The Greatest Assist (Patrick Kane)

36| Safe Place

Patrick

Chelsea has been working with me for five months now and you would think that she would have been ice skating before. But yesterday she informed me that she had never been, and I had to change that. She was going to come to the family skate around the holidays last year but was still in the hospital, so now is my chance to show he what it's like to be me.

So I pick her up from her apartment and bring her to the rink we practice at. It wasn't anything special and honestly smelled kinda weird, but there's a lot of times we can't be on the ice at the United Center because it's a basketball court at the time. So we come here and work and it's just the same as putting in work at the UC without the view.

Once we get there I grab my skates and we find a size that fits her childlike feet. After she was all laced up and ready to go we carefully walk out to the ice. I hop on and she just stands at the door staring at it.

"At least this ice won't crack am I right" she laughs nervously.

"Okay now I know you're nervous because that right there, that wasn't funny" I insist as she smiles.

"I thought it was good" she defends.

"I promise it's not as scary as it looks. Just give me your hand and I'll help you" I say as I reach out.

She looks at my hand for a second as she tries to decide if she really trusted me. After thinking about it for a while she puts her hand in mine and I help her down.

Once both skates hit the ice she slides for a little. I skate behind her and put my hands on her tiny waist as I hold her steady. She wraps her little fingers around my wrist and pulled her in close to me.

"Please don't let go" she begs as her grip tightens.

"I won't let you go. I got you" I promise.

I start to push her and I feel her feet spreading open wide. So I convince her to do some of the work and start moving her feet. Once she did that she was fine, she starts to lean off of me and onto her own feet. Eventually she lets go of me as she holds her hands out trying to skate faster.

"Look at you! You're a natural" I insist.

"This is pretty fun. I see why you like being out here so much, it's quite peaceful" she claims.

"Not when there's guys trying to crush you. But sometimes I feel like it's just me out there. Like no one can touch me or get the puck off my stick. It's like for once in my life I have control" I explain. 

"I'm glad you have that in your life. Everyone needs something where they feel safe and they feel free" she admits.

"And what is your place" I wonder.

She lets out a long sigh before shrugging her shoulders. "I don't think I have a place. I think for me, it's a person" she claims.

I come to a stop on the ice causing her to come to a stop too. She softly runs into me as I hold her so she wouldn't fall. I look into her eyes and I can tell what she was going to say next.

"Please don't say it's me" I beg.

"It's you" she smirks as I laugh.

"Of course it is" I shake my head. "But why me?"

"Why does our heart chose certain people" she asks. "I'm not sure there's a real answer to that question but I've been wondering the same thing. And while I don't have the answer I know what I'm feeling and what I feel when I'm with you is as safe as I've ever been. As happy as I ever been" she says.

"I just don't see how you can look at me and make me seem so much better than I am" I admit.

"I'm just stating facts here" she defends.

"Well I'm happy that I can make a difference in your life like you have in mine. Because if I mean a fraction to you as what you mean to me then I'm doing something right" I insist.

"You mean the world to me Patrick" she says softly. I feel the hairs on my arms stand on end as I listen to her.

"Then why is this relationship stuff so hard for me" I question.

"Because it's life. It's a constant domino of how one action leads to another and another and another. You never think it's much at first but it turns into something bigger before you know it. And there isn't anything we can do to to change a lot of what happens to us, just how it affects us. And when you spend the first 22 years of your life believing that whatever happens to you is how it has to be it becomes hard to change. But it's not impossible. Each day I watch you grow and get stronger. I'm so proud of the man you're becoming but you can't stop now. This isn't the destination but a rewarding part of the journey we call life" she explains.

"I love it when you get all intellectual on me" I admit.

"Philosophical" she corrects as I roll my eyes.

"Alright, Princess. What do you say to taking off the training wheels and get you skating on your own" I ask.

"I say let's do it" she agrees.

So I help her get started but once she had some speed I let go of her hips. I grab her hand and skate next to her so I'm still close enough to help her if she needed it. But honestly she was keeping up with me just fine on her own.

We skate for a hour before her legs get tired and the ice needed zambonied. So we get off and head back to my place for a little while. There was no game tonight but Chelsea promised to help me set up a few photo shoots and other media stuff that comes with shooting a Stanley cup winning goal.

As we sit on my couch I see her rub her feet and I frown. "Did you get blisters from the skates" I wonder.

"I think so. They kinda hurt" she admits. She was a tough girl with a high pain tolerance so for her to say something must mean they really hurt.

So I grab her feet and pull them into my lap as I try to massage them. She was ticklish at first but she finally calms down as she sits in silence and watches me.

"What are you doing" she finally asks.

"This is my shitty way of trying to make you feel better" I admit.

"I actually think it's helping. But you might want to keep going just to make sure" she smirks.

"Whatever you say my Princess" I smile.