Fire and Ice (Jonathan Toews)

No Prize To Be Won

Cassidy

As July comes to a end I get further into rehabilitation. I still had to wear the walking boot but I was off the crutches for good now. It looked nasty but it was feeling better which was all that matters.

Long before I got hurt and I was working to win my 4th straight world championship I agreed to do a little biography for CBS Sports, kind of like a day in a life of me. It was supposed to be me training and my diet and my attitude towards being a athlete while dating a athlete and raising a kid.

Now it's kind of a come back story. Where I am in my life right now and where I'm going. I never frayed from telling people about me. If I deny something it doesn't make it any less true. There's no point in denying the fact that it's hard when Jonathan is away or that sometimes I just want to be alone to figure some things out. I'm not perfect nor would I every try to covey that to people that I am. I'm usually always l open about my life but there's some things I would rather keep to myself. I've been lucky, usually the people who ask me questions don't get too personal but I don't need people just showing up to my wedding or sending me gifts on my birthday. But I do like my fans to know that the person they're putting their faith in has faith in herself too.

The camera people and such come in early one morning and set up cameras and lights. I make some breakfast while they figure out what they want to do. I feed my baby and my bigger baby before changing into some nike Capri leggings and a team USA shirt. I pull my hair back into a wavy pony tail and I was ready for the day.

"Alright. So why don't you kinda explain what a day is like with you recovering" she starts.

"The first thing I do when I wake up is get my baby. She doesn't really cry so I never know if she needs me. But I'm usually the first one up so I go and get her and bring her to bed with me. We wake up Jonathan and that's how our day starts.

Then I come down and make breakfast like I did this morning. I usually make eggs, nothing in them. Just eggs then some fresh fruit. Jonathan gets a protein shake and I have a glass of orange juice. Then we clean up and I do some exercises" I say showing them to the area of the living room with a work out bench. I sit down and grab a stretching band and start to stretch out my ankle.

"How long do you do this for" they wonder.

"I use the bands for about ten minutes then do some calf raises and yoga for another ten. I'm not allowed to do a lot so I do whatever I can to get my ankle right again" I explain.

"Do you plan on coming back" they ask and I sigh.

"Of course I want to get back again. And I'm one of the most impatient people ever" I claim.

"She is" Jon yells from the kitchen and I roll my eyes.

"But this is something out of my control. I can't heal myself. Even when it's healed it's not going to be the same. I know that. All I can do is listen to my doctors and take care of my body and hope for the best" I shrug.

"When it happened, did you have any clue it was this bad?"

"I knew it wasn't good. I was lucky it was at the very end of the routine because I probably would have tried to skate on it again. Maybe it was the nerves or the adrenaline still pushing through my veins that made it so I didn't realize it at first. It was a move I mastered in high school, I didn't think anything of it. But as soon as I stepped on it I knew it wasn't good. It hurt just to look at it" I chuckle.

"Rumor has it when the doctor tried to cut the skate off you told them you would rather loose the foot" they say and I laugh.

"Yeah. Obviously if it came down to it I would rather have the skate cut off, but if there was any way to keep those skates that's how I wanted that to happen. They're special skates, I got them for my birthday last year and my daughter has a matching pair. They mean the world to me" I smile.

After I finish my ankle workouts and answer a few more questions we go upstairs. I show them Jon and I's room which wasn't much. We were pretty simple people and didn't spend a lot of time in there so there wasn't much to look at. Then I show them the nursery where Olivia was doing tummy time with Jon. I join them on the floor as she plays with the sensory toys. She was a advanced little baby which scared me because once she learns how to move around on her own there will be no stopping her.

After that I show them the only other room upstairs that isn't a spare bedroom. I open the door and they gasp when they see the man cave.

"Wow... this is impressive" they admit as they look around.

"Just wait until you see what the future holds. This... this is just the beginning" I insist.

"Is that you" they ask pointing to the picture of me from worlds with the words "open arms" on it.

"Yup. That's me" I nod.

"Are you up there because you're a prize to Jonathan" they ask and I laugh.

"I'm not prize to be won. Jon and I work so well together because we work with each other, not for. He didn't put that up there because next to winning a gold medal I'm his second favorite thing he's won" I defend.

"I wanted it up there because without her there is none of this" Jon says and I turn to him. He had Olivia in his arms half asleep half trying to figure out why all these people are in her house. "Cassidy is her own woman. So spectacular and brilliant. Though I feel more than lucky to have her, I didn't earn her, I didn't fight for her with some other man and came out victorious. I was blessed enough that she fell in love with me and wanted all these amazing things with me. I do feel like I won, but I didn't win any prize. I won a life that I wouldn't trade for any other out there. And it all starts with her" he says.

"I love you too" I smile.

We all return downstairs and I sit on the couch with Jonathan and Olivia as the camera people and interviewer sits across from us.

"So what's going to happen next" they ask.

"I'm going to continue therapy. Next month I get to lose the walking cast and start real physical therapy again. I won't be able to skate again until December so until then I'll be working out with this guy" I say patting Jon's leg.

"Does she keep up" they ask Jon.

"She usually smokes me. She might be small but don't let her looks fool you, she is one of the most competitive people I know" he insists.

"Who's the most competitive" they wonder.

"Me" he claims and I roll my eyes.

"So you guys are getting married soon, what made you think now is the right time considering both of you are in the prime of your careers" they ask.

"There's never not enough time for love" I claim. "I'm going to continue doing what I can to support Jon and cheer him on, and as of December 24th I'm doing that as his wife. We've known each other almost seven years. We've been in love the whole time and although it wasn't easy, it doesn't matter come the wedding day. We're going to be a family, and a damn good one" I say with a smile as I turn to him.

"One last question" they insist. "You guys refer to yourself as fire and ice which are polar opposites. How did you guys come to the conclusion of that name" they ask and I smile.

"Because she's like fire, full with passion and unpredictable at times. She can melt any sheet of ice she performs on because of how hot she gets. You can see it in her eyes, when she turns it on" he explains.

"And he's like ice, gives you chills when you watch him. He can freeze opponents forcing them to just sit back and watch him do what he pleases. He's like a cool wind that blows right by you. Like a ice sculpture so solid and durable" I continue.

"And although it sounds like we're opposite, we're not. We work better together than any other tandem out there. Because I'm there to cool her off when she gets over heated and she my source of fuel when I need it. Without fire, there is no ice. Just like without her there is no me" Jonathan insists. And with that, fire and ice were in the records.