Every Rose Has It's Thorns (Patrick Kane)

Making History

Patrick

Once we return to Chicago we take the cup to every bar imaginable and drink the hours away. There's wasn't a bar downtown we don't hit up as the nights seem to go on and on. People were lined up outside to party with us. Well... Madeline too, but mostly us.

I sit in the VIP area of our favorite bar with Maddie in my lap as we nurse a beer. My arm set securely around her waist as she leans into me. I was one of the few guys with a girlfriend or significant other right now so I wasn't quite as sloppy as everyone else. Plus I gotta protect my image for Maddie's sake so I try to control myself as much as possible. So we drink the beer and dance and sing our hearts out. We have the time of our lives and for once just do whatever we wanted.

"This is crazy" she says as we watch my friends tear up the dance floor. A different group of girls each night and the same good old songs. Songs that'll come on years from now and I'll be able to smile as these memories dance around in my head.

"It's incredible. I don't want it to ever end" I admit.

"Are you not tired? It's like day three.. I think" she giggles.

"I am but I'm still so high that I can't even tell. Or maybe I'm too drunk" I admit as I look into my empty bottle.

"You want another one" she offers and I smile at her.

"Thanks but I should probably not drink anymore. My liver will never forgive me" I admit.

"Then let me get you a water" she say as she tries to get up. But I pull her back into my lap as I kiss the side of her neck.

"You're not going anywhere" I whisper on her skin.

"And why not" she questions.

"Because I don't want to miss you" I insist and she smiles. She pulls me into a real kiss and I couldn't help but smile back. I'm sure both of us have made the headlines the last few days with our pda but I don't care. Let them talk, I'm just gonna keep loving her.

After a while it was time to go home. I'm sure Titan wanted someone to play with and if I don't get some sleep soon I'm gonna pass out. So we start to head out to the back where Kelly was waiting for us in the car.

"Patrick wait" someone yells and we stop walking. I turn around and see our team manager Stan Bowman standing there.

"Hey! What's up" I wonder.

"I wanted to see if you wanted to take the cup home with you for the night" he says and my eyes go big.

"Excuse me" I ask.

"Jonny and Duncs and Seabs have gotten to take it home because they got the letters. But there's no cup without you. So if you want to you can take it home then just bring it to the parade tomorrow" he explains.

"I'll be honored" I gasp and he smiles.

"Awesome. I'll bring it right out."

We get the cup into Maddie's car and it sits in between us in the back buckled up. Kelly takes us home and we get the cup into her house.

"What are you going to do with it" Maddie asks and I shrug.

"I don't know. I've dreamed about this hunk of metal my whole life. Now that it's here... it's a lot smaller than I thought" I admit.

"It's still pretty cool though. The names of all your favorite players who won the cup are on here and now it's sitting in your home. How many people get to say that" she asks.

"Not many. And I'm just 21, I did what I've always dreamed of doing... but now what" I sigh.

"This isn't the end of your dream, Patrick. This is just the beginning. Put your name on there twice, hell, put it on there five times. Go out and win MVPs and scoring titles and anything you want. Play until your heart's content. The only limits to your legacy are the ones put on yourself" she explains.

"Is that how you're so successful with music? Because you don't have limits" I ask and she smiles.

"Music is my art, there's no limits on art so there's no limits to what I can do. I can use what I have to do incredible things and there's no place where I can stop and be satisfied. There's always more, no matter how good I feel like I have it" she says.

"That's a great mind frame you got there. I might take that" I admit.

"Do you think we can get this thing in the hot tub" she asks and I laugh.

"You know, I was thinking the exact same thing" I admit.

"Will you get in trouble" she asks.

"They won't know, it'll be dry by tomorrow. Plus this thing has gone into pools, oceans and lakes. What's a hot tub gonna do" I shrug.

So we take the cup up to the second floor and set it in the hot tub. We strip down into our underwear and jump on in. We take the time to admire this thing, it was such a historical piece of the sports community and it was sitting in my hot tub right now. It's kinda crazy.

"It's been 49 years since this thing had the Chicago Blackhawks on it. And now thanks to you the name will be on there once again" she mentions and I smile.

"This means a lot to you huh" I question.

"It means the world to me. Being a Blackhawks fan for my whole life and my parents not being able to see this happen and for it to happen with all of us alive, well it's great. If only we can get the Cubs to break their curse" she teases as I laugh.

"It's been over 100 years for that one, I think it's gonna be a little bit harder" I insist.

"Oh yeah, says the guy who used a magic disappearing puck trick to confuse the world as to if you guys actually won or if we had to endure any more nerve wracking hockey" she teases.

"Yeah, that was pretty epic" I admit.

"Has it set in yet" she wonders. 

"We're sitting in a hot tub with the Stanley cup, it's pretty real to me. But it's still crazy that it happens like the way it did. I mean every kid dreams of shooting the Stanley cup winning goal and I did it and no one even know. It was insane" I sigh.

"It was pretty incredible. That's why it was pretty fitting you did it" she claims and I smile to her. How lucky am I?