"I appreciate that Kay, but you can't stop me from experiencing everything. I'm going to live my life the best way I know how. Right now it's with him as a big part of it. I know it scares you, especially with me being so far away. But I trust Patrick, I really do" I defend.

"What if you're wrong" he asks.

"And what if I'm not" I counter.

He look back up at me before a small smile comes up on his face. "You're so damn stubborn" he accuses making me laugh.

"I am. And that's why I'm going to be fine" I promise.

We finish up at the aquarium before we find someplace to eat. I take them to Giordanos for some real deep dish pizza. Like tourists they take a picture of their food before digging in. They've had deep sig before, but nothing like this.

"I see why you like this place so much. If it wasn't so expensive I would move out here too" Marissa says with a mouth full of pizza.

"I would love that! You could meet my friends I made here and go to the bars. We could have so much fun if you lived out here" I insit.

"I wouldn't" Kanan mutters.

"Oh come on! Yes you would. Michael Jordan was your idol and there is plenty of management jobs open out here. You would thrive" I accused.

"I'm just not a midwestern boy" he defends.

"I can get you some overalls and boots and you would fit right in" I tease.

"No thank you. I like my beaches by the ocean and my winters in the 50's" he claims.

"Wimp" I mumble.

"I'm not a wimp! But you can't tell me that the fact that it's almost 30 degrees in November doesn't scare you" he accuses.

"It does a little" I admit. "But I can't wait to see snow and spend Christmas somewhere where it feels like christmas" I admit.

"You're not coming home" Marissa questions.

"As far as I'm concerned, I am home" I smile.