He Took Me Home

Stay High

Abby's POV

It wasn't an hour and our pictures had shown up all over gossiping tv stations. We were still at the zoo! We did our best to avoid the prying eyes but God they where everywhere! At some point we just looked at eachother and sighed, "Maybe it's about time we left," Jordan said, sighing in frustration.

I pulled a face but nodded in agreement anyway. I wasn't thinking, Emmaline's face could be plastered all over the news now, and the little girl deserved privacy in her childhood. The sister of Evgeni Malkin at the zoo with one of his ex-teammates! It seems the tabloids had found their next spectacle! What a joke, I thought to myself. What could possibly entice people to pry into my life? I'm not that interesting! In fact I'm perfectly plain, without any real excitement in my life at all. I snorted in absolute disgust.

Jordan noticed my gesture and took my hand in his, we shared a look that said I know what its like, and we looked down at the two little ones sitting on the zoo bench, licking their ice cream cones, side by side.
Emmaline was totally enticed by her treat, and licked and munched at it furiously, enjoying it with little murmurs of "mmmm"s. The little boy next to her however, allowed his ice cream to melt down the side of his hand. He stared intently at the little girl beside him, totally enthralled by her and her scarlet curls.
When Emmaline finally looked over at him, he slowly pushed his cone towards her, offering a taste of the flavour he chose. She smiled and leaned over to lick the creamy, delicious sweet he gave her, and giggled happily when it hit her tongue. She smiled at him and gave him a shy "thank you" before offering him a taste of her cone. Parker shook his head at her, not wanting to take any of her ice cream and then scooted closer to her, placing his tiny hand over hers.
"That's my boy," Jordan whispered into my ear and startled me from my gaze. I smacked his chest playfully and he trapped it there with his. He pulled me closer to him until our foreheads touched and I smiled up at him. He lightly touched his lips to mine.

Click!

The loud paparazzi got their shot of our embrace and my face turned red with anger. Can I not have one moment to myself? Can nothing be private? Why was I suddenly a hot topic in Pittsburgh?
I looked over at Jordan and he looked equally annoyed. We both snatched up the kids, who protested at being separated and marched off towards the zoo exit.
Emmaline looked over my shoulder at Parker, and I knew he was looking back at her. "Do you like Parker?" I asked her softly, stopping for a moment to look her in the eye.
She nodded silently and pouted out her bottom lip as if understanding she likely wouldn't see him again. She looked on the verge of tears, like her little heart was breaking.
I looked over at Parkers little outstretched hand , reaching through air to touch her chubby cheeks again. He too, had teary eyes.
My eyes connected with Jordan's. He and I stood a mere twenty feet from each other as we stopped and gazed at each other. There was a silence as we took in a breath and then a half smile graced his lips.
"This isn't over Malkin," he said playefully.
"Never," I countered.

*****

Emmaline was once again strapped into her car seat in the back of my truck. She whimpered a little in the back and I looked back at her. She strained in her car seat to look out the window.
I didn't know if she'd see little Parker again, he didn't live here, nor did his uncle, and it would make seeing him difficult. I needed a way to distract her. I suddenly got an idea.
"Would you like to go see daddy?" I asked her, I looked into the mirror and her gaze didn't leave the window.
Her lip quivered and her eyes grew large with tears, as she squeaked out a shakey yes. I sighed and made a left toward the hospital. Lights flashed wildly down the street behind me. I reached up and adjusted my mirror as the red and white nights flashed the screech of the ambulance rolling down the street assaulted my ears, I pulled the truck over to let it pass. I pulled into the parking lot and parked close to the doors. I pulled the now sobbing Emmaline from her safety restraints and moved her over onto my left hip. I balanced her there and made my way towards the doors.
When they opened, the hospital was in a bustle. The ambulance attendents wheeled the stretcher in with what looked like an injured man on top. I stayed out of their way as he was brought into another room, I softly padded up to the front desk. And she lifted her worried looking eyes in my direction. I barely opened my mouth for a moment when she cut me off "You'll have to give me a moment dear," her voice sounded deeply upset and my brows came together in an unspoken question. But nodded and made my way to the sitting area. She lifted up her phone a dialed a code, having a rushed conversation with what I assumed was a doctor on the other line. She then hung up and went to work on her computer, flipping papers and then got up and disappeared all together.
Nurses flew down the halls in a rush, everyone seemed to be in a panic. I watched curiously, the hospital was not near this busy the last time I'd come to see Axel. I then looked out the window and my eyes widened. Vans for local news stations and paparazzi started to pull into the parking lot and swarm at the doors, that now seemed to be blocked off by security guards who weren't there the moment before. I felt Emmaline grip the front of my shirt as she took in the sight in from of us. I pulled her closer to my chest as she his her face in my blouse. The TV in the corner of the room was turned on and I half mindedly aknowlegded that the game was on. Evgeni was on the ice and Pittsburgh was losing by six goals. My eyes furrowed, the Pens have been having a rough few games but this is the worst its been all season! Syd must be having an off game, he usually at least answers with a few goals, I thought to myself .
Emmaline laid her head on my chest as her eyes tiredly drooped, she hasn't had her normal afternoon nap and the tears seen to have taken it out of her. I wrapped my arm protectively around her, trying to dull the noise of the oddly busy hospital. My eyebrows furrowed as I heard a crash down the hall, like something had fallen to the floor.
I held Emmaline close when a closer crash sounded and a deep male voice sounded down the hall
"Let go of me! I'm fine!" The voice sounded familiar and I raised from my seat, I sat Emmaline down on the leather chair next to me where she curled up once more. Another xrash soynded down the hall and I leaned over tried to crane my neck and peer down the hall at the man making the noise.
Nurses rushed past me, assumingly to restrain the man. I oddly didn't feel any danger, only curiosity. I looked back at Emmaline, who sat comfortably in her chair and then, assured that she wouldn't move from her spot, I began to slowly move down the hall. Taking slow, careful steps.
The crashing and sounds of struggle got louder as I rounded the corner and the scene came into sight. There was a group of five or six nurses surrounding a man in a hospital gown. They all had a hold of him. The man was obviously very well built and struggled against their holds. His back was to me, and as he pulled against them, the back of his gown opened up offering a lovely view of his backside. I blushed at my sudden arousal at seeing his muscular thighs, back, and butt flex with effort. This man is very well built, I thought shamefully. I felt in a daze, watching him tussel with the nurses but was knocked back to reality when I tuned in to what the nurses where saying.
"Mr. Crosby please you need to return to your room!"