Sixty Seconds [Conor Sheary]

5

Kris stood by the doorway to his son's bedroom watching Audrey tuck Alex in. He smiled, staying silent not wanting to break their little moment. He was happy that his sister had gotten along so well with everybody close to him.

Audrey noticed Kris and smiled. "Hey."

"Thanks for tucking him in."

The brunette glanced back at Alex who was already fast asleep. "No problem, I missed out on three years of his life, I want to make up for it."

"Listen, tomorrow the team and I are having lunch, you can join us if you'd like."

Audrey nodded. "Sure, but I'm going to meet with some friends beforehand. And I'm also going to visit my parents."

Kris frowned slightly. "Your parents?"

"They're still my parents, Kris, no matter what. They were the ones who raised me and made me who I am today—I'm nothing without them."

Kris nodded, placing a kiss on her forehead. "Okay, go get some sleep. Good night."

"Night."

-

The following day Audrey made her way out of the Letang's home and into her car. She started the engine before driving out of the driveway. She made her way to her favourite restaurant and as soon as she got there she spotted her parents.

Audrey took a deep breath before walking over to them, the last time they'd spoken was when they told her she was adopted. What an icebreaker that would be today.

She sat and they stared. They just stared at her. Like she was a stranger. Some unknown person that they didn't raise for eighteen years. Audrey didn't say anything until they did. It hurt but this was how it was going to be from now on. She may come out of this dinner feeling amazing and she might end up crying because her parents are no longer her parents; and right now they aren't parents.

The silence was blinding and the tension was suffocating. Audrey sat there in the chair as her parents couldn't even look her in the eyes. She felt like an embarrassment. For the first time in the past two weeks it felt like Kris and Cath have been better family then the people sat in front of her and the ones her raised her for the first eighteen years of her life were. It hurt but she knew if she went home crying Kris, Cath and Alex would have something to fix that.

After a long ten minute silence Audrey finally spoke. "I know it was difficult for you to see me move out and in with my biological family but your going to have to deal with it. I cannot handle the stress of trying to impress you when you won't even try to make conversation over a dinner that YOU invited me to. I can't handle it any longer. Kris and Cath have been better to me in the past two weeks then you have been to me in the past eighteen years. They don't bribe me with things to make me feel good, or leave me alone all the time. They want to know how I am, what I'm doing and how I'm feeling. That's a question I've been asked more in two weeks than in eighteen years, 'how are you?'. Well I'm not doing to well right now but I'm going to leave and go home where I'll feel welcome and comfortable as of here where I feel uncomfortable and ashamed."

On the drive home Audrey had time to think about what had just happened. She didn't care if their feelings were hurt, or if she lowered their self-esteem. She just couldn't handle it an longer. It just hurt her to think about any of it. She was thinking of taking Estelle and Alex out for ice cream when she got back to Kris'.

As expected when she pulled up to the house Kris was on the front porch in the chair waiting for her. Walking up to him the look on her face said everything. She didn't want to talk about it and it didn't go over very well. Kris pulled her into his chest and held her. She felt two smaller sets of arms wrap around her legs and three extra sets of arms wrap around her body. She wasn't alone in the world anymore. The pain of being alone was gone. She was surrounded by love and support. She had the whole Penguins Organization from what Kris had told her, she had her nephew and Estelle who was now copying Alex and calling her Auntie Audrey, and she had Cath and the rest of the wives and girlfriends. She wasn't alone, and it felt great.

Looking down at Estelle and Alex she said "Come on, Auntie Audrey will take you out for ice cream." and grabbed their chubby little hands.

They let go and ran after the car. Hiding the fact her pain was high at the moment seemed best. Especially with Kris and the Pens making a good run in the 2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs. She will now mask it with taking the kids out and trying to be herself. Which was going to be difficult but she would manage for now.