The Greatest Assist (Patrick Kane)

37| Against All Odds

Chelsea

There are some moments in life where things seem to be going a little too well. You're financially stable and healthy and happy. You love your job and your friends and all the things you're learning. When you want to you have a smile on your face because for once you're actually excited to see what the day brings. You feel like it would be hard to find something bad that has happened to you... but it doesn't really matter when something bad tends to finds you instead.

That's the feeling I had when I heard knocking on my door this morning. Patrick was in Vancouver for a game and I had made no plans with friends to come over. So when I looked through the peep hole and saw my parents standing there I just knew that all this good I had in my life was seconds away from being ripped from beneath me.

So I reluctantly welcome them in as they stand in the doorway. They just sit there and judge my whole life before even trying to understand why I was here and what I was doing.

"Am I in trouble" I ask them.

"You haven't been completely honest with us, have you" my mother accuses.

"About which part" I wonder because I have lied about a number of things, I just want to know which one they were referring to so I don't stick my foot in my mouth bringing up all the other ones.

"About why you are here. About your job" she says.

Oh... that.

"I didn't want to tell you what my occupation was because you believe that if I work for someone else it depleats my personal worth" I explain.

"Because it does" my dad argues.

"It really doesn't. What I do here is make a difference in the life of a person who affects millions of other peoples happiness too. So if I can make a difference in his life I can make a difference in a lot of other peoples too. A actual difference that matters. I'm happy and he is happy and that is worth more than anything you have ever done for people" I argue.

"The Tyler Family are not people who are servants" my mother insists.

"I'm not a servant mom. I'm a assistant. It's like in hockey, the goal is the thing that shows up in the box score but without a assist it doesn't always happen. Patrick's the goal and I'm the assist" I explain.

"I don't care how you word it, you work for him and him only and that is in unacceptable. We could look over look the fact you got degrees in college that are less than ideal, we could let it slide that you worked with the Lakers because you were still in LA and they all had to answer to you.

But this... this just isn't right. You need to come back home now and rethink everything" my mom claims.

"Go back? Why the hell would I want to go back" I ask.

"It's not a want to, it's a have to kind of situation" she explains.

"I'm not going anywhere. LA has nothing there that I want. Besides friends and family I don't want to be there and they come out to Chicago so I don't need to go back to see them. Why would I want to be back there surrounded by people who don't want me when I have some like Patrick who is ready to die for me if he has to" I ask.

"He's just another Jordan" my dad claims and I stop.

I feel the tears in my eyes as I clench my fists to my side. I shake my head as I feel all the air in my body leave.

"He is nothing like Jordan" I whisper.

"Really? Because egotistical gifted athlete who has no clue what they're doing in their life seems to be your type" he argues.

"Patrick isn't capable of doing and saying the things Jordan did and said. He cares about me, about my happiness and my life. Hell, he even tried to reach out to you guys because he thought you cared half as much as he does. That's how high he thinks of me. But you don't, he does" I defend.

"He's a mess sweetie. A high tier hockey player who wants you to come in and do all the hard work for him because he can't do it himself. He pays you to fix his reputation while he continues to piss his life away. He isn't capable of feeling anything that isn't for himself. We know everything there is to know about him and there isn't a thing he can offer you that you can't do for yourself" my mom explains.

"You're right. And I don't want anything from him, not status not money not attention or fame. I know that if I wanted that stuff I could have just stayed home and you guys would have made whatever happen for me to have those things. Only it would have to be under your terms and that isn't what I want from this life.

I want adventure, friendship, I want to learn what it's like not to have everything handed to me. I wanted love... and I found it here with Patrick" I say softly.

My parents just stare at me as I get lost in my head. I've never admitted that I loved Patrick before, not even in my head. I figured that if I said it then it had to be true and there's no going back. I was scared to love him for every reason I could think of, but I think I knew deep down I was even more scared of not being in love with him. Not having this relationship that makes my whole world spin.

But it was true, I loved him and I wasn't going anywhere because of that. I was going to stay and fight for this love I made against all odds.

"You're just going to get hurt again" my dad accuses.

"Not this time. Because I'm smarter now than I was then. I don't have to be a physics professor or a neurosurgeon to understand my feelings and what they're capable of. If I love something I'm going to fight for it and I love this city, this job and this man and I'm staying here. If you want me to come back you're going to have to drag my ass out of here and I will spend every day that I'm stuck back in LA making sure you wish you never brought me back" I threaten.

My mom lets out a huff as she turns around. "Lets go Martin. We will be back" she announces. They step out the door before slamming it behind them. I stand in the middle of the apartment with my hands still clinched to my sides like my 5 foot self could actually do anything. If they really wanted to they could have dragged me out of here. But I would never comply with their rules, their awful idea of how life should be lived.

I belonged here with Patrick and the city and nothing they said or did would change my mind.